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inspirational theme music)
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>>Welcome to "Sabbath School,"
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brought to you by It Is Written.
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We're delighted that you
could join us again this week
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as we continue our journey
through "Managing for the Master
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Till He Comes,"
an exciting quarter.
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We are now, well,
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a third of the way
through with this lesson.
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This is lesson number four.
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We're talking about
"Offerings for Jesus."
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Last week we
took a look at tithe
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and the importance and
the significance of that.
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This week we look at offerings:
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How are they similar,
how are they distinct,
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and what's the purpose of them?
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Our guest this week
once again is Ed Reid,
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he is the author of this
quarter's Sabbath school lesson.
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He's also an ordained minister
and a licensed attorney,
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and we're delighted to
have him here with us again.
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Before we dive in
and start looking at this
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very fascinating
subject, let's pray.
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Father, we thank You for
bringing us together again today
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to continue our study of Your
Word and to better understand
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finances and how they play
a role in our spiritual lives.
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We ask that You'll
bless our time together,
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and we thank You in advance
for it, in Jesus' name, amen.
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Ed, welcome, good to
have you with us again.
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>>Well, thank you,
Eric, it's good to be here.
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>>So, let's talk for a
moment about, actually,
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for about a half an hour,
about offerings for Jesus.
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I wanna read the memory
text to get us started today.
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It comes from
Psalm 116, verses 12-14.
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It says, "What
shall I render to the Lord
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"for all His benefits toward me?
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"I will take up
the cup of salvation,
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"and call upon
the name of the Lord.
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"I will pay my
vows to the Lord now
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in the presence
of all His people."
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So what role do offerings play
in the life of God's people?
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What's the purpose of offerings?
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>>Well, the purpose of offerings
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is basically to
show our thanks to God
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for His blessings to us.
And interestingly enough,
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it's also very
much a definite part
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of our worship experience.
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We'll look at some of
the passages in the Bible
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that talk about God says,
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"Don't appear
before me empty-handed."
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In other words, bring a gift.
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There's an
experience when young Saul
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was going to find his
father's donkeys, you remember.
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And they were way down at Dothan
and they couldn't find 'em,
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they heard that
Samuel was there,
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and they said,
"Well, let's go ask Samuel."
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And then--you know
what they ask next.
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And that is, "What
shall we do? We can't go;
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we have to get an
offering together."
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They wouldn't go
even to see the minister
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without an offering.
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And the interesting part is
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the Lord tells us
not to appear before Him
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empty-handed as well. So
what we're wanting to do is to
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follow the counsel of Scripture.
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And there are many different
offerings in the Old Testament.
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There were, for example,
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the sin offerings that
people give in response
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to their God's
grace and forgiveness,
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taking the guilt
away from their lives.
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There were thank
offerings given in response to
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God's blessings to them
of health and prosperity
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and sustaining power.
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There were also
offerings for the poor,
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and we'll talk about
that later in the quarter.
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But then also to
maintain the house of worship--
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these are all coming
from our 90% that's left
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after we've given our tithe.
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These are
discretionary offerings,
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so it's up to the individual
to decide how much it is.
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>>So there's some
choice in the matter.
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Some people may give
more; some people may give less.
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Like you said, it's not
the same thing as the tithe;
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that's defined as a tenth.
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But I wanna read
a statement here now
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from a book called
"Counsels on Stewardship,"
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page number 18, and
then give you an opportunity
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to make some comments on this.
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Here's what it says: "The Lord
does not need our offerings.
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"We cannot
enrich Him by our gifts.
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"Says the psalmist:
'All things come of Thee,
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"and of Thine own
have we given Thee.'
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"Yet God permits us to show
our appreciation of His mercies
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"by self-sacrificing efforts
to extend the same to others.
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"This is the only way
in which it is possible
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"for us to manifest our
gratitude and love to God.
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He has provided no other."
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So how is it that our offerings
can show our thanks to God?
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>>Well, one thing here is that
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there's not a
percentage given in the Bible.
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It's up to us to demonstrate
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what we're really
thinking in our hearts
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and whether or not
we've been transformed
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from selfishness to loving.
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So the idea is if we
wanna show God we're thankful,
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then we should be
part of this team.
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You remember, for example, that
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the story of the prodigal
son in the book of Luke,
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went in and came
back, the father forgave him
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and gave him the
ring--the son--the checks again.
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And it's really interesting
that we're part of God's family;
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that's what the whole
lesson is about, that,
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how do we respond to the Master?
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And so we respond by
managing His affairs,
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Christianly, biblically,
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and showing, demonstrating
this with our offerings.
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>>So you might say, to a
greater or lesser extent,
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our offerings or lack
thereof are an indicator
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of our spiritual
position or condition.
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>>That's true, and the matter
of fact, it's interesting that
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the Bible talks
a lot about money,
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and especially in
the New Testament, Jesus,
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about one out
of every six verses
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in the New Testament
talk about money management
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and our attitude toward
money. And the bottom line is
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the Lord wants us to
prosper and be in health,
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but He doesn't want
us to become selfish.
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In fact, we're
told in some places
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that the Lord
would've blessed people more,
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but they, it would've
hurt them. So, in other words,
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they would've caused 'em to
be selfish and to hoard things.
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And I actually
believe that God has given us
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the opportunity to
demonstrate how we feel
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about His gifts to us,
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and that's the way we
do so, with our offerings.
