Azalea City Church of God
Thank you for visiting Azalea City today! You can find out more about our church and upcoming events on our Facebook page or our website. You can also follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @myazaleacity.
Luke 6:27-38 NKJV
Luke 6:27-38 – Jesus establishes an intense pattern of life for believers
• Love your enemies; Do good to your haters
• Bless the people that talk about you; pray for the ones that use you for their own gain and don’t care if it hurts you
• Don’t respond in anger if someone physically attacks you; help those that take from you
• Be a person of Unthinkable Mercy & Forgiveness; Don’t Judge
• Give First!
Jesus was establishing Culture
Culture – Who are we? What’s important around here? What are we known for? What characterizes our people, our plans and our passions? Who sticks to us like glue? Whom do we repel?
Culture is about values, attitudes and priorities!
Why have a Give First Culture?
• It is who we are – 80% of our people indicate that their gift set includes serving
• We are immensely grateful to God for saving us, keeping us & blessing us
• We have a genuine desire to help others – giving is a Joy by itself
• We understand that giving is a pure act of Worship
• We know we are most like Christ when we give & Give First!
By-Products of a Give First Culture – Mark 10:17-25
• Fullness of the Kingdom of God
• Joy & Happiness
• Getters generally don’t get happiness; givers do – Charles Burr
• When you get outside of yourself and make a contribution to others, you truly begin to live
• Enrichment & Influence
• We cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening our own. – Ben Sweetland
• There is no life as empty as the self-centered life. There is no life as centered as the self-empty life.
• Blessing – You cannot out give God!
Mark 10:17-25 NKJV
How do we become a People that Gives First?
• Humility – Put Others First – Philippians 2:3-4
• People with humility don’t think less of themselves, they just think of themselves less
• Exposure to situations where people have needs
• Invest Intentionally – Your greatest gift is Yourself
• Pray for Opportunities
• Check up on Yourself
• Be Franklin – Waking up in the morning he asked, “What good am I going to do today?” Going to bed he asked, “What good have I done today?”
Philippians 2:3-4 NKJV