Generosity | The Great 8 (Transformation Church)

Hi, my name is Pastor Tammy, and today we're talking about what kind of church we are. So what kind of church are we? We are a church that values generosity. Here at TC, we give just to give and not to get. Giving is our response to God's love and not a requirement for his love. This is one of my favorite values, and not because I've always been good at it, but because it is a discipline where I can mark my growth. Generosity is discipleship. When I am generous and not expecting anything in return, I know that I am becoming more like Jesus. My husband is known to be the generous one in our family. The kids will call him when they want something. He'll ask a few questions, and he's going to say yes. When they call me, I have lots of questions, and the answer could still be no. But they're calling me now, so I think I'm growing. Generosity is all about the heart and can literally transform your life. It is essentially how we steward or manage the resources that God has given us, also known as our time, our talent, and treasure. Our willingness or unwillingness to be generous with our resources reveals the posture of our heart. God so perfectly demonstrated his love and generosity towards us when he gave his only son so that we could have eternal life. He had no idea if we would accept his kindness, but he did it anyway. This is generosity, when giving out of love and devotion and not expecting anything in return. In 2 Corinthians 9.7, it says each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. So possibly you are like me thinking, but I'm barely making it myself, and what about me and mine? That church don't need my money, or all they want is my money.

If so, my friend, I'm telling you, that kind of thinking will keep you in lack. God gives seed to the sower. Proverbs 11.24-25, the message version says, the world of the generous gets larger and larger. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed, and those who help others are helped. My husband and I purchased a new home a few years ago, and we knew that when God blessed us with that house, that it would be for people. So generosity is a lifestyle for us. It is to always welcome people in, whether it is an evening on the sofa or a weekend upstairs. We knew that we had been blessed to be a blessing. Matthew 6.21 says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. This scripture makes reference to our stewardship or management of the resources that God has placed in our hands. Believe me, I understand that when it comes to our resources, depending on how much or how little we have, we find it more difficult to be generous. Personally for me, I was counting every penny, mine, every hour, mine, and every skill, mine. So if I give it all away, how do I get more? Well, the first problem with that thinking is that I am not the owner of those resources, which means that I cannot replenish what I don't own. Psalms 24.1 clearly tells us that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it. So simply put, our treasure, our time, and our talent, they all belong to God. He has only given them to us to steward over. It is what we do with them that determines if we get more. So I want to encourage you to be generous. Generosity should show up in every area of your life, whether that is serving in your local church or in the lunchroom at your kid's school. If you have a beautiful smile, don't be afraid to show those pearly whites. You never know who just needs to see a smile. Typically, when I go into the grocery store, I am focused on what I need.

I am just trying to get in and get out. But on a few occasions, I've given a smile only to have the person light up and give me a smile. right back. A small act of kindness that actually made me feel better. And that's how the world of the generous gets larger and larger. With just a little intentionality, there are plenty of opportunities to be generous with your time, talent, and treasure. It is when we are obedient in our generosity that we are abundantly blessed. Speaking of treasure, my husband and I have always returned our tithe, which is 10% of our increase, and we give offerings over and above. But trust me, there were seasons where it felt like, uh, maybe we could miss this one time, or knowing that it would turn into two, and who knows after that. But let me tell you, when we came into the understanding that giving the 10% tithe meant that the remaining 90% would be blessed, not paying our tithe was no longer an option. The scripture Malachi 3.10 gives one command, and it is to return the tithe. It then goes on to give the promise that when you do that, the windows of heaven will be open, and there's so much blessing will be poured out that we will not have room enough to store. As a church, we also set aside 10% of our income as tithe. I can remember early on as a church that there were times that we were barely able to meet budget, but we never stopped tithing. Instead, we chose to be obedient to God's word and trust that he would provide. And let me tell you, time and time again, he has proven to be a faithful God. Throughout my years at TC, we have always been a generous church. It has been our practice to steward our finances with integrity, to include proper accounting standards and external audits. Collectively, over the last 11 years, we, that means you too, we have given away more than $36 million to churches, organizations. We've met benevolent needs of our partners and we've supported missions work all over the world. And to think our first act of generosity at TC was to raise an offering of $8,300 that would allow us to do random acts of kindness throughout our community. But because of your obedience, if you have ever given anything to TC, no matter how big or how small, we want to say thank you. Because of you, TC is a blessed church and together we are making an impact all over the world. Today, I want to invite you to find a moment where you can be generous this week. Maybe that is writing a thank you note or paying for coffee for the person in

line behind you. Maybe it is paying your tithe for the very first time. Doesn't matter where you start, just start. There is nothing like giving out of love and devotion and not expecting anything in return. So remember, this is who we are. We are a church that values generosity. Now go out and live a transformed life.