You are invited to step out of fear and into the abundance God has prepared for you by surrendering your life and resources to His kingdom. Take a bold step of obedience today, whether that means giving financially or giving your heart to Jesus, and watch how He moves. Trust that He delights in your thriving and will use you to change the world around you.
I believe I have a word for you. I'm not gonna take a long time in preliminaries. Thank you for coming. Thank you for just being my family. You're "my tribe".
It's it's been something I have looked for my whole entire life, and you're it. Thank you. The title of my message today is radical generosity. **radical generosity**. Now, when you talk about the subject of money in church, it receives all kinds of reactions.
Right? And let me tell you this. Let me let me back up just half a second. When I started preparing this message, I probably have about 2 hours worth of stuff to say. I thought you'd laugh, but you must really know me.
My guys on Wednesday night, I can go in there with just 2 or 3 sentences in my head, and I go 25 minutes pretty easily. Yeah. There's I got 1 amen there, Joe. Thank you, Joe. But Friday morning about 03:00, I woke up and used the bathroom and laid back down and I couldn't go back to sleep and I felt like God was started to tell me what I was supposed to share and what I was not supposed to share.
So I feel like it's a very direct word and I was it is pretty specific. So I'm gonna follow my notes a little bit more than what I like to do, but I'm gonna do that on purpose just FYI. But when we talk about money in churches, you end up having a lot of reactions. And it's often because preachers and pastors have abused the truth and some some preachers believe and teach that God wants you to be rich and your spirituality is actually determined by how many possessions you have or how much money you have. And I don't know what's farther from the truth except maybe the opposite of that.
There are preachers that teach being poor is a measure of your spirituality. And both are very, very wrong. Neither are true. And so I'd like us to hear today the heart of the Lord. He tells us to pray on earth as in heaven.
Right? And can I tell you there that's just okay? If I'm praying heaven on earth, can I tell you that there's just not a lack in heaven? Say it again. There's not a lack in heaven.
So if we're supposed supposed to pray heaven on earth, that means that we are supposed to be thriving and we shouldn't be wringing our hands in anxiety or fear of where my next meal is coming from or how am I gonna pay my mortgage. God's desire is for us to abound. *2 Corinthians-9:8*. Think that they'll put it on the screen for you. This is very wordy, but it's it's very good.
**God is able** to make all grace abound towards you that you always have all *sufficiency* in all things may have an *abundance* for every good work. Now, I love the thought of having abundance. It's been several months ago Gabe told a story about a preacher, evangelist that didn't have any money. He had spoken at this specific church, and he was sitting in a hotel room, and he didn't have money to pay for a train ticket to go to the next place. You remember that story?
I love to hear these type stories. He draws a line in the sand and says, God, okay, I'm gonna sit here and wait till you decide to you provide. Right? And that was amazing thought. And I love those stories.
And I have been on the receiving side of some of those stories before in my life. Have you? But can I tell you? I wanna be the person knocking on the door. Abound into all good works.
*Abundance*. I love to hear those stories. But we've been designed and designed to thrive in this abundance. Again, verse 8, God is able to make all grace abound to you that you are always having all sufficiency and all things may have an abundance for every good work. Verse 10, now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and multiply the seed that you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness.
You don't think I can have say a whole message without doing righteous a little bit. This concept pastor David has preached several times in the last few months, bread and sowing seed. The Lord provides bread for us to consume and he provides seed seed to be sown. Right? And I think the church has typically done a pretty good job modeling and teaching *generosity*, but not always doing quite as well teaching on what it like what it looks like to be a good steward.
*Steward* of bread. If you plant bread, it doesn't grow. Facts. But it's equally as foolish to eat your seed. Discerning what the Lord has given you that's going to increase your future harvest, that's seed.
And bread is for personal consumption to the glory of God. God delights in the abundance for you. He delights in abundance and provides bread for consumption. And in the context of being a good steward, it is not selfish to consume what God has given you. But it is selfish to eat the seed and it's actually pretty dumb.
Right? I didn't think I was gonna get to share this, but this is something that David started talking to me 7, 8 years ago about this. He said he has seen prophetically what is coming for real church. That we were gonna have very successful people, doctors, attorneys, businessmen, that are going to affect the kingdom through finance. Man, I thought I'd get an amen on that 1.
