Imitating Macedonia. 20/20 Vision. II Corinthians 8:1-11. Note: The sermon transcript follows immediately after the Discussion Guide Discussion Guide

Transcription

1 Imitating Macedonia 20/20 Vision II Corinthians 8:1-11 Note: The sermon transcript follows immediately after the Discussion Guide Discussion Guide Main Idea: We respond to God s generous grace in our life by seeking to advance the gospel and by giving faithfully and generously to God s work. Discussion Points: In this lesson, Stephen gives four important principles about grace giving from the example of the early church in Macedonia: Principle One: Grace giving to God is motivated by God s grace to us. (2Corinthians 8:1) How and why is that true? What is the connection between God s generous grace toward you, and you living generously? Principle Two: Grace giving isn t bound to better circumstances. (2Corinthians 8:2) When have you been tempted to think that living generously would wait until after you were financially secure? What lessons can you learn from the fact that the Macedonians gave generously in the midst of affliction and poverty? Principle Three: Grace giving is related to attitudes rather than amounts. (2Corinthains 8:3) Have you ever given because you felt pressured to give? Compare that to times when you have given freely as God prompted you. Which brought you, and God, greater joy? Why do you think God values the attitude of the giver over the size of the gift? What would it reveal about the attitude of the giver if he/she never got around to actually giving anything? Principle Four: Grace giving is passionate about participation. (2Corinthians 8:4) Can you think of a time when you were begging God for an opportunity to contribute to His work? Why do you think that kind of attitude is rare?

2 Discussion Guide cont. The Gospel is God lavishly giving you His grace and mercy in saving you. The gospel frees us to live generously and to passionately pour our lives into others in evangelism and discipleship. Practical Implications Think: What are some regrets that you have regarding things that you almost did but never found the time or discipline to actually do? What does discipleship mean? What are the differences between Disciple Making (making new disciples) and Discipleship (becoming more like Christ)? What are some ways that you can initiate Disciple Making and Discipleship with people in your traffic pattern? Pray: Respond: Ask God to show you your part in advancing the gospel in your sphere of influence, and ask God to increase your passion for following His example of giving generously. What are some opportunities that you have right now that you should take advantage of before they become things that you almost did?

3 Imitating Macedonia 20/20 Vision II Corinthians 8:1-11 Since the 1940s, the Ad Council has been the leading producer of public service announcements. Of the thousands of commercials they have produced over the decades, I have read the report that one of the most powerful series of commercials featured needy people who were almost given financial aid or physical help. They called it the, Don't Almost Give campaign. It ended up being particularly powerful. One ad shows a man with crutches struggling to go up a flight of concrete stairs. The narrator says, This is a man who almost learned to walk at a rehab center that almost got built by people who almost gave money. After a dramatic pause, the announcer continues: Almost gave. How good is almost giving? About as good as almost walking. Another ad shows a homeless man curled up in a ball on a pile of rags. One ratty bed sheet shields him from the cold and of course, it doesn t really shield him from the winter night. The narrator says, This is Jack Thomas. Today someone almost brought Jack something to eat. Someone almost brought him to a shelter. And someone else almost brought him a warm blanket. After pausing, the narrator continues: And Jack Thomas? Well, he almost made it through the night. Each of these thought provoking ads ended with the words: Don't almost give. Give. Now obviously, the ad campaign had nothing to do with the gospel, or raising funds to deliver resources in order to deliver the truth of God to a needy community, but it still raised a fundamental issue for every Christian and every local church to consider. How many Christians might evaluate their own lives and find themselves saying to themselves; I almost started that Bible study; I almost invited that co-worker to lunch so that I could ask them about spiritual things; I almost asked my boss what he thought about the church in an effort to move from business to the Bible (as one man put it to me recently); I almost started reading my Bible or memorizing scripture; I almost took that missions trip; I almost started teaching that Sunday school class; I almost started praying for those lost students in my classroom; I almost started intentionally giving money to the Lord s work rather than continue tipping the Lord randomly. I almost did all of that! This can be true not only for Christians, but churches it s actually a lot bigger than dollars and cents or time and energy... it reveals vision and goals and passion and investment. It s not only possible for a Christian to say what he almost gave, or almost did, it s possible for a local church to say: You know, we almost took the gospel to the world; we almost trained disciple makers; we almost evangelized our community; we almost planted churches, we almost sent global staff and partners to places around the world. We almost did some of that! Which is why we re more impassioned than ever to strategically think through the matter of mobilization.

