Living A Generous Life
Better Together - Part 6
Koinonia (Fellowship) is translated: Community (Phil. 2:1 MSG) Participation (1 Cor. 10:16 NIV) Contribution (Rom. 15:26 NIV) Generosity (2 Cor. 9:13 GW)
I. WHY BE GENEROUS?
1. IT CREATES COMMUNITY
“Your generosity... not only provides for the needs of God’s people, but also produces prayers of
thanksgiving to God.”
2 Cor. 9:11-12 (GW)
“Your heart will be wherever your treasure is.”
Matt. 6:21 (NCV)
“The community of believers... shared everything in common.”
Acts 4:32 (NAB)
2. IT DEFEATS MATERIALISM
“You cannot serve both God and money.”
Matt. 6:24 (NIV)
3. IT STRENGTHENS MY FAITH
“Your giving proves the reality of your faith...”
2 Cor. 9:13 (Ph)
“Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”
2 Cor. 9:6 (NIV)
Three lessons to be generous as:
1. God wants you to remember that he is the source of everything you’ve got
2. God can take it all away from you in an instant, or he could double it, because he’s got the power.
3. God doesn’t need your money. He just wants you to learn to be unselfish and generous. He wants to develop your faith.
“God is able to make it up to you by giving you everything you need and... plenty left over to give joyfully to
others.”
2 Cor. 9:8 (LB)
4. IT’S AN INVESTMENT FOR ETERNITY
“Use your worldly resources to benefit others... In this way, your generosity stores up a reward for you in heaven.”
Luke 16:9 (NLT)
“Tell the rich to use their money to do good... giving happily to those in need, always being ready to share with
others whatever God has given them. By doing this they will be storing up real treasure for themselves in heaven--
the only safe investment for eternity! And they will be living a fruitful Christian life down here as well.”
1 Tim. 6:18-19 (Liv)
5. IT BLESSES ME IN RETURN
“Give generously ... and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in
all your work and in everything you put your hand to.”
Deut. 15:10 (NIV)
Luke 6:38, Pr. 3:9-10, Pr. 11:25, Ps. 112:5-6
6. IT PRODUCES HAPPINESS
“There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.”
Acts 20:35 (GN)
7. IT MAKES ME MORE LIKE GOD
“We all live off God’s generous bounty, gift after gift after gift.”
John 1:16 (Mes)
You can give without love, but you can't love without giving.
“Everything we have has come from you Lord, and we can only give you what is yours already!”
1 Chron. 29:14 (LB)
“You will be glorifying God through your generous gifts.”
2 Cor. 9:13 (NLT)
II. HOW CAN I PRACTICE GENEROSITY?
“If you’re really eager to give, it isn’t important how much you are able to give.”
2 Cor. 8:12 (NLT)
“You must make up your own mind as to how much you should give. Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pres-
sure. For God loves the person who gives cheerfully.”
2 Cor. 9:7 (NLT)
• give thoughtfully
• give enthusiastically
• give voluntarily
• give cheerfully
“Celebrate the Harvest Festival, to honor the Lord, by bringing Him a freewill offering in proportion to the bless-
ing He has given you.”
Deut. 16:10 (GN)
“Remember the generosity of Jesus Christ, the Lord of us all. He was rich beyond our telling, yet he became poor
for your sake so that his poverty might make you rich.”
2 Cor. 8:9 (Ph)
“...We are saved because Jesus... out of sheer generosity moved to save us...”
Acts 15:11 (Mes)
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