It came to pass - The power of giving

Matthew 2:1–12 (ESV)

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” 3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; 4and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 6 “ ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’ ” 7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star had appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.” 9 After listening to the king, they went on their way. And behold, the star that they had seen when it rose went before them until it came to rest over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy. 11 And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh. 12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

One must be careful in allowing Christmas songs to shape your theology:

They were not kings (not stated)

There weren't necessarily 3 of them (again, not stated)

In this passage, we discover something so vital to our understanding as a church:

WORSHIP & GIVING are tied together.

Are you bringing your gifts to the kingdom?

What do we mean by GIFTS? 

Time, resources & talents

“I never meet a ragged boy in the street without feeling that i may owe him a salute, for I know not what possibilities may be buttoned up under his coat.” 

― James A. Garfield

For the follower of Jesus - it is NORMAL to have SUPERNATURAL potential inside!

The challenge for the believer is getting that potential out! 

• Using our gifts for the kingdom takes 

  • Courage

  • Commitment

• It takes courage because you're attempting to do something that is outside the norm and outside your comfort zone!

• It takes commitment because sometimes we have to use our gifts to refine our gifts

Hebrews 5:14 (ESV)

14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

If you're having trouble with your spiritual disciplines - You have to be honest with yourself and admit if you're not practicing them.

• That's why some people have such a hard time with generosity - they've never spent time practicing.

So what does PRACTICING my giving look like?

Tithing & offerings -

Offerings: Giving other than tithes

Tithe: 10% of my income - I give to God - I give it in faith to the church.

• Why? It’s Biblical! This is how the church stays viable! See scripture below.

RADICAL Generosity is TITHES PLUS OFFERINGS

God said: “TRY ME”

Malachi 3:8–10 (ESV)

8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.

Here, giving is tied to blessing! 

It is through my practice of giving that I learn the provision and the abundant blessings of God!

So here's where the practice comes in: God says, PUT ME TO THE TEST!

• I give - in faith

• Then I watch God do a few things:

  • He blesses what I have left and it goes further than the whole would have.

  • He increases the blessings in my life.

• To see the vision of Hub City Church come to pass - we need people who are giving radical gifts!

• That want to do more than:

  • Tip God

  • Bring an offering to God

  • Tithe to God

• We're talking about supernatural needs that need supernatural provisions!

  • It requires supernatural generosity!

These men worshipped - THEN their gifts were opened!

Your worship will make room for your giftings & your gifts will bring depth to your worship!

Here’s how I know it brings depth:

Each gift was unique! Gold, Frankincense, Myrrh

They weren’t just bringing different amounts of the same thing - they brought something different- 

• So many times we wait on someone else to do what we were gifted to do:

We want them to bring a gift that looks like the gift that we feel called to bring

• Don't wait on a consensus!

• Stop waiting for a “for-sure” result - take a chance!