Practicing Charity | Practice Makes Perfect | Twin Rivers Church

We have been in a series called practice makes perfect and you've probably heard that phrase before in the dynamic of learning a sport or maybe you learn to play an instrument. A little different in this series for us here's what it means spiritual practices that perfect our faith. What we're looking at is the idea that we all come from different backgrounds and different places and spaces and maybe we do some things here that you're not familiar with. Why we do them and more importantly how they're rooted in scripture. So I decided to take us through a kind of a study that would allow us to look at how we see our daily practices, our worship practices, our church practices, where are they rooted out in scripture but even more than that I want to make sure you are increasing your participation. The more you participate with them the more God's grace can flow in your life and this has been really fun because I've got to kind of study in some nuance some places and spaces that I don't normally get into. We've talked about why we have such expressive worship. Last week I shared why we lay hands on people when we pray for them and we've got some more topics ahead but today I want to unpack the practice of what the old King James version of scripture calls charity. Now most of my best friends live all across the nation so it's pretty rare that we get to all be together at one time. A couple of months ago we were all in the same city and we had dinner and it was amazing. We had a long dinner, we laughed, we shared about family and eventually the conversation kind of went into what's going on in our lives, what our hobbies are and eventually into our health. I have to remember this is a group of guys so everybody's talking about their best lifts or their best run or the tips and strategies they're using comparatively and you know I mean everybody's kind of outdoing. If you would have heard the conversation you would have thought we were a bunch of trainers or professionals standing around weights talking and there was this moment where I looked around and I thought we're having this conversation while eating cake. It was just like nothing better than peptides and pie, right? I mean it was just like what in the world are we doing and it was just this kind of humorous moment where I went like we know what we are supposed to do but yet obviously in this moment we're a commercial for we struggle to do it. Well you know the definition in Webster's Dictionary of charity is this, it's to offer help through monetary or physical assistance. So it's the idea that you're willing to give or serve and I think if you talk to most people you would it'd be almost uniform that we believe Christians should be the most charitable people on the planet.

Problem is we aren't. As a matter of fact most research shows that we're not that charitable at all. LifeWake, a research bank, came out with a recent study and here's what they found 86% of Christians aspire to serve but in the last year only 30% actually did anything to help another person. When they looked at giving they found that of the Christian church only 5-10% even tithe and further than that if you take all Protestants and say how much of their income do they actually give to ministries or churches? Well it was less than 3%. We are eating cake and giving out workout advice. And you know my thing is I want to wrestle with this idea of like why? How can we all believe we should do something and yet struggle to do it? Well first of all it's not for a lack of you know content to help us. I mean there's more content today on how to make a difference than ever. I mean we've got videos and blogs and books that teach us how to impact communities. It's not for a lack of need. I mean there's a crisis in every corner. We've got affordability crisis, mental health crisis, addiction crisis. Need is everywhere. How is it that we know we should do this but we struggle to do it? I prayed a lot about that this week and here's my theory. I just don't think we recognize the weight behind this idea of charity. As a matter of fact I think it's a mindset we have that I would kind of say is this most of us think philanthropically not spiritually. That most of the way we look at this part of the scriptures is like philanthropic. Like it's just different. We don't weigh it the same as we do spiritually other things. Like let me give you an example. Philanthropic thinking says that charity is optional. Spiritual thinking says it is essential. It comes out of my very identity in Christ. Philanthropic thinking says that it's something I want to do eventually. You know it's like I hope one day I can be more Generous, I hope one day to give more time to that. Whereas spiritual thinking says no, I've got to do it every day There's a moment every day that I can offer this to someone Philanthropic thinking says it's out of plenty that one day I'll have enough to bless others that one day I'll have enough time to commit to something spiritual thinking says it's out of whatever I possess because God will multiply whatever I do and then ultimately Philanthropic thinking kind of just looks at it as community service like yeah, it's something we should do. It's good It's it but not that big a deal but spiritual thinking Recognizes it is a supernatural encounter this practice of charity

