9th April 2017 SPIRIT LED GENEROSITY. SOLA OSINOIKI

SMALL GROUP NOTES FROM SUNDAY 9 APRIL 2017. THEME – SPIRIT LED GENEROSITY. SOLA OSINOIKI

Before introducing Sola, Simon drew attention to the Vision Fund with Gift Days coming up on 23 and 30 April, and a week of 24-7 prayer between those dates. Simon also challenged us to fill up the front rows in church and be closer to the preacher!

Sola introduced his theme as ‘listening to God’s whispers leads to Spirit led generosity’.

QUESTION: What might this mean to you?

Sola’s prayer is that we might no longer see generosity in black & white, but in technicolour. To change our perspective.

READ: Hebrews 13:2.

QUESTION: Is hospitality optional?

READ: Genesis 18:1-8. Abraham shows spirit led generosity to 3 strangers. He gave them a feast even though he was unprepared and unready. Though Abraham didn’t actually eat with them. It was about emptying himself on behalf of others. Those 3 strangers were angels.

Sola shared a story of needing money for flights to Nigeria. He felt prompted to write on facebook ‘praying for a flight, prices are crazy’. A lady responded with £1000 to cover the flight. Soon after, she herself received £600 – and said she wouldn’t be surprised if the rest came back to her. Another £100 came in. Then a week later, her tax bill was a full £1000 less than she expected.

Message is that God is good. We can give and trust in faith. We cannot outgive God.

READ: Genesis 19:1-4. Lot knew that just inviting wasn’t enough, he urged them to come. Because of that dinner, Lot got the information for him and his family to be safe.

Sola spoke of not giving something cheap, the minimum, but of giving a feast.

Sola shared another story of when he stood in response to a preachers call for people in financial need to stand up. Shortly afterwards a young man knocked on his door with a cheque for £1000!

READ: John 4:10 from The Message Jesus answered, “If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water.”

QUESTION: How does the generosity of God, who gave His only son, challenge me to rethink my own generosity?

READ: Acts 16:14-5. Lydia persuaded them to come.

Sola shared a story of visiting Madrid, looking for a church one Sunday morning. Having arrived by taxi, as a stranger, he felt prompted to bring some prophetic words. Then he was invited to share fellowship and a meal at a home – he was then given money to cover the taxi, and return train fare. Only in the kingdom of God could it happen to end up in the home of a stranger, sharing fellowship, and helping out in the kitchen to prepare food.

QUESTION: Do you have any stories of giving or receiving generosity which you could share with the group?

 

READ: Luke 22:7-13. The ‘man’ that Jesus told them to follow, culturally shouldn’t have been carrying a jar at all! God provides the practical needs (a room), and God sees all things before they happen.

QUESTION: Are people led to find their practical needs met if they follow me? It depends on how much I am being led by listening to God’s whispers. I may not know the impact or consequence.

Sola shared a story of getting 100 dollars out of a cash machine. A woman behind him wasn’t able to get out any cash, and Sola felt prompted to give her whatever she asked for. It was 50 dollars. He doesn’t know the impact, but challenged us to just obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit.

If you want the Holy Spirit to help your own spirit of generosity, then ask for that help. To be the one in tune with the God’s whisper and therefore the one worth following.

QUESTION: Would you spend a few minutes in quietness seeking the help of the Holy Spirit in being generous?

2nd April 2017 - Kindness #Generosity Michael Ross-Watson

2^nd April 2017: Kindness

Preacher: Michael Ross Watson

Bible Verse: 2 Samuel Ch 9 v 1-13.

Advertisement: Michael Ross Watson promoted his book about prayer. It is available in the Church bookshop for £7 per copy.

Introduction

Verse 1 – Question: is there anyone left of the house of Saul that David may show him kindness. This is followed by a repeat of the plea in V3 where King David says ‘is there not someone from the house of Saul that I can show the kindness of God’. To understand the full meaning and purpose of this situation, we need to understand the relationship between Saul and David.

Originally it was a love relationship. When David took food to the army of Israel when they were fighting Goliath, he challenged them all. All of the soldiers were afraid of Goliath except David. David had killed a bear and lion single handed and he wasn’t scared of Goliath. He took 5 stones and brought a great victory to their side. Saul recognised him and honoured him by making him a leading captain in his army. Furthermore when Saul was oppressed and depressed, David would play instruments to him and sooth him. However Saul tried to kill David twice!

