You're listening to Mountain View Church Audio, Christ-centered teaching from the Wilderness City, Whitehorse UConn. Here's this week's message.
You have chosen me. Your love has called my name. I've been born again. Your family flows through my veins. I'm no longer a slave. I am a child of God. I'm no longer a slave to fear. I am a child of God. See, so I could walk right through it. My fears are drowned in perfect love.
So I could stand and sing I am a child of God With the sea so I could walk right through it My fears are drowned in perfect love You rescued me so I could stand and sing I am a child of God Yes, I am a child of God I'm no longer a slave to fear I'm a child of God Think about the last time you opened a gift. Maybe it was new clothing or shoes, new fishing or camping gear. Perhaps it was that device that you've had your eye on. Or maybe it's even something small, like a surprise coffee from a friend at work. Whatever it was, it made you feel good, didn't it? You see, receiving always makes us smile. It warms our hearts. But then Jesus comes along and he flips that upside down by saying it is more blessed to give than to receive.
Now, stop and think about that for a second. More blessed? Not equally blessed, not kind of blessed, but more. He's saying the fulfillment of giving outshines the fulfillment of getting. The joy of unwrapping a gift doesn't even come close to the joy of experiencing giving a gift, giving something away. Now, is that really true? Do we have anything to back it up? Today, we're going to find out.
Welcome to Mountain View Church. My name is Jeremy. If you're new to our faith community, I would love for you to connect with us at mountainview.church slash connect or on social at Mountain View Whitehorse. It's week three of making change, and today we're going to capture the claim that giving is good and that choosing generosity is better for everyone. But not in the sense of personal gain to get some sort of kind of a return on investment. We're talking about the spiritual and relational benefits that reflect the heart of God.
because generosity stretches our faith and blesses people in ways we may never see. Let's get started. Hello, my name is Ruben. Our scripture reading is from Acts 20, verses 32 to 38. If you have a physical Bible, you can use the table of contents in the front to locate the book of Acts. If you have a mobile device, you can download a Bible app or use the search function at bible.com.
How he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. Generosity is a struggle for most people. We may give out of our abundance or from our leftovers. We might be generous to our friends and family members. But as human beings, we don't naturally live in an open-handed state. Why is that? Well...
we don't always feel like we want to. And I get it. For some of you, it might be a struggle because of your finances. It's tight and bills are piling up and the idea of giving, it feels impossible. And if that's you and you didn't catch the previous two messages, consider going back and then come back to this one. But in contrast, some of you may have the resources to be generous, but you've witnessed gifts and donations being taken, then misused or manipulated. Or maybe you were a part of a church or an organization that twisted generosity into guilt. It's not good. And then again, perhaps you struggle with a scarcity mindset that consistently tells you, if I give,
I'll have less. And that happens. Scarcity tells us that there's only so much to go around, and so we hold on tightly to everything we have. But Jesus tells us a different story that's echoed throughout Scripture and lived out in the local church, both in the first century 2,000 years ago, and even today. The truth is that God owns it all, and he gives it to us to steward. When we give, we bless others, and when we give, we receive a blessing greater than the gift. With that in mind, let's jump into Acts 20.
Luke has recorded Paul's farewell address to the elders of the Ephesian church. His final instruction helps us understand the heart of giving within the local church. He commends them to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build them up and give them the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. He reminds them, I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. You see, before he leaves them, he wants them to remember the example that he set for them.
He says, you yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. Paul worked hard in life and ministry, supplying for himself, but also for those around him who were in need. Then he connects this with Jesus' teaching. He says, in all things, I have shown you that by working hard in this way, we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. Paul's reminding these church leaders that life isn't always about what you can get for yourself.
but what you can give to help others. And this wasn't a theory for Paul. It was his way of life. He modeled generosity. Working as a tent maker by trade, mentioned in Acts 18, he supported himself and those alongside of him in ministry. And yet Paul also received support from the church to fuel his ministry, which is referenced in Philippians 4 and 2 Corinthians 11. Those resources were given to advance the gospel through Paul's work as an apostle. As he preached the message of Jesus, he planted churches, and he raised up new leaders to oversee the churches that he had left behind.
including the Ephesian elders to whom he's speaking to in this text. Now, I get it. Times have changed in 2,000 years, but that core principle remains. When we give to a local church, we're stepping into the same rhythm that started in the first century. We give so that the needs can be met, but also to the gospel mission, so it can thrive. Facilitated by the local church, the weak and vulnerable should be supported, while the great commission that Jesus called us to move, it continues forward.
