Generous Living
Love is the defining feature of the Christian life. The two great commandments that sum up the entire law of God is to love God with our whole being and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. But love isn’t merely an emotion. Love must be expressed or it isn’t truly love. One of the most famous verses in the entire bible is John 3:16,
True love must be expressed
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God expressed His deep love for the entire world through radical self-sacrifice. Remember that when we were in the world we were God’s enemies because of our evil thoughts and deeds. (Colossians 1:21) But Jesus told us to love our enemies and that love would make us like our Father in Heaven.
Read Matthew 5:43-48
How does God express love to His enemies in the passage?
What makes us look like our Father according to Jesus?
Generosity seems like a radically inadequate word to describe the gift that God has given us in His only Son. So what should our response to God’s gift be?
Read Romans 12:1
What does true spiritual worship look like?
Read 1 John 3:16-18
How did Jesus express His love for us?
What does love look like in practical terms?
Read 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
How does God want us to give?
Under what circumstances are we not supposed to give?
What happens when we sow sparingly?
What happens if we sow generously?
In what ways did Paul say we would be enriched?
For what purpose are we enriched?
What occasions call for generosity?
What stands out to you most about these passages?
Has your thinking about giving changed after studying these passages?
Some churches stress tithing as an important principle in the Christians life. The word “tithe” means “tenth.” It simply means to give ten percent of all of your income to God. At my church, Roots Church, we understand tithing to be an Old Testament command. Instead, we believe that God owns everything that we have. It’s ALL His! We believe that tithing teaches compulsive giving, rather than cheerful giving. We don't want you to give because you MUST but to give from the heart.
Giving is not meant to be a condition we need to meet or a hoop we need to jump through for the purpose of getting blessings from God. Rather, giving is meant to be an expression of our love for God and His people! We give because we love and we trust that our God will also meet our needs as we express our love to Him and one another through radical self-sacrifice and generosity.
Watch these videos, either with your Christian friend or before you meet:
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