1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:01,000 - 2 00:00:05,473 --> 00:00:07,619 Welcome to the Deeper Wider group study, 3 00:00:07,619 --> 00:00:10,772 and thank you so much for interrupting whatever you were discussing 4 00:00:10,772 --> 00:00:15,099 to spend a few weeks talking about money, specifically stewardship. 5 00:00:15,100 --> 00:00:18,632 One reason I wanted our entire network of churches 6 00:00:18,633 --> 00:00:20,769 to get on the same page in their small group 7 00:00:20,769 --> 00:00:22,816 is because of an experience Sandra and I had 8 00:00:22,816 --> 00:00:24,799 early on in our marriage. 9 00:00:24,800 --> 00:00:27,699 You may be familiar with Crown financial study. 10 00:00:27,700 --> 00:00:31,392 Crown is a group curriculum that covers much of what your group 11 00:00:31,392 --> 00:00:34,166 is going to be discussing for the next few weeks. 12 00:00:34,167 --> 00:00:37,499 In year two of our marriage, a couple invited us 13 00:00:37,500 --> 00:00:40,272 to participate in a Crown group in their home. 14 00:00:41,438 --> 00:00:43,666 Sandra and I were both raised in church. 15 00:00:43,667 --> 00:00:46,166 We were both taught to tithe as children, 16 00:00:46,167 --> 00:00:49,732 so giving 10% of our income to the church was a childhood habit 17 00:00:49,733 --> 00:00:53,332 that carried on into adulthood and into our marriage. 18 00:00:53,333 --> 00:00:56,222 But neither of us had ever done a really deep dive 19 00:00:56,222 --> 00:00:58,102 into what the New Testament 20 00:00:58,102 --> 00:01:01,632 and Jesus, in particular, taught about generosity. 21 00:01:01,633 --> 00:01:03,679 Of course I had heard dozens of sermons 22 00:01:03,679 --> 00:01:06,205 related to God and money and giving. 23 00:01:06,205 --> 00:01:08,436 And, again, since I was a giver, 24 00:01:08,436 --> 00:01:12,266 those messages were more affirming than maybe challenging. 25 00:01:12,267 --> 00:01:13,799 But those Monday nights 26 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:15,999 with that group shifted our thinking. 27 00:01:16,000 --> 00:01:17,932 It was so impactful that Sandra and I 28 00:01:17,933 --> 00:01:21,999 went on to lead three groups through that Crown curriculum. 29 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:24,299 Of course there were several takeaways, 30 00:01:24,300 --> 00:01:29,799 but perhaps the biggest takeaway is actually the focus of this first session. 31 00:01:29,800 --> 00:01:32,566 It’s summarized in 1 Chronicles 29. 32 00:01:32,567 --> 00:01:36,699 The author writes, “Everything in heaven and earth is yours. 33 00:01:36,700 --> 00:01:41,232 Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 34 00:01:41,233 --> 00:01:46,599 Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things.” 35 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:50,599 It says, “everything” and “all things”. 36 00:01:50,600 --> 00:01:51,866 That was a game changer. 37 00:01:51,867 --> 00:01:55,059 As I said, I was raised to give a portion of my income 38 00:01:55,059 --> 00:01:58,499 to God’s work in the world through my local church. 39 00:01:58,500 --> 00:02:01,599 But, honestly, I had never really considered the fact 40 00:02:01,600 --> 00:02:03,599 that everything belongs to God, 41 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:07,299 not just a percentage of my income that I chose to give. 42 00:02:07,300 --> 00:02:09,966 Another surprising takeaway from that study was this: 43 00:02:09,967 --> 00:02:12,932 How contagious generosity can be. 44 00:02:12,933 --> 00:02:14,832 There were two couples in our group 45 00:02:14,833 --> 00:02:18,766 whose generosity stories were challenging and inspiring. 46 00:02:18,767 --> 00:02:22,699 We already considered ourselves to be generous Christians, 47 00:02:22,700 --> 00:02:25,105 but in that group, we discovered the difference 48 00:02:25,105 --> 00:02:28,899 between giving and living a generous life. 49 00:02:28,900 --> 00:02:32,166 One of the things I hope you’ll do over the next few sessions 50 00:02:32,167 --> 00:02:35,366 is share your personal generosity story. 