Generosity

In so many ways the summer just passed was the ‘Best of British’ with many incredible things happening throughout the summer months. Lord Coe in his speech at the closing ceremony of the Olympics hailed the ‘Spirit of Generosity’ among the British people. He was of course referring to not only their hospitality but the very generous support they gave to their athletes throughout the games.

The Spirit of Generosity was something that existed not only in Britain this summer but was a hallmark of the early church. We read such verses as Acts 42:45 “They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need” which highlights the spirit of generosity that existed among them. This level of generosity is not something we regularly see in our culture today. There are glimpses of generosity not just in church communities but also throughout our culture but this level of generosity demonstrated by the early church is a whole other level.

It is fair to say that over the years money and possessions have become a little bit of a taboo subject from church pulpits. Preachers either feel awkward or listeners feel awkward to someone speaking about such subjects. However, when we look through the words in red (Jesus’ words) we see many parables and references to money and through the bible there are roughly 2500 references to money and possessions. To place that into a little context there are roughly 500 verses about faith and the same again regarding prayer and we love to give time and attention to those subjects don’t we?

In a book written ‘The Day America told the Truth’ some interesting statistics are revealed regarding American attitudes to money. You could argue it is a fairly western perspective. The question put to them was ‘What would you be willing to do for $10 million?’ Here is what they discovered:

25% would abandon their entire family

23% would become prostitutes for a week or more

16% would give up their American citizenship

16% would leave their spouses

10% would withhold testimony and let a murderer go free

7% would kill a stranger

3% would put their children up for adoption

All this shows is that when it comes to money and possessions our value systems go out the window. There is a default mindset that exists which says money will make me happy. I can sacrifice everything for the right price. At the core of humanity we are selfish, people find it very easy to be selfish. I know I don’t need to sit my kids down and teach them how to be selfish – they know!

Jesus tells a parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10) and in this parable we see three existing viewpoints that are very prevalent in our society today. The first is the robber (vs. 30) who beats and strips an innocent man, his viewpoint in life is what’s yours is mine. It doesn’t matter to me that you have worked hard for what you have; I have a divine right to take from you and make it mine. The second viewpoint is that of the Priest and the Levite who choose to walk by the beaten, stripped man and leave him alone, their viewpoint in life is what’s mine is mine. It doesn’t matter to me how desperate you are or how in need you are, this is mine and I am going to keep it for me. Then we have the third viewpoint, the Good Samaritan who as we know helps the beaten, stripped man and he lives with the viewpoint what’s mine is yours. It matters to me that you are in distress that you are suffering in some way and I am going to help. I have been blessed and therefore I am going to bless.

I am sure we can identify with all three of these viewpoints and the indicators of the early church are that they operated with the viewpoint of the Samaritan. What’s mine, what belongs to me, my property, possessions also belongs to you. We see the writer of Acts, Luke emphasises their generosity further in Acts 4:32 – 35 and we see further how much they valued generosity.

So the million-dollar question how do we become a generous people? A generous community of believers and value it at our core? Well I want to look at three things, which I believe will help you in your pursuit to be a generous believer.

Develop and maintain a Relationship with the Holy Spirit

We believe the Holy Spirit leads, guides, instructs and at times convicts and if we want to be a community that’s generous we need to allow the Holy Spirit to do those things, but he can only do them if we have relationship with Him. Philemon 1:6 say’s “You are generous because of your faith” and I believe as we grow in faith we should grow in our generosity.

Luke 12:33-34 (Message) “Be generous. Give to the poor. Get yourselves a bank that can’t go bankrupt, a bank in heaven far from bank robbers, safe from embezzlers, a bank you can bank on. It’s obvious, isn’t it? The place where your treasure is, is the place you will most want to be, and end up being.”

We all invest somewhere and have treasure located in some place, it could be time, energy and money in family, friends, homes, cars and so many other areas. We all invest somewhere and the bible teaches us that where we invest is where our heart will be. It is the place you long to be around, you feel right at that place, everything makes sense to you there because you have invested something into it – those things aren’t wrong, in fact on the whole they are good. We just need to make sure we are investing in treasure that will last, that builds an account in heaven.

Model your Maker

Our starting point should always be we have a generous God and there is no greater verse throughout the whole bible than John 3:16 “For God so loved the world he gave”. If we are looking at generosity we have to look ultimately to the greatest ever sacrifice made and that was God who gave his very son for us.

We can’t out give God but he calls us to model Him with our generosity. To live with the same view as the Good Samaritan: what is mine, what I have worked hard for I am going to share with and that was the DNA of the early and it should be our DNA today. Unfortunately, too many live with a closed fist that says this is mine and it’s going to stay mine. What do you need to do to make the shift?

