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What it Means to GIVE to the Church, Part 3: The NT Principles February 28,

of Giving 2010

Principles of New Testament Giving


Selected Texts
Sunday Morning
February 28, 2010
Church in the Boro
Rob Wilkerson

1. The Motivation
a. You give because God gave. When He loves you, you love
other people. This means when He loves you, you start loving
others like He loved you. And love is about giving.

i. This is love, that God gave his only Son. 1 John 4:7-12

7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and
whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone
who does not love does not know God, because God is love.
9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that
God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live
through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but
that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our
sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one
another. 12 No one has ever seen God; if we love one another,
God abides in us and his love is perfected in us.

God's love was reflected in sending Jesus…or giving Jesus…to


fill a need we could not meet ourselves. This is giving. John
said it earlier in John 3:16.

For God so loved the world,[1] that he gave his only Son, that
whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

To love, therefore is to give. Not to give, is not to love.

a. Ultimately, let your attitude about money and your giving of


it be just like God's attitude and giving of His only Son. He
didn't hold anything back (Rom. 8:32).

32 Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us
all, won't he also give us everything else?

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God held nothing back. He spared nothing. He gave everything He


had. Notice this is in keeping with some of the things He told other
people.

22 When Jesus heard his answer, he said, "There is still one thing
you haven't done. Sell all your possessions and give the money to
the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow
me."
23 But when the man heard this he became very sad, for he was
very rich.

Evidently selling possessions as a means of giving it all away is


something that is motivated by love for God and which is also motivated
by the Spirit of God within us. Here's how it worked in the early church.

1 On the day of Pentecost* all the believers were meeting together


in one place.2 Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the
roaring of a mighty windstorm, and it filled the house where they
were sitting.3 Then, what looked like flames or tongues of fire
appeared and settled on each of them.4 And everyone present was
filled with the Holy Spirit and began speaking in other languages,*
as the Holy Spirit gave them this ability.

14 Then Peter stepped forward with the eleven other apostles and
shouted to the crowd, "Listen carefully, all of you, fellow Jews and
residents of Jerusalem! Make no mistake about this.15 These
people are not drunk, as some of you are assuming. Nine o'clock in
the morning is much too early for that.16 No, what you see was
predicted long ago by the prophet Joel:

37 Peter's words pierced their hearts, and they said to him and to
the other apostles, "Brothers, what should we do?"

38 Peter replied, "Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to
God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness
of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

41 Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to
the church that day—about 3,000 in all.

42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching,


and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's
Supper*), and to prayer.

43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles
performed many miraculous signs and wonders.44 And all the

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believers met together in one place and shared everything they


had.45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the
money with those in need.46 They worshiped together at the
Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared
their meals with great joy and generosity*—47 all the while praising
God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the
Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

a. A major outflow of love for one another is joy in giving to


one another. Joy is one of the most powerful motivators in
giving. Listen to one example of this from the apostle Paul
regarding his testimony of the Macedonian churches. It
comes from 2 Corinthians 8:1-2.

1 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters,* what God in
his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2 They
are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they
are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich
generosity.
3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford,
but far more. And they did it of their own free will. 4 They begged
us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the
believers* in Jerusalem .5 They even did more than we had hoped,
for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us,
just as God wanted them to do.
6 So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first
place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of
giving. 7 Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your
gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love
from us*—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.

Then Paul makes the connection between joy, generosity, and the
love we just spoke of as the primary motivator.

8 I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how


genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other
churches.
9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he
was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty
he could make you rich.

a. Koinonia remains the prima facie motivation for giving,


because it sums up all three of the above motivations for
giving. Koinonia is a voluntary entering into the suffering

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and trials and pain of others in order to participate in it with


them, providing for any needs you can along the way.

• If you see a guy limping along the side of the road, you run up
along beside him and put his arm around your shoulder and
help him walk. If you can provide a cane you give him that. If
you can provide him a set of crutches, you give him those. If
you can provide a wheelchair, you give it to him and push him
along. If you can provide one of those cool little motorized
carts, you give him that, and teach him how to recharge it, and
provide maintenance on it if you can.

• The point is that when you see another brother or sister


suffering, or in some need, you don't hesitate to run up
alongside of them and enter into their situation, participating in
it to the fullest extent you are able, in order to help him,
comfort her, provide for them, etc.