4 In fact, over the next two weeks, our Global Impact Conference will kick into high gear, so please go online, register, look at the website for details, read the Communique to be aware of what s happening. Today what I want to do is something different... in light of our Global Impact Conference and, frankly, as a result of a lot of planning and talking and praying, I want to introduce what we re calling Colonial s 20/20 Vision. For starters, and foundationally, this means we want to balance and meet our annual ministry budget. That might not sound all that visionary, but our annual budget currently supports dozens of global staff around the world along with a number of global partner mission s organizations. It supports every ministry department in our church and covers the mortgage payments and all the household items. We had 8,000 different events here at the church this past year and they re all touching the lives of every age group. These buildings aren t just mortgage payments they are investments in reaching and drawing people of all ages to the gospel and this assembly to service and worship. Secondly... What does this mean? What it means is simply this we want to be even more strategic over the next four years through the end of 20/20. Why? Because at the end of this year and certainly by the end of f20/20 we don t want to hear ourselves saying, We almost did something bold and courageous and costly and time consuming and fruit bearing... we almost did that. We want to intentionally plant 20 churches by 20/20. Now, what I don t mean by this is that we ll find 20 men we barely know and give them a little money as they start their church and then claim it as one of our church plants. What I mean is something more connected and synergistic... more on that in a moment. 2

5 We also want to develop training and opportunities for discipleship and evangelism. You re going to hear more about strategic efforts in the near future in fact, the next two Sundays is focusing on recruiting, training and encouraging our entire congregation on what it means and how to begin making disciples how do you initiate that? How do you connect with those whom God has brought into the traffic pattern of your life? Finally, part of our 20/20 Vision is to accelerate our mortgage payments and by the end of 20/20 eliminate our mortgage. You might have been a part of our Multiply Campaign, which officially ends this month; now that the dust has settled, our mortgage stands at roughly 6.4 million dollars; your brochure says 6.8 million and that s already old news. And here s what I so appreciate about our church; with very little fanfare... with very little communication and even less pressure, this past year, our church family gave more money to and through Colonial than in any other year in our history. And it really happened quietly, didn t it? No one was hounded or pounded or even praised or promoted for giving. We just informed you of the need and you gave in fact, more was given to the work of Christ through Colonial than we have ever given in any prior year. And you wouldn t have even known that remarkable accomplishment, unless I d just told you. The question becomes then More on that in a moment but for now, this is something we want to intentionally accomplish and more of it not just think about, or wish... we don t want to almost impact our world but absolutely impact our world, in ever widening circles of influence that God is allowing us to consider. How are we going to more strategically impact our world for Christ? 3

6 A big part of it is leveraging our relationship with all the students who are here, preparing for full-time ministry. If you re new around here, you might not be aware of the fact that we planted an apple tree 13 years ago we call it, Shepherds seminary. And we prayed that the Lord would use our simple beginnings to eventually produce church leaders, counselors, missionaries, pastors and more. Now, the fruit is hanging on the branches. We will have had 130 students this school year and another record graduation class ahead this May. It took us 10 years to have 70 graduates. In the last 3 years we had 75 more. Already, we have Shepherds grads serving in 22 states and in 13 countries. But I have to tell you, the pace is really picking up. We now have more and more men in the pipeline who are planning to plant churches. We ve needed to strategically come up with a platform a fellowship a brand and a system to better train, assist, coach, resource and send these men into the field. As a result, we ve launched The Shepherds Network, to do just that. Beloved, because of our intentional partnership with Shepherds, and all the hard work and financial support from birthing and mothering and nurturing this graduate school along, planting 20 churches in the next 4 years may be too small a prayer request; in fact, I believe we will soon be planting 20 churches a year. And not by men we barely know and give a little training to and some money. The Shepherds Network will also provide ongoing opportunities for training and fellowship through our regional and national meetings. Thirdly, when our church planters graduate and enter the field, they will carry with them this growing fellowship and network of like-minded, biblically based, church planters who are also committed to Bible exposition, Sola Scriptura, and the doctrines of grace. And there s more. This isn t the only strategic initiative we plan to develop in order to move beyond almost doing something to absolutely doing something. These are men who ve earned an accredited graduate theological degree they ve learned the scriptures and they are trained and prepared to preach the word. We ve also laid the groundwork for something really exciting. Under the direction and management of our Mobilization Office, we re launching Shepherds International. 4

