Sermon Starters, Outlines, and Ideas

Growing in the Grace of Giving

The following are five levels of giving in ascending order:
1. A basic level of giving is out of a sense of self-benefit: "I give because I like this church". "My family likes our church's music, programming and youth ministries." There are a lot of “I's” and a lot of “my's” in this level of giving.
 
2. Gratitude. One gives because he or she recognizes God as the source of their blessings. Out of a sense of giftedness one gives with thanksgiving to God.
 
3. Spiritual Faithfulness. At this level a person is continuing to grow as a Christian disciple and desires to be a good steward, trustee or manager of that with which they've been entrusted.
A spiritual determination is made to give a proportion or percentage of one's income and/or resources as a practice and response of faithfulness. One takes steps forward in their proportionate giving to become a tithing Christian, one who gives at least 10% of their income. This is a biblical standard of giving and a worthy goal for all Christians, not as a legalistic obligation but as a faithful response. Proportionate giving is as biblically grounded as Abraham in the Old Testament tithing 10% of his possessions and Zacchaeus in the New Testament, as a response to the grace of Jesus, pledging to give one half of his possessions to the poor and to give fourfold reparations to those he'd defrauded. When one is committed to regular proportionate giving, one may tend to be more responsible with personal spending habits. Proportionate giving is a significant step forward in one's spiritual determination to be faithful in Christian discipleship!
 
4. Spiritual Vision. At this level one spiritually sees or envisions what the giving or gift can make possible, the opportunities at hand, the difference that can be made. One begins to see as God sees. One sees what God can do, what can be accomplished through the gift. With spiritual eyes to see we can excel in the grace of giving!
 
5. Extravagant Love! This is perhaps the highest level of giv­ing. Like the woman in Mark's gospel who poured an extremely expensive bottle of perfume worth more than a year's wages over the head of Jesus, one gives at this level because "love made me do it"! Our scriptures tell us to love God with our whole heart! Those at this level give joyfully out of great love.
 
 
Questions for prayerful consideration:
At what level of giving would you like to be?
At what level of giving do you feel God prompting you to be?
What in your life have you done or given simply because you are extravagantly in love with God?
How has growing in the grace of generous giving paralleled your overall experience of spiritual growth?
 
 
 
 
Generosity: A Quality of Christian Living,
A Fruit of God's Indwelling Spirit!
It is God who models generous giving for the Christian. It is God's Spirit within us that forms us as a generous person. By the working of grace, generosity becomes a quality of our heart, spirit and ac­tions. Generosity is the fruit or affect of the Spirit, a produce of our spiritual development and growth in grace.
Encouragements to grow in the grace of generous giving are not centered in the need for churches to receive. Rather, our encour­agements are grounded in the Christian's need to generously give as part of one's spiritual growth. Giving for the Christian, properly understood, is a spiritual enterprise, a matter of the heart. As ma­turing Christians, we learn the spiritual value of generosity. We learn to give, as Paul says in the New Testament, not reluctantly or as an obligation but cheerfully as unto the Lord. As developing Christians grow in generosity they discover the joy and "blessedness" of giving. The result is a whole world of well funded Christian ministries that transform lives, meet human needs and produce many thanksgivings and praise to God!
A Reliable Indicator of a Person's Spiritual Health!
Years ago Hilbert Berger rightly said that a person's attitude about giving and their willingness to be generous is one of the best and most reliable indicators of a person's spiritual health.
The generous use of one's possessions is a "key" New Testament theme and a prominent characteristic of a maturing Christian disci­ple. Generous living and giving is a natural outflow from a heart being made "new' by the work of God's Spirit within us. Generosity demonstrates that one's life and function in the world is being shaped by the values and principles of the Reign of God. Martin Luther stated well that there must be two conversions, one of the heart and one of the purse!
The opposite of generosity is self-centeredness that seeks self bene­fit and self preservation. For a variety of reasons many seek
to "hold on" tightly to their resources in an attempt to secure their life and future. They're hesitant to give or give very much.
 
This may reflect a lack of trust in God to ultimately secure them. Many others spend excessively or frivolously, even beyond their means, and end up feeling they can't afford to be generous. All this prevents people from experiencing the joy of generous living. They miss the personal enrichment that comes through partnering with God and others in helping support the work of God in the world. Thankfully, we don't have to stay where we are!
 
 
 
   
 
Excelling in Generosity
 
2 Corinthians 8 & 9
 
  • We want you to know about the grace of God that has been given to the churches in Macedonia. . . Their joy and poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. . . They voluntarily gave according to their means, and beyond their means." 
  • "They gave themselves first to the Lord."
  • “The one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."
  • "God loves a cheerful giver."
  • “God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that always having enough of everything, you may provide abundantly for every good work."
  • "God will multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness."
  • “You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity."
  • "You glorify God by the generosity of your sharing."
  • "Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!"