Be The Church week 9

                                     1 Corinthians 8

Theme: The Gospel Produces Generous People!

Major Points:

In Chapter 8 Paul moves from Repentance to Generosity!  

His desire is for the Corinthians to Excel in the Grace of Giving! Vs 7

Biblical giving is Grace giving! Giving out of response to the Gospel!

The greatest giver ever was God himself who gave His first and His best! His one and only begotten Son! That Grace is what has changed our lives!

Therefore we say - The Gospel produces Generous people! To experience the Gospel is to become like the Gospel.

How can we excel in the grace of giving? 

How can we become generous people?

1.. We Look to Christ 

We are never more like Christ than when we are Generous and we are never more like satan when we are selfish. And the only solution to selfishness is Jesus! It’s when we look to Him that we become more Generous ourselves! 

He is our Source to Generosity.  - Generosity comes from Christ.

He is our example of Generosity. - He shows us what being Generous looks like.

He is our sustainer - He is who provides for us!

We have to keep our eyes on Christ! 

Questions:

If Jesus is the source of generosity and growing in grace = growing in generosity. Then what does your giving reveal about how much you are growing in Christ-likeness? 

How have you seen the Gospel make you a more generous person personally?

2.. We Learn from the Macedonians 

They were hands down the most Generous Church in the Bible! They reflected Christ well with their money. They are a challenging example for all Christians today.

Adopt their definition of generosity.  - They were over and beyond givers

Adopt their attitude towards generosity. - Cheerful givers - non-circumstantial givers.

They were first to God and then to others! They were totally surrendered to God in their lives and that included their wallets. 

Questions:

How does their definition and attitude towards giving challenge you personally? How is it diffrent than ours?

3.. We take Next Steps 

Sit down and make a plan to give. 

• Prayerfully set an annual goal. 
• Give in proportion to what you make. (Think percentage %)
• Be intentional
• Learn to budget
• Settle for simple
• You fill in the blank ______

Questions:

What is your next step when it comes to being a generous person? (Growing in the Grace of Giving)