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>>I've heard it said--and
this was a few years ago--
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that if you wanna know
where someone's priorities are,
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take a look at their checkbook.
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Now, we don't so much
have checkbooks today.
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Well, of course
they still exist,
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but they're not
used quite as much.
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But if you look at
someone's bank account
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and where money goes,
that's a pretty good indicator
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of where their priorities are.
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>>That's checking their credit
card statement, for example.
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Yes.
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>>Yep, so that credit
card statement will give you
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a pretty good idea of
where you are spiritually
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with some things.
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Now, the next question
comes, and we know for tithe,
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that tithe is 10%;
that's defined as 10%.
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But the offerings, as
you mentioned a moment ago,
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there's a discretionary element
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woven into these offerings.
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Are there any
guidelines that we might have
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to give us at least
some idea of how much,
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or where it should go?
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What kind of
guidelines do we have for that?
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>>Well, as you
mentioned, the tithe is basic,
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and God has told us that
is a tenth of our increase
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and so on. But for the
offerings, that's discretionary,
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and it's based
on several things.
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One is--we just read in
the memory verse, Psalm 116,
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"What shall I render to the Lord
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for all of His
benefits toward me?"
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In other words,
how thankful are you
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that you don't have
the guilt of sin anymore
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and you have the
hope of eternal life?
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Another one is from
Deuteronomy 16, verse 17:
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"Every man shall
give as he is able,
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according to the
blessing of the Lord your God
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which He has given you."
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So it's based on the ability.
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It's hard for some people to
believe, but I actually think,
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and I practice
this in many ways,
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that our offerings
should be bigger than our tithe.
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Especially when
you get to be my age,
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and you're debt free and so on,
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and your income is sufficient,
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that you can make larger
contributions than your tithe.
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In other words, tithe is
only the beginning point, Eric,
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and our
offerings come after that,
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and that's how we
demonstrate our love
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and our concern for others.
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>>So, tithe is a starting point;
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tithe is a minimum, if you will.
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And God says if we don't
return that tithe to Him,
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we're actually robbing Him,
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which, of course none of us
wanna be guilty of robbing God.
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So we start with that,
and we do that in faith.
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And from there we
build the offerings
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or we give the offerings.
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Sometimes I've heard
people say that they give
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another tithe in offerings,
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or another tenth of
their income in offerings.
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Some people can do that;
some people are able to do less.
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And as you mentioned,
some are able to do more,
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depending on
where they happen to be.
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When we talk about offerings,
a lot of times we think about,
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well, that's part of church.
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You know, they
send the plate around,
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or we put the
envelope in the box,
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or some churches have a
little kiosk in the entryway,
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where you swipe a
debit card or a credit card,
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or something like
that, or tap these days.
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Is offerings, the
giving of offerings,
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is that really
a part of worship?
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>>Well, that's a good question,
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and I wanna do
two more short verses
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before I get to that one.
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In Luke, when Jesus
sent--Luke, the 12th chapter--
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Jesus sent out the disciples
to be missionaries for Him.
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He said, "Freely you
have received, freely give."
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In other words, be as
generous as God is for you.
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And then also it's interesting
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that we're told,
"To whom much is given,
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...much [shall] be required."
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So, if you don't have much,
you're not gonna give much.
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But what if God has
blessed you sufficiently
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to give large offerings, then
that's certainly appropriate.
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So if you ask about worship--and
I'll just tell you this;
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it's kind of interesting.
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The Bible does not give what
we call an order of service,
00:09:13.75\00:09:16.05
like, you have the
scripture reading, and prayer,
00:09:16.05\00:09:17.42
and special music and the sermon
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and closing
prayer and all of that.
00:09:18.69\00:09:20.22
We've come up with
that just to be orderly.
00:09:20.22\00:09:22.66
But when you read the Bible
00:09:22.66\00:09:23.93
and you look at
worship services,
00:09:23.93\00:09:25.89
several things are always
present in a worship service.
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And we're talking
about at least four things.
00:09:29.60\00:09:33.10
And that is study or preaching,
00:09:33.10\00:09:35.77
like we do with our Sabbath
school lessons, for example.
00:09:35.77\00:09:39.94
Prayer is always part of it.
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There's someone--there's
a place in worship
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for private prayer,
individuals praying,
00:09:44.31\00:09:47.02
study groups, for example,
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corporate prayer
where somebody will
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have the congregational prayer,
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and the others will
pray in their hearts.
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And then, of course, music
has always been a part of it.
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In fact, the Levites were
responsible for the music,
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you know, there
was a Levitical choir,
00:10:00.10\00:10:01.73
and it's interesting that music,
00:10:01.73\00:10:03.26
good music, is always
part of worship--to me.
00:10:03.26\00:10:06.97
And then the fourth one--
00:10:06.97\00:10:09.24
and I only mention it
as fourth position because
00:10:09.24\00:10:11.34
that's what
we're moving toward--
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is our tithes and offerings.
00:10:14.41\00:10:16.11
And that's why Moses
reminded the children of Israel
00:10:16.11\00:10:18.31
not to come before
the Lord empty-handed.
00:10:18.31\00:10:19.91
In other words, you
bring your offerings
00:10:19.91\00:10:21.28
as part of your
worship experience.
00:10:21.28\00:10:23.79
So, it's not like,
"Let's take the offering;
00:10:23.79\00:10:26.92
then we'll get down to church."