I mean, don't you wanna be successful? Don't you wanna change the kingdom? Don't you wanna be able to give and see the work of God being pushed throughout the whole our whole county, our whole state, and our whole nation, and then to the world? It does take money to do that. Right?
That's part of it for sure. And so to recognize that some of you are fulfillment to his dream, vision, prophecy, whatever you wanna call it. Some of you are supposed to be those guys and girls. A couple years ago, I was on a fast and I was realizing my life is probably 2 thirds over. Right?
I probably have another third if normal time frame works. And I was praying about, God, what is the last third of my life? What does it look like? And 1 of those things that I felt that he really impressed on me was that I was going to help finance the kingdom. And Gabe Mullins, being Gabe Mullins, he has the way of just talking to me and he'll say 1 little line.
It's just like, bam. Like, wow. Okay. Yeah. So he has the Holy Spirit.
So I'm talking to Gabe this this 1 day. I'm sitting on my porch out back and I'm like, yeah, I really feel like the next season of my life, I'm going to be able to make the ability have the ability to give millions of dollars to the *kingdom* that fast. No no hesitating. Millions? He said, James says, you can do that yourself.
Why not hundreds of millions? Oh, okay. *Faith*. But over the course of the next few weeks of this fast, God impressed on me, showed me, and put it inside of me that it's done. That's who I get to be as I spit.
Sorry. That's who I get to be. That's part of the purpose to be able to walk out hundreds of millions of dollars. I don't have hundreds of millions of dollars, but I'm gonna be able to do it. I don't know how.
I don't care how. And maybe I'm Abraham. Maybe that I will only see it in my mind, but it's done. But maybe it's my kids. My kids' kids.
My I don't know, but it's done because I walk in this understanding. He showed it to me and I'm gonna believe it. Can you believe for that for yourself too? Yes. The testimony is a heritage.
He he teaches this all the time. Pastor David is so good about teaching us the biblical truths. Your heritage is the testimonies from other people. Do you feel that stirring in your heart? Are you 1 of these guys?
Are you 1 of these gals that are supposed to be able to change the world through finances? Say it again. Are you 1 of the guys or 1 of the gals that are supposed to change the world through finance?
Yes. Can
I tell you it's gonna be bigger than what you think? Are you okay with that? Can I do more than I can ask or even think? Can I ask you to just open up your mind today and say, God, whatever you want, however you wanna do it, I I I surrender? So to talk about money and the love of money, again, it it creates a lot of friction sometimes when in when in church.
Because we've heard preachers manipulate and twist to control, but there's also people in the church, not looking at any of you obviously, but there's people in the church that have twisted and manipulated money, the bible to to control how you give. So there's dysfunction on both sides. That's right. And can I tell you, it's demonic? Today, I hope we can expose the devil and see and hear truth.
The bible has over 2,350 verses. That's a lot. 2,350 verses that discuss money, wealth, or possessions. That to me indicates that financial matters are pretty significant to God. But a lot of people say, you talk about money people start feeling uncomfortable.
Can I give you a difficult truth? The people who feel uncomfortable when money is talked about at church usually are the ones that aren't tithing. The people who feel uncomfortable when money is talked about, they're not good stewards with their money. The ones who feel uncomfortable when money is talked about at church are generally the people who have a love of money in their hearts and they're not being radically generous. They'll say things like, why is God?
Or why is the church always after my money? Mashed up. Why does God want my money? I got a "heavy revvy". David loves heavy revvies.
I got a heavy revvy for you this morning. God does not want your money. He wants your heart. He doesn't need your money. He's got the cattle of 1000 hills.
He's got it all owns he owns it all. He wants your heart. Matthew-6:21 says, for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. You can't love God with all your heart if your heart is found where your money is. *Matthew-6:24*.
This 1 hurts a little or potentially could hurt a little bit. It says, no 1 can **serve 2 masters** for either you will hate the 1 and love the other or he will be devoted to the 1 and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money. When you love money, you can't love God. You will serve the 1 and hate the other.
Another heavy revvy back to back. When you love money, you hate God. Well, that kind of went over like what kind of like I expected. A lead balloon. The word money in this passage comes from the word mammon.
