Abounding Grace

Host (Male): With this biblical challenge to do good to all, here is Pastor Ed.

Pastor Ed Taylor: Do good to all, especially those of the household of faith. So do good to all as you live with eternity in mind, as you sow to the Spirit, as you live knowing that things will outlast you. You're not living for today. You're not living for this world. You're not getting caught up in the system. You're not laying up for yourselves treasures on earth, but in heaven, like Jesus said in Matthew 6. As you're choosing not to grow weary, just keep doing good and broaden it. Practice, especially on those of the household of faith, but don't let it stop at the household of faith. Do good to all.

Host (Male): We're on the home stretch in our study of Galatians here on Abounding Grace. Glad you joined us. We'll meet up with Pastor Ed Taylor in chapter six in just a moment.

If someone were to describe you and how you handle your finances, what do you suppose they'd say? Perhaps stingy or a hoarder? Or would they say you're generous and giving? Today, we'll see that sharing and giving is an important part of the Christian life, and when we don't, it's actually a mockery to God. Here's Pastor Ed with part two of Grace Leads to Generosity.

Pastor Ed Taylor: The Lord has called me in the ministry life for my life. He has called me to be a pastor. You would call that vocational. You might hear that word. My vocation is a pastor. I have a responsibility to lead this church. I don't like the phrase, but we've got to use it because you'll understand it: my job is to be a pastor. That's my full-time, 80-hours-a-week or whatever it is. That's my job seven days a week. I'm a pastor. That is what God has called me to do.

As a pastor, I have a job description. Now, over the years, people have emailed me thinking they know my job description, but the Bible gives me the job description. It's actually not as complicated as you might think. Here's my job description in Acts chapter 6, verse 2: "The twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, 'It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word.'"

That's my job description. I need to give myself continually to prayer and the ministry of the word of God, which includes studying, putting messages together, and teaching them, and then exercising my gift of leadership over the team that He's given me. We have other pastors here. The church hasn't always been large. We started out very small, and when we were small, I had a job. I worked, and I enjoyed my job. I was very successful in what I was doing.

I worked, and then I also began planting the church because part of my calling in life was to be a church planter. So I planted the church and I went to work. I worked all day to provide for the needs of my family, and then God was using us to start the church here as it grew. God has now, because the church has grown, provided more than just me as a pastor. We have many, many pastors and many people on our team. Although we have a very light staff, we have a very powerful staff.

When it says, "Let him who is taught the word share in all good things," this is what's happening: when you give to the life of your local church, you are supporting those who are serving you in ministry. Let me give you our perspective. It started with me, but then all of us—anyone that receives a paycheck from the church here—here's the thing: we live by faith. We live by faith. We don't know what a week's going to bring. We don't know what the giving's going to bring.

We don't know how the economy does good or doesn't do good. We live by faith. If anything happened in the church—anything happened ever, financially something happened—although, let me just say before I get there: I've been here 26 years, and this church is a faithful-giving church. We have never had a need ever go unmet. Not only that, God has not only met every one of our needs, but He's also given us a few wants along the way.

I remember when it was just a thought in my mind that God impressed that we would have a radio station. Now, when I started finding out how much they cost, I thought, "Okay, I don't think we're ever going to do that." But guess what? Two stations later and years ministering to this city, what a great gift this church has given to the city through Grace FM. It's an amazing gift. That is through the faithful giving of all these years, all the believers that have ever come through here. My family, this is where we tithe. This is where we give. This is our church.

We collectively get to be a part of that. Living by faith, we don't know what a week's going to bring. If every one of the guys and girls that have joined our team left a job—they were all already working and already serving, and then they took this job—most of us when we took a position here, we took far less than we were making in the world because it wasn't about the money. It was about serving the Lord. Now, your faithfulness provides for the needs of families, and we live by faith. We live by faith not trusting that you will give but trusting that God will provide.

There's no pressure on you. That's really how God puts it. He says if you don't want to give, don't give. God says that in His word. If you want to give grudgingly, don't give. That's not the point. The point is not like if the church tanked somehow or something happened. You know what we would do? We would go get a job because we already know how to work. So we'd go get a job, and I'm pretty confident that those that are serving here, as we would all go get a job, that they would still continue to serve the needs of this church. They're not here for a job.