Let me say it this way. If you read the scriptures fully, here's what you'll find There are more supernatural encounters tied to charity than nearly any other practice in Scripture and and just give you an example of Kayla and I were in a Colorado a couple weekends ago for a funeral and we decided to stay over and do some hiking and so we are in the Cheyenne mountain range we are 8,000 feet above sea level where there's others hundreds of people were passing on the trail coming down going up I mean, there's novices people who you can tell us the first time they've ever been outdoors and then there's these professionals that are suited up and ready to go and and we're just passing all these people and taking in the beauty of the Landscape and we get to the summit we look at everything We we start our way down as we're coming down We come to a wooden bridge and we notice a couple who's got a map and you can tell they don't know which direction to Go so Kayla goes up and engages them and she starts to talk to them about They want to go to the left not to the right because one's more arduous than the other and and she talks about the beautiful Landscape and they talk about how great the weather is and then Kayla just says to them She says where are you guys from? And they said we're from this small town. You probably don't know it. It's Chesterfield, Missouri And Kayla, sir, are you serious go? Yeah. Well, we live in st. Louis we pastor a church. Are you serious? We've been thinking about going to a church when we come back to Chesterfield. We can't wait to try out Twin Rivers Now, let me just say this if you're an unbeliever you look at that and go well, that's just mere coincidence Right. I mean now let's pause and say Statistically speaking. It's quite a coincidence But if you're a believer You go there's no such thing as coincidence That there is a God who orchestrates divine appointments because he loves people and he's trying to connect people That love him and know him to people who desire him that that in fact, there's there's something more to this It's not philanthropic. There's a spiritual thing here years ago I had a mentor who's went around the world seeing miracles Preached in some of the biggest places and spaces and and in one night we was late We were having a conversation just about ministry and he looked out the window of the cars We were driving almost to say unto himself. Not just me. He said Joe

I'm just telling you this thing's more real than we think it is He said there is a spirit world that we cannot see but yet we interact with he said the things we read in scripture We can see in our everyday lives And I'm saying to you that that maybe just maybe the reason you you haven't engaged in this practice It's because all you're seeing is this there's this natural world But there is not just a natural world that when you operate in charity There is a chain reaction of God's goodness that is set on course You and I there's no such thing as in faith once you've stepped into the kingdom You don't realize it but everything you do carry spiritual impact your prayers push back darkness your words create atmospheres Your effort is anointed by the Holy Spirit your ministry matters the things you do. There's a spirit world That's responding to them. And when you get that kind of thinking all of a sudden you recognize I'm not doing something that doesn't matter I'm not just doing community service. This is a supernatural encounter. I'm a part of you realize this. I'm not volunteering I am fulfilling the work of Christ. I'm on mission for a purpose anointed by the Holy Spirit This is not a small thing. This is a supernatural encounter And so what I want to do today is ask this question just this question what happens in the spirit world when we practice Charity. Okay. Here's the first one The first one is this when we tithe we interact with Christ Okay. Now in my opinion tithing is the starting block To God using your life in a greater way now some of you because we come from different places and backgrounds We don't even know what tithe what's tithing? I've heard about it. What's that mean? So let me get quick Here's the biblical definition of tithing tithing is when a person gives the first 10% of their income to God's house Okay. Now now let me say this. It's important that you get this tithing was not a man-made idea It's a God idea. Okay, and that's important because I just want to be upfront God don't need your money. He not poor. He's not owing people that he gave us tithing for this reason This is so important because it's a practice that reorients our hearts Towards his kingdom Okay, so let me just say it this way. You don't realize it. But when you tithe You are making a spiritual declaration in fact a dual