*Mammon is the evil spirit* that rests upon money. When you love money, love the spirit that's upon money. Mammon is the Assyrian god for riches and Mammon tries to convince you that you don't need God, just need more money. This happened to Judges. He had the love of money in his heart and he attempted to sell Jesus to the pharisees for a bag of silver.
First timothy *1 timothy-6:1* says, for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Now, how many of us have heard someone say, money is all money is the root of all evil? And sadly, most of those people who say that don't have any money, which is why they say that. Money is not evil. Money is actually neutral.
Money is neither good nor bad. It's how you use the money, what you what the purpose is that you give it that determines whether you use it for good or for bad. But the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. That phrase love of money comes from the Greek word, means a strong desire for riches and extreme greed. When you love money, you will struggle with greed.
*Greed* sounds like, well, I won't be happy until I get that next thing. Let me ask you this. Where does greed what does great greed sound like in your life? It maybe sound like I have a house, man, if I had just a bigger house, I'd be happy. I have a car, but if I had that nicer car, I'd be even happier.
I have a job, but if I can make some more money, then I would be happy. It's really difficult to hear the voice of God when all you hear is voice of greed. Oh, I just wish I had a little more. I just need a little more. The word root in that passage actually in the Greek is, means offspring.
So this is saying when you love money, you give birth to evil. My personal definition of love of money is when you love the idea of what money can do for you more than you love God. Have you ever thought about this before? If I could just make just a little bit more money, I won't be so stressed. If I could just make a little bit more money, I wouldn't be anxious all the time.
I could be able to pay my bills. If I could just have a little bit more money, I could have peace of mind. If I could just save a little bit more money for retirement, then I'd be okay. What you have done is you've made the love of money your God. Because you've said my peace, my joy, my lack of stress, or my lack of anxiety is contingent upon making more money.
That's right.
You made money your Lord. And when you serve money or you love money, you can't love God. Now, in this room, there is no shame. But there are some of you that have struggled with this, and you have not been a "good steward" up into this point. You have failed and you made some mistakes over and over.
And the enemy is whispering in your ear right now, you're such a failure when it comes to money. You're never gonna be able to dig out of the hole that you've gotten yourself into. Everybody just shout with me. "Shame. Go."
Shame. Go. "That's not who you are." That's not who you are. Amen.
That's not who you are. God is inviting you this morning to walk in radical generosity, to have good stewardship, to make good decisions, and turn away from the love of money. Yeah. Let's look at Ecclesiastes-5:10, what it says about money. It says, those that love money never have enough.
*Hebrews-13:5 says, keep your life free from the love of money and be content with what you have for he has said, I will never leave you* or forsake you. Isn't that an amazing promise? Yeah. When you love money, you believe that Jesus is not enough. If everything was taken away from you, if you never made any more money, if your house was gone, if your cars were gone, but you're reminded of that promise, the Lord will never leave you nor forsake you, Would that be enough?
Or is your joy and your peace like, I'm so thankful for Jesus, but I need a little more x. But I I I want a little bit more of this. That's the love of money. Are you content knowing that if everything else was gone and all you had was the knowledge that Jesus would never leave you or forsake you? Is that enough?
*Mark-4:8* says, there are these that are the ones sown among the thorns, are the ones who hear the word and the cares of the world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word and becomes unfruitful. When you hear the word of God, it is choked out of your life. It's suffocated out of your life because when the love of money You start thinking, well, God's not gonna provide for me this time. You forget about the promises of the Lord. You forget that he is enough.
You forget that he will never leave you nor forsake you. And the word of God gets suffocated because you're hearing other voices. It says you're gonna be unfruitful. So when you love money, when you have the love of money, you become unfruitful. You don't have the fruit of the spirit.
When you love money, you start calling your stuff fruit. You start like, oh, God just bless my few my bless my fruit. Look at my car. No. That's just your car.
That's not your fruit. Oh, look at my house. God bless my fruit. It's just a thing. That's just a possession.
The fruit of the Lord is love, peace, joy, kindness, meekness, long suffering, gentleness. When you love money, you're unfruitful. When you love money, you give to get. You expect God or someone to acknowledge what you've done and to thank you for what you've done. Can I tell you a little story about myself and it tells on me a little bit?