We'll go get a job, provide for the needs of my home, and then continue to serve the Lord because we've already done that. We've already been there. Of course, I love it when I'm bringing someone on the team and they're in the final interview. I look them in the eye and say, "You understand if something happens, we're all going to go get a job." "Yes, it's no problem." "And you understand since you're the last person hired, you're the first one to go get a job."

But you know also through the years that has never happened. That's never happened. Your giving puts turkeys on people's tables. Your giving—I mean, we don't publicize this kind of stuff because God gets the glory. I don't want to go through a list of everything. Your giving does so much for the community that you won't even find out until you're in heaven. You'll be like, "What?" Somebody up there is going to thank you. You'll go, "What are you thanking me for?" "You don't understand. That sacrificial gift that you prayed over with your kids and you offered, it got me through the week."

Paul's very clear here: you need to share. Giving is part of it. Then notice the context in verse seven: don't be deceived; God is not mocked. The context for this specifically is in your giving and sharing. Don't be deceived that if you don't give or share—don't be deceived—that's a mockery to God. You say, "How, Pastor?" Well, God has been so good to us, and we choose with what God has done for us to not express His love. It's a mockery of Christianity.

We can understand now sometimes why the world is just so skeptical, where the world just doesn't believe us when we say something, where it takes a long time to build their trust because so many have been burned. And we've been burned. It's not like just them out there. We've been burned by believers. We've been burned with hard hearts. We've been burned with people that said they were a Christian and didn't act like it. We've all been burned.

But don't be deceived. This is a serious issue. Don't lie to yourself thinking it's not a big deal because here's the principle in verse seven: whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. Now, I want you to think of that in light of giving for a second, not in the idea of "I give so I can get something from God" as it's all been twisted around. Don't think that way. But I want you to think this way: if you really believe sowing a seed of selfishness or sowing a seed of greediness or stinginess is going to get you anything other than greed, stinginess, and selfishness, you're deceived.

If you sow an apple seed—I don't know if you plant apple trees with seeds, let's just say you do—so an apple seed is for a tree for apples. What do you expect when that grows up? Watermelons? Are you mad? "I can't believe it! We're taking these seeds back to Lowe's because it said apples on there, but I expected watermelons." They're actually not even going to talk to you because that doesn't even make sense. I don't know what you're thinking, but it says there's a picture right here of what you expect, and this is what I got. It looks just like the picture.

If you sow that seed, nobody in their right mind expects something else. Nobody. You've got to be not thinking clearly that if you're going to plant watermelons, you don't expect an oak tree out of them. You expect watermelons. It's the same in Christianity. If you think what you're sowing you're going to get back something else, you're deceived. It's not true.

If you have tight fists with what God has entrusted to you, don't you think God is going to pour anything else? Financial, with your gifts and talents? I think of just all the super amazing, talented, gifted, smart people in our church, but you're just going to hold all that training and hold all that to yourself? You're not walking in the Spirit. That's the whole summary of chapters five and six because he gets to that in verse eight: "He who sows to his flesh..." When you don't give, you're fleshly, just as much as when you're angry, in outbursts of wrath, just as much as when you are in jealousies, just as much as when you're in selfish ambitions, drunkenness, partying.

When you don't give and share, especially with those in your own local church—those that teach you in the word, those that show up at the hospital and minister to you, those that will officiate your weddings, those that do your baby dedications, those that are serving you spiritually—when you don't share, you're fleshly. It's harder to say, "I'm in the flesh" than it is to say, "I just don't feel like giving." It's sinful. The idea that you think everything is just going to be blessed and you're just going to have a carefree life when you're in the flesh—well, he says this: if you sow to the flesh, you're going to reap corruption.

When you sow to the flesh, you're going to reap corruption. It's just going to die on the vine. Everything's just going to die. Corruption reminds me of what Jesus said about the devil when He said that the devil doesn't come except to kill, steal, and destroy. That's what I think of corruption: destruction. When you're in the flesh, you're just cooperating with the enemy. Nothing good's going to come out of it. Nothing.