Offering is part of church.
00:10:26.92\00:10:30.29
>>Okay, so offering
is a part of church,
00:10:30.29\00:10:32.03
which brings me
to another question:
00:10:32.03\00:10:33.83
How frequently should
a person give offering?
00:10:33.83\00:10:37.80
Again, we're kind of getting
down to practical things here.
00:10:37.80\00:10:41.54
If a person is paid
twice a month or biweekly,
00:10:41.54\00:10:46.17
how frequently should
they give an offering or tithe?
00:10:47.68\00:10:51.15
Should it coincide
with their paychecks?
00:10:51.15\00:10:54.28
Or should it be once a month?
00:10:54.28\00:10:56.55
Or--what's any guidance on that?
00:10:56.55\00:11:00.06
>>Well, it's interesting
you asked that question because
00:11:00.06\00:11:02.02
the Apostle Paul was collecting
money to go to Jerusalem
00:11:02.02\00:11:04.36
to help the poor, you know.
00:11:04.36\00:11:05.46
And he says, "On the
first day of the week,
00:11:05.46\00:11:07.13
"set aside what
you can do for this
00:11:07.13\00:11:08.50
so that when I come, we don't
have to collect the offering."
00:11:08.50\00:11:11.00
So that might be
some kind of a model.
00:11:11.00\00:11:12.90
I would suggest that when
people look at their income,
00:11:12.90\00:11:15.44
that they try to do
something on a regular basis.
00:11:15.44\00:11:18.47
Now, we get our
income monthly in retirement.
00:11:18.47\00:11:21.91
And this is interesting--so
we actually have,
00:11:21.91\00:11:24.08
our largest offering is at
the last Sabbath of the month.
00:11:24.08\00:11:27.22
Every month it's that way;
the treasurer can count on it;
00:11:27.22\00:11:29.65
God can count on it.
00:11:29.65\00:11:31.15
But I think, I like to believe
that I'm giving an example
00:11:31.15\00:11:34.12
to others, young
people and others.
00:11:34.12\00:11:35.66
So we try to have some kind
of an offering every Sabbath,
00:11:35.66\00:11:39.16
it's not nearly the
size of the one we give
00:11:39.16\00:11:40.73
on the last of the
month, but special projects--
00:11:40.73\00:11:43.26
our church has a little thing
00:11:43.26\00:11:46.67
where they have
the children go around
00:11:46.67\00:11:48.24
after the deacons collect a
regular offering and collect
00:11:48.24\00:11:50.11
the lamb's
offering, if you please,
00:11:50.11\00:11:52.01
and the little kids enjoy this,
00:11:52.01\00:11:53.48
and the people enjoy it,
watching them do it and so on.
00:11:53.48\00:11:56.11
And their eyes light up
when you hold out a dollar
00:11:56.11\00:11:58.31
to put in their gift.
00:11:58.31\00:11:59.58
So I always wanna
make sure that I collect,
00:11:59.58\00:12:01.48
have some dollars to give out.
00:12:01.48\00:12:02.85
Some people give more than that,
00:12:02.85\00:12:04.15
but it's important
that we set an example,
00:12:04.15\00:12:06.82
that we don't just say, "I
don't have anything today."
00:12:06.82\00:12:09.46
>>So make sure that you've
got something in your pocket,
00:12:09.46\00:12:11.99
something in your
purse, something in your wallet
00:12:11.99\00:12:14.56
every time to set
that good example.
00:12:14.56\00:12:17.57
But depending on when you
actually receive paychecks,
00:12:17.57\00:12:20.14
whether they're
regular paychecks
00:12:20.14\00:12:21.40
or if you sell
homes for a living,
00:12:21.40\00:12:24.41
it comes when you get
a sale, or you sell cars,
00:12:24.41\00:12:26.84
but return that tithe
and give that offering
00:12:26.84\00:12:31.51
on a very regular basis
00:12:31.51\00:12:33.25
in conjunction with
when you get the income.
00:12:33.25\00:12:37.02
'Cause I imagine sometimes
00:12:37.02\00:12:38.52
if you just take care of
yourself first and you plan to
00:12:38.52\00:12:41.89
do, give the offerings and so
forth at the end of the month,
00:12:41.89\00:12:44.06
you may find at the end
of the month you don't have
00:12:44.06\00:12:46.59
what you had expected to
have. Very good advice, Ed.
00:12:46.59\00:12:50.23
If you're enjoying this quarter
00:12:50.23\00:12:51.67
and you wanna
get more out of it,
00:12:51.67\00:12:53.20
I wanna encourage you to
pick up the companion book
00:12:53.20\00:12:54.97
to this quarter's
Sabbath school lesson.
00:12:54.97\00:12:56.94
It is "Managing for the Master."
00:12:56.94\00:12:59.04
You can find this
book at itiswritten.shop.
00:12:59.04\00:13:02.34
Again, that's itiswritten.shop.
00:13:02.34\00:13:04.88
It's the companion book
00:13:04.88\00:13:05.95
to this quarter's
Sabbath School lesson
00:13:05.95\00:13:06.98
and gives you
additional insight,
00:13:06.98\00:13:09.02
some incredible stories,
00:13:09.02\00:13:10.72
some wonderful
guidance on how to get
00:13:10.72\00:13:13.76
more out of this subject so
that you can be blessed by it
00:13:13.76\00:13:16.99
and others can be
blessed by it as well.