But many years ago, I gave $25,000 to help a friend plant a church in Dallas Fort Worth. But I gave with the expectation that I was gonna receive something in return. I can't I never said it, but I kinda expected they'd put a plaque, you know, in the vestibule that says, look how good Bart is. And it was an actually in a season of my life where I was giving 50% of everything that I made, was giving back to the church or to people. But I had this expectation.
You can't out give God. He's gonna bless me. Boy, I can't wait to see what he's gonna do. Can I tell you 1 of the most freeing prayers that I have ever prayed in my whole entire life was, God, you owe me nothing? If you never bless me again with a single dollar, I will always be in your debt.
That's right. Today, to have that understanding. I can't do it. I can't do this. You owe me nothing and I'm completely dependent on you.
But I know he will never leave me nor forsake me. We're the crying church. Right? The bible says that the those that have the love of money aren't good stewards. The love of money says it's mine.
A good says a good steward says it's not mine and it will never be mine and it's always the Lord's. *Psalms-24:1* says, the earth is the Lord and everything in it. So when you love money, will hate stewardship. You won't like to budget. You won't like to use it to multiply.
You're gonna walk in fear. You will not like to give because you're saying it's mine. I don't wanna do those things. The love of money resists good stewardship. And today, I mean, we could talk for hours just on good stewardship and I don't have time to do that.
But I would invite you if you struggle with good stewardship, 1 of the things that are just a very basic principle or a basic information to be able to get and start a plot of your life is Dave Ramsey. I don't have any I don't have any benefit to tell you that. Don't have any financial benefit. Dave Ramsey, he has an old book that I read probably 25 years ago, Financial Peace. You probably get on eBay or 2 or $3.
If you're look if you're struggling with good stewardship, find something Dave or someone else. I think Ed Cohen was another 1 out of New Orleans. Somebody that's gonna help teach you good stewardship. If And you're struggling, come talk to me. I'd love to chat with you and I I'd be happy to share what I believe that God says about stewardship.
About 2 and a half years ago, real church, we started a covenant membership. Right? And we, Dixie and I, actually were in Belize and we were coming back home. And we had been I had been walking in the understanding of I am the righteous of God in Christ Jesus for about a year. And so it it had transformed my life and I wanted to be a covenant member of real church, but I didn't believe in tithing.
And so I talked to pastor David, told him what I believe. He told me what he believes, and I'm I didn't really believe that. And he said, man I said, I really wanna be a covenant member. He said, man, hate that you're not going to be. We're real.
Right? Real church. But you don't understand. I've been giving I've given more than 10% my whole entire life. I gave 50% sometimes on my life, but I didn't see it as tithe.
So Dixie and I talked, talked to my brother, prayed about it, and I decided I was going to submit to the the house, real church, the house, and David's vision for the house. I decided I was gonna come under. What is submission? Coming under someone else's mission. Right?
So I decided we were gonna submit to the house and we would start tithing. That's been 2 and a half years ago.
Bugs.
I'm really sweet. They like me. You didn't believe that, did you? But can I tell you something? That was 2023, January 23.
Can I tell you '23 '24, we had the best 2 years financially that Amen? We've had since we were married? And 2025 will be will probably be the best year I've ever had financially. Can I also tell you it's been the best 2 and a half years spiritually? Can I tell you it's been an amazing journey to walk this out?
Can I tell you that because I did this, it's 100% unequivocally because I tithes that I got blessed? No. I can't tell you that. There is no formulas with God. There is no formulas with God.
If you do x, you're not guaranteed y every single time. But God loves you and God blesses you. And sometimes, you hear a story and you do x and you get y, But it's not a formula. So I'm not telling you that if you do what I did you're gonna get what I got. But I can tell you God loves you, God blesses, and God will use your *obedience* to create the supernatural.
Right?
Quickly,
let me give you a couple signs of what radical generosity is. Radical generosity is when no reason can stop you from giving. We've created an idol out of reason. It has to make sense. God couldn't ask for that.
If that just doesn't pencil, it has to work out on paper. So I'm only gonna ask God what I'm supposed to give within the context of what I think I can afford and we create this idol of reason that we bow to year after year after year. First Kings, Elijah comes to the widow says to the widow, bring me some bread and she says, don't have any bread. I've only got olive oil and flour. What makes bread?