See yourself as a River and not a Reservoir

One reason the Dead Sea is such a big tourist attraction is the high mineral concentration that means even non-swimmers can float. However there is a foul smell, nothing flows out and any fresh water that comes in turns salty and stays there.

Proverbs 11:24-25 “The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller” As people we are not supposed to be reservoirs that just take in and hold water; we are called to be rivers that flow out and bless others. I believe incredible things happen when we move from what’s mine is mine to what’s mine is yours and that transition opens us to the possibility of great things. As people we need to be obedient to what God is asking of us, if we are obedient in the small things then much greater will be asked of us!

The early church valued Generosity; valued one another enough that it meant they lived constantly with an attitude that said what’s mine is yours. Let us be a community that lives with our hands open taking every opportunity to be generous and trusting the lead of the Holy Spirit at work within us.

Here are some things to take away:

1. What’s mine is yours

2. We can’t out give God; but we can model Him

3. Tithing is scriptural

4. Be a blessing

As part of this sermon series I have produced some notes on tithing. To download the pdf please click here

 

Seven Things I Believe About You If You Follow Jesus

#1 – That God’s plans for your life are greater than yours…and success is not found in control but rather through surrender! (Ephesians 3:20!)

#2 – That if God brought you to it then He will lead you through it…He always finishes what He starts! (Philippians 1:6)

#3 – That there will be times in your life that you are going to have to leave your comfort zone and step into the unknown! (Hebrews 11:1, Hebrews 11:6)

#4 – That we cannot do life alone…and God places people in our lives to both encourage and challenge us! (Hebrews 10:24-25)

#5 – That God really does work out ALL THINGS for His glory and our good! (Romans 8:28)

#6 – That you cannot separate yourself from the love of God…He doesn’t love us based on our performance but rather our position as His children! (It is an overwhelming thought when we consider that we cannot out sin the grace of God!) (Romans 8:38-39)

#7 – That you CAN DO what you think you CAN’T DO but feel like He keeps telling you that you’ve GOT TO DO! (Philippians 4:13)

 

Dealing with Sexual Sin

Had to preach a couple of big sermons recently on some massive subjects that people have grappled with for years. I am by no means an expert but thought I would post some of my key points from the couple of subjects I have touched on recently.

In this bog you will find some thoughts on sexual sin and living in purity.

1. Sexual sin begins with a thought
Immorality begins in the mind and proceeds to the Imagination. if someone allows his/her thoughts to dwell too long on improper yearnings, they will begin to identify themselves with the object of their desire, and physical consent will follow.

James 1:14-15
“Each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin.”

We need to be vigilant about protecting our thoughts and imagination, allowing ourselves to focus on that which is pure and wholesome.

Young people – your imaginations are growing. Be careful and protect your thoughts.

2. Sexual sin is not something that can be prayed away
Sexual sin is something we need to be set free from and it will not be pretty.
It is not something, as with any sin that we can simply pray or read bible verses about grace to help make us feel better. We can’t simply promise God it won’t happen again.

According to James 5:16 we must confess our sins to one another
“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed”

We run away from confession these days because we rely so much on reputation. Confessing will cost you something but the danger is the costs of concealment are far greater than the costs of confession.

3. Sexual sin costs us our spiritual esteem
People who are involved in sexual sin feel disconnected from God, guilty and can feel spiritually dead.

4. Sexual sin offers false pleasure without penalty
The power of sexual temptations comes from a lie. The devil would have us believe that sexual promiscuity is normal, acceptable, and free of cost. But the truth is that any form of spiritual disobedience has serious consequences.

He has designed us to live by His laws and reap wonderful, godly rewards. When we refuse, we bring about terrible results – God gives us these laws for our own good.

5. Sexual sin has many consequences
There are many terrible results of sexual disobedience.
A few examples of its negative effects are feelings of guilt, self-condemnation, a divided mind, anxiety, damaged self-esteem, hypocrisy, emptiness, disappointment and anger.

Living in Purity
Matthew 5:8
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”

Purity is a bigger deal than just sexual purity. Purity is so much more than just not having sex or viewing pornography. Purity is about our words (James 3:9-10), emotions (Matthew 5:21-22 – Murder) and our thoughts (Matthew 5:27-28 – Adultery).
It’s about all that we are.

We can often say “well these things are too hard for me to attain”
We can only achieve it with the help of God who lives in us.

If we have been enslaved in sexual purity you need to know there is a way out.

