In this sermon podcast, the speakers discuss the importance of generosity and giving with the right motives. They emphasize that God sees and responds to our generosity, but caution against the prosperity gospel. The speakers also highlight the concept of giving beyond one's means and the potential blessings that can come from generosity. They stress the importance of thoughtful and responsible giving, including giving time and knowledge. Overall, they encourage listeners to engage in generous giving in various forms, rooted in love, righteousness, and obedience to the gospel.
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[00:00:10.00] - Mitchel Buchannan
Hello. Hello. Hello. My name is Mitchell Buchanan. Welcome to the sermon podcast from the church community for God. This is a beautiful time we have to sit down with everyone who spoke from the last month at church, and we are going through our value series on what we value. Right now, we're going through generosity. And as always, joined by co host Greg Garner, our bible teacher Extraordinaire. And we have a chance this is our opportunity not just to recap the sermons, but we wanna hear the thoughts Kind of sermon, we wanna push this conversation beyond Sunday into our everyday lives. Because if the word is not living Alive. We're we're missing that element here. So, again, this is our podcast series on generosity, and and how we value that as a community.
[00:00:58.29] - Gregg Garner
I f you were to drive something home right now, what would you want everyone to know from the actual verse?
[00:01:04.09] - Brandon Galford
I think the the main point that I would want to drive home there is that Paul gives us a a God who who sees. A God who Is is watching us, not in, you know, not big brother watching, but lovingly watching. And He's looking at our hearts, the why we give matters. You know, God, God is he wants to be involved In that generosity on a very on a very intimate level, there, you know, Paul doesn't give us, specific numbers as far as giving. You know, He he gives us this, conviction between between, you know, you and the Lord, whatever you've purposed in your heart to give. You know, God sees that, and, we gotta be open handed, you know, to go Deuteronomy fifteen with it. And, I think that point of God demonstrating his righteousness by giving to the poor It's very important. And then that in in his giving to the poor, the way he does it is through us. I think that's very important...
[00:02:15.90] - Gregg Garner
But focusing on the verse, you're still not getting to the verse yet. Right?
[00:02:19.59] - Brandon Galford
Well, that's verses six through eight were my verses. I may have said eight through ten earlier. I think it's six through eight. Okay.
[00:02:30.59] - Mitchel Buchannan
Yeah. When you cover two chapters, it They all get mixed together you know
[00:02:34.19] - Gregg Garner
I think, drawing from your sermon today, you highlighted a conviction related to the one who sows sparingly, reaps sparingly. Right?
[00:02:45.69] - Mitchel Buchannan
Yeah.
[00:02:45.80] - Gregg Garner
And I think six. Yeah. Mhmm. So, maybe you can help if you are talking about verse six. you you can help us better understand what you mean by what you've Said and how that connects to sowing sparingly
[00:02:58.09] - Gregg Garner
ou helped me get back to to verse six. I think I was in, verse eight, A later verse. Yeah. The one who sows sparingly will reap sparingly.
[00:03:07.09] - Gregg Garner
If any of you know Brandon . He is hating right now. Take a deep breath bro.
[00:03:11.59] - Brandon Galford
one who the one who sows bountifully will reap bountifully. That there is, an element of reciprocity in our giving That, you know, the the more we are generous, the more God gives us. And I wanted to Differentiate that to contrast that with the, you know, the prosperity gospel that's out there. But God really does respond to our generosity.
[00:03:38.80] - Gregg Garner
So how do you differentiate it from the prosperity gospel
[00:03:42.00] - Brandon Galford
I think by motivation.
[00:03:43.59] - Gregg Garner
Like, evaluating someone's motives?
[00:03:45.59] - Brandon Galford
Yeah. Evaluating your own your own motives and even, Like how you're presenting generosity that the generosity itself that, you know, it needs to be motivated by the fact that God loves it. The text tells us The fact that it is a demonstration of God's righteousness glorifies them, and then that it's obedience to the gospel. Those are the three points that text gives us for what What is, you know, what is it that motivates us? And that the harvest is not just getting more stuff, but it's Every blessing in abundance. There's, you know, it's it's more than just the some sort of monetary return though. That's that's part of it. But I think Paul gives us a picture of like some fullness of life that God gives when when you are open handed. Mhmm. That it's it's, There is. Yeah. There's a reciprocity. God, you know, there's the proverb of those who who give to the poor lend to God which is really powerful. Mhmm. That God He's gonna respond to that generosity. He's not gonna leave you, without.