Now, this is so important. It's not an either or. It's a both and. There is funding for mission and ministry. Both need to happen in the local church. But let's come back to scripture.
Many biblical texts reinforce the call to generosity. Throughout this series, we've taken some time to look back at the wisdom literature of the Old Testament to find further support for each of our principles. Now, much of the wisdom literature was written by Solomon, who was uniquely blessed by God with wisdom. Scripture reveals him as the wisest man who ever lived, apart from Jesus as God's son. From Proverbs 19, we read, whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed. This is crazy to think about. God identifies so closely with the poor that when we give to them, he counts it as lending to himself.
Not a gift, but a loan, which kind of seems strange and means that he promises a return. But with that return, I do need to add a caveat because scriptural and historical evidence show us that it's not always financial. I repeat, it's not always financial. Any preacher who uses this proverb to guarantee prosperity has missed the mark. Our generosity to those in need should always be seen first as a service and worship to the Lord, not as a financial investment expecting money in return. Moving on to Proverbs 28, we receive a warning that a stingy man hastens after wealth.
and does not know that poverty will come upon him. That word stingy might have thrown you a bit. I get it. It's an old term, but an important one to know within this context. You see, stingy or a stingy person is mean, but connected to ungenerous, according to Oxford Dictionary. Synonyms include miserly, closed-fisted, penny-pinching, scrooge-like, and tight-fisted.
Stinginess might look wise on the outside because the people are saving for the future. Kind of like Scrooge from the Charles Dickens classic tale. But they're focused on the easy life of retirement in the future. But in their heart, in the moment, they've turned greedy and miserly. And they're totally out of alignment with God's heart. All of their saving efforts have led them toward spiritual poverty. The more someone clings to their wealth, the more their heart and soul become totally destitute. It's not good.
Now, moving on to Ecclesiastes, we find a blunt truth. He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income. This also is vanity. The hoarding of wealth, it's like a treadmill that you'll never get off of. Initially, you say to yourself, once I get this amount of money, I'll be satisfied and then I'll be generous. It'll be great. But the number just keeps getting pushed and pushed and pushed and pushed. This is the corrupted heart of greed or worry or finding security in wealth. You see, the heart has to change before the perspective changes. This is why generosity is so powerful. It breaks that cycle of never having enough. It breaks that constantly pushing the marker higher.
Coming back to Proverbs, we read, This is another one of those passages that, taken out of context of Scripture as a whole, can lead to that false doctrine of prosperity gospel. And those types of preachers are going to tell you that if you give money, and particularly directly to them, that God's going to give you money in return. But that is not biblically nor historically accurate. The truth is that God does bless generosity. He will. He'll bless a generous heart. But he does so according to his will, knowing the heart condition of the one who gave, and knowing what that person really needs. This is why Jesus so often pointed past material wealth into something deeper, something further. He warned us, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
All right, so we have established a lot of scriptural evidence at this point, but how does generosity play out in the local church? Maybe you're wondering. To answer that question, let's look again at Paul's teaching, but this time to the Corinthian church. In chapter 9, he writes, the point is this, whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
Paul was once a Pharisee, which, if you didn't know, is a prominent religious leader in the Jewish community at that time. So he knew the Mosaic law by heart. And under the Old Covenant, the Old Testament, every person was required to give a tithe or a tenth of all income. But that all changed after the resurrection of Jesus. And it's my conviction that this passage testifies to that change.