Declaration. Here's the first declaration. You think you're just writing a check you think you're just giving online No, no, no in the spirit world. Here's what happens first when you tithe you are declaring God is first Okay Whatever is your priority is your deity? Okay, what you think about first what you plan for first what what you accommodate first? that's the ruler of your life and the reality is most of us live our lives through a a reality that everything financial is what comes first and So when you and I tithe it's a powerful statement that says this it says God you're first Not not the bill not the responsibility Not not my desires not in a world that's constantly shouting with demands Constantly demanding that the culture says this is how you should use money when you know a life that's constantly pulling on money It's a powerful declaration when you tithe to say God you are first Here's the second declaration when you tithe you are also Simultaneously declaring God you are in control Now this is important because God's number one competitor for control in your life is money Come on, think about it. Everything you do is through a financial filter Who you can become where you go what you do what's possible in your life? Listen as a believer, let's be very clear. The only filter for your life is what God says. He tells you who you are He tells you what's possible. He tells you where you're supposed to go He tells you what you can become and what potential and and so ultimately when we tithe we are saying God you are first and You are in control Okay, now I think we can all agree if you're spiritually declaring God you're first and God you're in control Let's be clear. That's no small thing as a matter of fact, that's a Significant spiritual statement. So what happens in the spirit world when we do that? Well, let me show you Hebrews chapter 7 verse 8 now the context of this scripture is the writer is talking about how The Old Testament was a pattern for how the spirit world works and he's specifically talking about the way we saw Priests operate in the Old Testament gives us a picture of how priests work in the spirit sense or how our high priest Jesus works Okay, so look at this scripture in

The one case the tenth that's the tithe tithe means ten ten So ten percent the tithe is collected by people who die But in the other case by him who is declared living so let me be clear Here's what he's saying. This passage is pointing to in the Old Testament. They would bring part of their crop they would bring their Livestock and they would put it in the hands of a priest and he's saying in one sense You physically put it in the hands of a priest who's gonna die But in another sense, there's a spiritual Act where you've put it in the hands of the one who died and is now living forevermore The Lord Jesus Christ, so so let me you get that you didn't just write a check. You didn't just give online Physically the church receives But spiritually you literally put it in the hands of the Lord. Jesus. That's what it's saying Now, let me just say this It's so clear tithing then is not paying dues It's not keeping God on his good side. God's not a mafia boss. Okay It's not being compliant It is interacting with the Lord Jesus, which tells me this this is so important for some of you Because this is true when I limit God's access to my financial life. I limit the intimacy we can share There's no way that you can hold back a part of your life and expect to have a deeper intimacy with God There's no way around now to be clear. God loves you whether you tithe or not You can go to heaven whether you tithe or not But you cannot have the full intimacy that you desire with Christ holding back a part of your life On the other hand for people who take a bold step and decide God I'm gonna declare By giving the first 10% to your house. I'm gonna declare your first and your encounter You're first and you're in control. Well those folks they have a spiritual encounter where deep down they have a certainty. God is real He's active and working in my life Now years ago Kayla and I were at in Mississippi doing a marriage conference at a church and we were on a panel We're sitting on stage and they would text in questions Most of the questions are very playful and practical. The last question that came in was about

Financial stress in a marriage and so they gave me that question So I started talking about you know Budgets and dead and and just all those things and then something very interesting happened all of a sudden I felt a very very very strong presence of the Lord Now now let me just be clear the Lord can do whatever he wants, but it is not typical that when you are talking about budgeting That it feels like you're deep in worship Okay but all of a sudden the presence Lord is very clear and I felt the Holy Spirit prompt my heart to share my story personal Story about tithing been a part of our church for any time. You've probably heard me share this I'll give you a real quick kind of synopsis. I grew up in rural Appalachia We didn't have much money at all. My mom and dad worked really hard They ended up having great careers, but when I was young that we didn't have much we lived in a borrowed single wide trailer We we I was on a school lunch program My clothes were hand-me-downs My dad's truck was kind of a combination of you know Like Bondo and duct tape and an engine is kind of what it was Okay, and and so very limited Well, if some of you have no idea what that feels like some of you do here's the reality poverty is not a number on A scale it is a mindset that happens to a person and I had it And so as I grew up here's what I back I feared not having enough lived in constant fear and at the same time All I cared about was getting more So it's a duality of kind of fear and greed fear and greed and so you can imagine a heart like that has no Capacity for tithing the idea of giving 10% of my income seemed like the most ridiculous concept ever But the problem was I was a follower of Jesus. So I had a couple of really important conversations With people I respected spiritually and ultimately they kept coming back to this You have not fully surrendered your life to Christ if you're holding back your financial life from him And so I took a huge step Personally became a tither and my faith exploded my love for God's Word exploded My love for his church exploded because I had an interaction with him. That was more than just writing a check Okay, so I shared this as I'm sharing this in this panel. People are weeping. The Spirit of the Lord is touching people's hearts and