1 John 4:4
“he that is in you is greater than he that is in the world”

Philippians 4:13
“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength”

As we seek to obey the will of God we understand that it is impossible to have a pure heart in our own strength. But with God’s help a pure heart is something we can all have – we can live by purity.

Its amazing to see that it is the pure in heart who get to see God.

C.S. Lewis said
“It is safe to tell the pure in heart that they shall see God, for only the pure in heart want to.”

Sexual purity is possible when God is in control of your life… when you are living for His purpose.

Rick Warren writes:
“knowing your purpose simplifies your life. It defines what you do and what you don’t do. Your purpose becomes the standard you use to evaluate which activities are essential and which aren’t. You simply ask, ‘Does this activity help me fulfil one of God’s purposes for my life?”

The real danger is that without a clear purpose you have no foundation on which you base decisions, allocate your time, and use your resources. You will tend to make choices based on circumstances, pressures, and your mood at that moment.”

If we fall into this trap it becomes easy to fall into sexual sin.

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8
“3 It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; 4 that each of you should learn to control your own body[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, 5 not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; 6 and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.[b] The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. 7 For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. 8 Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 6:18-20
“Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.”

Listen to podcast of full teaching here

 

Angels

Had to preach a couple of big sermons recently on some massive subjects that people have grappled with for years. I am by no means an expert but thought I would post some of my key points from the couple of subjects I have touched on recently.

In this bog you will find some myths and facts that I believe exist around the whole subject of Angels.

Recommended Read: Hebrews 1:5-13 & a book by Billy Graham ‘Angels: God Secret Agents’

Many of us have heard or read the verse that say’s “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2). Angels are incredible created beings but they are created beings and not to be worshipped or idolised and at the same time they are to be celebrated, acknowledged and a part of our lives.

Myth 1 – Angels are human beings who have died

Some believe Angels were once humans and somehow on arrival in heaven have been issued a set of state of the art wings they now use to get around. I know what people mean when they say ‘God has another little angel now’ when a loved one passes away. I know they are meaning their loved one is in heaven but they do not become angels.

Colossians 1:16 “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”

Visible and invisible, throne, powers in there it is talking about angelic realms and all these things were created by Him. God knows the number of angels that exist. We do not know how many but John says in Revelation he saw 10,000 x 10,000 angels. My simple Maths tells me that a hundred million and then he said thousands upon thousands.

There is a mind boggling number of angels. They do not reproduce. We do not have infant angels or old angels, there is no word of them being born or dying off and we need to remove ourselves from the myth that they are our dead friends and relatives. If an angel appeared to you as a friend or relative you have either been deceived or it is a deceiving spirit.

Myth 2 – Angels appear as chubby babies with wings

You all have a picture of Cupid right now don’t you shooting love arrows to people.

Myth 3 – Angels are sweet creatures who sing and play harps

Do you know there is not one verse that mentions angels singing…most times we think they are singing they are actually speaking. In Revelation it tells us that angels do not know the joy of Salvation and basically the singing is left to the saints. The angels speak of the glory of God.

Appearances of angels in the bible do not show them in this way.

Genesis 3:24 “After he drove them out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”

Is. 37:36 records an angel killing 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. So these are mighty warriors often described with swords not harps.

Myth 4 – All angels are good and obey God

There are angels that are evil and oppose God. The bible only names 3 angels:-

Michael, the archangel, Gabriel & Lucifer, who rebelled against God and was cast out.

We commonly know Lucifer as satan, the devil, and he has lot of fallen angels we call demons, evil spirits. So you have God’s holy angels and you have fallen angels.

Matthew 25:41 “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels”

Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Myth 5 – Angels must be seen to be real

The bible tells us they are usually invisible and it is only at times we are enabled to see them. The danger of us all too often seeing angels is we fall at their feet and worship them. John fell into this trap in Revelation 19:10 and the angel told him to get up and worship Jesus because he was nothing but a fellow servant.

What are some of the truths about Angels.

1. Angels announce and forewarn

Angels announced beforehand the births of some of God’s servants: - Abraham and Sarai the conception and birth of their son Isaac (Gen 18:9), the announcement of Samson to His parents (Judges 13:2-24), Gabriel announced the birth of John the Baptist to his father Zechariah before his wife elizabeth became pregnant, and of course the birth of Jesus to Mary before she was with child (Luke 2:8-15).

Angels not only announced blessed events but on occasions forewarned the righteous of imminent danger or threatening disaster: - Abraham and Lot were forewarned of the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah (Gen 18), Joseph was warned by an angel to “take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy Him.” (Matt 2:13)

There are many example of Angels bringing important announcements and forewarnings.

