Sacrifice

That’s okay with you. It works for me. Sometimes I’m asked what have you been reading in God’s word lately pastor. And it’s a part of my life as it has been my entire adult life and much of my teen years. Not all of them but most of them.

And of late it’s been Jeremiah the prophet. I’m drawn to him I relate to him quite a bit in fact. Jeremiah is a standout guy and he was a prophetic voice of course if you know your Bible and know a little bit of his story. Jeremiah was a prophetic voice in Judah by that time the northern and southern kingdom it’s split apart in fact long before that time and the northern kingdom was now gone. It was taken captive and no longer existed.

Once a glorious unified kingdom is now just the remnants of the south known as Judah. And in Judah they they hailed Jerusalem as their as their capital as the religious epicenter of all that went on there. And Jeremiah comes along and he is in fact the voice of God to the people the remaining people in Judah during her last 40 years of existence. I get a sense Judah Jeremiah was not at all aspiring to be the prophet during that time. Minus Josiah the first of those five kings that remained none of them were good they were awful.

They were off the charts awful. The kind that you would never tell a child much less you know aspire yourself to be like Josiah was the exception. But during those 40 years Jeremiah became known as the weeping prophet and I think for good reason. I think probably we could say in our parlance today it wasn’t fun. He did not have a good time.

It was very difficult for him to say what he had to say and what God wanted him to say. So Jeremiah must have known I think that his words wouldn’t be popular and that he would speak them and he would speak them faithfully but the more he spoke the more people resented what they heard from him. They probably even said oh here it comes and found something else to do or maybe faked it and pretend to look busy while he passed by. You say well that’s gathering a lot. Well I don’t think so much when you hear his own words at the very beginning of his letter.

He wrote Jeremiah the book of Jeremiah and then he wrote Lamentations but check this out. This is what Jeremiah had to say. Oh sovereign Lord I said this is Jeremiah speaking. I can’t speak for you. I’m too young.

How’s that for a good excuse? Anybody know 1 Timothy 4 12? Let no one look down on your beautifulness. Okay but Jeremiah spoke before that time. So he says I’m too young.

The Lord replied don’t say I’m too young for you must go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you. And don’t be afraid as though he assumes that would be the reaction and it would be for any of us I think. You hear God say your name and your to go wherever I send you and say whatever I tell you to say you better be quaking. I would assume you and I would would shake. Don’t be afraid.

I will be with you and I will protect you. I the Lord have spoken. Then the Lord reached out and touched my mouth and said look I have put my words in your mouth. We come today in this series of messages titled healthy. To a topic that may seem to some to be in fact tampering.

It’s the subject of living sacrificially. You wouldn’t join a club and you certainly wouldn’t go to a store. You would not be a member of one of the you know Costco like stores in our area. If the invitation included hey come be a member here and plan to suffer. Would you.

I don’t know maybe if you did you’d probably be you know. Investigated as a person that’s slightly off the rocker right you you would that’s weird. Or if somebody said hey join us and prepare to sacrifice. This subject of living sacrificially is part of what it means to be. According to God’s definition.

A healthy Christian. As someone who loved me long time ago said when he met me at the door gave me a hug it was really a hug of affection and then I wrote down his words back then he was leaving church on a particular Sunday where we brushed it against this subject. And he here was his words pastor now you’ve gone beyond ministering. To meddling. And he said it with a smile.

You’ve gone a place that I don’t welcome people to go was his point. He admitted that he had some things to change up and the way he spent his time and money that God had revealed to him on that particular day from his word. So let me be bold and predict that I see the same thing happening today. So here’s our little code okay. This is our signal.

You know like baseball. This is our signal. If you meet me at the door and go now now pastor today you you were meddling. I’ll be okay with that all right. You went past ministering you were meddling.

Because I think that’s in fact how I felt as I read these words from God. Again today. This past week so but before we get there a little more fun all right. So I read a funny exchange from a church and this is way down in the deep south right like Alabama Louisiana area where their pastor was nearing the end of a message in fact like this one on sacrifice or sacrificial giving. So the pastor’s winding it down and and as he did he had a growing intensity to his word so sort of slip into that setting.

This church he said like the crippled man has got to get up and walk and the congregation responded that’s right Reverend that’s right. And he and he added this church like Elijah on Mount Carmel’s got to get up and run run let it run preacher let it run. This church has got to mount up on wings like eagles and fly came to preacher let it fly preacher let it fly. Then he added now if this church is going to fly it’s going to take money. Let it walk preacher let it walk.