You see, in this very letter, Paul could have written, remember to pay your tithe. Or he could have said, make sure you give a tenth of your income. But he didn't. And if the law were still in place and not fulfilled by Christ, I'm sure he would have written that. But under the new covenant of Jesus Christ and his grace, the law has been fulfilled.
So generosity no longer flows from an obligation, but instead from the heart of the giver. And yet, Paul's follow-up comment says it all, that God loves a cheerful giver, which speaks to the condition of one's heart when they give. Don't just give out obligation. Don't give reluctantly. You need to set your heart right on God and then give. It's grace, love, heart condition, which is what Jesus is all about.
Now, a few verses later, Paul adds, you will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God. What does this mean? Well, God enriches us so that we can keep on giving. And as needs get met, thanksgiving to God wells up inside of us and it multiplies over and over and over again. It's a continuous cycle of generosity and worship and thankfulness centered on our relationship with our Heavenly Father, offered through Jesus and sealed by the Holy Spirit.
Now, Paul was writing to the first century church. What about today? You might be wondering, how does this play out in the local church in our modern era? How does giving and generosity work right here, right now? These are fair questions. Generosity is something that we live out together. Here at Mountain View, we like to look at it this way. First, we're called to be generous with our time, making daily and weekly commitments to love and serve our church and our community.
We're also called to be generous with our talent, using the gifts and abilities that we've been given to serve the local church and fulfill Christ's gospel mission. And finally, we're called to be generous with our treasure, regularly and cheerfully returning a portion of the gifts of money and possessions that we've been given by God. One of the ways that I've seen these three components play out in real time is through our Stuff the Bus campaign for the Food Bank, which is actually coming up next month. On the Saturday before Canadian Thanksgiving, we park an empty school bus outside of the largest grocery store in our city, and we invite shoppers to help us fill it with food. By the end of the day, the bus is packed, which means the Food Bank shelves will be fully stocked, and this gets them through October and November before the Christmas rush of donations. The greater win is that this event sparks dozens of opportunities to share the gospel, or to simply invite people to one of our gatherings. So Stuff the Bus is generosity in action.
time, talent, and treasure all working together, giving evidence that ministry and mission are interconnected. All this considered, there's a lot of pre-work that goes into an event like this and all of our ministry projects and programs. Mountain View Church, like any organization, needs a certain amount of financial resources to keep the ministry and mission moving forward. Now, rather than me explaining all the details, I've actually invited our treasurer, Haley Deans, to share how financial giving works here at Mountain View and how your generosity makes all that possible. Hi, my name is Haley and I serve as the treasurer on the Mountain View Church board. Mountain View Church only operates because of your generosity. People like you watching in-house or online being obedient to God's call to be generous. So if you're thinking about giving today, we'd ask that you prayerfully consider what God would have you give. And I'm happy to share with you the few different ways that you can do that. You can give in-house at the donation box at the back of the church using the envelopes in the seat in front of you. If you'd like to give online, you can give through Tidely or Canada Helps, or you can send an e-transfer to finance at mountainview.church.
That was a lot of options all at once. So when in doubt, just visit mountainview.church slash give and it will list all the options there. Thank you and God bless. A huge thanks goes to Haley for serving both in finances and overseeing our young adults ministry. But the time has come for this week's application steps. Just like the previous two weeks, I'm going to walk you through five action steps. I'll prompt you to hit pause on the video or audio so you can reflect, then work on your own plan. Here we go. Step one, time. Choose a ministry team. Pick one ministry team and contact that ministry leader this week. Commit to serving once per month. If Mountain View is your local church, you can find a full list at mountainview.church.
Serving once a month might feel small, but it makes a bigger difference than you realize. You can pause now and work on this step. Step two, talent. List your abilities. Write out your natural abilities, your learned skills, and your spiritual gifts. If you're not sure about your spiritual gifts, you can take an assessment at spiritualgiftstest.com. Once you've made your list, complete a volunteer application at mountainview.church. God can use every part of your life story, even the skills you don't think matter. Pause here and start your list.
