DEVOTED: Jesus is right on the money!

April 14, 2024

"The last part of most Christians to get saved is usually our wallets."

–Jamie Thompson

IN THIS EMAIL

Shout Out: Dave Skora

Try This: You need some financial breathing room

Party Tricks: Does Jesus care about money or not?

Cheat Sheet: How to give wisely

SHOUT OUT

Devoted followers of Christ at DCC

Shout out to Dave Skora!

Since finances can be a huge source of stress, Dave Skora is a Door Creeker who leverages his years of accounting experience to come alongside people who need financial coaching. Whether the issue is budgeting, getting out of debt or navigating job loss, Dave has helped lots of people.

What a cool and unique ministry!

TRY THIS

Fresh ideas for spiritual growth

Need some financial breathing room?

It's hard to give what you don't have. Sometimes growth in generosity boils down to overcoming some financial obstacles. Here are some practical money tips Dave provides to people he coaches.

1. Remember God owns everything.

Your money isn't yours, you simply manage it on God's behalf. Simply remembering this will ease your anxiety, increase your gratitude and stir up a willingness to share.

2. Distinguish between needs and wants.

Do you really need this? Can it wait? Learn to say no to good things so you can say yes to even better things.

3. Start saving today.

Setting money aside, even in small amounts will create the stability and margin you need to grow in generosity. If you are not saving, start now even if it doesn't feel like enough. It adds up quickly!

4. Feeling overwhelmed? Set one financial goal.

What's one thing you can focus on? Pay off a debt? Saving for a big purchase? Post it on your bathroom mirror so you see it frequently.

5. Eating out is a big reason many people feel they don't have enough money.

Do you know how much you normally spend eating out? It may be more than you think. Go back a few months and add up your monthly average. What could you do if you cut that in half and ate at home instead?

PARTY TRICKS 🃏

Stuff your pastor paid big bucks to learn in Bible school

Money talks.

The Bible mentions money a lot (around 2,300 times) and Jesus brings it up a lot too (it comes up in 13 out of 39 of His parables).

Why? I thought Jesus didn't care about money.

No, He does...a lot. But not for the reasons we do. He cares about our money because He cares about our hearts. To paraphrase Jesus, "where your wallet is, there your heart will be also" (Matt. 6:21).

Personal finances may be one of the last things that comes to mind when you think about your spiritual growth, but over and over again, Jesus reminds us that our money habits are the best indicator of our spiritual health.

Remember the poor widow?

People used to sit around to watch how much people gave at the temple. (I know that's weird, but this was before Netflix.) When high rollers dropped huge wads of cash, people would literally play trumpets and cheer. But in Mark 12, Jesus watched a widow give her last two copper coins (worth about $2.50). No one cheered or even cared, but Jesus said, "Did you see that? That's REAL generosity." To be clear, Jesus wasn't saying that poor people should give all their cash to their church. He was simply pointing out that her generosity far exceeded the high rollers. Even though they gave more, their so-called generosity didn't cost them anything.

How would you feel?

In John 12, Mary poured 300 denarii-worth (around $25,000) of perfume on Jesus' head. That's crazy! Imagine if your sister walked into the room and threw a suitcase of cash into the fireplace. Everyone else balked at the waste, but Jesus didn't bat an eye. Again, this is not saying that we should burn our inheritances and give all our money to religious causes. The point is that when we truly understand the infinite value of knowing Jesus, we are transformed into radically generous people.

Hold grudges much?

In Matthew 18, Jesus tells the parable of the unforgiving servant. In the story, the king's servant was forgiven a ridiculously massive debt of 10,000 talents (about $4 billion in today's money) but then freaked out over the 100 denarii ($8,000 today) someone owed him. The idea is simple, real Christians are forgiving people because they understand that God's grace erases the mountain of debt we owe Him.

Jesus used what is temporarily valuable (money) to teach us what is eternally valuable (a life transformed by Jesus). While this isn't just about our money, it certainly includes it.

MESSAGE CHEAT SHEET

Get more out of the message

GIVE

My Finances | Various Texts

_____

In this series, we're reflecting on all that Jesus has given us in order to grow as a generous people. Also, don't forget to sign up for Love This City!

WATCH: YouTube or Website

Download Cheat Sheet pdf.

The Big Idea

This message is about what Christian giving looks like; as followers of Jesus, we reflect His generosity by giving wisely, intentionally and worshipfully.

Good to Know

The broader context of 1-2 Corinthians was that Paul was collecting money from the affluent Greek church in order to get them to show gospel-centered solidarity with the impoverished Jerusalem church.

For Paul, the collection was not just about meeting a practical need, but also about demonstrating true worship. He was asking them to put their money where their mouth is!

Group Guide

Following the series with your group?

Start with some icebreaker questions.
Read the passage together before you dive in.
Share any insights from the message. Use the questions below to get your conversation started.

Conversation Starters

1. What are some practical ideas for growing in Generosity that come out of 1 Corinthians 16:1-4?

2. In 1 Corinthians 16:3, Paul talks about the steps he would take to ensure the gift would be handled with integrity. How does the integrity of church leadership help the church grow in generosity?

3. According to 2 Corinthians 9:10-11, what are some of the outcomes of our generosity? How have you experienced those in your own life?

4. In Matthew 6:4, Jesus calls money a "master." What are some of the ways money masters people today?

5. What does it look like to serve God rather than money?

6. What would need to change for you to grow in financial generosity?

Prayer Prompts

Pray for God to point out the obstacles to growth in generosity. Pray too for God to give us the wisdom and tenacity we need to apply biblical truth to our lives in this area.