• Koinonia always involves sacrifice. Because out of your deep


desire to meet the needs of others, you, without hesitation,
give up what you must, in order to provide for what the other
needs. You are so deeply impacted by the suffering and the
need that you think far less of your things, your money, your
time, your resources than you used to. It doesn't even occur to
you that you may need those things later. You simply and
immediately give them up in order to help another.

• This is a summary of what our Heavenly Father did for us. He


took counsel with the Son and the Spirit, and determined that
because of our eternal need, the Son would not count equality
with God something to be held on to. So He left His glorious
home in heaven and entered into our suffering, our pain, our
trials, our temptations, and our needs…all in order to come
alongside of us. And in coming alongside of us He participated
fully in those pains, sufferings, needs, trials, and temptations
with us, giving us comfort, providing us security, meeting those
needs, and forgiving sins. And He entered more fully into our
suffering than any other person in history, because He died for
us, and met our greatest need, which is something no other
person in history could ever do.

• This is what biblical koinonia is, and it provides the bridge to


our next point, which is the methods for giving.

1. The Method

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The methods for giving flow directly out of koinonia. When you are so
connected to a group of people that you feel what they feel, see what they
see, hear what they hear, and taste what they taste, you cannot help but
become in such union with those people that it is your second-nature
response to immediately participate with them in their situation as
completely as you are able. This is exactly what we see occurring in the
early church, as a direct result of the entrance of the Holy Spirit into the
people of God.

When this happened, something new happened to these people. Before,


they met each others needs individually. Now, they were meeting each
others needs en masse. Groups of people were entering into the needs of
others and participating by every means possible to meet those needs. And
not only that, but other churches in other parts of the world, were entering
into the needs of other churches in other parts of the world, participating by
every means possible to meet those needs. This brings us to our first
method for giving in 2 Corinthians 8-9, to which I've already alluded.

a. Give what you have, not what you don’t have.


"12 For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a
person has, not according to what he does not have. 13 For I do
not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that
as a matter of fairness 14 your abundance at the present time
should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your
need, that there may be fairness. 15 As it is written, 'Whoever
gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little
had no lack.'"

God doesn't want you to give what you don't have. That's illogical.
You can't give $20 if you don't have it. That's why Paul says give
according to what you have, and not according to what you don't
have.

What's more, Paul is clearly saying here that this is not about
other's being eased which in turn leaves you in a burdened state.
(And this is more often than not what drives a lack of giving in the
local church today, I'm afraid. We use verses like this and hold on
tight t them, claiming that if we give to them we ourselves will be
left in need. And so we don't give.)

But to counterbalance the scales of giving, and ensure that a


Christian doesn't try to use that claim to avoid giving altogether,
Paul turns around and says this is really about fairness. He says

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that the abundance of the Corinthians right now should supply the
needs of other Christians.

"Well what happens when WE have a need!?" Paul can imagine


them saying this, and so he continues by writing, "so that their
abundance may supply YOUR need, that there may be fairness."
It's about fairness. Take your abundance and meet the needs of
others. And when you have a need, the abundance of others can
meet your needs.

He ends his point there with a quotation from the OT regarding the
commands about gathering manna. When the Israelites were in the
wilderness and had nothing to eat for forty years, God Himself
created food and made it fall out of the sky every night. The people
were commanded to gather only what they needed for their family,
and not an ounce more. Why? Because God would continue to
provide the next night…and the next night…and the next night…
and the next night…and so on.

There was absolutely no need to gather more than what was


needed because God promised to provide for them. And God told
them that if they gathered too much, would have nothing left over.
If they tried to gather enough for the next day, the manna they
horded in their tent would rot while they were sleeping, and they'd
wake up to maggots in their tent.

But whoever believed that God would provide for them tomorrow,
gathered just enough to meet their needs that day, and they never
had any lack. No need at all.

In summary, God wants you to simply give from what you do have
right now, trusting Him for what you need tomorrow. Basically, God
wants you to stop hoarding money and resources in bank accounts
when other brothers and sisters have needs right now. Gathering
too much will mean it will rot. And it's not entirely out of the
question that since 9/11 the economic status of this country has
slowly but surely rotted our financial manna. I hope God's people
will learn soon that this resource is given to be a provision to the
needs of others right now, and not as an attempt to provide for our
needs in the future. Jesus already promised He'd meet those needs
when we get there!

a. Sell what you can, so you can give.