[00:04:46.10] - Gregg Garner
So I'm still having a hard time hearing . I think a prosperity preacher would amen you all the way through everything you just said. So I, like, I'm wondering how how is that any different?
[00:04:58.80] - Brandon Galford
Motivation, which is not something...
[00:05:01.39] - Gregg Garner
So you think a prosperity preacher then is just motivated by getting more stuff?
[00:05:06.30] - Brandon Galford
I mean, some of them overtly are.
[00:05:09.30] - Gregg Garner
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
[00:05:10.50] - Brandon Galford
Jesse Duplantis is overt. Yeah.
[00:05:13.50] - Mitchel Buchannan
I was thinking when you were Talking with this distinction is something is like a pretext for giving is you're giving towards a community of need or giving towards an actual Like, an actualized, like, provable kind of need that you are giving towards where prosperity seems to be either investing into, To, like, a ministry broadly or investing in something broadly so that you can reap at some point in the future. But, like, there's not a precise need where, like, Paul, I think overextended and, like, hey. This is for people that I know, and this is for a very precise giving. Yeah. That person told me to expect you to be generous. It's not just like, hey. Give to this church and you will reap or give Yeah. Yeah.
[00:05:51.60] - Gregg Garner
Yeah. Yeah. Because, like, the Jesse Duplant's guy, he's like didn't you say the forty thousand square foot home?
[00:05:56.30] - Brandon Galford
Forty thousand yeah.
[00:05:56.80] - Gregg Garner
So his idea then is, like, give to my home. Right. Give to me to buy my home, and you'll be blessed. Didn't you refer to it as a Ponzi scheme?
[00:06:07.19] - Brandon Galford
No. I didn't use that term, but
[00:06:08.69] - Gregg Garner
it's I think Jake did in his survey to talk about that. But but, like, just just, you know, not it's not too different and something like that. Right. But but I I still think that most I'm I'm trying to find, like I I think you're like, is there anything bad is there anything bad with Me recognizing that despite how I feel about what happens when I give away my sources, which could be they're gone. Like, I gave away my resources, and now they're gone. Is it bad for me to believe that God sees that effort and is going to now give back to me In abundance. Is there anything wrong with that?
[00:06:51.80] - Brandon Galford
No. no. I don't think so. I don't think there's anything wrong with that.
[00:06:55.50] - Mitchel Buchannan
Okay.
[00:06:55.89] - Gregg Garner
I think with some of our preachers, because we we're like, I would say money is one of the the topics that almost all of our preachers shy away from. Even we had a whole season where we talked on tithes and offering, and my big criticism was, like, no one talked on tithes and offering. Like, it was, like, a kind of a funny thing. Everybody was kinda Gentle or skirting around it, it felt like.
[00:07:16.89] - Brandon Galford
Mhmm.
[00:07:17.39] - Gregg Garner
And and so sometimes I think it's because people may not want to or know how to take a position On something like that, but I think it's important that people recognize and if you agree with that, that it's okay to believe That God witnesses the efforts that put us in a in what potentially could be a detrimental position as a result of our generosity, But that god not only sees, but is going to act Mhmm. To ensure that that is not a damaging effort on our part. Because You even tried to, buffer that point you made by saying, you know, of course, God doesn't want you to go into debt Or put yourself in a a hard position as you do that, which to me created a conflicting, like, internal thought process. Like, Well, then are we only giving out of our surplus? Because then you there's the bringing up of the widow with the two mites Mhmm. Which she gave everything she had. Texas is clear about that. She becomes exemplary giver, not the guys giving out their surplus. So then when you make the comment, we we we don't we're not to give what we don't have. I I don't know. It's it's it's like a hard conversation.
[00:08:28.50] - Brandon Galford
Yeah. Yeah. Paul uses the phrase, according to your means, but then puts forward the Macedonians as a model who gave beyond their means.
[00:08:38.70] - Gregg Garner
Right.
[00:08:39.00] - Brandon Galford
So it's interesting.
[00:08:40.79] - Gregg Garner
So what does it mean to give beyond your means? Right?
[00:08:43.60] - Brandon Galford
Yeah. I think, you know, in verse, eleven, Paul puts it like this, that you've been enriched in every way to be generous in every every way. and he will increase your seed for sowing, and I tried to emphasize that in this receiving of abundance that the Cycle of generosity is to be perpetuated. That even in your receiving of abundance, there's an expectation that it would you would continue that To get more. I think that's I think that's important. Not just to relish in it for myself, but God Does bless me. So
[00:09:19.10] - Gregg Garner
So what do you think it means when it's, like, highlighting every way, like, blessing in in all the different ways or abundance in all the different ways?