00:13:16.99\00:13:20.10
In just a moment,
we're going to come back
00:13:20.10\00:13:21.80
with part two of
our look at offerings.
00:13:21.80\00:13:24.97
We'll be right back.
00:13:24.97\00:13:26.27
(upbeat, inspirational
theme music swells and ends)
00:13:26.27\00:13:30.44
>>[John Bradshaw]
Thank you for remembering
00:13:30.44\00:13:31.91
that It Is Written exists
because of the kindness of
00:13:31.91\00:13:34.64
people just like you.
00:13:34.64\00:13:35.94
To support this international
life-changing ministry,
00:13:35.94\00:13:38.95
please call us
now at 800-253-3000.
00:13:38.95\00:13:43.49
You can send your
tax-deductible gift
00:13:43.49\00:13:44.65
to the address on your screen,
00:13:44.65\00:13:46.45
or you can visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:13:46.45\00:13:50.33
Thank you for your prayers
and for your financial support.
00:13:50.33\00:13:53.16
Our number
again is 800-253-3000.
00:13:53.16\00:13:57.87
Or you could visit us
online at itiswritten.com.
00:13:57.87\00:14:00.50
(upbeat music)
00:14:01.74\00:14:03.94
>>[Announcer] Planning
for your financial future
00:14:03.94\00:14:05.61
is a vital aspect of
Christian stewardship.
00:14:05.61\00:14:08.24
For this reason, It
Is Written is pleased
00:14:09.44\00:14:11.71
to offer free planned
giving and estate services.
00:14:11.71\00:14:15.05
For information on
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00:14:15.05\00:14:17.45
please call 800-992-2219.
00:14:17.45\00:14:22.16
Call today or visit
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00:14:22.16\00:14:26.63
Call 800-992-2219.
00:14:26.63\00:14:30.37
(upbeat,
inspirational theme music)
00:14:32.37\00:14:35.77
>>[Eric] Welcome
back to "Sabbath School,"
00:14:36.87\00:14:38.27
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:14:38.27\00:14:40.31
We're taking a look
today at "Offerings for Jesus."
00:14:40.31\00:14:43.75
What role do offerings
play in our worship experience?
00:14:43.75\00:14:48.52
And on Wednesday's
lesson, Wednesday is entitled,
00:14:48.52\00:14:50.95
"God Takes Note
of our Offerings."
00:14:50.95\00:14:53.32
Now, somebody
might be wondering,
00:14:53.32\00:14:55.16
you know, is God sitting up
there with a legal pad, saying,
00:14:55.16\00:14:59.03
"Eric gave this much,
but he had this much, and"--
00:14:59.03\00:15:02.03
as if God is an accountant.
00:15:02.03\00:15:04.63
Is that what it means--God
takes note of our offerings--
00:15:06.13\00:15:09.27
does He really take
note of our offerings,
00:15:09.27\00:15:11.04
and what does that look like?
00:15:11.04\00:15:12.57
>>The answer is yes.
00:15:12.57\00:15:14.31
And we know that from
two stories in the Bible.
00:15:14.31\00:15:16.71
One of them is Jesus
intentionally took His disciples
00:15:16.71\00:15:19.35
to the courtyard of the temple
00:15:19.35\00:15:20.72
where the treasure chests
were, had them all sit down
00:15:20.72\00:15:22.75
and watch the people
giving their offerings.
00:15:22.75\00:15:25.12
We learn that
from the book of Mark,
00:15:25.12\00:15:26.99
chapter 12, verses 41-44.
00:15:26.99\00:15:30.03
And they saw
these rich people coming
00:15:30.03\00:15:32.43
and dumping in large
coins, a big commotion,
00:15:32.43\00:15:35.06
into the offering
plate or offering container,
00:15:35.06\00:15:38.60
like--offering chest actually
what they had out there.
00:15:38.60\00:15:41.34
And then this
poor widow lady came,
00:15:41.34\00:15:43.04
and she just
dropped in two copper coins.
00:15:43.04\00:15:45.64
Now, Jesus was close
enough to her to observe that
00:15:45.64\00:15:47.78
there was two copper coins.
00:15:47.78\00:15:49.14
You know, this is--we hardly
ever carry change anymore,
00:15:49.14\00:15:52.61
and I never have any pennies
in my pocket, but she did.
00:15:52.61\00:15:55.38
Now, this is interesting
because Jesus took note of that,
00:15:55.38\00:15:58.49
and He said that her
offering would be commended
00:15:58.49\00:16:00.32
because she gave
more than the others,
00:16:00.32\00:16:01.99
because she gave
from her poverty,
00:16:01.99\00:16:03.59
and they gave from their riches.
So she made a contribution;
00:16:03.59\00:16:06.59
she had given
everything she had to do that.
00:16:06.59\00:16:09.00
And it's also interesting
that this is the only offering
00:16:09.00\00:16:11.77
that Jesus ever commended,
not because of its amount,
00:16:11.77\00:16:14.34
but because of the
spirit that she gave it in.
00:16:14.34\00:16:16.57
And it's also interesting
00:16:16.57\00:16:18.34
I have people talk
to me once in a while:
00:16:18.34\00:16:20.31
"Well, I don't know that
I wanna support the church
00:16:20.31\00:16:21.94
'cause the
conference was doing this,"
00:16:21.94\00:16:23.21
or, "They spent
money on the youth camp,
00:16:23.21\00:16:24.55
and I didn't think that was
appropriate," or whatever it is.