After this, is when then the trouble began. The women began singing that David was better than Saul and Saul became jealous. This lead to Saul becoming angry, which led to fear. Consequently for 20 years David was on the run with Saul trying to kill him, even though he was anointed to be King.

Kindness is an intrinsic issue. Not extrinsic. We need to be motivated internally to be kind.

‘Count on it. God will challenge you, to give more than you have given before. Your faith will cause you to say ‘yes’ or your fear will cause you to say ‘no.’

Your response to Gods challenge will shape your future.

When David decided to bless the remaining people in Saul’s house, it was pivotal moment in his life. When Jesus comes: He removed the tempters power, He fills life with glory.

Michel spoke about the personal pivotal moments in his life. The first one was when he read a book about a gentleman who committed suicide after being continually rejected. He committed to spending his life to being kind to others.

The second occasion when he was diagnosed with cancer, and others provided thousands of pounds to pay for his care. He committed his life to being generous.

David proactively looked for the only descendant of King Saul, and found Mephibosheth. However Mephibosheth was shamed. He was the only one alive from the disgraced family. His father and grandfather were Kings, however His father died in disgrace and Mephibosheth wanted to hide in a small town. He carried a stigma and shame. He also had a disfigured body. He was lame in both feet. He was not born like that, but his maid fell when carrying him, injuring his feet. Disfigured people cover and hide their embarrassment.

He also had a doubtful future, as he lived in Lo Debar (which means ‘a place of barrenness / no pasture’) and a displaced inheritance.

The word of David to Mephibosheth was grand. David wanted to restore him, to restore the broken, the need, what was lost. God is a God of restoration. If you have lost your joy – He can restore (Psalm 23).

Mephibosheth was the rightful heir but was living in poverty. And as he fell prostrate at the feet of David, he likened himself as a dead dog. This is a wrong identify. In Hebrew  ‘ a dead dog’ means ‘embarrassing, piece of garage, worthless, no good’.

So many people live with distorted identify, and don’t recognise their worth.

All of us are worth Jesus dying on the cross, shedding his blood to save us.

We all need to know we, as individuals, are a child of God and an heir to the Kingdom.

David showed kindness to this broken man. He didn’t show it to the normal respectable one, but the one in need. He brought him into his palace to feed at his table. He treated him as his own and restored what he had lost, ensuring his future.

This is how God treats you and wants us to treat others.

It is not religion, not organisations but a life of compassion by each individual that impacts the world, that reaches out to the broken, hurting and the needy. This is a life style. We need to choose.

In Isaiah 58: The promises of God are listed. All the good things awaiting us:

• Your light shall break for the like the morning
• Healing shall spring for the speedily
• Righteousness will go before us
• The glory of God will be the rear guard
• When you call, He will say here I am
• He will guide you continually
• He will satisfy soul in times of doubt
• You shall be a well-watered garden whose spring of water will never fail

However there are conditions, these are that we need to:

• Loose bonds of wickedness
• Undo heavy burdens
• Set the oppressed free
• Break every yolk
• Share bread to hungry
• Share our house with the needy
• Clothe those naked
• Remove the finger pointing

God is kind and calls us to be kind.

Questions:

• What does God think about you?
• Do you need to change your attitude towards yourself? How can we do this?
• Do you represent God in your attitude towards others?
• Has anyone had a pivotal point that has changed their life? Please share if you feel comfortable.

26th March 2017 - Mothers Day – Run Your Race 17 – Catrina Benham

26^th March 2017

Mothers Day – Run Your Race 17 – Catrina Benham

Bible Verse: Hebrew 12 v 1 – 3

Introduction

When we say we are making a decision or struggling people often say ‘just take the next step’, ‘put one step in front of the other’…etc. We need these tips along the journey of life, however we need to look to the bible for our life tips.

The bible has loads of practical tips for life. Our faith is in a real God, who has real answers.

Life is a journey that we go on. We start somewhere and go somewhere. But it can also be explained as a race.

The bible talks about us all being on our own track and Jesus supporting us. Our life race is not about speed or being first. It is about endurance and focusing on God.

Life is not a tarmacked road that is smooth. There are changing seasons in our life. There are twists and turns. In real life there are obstacles and we need to get over that. Hence real life is more like a heptathlon: running, shotput, 800m etc… a  multi event competition.

