» Pastor Elwart

Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, ²that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality. ³For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, ⁴begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, ⁵and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God. ⁶So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. ⁷But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also. ⁸I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. ⁹For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.

- 2 Corinthians 8:1-9

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; ⁹as it is written, “HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER.” ¹⁰Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; ¹¹you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. ¹²For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. ¹³Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, ¹⁴while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. ¹⁵Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

- 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Giving that honors God is motivated by God’s grace, 8:1, 9; 9:13
The proper response to grace received should be grace given to others. Paul begins this passage in chapter 8, talking about the grace of God that motivated the Corinthians’ selfless giving. It is the general pattern in Scripture to respond to God’s work with the same kind of work back to God and others. Paul tells us in Romans 12:1 that those who give their lives as a living sacrifice are those who recognize the mercies of God (specifically, that Christ gave Himself as a living sacrifice, Rom 5:8). God says in 1 Peter 1:16 to “Be holy, for I am holy.” Jesus says in Luke 6:36, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” So in this passage, we could say, “Give, since God has given to you.”
Giving that honors God is sacrificial, 8:2, 3; 9:13
Despite the Corinthians being in a “great ordeal of affliction” (v. 2), they overflowed in liberality. Biblical giving is not done only when times are good. Giving that honors God takes place no matter how difficult the circumstances (even in spite of their “deep poverty”). This is also evident in verse 3, where it says that they gave “beyond their ability.” It’s easy to give God the leftovers, or something that is worthless to us, but that is not what God wants. He wants us to give as a “confession” that we believe in the gospel (9:13). When David needed to buy some land so that he could build an altar, Araunah offered to give the land to David, but David’s response should match the reflection of our heart when it comes to giving to God, “No…I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing” (2 Sam 24:24).
Giving that honors God is joyful, 8:2, 8, 9:7
Paul says that they did it out of an “abundance of joy” (8:2). God expects that we do it out of heart that is “cheerful” (9:7)…a heart that reflects the grace that we’ve received.
Giving that honors God is proportionate, 8:3; 9:7
The Corinthians gave “according to their ability.” We ought to give to God according to what He has given to us. In order to determine the amount, we should consider the following: 1) What is my annual income? 2) What are my annual expenses? 3) Is there any indication that my income will increase or decrease? 4) Am I wasting any of the resources that God has given to me? After asking ourselves these questions, we should do just as we have purposed in our heart (9:7).
Giving that honors God is voluntary and planned, 8:3, 4; 9:7
Paul says that they “gave of their own accord” and they did it as they had purposed in their heart. God does not want us to give “grudgingly or under compulsion.” That is because giving is a privilege. It is an expression of our love for God. We recognize that God is the One who has given to us everything that we have, and so we give out of love, not compulsion. In 8:4, Paul says that they were “begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints.” The Corinthians’ desire to give was completely voluntary, and ours should be as well.
Giving that honors God is an act of worship, 8:5
In 8:5 we find that they “first gave themselves to the Lord.” We will never give as much as we should until we first give ourselves completely to the Lord. If we live a life that is not marked by faith and obedience to God, we should not expect ourselves at any time to be willing to give of our resources. That is because giving is ultimately an act of worship to God. When we give, we are saying, “God, I gladly give this to you as a small token of my affection for what you have given to me.”
Giving that honors God is rewarding, 9:8-15
Giving is rewarding for both the giver and the receiver. 1) Rewarding for the giver. “God is able to make all grace abound to you…so that you may have an abundance for every good deed.” God gives back to those who give, so that they can continually give of themselves to others. Giving is also 2) rewarding for the receiver. The gifts from the Corinthians “produced thanksgiving to God.” Why? Because it fully supplied the needs of the saints, which overflowed with many thanksgiving to God (vv. 11-12).

These last two verses (9:11-12) teach us why giving is God honoring. When we give of our resources to advance the work of God, He uses our gifts to supply for the needs of others, who in turn respond with honor to God. And giving that comes from a sacrificial, joyful heart honors God because it shows Him that we gladly recognize the grace that He has given to us. It is a confession of our belief in the gospel. Let’s give so that God is honored in it!

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Spiritual Success (Completed Classes)

Author: Pastor Elwart

• Thursday, August 27th, 2009

Audio

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Spiritual Success Schedule

Author: Pastor Elwart

• Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

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Spiritual Success for Adults

Author: Pastor Elwart

• Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

success In Joshua 1:9, God promises to His people, “You will have success” if you keep My Word (click here for a sermon on this passage). Are you looking for success in life? What is success to you? Is it a high-paying job? Is it popularity among your peers? Is it a clean bill of health?

Many people think that God’s promise of success is a guarantee of health and prosperity. But Paul is a good example of a faithful man of God who did not receive health and prosperity (from an earthly perspective). Paul says in 1 Cor 12:23-27, I was imprisoned, ”beaten times without number, often in danger of death. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. ²⁶ I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; ²⁷ I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.”

That doesn’t sound like success at all. But Paul, much like Jesus Christ, did not live a cozy, comfortable, or even popular life. Jesus and Paul received scorn, reproach, beatings, and all sorts of other dangers. And yet the Scriptures tell us that no one has lived a more successful life in the eyes of God than Jesus Christ. He did what He came to do. He came to die for sinners.

So when we think of success from God’s perspective we should think of doing what God desires for us (in other words, the will of the Father). Jesus repeated that phrase, “the will of the Father,” several times while He was here on the earth. In John 6:38, He says, “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (see also John 4:34). God’s goal for us is the same goal that He had for Christ: that we do what He desires. So it makes sense that spiritual success is simply doing God’s will. When God promises success, He promises grace for us to do what He desires. That is true spiritual success.

With that in mind, our plan during the Sunday School hour is to instruct believers regarding the whole counsel of God, so that they are equipped to do the work of the ministry (Eph 4:11-12). This purposeful discipleship process will take about 5 years to complete, and it is broken down into 5 major categories.

The first category that we will study is called “The Fundamentals of Christianity.” We will be working through topics like Membership, Evangelism basics, Life as a believer, and making wise choices.

The second category is called, “Biblical Overview,” where we will learn how to study the Bible and also look at each book of the Bible from a bird’s eye view.

The third category is called, “Correlating God’s Truth,” where we will systematically study through the doctrines of Scripture as well as the history of the local church.

The fourth category is called, “Christian Life,” where we will get a better understanding of how to be a godly parent, how to be develop spiritual disciplines, and how to live within the body of Christ, among other topics.

The last category is called, “Christian Growth,” where we discuss topics like Missions, Spreading the Gospel, and Defending the Faith.

Click here for a current schedule

Click here for completed lessons

Click here for a full schedule

We hope that you will join us as we do our part to cultivate growth in godliness.

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Adult Prayer & Bible Study

Author: Pastor Elwart

• Tuesday, August 25th, 2009

2 Paths Acts 2:42 says that “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” As a body of believers in Jesus Christ, we make it our goal to honor God by praising Him, bringing our requests to Him in prayer, and by devoting ourselves to the teaching of the Scriptures.

Our service on Wednesday evening begins at 7:00 with praise to God, followed by a Bible study led by our pastor. The remainder of the time we spend praying together in groups.

For Wednesday night, we are currently studying the book of Proverbs. Solomon wrote most of the book. His purpose was to encourage others to pursue wisdom in all things, for by wisdom, a person can understand the ways of the Lord, and avoid evil. Proverbs is a practical book full of profound wisdom. We pray that the Lord will grant us wisdom so that we can please Him in every way, and so that we can see and avoid the dangers that lie ahead.

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