There is one common analogy used throughout the New Testament regarding the local church. It is not a business, farm, team, school, or hospital, though those word pictures are frequently used by us to convey various dimensions of congregational life. The most often used analogy is that of a family. God is our Father; we are called His offspring—sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, even fellow heirs.
Jesus was the master teacher. Against relentless and hostile opposition, and in spite of many who followed Him for all the wrong reasons, He spoke with wisdom and taught with skill. Among the methods He preferred to use, the parable was one of His favourites. By placing a familiar and simple word picture before His audience, Jesus was able to draw out profound analogies that have intrigued even the brightest minds for centuries.
While the New Testament does not include direct commands that God's people tithe, it is worth noting that we are never commanded to not tithe. We could even assume that tithing was so ingrained in the New Testament believers' lifestyles, nothing more needed to be written regarding it—though, under grace, giving a tithe was no longer an obligation but an appropriate starting point for all who wished to cultivate the habit of joyful generosity.
Becoming a faithful and generous follower of Christ does not depend on our accumulation of money as much as it does on our attitude toward money. (Pause and reread that statement.) As we will discover in this lesson, the less we depend on material things to make us happy, the more likely we are to model generosity.
Whether we are single or married, younger or older, wear a hard hat or a top hat, are self-employed or climbing the corporate ladder or retired from that pressured, stressful world, God's Word provides wisdom found nowhere else in literature…and not just wisdom but inspired wisdom. Expressed in ways that are easily understood, some of the most helpful counsel has to do with managing our money wisely.
When grace fuels us to forgive someone who has offended us, we abundantly release every hint of any offence. When grace is cultivated in our relationship with a friend, an abundance of bountiful freedom marks our friendship. The same bountiful abundance occurs when grace is the motivating factor prompting our giving. In other words, living by faith includes giving by grace.
For too long, Christians have regarded serving Christ as a heavy burden. Because that attitude is so widespread, Christians often put on grim, gloomy, whipped, and weather-beaten faces when a pastor mentions the word serve.
Are you the worrying type—fearful of the possibilities tomorrow may hold but also grieving mistakes of the past? As we stand at the beginning of a new year, we must admit that we can’t predict the future and we can’t change the past. Trying to do either is a waste of time and energy. Learn from Philippians 3 and Hebrews 12 how to keep your eyes focused on Jesus and run your race of faith today.
We can read Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount in 15 minutes or less. No teacher or preacher has ever packed more truth into such a brief period of time. For centuries, these words from Matthew’s gospel have been scrutinized by millions of Bible students, authors, pastors, and missionaries. Yet, no one has even come close to exhausting Jesus’ message.
We’ve all heard it said that we never stand taller than when we kneel before God. But what happens when we offer our prayers and petitions to God? Does He change His mind? Can we alter His plan or reverse His course? If not, then why pray?
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