Hebrews 12 v 1 – 3

Hebrews explains that we will feel weary in life and we will lose heart, at times.  In this long race called life,  however, God also says that we need to take encouragement from others that have done it before, and we need to look to Jesus about how we run the race.

The phrase ‘Therefore’, shows that people have gone before us. In Hebrews 11 heaps of people were commended for their faith. This continues into Hebrews 12 where it discusses about being ‘surrounded by cloud of witnesses’ like a cloud, high, deep, wide.  There is a packed stadium, people in the stacked terraces: believers everywhere cheering us all on. They are saying I’ve done it and you can do it too.

The witnesses mentioned in Hebrews 11 include Ruth and the Woman of Proverbs 31. They went through trials and we need to look at how they ran their race, not what they did.

How they Run not what they Did.

Ruth: She went from Bethlehem to another country, due to famine. Once there, the men of the family died leaving three widows. She stayed with Naomi. From her first marriage she had no children, was a Moabite, poor and that was not attractive in society. However her reputation was that she was a women of noble character. People knew about her. She was a women of valour, brave and strong. She ran her race with determination. God had a plan and she endured: Ruth is part of Josephs line of genealogy, and after the death of her first husband she married again and has children.

Chayil – nobel character, strong, excellent, valiant, brave.

Proverbs 31: The woman discussed in this proverb provides food, works in the night, plants for the future, her trading is profitable. This is not a task list it is a song celebrating all women. It is not a job description. It describes all women.

 

 

Choose to Run

Don’t give up, don’t stop, don’t wish for someone else’s life, move through life with God. Our lives should be about moving through life in ways that can glorify God rather than what we look like or achieve. When we trust Him, we will accomplish. There is not just one winner. We can all win and cheer each other on.

You can do it – they have. We are running in community.

What is hindering your running?

Throw it off. The baggage we carry hinders our faith. We pick up things such as fear, anxiety, ambitions, distractions, care of what others think: these are distractions. Know what hinders you and throw them off. Comparison hinders us. Don’t keep looking to the left, right or behind. We can’t look at others and run our own race – we will crash. Such comparisons rob us of joy.

Sin also entangles. Throw it off.

Don’t run through life with your head down. Don’t march life out – enjoy the scenery, enjoy the time. Keep your head up, eyes up, look to Jesus.

The ultimate on how to do ‘life’ is to fix your eyes on Jesus. The pioneer and perfector of our faith. Put your attention onto Jesus, look and listen to him. He gives us our faith. He completes and finishes our faith. He is around us as we run and is ahead of us as we run.

What is getting you through life? Is it Jesus.

Pray, listen to worship and read the bible, along with some calm breathing. This will get you through the day. We need to remind ourselves on who we should fix our eyes on.

God is our ultimate coach.

Questions:

• How is your unique race going?
• Discuss what you each need to throw off, what baggage are you carrying?
• Does everyone else around you look as they are doing better? How does it make you feel?
• Are you in a place you haven’t been before? Share with your group what new things are crossing your path? Pray for each other..
• Is your head down one foot in front of the other? Or are you distracted by hindrances? How will you refocus on Jesus?
• Do you need to change your race? Are you running in the wrong direction?
• Where do you go for help? Friends, family or God?
• Why don’t you all share an example of overcoming something in your own race - celebrate with those in your group

19th March 2017 - Liam Parker - Generous During the Tough Times

19^th March 2017 – Liam Parker

Generous During the Tough Times

Bible Verse: Psalms 136

God wants us to know how generous he has been to us in the past, so that in the tough times we can remind ourselves of His generous love, to have hope.

‘His love endures forever’… through the generations.

Enduring Love

The phrase ‘enduring love’ is exactly that… it endures. It is important that we know that we are bound to go through trails in life, and that we will have to endure. Its then that we can claim that we endure. We don’t endure in the good times in life – these are blessings. We endure through the difficult times.

Psalms 136 was a worship song sung in the temple and sung by the army as it headed into battle. They reminded themselves of the good things that God had done and that He will continue to endure. It is a battle song…a battle cry.

Let’s use this Psalm and the enduing love as our battle cry through our current situations.