However, verse 8: when I sow to the Spirit, I'm going to reap everlasting life. I'm actually going to enjoy my newfound faith in Christ because I realize God has allowed me to live my life my own way all this time, and now I can freely live my life and enjoy it. I can just trust Him for everything. He's worthy of my trust. This sowing and reaping then can also be broadened to all things. If I sow kindness, I can expect kindness. If I sow generosity, I can expect... Whatever seed I desire to sow, I can expect it back from the Lord.

He's going to take care of it. If I look at the fruit of the Spirit, I can see it: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. When I'm sowing these in my life, I can expect them to surround me. When you sow generously, you'll reap generously. Don't be deceived. Don't be misled. Don't mock God. I know you may not have considered that in your life, but God wants you to consider it. God is not mocked.

"I'm not trying to mock God." I would believe you if you said that. I wouldn't try to say you're trying to mock Him. I believe you with your motives, but the reality is even with good motives, you can do bad things. Did you know that? Even with the best of motives, you can still do bad things. "I didn't really mean to do that." I know you didn't mean to do that, but you did, and God's not going to be mocked by our lives.

Then He says in verse 9: "Let us not grow weary in well-doing." Let's not grow weary while doing good. Let's pause there for a second. We're going to get into more in this verse next time, but let's just pause there for a second and consider the context. Let us not grow weary in well-doing. What's the well-doing? Walking in the Spirit, fighting the flesh, loving people, helping people, serving people, giving of my finances and my time and my energy. He says in all of that, don't grow weary.

So what that tells me is usually we start out well, but over time, we get tired. We often think about getting tired about difficulties and hardships. That's true, but you can equally get tired doing good. I'm going to develop that this week. Just last night as I was teaching this, I thought, "Man, that has to be a Bible study all itself." So you can pray for me. I'm going to put it together this week on just this verse, where we just have to pause and consider, because we get a lot of attention on trials and difficulties making us weary, but it's also can be weary doing good.

I'll give you some reasons for that this week, but the Bible just says don't grow weary because in due season, verse 9, we shall reap if we don't lose heart. What Paul's really saying is there is a time, an appointed perfect time, where you'll enjoy all the good that you've done. That's not your motive. Your motive's not to do good to get good. Your motive's to do good to honor God, to walk in the Spirit, to enjoy life. But God is telling you there is a season coming where you're going to reap the benefits of all the good that you've done. Just don't lose heart. Don't give up. Don't quit because there is a season.

Notice verse 10: "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all." So it started out with him who teaches you, and now he closes with, "Oh yeah, do good to all." This is for everyone. Do good to all, especially those of the household of faith. So do good to all as you live with eternity in mind, as you sow to the Spirit, as you live knowing that things will outlast you. You're not living for today. You're not living for this world. You're not getting caught up in the system. You're not laying up for yourselves treasures on earth but in heaven, like Jesus said in Matthew 6.

As you're choosing not to grow weary, just keep doing good and broaden it. Practice, especially on those of the household of faith. But don't let it stop at the household of faith. Do good to all. Here's what I see in this: when you are especially doing good to each other, it's like we get to practice on each other as Christians. We get to practice on each other because we're born again, and although we're not perfect and we might have problems and difficulties, we get to practice on one another. We get to make mistakes with one another because in the church, you're going to have more grace, more love, more forgiveness.

We get to practice on doing good to one another because when we get into the world—and you live most of our lives in the world—we're here 90 minutes, we're here a couple of times a week, but we live in the world. We're in this world, we're not of this world, but when you practice on one another, when you're loving one another, when you're paying attention to one another, when you're praying for one another, when you're talking to a relative stranger—although you're not a stranger, you just don't know each other yet in the body of Christ—they're not strangers, just some long-lost brother or sister you never met yet. You're going to meet them eventually.