00:16:24.55\00:16:27.38
But the only
offering Jesus ever commended
00:16:27.38\00:16:29.42
was when the widow
lady gave her last two cents
00:16:29.42\00:16:31.32
to the church
that was so corrupt
00:16:31.32\00:16:32.72
that they were
just about to kill Him.
00:16:32.72\00:16:34.76
So if you believe this
is God's remnant church,
00:16:34.76\00:16:37.03
this is a place to support,
00:16:37.03\00:16:39.13
and let the others give account
to God for their actions.
00:16:39.13\00:16:42.10
>>So it sounds like
what you're saying is
00:16:42.10\00:16:43.40
we're either
blessed or not blessed
00:16:43.40\00:16:45.27
based on the fact that we give,
00:16:45.27\00:16:47.10
not on what ends up
happening with that money.
00:16:47.10\00:16:49.74
>>Exactly right, yes.
00:16:49.74\00:16:51.24
>>All right, very good. I wanna
read a quote here from book
00:16:51.24\00:16:54.28
"Counsels on Stewardship."
This one comes from page 175.
00:16:54.28\00:16:58.55
It says, "But Jesus
understood her motive.
00:16:58.55\00:17:01.62
"She believed the
service of the temple
00:17:01.62\00:17:03.55
"to be of God's appointment,
00:17:03.55\00:17:04.95
"and she was anxious to
do her utmost to sustain it.
00:17:04.95\00:17:08.29
"She did what she could,
and her act was to be a monument
00:17:08.29\00:17:12.23
"to her memory through all time,
00:17:12.23\00:17:14.40
"and her joy in eternity.
00:17:14.40\00:17:16.90
"Her heart went with her gift;
00:17:16.90\00:17:18.80
"its value was estimated,
not by the worth of the coin,
00:17:18.80\00:17:22.54
"but by the love to God
and the interest in His work
00:17:22.54\00:17:27.04
that had prompted the deed."
00:17:27.04\00:17:29.44
So that's an insight into
where she was giving from,
00:17:29.44\00:17:32.61
it sounds like.
00:17:32.61\00:17:33.72
>>Yes indeed, that's
an amazing statement.
00:17:33.72\00:17:36.12
>>Now, there's
another story that
00:17:36.12\00:17:39.05
I want you to comment on here.
00:17:39.05\00:17:41.52
This Cornelius,
00:17:43.22\00:17:45.53
talk to us about Cornelius
and what happened there.
00:17:45.53\00:17:48.60
>>In the early church,
00:17:48.60\00:17:49.90
there were several
things that were happening.
00:17:49.90\00:17:51.00
One is that God
was wanting the gospel
00:17:51.00\00:17:53.20
to go to the whole world,
and people need to recognize
00:17:53.20\00:17:57.31
that it wasn't
just the Jewish people
00:17:57.31\00:17:58.54
that needed to hear the message.
00:17:58.54\00:18:00.31
So, but they weren't speaking
to the Gentiles too much,
00:18:00.31\00:18:02.78
but the Gentiles were
spontaneously helping the cause.
00:18:02.78\00:18:06.98
And one of those
people was named Cornelius,
00:18:06.98\00:18:09.22
he was the centurion of
the band of the Italian group,
00:18:09.22\00:18:11.79
and Acts, the 10th chapter,
00:18:11.79\00:18:14.36
the book of Acts, the
10th chapter, it talks about it
00:18:14.36\00:18:16.26
in the first four verses:
00:18:16.26\00:18:17.63
"[He was]...a devout
man, and one that feared God
00:18:17.63\00:18:20.03
"with all his house, which
gave much alms to the people,
00:18:20.03\00:18:23.50
and prayed to God always."
00:18:23.50\00:18:25.33
Now, that's the
kind of guy he was.
00:18:25.33\00:18:26.84
He was giving offerings to help
people, and he prayed a lot.
00:18:26.84\00:18:30.74
Now, we know that if
we pray, God hears, right?
00:18:30.74\00:18:34.11
What if we
give? Does God notice?
00:18:34.11\00:18:35.84
Apparently He does
because God sent an angel
00:18:35.84\00:18:38.38
down to his house,
incredible as it may seem,
00:18:38.38\00:18:41.62
in the vision he had
about the ninth hour. You know,
00:18:41.62\00:18:45.59
I like this situation because
in the Jewish calendar system
00:18:45.59\00:18:49.92
or the keeping of time they had,
00:18:49.92\00:18:52.23
they divided the
daylight hours into 12 segments.
00:18:52.23\00:18:54.93
So six o'clock
is halfway through;
00:18:54.93\00:18:57.00
that's always noon when the
earth's--sun's up at its zenith.
00:18:57.00\00:19:02.00
So the ninth hour
would be the mid-afternoon.
00:19:02.00\00:19:05.11
So he's praying
then, mid-afternoon,
00:19:05.11\00:19:07.44
not just his morning devotions,
00:19:07.44\00:19:08.78
but he took, chose the
middle afternoon to pray,
00:19:08.78\00:19:11.28
and an angel came to
him. This, to me, is amazing,
00:19:11.28\00:19:15.58
because he said, "Cornelius."