That’s good. That’s good. So okay there we go. You’re chuckling with me now you’re ready for some stuff from God. Okay let’s get personal.

Is your giving sacrificial? Would you write that down? Is my giving sacrificial? Write that down on that outline if you haven’t pulled it out? Pull it out people pull it out.

All right. There we go. So pull it out and write your answer because I’ll return to it at the end. While you’re thinking of your response, your initial response, most of us think nothing of spending a couple of hours a night watching TV, a movie, sports, you name it. Yet we grumble and gripe.

Refused to give a couple of hours of our time a month to ministry. That took the laughter out of the room, didn’t it? I’m not done. Most of us will gladly spend, and I’ve seen this in couples I’ve met with, I do an audit of their spending when they’re in a financial crisis. That’s where we start and say, hey, where’s the, where’s the, you know, the the thing, this tub is leaking.

Where’s it going? We do an audit. And I know this firsthand that people think nothing of spending 50 to $500 a month on fun, on eating out, on going to the movies, on lattes, on golf, on good times. They just don’t even think about it. In fact, when I call attention to it and add it up, they’re as shocked as they are typically when I add up what it costs for them to operate vehicles or transportation costs.

Do that today and it’ll upset you the rest of the day. You’re just going to go, I spend $1,000 a month to get around. You’re kidding me. And I’m overweight to show it. So I’m going to give up all that and walk forever and ever, right?

I mean, you get my point, right? It’s a shock to the system. Now, back to the point, people think nothing of that. And yet they get more than a little offended when a church challenges them on how much they give. I know this is private and I know it’s personal to many people here in my words today.

But I also know that it’s never been to Jesus that way, never. Everything about each one of us is open to Him. And I get that from Hebrews 4 verse 13. You can’t find an exception or an exemption to those words that say nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. That means He sees it all.

And everything is uncovered and laid bare before His eyes. And that would be enough if we could just end the verse there, right? But it finishes with, and you need to explain yourself. To Him, the one to whom we must give an account. So let’s start by visiting a story this morning in Mark’s Gospel.

It’s actually in Luke as well, but I want you to stop in Mark chapter 12 at the very end of the chapter. It’s a story about giving and what grabbed Jesus’ attention. You’ve got to understand that. This is not a preacher saying these things. This is Jesus’ observation, and I think that will add to its credibility and impact in your life as it’s intended to and has in my own life.

It’s what grabbed Jesus’ attention, frankly, as He was watching people give. You say, “Really? Isn’t that supposed to be private?” And we operate that way today, but it never was that way with Jesus. Further than that.

Both are still true today. It still grabs his attention because he’s still watching. Okay? So verse 41 picks up on this very brief story. Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury.

Many rich people threw in large amounts, but a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Verse 43 calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow, and you must assume he’s pointing your finger, so it’s clear exactly who he’s talking about. This poor widow has put more into the treasury than all these others. They all gave out of their wealth, free out of her poverty, put in everything, all that she had to live on.” There’s more we’ll talk about in other scriptures in a minute, but let’s stop there and start with a principle, okay?

Giving is about attitude more than the amount. Would you write that down? It has more to do with attitude than with amount. It’s not about size. It’s about sacrifice.

That’s what has Jesus attention. He is applauding generous and sacrificial giving. Now that may be a large amount and it ought to be in some cases, but it also may be a small child’s portion of his or her allowance. And I know that from my own experience, but I know that also. I used to write little checks for 35 cents because my dad got us a checking account.

My mom and dad got us all lined up when we got a lawn mowing job. And we had a little bit of money. Usually the balance was under to say $3, but I thought, man, I’m well on my way to retirement. That kind of thing, right? And it was a 30 cent check.

And as a footnote, there were a few times when I was overdrawn and I thought, okay, they’re coming for me. Take me, cuff me. I didn’t realize it was also this account was linked to my parents. And they had like $30 in it. So they had enough money.

So back to the story, this widow was poor. That much is clear. That tends to be the case in most generations of widows. It’s not like they’re killing it unless their husband, we would say, set them up. But this widow is clearly poor and had little potential.

For making more. It’s an understanding of first century widowhood. Not only did you not have money, there was nothing left for you, but even worse, there was very little safety net we would say today in a social system like Social Security or Medicare, Medicaid or some other means of helping you with affordable housing and so on and so forth. It’s like, it’s kind of a bummer being and you, your husband died and now you’re really exposed. That’s what this widow’s like.