And she's like, but I can't do this. I I I'm gonna go home and make 1 last meal for my son and I will we're gonna die. And then like a true man of God, Elijah says, go make me some first. But she couldn't comprehend that request. It didn't make sense to her reasoning.
Too often we bow to the idol of reason. The idol of reason says, I can't afford to tithe. The idol of reason says, if I do that I won't be able to pay my bills. The idol of reason says, God would not really ask me to give that. He knows I've been saving for this idol.
Reason says God wouldn't ask for my retirement account. He knows I need that for my future. Now, Bart, are you advocating bad financial decisions? Nope. That's where you missed it.
This isn't a financial decision. This is a spiritual decision. I'll say it again. This is not a financial issue. This is a spiritual issue.
It's an issue whether you're going to honor God and walk in *obedience* or you're gonna have the love of money. *Generosity* is radical when there's no reason for it. How do you defeat this idol of reason? Well, daily encounters are very, very important because when you're in the presence of God, he's gonna remind you that he's the great giver. And when you sow generously, you're gonna know that he's gonna provide seed to the *sower* and he's going to give you bread to consume.
About 3 months ago, pastor David, standing right here, asked right before he went to Pakistan, he asked for the church to sponsor some new Pakistani is that word? Pakistani? Missionaries. And he asked us to pray about it because it was $300 a month for a family to be able to support themselves and go give their life full time to the ministry in Pakistan. And I went home and told Dixie, I said, I I think we're supposed to sponsor 1 of those missionaries.
She's like, okay. Cool. And then he left on Monday or Tuesday. So I didn't know exactly what happened. He came back a week or 10 days, whatever.
So it's a couple weeks and I I asked him, how many guys how many missionaries did we get sponsored? And he said, 4? And he was excited. I went, 4? And I was disappointed.
Can I tell you God has a sense of humor? He said, how disappointed are you? So again, I'm talking to my brother Gabe, and I'm telling him what I'm feeling. I'm like, man, I think I'm supposed to "add a 0" to that. And he's like, that's exactly right.
I have never seen Gabe quite as excited that that moment. Yes, exactly right. That's exactly what I heard. You're supposed to add a 0. $300, $3,000.
I don't have $3,000 a month, Gabe. Yeah. I'm gonna sit there with it. Let you feel that pregnant pause. What happens when God asked you to do something you can't afford?
I went and talked to Dixie and she's like, oh, I don't know about that. We give a lot but we we just moved here. We're spending all this money on the house. I don't know that we have 3 We just don't have $3,000 extra. We just kinda said we're gonna help Jerry and Heidi when they go to Texas.
I don't know how we do that. She never said no, but she never said yes. And a couple weeks went by, and it was a Tuesday afternoon, and I remember getting on the computer and sending $3,000 the first time. I really did not know where that money was coming from. I was definitely right "robbing Peter to pay Paul".
Wednesday morning, I jump on a plane and I head to Louisiana and Dixie calls me and she says, do you remember that company that we did some work for 2 and a half years ago that closed? I'm like, yeah. We did a bunch of work for them for the ERC, and they got a huge check yesterday. I just got an email yesterday afternoon, and I get a piece of this. What do you get?
I don't remember. So she had a call that afternoon, started talking to the person. She got a check for $46,000. So when I tithe first and I have $36,000 to be able to give to Pakistan for the year, and I still have a few extra thousand dollars that Jerry and Heidi are gonna get. On the other side of obedience is?
Supernatural. Supernatural. Am I special? Nope. Well, you believe that a whole lot more than I did.
But if he loves me and if he did it for me, he'll do it for you. But are you willing to say yes? Are you willing to say yes? No. Her.
Courtney. 1 more story now. I'm gonna wrap up. *Generosity* is when no amount of of money is too small. There's the little boy in John-6 that has the 5 loaves and 2 fishes.
Right? The Jewish happy meal. The disciple brings to Jesus in verse 9 chapter 6 and says, there's a boy here with 5 barley loaves and 2 fish, but what is that to so many? A disciple of Jesus says, the gift is so small, it's not gonna do anything. Can I tell you sometimes we think our gift or our *obedience* is so insignificant that we don't obey?