51 00:02:35,367 --> 00:02:37,932 If you don’t have one, my hunch is, 52 00:02:37,933 --> 00:02:41,599 when you hear others in your group talk about how they learned to be generous, 53 00:02:41,600 --> 00:02:45,699 it’s going to inspire you to become, well, more generous. 54 00:02:45,700 --> 00:02:48,332 And if you fear that, fear not. 55 00:02:48,333 --> 00:02:50,532 Generous people are happy people. 56 00:02:50,533 --> 00:02:51,802 In fact, some would argue 57 00:02:51,802 --> 00:02:54,699 that generous people are the happiest people. 58 00:02:54,700 --> 00:02:59,432 If you grew up attending church, you may push back on this level of transparency 59 00:02:59,433 --> 00:03:02,166 in light of something that Jesus said. 60 00:03:02,167 --> 00:03:03,866 On one occasion, Jesus said 61 00:03:03,867 --> 00:03:06,399 - in relationship to giving and making donations - 62 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:10,356 he said, “don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing”. 63 00:03:10,356 --> 00:03:13,712 And many Christians, unfortunately, have taken that to mean 64 00:03:13,712 --> 00:03:16,632 that we should never talk about our generosity. 65 00:03:16,633 --> 00:03:17,932 But that was not his point. 66 00:03:17,933 --> 00:03:21,269 His point was that we shouldn’t brag about our generosity, 67 00:03:21,269 --> 00:03:23,932 which, of course, you don’t do. 68 00:03:23,933 --> 00:03:26,699 For the next few weeks, in the safety of your circle, 69 00:03:26,700 --> 00:03:28,699 I want to challenge you or encourage you 70 00:03:28,700 --> 00:03:31,999 to open up about your personal generosity. 71 00:03:32,000 --> 00:03:35,499 How did you learn to be generous? Or maybe why you’re not generous. 72 00:03:35,500 --> 00:03:38,099 Perhaps why the topic of generosity scares you, 73 00:03:38,100 --> 00:03:41,398 or why it used to scare you but it doesn’t anymore. 74 00:03:41,398 --> 00:03:43,644 Talk about how your childhood experiences 75 00:03:43,644 --> 00:03:45,475 impacted your view of money. 76 00:03:45,475 --> 00:03:47,932 In other words, just put it out there. 77 00:03:47,933 --> 00:03:50,599 That’s what small group is all about, right? 78 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:54,167 The other thing is this - throughout this series, we’re going to circle back 79 00:03:54,167 --> 00:03:57,232 to the difference between average American generosity 80 00:03:57,233 --> 00:03:59,932 and generosity as taught in the New Testament. 81 00:03:59,933 --> 00:04:02,899 My hunch is this - you’re already a generous person 82 00:04:02,900 --> 00:04:06,232 the way that the average American defines generosity, 83 00:04:06,233 --> 00:04:08,499 but over the course of the next five weeks, 84 00:04:08,500 --> 00:04:12,166 you’ll be challenged to rethink your definition of generosity. 85 00:04:12,167 --> 00:04:14,066 And not only generosity. 86 00:04:14,067 --> 00:04:17,366 You’ll be challenged to adopt a different perspective on your income, 87 00:04:17,367 --> 00:04:19,632 your legacy, and your opportunity 88 00:04:19,633 --> 00:04:23,632 to participate with your Savior in expanding his kingdom. 89 00:04:23,633 --> 00:04:25,366 So, this is a big deal. 90 00:04:25,367 --> 00:04:29,432 And it’s a bit emotional because, well, of course money is emotional. 91 00:04:29,433 --> 00:04:32,899 Jesus knew that, and he knew that we would all be tempted 92 00:04:32,900 --> 00:04:37,880 to place our trust in riches rather than in the One who richly provides, 93 00:04:37,880 --> 00:04:40,990 which is the perfect place to begin your discussion 94 00:04:40,990 --> 00:04:44,666 with the question I introduced in Week 1 of the message series: 95 00:04:44,667 --> 00:04:46,666 Whose is it anyway? 96 00:04:46,667 --> 00:04:47,799 Here’s the thing - 97 00:04:47,800 --> 00:04:52,999 if you embrace the paradigm-shifting idea that God owns it all 98 00:04:53,000 --> 00:04:57,466 and that you are merely a manager, it will truly change your life. 99 00:04:57,467 --> 00:04:59,932 And not just the way you view and manage your money. 100 00:04:59,933 --> 00:05:04,766 This shift in thinking will impact just about every facet of your life. 101 00:05:04,767 --> 00:05:06,766 Again, thanks for participating. 102 00:05:06,767 --> 00:05:10,273 And now I will turn it over to your more than capable leader.