So I pray for people we move on in the lobby I'm standing talking to people Kayla start talking to people a guy comes up to me. He is six four He got a big old beard. I mean built and he come up and said I'd like to talk to you and it wasn't a request Okay, he was telling me we were gonna have a conversation, okay, he said I'm I've only been you know I've only been a Christian a little bit of short time. He said, you know my wife, you know he said I served in the military as a Marine and I've got real anger issues and and you know, And and my wife says we need to come to church. And so we came to this marriage conference, but I told her If they talk about money, I'm out And I am just just I'm putting it together anger issues Marine talk about money So I'm kind of like, you know, let's keep talking, you know preparing myself And he said when you start talking about time I got up and I walked down the road and he said but all of the Sudden man, I could feel God And he said and I stayed a little bit longer and before I knew it He said I I heard deep in my heart. I have not surrendered my life to Christ And he said tears started running out and I looked at my wife and I said We've got to tithe and he said Today we gave our very first check to this church now, let me say let me say listen He had had an interaction with the Lord Jesus He he did not buy into a strategy. He was not conceived with the idea of oh I hope I give this and get blessed he had had a moment with Christ Because that scripture is true. And so what I'm saying to you is this ain't fundraising our budgets are good This is about if God has more for you. I don't want you to miss out on it And I felt this in prayer early this morning. Listen, there are some of you who once were tithing Financial stress came in and you stopped and some time has passed and listen to me. You wonder why you're so stale Because you thought it was just writing a check. You thought it was just paying the dues You didn't realize you took it out of the hands of Christ and put it back into your life it is a spiritual act and Those who participated and recognize they are interacting with the Lord Jesus

And so I want to challenge some of you listen, we're good. We don't need your money But you need to know Christ more Okay. Here's the second one. Here's the second one and here's it's not about money so you can breathe Okay, just everybody breathe this one's not about money. Okay number two What happens when we practice charity when we serve? Supernatural activity in Increases now you may not know this but Kayla has impaired vision and you're like we saw she married you we know we know You have to say that. Okay. Listen, so she's very young. She has been nearsighted. She has to have corrective lenses When she has corrective lenses, she can see clearly which without them blurry can't fully get it I think most people when they look at serving They have impaired vision What that what they see is like this is just a community service Yeah, we should do it but it's not that big a deal like I'm not making much of a difference Heaven's lenses correct that and say no no no no no no Supernatural encounters are tied to charity. Let me let me say it this way If you really want to look at the scriptures what you'll find is more Supernatural things are tied to charity than nearly any other practice and I'm gonna show them to you I'm just taking through a bunch of scripture. Let me here's the first one Matthew 25 37 you ready? Then the righteous will answer him Lord We did when did we see that you are hungry and feed you or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you as a stranger or invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go visit you and the Lord Jesus the King he replies truly I tell you whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you did for Me, okay, so I want you to picture this You just get a text Jesus is coming to your house like Jesus is coming and I want you to imagine how you would prepare for him Like some of you it's the only time you're gonna clean but you're gonna clean because Jesus is coming Okay, and and and you're gonna clean you're gonna cook you're gonna you're gonna put yourself together You're gonna be at the door. You're not gonna be like come on in you're gonna be at the door You're gonna usher him it you're gonna embrace him. You're gonna look him in the eye. He's gonna get all your attention