But the wealthy people in this story had plenty and as oftentimes is the case, the potential for plenty more. As Jesus is here watching, he sat observing, notice what drew his attention and what continues to draw his attention. It’s a contrast between sacrificial and stingy giving. On Jesus’ mind as he watches. Folks with verse 41 says, “Much means,” these had large amounts, gave large amounts.

That much is clear. But a very vulnerable widow that we’ve had our attention drawn to had very meager means and you could say from a quantity standpoint, a couple of pennies. Very, very little to her name, verse 42 tells us. Worth only a few cents. But here’s the key, she could not, here’s the key.

She could not afford to give, but she did. You see, giving is not about amount. It’s about attitude. A passing thought on this. But think of a basketball court and think of that as the temple.

And near one hoop on one end, the holiest part of the temple is the holy of holies. It’s reserved for the chief high priest. And in that area, there’s this area so-called the courtyard of the Jews. And a few, the Jew men got to be on that side. But about half court, court is this other area.

It’s called the court of women. It was where they could not cross half court. I’m using an analogy because we all know a basketball. They could not cross to the court of the Jews. They were women after all and relegated to this place in first century that said, “Yeah, you’re in the temple.

Be happy.” But you’re not in this part. Same thing happens and more on this in days to come. But there’s a wailing wall also known as the western wall. And if you were to stand in front of it, you would see a fence.

It’s probably a wall now. I was there when it was a fence. And on the right side was women and Gentiles. On the left side were men. And why?

Because there was a tunnel that went back in and it was believed to be, it would lead to where the Ark of the Covenant is. So that delineation is true. And Jesus is calling attention to the fact that this woman, probably this widow, gave her pennies to a little box that was on the women’s, the female side of the court. Do you get me? In other words, it was like we’re going to pass plates to make it convenient for you men, but we’re going to make the women go, what?

In the box. Okay. Now, you get a little feel here. One critic said of this scene, a few of us can read this story without shame. Now, I’m not sure shame is God’s aim.

I don’t think that’s just crippling. That’s disabling. I get mad when I’m shamed and so do you. But I’m pretty sure he does want to get our attention. So let’s read on Jesus is observing isn’t enough for people to be impressed by him.

You’re giving should show whether you’ve in fact gone past that to being impacted by him. So to be impressed by Jesus doesn’t do anybody any good. It doesn’t change a life and it doesn’t translate into the practicalities of how you give your time and money. I said to myself, I wasn’t going to use that pronoun and I’ll back it out. It’s not your time and it’s not your money.

That’s the first starting point. But how you give time that God has entrusted to you and we all have the same amount of that and how do you give money? We have varying amounts of that, but that too does not belong to you or me is what’s in play in this story. So and the way you spend it, either of those things, both of those things reveal something about the impact that Jesus has had on your life. And there’s reason I say that and I’ll point you to it right now.

Lots of people look to Jesus and lots of people in this setting look to Jesus. He was a an attention getter. People wanted to see him, wanted to see and hear what he had to say. And this is no exception. They’re looking to Jesus and listening to them to him.

But I have a question. That will really the question of that day, did their lives look different because of Jesus? So I don’t know if you’ve done this, but did you glance up the page? Let’s go back up and see where this is all taking place. I said the temple, but verse 35 reveals a few more details.

Well, Jesus was teaching in the temple courts. He asked, why do the teachers of the law say that the Messiah is the Son of God? David himself speaking by the Holy Spirit declared, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under my feet. David himself called Jesus his Lord. How can that be since he was really his son?

I mean, how does that work? Well, he understood who Jesus was. That’s the answer. Notice this, these words, the large crowd listened to him with delight. They’re sitting there like some of you right now going, whoa, whoa, this is good stuff.

And he taught them, he knew that he had an audience. So he taught them and said, watch out for the teachers of the law. Those are Pharisees and they were in that setting as well. Watch out for them. They like the attention.

They walk around relishing the attention and flowing robes to be noticed and to be greeted with respect in the marketplace. And have the most important seats in the synagogue and places of honor at banquets. But that’s not all to their story. They devour widows houses and for keywords here, a show, make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely, Jesus says.

Jesus was teaching here in the temple, verse 35 says, and evidently many there, delighted in what he had to say, verse 37 tells us that. But Jesus warns, there’s another group here, this teacher of the law crowd and their trouble. Why? Because they delighted in the same thing. They wanted to be noticed and listened to.

But for them, it was a show. It was just a show. Had you been one of those in the crowd that day, would you have been a person that left impressed? Or the kindness is, yeah, that was a great message, Jesus. That was really good stuff, you said.