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Now, undoubtedly some will say that they don't have anything to
give. And so they don't. But God knows our hearts, and so He's
given us very clear, high-definition video clips of the early church in
action so we see what kind of heart is driving that thing. We see it
in Acts 2 and 4, and I've alluded to it in previous messages.

Acts 2:44-45

"44 And all who believed were together and had all things in
common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and
belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking
bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and
generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the
people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who
were being saved."

I love this passage because it make a clear connection of giving to


each others needs - koinonia - to the sense of closeness so many
Christians say they desire from their local church. And then it make
a second clear connection of giving to church growth, something
else so many Christians say they want in their local churches.

Acts 4:32-34
"32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart
and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to
him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with
great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the
resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all.
34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as
were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the
proceeds of what was sold…"

So in both texts there was such oneness among the believers…such


koinonia…that nobody looked at their money, their stuff, their
possessions, their cars, their houses, their clothes, their tools, their
anything as their own stuff. Instead, they looked at their stuff as if
it belonged to everyone else. Why? Because by the Spirit dwelling
among them, they understood that the stuff God had given them
was given to them to meet needs…whether their own or someone
else's.

So when some of them didn't have any money to give - and money
was what was needed because so much food had to be provided to
meet so many needs of so many poor people - Christians found and

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sold whatever they could to have money to give to the need. And I
think if early church Christians rose from the dead and hung out
with our Christians in America for a day, they'd be shocked to see
how much stuff we've accumulated (which is not so huge a
problem), and are so unwilling to share with others (definitely a
problem in churches today), and are so unwilling to liquidate in
order to have cash to give to the needs of others (perhaps the
biggest problemin the church of America today).

This leads to the second method of giving.

a. Give generously.
These Christians in the early churches gave generously. Let me
read again from 2 Corinthians 8 about the Macedonian churches.

"1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has
been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe
test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty
have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they
gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their
means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of
taking part in the relief of the saints…"

In chapter 9, continuing along the theme of trying to motivate the


Corinthians to give as generously as the Macedonians did, Paul
writes.

"6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap
sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."

It's about sowing and reaping. In one sense, generous giving to


others will mean you are generously given to by those people when
you have need. Giving a token amount to others will mean you'll
reap token amounts when you find yourself in need. In another
sense, though, this is certainly about rewards in heaven as well.
This is a good work, giving to others. So will your work burn up with
fire when Jesus tests it on judgment day, or will it pass through the
fire and remain like gold. Sow generously by giving generously to
others, and you'll also find yourself reaping generously on reward
day.

Nobody likes token gifts, anyway! Especially if you're wealthy by


comparison to the person who has need. If you're wealthy enough
to pay a person's entire light bill, for example, and you give them an

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envelope with a $10 bill inside with a note that reads, "We're
praying for you!" that's wrong! That's not fair, by God's standards,
not ours. But if you give an envelope with five $100 bills inside, and
a note that says, "Hey we love you guys so much. Here's enough
money to pay this month's bill AND next month's bill so you'll now
be ahead! " THAT's generous!

This leads me to my next method for giving.

a. Give cheerfully.
Immediately after the verse about sowing generously, Paul writes
this in 2 Corinthians 9.

"7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not
reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."

If God loves a cheerful giver, then He must hate a reluctant giver.


Why? Because it is a shameful rejection of what kind of God HE
HIMSELF is. He gives resources to people so that they will give it
away just like He did…generously, and cheerfully.

Evidently, the Corinthians were not so cheerful in giving. They were


really excited at first about gathering the gift for the poor saints in
Jerusalem. But they had slacked off. They were definitely
increasing in hesitation and reluctance. And there were several
reasons, not the least of which was because false teachers had
entered into the church and undermined Paul's leadership, so that
the Christians there were doubting his ministry.

Nevertheless, this giving was about poor saints…poor brothers and


sisters…not immediately about Paul's leadership. So he wanted
them to give as cheerfully and as readily as they would want others
to give to them.

There's nothing worse than someone writing a check or giving cash


in a way that shows they wish they'd never given it. What a horrible
return in their investment they're gonna have! As Carl said last
week, it's better to just keep your money and go out and spend it on
something that will give you some emotional return on investment,
because giving it to the church isn't doing it for you.