00:19:15.58\00:19:17.15
"And when he looked up,
...he was afraid, and said,
00:19:17.15\00:19:18.85
"'What is it, Lord?'
00:19:18.85\00:19:20.16
"And he said unto him,
'[Your] prayers and [your] alms
00:19:20.16\00:19:22.86
[have] come up [as]
a memorial before God."
00:19:22.86\00:19:25.09
Heaven is taking notice of
your prayers and your giving.
00:19:25.09\00:19:28.90
And as a result of that,
he told him in that interview,
00:19:28.90\00:19:32.20
send men to Joppa to
get one called Simon Peter,
00:19:32.20\00:19:34.70
and he'll come back
and give you the gospel.
00:19:34.70\00:19:36.67
But this all started with
his faithfulness in giving alms,
00:19:36.67\00:19:39.71
a big story, really, really.
00:19:39.71\00:19:41.64
>>You know, in
Matthew 6, verse 21,
00:19:41.64\00:19:45.35
speaking of Cornelius, it says,
00:19:45.35\00:19:46.68
"For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also."
00:19:46.68\00:19:51.19
His heart was where
his money was going,
00:19:51.19\00:19:54.72
and God took
notice of that, you said.
00:19:54.72\00:19:56.93
>>That's amazing, isn't it?
00:19:56.93\00:19:58.99
You can almost say
it the other way too:
00:19:58.99\00:20:01.53
Where your heart is,
your treasure will be.
00:20:01.53\00:20:03.47
"Where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also."
00:20:03.47\00:20:06.10
So if you want a
cause for the ministry,
00:20:06.10\00:20:08.44
contribute to the cause, and
your heart will be there also.
00:20:08.44\00:20:11.47
>>Let's take a
look at Thursday now.
00:20:11.47\00:20:13.51
Thursday is--some
people may not quite be
00:20:13.51\00:20:18.18
at Thursday, but some
people could be and should be,
00:20:18.18\00:20:21.58
and certainly some
people are. Thursday is called
00:20:21.58\00:20:23.92
"Special Projects:
[Or] 'Big Jar' Giving."
00:20:23.92\00:20:27.69
You mentioned a few moments
ago about special projects
00:20:27.69\00:20:31.39
or special gifts
that you can give.
00:20:31.39\00:20:33.63
Is there a place for large
or special gifts and offering,
00:20:33.63\00:20:37.30
not just your average everyday
giving that you regularly do
00:20:37.30\00:20:41.37
or that you do
on a regular basis,
00:20:41.37\00:20:43.10
but some big project that
maybe you're passionate about?
00:20:43.10\00:20:45.97
How does that fit into
the grand scheme of things?
00:20:45.97\00:20:48.68
>>This is a good question. I
have a practical illustration
00:20:48.68\00:20:51.15
to give you an answer for that.
Assume for a moment that we
00:20:51.15\00:20:55.28
just check on how
people give offerings.
00:20:55.28\00:20:57.02
Most people give their offerings
00:20:57.02\00:20:58.62
with what is called
discretionary income--liquid
00:20:58.62\00:21:00.89
assets, like cash or whatever
they have in their wallet
00:21:00.89\00:21:03.09
or in their checking account
00:21:03.09\00:21:04.16
or their savings
book or whatever it is,
00:21:04.16\00:21:06.73
money market accounts.
00:21:06.73\00:21:07.86
And studies show
that's about 9% of our assets.
00:21:07.86\00:21:11.83
And the rest of it is 91%,
00:21:11.83\00:21:15.20
is in non-liquid assets,
invested, for example, in your
00:21:15.20\00:21:19.71
home and in your assets
like livestock or property,
00:21:19.71\00:21:23.51
in other ways.
00:21:23.51\00:21:24.81
So if we take each percentage
and give it 10 pennies,
00:21:24.81\00:21:29.35
that would use up
a thousand pennies.
00:21:29.35\00:21:31.15
So, 99% for the
liquid asset gifts,
00:21:31.15\00:21:36.16
that's what most people
give their offerings from,
00:21:36.16\00:21:38.33
their liquid assets.
00:21:38.33\00:21:39.86
That would be 90 pennies,
and put that in a little jar.
00:21:39.86\00:21:42.96
Then if you take
the 91% and give 10%,
00:21:42.96\00:21:46.17
10 pennies for each percent,
00:21:46.17\00:21:47.70
you have 910 pennies, and that'd
have to fit in a quart jar.
00:21:47.70\00:21:50.84
So you have most people
giving from the little jar,
00:21:50.84\00:21:53.34
and big gifts
come from the big jar.
00:21:53.34\00:21:55.81
Does that make sense? >>It does.
00:21:55.81\00:21:57.28
Yep. >>Okay, here's what we do.
00:21:57.28\00:21:59.01
We look at this and
see something very, very
00:21:59.01\00:22:02.15
interesting. In the story of the
alabaster box that Mary broke
00:22:02.15\00:22:05.25
with the spikenard
inside at Simon's feast,
00:22:05.25\00:22:08.46
you remember that story,
which is very interesting one.
00:22:08.46\00:22:11.66
Something else
interesting happened.
00:22:11.66\00:22:14.03
Mary's alabaster box
with the spikenard in it
00:22:14.03\00:22:17.07
cost her 300 denarii,
which is an entire year's wages.