7 So the question becomes one of money, right? Every great opportunity presents an equally great burden. So the question isn t just about money, but whether or not we will respond to the opportunity, and shoulder it, at the same time we are trusting in the providence and provision of God? If you haven t noticed by now, the word Shepherd is obviously the brand name and what a great name to keep everything synergistically moving in the same direction; however, this organization is Colonial s own sending agency. In fact, we already have our first family apply to come under the auspices and management of Shepherds International. Beloved, I can hardly wait to see the fruit abounding to the glory of Christ and the advancement of the gospel, not only here in the United States, but around the world. So how will we provide the resources for these incredible global opportunities? First, through regular ministry fund giving. I m asking all of you to become a part of regular giving to the ministry. And I can promise you, as you give, your interest and passion will increase. Why? Because where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. We re going to be able to increase strategic opportunities in so many countries around the world. People from within our own congregation who sense the Lord s leadership to move to another country or culture or even to begin some ministry in the States, will now have their own home church providing the resources and leadership and prayer support to send them into the field. The people whom God has brought to our Colonial staff have the experience and know-how and passion to lead this initiative. And by the way, unlike the average Missions Agency, we will not be charging our missionaries 10% or more from their support we will be raising the funds to administrate this endeavor within our own fellowship. Paying down our debt is also important, because it increases potential funds for ministry. So, we re going to press on with debt reduction payments. 5

8 You might have been in a church in the past that had a Faith Promise that went to Missions. This is similar to that. For those of you who are new to the concept, let s answer the question... We ve provided a screen shot of the Grace Promise card: So, how can we together participate in so much opportunity? In fact, the more I ve described these initiatives, the more likely they will become some of those things we almost did, rather than absolutely accomplished. So, how do we individually make my Grace Promise my commitment which we will collect and tally up at the end of this month. It reads: I am trusting God to provide for my needs and committing to give the amount below over and above my regular giving for one year for the advance of the gospel around the globe. In other words, you are individually and intentionally going to move from almost getting involved financially to absolutely getting involved. We ll be giving you more information about this Grace Promise as we move through the month of March, but begin praying even now about this oneyear-at-a-time-commitment so that we can as a church family seize the moment globally in so many areas of ministry. Now the question that all of us ought to be asking is, does this kind of grace giving over and above the normal needs of a congregation ever show up in scripture? Is this something you elders came up with? I m glad you asked that. In fact, one particular congregation is still being talked about 1,900 years later because of how they modeled this kind of grace giving. For just a few moments, turn to Second Corinthians and let me show you. And while you re 6

