Our second lesson in the Connected series is this weekend. Our question, “What does generous look like at Cool Spring? With one of our strategic priorities to become a more generous church, how do you define it?
Here’s how I define generosity:
“People who are willing to live connected through partnership and moved by God’s mission to do more than enough.”
The best example I can think of is found in Exodus 35:4-36:7. This is the story of Moses’ call to finance the building of the Tabernacle. God gave the instructions ten chapters earlier and now it was time to gather the supplies and resources to make it happen.
Moses challenges everybody to participate. He gives everybody a list. Those who were stirred and moved bring back their offering. Every day people bring additional freewill offerings from what they had.
Do you know what I love about the story? Those working with the supplied resources approached Moses and told Him people had given too much. There was now more than enough to build and equip the Tabernacle. Do you know what happened next? Moses had to tell the people to stop giving. That’s right! The Scripture actually says he restrained them from giving! Can you imagine that! Now that’s a story about generosity.
What makes this story unique? (1) People were willing to do good – to work for the benefit of others. (2) The Israelites were willing to live connected and partner together to achieve this monumental task. Big things happen when everybody works together. (3) People were moved by God’s mission to build. (4) These were people of more than enough rather than people of just enough. Jesus is a more than enough kind of guy. Just read Mark 6 and see all the leftovers they had after feeding 5000 people. As Jesus followers, we need to be more than enough people.
What does generosity look like at Cool Spring?
“People who are willing to live connected through partnership and moved by God’s mission to do more than enough.”
How is it lived out?
- Everybody participating
- Everybody on purpose
- Everybody making a difference
- Everybody living beyond self
- Everybody a part of something bigger
- Everybody doing for the benefit of another
- Everybody meeting needs
- Everybody giving resources
What’s your next step toward generosity?
Brad,
We’d like to use the Generous graphic for an upcoming teaching series. Can you me any copyright information?
Thanks,
Bill Jolley
Sojourn Church