00:22:17.07\00:22:22.07
So would that be a
big gift or a little gift?
00:22:22.07\00:22:24.41
>>That's gonna be a big gift.
00:22:24.41\00:22:25.81
>>It's a "big jar" gift,
for sure, no question about it,
00:22:25.81\00:22:27.34
wasn't just
discretionary income,
00:22:27.34\00:22:28.71
whatever she may have
had in her pocket or purse.
00:22:28.71\00:22:31.21
The interesting thing is
that Mary's gift of denarii
00:22:31.21\00:22:33.88
was a big gift, but it also
recognized something unusual,
00:22:33.88\00:22:38.55
that Judas, then,
because of that, betrayed Jesus
00:22:38.55\00:22:41.32
for a small jar gift of
only 30 pieces of silver,
00:22:41.32\00:22:44.59
which is incredible
when you think about it.
00:22:44.59\00:22:47.03
I'll tell you another one
00:22:47.03\00:22:48.26
that's
interesting, another story.
00:22:48.26\00:22:50.40
The story is about Barnabas.
00:22:50.40\00:22:52.90
This is kind of
interesting because
00:22:52.90\00:22:55.14
Barnabas is mentioned 28
times in the New Testament.
00:22:55.14\00:22:58.81
The first time he
is mentioned, though,
00:22:58.81\00:23:00.31
is something very interesting,
00:23:00.31\00:23:02.01
and that's Acts, the fourth
chapter, verses 36 and 37.
00:23:02.01\00:23:05.31
We say that Barnabas--
00:23:05.31\00:23:06.65
you know, we know him because
he was a companion of Paul
00:23:06.65\00:23:09.15
in his missionary journeys.
00:23:09.15\00:23:10.79
But how he started out was,
00:23:10.79\00:23:13.15
well, it says in
that passage I just quoted
00:23:13.15\00:23:16.29
that he decided that--he had,
00:23:16.29\00:23:18.03
he sold land and brought
the money to the apostles.
00:23:18.03\00:23:21.13
So if you sell a big
piece of your investments,
00:23:21.13\00:23:23.26
is that a "big
jar" gift? >>That's big.
00:23:23.26\00:23:25.60
>>And what happened
as a result of that,
00:23:25.60\00:23:27.70
his heart followed his treasure,
00:23:27.70\00:23:29.07
and he jumped in, all-in
for good, to serve with Paul.
00:23:29.07\00:23:32.81
To me, this is amazing stuff.
00:23:32.81\00:23:34.81
And it
demonstrates what Jesus said:
00:23:34.81\00:23:36.54
"Where your treasure is,
...your heart will be also."
00:23:36.54\00:23:38.95
If he hadn't done that big gift,
00:23:38.95\00:23:41.55
it's very likely that
he probably would not have
00:23:41.55\00:23:43.82
been involved in
the ministry as he was.
00:23:43.82\00:23:46.82
>>So his heart
followed that gift,
00:23:46.82\00:23:49.26
or they were at
least intertwined,
00:23:49.26\00:23:51.13
I think is very safe to say.
00:23:51.13\00:23:53.23
Incredible to see
how a gift like that
00:23:53.23\00:23:56.10
then inspired or motivated him
00:23:56.10\00:23:58.27
to be more
fully committed to it.
00:23:58.27\00:24:01.27
>>Another
interesting point there,
00:24:01.27\00:24:02.37
if you don't mind
me interrupting here,
00:24:02.37\00:24:04.24
this is amazing to me.
00:24:04.24\00:24:05.81
The fourth chapter of Acts
00:24:05.81\00:24:06.94
also contains the story
of Ananias and Sapphira.
00:24:06.94\00:24:09.78
They were also
at that second time
00:24:09.78\00:24:11.31
the Holy Spirit was poured out
00:24:11.31\00:24:12.41
and gave the
apostles boldness and so on.
00:24:12.41\00:24:14.52
But their covetousness
cost them their lives,
00:24:14.52\00:24:16.72
and Barnabas' generosity
gave him eternal life.
00:24:16.72\00:24:20.36
It's just incredible.
00:24:20.36\00:24:21.72
>>Day-to-day
normal giving, appropriate
00:24:21.72\00:24:24.56
and encouraged and so forth.
00:24:24.56\00:24:26.86
But from time to time
some of these big gifts
00:24:26.86\00:24:29.00
can have an eternal consequence,
00:24:29.00\00:24:30.87
either for the good
or not for the good,
00:24:30.87\00:24:33.70
depending on what we do
with that. That's incredible.
00:24:33.70\00:24:36.84
Let me read a statement here
as we kind of tie things up.
00:24:36.84\00:24:41.31
This is from
"Testimonies for the Church,"
00:24:41.31\00:24:43.68
volume 2, page 518.
00:24:43.68\00:24:46.72
It says, "The recording
angel makes a faithful record
00:24:46.72\00:24:49.38
"of every
offering dedicated to God
00:24:49.38\00:24:51.75
"and put into the treasury,
00:24:51.75\00:24:53.29
"and also of the final result
of the means thus bestowed.
00:24:53.29\00:24:57.49
"The eye of God takes
cognizance of every farthing
00:24:57.49\00:25:00.70
"devoted to His
cause, and of the willingness
00:25:00.70\00:25:03.37
"or reluctance of the giver.
00:25:03.37\00:25:05.23
"The motive in
giving is also chronicled.