God at the Start and the Centre

The Psalm puts God at the start. We often talk about putting Jesus at the centre but He also needs to be the start of our decisions and problems. He must be the first thought, the emergency contact on our life. In the UK, life has become comfortable. When compared to rest of world. This becomes a problem as we rely on our circumstances and objects too much. Then we start to relate to Gods love as to how well our circumstances are, and when things go wrong we start to question Him. However, God is with us in the good times but doesn’t leave us when life gets difficult. Don’t measure God by your circumstances.

God’s love endures before, during and after I am here on earth. Hence, we should maintain the same expectations regardless of what we see before us or the circumstances we are in.

All the characters in the bible went through circumstances and carried on walking knowing that Gods love endures forever.

We need to go to God first in all our circumstances: for finances, help and support. We often try and solve it ourselves first, then we go to our parents or friends and then God (last). But we should go to God first. He gives us the correct attitude and is the first voice we should listen to…..’Seek First the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you’.

Personal Growth

Psalm 136 Refers to the time in Egypt when the Israelites were oppressed as slaves. It was a tough time, for a long time. Some people were born a slave and died a slave. BUT His love endured forever. God was doing a lot in Egypt before He lifted them out of the situation. In our lives, before He lifts us out of the situation, He will provide for you in the mist. God used the Egyptians to provide for the Israelites. The Israelites also grew in number during this time. We need to remember that we grow as we go through our challenging season.

Gods unique love is amazing: the more opposition to Gods love – the more it grows.

Allowing God to Do His Work

We need to stop controlling the circumstances we are in and start focusing on growing our relationship with God in the situation. He will then flip the situation around.

Patience and love then grows in us to allow us to handle the situation. As per Romans 5.

When we go through tough times we need to celebrate and give glory to God as it builds character.  However, we must go through the suffering WITH Him. We shouldn’t walk it alone. When we walk alone we are trying to control the situation and not letting God do his work. Read John 15 – the vine and the branches.

The situation that’s causing you to feel less peace IS the situation that God can use to give you more, when you focus on God.

Psalms 136: It refers to the Kings that Israel overcame: Cross Reference Numbers 21 and the many battles. The Israelites had to march through the Kings land. They asked permission to do so and were told no. The army came out against them. They then came across the second Kings army that was twice as big. We have moments in life when tough circumstances occur, we get through it and then even tougher circumstances follow. However, God spoke to Moses and they beat both armies.

Final Thoughts

It doesn’t matter how big your situation is if you walk it with God. Let’s not place our hope in people, finances etc. Only and firstly trust in God’s love as it endures forever. Let’s go to him first.

Questions:

1. Read Psalms 136 together as a group – each taking one verse at a time
2. Can you share with your group a trial that you have gone through in the past – where you experienced Gods Enduring Love.
3. Is there a trial in your life that you are going through RIGHT NOW - that you need to remind yourself of His love that endures?
4. Pray for each other – for the challenges and situations that each of you know Gods Enduring Love on you

Take your requests to God – go first to Him and seek Him. Ask God to intervene. Stop relying on others.

 

Remind yourself of what God has done in your life. Keep your hope alive. Remind yourself regularly. Carry those things daily as they remind you of the hope during your circumstances.

 

Take things to God first. Glorify God in the situation. Walk through the situation with Him.

12/03/2017 Debt and Saving - Simon Benham

Simon made the following comments at the beginning of his sermon.

Vision Fund Update

Last year we had an offering to start the Kerith Vision Fund, which raised the biggest single gift day amount we have ever had as a church.  This fund is to facilitate growth, by enlarging our K2 building in Bracknell, providing a mid-week venue for Sandhurst, and launching Kerith in Windsor.  We are in the process of giving away 10% of the money received to Novo in Bolivia (run by our friends Andy & Mickey Partington) and to churches in Albania, Estonia and Lithuania.

The remaining money has been used to pay off a significant amount of the mortgage on the house behind K2, and to pay for architects’ fees to plan the development of K2.  In Sandhurst there is a possibility that God is opening a door for a partnership in which to build a purpose built building for Sundays.  In Windsor, Leon has been looking at possible buildings to meet in.  A decision will soon be made with a view to initially meeting one Sunday per month.

There will be two more gift days this year aiming to raise £200,000 each to progress the work in our three sites.

Authentic Community

Simon shared that he was feeling low this week due to a few different situations that are going on in his life.  For example, last Thursday he was made redundant from his part-time electronics consultancy job, and feels a deep sense of loss concerning some 30 year-long friendships with people that he will now no longer see.