Way to hit ’em hard, Jesus. As though to indicate you knew the message really wasn’t for you, it was for and you could point to who it was. Or would you have been impacted? Would you have been like that guy that met me at the door and said, you know, pastor, he hugged me and said, you know, you’re kind of meddling. And I got some work to do.

I got some things I need to change up about how I spend time and money that God has entrusted me. How much of what God has given you in time and treasure do you give back to him? I get to ask that question ’cause I’ve been asking it for a very long time in my own life and once again this week. For nearly 20 years, the Gallup Research Group has reported that the nearly consistent average annual giving to church and charities, I’m talking money now. For 20 years, it’s been consistently hovering at 2%.

2%. So that goes all the way back to the year 2000. Today, the number has changed. They’ve improved. In fact, as of April of this year, so 2018, the average annual giving has spiked.

That’s good news, right? It’s now 2.5%. Okay, let me put that in English for you in simple numbers. For every $100 of income, let’s just break it down. Every $100 of income, for some of us, that’s a full day of work or whatever it is, okay.

Giving has increased from $2 to $2.50. Now, I’m not sure I met a single person who sees this as a cause for applause. In case you’re wondering, this fact holds true. Most of the research would suggest that the average church goer gives about that same amount of their time. That’s the hard news.

The question that surfaces from this story is, like Jesus watched then, what does Jesus see as he watches you give now? In the time column and in the money. This is what the gospel is trying to teach us through these givers at the temple. Use the language of this series, this widow. She is a healthy Christian because she gave sacrificially.

That’s what defines healthy in this area of her life. She was a healthy Christian. Poor widow who was spiritually rich. The wealthy gave much, no question there. But it was a small portion and they had a lot of, that most likely gave from their surplus.

Unhealthy Christian would be the label that we could apply fairly to that person. Now, so I see a couple of takeaways and we’ve got time for them. Giving by this widow, first of all, was an act of faith. She had to ask questions when that moment came, whether there was a ceremonial moment or just that moment when she got out of her chair and went to that box in the courtyard of women. And she went to that box.

She had to ask questions like, how will I manage? My pocket or purse in her case maybe is now empty. Do you see the faith coming in there? You can say no, I think that’s crazy actually. Fine.

But I choose to honor this woman. I think that’s why her story is in the Bible. So there’s an act of faith going on here that’s extraordinary from this woman. I got nothing left. There’s no jingle of change in my pockets.

And she probably wondered or maybe had it settled and that’s why she gave. Can God’s promises be believed? You and I know some of them. My God shall supply all your needs. Maybe for her that was the extraordinary moment.

I believe that. Now that came in Philippians and it wasn’t written yet but that probably same woman had a grasp of scriptures that were in print by that time, not in print print but you get it. Scriptures that were available, they’re the Old Testament scriptures. And it’s almost a certainty that she knew the last prophet in the Old Testament and his words that can’t be forgotten. Malachi said this, of God, should people cheat God?

Yet you cheat me but you ask what do you mean? When did we ever cheat you? Lord, this is God speaking. You’ve cheated me of tithes and offerings due to me and that can’t happen without consequence. That’s why he says next you have cheated me of these things and you are under a curse for your whole nation is made up of people doing the same.

They’re cheating me. He’s not finished. Then he says, if you do says the Lord of Heaven’s armies, I will open the windows of heaven for you. That’s blessing, is it not? That’s the promise of taking this step of faith that the widow took.

I will open heaven and pour out blessings on you. See if you won’t have enough room to take it all in. And then the only time recorded in scripture where God says, test me. See if it’s true. You’re a move.

My move. Here’s a second takeaway. Giving by this widow was an active sacrifice. That’s where I got the title for the message. Go back to verse 44 in the story.

They gave out of their wealth but she out of her poverty sacrificed everything. She put in everything. All she had to live on. That’s different than what she could spare. What she had extra.

So what’s that mean? How does that look? The last couple of minutes this morning, I want you to turn from this story to the go to passage in the New Testament on giving. It’s actually two chapters. Second Corinthians chapters eight and nine.

Would you go to chapter nine? It’s not too far from here but it’s really worth the trip. Second Corinthians chapter nine. Let me give you a quick context while you’re turning there. Paul is writing to the Corinthian people who were in a wealthy cosmopolitan city.

They were loaded. They had surplus. They had abundance. They could pretty much buy what they want, do what they wanted, enjoy life as they wanted. And I’ve also just described Portland in 2018.