9 turning, let me tell you, the model of giving wasn t the Corinthians... they weren t modeling anything yet. In chapter 8 of this letter, Paul is going to urge the Corinthian church and every church since to imitate the Macedonians. Let me quickly work through 5 verses with you and pull from them 4 observations about Grace Giving. And here s the first observation and then I ll read the text grace giving to God is motivated by God s grace to us. Look at verse 1 of 2 Corinthians 8. Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia. By the way, the Roman province of Macedonia included the church in Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea. Macedonia was an incredibly poor region because of numerous wars and the plunder by the Roman Empire when they were conquered. So Paul makes it clear that what motivated the Macedonians to contribute to this special offering that will go to the ministry in Jerusalem was nothing short of the grace of God. Later in this chapter, Paul will equate giving with grace. In other words, just as God gave us everything because of His grace Paul writes that God lavishes His grace on us (Ephesians 1:8), so we give to others out of grace they didn t earn it; they might have done nothing to deserve it it s simply our hearts acting out the same kind of grace that God showed to us. So when we imitate the Macedonians, we are effectively imitating the heart of God. Secondly, grace giving isn t bound to better circumstances. Paul writes further in verse 2 that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. You might underline the word ordeal it means test or trial; you might underline the word affliction it s a word that refers to the pressure of squeezing grapes; the Macedonians were under incredible pressure because of their testimony of faith and their physical poverty. If the Macedonians were waiting to give based on better circumstances, they would have never moved past almost giving. They were down, as it were, to their last penny but they saw the opportunity to invest that penny in something beyond their own needs and the needs of their own church. A recent poll by the Pew Research taken from interviews of College Freshmen merely reflects what they ve picked up from their parents. According to this poll, students were asked, what is essential for you in life? The answer be rich was given as the number 1 answer in almost 9 out of 10 students. Here s the interesting statistic this represents a 43 percent increase over what the college freshman thought in I m going to get it and keep it... which is why we ll not be reading about their lives 1900 years from now or probably 59 years from now. The Macedonians are still being read and studied because of their incredible example of grace giving. And we admire them! But it s one thing to admire them... and another thing to imitate them. 7

10 now. The average Christian in America, I read just recently, gives an average of 1.6 percent of their income to the Lord s work. About $20 dollars a week... Beloved, that is a tip, not an intentional investment. One more observation: Let me make another observation thirdly, grace giving is related to attitudes rather than amounts. Paul writes in verse 3. For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord. In other words, Paul wants to make it clear that he didn t hound them, or pound them or pressure them. And nowhere does Paul suggest percentages. It wasn t the amount it was their attitude. Later in the next chapter by the way, Paul is addressing this special offering for at least 2 chapters. And later in chapter 9 Paul delivers that classic text many of you have heard before, Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Not grudgingly I don t want to give Not under compulsion they re making me give But cheerfully I can t wait to give It wasn t the amount as much as it was the attitude. I came across an incident this past week where a mother gave her daughter a one dollar bill and a quarter. She said, Now sweetheart, I m going to let you decide. You can put either one in the offering plate the dollar or the quarter it s entirely up to you. After church as they were driving home, the mother asked the daughter what she had decided to give. She said, Well, I was going to give that dollar, but the pastor said God loves a cheerful giver, and I knew I d be a lot more cheerful if I gave that quarter... So are we giving anything to the Lord with joy? This is tax season, so you might have it tallied up by Grace giving is passionate about participation. Verse 4 [These Macedonians were] begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord. They were begging us to be included in this over and above financial investment. The word for begging is the same word the leper used in Luke 5 where he begged Jesus to heal him. This wasn t a casual request. It was a matter of life and death... don t leave me out of this. The Macedonians didn t want to almost be involved... they absolutely had to be involved in this special offering to another part of the world and to another ministry taking place in the name of Jesus Christ. That ad campaign I mentioned earlier had another feature that I found especially challenging... change a few words and you have an opportunity for gospel outreach and discipleship and ministry... This particular ad I watched showed an elderly woman sitting alone in a little room, staring out a window, with her hands folded on her lap. The narrator said, This is Sarah Watkins. A lot of people almost helped her. One almost cooked for her. Another almost drove her to the doctor. Still another almost stopped by to say hello. They almost helped. They almost gave of themselves. But almost giving is the same as not giving at all. I couldn t help but think: 8

11 How much are we almost going to invest beyond this campus in reaching the unreached? How many churches are we almost going to start? How many people in different countries are we almost going to train and teach? How much of an investment in places like Singapore and Kenya and Kosovo are we going to almost make? How many people in the world will we almost reach with the gospel of Jesus Christ? As a church family, let s not almost be strategic and sacrificial and generous... let s not almost imitate the Macedonians. Let s move beyond almost to absolutely for the gospel and glory of Christ. Be Thou My Vision. This manuscript is from a sermon preached on 03/05/2017 by Stephen Davey. Copyright 2017 Stephen Davey All rights reserved. 9