Sunday Lesson Recap

This past Sunday at Merger we continued on in our "Heart Invaders" series as we took a look at the invader of greed. Here are some thoughts:

*Greed says: "I owe me"

*Greed is the result of placing greater value on a possession than a person.

*Jesus on greed= Luke 12:13-21

*3 common misconceptions about greed are:
1. Greed, in my life will be obvious to me.
2. Greed is only a financial issue.
3. Having more will make me less greedy and will give me a better life.

*Greed isn't a stuff issue, it's a heart issue.

*Your life is not any more or less successful by how much stuff you can accumulate.

*An abundance of stuff does not guarantee an abundance of time.

*Eventually, everything we claim to own will be owned by somebody else. In the end it will all be given away (quite possibly in a garage sale). So to assume that everything that comes your way is for you own consumption is shortsighted and foolish. It's not a matter of if somebody will get it; it's just a matter of when and how.

*Expose greed through generosity.

*Generosity is being rich towards God and others.

*Greed is not evidenced by how you feel but by what you do. Like-wise generous feelings and good intentions do not compensate for a greedy heart.

*The giving of our finances, time, opportunities have to make an impact in our lifestyle if it is going to break the power of greed in our lives.

*Paul on being generous = 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

*Observations:
1. Being generous affects the outcome of my opportunities.
2. The attitude of my generosity matters.
3. God notices my generosity and rewards me for it, so I can in return be even more generous.
4. My generosity actually brings attention to my God.

Wrapping it up:
*Greed is bad.
*Being generous is good.
*We should ask God what He would like us to do with our extra just as much as we ask Him to supply our need.
*The key to being a church that makes a difference isn't complicated. The key is generosity; being rich towards God by being rich towards the people He is sending us to.

Heart and Soul,
BAG
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