00:25:05.23\00:25:08.07
"Those self-sacrificing,
consecrated ones
00:25:08.07\00:25:11.21
"who render back to God
the things that are His,
00:25:11.21\00:25:13.74
"as He requires of them,
00:25:13.74\00:25:15.28
"will be rewarded
according to their works.
00:25:15.28\00:25:17.61
"Even though the means
thus consecrated be misapplied,
00:25:17.61\00:25:21.15
"so that it does not
accomplish the object
00:25:21.15\00:25:23.62
"which the donor had in view,--
00:25:23.62\00:25:25.22
"the glory of God and
the salvation of souls,--
00:25:25.22\00:25:28.12
"those who made the
sacrifice in sincerity of soul,
00:25:28.12\00:25:31.39
"with an eye single
to the glory of God,
00:25:31.39\00:25:34.00
will not lose their reward."
00:25:34.00\00:25:36.80
So if the offering, if the
gift is given in good faith,
00:25:36.80\00:25:40.20
and the heart is
right, that makes that gift,
00:25:41.30\00:25:43.10
even if it doesn't end up
going in the right direction,
00:25:43.10\00:25:45.41
they still receive
a blessing from it.
00:25:45.41\00:25:47.18
>>That's an amazing, isn't
it, amazing concept, really.
00:25:47.18\00:25:50.21
So that goes right
along with the widow's mites.
00:25:50.21\00:25:53.65
She had a heart that
was right to serve God,
00:25:53.65\00:25:56.25
thinking that this was
God's church and so on.
00:25:56.25\00:25:58.85
But even if the
leaders of the church
00:25:58.85\00:26:01.62
didn't do
appropriate things with it,
00:26:01.62\00:26:03.89
they may have even used
part of that money to pay Judas,
00:26:03.89\00:26:06.49
so, who knows? But
she did the right thing
00:26:06.49\00:26:08.60
because her heart
was in the right spot,
00:26:08.60\00:26:10.50
and the recording angel
made note of it in heaven.
00:26:10.50\00:26:12.87
>>So we can hope and
expect and anticipate
00:26:12.87\00:26:15.84
that ultimately
if we do give gifts,
00:26:15.84\00:26:17.61
they are going to go
in the right direction,
00:26:17.61\00:26:19.37
they are going to
head to the right place,
00:26:19.37\00:26:22.81
and, of course, there
are counting procedures
00:26:22.81\00:26:24.81
set up to make sure
that that does indeed happen.
00:26:24.81\00:26:27.22
But even if it doesn't,
00:26:27.22\00:26:28.58
then we can still expect to
receive a blessing from that.
00:26:28.58\00:26:32.09
Any final thoughts on offerings
00:26:32.09\00:26:34.32
as we tie this
week's session up?
00:26:34.32\00:26:36.69
>>Yes, I would just
second what you just said.
00:26:36.69\00:26:38.66
Most of the time, for sure,
00:26:38.66\00:26:40.13
the offering
goes where we intended
00:26:40.13\00:26:41.83
because we do have auditors,
00:26:41.83\00:26:43.23
and if there's an offering
taken for a certain thing,
00:26:43.23\00:26:44.80
that's where it goes and so on.
00:26:44.80\00:26:46.60
I can just tell you that
00:26:46.60\00:26:49.04
Kathy and I have experienced
00:26:49.04\00:26:50.57
that it's "more blessed
to give than to receive."
00:26:50.57\00:26:52.87
We've made a number of
gifts this year that are
00:26:52.87\00:26:54.91
what I would
consider "big jar" gifts,
00:26:54.91\00:26:56.51
and it made us feel good
00:26:56.51\00:26:57.58
that we were able to
make the work go forward
00:26:57.58\00:26:58.91
as we've made those gifts.
00:26:58.91\00:27:00.85
And I can tell you that
throughout your life as you
00:27:00.85\00:27:03.99
give, God blesses you;
there's no question about it.
00:27:03.99\00:27:06.15
You want Him to be--you
wanna manage for the Master
00:27:06.15\00:27:08.72
in a way that can give Him
glory and honor Him as well.
00:27:08.72\00:27:11.66
So we thank God that
there is an offering appeal
00:27:11.66\00:27:14.00
from time to time
00:27:14.00\00:27:15.06
and that we know the
work is going forward.
00:27:15.06\00:27:16.87
>>So, one more way
that you could receive
00:27:16.87\00:27:19.27
a blessing from
God: when you give,
00:27:19.27\00:27:21.97
you also do indeed receive.
00:27:21.97\00:27:24.17
This has been an
exciting lesson this week
00:27:24.17\00:27:26.17
looking at offering;
last week we looked at tithe.
00:27:26.17\00:27:28.78
We still have a little
ways to go through this quarter
00:27:28.78\00:27:31.08
of 12 lessons, and we're
encouraged to have you with us
00:27:31.08\00:27:34.55
as we make this journey.
00:27:34.55\00:27:35.92
Until next week, God bless
you, have a wonderful week,
00:27:35.92\00:27:38.85
and we'll see you again
next week on "Sabbath School,"
00:27:38.85\00:27:41.12
brought to you by It Is Written.
00:27:41.12\00:27:43.39
(upbeat,
inspirational theme music)
00:27:43.39\00:27:47.76
(music ends)
00:28:26.80\00:28:29.27