Simon encouraged us to be real about what is going in in our lives.  Emotional healing often begins when we are real with God and others about how we feel.  Many of the Psalms are songs of sadness and struggle.  We mature and grow as we learn to deal with the tough stuff in life.

Generosity Series

So far in this series we have seen that there is a huge tie up between our spirituality and our finances.  Everything we have is God’s; we are just stewards tasked with using His stuff, His way, to glorify Him.  We have looked at thankfulness, the importance of having a budget, and how to grow in giving.

Financial Debt

Proverbs 22 v 7 says “The borrower is slave to the lender”.  The minute we borrow we become a slave to the person we have borrowed from.  The further we move into debt, the further we move into slavery.

The bible does not say that it is sin to borrow.  Most of us need to borrow to be able to buy a house – that is a “secured loan” as it is against an asset that can be sold if needed to repay the debt. 

When Simon & Catrina were married they took on a mortgage to buy a flat, but they also used unsecured loans (a credit card, and a credit agreement) to pay for a honeymoon to the Lake District and a TV.  Then interest rates went up, house prices crashed, and Simon was threatened with redundancy.  They were very close to being overwhelmed by debt.

There is huge grace to anyone in this position in our community.  Get in contact with our CAP debt advice centre and ask for help.

The Debt of Sin

As Christians, we all know what it is to be overwhelmed by the debt of sin, with no ability to even begin to pay it off by our own efforts.  This is a debt that would not only ruin our lives here on earth, but for all eternity.

It cost God everything to pay off that debt for us – the death of His Son on cross, bearing the punishment we deserve.

Saved into abundance

We are not just saved to have our sins forgiven, but we are saved to a provision of abundance – becoming a child of God, an heir of the kingdom, and blessed with all of heaven’s riches.

The Lord’s Prayer uses the language of debt to refer to our sin, and also calls us to forgive others, freeing them.  God even says that if we don’t forgive others, we ourselves will not be forgiven.   When we sin, we need to quickly repent, and move back into close relationship with Jesus.

Living Debt Free

To be in debt is not sin, but our goal should be to live debt free.  We are then able to make our own financial decisions and be good stewards.

We should avoid unsecured debt, and pay it off as quickly as possible.  We should also try and reduce secured debt – not taking on more than we need, and for example repaying extra every month on a mortgage so that over the long term we can be debt free many years earlier than otherwise.  Simon and Catrina have been able to pay off their mortgage and become completely debt free.

Financial Saving

With unsecured debt, if you can’t afford it, then don’t buy it.  Rather, save up for things that you want, and you may find that when you have saved up you don’t want the thing anyway!

Proverbs 6 v 6-8 says to look at how an ant stores up food in summer for use in winter.  The reality of life is that winter comes – for example clothes, washing machines and cars wear out or breakdown.  Certain times of the year and seasons of life require more money than others e.g. holidays, Christmas, children of all ages (!), redundancy, retirement.

We should save enough so that we don’t presume on God – i.e. that we don’t ask God to do what we should be able to do ourselves if we planned wisely.

A rule of thumb guideline would be to give 10%, save 10%, and live on the remaining 80%.

Channels not Storehouses

We need to save enough for a rainy day, but not for a rainy decade!  The bible is very clear that it is wrong to hoard resources and trust in our savings rather than in God.

Jesus said “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” (Luke 12 v 15).  He also told the parable of the rich man who decided to build bigger barns to hoard his grain for the future.  Jesus tells us instead to be “rich towards God”.

Proverbs 11 v 28 says “Those who trust in their riches will fall, but the righteous will thrive like a green leaf”.

The Bible calls us to be channels of blessing, not storehouses!

Questions

1.  Simon talked about not going in to debt for things we want, or presuming on God when things we have wear out, but rather getting into a position where we are able to save. 

Describe a time that you saved up for something (that could be recently, or even as a child).

2.  Simon talked about avoiding getting in to debt.  Not a question, but do encourage anyone in serious debt to contact CAP, or those who do not have a budget to go on the CAP Money course.

3.  Simon mentioned that as Christians, we are not just forgiven our debt of sin, but inherit the abundance of all that Christ has won for us.  How does it impact our lives to know that we are:

a) a child of God [see 1 John 3 v 1-3]

b) an heir of the kingdom [see Romans 8 v 14-17]

c) blessed with heaven’s riches [see Ephesians 1 v 3-7]

4. Simon gave us an update on the Vision Fund (see above).  How do you imagine the Vision Fund might grow the church at your site?  Are you able to start saving now towards the next gift day?