God loves a hilarious giver. That's what "cheerful" means here. It


means you're so excited about giving that you just can't wait to
give. And when you do, your Spirit-driven emotions take control of

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the giving so that you give ridiculously. You look at it, and almost
as if you were a drunk person, you laugh at the amount you're
giving, knowing you're crazy, and that something else has taken
control of you.

a. Entrust what you give to the church leadership.


Turning to a fifth method for giving, we return to the concept of church
leadership. Paul was writing to the Corinthians because He was sending
Titus on ahead to gather their offering. (Notice there's no mention of
tithing in the two most significant chapters on giving in the entire NT.).
Offerings were evidently given to and entrusted to the leadership of the
church in the Scriptures.

"16 But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same
earnest care I have for you. 17 For he not only accepted our appeal, but
being himself very earnest he is going to you of his own accord. 18 With
him we are sending the brother who is famous among all the churches for
his preaching of the gospel. 19 And not only that, but he has been
appointed by the churches to travel with us as we carry out this act of
grace that is being ministered by us, for the glory of the Lord himself and
to show our good will. 20 We take this course so that no one should
blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, 21
for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord's sight but also in the
sight of man. 22 And with them we are sending our brother whom we
have often tested and found earnest in many matters, but who is now
more earnest than ever because of his great confidence in you. 23 As for
Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker for your benefit. And as for our
brothers, they are messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ."

There is such love, such compassion, such integrity in this passage about
church leadership. One has the same care for the church as the apostle
Paul himself! Another is famous among all the churches for preaching the
gospel. This same man was also appointed by the churches to travel with
Paul to collect offerings. He was REALLY well thought of and trusted, by
all the churches.

Further, they all took action purposefully to not be blamed by anyone for
misadministration of funds. They were intentional about being honorable
not just in God's sight, but also in man's sight. Again, this is integrity.

Then there was another man who was sent with the team who was often
tested and found earnest in many matters. Then Paul writes that he's now
more earnest than EVER because he was so confident in the Corinthian
church. This is such a picture of a team of integrity.

This was all began way back in Acts 4. Here's how Luke described the
giving practices of the early church.

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"34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were
owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what
was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to
each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the
apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a
native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the
money and laid it at the apostles' feet."

So from the beginning there's this practice of giving what you want to
give, and entrusting it to the leadership to do the right thing with it. It's
important to note first that these were men of integrity who walked with
Jesus. And second, it's important to notice that they were the ones
entrusted with distributing it to meet the needs.

This is important for us because there's a tendency in all the churches


where I've pastored to give money and resources directly to those in
need. This is certainly necessary. But the practice is to give it to the
leadership and entrust them with the task of doing what needs to be done
with it. Later on in Acts 6 there were deacons who were appointed by the
people to administrate needs specifically among the widows. But the
money was still given to and entrusted to the leadership, who then
distributed some of it to the deacons to distribute to the widows.

The bottom line is that ministry takes money. And the cash flow of a
ministry is deeply impacted when giving is redirected to others instead of
to the local church coffers, or offering plates. On one hand it is a
generous heart wanting to meet the needs of others. This is definitely
true of so many. But on the other hand it is also a desire on the part of
some to redirect their offerings to their own special interests. This is not
trusting the leadership to distribute it. And the wise counsel to those
would simply be this: you really would be doing damage to your soul and
your family if you stay in a church where you can't trust the leadership.
But if they CAN be trusted, where you are right now, then give to your
resources to them, and entrust them to do what's right with it.

a. Give to support the leadership of the church.


One of the things that's "right" to do with financial resources is to
provide for the needs of church leadership. There are several
passages which highlight this need as biblical.

1 Timothy 5:17-18
"17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double
honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. 18
For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads
out the grain," and, "The laborer deserves his wages."

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Those who preach and teach are "laboring" according to Paul. And
this is something I can attest to. It is most definitely labor. It is as
difficult, if not more so, than anything else I've done before in my
work history. And I love Paul's imagery here. He links labor with an
ox, because the two go together. So I guess that makes me and all
other ministers oxes! We are treading out grain. We are grinding
the precepts of God's word between the two hemispheres of our
brains and making bread for you to eat. Some may be better at it
than others, but there's no doubt it's hard work. And Paul says he
deserves his wages. The preacher and teacher of the Word of God
in a local church deserve to be paid for this labor.

