THIS MIGHT BE A WEE
BIT ON THE CONVICTING SIDE IF YOU'VE BEEN A LITTLE STINGY WITH
YOUR MONEY. MATT CHANDLER TALKING ABOUT CHRISTIAN
GENEROSITY.>> << CESAR ADRIAN BECAME CESAR OF ROME I BELIEVE
IN, AROUND 117. UM, AND HE WAS A RELIGIOUS MAN, NOT A CHRISTIAN,
RELIGIOUS MAN. IN FACT, HE BUILT THE TEMPLE OF VENUS. SO HERE,
RELIGIOUS MAN, AND HE WAS SO WEIRDED OUT BY THIS SMALL, BUT
VERY RAPIDLY GROWING CULT CALLED THE WAY, WE CALL IT
CHRISTIANITY, THAT HE SENT A MAN TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF WHAT
MADE US AS THE PEOPLE OF GOD DISTINCT. SO, YOU'VE GOT A CESAR
OF ROME WHO BUILT A TEMPLE TO VENUS WHO STARTS TO GET ANXIOUS
ABOUT CHRISTIANITY'S GROWING GLOBAL INFLUENCE. SO, HE SENDS A
SPY IN TO CHECK US OUT. HIS NAME WAS, I'M GOING TO TRY THIS SO
JUST TRUST ME, UM, ARISTIDES, I THINK? AND, IN A LETTER BACK TO
CESAR, HERE'S WHAT HE WROTE. THEY LOVE ONE ANOTHER. AND HE
WHO HAS GIVES TO HIM WHO HAS NOT WITHOUT BOASTING. AND, WHEN THEY
SEE A STRANGER, THEY TAKE HIM INTO THEIR HOMES, AND REJOICE
OVER HIM AS A VERY BROTHER. AND, IF THERE IS AMONG THEM ANY THAT
ARE POOR AND NEEDY, AND IF THEY HAVE NO SPARE FOOD, THEY FAST
TWO OR THREE DAYS IN ORDER TO SUPPLY TO THE NEEDY THEIR LACK
OF FOOD. LISTEN TO THIS. SUCH IS THEIR MANNER OF LIFE, AND
VERILY, THIS IS A NEW PEOPLE, AND THERE IS SOMETHING DIVINE IN
THE MIDST OF THEM. THAT ISN'T A FAIRY TALE. THAT HAPPENED. THE
PEOPLE OF GOD MARKED BY GENEROSITY, MOTIVATED BY THE
GRACE AND MERCY OF GOD WITH A HEART THAT IS CHEERFUL IN THE
LORD WITH THE METHOD OF EMPOWERING CHURCHES TO DO THE
WORK OF RAISING UP INDIVIDUALS FOR MINISTRY WHILE SACRIFICIALLY
GIVING, SECRETLY GIVING ALL THE WHILE WITH A CHEERFUL
DISPOSITION REJOICING IN THE MOVING OF THE GOSPEL TO THE ENDS
OF THE EARTH.>> << AND LET ME BE THE ONE TO TELL EACH AND
EVERYONE OF THE TENS AND TENS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE WATCHING THIS
PROGRAM EXACTLY HOW GENEROUS YOU SHOULD BE. AS GENEROUS AS YOU
WANT. HOW MUCH DO YOU WANT TO GIVE TO GOD SO THAT HIS GLORY
AND FAME CAN BE SPREAD? HOW GRATEFUL ARE WE FOR THE CROSS?
HOW MOVED ARE OUR HEARTS WHICH HAVE BEEN CLEANSED BECAUSE JESUS
DIED ON A CROSS FOR US? YOU SEE, BIBLICAL GENEROSITY HAS NEVER
BEEN AN ACCOUNTING ISSUE. YOU BROUGHT IN THIS MUCH? YOU'LL
JUST HAVE TO GO WATCH SOME OLD MOVIES. WELL, THIS WILL BE YOUR
CELL PHONE THAT HAS A CALCULATOR ON IT. HOW MUCH DID YOU BRING
IN? PRE-TAX? POST-TAX? GROSS? NET? I DON'T WANT TO GET ALL
ACCOUNTING ON YOU BECAUSE I DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO USE THE
WORD ACCOUNTING, BUT THE POINT IS, GOD WANTS GIVING FROM THE
HEART. GOD, IF HE IS AN ACCOUNTANT, HE IS RUNNING
DIFFERENT NUMBERS THAN BAD, RELIGIOUS TEACHING THAT SAYS
GIVE GOD THIS MUCH, THAT'S ALL YOU HAVE TO GIVE, AND THEN HE'LL
GIVE YOU THAT MUCH. NO, NO, NO, NO. THE ACCOUNTING GOD DOES IS
YOUR HEART. HE KNOWS PRECISELY HOW MUCH HE HAS GIVEN TO EACH
AND EVERY ONE OF US. HE KNOWS WHAT OUR GENUINE NEEDS ARE. HE
KNOWS HOW MUCH IS AVAILABLE TO BE DISTRIBUTED FOR THE SAKE OF
EXPANDING THE KINGDOM. BUT, HE WANTS TO KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT
HIM, EXPRESSING YOUR GRATITUDE IN GIVING. SO, HOW GRATEFUL ARE
YOU FOR THE CROSS? ONE TINY LITTLE SIDE NOTE. DID SOMETHING
CATCH YOUR EAR FROM MATT CHANDLER WHEN HE WAS DESCRIBING
THOSE CHRISTIANS 2,000 YEARS AGO? WHO WERE BASICALLY
INFILTRATED BY A SPY TO CHECK OUT WHAT ARE THOSE CHRISTIANS
ALL ABOUT? DID YOU NOTICE WHAT MATT CHANDLER SAID? HE DID NOT
CALL THEM "THOSE CHRISTIANS". INSTEAD, HE SAID, THEY CAME IN
TO CHECK US OUT. VERY SUBTLE, I KNOW. BUT, THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE
WHO DESIRE TO HAVE A CONNECTION TO SOMETHING OLDER, TO SOMETHING
THAT HAS COME BEFORE US , THAT'S REALLY ANCIENT. AND, MATT
CHANDLER, IN A SUBTLE WAY, DID THAT. THOSE PEOPLE THAT YOU READ
ABOUT IN THE EARLY CENTURIES OF THE CHURCH, THE CHURCHES THAT
YOU READ ABOUT IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION OR THE GALATIANS OR
THE COLOSSIANS , THOSE BELIEVERS, THAT'S NOT "THOSE
PEOPLE". THAT'S US. THEY'RE MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH. WE'RE
MEMBERS OF THE SAME BODY. WE HAVE A CONNECTION. NOT THROUGH A
SYSTEM, BUT THROUGH JESUS.
For more infomation >> Wildfire season in Oregon is living up to its name - Duration: 2:07. 
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