5. Simon mentioned that he was struggling with some things in life at the moment (see above). Are there areas in your life where you are struggling at the moment?  [Spend some time praying for each other]

5th March 2017 - Andy Jackson - Generosity: giving to the church

Andy Jackson

5th March 2017

Generosity – Giving to the Church

Introduction

“Generosity – to give and share unsparingly”. Where have we got to so far in our series on generosity?  In previous weeks we’ve heard:

·         Simon Benham speaking on “Everything I have belongs to God”, and

·         Ben Pocock – “Living joyfully within your means."

Talking about money, as we have been doing, may seem as dull as a spreadsheet – but we’re looking forward to a far more exciting goal – an outrageously generous life.   That’s anything but dull!

We love to come across examples of generosity, from small things – like the people who offered to help me fix my bike chain earlier this week – to large things, such as the tributes to George Michael which have been emerging after his death; paying for IVF treatment here, for nurses to look after a cancer sufferer there, and in the round donating millions of pounds to charity.

We’d like to be generous, too – but the giving bit is always a challenge!

In giving to the church, our starting point should be “I honour God by giving the first part of what I earn to his purposes”.  (That can feel expensive – there’s the story of one church member and football fan who, when the pastor asked him “How much is does a season ticket cost?”, responded – “its much cheaper than coming here!”)

Where in the Bible does this starting point come from?

In the Old Testament, God gave Israel laws on tithing (giving a tenth to God):

A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.  Whoever would redeem any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value to it.  Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord.  No one may pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If anyone does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed. (Leviticus 27^30-33)

The first part of something earned (the first fruits) should also be given:

Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. (Proverbs 3^9-10)

These tithes were used to support the priests, to stage festivals, and through a special tithe held once every three years, to help the poor.

The rules on tithing stand in contrast to the prevailing attitude today of “It’s my money, I can do what I like with it” because they reflect an underlying understanding that “everything belongs to God”:

 You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.”  But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. (Deuteronomy 8^17-18)

As recipients of God’s generosity, we do need to remind ourselves of our responsibility to be good stewards; the Bible goes so far as to equate ‘not tithing’ with robbery:

“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings.  You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.  Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. (Malachi 3^8-10)

One Israelite king lead the nation through a period of national repentance and returning to God, and reinstated tithing and first-fruits as an integral part of that:

As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the first fruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. (2 Chronicles 31⁵)

Teachings of Jesus

Turning to the New Testament, we know that Jesus was a practicing Jew, who met the requirements of the law; He never taught that it was wrong or irrelevant – instead, he goes further.  Jesus calls his followers to a life expressing deep love for God and for people, and what we give says a lot about that love in our relationships

·         How sincere our love is for others

·         How much we trust God to provide

In the times in which Jesus lived, wealth was seen as a sign of God’s favour, and so people were impressed by large gifts – but there is one story which shows that Jesus was impressed more by the sacrifice than the size:

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury.  He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins.  “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others.  All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”  (Luke 21^1-5)

In absolute terms, the widow’s gift was far smaller than others – but it was all she had, and Jesus valued the sacrificial spirit with which she gave.

What should my level of giving to Church be?

Kerith already has a reputation for generosity – as someone who helped distribute funds from the recent gift days to charity, Andy can testify first hand that people were amazed at how much had been given!  Again, the money need for the vision fund was collected quickly and, it felt, easily.

But God is calling us to shift into another gear, testing God and his promises.  This will mean very different things for different people.  For some, tithing is a real sacrifice; for others, its straightforward - and there is ‘headroom’ for sacrificial giving on top of the tithe.

Andy’s own experience is that he was bought up to tithe through the teaching of his church and the example of his parents, and he has done so.  Looking back, and asking “what could I have done with the money?”, there were times when he and his family missed out on things – but God has quite genuinely given then all that they need.

A recent quote from Archbishop Sentamu sums this up: “We give so that God’s will and work might happen.”

In closing, one last issue what happens about giving while you are in debt?  On a practical level, a part of the answer is to make use of the resources around you, especially CAP!  But there is also a challenge to be prayed through – how much faith do we have in God to provide both for debt payments and for giving?