The second passage along these lines is found in 1 Corinthians 9, in


Paul's defense of his apostleship, and his correction to the
Corinthians that he ought to be paid for his ministry, and that this is
no strange thing.

1 Corinthians 9:4-14
4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 Do we not have the
right to take along a believing wife, as do the other apostles and the
brothers of the Lord and Cephas? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I
who have no right to refrain from working for a living? 7 Who
serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard
without eating any of its fruit? Or who tends a flock without getting
some of the milk? 8 Do I say these things on human authority?
Does not the Law say the same? 9 For it is written in the Law of
Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain." Is
it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not speak entirely
for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman
should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in
the crop. 11 If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too
much if we reap material things from you? 12 If others share this
rightful claim on you, do not we even more? Nevertheless, we have
not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put
an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know
that those who are employed in the temple service get their food
from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the
sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded
that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the
gospel."

The thing to NOT miss here is that Paul is saying he has a right to
receive financially from those he ministers to. But in order to prove
his integrity, he's choosing to NOT receive anything from them
because he doesn't want ANYONE to grip or complain or gossip or

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slander about his receiving money. BUT his choosing to not do this
for his own sake in no way negates the fact that ministers have a
right to make their living from the gospel, as he so ably put it.

This is one of the most difficult things to preach about, I'm tellin'
you. No preacher wants to stand up here and say all this stuff for
fear of being made out to be a financially gluttonous T.V. preacher.
But as with all things, the abuse of something doesn't negate that
something. Just because people abuse something doesn't mean the
thing they abuse is bad. We have Paul, via the inspiration of the
Holy Spirit, right here, stating that those who sow spiritual things
among the people ought to reap material things from them.
Ministers have a rightful claim on people since they have sown into
their lives. He even relates ministers to the priests of the OT who
were fed by the offerings of others. This leads me to the last
passages on this area of giving.

Galatians 6:6
"One who is taught the word must share all good things with the
one who teaches" (Gal. 6:6)

Paul was teaching the Galatian church…which was another church


infiltrated by false teachers like Corinth…that sharing "good things"
with those who teach them is a biblical, logical, rational thing to do.
By "good things" he refers to financial things. He refers to material
things that meet the needs of the minister.

Conclusion

So here are three plain teachings about the biblical necessity of giving
to support local church leadership. And it is a timely thing to teach in
light of what God has brought my wife and I too this past Wednesday
morning.

God's providence is amazing. This sermon was already in the works and
almost completed. And the God led my wife and I through prayer and
prophecy to make a team decision this past Wednesday that I would
resign my job effective March 31 to commit myself full time to the
ministry of the gospel here at Church in the Boro.

We tried it last year, as you remember. I took a step of faith a resigned


last June, giving an effective date of August 30. But the Lord probably
knew I was like Simon Peter. I stepped out of the boat last year, and out
of faith expected to walk. But the Lord knew I needed a hand and so
gave me a precious boss and an incredible job that allowed me to work

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"as little or as much as I wanted to," those being my boss's words. So I


took the offer as from the Lord, and attempted to work part time with
my consultation job.

But it has gotten to the point where part-time is really a myth. It can't
be part time because my job just won't allow it. There are certain things
I can do part time like teach CE classes and area meetings, both of
which require little if any real preparation to attend and teach at. But
it's the other stuff I do that requires daily attention to the small business
owners I attend to each week. And I can no longer live in two worlds,
giving each 100%.

So I'll communicate with my boss tomorrow morning my plans…the


Lord's plans…and on April 1 I'll step out of the boat again. God will lift
me up and I'll walk on water…financially speaking…giving my family to
serve as a testimony to what God can do…does do…WILL do among His
people He has promised to love and provide for.

So be in prayer for us. Give to us. Give for us. Give for the ministry.
Give to the ministry of the gospel. It is our privilege to do this. This is
undoubtedly the greatest joy we've ever had…the greatest church we've
ever served in…and the greatest group of people we've had the
privilege of getting to know and serve and lead. We wanna commit
ourselves full time to this, by God's grace.

Amen.

14 | P a g e

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