Step three, treasure. Commit a percentage. Ask God to show you a pre-tax percentage of your income to give consistently for the rest of 2025. If Mountain View is your church, visit mountainview.church slash give to set it up. This is about trusting God first with what you've been given. Once you've chosen a percentage, consider automating your giving weekly or biweekly to help keep that commitment. Pause here and decide what that percentage will be.
Step four, bless someone unexpectedly. Plan one intentional act of generosity for someone who cannot repay you. Who is it? What will you do? When will you do it? Make a plan today. Think practical, groceries, a repair, maybe even giving away something valuable. Pause here and map out your plan. Step five, prepare for next week. Write down one area where you need a clearer financial vision for your future. Pray about it this week and bring it with you for our final message in the series called Tomorrow Matters.
Picture yourself 10 years from now. What do you want your life to look like? What about your legacy? Pause here and write it down. We started with the declaration that giving is good, and we've seen it all the way through. God's word affirms it, the early church confirmed it, and our own lives can testify to it. Giving blesses others, but it also reflects the heart of God and grows our faith. The greatest outcome is that it blesses us too. So let's make a choice to live open-handed because we can never out-give God. Together, let's choose generosity.
Dear God, thank you for showing me generosity through Jesus. Thank you for every gift you've entrusted to me. Forgive me when I hold too tightly to my time, my talent, and my treasure. Help me to trust you with my first and best, not just my leftovers. Teach me to give with joy and freedom so that my generosity points people back to you. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen.
Thanks for being with us today. If you're ready to take a step toward our faith community, there's two ways to do that. First, you can connect at mountainview.church slash connect, or through social media, just direct message at mountainviewwhitehorse. We would love to hear your story. Now, also, consider subscribing to our YouTube channel. Then, turn on the notification bell so that you don't miss next week's message. Now, before you go, stay tuned for our video announcements and ministry updates. Here we go. Good morning, Church. Gracie Shreddy here. I just want to come on and remind you that Stuff the Best is happening October 11th, which is a Saturday, and it is Thanksgiving weekend.
and we are just looking for some more volunteers to help make this project go smoothly. So we will be filling crates at Superstore, collecting the donations, loading those crates onto the bus, and then from there, the bus will go to the food bank, and we would need volunteers to help unload all the donations. It's a great opportunity to serve, connect with others, and show the love of Jesus in a hands-on way. So we hope to see you there. Hello, me again. I'm going to now give you an update for the baby bottles for the Pregnancy Care Center. I realize we have not even updated you yet, and that is because there are still bottles missing. If you still have a bottle...
I'm pretty sure I collected all of ours from our church, but there are still some circulating out there. If you sell a bottle, they extended the deadline to September 30th. As of right now, though, I was told that it's been $15,000 raised already, which is amazing. They were so grateful and blown away. And the money is going towards getting this pregnancy care center up and running in the Yukon, the Yukon chapter. And so you can still make donations if you wanted to, if you want to learn more about it. If you're new here and you don't know what we're talking about, you can go to this link below and check it out. There's a space, a spot. There's a space, a spot for donations.
You can be on their email list and different things like that just to be in the loop. So thank you again, church. Starting on Sunday, October 5th, we'll spend eight weeks walking through Ephesians 1, 1 through 14, laying out the core theology of what it means to be in Christ. You'll discover what it means to be blessed, chosen, adopted, redeemed, and sealed by God in Jesus. These are core truths to live by. So mark your calendars and plan on inviting a friend. But before that, plan on coming back next week. We're wrapping up our Making Change series with Tomorrow Matters. Choosing a clear vision.
We'll talk about what it means to live today with eternity in mind, investing in what truly lasts. So let's finish strong together. If you pray to receive Jesus today or would like to connect with our church community, visit mountainview.church and click the connect link. If this podcast and radio ministry has been a blessing to you, please consider partnering with us or making a tax-deductible donation at mountainview.church. Thanks for listening to Mountain View Church Audio. Join us next week for more Christ-centered teaching from the Wilderness City of Whitehorse.