You're not gonna talk over him. But when you do talk, it's gonna be gracious and a girl I mean you are gonna so measure your interaction with him because you recognize this is Jesus. Okay now compare that To how you interact with people at your job Compare that to how you treat people in traffic Compare that to how you treat your neighbors Here's what this passage is saying they're not just people Christ is present. They carry his image, but he's present and Ultimately what this is teaching is is you better remember there's no in the kingdom of God. There's no important people Everybody's important Everybody we treat them as though it is Christ Because spiritually speaking he's right there Okay, let me give you the second one. Here's the second one 1st Corinthians 12 for There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord there are different kinds of working But in all of them and in everyone it is the same help me with these three word God at work now to each one the Manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. So let me say this the the Word manifestation there means to reveal or make evident what's present. Okay, so let me set this way Electricity is Present in this building all the time, but you and I don't with our naked eye. We can't see it running through the wires But when we flip the switch and the lights come on all of a sudden there is a manifestation or what has always been Present is made evident Okay, here's what Paul's writing when you serve when you give When you care when you love on people when you do an act of kindness when you prefer your brother when you do that He said all of a sudden what's always been present The Holy Spirit is made evident in that moment that people walk away and go that wasn't just an interaction human human The Holy Spirit did something it's called the anointing. Let me say it this way

That's why when an elder prays for people and they receive healing We can't teach elders to say prayers that heal people the Holy Spirit's at work in that moment that that's the reason when someone greets at the front door and someone walks in and the lies of Isolation and loneliness roll back that is not because we're so good at opening a door and smiling That is because there's an anointing on that greeter and it's pushing back the lies of the enemy in that moment That is the reason that when someone opens their home as a life group host that marriages are rebuilt Addictions are broken character grows. It's not because your house is so nice It is because there is an anointing of the Holy Spirit in that moment You can't see it, but it's present and when you serve it's made manifest in that moment and something happens spiritually Okay, I got one more for you Hebrews 13 to Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters Sisters, don't forget to show hospitality to strangers. For some of you who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it. Listen, hey, for all ERDCC, listen. Remember those in prison as if you were there yourself. Remember those being mistreated as if you felt their pain in your own bodies. Now listen, this week I got to spend some time with my predecessor, his name's Brian, so Pastor Brian, and we were talking and I asked him about a story I heard him tell a long time ago and he reminded me of it. I'm gonna tell you the story, okay? But let me tell you why I'm telling you the story. I'm telling you the story because I know him, he pastored this church, he is credible. Okay, okay, all right.

So Pastor Brian was on a driver road trip and he pulls into a gas station, he's filling up his car and he sees a woman who seems a little distressed around a vehicle, not a very nice vehicle, and he kind of leans over and he hears her say, the vision's not right, the vision's not right. And he thought, well, that doesn't make a lot of sense to him, but he looked at her windshield, her windshield was very dirty and he assumed, oh, her visibility needs, so he said, I'm gonna help her and he goes and buys a bottle of the windshield wiper fluid and goes over to her and says, ma'am, can I help you? Seems like you need some windshield wiper fluid. She lets him, he opens it, pours it in and then as he's finishing, she gently grabs his hand and she says to him, the vision is not right. Your vision is not right, okay. Now, he said, when I looked in her eyes, they were unlike any eyes I'd ever seen in my life. He said, they were so blue, magnificently blue. He said, I've never seen other eyes like that again. He said, so it just kind of, the visual of it kind of just made me step back and he said, but she said, your vision's not right. He said, there's no way on the world that woman would have known. I had been in a season of prayer and fasting because I felt like God had something he wanted me to do and he said, I felt so much pressure to kind of go in a certain direction in the ministry.

He said, I had settled that I was gonna do this thing, which I didn't love, but I just felt pressure to do and when she said, the vision is not right, he said, I knew she knew I was in that season somehow. He said, it's like we just, he said, I can't explain it and he said, then she gave me some specific instructions that ended up changing the course of the entire vision. He said, I'm doing today what I do based on that moment with her. Okay, now listen, this is where it gets real interesting. He said, I couldn't believe it. He said, so I said, I want you to meet my wife and he said, I walk right around the gas pump, open the door to tell Faith, kind of explain real quick, I want you to meet this woman. He says, when I get up and turn around, the car's gone, the woman's gone, vanish. He said, I am certain, he said, only evidence of this is a half-filled bottle of washer fluid. He said, and Faith probably thought I was crazy, but he said, I am certain I had an encounter with an angel. Okay, now listen, and then he said this, so good. He said, imagine if I hadn't observed her. Yeah, yeah. Everybody wants a supernatural life. They just forget supernatural lives come through serving other people. Everybody wants to be a part of seeing healing in someone's life.