Now maybe not all of Portland but most of the people in this room. Maybe not all I understand but here’s the deal. Corinth was a city that had a lot but was holding back on the very things that we’re talking about this morning. There was a lot of reserve left in their bank accounts and they didn’t release it as bountifully nowhere near this widow and her sacrifice. Not done.

There’s also another real important point of context. Paul is challenging the Corinthians to give like this group of people in Macedonia. If you were to read all of chapter eight and nine, you’d go Macedonia. What’s that? It’s a Thessalonica.

It’s Philippi. It’s Berea. It’s a state. It’s a country north of Corinth which is Greece. So you got Corinth to the south.

Macedonia to the north. And they were dirt poor. Macedonians didn’t have much but here’s the deal. They were begging for the chance to give, to send that money overseas to Jerusalem which was not only poor but in a time of famine. So Paul is simply saying, hey look, you Corinthians which are, you’re jacked, you’re loaded.

Why don’t you follow the example of Macedonia and people with, huh? That’d be like them telling you and me telling us we need to follow the example of Mexico and the impoverished people down there in our giving. See the irony here? It’s like kidding me. Could you think of another example?

It hit with a jolt. And now we come to chapter nine because there’s so many principles in here but look at verse six. And he says you also reap a little bit. And whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver.

And God is able to bless you abundantly so that in all things at all times having all that you need you will abound in every good work as it is written. They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever. Now he who supplies to seed to the sower and bread for food, that is God, will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way. Do you see those words so that?

It’s verse 11. It’s called a hena clause in Greek. It means everything that was just said is for the purpose of what’s about to follow so that you can be generous on every occasion. Let me put it together now. Verse 11, you will be enriched in every way not to make you a fat cat.

Not to make you a person with a monstrous bank account. But so that in every way you can be generous and on every occasion through your generosity there will be thanksgiving to God. Do you see the point? God’s sending money your way on assignment to do his work. That’s the point.

He’s not done. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but it’s also overflowing to many in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ. People are taking notes on your life and when they see and hear and watch what you’re giving of your time, engagement and ministry and financial release. Great praise is going to come to God.

And their prayers for you and their hearts will go out to you because the surpassing grace God has given to you. You get the sense right here. Paul says, I don’t know how else to say it. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift. And he points to Jesus.

All right. Would you circle back to verse seven and let’s stay there the balance of about five minutes. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give. Not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Two negatives and a positive.

The negative, not reluctantly. That means with hesitation. That means if I preach longer and get louder and stronger, you’ll eventually go, okay. Okay. All right, he’s leaning on us.

You’re kidding me, they’re passing the plate again? It’s three times this morning. No, I’m not going there, all right. Relax. Not.

But that’s reluctantly. That’s hesitation and he says, “Don’t do it that way.” He’s not done, there’s a second. Not under pressure or coercion. Similar to reluctance and hesitation, but it’s more in your face.

It’s, it’s, can I tell you one time when this was violated? My dad actually violated this a long time ago and it was hilarious and it still talked about to this day. It mends around up and they take a big offering for some huge project. These are men that have spent a lot of money to get there and their toys, their mobile homes or motor homes and boats. Everything says, “I got bucks,” right?

And then they pass on offering and they’re, flipping a coin in the plate. And the offering’s taken up and they’re trying to build this new youth center for reaching children for Jesus Christ. Oh, I’d call that important, right? And the offering’s counted at the end, do you remember this dad? Yeah, because you probably did it more than once, right?

Actually. And they count up this offering and it’s a joke. And my dad, I remember, I’m sitting there going, “Oh, oh, oh.” Because you know what? Men, we’re going to, we’re going to take another offering here.

Like 2,000 men hearing him. I’m thinking, “Dad, they could hurt you.” And he said, “We’re going to take another offering.” And he says, “I want you to grab your wallet right now. Everybody, hold up a wallet.

I want to see that wallet.” And he waited until 2,000 wallets, all men, no women there. It’s men’s roundup. And they hold up their wallets. He says, “Okay, and you’ve got to flap inside your wallet just like I do.”

And he pulls out his wallet and there’s a $50 bill tucked away in his just in case section of his wallet. I’m thinking, “Dad, you’ve been holding out on me a long time. What’s the deal?” And he pulls that out and stretches it out. He says, “I’ll get that 50 and put it in the plate.

Put it in the buckets. Put it in the buckets.” And they took the offering again. And my dad went to Maui on the money. “No, I’m just kidding you.

