Subject: Celebrating God’s Faithfulness thru Our People
by Rick Welborne
by Rick Welborne
2 Corinthians 9:5-15 (NLT)
5 So I thought I should send these brothers ahead of me to make sure the gift you promised is ready. But I want it to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly.
6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.
7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
9 As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.
12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.
13 As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.
14 And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.
15 Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!
5 So I thought I should send these brothers ahead of me to make sure the gift you promised is ready. But I want it to be a willing gift, not one given grudgingly.
6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.
7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
9 As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.
12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.
13 As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.
14 And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.
15 Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!
--The Apostle Paul is sending an envoy ahead of him to receive a Faith Promise from Achaia (Greece) for the believers in Jerusalem who were very much in need.
--A Faith Promise is what you prayerfully decide God wants you to do for the Missions of Life Church on a monthly basis or for a one time offering in 2018. This is between you and God. Your FP card is in your bulletin.
--He wants the gift to be a willing gift not one people gave begrudgingly…like you folks did here at Life Church in 2017. You prayed and God spoke to your heart and you gave! Wonderful!
--I don’t want any of you to give reluctantly or because of pressure because God loves a cheerful giver. Listen to God’s promise as we do this:
2 Corinthians 9:8 (NLT)
8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
--Of course, my purpose today and our purpose for the next few weeks (today and two other Sundays) is to encourage you to make a faith promise to our General Missions of Life Church. Let’s do it in three Sundays!
--I say General Missions because if you give only designated offerings to particular missionaries or missions, that does not help us to be able to add more missionaries or increase the ones we have. You can do both.
--Today is a humble celebration of what God has done in 2017 here at Life Church thru all of us who were willing to be faithful in the tithe and also with mission’s offerings. Please get ready to celebrate!
Psalm 34:1-3 (NKJV)
1 I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.
1 I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2 My soul shall make its boast in the LORD; The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
3 Oh, magnify the LORD with me, And let us exalt His name together.
1. Though our wonderful House of Hope and all their incredible volunteers, in 2017 we gave to our community 261,100 pounds or 130.6 tons of food.
--The House of Hope is led by Everett Bass and his awesome team…thanks so much! Please stand!
--Life Church spent only $10,121.17 in purchasing food (Second Harvest) and the rest was given by you, by First Baptist Church of Leesburg, Operation Blessings, and by Harbor Oaks Community ($993 cash).
--They averaged about 338 families a month…4,046 families annually. Brother Bass’s report said that they ministered to or impacted about 1,120 individuals a month! Volunteer hours were 3900 hours. 75 a week!
2. Through Joseph’s Storehouse (our benevolence ministry) we gave over $36,000 to help the poor and needy in our community, to help teachers in two schools, and to help those needing counseling.
--We have cultivated an atmosphere of generosity at Life Church and I commend you for catching the vision of what God is doing and desires to do. All the teachers in two schools received $50 each from our church.
--I figured that we gave close to $700 a week (an average) to help the poor and needy in our community. God bless you, Life Church, for your amazing generosity.
Proverbs 19:17 (NLT)
17 If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD— and he will repay you!
17 If you help the poor, you are lending to the LORD— and he will repay you!
--I don’t believe there is a lack of funds for ministry but I do believe there is a lack of vision…people will put their money where there is vision.
Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish…
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish…
Proverbs 29:18 (NKJV)
18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint…
18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint…
--Leadership is here to bring vision and revelation about what our responsibilities are…the poor and missions!
Quote: We often hear, “Put your money where your mouth is” but I say “Put your money where your vision is.”
--Of that $36000, $4000 went to help people who could not adequately have a Christmas for their families… thank you again for your generosity!
3. Through our Life Church Mission’s Program in 2017 we were able to do amazing things!
--We started the year with 155 missionaries and because of your generosity we ended the year with 170…44 US and 126 World…do you understand how incredible that is? Thank you for being so faithful!
--I always want people to know how we support US Missions because many will try to say, “Why do we send so much money around the world when the US needs help?” We get it. We support 44 here and could do more!