Everybody wants to be there for the moment. God does the thing. They just forget it doesn't present itself. The writer of Hebrews says, did you entertain them without knowing? He's pointing back to the Old Testament. There were two moments in Abraham and Lot's life where they were hosting, serving angels, and they didn't even realize it. Everybody wants a supernatural life, but we forget it comes usually through serving in a very ordinary way. So here, listen, it's time to serve. He said, but I'm busy. Yeah, so am I, and so are we all. You ain't the only busy person on the planet. It's time to serve. Yeah, but I got some things going on in my life. Yeah, so do I, and so does every other person here. Yeah, but I really, I don't have it all together yet. Yeah, great, me either. No, you don't have anyone else. It's time to serve, because I don't want you to miss out on divine encounters that God has for your life, but they come through ordinary acts of service. Okay, here's the last one. Here's the last one. What happens when we practice charity in the spirit world? When we contribute to someone's salvation,

we gain eternal rewards. Several years ago, we were sitting at Kayla's parents' home, and we're sitting at the table, and we're just having a casual conversation, and somehow the topic of wills and estate planning came up. And I know some of you are thinking, I didn't bring it up, because some of you are thinking, man, you're ice cold. You're talking to your mother-in-law about her will. No, it's like, it wasn't that. I think Kayla told a story about the first week we were married, I made her and I go get life insurance. Now, she thought it was the most morbid thing ever, but I wanted to be prepared. Now, listen, there've been some moments where I've been looking over my shoulder to wonder if she's gonna cash in. So I'm just saying, like, she's come around on it. But I will never forget her mother in that moment, disclosed, she goes, oh, we probably need to do that. We've never gotten a will. And she said, I guess we've just been so busy. We've just never focused on it. And in that moment, it's like something erupted in me spiritually where I heard the Holy Spirit say, Joe, that's so many people. They're just so busy. They've never given focus to the fact eternity's coming. You see, you may not realize this,

but this isn't all there's ever gonna be. You're eternal. And what that means is this, is that you will spend trillions of more lives in the next life than this life. As a matter of fact, we say, well, that's the afterlife. No, no, no, this is the before life. When you look at how much time you will spend on the other side of eternity, this is the warmup. That's the performance. Okay, now listen, and most of us have never considered where we're gonna be, but also that the fact that once you make it to heaven, scripture's very clear. There are going to be, it's not just gonna be all of us on like a cloud, little chubby kind of cherub for eternity. It's not like a choir forever. There's another world, scripture says. And we don't fully grasp all of it, but there's commerce and an economy and governance, and it's gonna be a world. And the way God set it up is this. He said, the way you live this life determines what you'll have in the next life. Okay, so let me say it this way. Jesus says, store up for yourselves, nobody else can do it, store up for yourselves treasures in heaven. He says it five times.

Let me give you some deep Bible teaching. When God says something five times, you pay attention. The word store up in the Greek, it means to put away for future use. Okay, now we don't fully understand how it works, but somehow the things we do here are credited to us there, and they will either enhance or diminish our life. Okay, so let me say it this way. When you leave the United States and go in another country, the dollar becomes something else. When you leave life on earth and go into eternity, somehow there's a credit system with what you've done here becomes currency there. And from what we read, it's like the smallest acts. Like some of you think the only person getting eternal reward is me, because I'm preaching. Let me show you a scripture that the person changing a diaper today, it's getting the same reward I'm getting for preaching. Let me show it to you, Matthew 10, 42. And if as my representatives, you even give a cup of cold water to a little child, you will be rewarded. Jesus says, I am paying attention and I record the smallest acts. I record those who drive the golf cart. I record those who clean up after we all leave. I record those who are rocking babies.