[00:09:27.39] - Brandon Galford
I think Social health, I think psychological health. Mhmm. I think even secular, you know, psychology studies would say that there's, you know, Some psychological benefit in being generous. I think that just I think holistically, I know that word gets overused holistically, Well,
[00:09:45.60] - Gregg Garner
Well, I think it's important because you're spending the conversation away from, this being similar to going to the stock market.
[00:09:53.70] - Brandon Galford
Yeah.
[00:09:54.00] - Gregg Garner
And just, You know, that God's our, Merrill Lynch advisor, whatever it is. Right. And we're given to him to manage our funds. And he's, like, invested in the poor. That's a great stock.
[00:10:05.70] - Mitchel Buchannan
Mhmm.
[00:10:06.00] - Gregg Garner
And we're like, yeah. Good move. And then we get a a return of what we invested. But you're saying
[00:10:10.79] - Mitchel Buchannan
This is a Hallmark Christian movie. If it hadn't been made, this is happening inside.
[00:10:16.89] - Gregg Garner
But you're saying that This this generosity, is it sown in kind and reaped in kind? Or is it sown in resources and reaped In a a variety of blessings.
[00:10:28.10] - Brandon Galford
I have that same question.
[00:10:32.60] - Gregg Garner
It seems by the context, the expectation is That that we are utilizing the currency of our economy to demonstrate generosity Mhmm. But that the return God gives us Extends beyond the economy Yeah. And in holistic fashion, enters into his economy of the kingdom Mhmm. Which is, not, made up of food and drink. But righteousness, peace, joy, and the holy spirit.
[00:11:00.29] - Brandon Galford
Right.
[00:11:00.70] - Gregg Garner
Right? Yeah. So I think there's an argument for that here. But it is interesting that, the investment Means is is something of resource to us. Like, there's there's there's something that we're that could be tangibly Calculated. I know some people that feel super generous by just being there. Like, that that's it. They're like, I was there. They didn't they didn't do anything. They didn't contribute words. There there was there was there was nothing that they contributed, but they're like, I was there. Doesn't that count? Or I've been here. And I do think it counts to some degree, particularly if, there there there was something they handled While they were there, but there there there seems to be something that God wants us to do as human beings that gets us actively considering How it is through our means we're able to give. Mhmm. And so then I think it's it's, people then start talking talking about the diversity of ways in which we give, Which I think is appropriate.
[00:12:05.10] - Mitchel Buchannan
Right.
[00:12:05.60] - Gregg Garner
But it it still fits within a resource consideration. Like, if I give my time Ty was asking people today To do ten weeks of childcare, I was like, man, that's a big ass dude. Like like, I would I would rather go work three detail shifts and donate all the money than do Three of those shifts. And I love our kids, and I'm I'm around the kids. But it's like, this is a big, big ass, dude. It is. And in that case, it let's I don't I wouldn't want someone to be like, well, given your time there, that's not the means by which we're talking about here just because, they might misinterpret. Even this conversation is saying it has to be a Good that fits in our economy. I'm saying that it is. When you volunteer to fulfill a responsibility that otherwise would have been a paid responsibility, You you've just cut out the the currency in there, but the the work product is the same. You still get the same laborer who's in there helping out the kids, whether they were paid or they volunteered, time was expensed. And in in this case, the the the if there would have been a monetary reward, If the like, even the government looks at this, like
[00:13:09.10] - Mitchel Buchannan
in a qualitative giving of time for a service is equated to, financial gain
[00:13:15.39] - Gregg Garner
You could have taken a payment.
[00:13:16.79] - Mitchel Buchannan
Right. Which that's why we're saying qualitative. Not like, I was there, but it's like, hey. You are Fulfilling a need
[00:13:25.00] - Gregg Garner
Yeah. I was there during that time when everyone was volunteering is not the same as I volunteered and gave my time.
[00:13:32.50] - Mitchel Buchannan
Right.
[00:13:34.39] - Gregg Garner
And I'm saying that sometimes people are that passive about their Yeah. Their their generosity because they think themselves poor. What? When we are we like, if you have health, if you have strength, if you have a mind like, you have a brilliant mind. You gave so generously to everybody in the church Through your sermon. And anybody who was there was like, this guy knows his Pauline history and is is taking us on a wonderful National Geographic journey through, the the Asia Minor right now. Right. And and everyone loved it. That was a gift. You could be compensated for that. Lots of guys are. They're always trying to monetize their their knowledge. Right? They're they're saying that's a big big, Oh, gosh. What's the word here? That that's something to monetize as knowledge right now. Right? But you gave that. On the other hand, you should be compensated for that. You're not compensated for it. So you gave it. If you were compensated for it, that would be like you giving the money for it back. Mhmm. But you gave it in time. I wanting to expand Mhmm. Our concepts Here.