--Because we had 39 new Faith Promises to Missions last year, for the first time we had over 200…actually 201. It is so important for everyone to give to the General Missions so that we can increase our numbers.
--Even though our Faith Promises totaled $236,314…our total giving was much higher than that…$380, 972.88.
Just think what we could do if we had 100% participation? Make a FP of $1 a week…can’t pay it…I will!
--Out of 12,850 churches in the A/G…we have been in the top 100 for several years…how crazy is it that a relatively small A/G Church in Fruitland Park, Fl. can accomplish that…your generosity! God’s faithfulness!
--I expect my pastoral leadership, my Board of Deacons, department heads, and all who lead to be an example of faithful and generosity to Missions…General Missions! It is our life blood and why we are so blessed!
1 Timothy 4:12 (NLT)
12 Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
12 Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.
--Pastor, why do we only support A/G Missionaries? We support mostly A/G missionaries because we know their doctrine and their process but we also support non-A/G missions…$32,855. What do you say now?
--There is no reason we cannot give half a million dollars ($500,000) to missions from Life Church if everyone participates and listens to God speaking to your hearts. We have you now…what about the new campus?
--In man’s economy you would think that giving so much to Missions would hurt our dream of having a campus in the Villages…but that is not how God’s economy works!
--When we built this beautiful building we are in this morning (2.2 million dollars) God spoke to me and told me to tell the people…If you can only give to the building or to Missions…give to Missions! No pressure!
--As the money came in for the building…the Missions giving kept increasing year after year…it was such a God thing. Two Sundays in a row visitors put in the offering $100,000 each toward the building! PTL!
--We, by God’s grace, were able to pay this wonderful sanctuary off in just three years with people who were first, faithful in the tithe and Missions, and then, who gave sacrificially to the building. God’s economy!
--I have had people ask me thru the years does Life Church tithe (give 10%) of the money that comes in back into ministry and missions? I say “no” because we give about one-third of our funds into these areas.
--That being said, we had been taking 2% of our GF and putting it into all the other Mission’s giving of our church. This summer we increased it to 3% just wondering what God would do.
--We did it in June and in July we had the most giving ever in that month. God’s economy!
4. Life Church is celebrating God’s favor in an incredible way.
--Our Men’s Ministry under Bill Bibler is growing and thriving! Our WMs Ministry is flourishing under Donna Brooker…30 at the Lady’s Night Out.
--The Life Church Music Department under Pastor Aaron and his team is growing so much that we have just ordered more chairs. Bible Quiz has exploded with growth and success under Pastor Mark and Christie Anne.
--LaVida (our Spanish ministry) was wondering about its survival a year ago and now has grown to almost 40 adults not counting children. Pastor Juan and Pastor Rick Orsini are leading this ministry.
--BYF under Pastor Marty and Faye just had one of its largest attendances ever with Ken Pippin. Connect Groups are growing under Pastor Joseph.
--We could go on and on but time will not permit. Thanks to all the other ministries that are also growing and making disciples on a regular basis.
--Yes, we are here to celebrate God’s faithfulness but we are here at the beginning of this Missions Month to boast in the Lord, to celebrate you and your faithfulness, and to challenge you again to commit to FPs.
--When we take on a missionary we do it basically for life or at least until they come off the field. We challenge you to be here these first three Sundays of February to here our heart and our speaker’s hearts for Missions.
--These speakers are great speakers and will challenge you! By the way, when we have guest missionaries, please do not decide to stay home…they need your encouragement and support. It’s not all about you!
--Be willing to give up something to do a FP for the first time or to increase your FP. God will bless you for it. Our family and our church has experienced those blessings for years.
2 Corinthians 9:12-15 (NKJV)
12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God,
13 while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men,
14 and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you.
15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God,
13 while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men,
14 and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you.
15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
Our faithfulness to giving and our faithfulness to Missions:
1. Meets the needs of the missionaries.
2. It causes thanksgiving to God.
3. It shows your confession of Christ is sincere.
4. It causes the recipients (the missionaries) to pray for you.
5. It magnifies God’s indescribable gift…Jesus!
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