But when that little boy brought his 5 loaves and 2 fishes, understanding that on his own, he could feed himself and maybe 1 more, but planted in the hands of Jesus, he partners with the supernatural and multiplication happens and and 15,000 are fed. The supernatural multiplication happens when you give radically. And also, radical generosity means there's no amount too big. When Abraham God looks at asked and says to Abraham, I want you to take your son, your only son, and I want you to go sacrifice him on Mount Moriah. And it says, Abraham wakes up early the next morning, if there was ever a day to sleep in.
He wakes early wakes up early in the morning. He takes his 2 servants and his son, and they go toward the mountain. I think this is very interesting. God asked him once. He never asked him to confirm it.
He heard and obeyed. If God asked me once, will I hear and obey? We need Christians who just hear God 1 time and they say it's enough for me. I'll walk in obedience no matter how long or what he asked. So he goes to the mountain.
He goes to the base of the foot of the mountain. Sends his servants. He says to the servants, stay here while the lad and I go *worship*. He says, "he and I will return". I don't know if you've ever caught that.
It actually says, he and I will return. But Abraham, you're sacrificing your son, he and I will return. But I do think it's significant right here, and I would propose you that he knew if he brought his servants up to the top of the mountain with him as he starts to bind Isaac and put him on the altar. They might be saying, Abraham, what are you doing? God would never ask you to sacrifice Isaac.
No. No. No. No. You don't understand.
You didn't hear God right. Can I propose to you be very, very careful who you take to the altar of the Lord with you? Because if you don't have the right people with with you, they will try to convince you that you didn't hear God, and they will limit what God can do because you believe them instead of God. Let's finish this thing. Radical generosity is beyond what you're able to think you're able to do.
And I propose to you many of us don't walk in radical generosity because we're scared of what God is going to ask us to give. Let me ask you a question today. What has the love of money caused you to keep that you were supposed to give? The love of money has used has been using fear to try to convince you that you can't afford to tithe, you can't afford to give that. The love of money has been convincing that you don't need to budget.
All these things, you don't have to be a good steward. The love of money has made you greedy. The love of money has convinced you for years that you're gonna stay in poverty. And because you partner with greed, you end up staying in poverty and can't partner with radical generosity. But today is the day where the we give the Lord the authority he deserves in our finances.
Today is the day we remind ourselves that when I sow generously, I will reap generously. Today, the word of God is no longer gonna be choked out of our lives where the love of money has been suffocating the word of God. But we need to remind ourselves of the 1 who supplies seed and bread. When I give generously, God will entrust me with more. But we need to act like Esther where she said, "if I perish, I perish".
God wants God, if you want this, if you want me to give everything I have, I'll do it. Because I have the promise that God will not leave me or forsake me. Jesus is enough. Just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, it says, my God is able to provide. But even if he doesn't, I am not going to bow to the idol of reason or the Idol of fear.
Even if he doesn't provide my provide for my needs, my God will never leave me nor forsake me. Today, I believe, is a day of deliverance for the church at Real Church. Today, there's some of us that have been tolerating the love of money in your life, and I believe you're gonna be set free, and this deliverance will come through thanksgiving and repentance. So all over this room, if you recognize that you have partnered with, or you've played with, or you've been listening to to the love of money, I want you to stand to your feet, and we're gonna come to the altar. Because there's no greed, there's no fear in love.
I want you to come. I
ask you to open your mouth and start to thank the Lord for what he's done. All over this room, if you've been partnering with the love of money, will you just open your mouth and you begin to thank the Lord? Thank the Lord for what he's doing and what he's done.
Caught up in your presence.
I
just wanna sit here at your feet.
I want you to get louder than mammon. I want you to get louder than the love of money. I wanna thank you I want you to thank the Lord for what you've taken for granted. The simple things of life. The things you just expect God to do for you.
Thank him for the food that I ate this morning.
Thank you for
my job.
Thank you
for my
house. Thank
you for the car that got me to church today. Come on, church. Thank the Lord for the goodness of God. Begin to thank him for the mercy
of God.
Thank him for the forgiveness of God. Come on. We thank you. God, we thank you. We love you.
Is it about you or is it
about him?
God, declare that you're our source. The joy of the Lord is my strength. We thank you that you supply every need. We know that you supply seed to the sower. If you've now now, if you've been partnering with with the *spirit of mammon*, the love of money, I want you to take authority this morning.