Other examples:-

Daniel 8:19

2. Angels guide and instruct

When Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the wilderness we see in Exodus 14 & 23 that an angel was sent to go before them, to guard them along the way and take them to the prepared place.

Exodus 14:19-20 “then the angel of God, who had been travelling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel.”

Exodus 23:20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.”

Moses recognises the guidance of the angel in Numbers 20:16 “an angel brought us forth out of Egypt.”

There are many NT examples of Angels guiding and instructing:-

Acts 10 – Cornelius is told to send men to Joppa to get Simon Peter.

Acts 8 – Phillip is instructed to leave Samaria and go to a desert place on the Jerusalem – Gaza road and he later found out the purpose of His mission.

Acts 27 – An angel appears beside Paul in the boat and assures him he we will as well as the rest of the crew survive.

Other examples:-

Genesis 24:7, 40

Matthew 1:20

Zechariah 1:9, 19

Daniel 7:16

Revelation 17:7

3. Angels guard and defend

Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and deliver them.”

The bible does suggest through scripture there are guardian angels but not just for individuals but for cities, nations and indeed churches.

See Daniel 10 & Revelation 2

One of the most amazing verses though I think is Jesus speaking about Angels. We all know the story but Peter cuts the ear off a Roman soldier at Jesus’ arrest.

Matthew 26:50-54 “Jesus replied, Friend, do what you came for. Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword, drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting of his ear. Put your sword back in its place, Jesus said to him, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?. But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?”

Other examples:-

Genesis 32:24

Exodus 14:19

1 Chronicles 12:22

2 Kings 19:35

4. To minister in need

All angelic service to man is ministering in some form to mans needs. Angels are mediators of God’s love and good will to men, and their mission is always well meaning, either immediately or ultimately. Angels administered to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in times of critical need.

We often talk about Elijah (1 Kings 19) who suffering from exhaustion, fear and loneliness is ministered to by angels.

1 Kings 19:5-7 “An angel awoke him and served him with a hot cake and a jar of water, which provided him with strength for a long journey ahead..”

Jesus after being in the wilderness and tempted by the devil it say’s “the angels ministered to Him” (Mark 1:13)

Again when he was alone and in sorrow in the Garden of Gethsemane “there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him” (Luke 22:43)

Other examples:-

Genesis 21:17

Matthew 28:2

Acts 5:19 / 12:6-1

5. To assist in Judgement

Finally angels assist in God’s judgement. Enough instances are on record to show that this is continually being done in human history. Some have already been mentioned.

John in Revelation sees a vision of an angel with great authority and amazing splendour proclaiming the fall of Rome, while a mighty angel through a stone into the sea, symbolising the fall of Rome (Rev 18:1, 21)

We see instances of another angel binding Satan and throwing him into the pit (Rev 20:1-3). But moreover Jesus said that angels would attend Him on His second coming.

Matthew 25:31 “When the son of man comes in His glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.”

Mark 13:27 “And He will send His angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens.”

Angels are there, present at the beginning and at the end. What is doubtless is the major function of angels in the age to come is to praise God continually.

Other examples:-

Acts 12:23

John 1:51

Luke 9:26

Luke 12:8,9

You know a lot of people have a lot of different opinions on Angels. There is a lot to say about them. Some of what I have said today may have helped or just confused you a whole load more. What’s important is that Angels exist. They exist to serve, guide, protect, instruct, announce, minister the saints and they exist to worship God. Do we need to be careful, absolutely. If the apostle John can fall into the trap of worshipping them, I guess we can to. They are not to be worshipped. Do fallen angels appear to us, absolutely and you go to be aware and careful.

My leaving thought with you would be take confidence in the fact that God has got your back and he has an army with Him ready to come and back it up. You see angels are not just reserved for big characters in the bible, they are there for you and I when we need them and at God’s word they come.

Listen to podcast of full teaching here

 

Profile of the Lukewarm

As a young boy growing up in the church there would occasionally be sermons that would cause you to sit up and take notice. I remember the first time I heard Revelation 3:16 quoted “So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” I remember been a little startled at the abruptness of the verse but yet intrigued by it at the same time.

I recently came across this verse again in a book I am reading called crazy love by Francis Chan and in it he begins to list the profile of lukewarm Christians. I found the profile personally very challenging and thought I would share his thoughts with you.

Lukewarm people attend church fairly regularly. It is what is expected of them, what they believe “good Christians” do, so they go.

Lukewarm people give money to charity and to the church…as long as it doesn’t impinge on their standard of living.

Lukewarm people tend to choose what is popular over what is right when they are in conflict..

