BY: Tim Chilvers
DATE: Sunday 25 February 2024

‘BIBLE PASSAGES: Read online
Luke – Chapter 11, verses 37-46

EXCERPT:

It’s one thing to want to be generous, but what does it look like in practice? How much should we give? What to? Over the past few weeks, we have been looking at the reasons why we can be generous. In this session we will explore some practical ways of what and how we can be generous. We will explore the ‘Giving ladder’ as as simple way of taking our own next steps in being generous in every area of life.

TRANSCRIPT:
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YOUTH RESOURCES:
Sorry, no youth resouces are available for this series. However, please do check out our Youth Page to see how you can connect and get involved. 

KIDS RESOURCES:
Details about all our church activities and resources for anyone aged under 11 can be found on our Kids Page. On this page you can also find the contact details for Sarah Thomson, our Head Of Children’s Ministry.

Each week there are TWO different sets of questions for you to use, whether you are exploring the Bible within your Life Group, in other group settings, or simply using them on your own.

A | DISCUSSION STARTERS
These are simple questions to provoke discussion together out of the talk (ideal if you are watching our Sunday Service online with others in your group):

1 | Was there anything that particularly helped you during the talk?

2 | Was there anything that you didn’t necessarily agree with, or found difficult to understand in the talk?

3 | As a result of the talk, what:

3a. Changes do you want to see?

3b. Truths do you need to remember?

3c. Actions do you need to take?

B | QUESTIONS TO EXPLORE
These are questions that are based on the talk and the surrounding themes:

Read:
Luke – Chapter 11, verses 37-46

1 | Are you able to think of a time when someone was really generous towards you?

2 | Read Luke 11:37-46. What is noticeable about the way that Jesus describes the Pharisees? What was their emphasis on, in comparison to Jesus? What might that have to say about our attitude to generosity?

3 | In v42, Jesus talks specifically about giving a ‘tenth’ of their herbs. Take a look also at Genesis 14:20, Leviticus 27:30 , Malachi 3:10-11. What principles from the Old Testament practice can you pick up? In light of what Jesus says in v42, do you think the practice of ‘tithing’ is relevant for us today?

4 | During his talk, Tim quoted Timothy Keller, ‘The Gospel gets you beyond tithing. Jesus didn’t tithe His blood. He gave His whole life…Don’t sit down with a calculator to give your money away, sit down with a cross.’ What do you make of this quote?

5 | Read Acts 4:34-35, 1 Timothy 5:17-18  and Galatians 6:6. What do you notice about how the earliest Christians practiced generosity?

6 | Tim mentioned 5 steps in the ‘Generosity Ladder’. Which of these most impacted you?
o 1) Start
o 2) Planned
o 3) Proportional
o 4) Faithful
o 5) Radical

7 | Tim reframed the question to be not, ‘How much do I have to give’? but rather to be ‘How much can I give?’ How might this change your priorities?

8 | Take some time to practically consider your own response about giving. Pray that God would help you to respond with radical and generous faith.

As you explore these questions pray for one another to deepen and develop your relationship with Jesus.

BOOK:
Christian Generosity according to 2 Corinthians 8–9’ by Viateur Habarurema

BOOK:
Money Counts’ by Graham Beynon

Some of us want to escape money. Some of us want to embrace money. We fear money, and we desire it. We think about it every day, and yet often we try not to think about it. Graham Beynon shows us how to control our money rather than our money controlling us. In this readable, realistic book, he takes us to the gospel to show how we can handle money well in our hearts, so we can handle it confidently and wisely with our hands.

ARTICLES:

‘Giving’ and ‘How do I handle money?’ by Timothy Keller

‘Four creative ways to be Generous’ by Kristen Wetherell

‘Financial Wellbeing’ by Dave Smith

‘The delusions of the Prosperity Gospel’ by Femi Adeleye

VIDEO:

Generosity – The Bible Project

Coming Soon