For most people, generosity is not a natural inclination. We have inherited that attitude because part of our fallen human nature strives to live independent of God’s grace and instinctively assume a defensive posture when it comes to our survival. Generosity, with no expectation of repayment, works against being fully prepared for the worst case scenario. We wonder “how much will be enough?” If I give something away, will that mean that I will miss out on something I may need later on in life? This attitude is rooted in a basic human independence that has missed the supernatural way in which God provides for all our needs: GRACE. In Charles Dickens “A Christmas Carol”, Scrooge is a perfect example of how that attitude can lead to a very dark place. Scrooge followed that line of thinking to the point of total isolation for society, deep seeded anger and a hopeless future. It is also a dangerous attitude for a believer to have because it will stifle the generosity God calls us to exercise in our stewardship.

Why is it that generosity is not a problem for some people and yet for others, the thought of being generous brings on a life crisis? What is the factor that moves people to be generous? There is one word that answers those questions: GRACE! Generous people operate in the knowledge and belief that they have received the grace of God, which frees them to be generous with what God has given them. Sunday we are going to look at the example of the early church in Acts 4 where people began to practice generosity with the church and to the community. Like Scrooge, they experienced grace in a profound way and as a result their attitude about possessions was changed. Where before grace they were tight fisted with their money; they became radically generous. Join me Sunday morning as we consider this formula of Kingdom Economics: Stewardship + GRACE = Generosity.

Last Sunday was the start to Kingdom Economics; a six-week sermon series on biblical stewardship. When I use the word “economics” I’m not referring to financial economics but am using that word to describe the values, principles and systems that we live by as stewards in the kingdom of God. Stewardship in God’s kingdom is not relegated to one specific area of life but permeates every aspect of a disciple’s life. Sunday we will consider “The Stewardship of Life.” If we believe God owns everything (last week’s teaching) and all we have is from God, it is only logical to conclude our very lives belong to God. And if our lives belong to God we need to be good stewards of all that we do with our lives. From Matthew 25, the parable of the talents, we see principles that a good steward will follow as they manage the resources from the master. From 1 Corinthians 4 we know that a steward is to be found faithful. Matthew 25 answers the question, “What does it mean to be a faithful steward?” Join me Sunday as we consider stewardship as a way of life that encompasses all we are and do.

As part of this series, I’m inviting everyone who considers themselves to be part of Kure Beach FBC to make a commitment for this sermon series. Here is a link to that commitment card or you can fill out a paper version at service this Sunday. One of the commitments is to be in attendance for or to watch all 6 messages in this series. Click Here to watch last week’s teaching.

It is difficult, even for the best of us, to remember all the things we need to remember. It seems that the more things we are engaged with, the more there is to remember, increasing the chances of forgetting something. That is why most of us use devices of some kind to help us remember the important things. We have a list of important contacts with a phone number. We either use the same password for all our computer / smart phone things or we use some kind of a password storage system in the event we forget one. We use calendars to keep track of appointments, obligations and other important events like birthdays. Most of us have some form of a To-Do-List so we are productive with our time. If something is important it is worth remembering so we make an effort to find a way to remember.
There is one thing Satan wants the Christian to forget: that we are forgiven. Does that ever happen to you? You know you have made a commitment to Christ at some point in the past and believe Christ has forgiven you of your sins; past, present and future. However, there are times that the Devil tries to convince you that you are not really forgiven, or we fall into living as though we are not forgiven by God’s grace; that we have to work to make our own atonement. God wants the Christian to remember you are freely forgiven by His grace through Jesus Christ. God has given us something to help us remember we are forgiven: Communion. Communion is not just an empty tradition or ceremony. I actually don’t think communion was ceremonial in its original use. Rather, it was relational and part of a normal gathering of people. Join me this Sunday as we celebrate the communion we have with God, because we are forgiven.