I record those who have sent out the coffee. I record those who open their home in a life group. I record those who are mentoring students. I record those who pray with others, who sing, who run the sound, who are holding a camera. I record it all and somehow it's gonna turn into a reward. Okay, now every bit of charity, according to scripture is rewarded, but there is one thing that has the greatest return. And here's what it is, you ready? Reaching people with the gospel. And I'm gonna give you scripture for it. Proverbs 11, 30 says, he who wins souls is wise. Now time out, I get that it's noble. I get that it's godly, but isn't it weird that the scripture would say, he who wins souls is wise. Why is it wise? Jesus tells us, he has a conversation with Peter and I'm gonna show it to you, Matthew 19, 27. Then Peter says to Jesus, we've given up everything to follow you. What will we get? So Peter's saying, I left the fishing business. I'm away from my family. I don't get to see my friends as much as I used to. I'm out here passing out loaves and fishes and we're doing it so people will follow you. What do we get for this, Jesus? And Jesus turns the whole conversation to eternity. Look what he does.

And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or property for my sake. What's my sake? The gospel. We'll receive a hundred times as much in return and we'll inherit eternal life. Jesus says. If you sacrifice for the gospel, someone comes to Christ, it is credited to you a hundred times. Let me give you the ratio. That's a 10,000% return on investment. Okay. So the reason he who wins souls is wise is because he who wins souls gets the greatest interest on his effort. But there's one more reason. He who wins souls is wise. Wisey-wise, greatest return on investment, and every person you win, you get to spend eternity with in heaven. You ever been around somebody and think, man, I really like them. Make sure they're in heaven. Man, I love spending time with that guy. I just enjoy. Make sure they're in heaven. I can't stand them. Make sure they're in heaven. So this week, you got some credit to your account. If you are financially supporting or volunteering students,

we had our first week of Summer Blast. 208 elementary kids were on this campus all week. It's wonderful. That's week one. Week two is getting ready to start. And same number of kids, another 200 plus kids will be coming in. And first of all, let me say that many of the kids who come to this camp are, it is their first experience with Twin Rivers. They're not all our kind of church family. And they do a tedious job through the groups to really make sure that kids know what they're committing to. I've already heard stories of kids who received a Bible for the first time, read a Bible for the first time. But after kind of thoroughly looking at it, what the report is is 62 kids chose to follow Jesus for the first time this week, 62 kids. And remember, remember, they all come for free because of your generosity. Okay, so there's been a lot of credits going on your accounts this week in heaven, if you're a tither here. But I want to also take a moment to say, amazing group of volunteers, men and women who give up their, absolutely, they give up their whole, some people took vacation, some people giving up their first week of the summer.

I mean, here early in the morning to late in the evening to do this. And as they came to the end of the week, they're all kind of just feeling such a great, but one of them, his name's Tyler. Tyler attends our Jefferson County campus. He just put a Facebook post, kind of a reflective post of the week. And I just thought you need to see this. This is Tyler's post. He says, I was talking to my dad last night about life. And he said to me, Tyler, I've seen and witnessed you do a lot of things in your life, from growing up to wrestling in the state finals, to enlisting in the army. Come on, Tyler, thank you for your service. To deploying and coming home multiple times, from being shot in Afghanistan, working all over and traveling for the Department of State. You got your helicopter's license. You coach the kids in sports and the list goes on. But notice what his dad says. But I'd have to say you doing what you did this week might be the most proud I've ever been. Now that's a lot, but now I want you to see what Tyler said. He said, it hit me hard. I've done a lot of things in my life, but what real positive impact has it had on others? Then notice he said, this past week,

I had a class of 21 kiddos, nine, 10 and 11 year olds, at Summer Blast, and this has hit Tyler's words. It was the most fulfilling thing I've done in my life. More thrilling than flying a helicopter. More purposeful than being enlisted in the military. More rewarding than winning state competitions. You say, how's that true? Because he's not at a camp. He's part of a spiritual encounter. Because he's not volunteering. He is partnering with the Holy Spirit to change eternities. He recognizes this is more than anything I've ever done before. Because there's a spirit world, and the smallest acts of charity are changing lives in eternities.