[00:14:36.10] - Mitchel Buchannan
Yeah. And even something you had mentioned according to, like, giving according to your means, I think I was just given some consideration to that where I I think even the context of, like, well, how you know, if you give your two mites, the the you know, she gave her two mites, and was all she had, and that was, like, a great gift. And it's like, are we overextending or giving too much? Even though, like, ten hours, that's too or 10 weeks is, like, too much. but I think according to your means, make sure it's, like, according like, weighing out what are my resources, opportunities, what do I have available,
[00:15:08.20] - Gregg Garner
yeah then Evaluating it. Like, if you have a mind like Brandon, he should get up and share it.
[00:15:12.89] - Mitchel Buchannan
And giving with thought, like, if you're the generosity, if it's with Thought and consideration. I think according to means would be, like, weighing that out where if you're giving thoughtlessly where it's like, hey. I gave whatever money I had. And then two weeks later, I'm like, oh, I can't pay my mortgage. Then it's like that is introducing more problems. Right. And you're giving without thought where I could give all of that all I had. If I did it with thought and consideration, I would know, alright. I gave that. I now need to work twice as hard or I need a petition.
[00:15:42.20] - Gregg Garner
Mitchell, what you're talking about has happened to us. We've had students at our college who who believe in God wanted them to give something, Gave their money to a poor person and then couldn't pay their school bill.
[00:15:53.29] - Mitchel Buchannan
Right.
[00:15:53.79] - Gregg Garner
Right? This is not what we're preaching here.
[00:15:55.60] - Gregg Garner
We still want to highlight responsibility, which is what I think you were trying to say
[00:15:59.79] - Brandon Galford
That's what I was going for.
[00:16:01.79] - Gregg Garner
Yeah. By Like, you know, the loans and things like that. But the the means consideration Should extend beyond merely monetary
[00:16:10.60] - Mitchel Buchannan
And you can give you can give great according to your means, even something that may be deemed unwise As long as you're entering into that with thought and consideration and a preparedness to, back it up on the other side. If I'm giving ten weeks, I know come week eight, nine, ten, I'm not gonna be bitter or complaining about the service they're getting.
[00:16:30.89] - Gregg Garner
You take you take the acts twenty passage that Grant had, and he Paul's like, They're like, Paul, you shouldn't go to Jerusalem. Philip does a sign act and is basically telling him, as you guys know, you're gonna be bound. Yeah. Like, this is gonna be bad. Right. He highlights, I'm I know the consequence of my behavior. I know I'm never gonna see you guys again. I know that I I'm gonna be taken to, the higher courts. He was fully aware of what he was doing despite it being detrimental, but he knew he wanted to personally deliver That money to Jerusalem. Mhmm. So he he did understand the consequences of his actions. And then that's what you're highlighting. And I think that there's strong biblical Support for that. Absolutely. Because you don't wanna rule out, people who want to demonstrate the kind of faith that puts them in a position that only God can rescue them from.
[00:17:18.70] - Mitchel Buchannan
And even a Brandon's sermon, it's a volitional act for every person. Andy highlighted that it is it's individualized. It's not like, hey. You, church community for Geode, can you all give? It's like, there should be a personal challenge. Hey. What is according to the Buchanan household means that I can give? And to, like, process through that with faith, with consideration, with, like, a sober mindedness that I'm gonna give Faithfully, not just, hey. What I can make sense now, but it's like, what is God wanting me to enter into? What can I've, You know, practically enter into and then work on the other side to make sure it's fulfilled. Like, that was a really impactful point, I think, to and it was a quick highlight. It it seems it can be almost, like, Taken for granted. Yeah. It's an individual choice, but, like, so many things, particularly our church, feels like it could be subsumed by the Overall community or by the whole of, like, oh, I participate in this because I'm around or because I attend or I'm a member. But it's like, no. No. No. On On every level, particularly generosity, it's an individual venture that we all have to consider and make, considerations for.
[00:18:23.00] - Brandon Galford
That's good. Yeah.
[00:18:24.70] - Gregg Garner
Brandon, thanks, man. Yeah. Thanks. It's good stuff. It's good
[00:18:27.20] - Mitchel Buchannan
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