Lukewarm people don’t really want to be saved from their sin; they want only to be saved from the penalty of their sin.

Lukewarm people are moved by stories of people who do radical things for Christ, yet they do not act. They assume such action is for “extreme” Christians, not average ones. Lukewarm people call “radical” what Jesus expected of all His followers.

Lukewarm people rarely share their faith with their neighbours, coworkers or friends. They do not want to be rejected, nor do they want to make people uncomfortable by talking about their private issues like religion.

Lukewarm people gauge their morality or “goodness” by comparing themselves to the secular world. They feel satisfied that while they aren’t as hardcore for Jesus as so-and-so, they are nowhere as horrible as the guy down the street.

Lukewarm people say they love Jesus, as He is, indeed, a part of their lives. But only a part. They give Him a section of thei time, thei Romney, and their thoughts, but He isn’t allowed to control their lives.

Lukewarm people love God, but they do not love Him with all their heart, soul and strength.

Lukewarm people love others but do not seek to love others as much as they love themselves.

Lukewarm people will serve God and others, but there are limits to how far they will go or how much time, money, and energy they are willing to give.

Lukewarm people think about life on earth much more often than eternity in heaven.

Lukewarm people are thankful for their luxuries and comforts, and rarely consider trying to give as much as possible to the poor.

Lukewarm people do whatever is necessary to keep themselves from feeling too guilty.

Lukewarm people are continually concerned with playing it safe.

Lukewarm people feel secure because they attend church.

 

 

Power of the Resurrection

We have just recently finished a series at Glasgow Elim looking at the Omniscience, Omnipresence and Omnipotence of God. Easier known a the Omni’s. You can find the talks here if you are interested.

I most recently preached on the Omnipotence of God, the Power of God. While Omnipotence is only mentioned once in the NT (Revelation19:6 KJV) there are numerous references to God’s might and God’s power throughout Old and New Testament.

King David refers to God as the ‘Almighty One’ (Psalm 89:8) and Peter tells us we are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the Salvation (1 Peter 1:5). God’s power is demonstrated all around us and the great thing I have recently began to discover is that He wants to share His power with us. We see evidence of this throughout scripture when He shared His power with Moses, Samson and many others.

In the NT we see a shift occur in the language about the power of God. With the coming of Holy Spirit after the death of Jesus God’s power was unleashed in an even more amazing way. We see the mark this power had on the apostles in Acts 4:33 when with “great power they began to testify to the resurrection of Jesus Christ”. Paul says that the apostles sought the power of the resurrection.

What was the power of the resurrection?

Throughout time, somewhere between forty five billion and one hundred twenty five billion people have lived on earth. BBC have recently published findings that very soon there will be 7 billion people living on this earth at one time. Every single person that has lived and lives has contributed to the pile of sin, no one has ever subtracted from the pile of sin – except one!

That’s the power of the Resurrection!

What we are powerless to do in our lives, He is able to accomplish. Gods power extends not only over the spiritual world but the physical world. It is a power that is not defined by time and space but a power beyond our imagination. This is the power the disciples sought and this is the power He is willing and anxious to share with us.

God has placed within us the power we need for life and godliness (1 Peter 1:3) and Paul tells is in 2 Timothy 1:7 we have been given the “spirit of power”.

The perception of culture is that we need to be strong to be powerful but my bible tells me it is in my weakness that His power is made perfect (2 Corinthians 12:9). That is good news for me. That tells me where I am weak and cannot overcome He is able to overcome and show the power of His Resurrection in my life.

If you are feeling weak right now then you are a prime candidate for the power of God to come and be made perfect through you.

Jeremiah was asked this question by God “Is anything to hard for me?” (32:27) and of course the answer is no but so often we live as if it is. We say things like ‘that’s just the way it is’ or ‘it’s always been that way’ and therefore are dismissing the power of God to be able to come and bring about transformation in our situations.

Is there a situation right now in your life where you have dismissed the power of God to come and bring about change?

Why not pray and seek the power of His resurrection in your life and see what God does.

 

You Say We Preach

So we are going to attempt something we have not attempted before. We are going to let you choose the preaching topic for our Sunday night services in November. This could be known as a preachers nightmare but we believe there are topics out there you would like us to preach and teach on.

The cut off date for topic suggestions will be Monday 17th October and then all topics will be listed on this site for you to vote on. The top 3 selected topics will then be preached on at Glasgow Elim’s Sunday night service on the 6th, 20th & 27th November.

How to submit a topic

1. Simply comment on this blog with your topic choice

2. Email carl@glasgowelim.org.uk

3. In the foyer at Glasgow Elim