Just a joke. Just a joke.” They built the thing. Amen? They built it.

So, yeah, pressure, I guess it works sometimes. But anyway, we’re told not to do it that way. But notice he shifts to a positive here. Do it cheerfully for God loves a cheerful giver. What does it mean that God loves a cheerful giver?

One church bulletin made this humorous appeal. “The Lord loveth a cheerful giver, but he accepted from a grouch.” Okay? So, actually, can I tell you something? He won’t.

He won’t. That’s not true. Cheerful is from the word “cheerful.” That’s why I say circle that word. It’s from a Greek word “hillaros.”

From which we get a translated English word, hilarious. Hilarious. Is that how you give? The plate’s coming in a second. And it’s this chuckle that starts to happen.

It’s that, it’s a happy giver. It’s not, okay, okay, I give. It’s a happy giver. Are you that kind of person? Because you know you’re about to release resources God entrusted to you to meet a need is bigger than you and me.

Or do you gripe in your heart and reluctantly let it go? If so, I have surprising advice for you right now. That’s the way you give. Don’t part with a dime of money. And don’t give a minute of time.

Keep it to yourself. Why do I say that? Because I am absolutely convinced that Jesus would rather have you keep and me keep my time and money and miss the blessing that the widow got. I believe that. Rather than have you or me deceive ourselves somehow into thinking that he approves blesses my giving from a bad heart.

Hear me people. I love you enough to tell you this. He will not bless that kind of giving. We fought a lot today about a widow that caught Jesus’ attention long time ago. And I want to wrap this message up by reading words from a widow that I know.

An anonymous widow in our midst here at Grace Point. As I like to do and punctuate these messages about healthy habits of a healthy Christian, I reach out to somebody that I know to be a healthy widow. And I know she gives sacrificially and I also know as 2 Corinthians 9-7 says she gives with a cheerful heart. Incredibly cheerful heart. I’m saying more than I should say in identifying her because she’s here.

And you’re probably going to be looking around for who’s giggling when the plate goes by or something. But that’s okay. At my request, she wrote these words about her experience. And I will share them with you as we close. Two weeks prior to my husband’s death, my sister and brother-in-law canceled their vacation plans and came to help out.

My brother-in-law had just returned from a ministry trip to India to encourage believers who were working to establish small village churches in the remote hill country of India. He showed many pictures and shared many stories that my seriously ill husband found extremely interesting. He shared with us prayer concerns and projects that needed support. Keep in mind that a dollar in India goes much further than a dollar here. Small village congregations were in need of meeting places with clean and convenient water systems.

These people were among the poorest are among the poorest in the world, yet they have just found Jesus and are very enthusiastic. So in response to this opportunity, after my husband went home to Jesus, I decided that I would build a small church building in memory of my husband, which I did on behalf of myself and my family. The church was built by the people and I provided funds for all of the materials. The church was completed within a few months. My brother-in-law made another trip to India to dedicate the building and came home with lots of additional pictures.

He put the pictures in a beautiful album for me and that was when my heart just about burst. The people. Beautiful people. They filled the building. They enjoyed a dinner outside on the ground and took part in a huge celebration.

The land had been donated by two other widows who had prayed for a church building. I cannot explain the connection I felt with them. I will meet them someday. And that was just the start. For the past eight years, I’ve had the privilege, the high privilege of helping with five other buildings, hospital equipment, a much needed heart surgery, glass printed materials for the itinerant pastors, and most recently, five motorbikes for their transportation.

Praise God. I do hold my belongings and my family in open hands for God to use because all I have belongs to him. Thank you, dear woman, for sharing this. Would you bow with me? As we thank you, God, for the power of a testimony that punctuates the truth of what we’ve read in your word that’s eternal.

This dear woman felt anointed by you, instructed by you, and it resulted in her taking action prompted by you. That’s exactly what I pray for. Today. That people would be instructed by you. They would leave here prompted by your spirit to change it up.

To start to give their lives in a new way. It will take an awakening by you, Lord. And that’s what we ask for, God, here at Grace Point and Beyond. Time and it’s your money. It’s, I’m yours.

And I surrender it all to you. I want that to be true. And then needs an awakening by you. So Spirit of God, as we take up a collection this morning, I pray that the, that the result would be tallied in much bigger things than a, a giving total. It would be lives changed because of you.

And I ask this in the name of your son, Jesus, the indescribable gift given to us. Amen. Amen. Let’s stand together.

Transcript machine-generated from the sermon audio, so it may contain errors. 6,552 words.