I want you to I want you to Break that partnership in your life. I just want you to declare this. I break the partnership with love of
money. I
break the partnership with the spirit of mammon. I no longer will bow to this season of reason, this idol of reason. I will not bow to the idol of fear. Greed, your voice is silenced. Today, selfishness, your voice is shattered.
It's silenced. I break my partnership with the spirit of greed in Jesus' name. I repent for this partnership. I repent. I'm making you today the Lord of everything.
Everything. Everything that I am. I give to you. We will not bow to that idol of reason anymore. In Jesus' name, that's gotta go.
Nothing else would do. Talk to him, church. Today, chains are being broken. We surrender all. Everything that he wants is all of me.
Here I am. Here
We live in an "open hands life" with Jesus. *Abundance* looks like him blessing you with everything you need to run this aspect of the race that God's called you to while trusting him for the next. Next. That's what it looks like. And he tests us with obedience.
So so I want to invite everybody to stand just for a moment. Everybody, if the altar, can stay here for a second. Everybody, no matter where you're at, we all need to grow with this. So just put your hands out like you're receiving from Jesus. And say, Jesus, I trust you with my heart, which means I "trust you with my money".
Stretch me. Test my faith. Grow me in this. Amen. Now watch as he challenges you to take your next step, whether it's to start tithing or you go out to lunch and the Lord says, buy that table's meal.
Like, oh. Take a step of obedience. Because then your step of obedience is the exact thing that they need, people around you need to feel loved. Radical *generosity* in every area of your life will cause you to look more like Jesus, and you'll experience spiritual benefit as well. Amen.
The other thing is this. I believe with a church this size, people in here, there's people in here that have never given your life to Jesus. You can't. Jesus said no 1 can see the kingdom of heaven, can experience a relationship like you experience the presence of God. Some of you experience the presence of God during worship or during the message.
On the outside trying to get in, get in. When you're "born again", the Holy Spirit enters your life, and now it's the inside impacting the world around you. You must believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose again. But not just believe it happened. Even demons believe that it happened.
They don't follow him. So you got to believe it so much that you take yourself off the throne of your heart and say, a follow you Jesus instead of myself. I give you my life. And in that moment, he takes the weight of sin and shame off, guilt. The past *forgives you, past, present, and future sin, and puts the Holy Spirit* inside of you, born of the spirit, where you start a relationship where the father, God, speaks to you and leads you like a father leads an infant, a baby, so you know his voice.
Is there anybody in here that you're like, man, that's me. I know I need to give my life to Jesus. I've
never
done that before, and I I need to be born again. You could have been water baptized, but never been born again because you just got dumped at a religious thing. I'm talking about really surrendering to Jesus and being born of the spirit. Anybody in here that say that's me? I need to do that.
You gotta be bold. If you won't stand for Jesus in here, you probably won't stand for him out there. Right? So is there is there ask me, I I need life change. I need to give surrender my life to Jesus.
I see you. Okay. Moriah. Right over here. We're just gonna come to you.
No big deal. Raise your hand a little bit more so that Mariah can see if she's coming to you. Anybody else? We're not gonna pull you up in front of anybody. We will come to you.
Okay. Second thing, I shared you guys just stay here. It's gonna be okay. We're we're almost done. I shared the first half of the testimony of the man in Peru.
The second half, pastor leader guy, came back the second service and said, hey, could you all pray for my eyes? I can't read the Bible anymore. He had gotten old, and his vision was blurry. Couldn't read the very Bible he translated. I went to pray for him once and said, nope, don't do it.
I wanted to strike the rock like Moses, but just do it anyway. No. So I had Alex, David came up. I said, pray for him. He prayed for him.
God healed that man's eyes. He went back, opened the Bible, smiling. Oh my God.
He could read. And
I say this for this. I want the altar team to come forward. You guys just make a little bit of room here. Altar team, come forward. If you need healing in your body, I believe Jesus wants to heal you today.
Don't leave out here saying, this is just a headache or this is a little thing. God cares about the little and the big things. If you need deliverance, you need help, you're at the altar and you're like, man, I just want somebody to pray for me. Go to the altar team. Don't leave without that.
In addition, Thursday night's boiler room. Don't forget about that. Please, 8 to 9. It'll challenge your prayer life. We're going to continue to do ministry as you are dismissed, and have an amazing day.