It's going to make you stronger to do good to all. So when he says especially the household of faith, there's a priority there, but there's also a blessing there. So again, we've been looking at this. If you just come in and out of church all the time, you don't meet anyone, you're just here for the Bible study: "I was just here to be fed the word, Ed." Well, if you're really being fed the word, then you're going to do the word. When you do the word, you don't leave so quickly, or you come early, or you see on someone's face that they're obviously going through it and you just stop and you pay attention to them.

You greet them and you love them. Why? Because you're going to meet so many other people. You're going to meet so many other people in this world that need the love of Jesus that are hardened, skeptical, angry. You're just going to have to learn how to get around the hurt and the pain in their lives so that you can do good to them as well. It's not always anonymously. You can start anonymously, you know. You can just start doing things and just leave a gift card on your co-worker's desk and don't say anything, just say, "God bless you." Now, if you did that, they'd probably know it's you, so do something else.

As you're doing good to all, you know your motive is to honor the Lord. Why? Because this singular reason: you realize how much God loves you, and you're blown away by it. Who are you actually? Who am I that would deserve the love of God? Who am I that He would pause on me? I'm just a sinner. I'm just someone that was ruining and wrecking my life. Who are you exactly as someone that God chose and even this special word in the Bible: elected? You, to be in a relationship with Him.

How can that not change you? How can that not change your perspective as you meditate on the love of God? So when we leave here today, you can say with confidence: it's the love of God that compels me and constrains me and moves me. Whenever I let people start to get to me and I get frustrated with situations and things in my life, I have forgotten about the love of God, that He's allowed this, that He's going to use it, that nothing's wasted, that I'm His. I belong to Him.

He can do whatever He wants with my life. Whatever He wants. I don't have to agree with it, although most of the time I actually do agree with Him. But there are those things that we don't agree with from time to time: those pains, those difficulties, those hardships, those long trials. But I don't even have to agree with Him. I can just obey Him and serve Him so that my little life, moved by His great love, will continue to make a difference in the world.

That's where Paul's at. Be faithful givers, but start giving to a church. Giving to your local church is what I like to call a slam dunk. It takes very little to no effort to give to your local church. You can even now these days with our online giving—so many of you—you can set it up to do it automatically. Perhaps money is just one of those things you fear. Even today, you might be struggling, and this message hits. I'm not asking you to do anything other than obey the Lord. Just seek the Lord and obey Him. He'll tell you what to do.

The Bible couldn't be clearer that if we're having a hard time giving to our local church, I promise you you're having a hard time doing good to others. I promise you that you hold back, that you're skeptical yourself and that you're not moved by the Spirit and obedience quickly, because He gives us these easy things to do so when the hard thing comes, you'll obey. "But Ed, it's hard for me to give right now." It's actually not as hard as you think because God has been so gracious to you, so good, so faithful, and He'll supply all of your need according to His riches in Christ Jesus, 100%.

Host (Male): What you heard today on Abounding Grace is part of Pastor Ed Taylor's series taken from the book of Galatians. You can hear it again online at aboundinggraceradio.com or wherever you get your podcasts. We also have an app that makes listening to Pastor Ed easy to do on your mobile devices. Search for Calvary Church.

We'd really like to hear from you this summer. It's helpful to know how these studies are impacting your life, and that would be a real encouragement to Pastor Ed and the team. If you're in need of prayer, please leave your prayer requests as well. There's a place to contact us at aboundinggraceradio.com.

Abounding Grace is supported by listeners just like you, and we're grateful for those that come alongside us with either a one-time gift or ongoing support. We'd like to say thanks today for a gift of $25 or more by sending you the Jesus Person Promise Book by David Wilkerson.

When you're dealing with a personal or spiritual problem, where do you turn? If you're wise, you'll open the word, and the Jesus Person Promise Book highlights over 800 promises in the word arranged topically. That makes it super easy to find the specific promise that relates to the problem you're experiencing. It's available to our Abounding Grace listeners when you support the ministry with a gift of $25 or more. So call us at 877-30-GRACE or visit our e-store at calvaryco.store. Amen. Come back next time when we'll continue our study of God's word with Pastor Ed. That's right here on Abounding Grace.

Announcer: Abounding Grace is brought to you by Calvary Church, Colorado, here in Aurora.