Living Generously: Unity, Spirituality, and Community Impact

### Quotes for Outreach

1. "It's not only, only inside the four walls. It's about what goes on outside and being the light of Christ to community. You know, are we trying to, uh, we're going to share Jesus, but we're trying to grow our church through this. No, we're trying to impact a community to show people who Christ is because this world is, if any of you saw, uh, the opening of the Olympics, this world's going crazy. It is going nuts. So, uh, let's be out. Let's be the light of Christ. I'm going to challenge you." [54:03] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "Every act of generosity big or small transforms a person in life. Every act of generosity big or small transforms somebody's life. We don't know the seeds that were planted last night this conversation that Michael had with two pastors kids it's going to bring back everything that they've heard about who Jesus is and we don't know as we pray for them God reveal yourself they could have easily went back to their their place of living last night and turn their hearts over to Jesus and we can believe that can happen to anybody but it starts with generosity." [01:02:24] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "Generosity is not just a word generosity is a lifestyle here's the question we need to ask ourselves am I a giver or a taker let me give you a definition of a taker first you go to the buffet you eat all you want and it's good you enjoy it service was great the drinks were great the food was great it's got all of your favorites dessert was out of the world and you get up you leave you don't pay for it that's a taker do you know what I mean I'm not please hear me on this please hear pastors hard on this I'm not beating anybody up with this I'm not this is not directed at any one people any one person this is just a generalization that we have people in the church today not just here but churches around this world we're takers and at one time we were all takers we took what God had given us and we ran with our own things but God doesn't want us to be takers he wants to sow into the ministries so into people's lives to transform lives every act of generosity big or small transforms a life and many of you here today because somebody did something that changed your life and that's what God's called us to do." [01:03:44] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "The greatest gift of generosity is John 3 16 for God so loved the world he what he gave you don't even have to be a believer you can be an atheist and you stole still heard that verse I don't know how many people googled John 3 16 they saw it on tv see somebody in the stands holding their sign up or a baseball or a football player under on their black on their eyes saying John 3 16 but here's the big idea of this whole sermon series is right here every act of generosity big or small transforms a person in life." [01:01:00] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "We are not to be led by the flesh, but by the Holy Spirit. Two summers ago, I had a series on the spirit-filled life. Actually, I did it in May, and I got told we got to the end of it. I was like, can we do some more? So we added a couple more weeks onto it because it was transforming lives. And God called us to live by the spirit. In Galatians 5.16, Paul says, but I say, walk by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. If you are struggling with fleshly desires, addictions and struggles you cannot break, I have to ask you, are you trying to walk by the spirit?" [01:18:05] (35 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


### Quotes for Members

1. "The concept of this whole series that teaches generosity now I think a lot of us have a good understanding of what generosity is and we don't need to necessarily have to have a sermon series on generosity you can ask anybody what generosity is whether they go to church or not they're gonna have they're gonna basically tell you what generosity is some of it's in our own thoughts compared to what the true definition of it is but in the midst of this it's not necessarily that we have I have to teach you what generosity is but I think I think I think I think I'll get it out right I think at times we the church lacks teaching and things the church last lacks basic biblical principles the church because we lack those we lack a true understanding of what things are we lack sufficient teaching to live our lives with the understanding of what generosity really is." [01:08:06] (58 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


2. "When we gather in unity of the heart the heart is the center of the physical and the spiritual beating it's compassion and it's understanding ephesians 4 says this in verse 3 eager to maintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace there's one body one spirit just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call one lord one faith one baptism one god and father of all who's over all and through all and all the unity of the mind when we come together is in total agreement with the great commission to go and make disciples it is is the great commission jesus gave us it's not a suggestion but are we determined to obey his instructions so the unity of a believer's heart mind is evident in the community of the believer believers are transformed because they felt whatever they owned was not their own but they shared with others they shared generously not pridefully and not begrudgingly that's why worship and and fellowship are so important within the body." [01:15:26] (76 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


3. "We are spirit beings with a soul that lives in this body. We can shed the body, at one time we will, but our spirit lives on. And so we are called to live generously through our spirit. We are not to be led by the flesh, but by the Holy Spirit. Two summers ago, I had a series on the spirit-filled life. Actually, I did it in May, and I got told we got to the end of it. I was like, can we do some more? So we added a couple more weeks onto it because it was transforming lives. And God called us to live by the spirit. In Galatians 5.16, Paul says, but I say, walk by the spirit and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. If you are struggling with fleshly desires, addictions and struggles you cannot break, I have to ask you, are you trying to walk by the spirit?" [01:17:31] (51 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


4. "When we come together as a body, there's unity. When we come together as a body, there's a spiritual life that grows. We come together as a body, there's submissiveness. And all that leads to what generous is, a generous life. That's all that leads to being transformed in each one of those aspects of our lives. And you may be here today and you're like, I'm struggling in all those or one of those. God wants to do a work in us and God is challenging us. Stand with me across the place. Church, God is challenging you today. God has been challenging you this whole, over the last five weeks, this whole sermon series to generous. Pastor, I don't know what that looks like. Man, sometimes it's just volunteering. If you have any questions, like I don't know what that generosity really looks like for me, come talk to me. And let's, let's, let's work on that to see how that looks for you. But God's calling you to be different than what this world is, the world is today. He's calling this church to be different than all other churches. He's calling this church to, the people walk in, they feel the love, the peace and the mercy of God, but they also will feel the Holy Spirit, the power and the presence that miracles begin to happen in their lives. The breakthrough begins to happen in their lives. Chains breaking off of them. He says, I've come to preach the good news to the poor, to give sight to the blind, to set free those who are captive and to give liberty to the oppressed. He's come to declare the year of Jubilee, the day of the Lord, that we don't have to wait every seven years, that we have it now, the freedom. He's called us to that as a body of believers. And God is challenging you today. What are you going to do with what you've heard over the last five months or five weeks? Bury your head in the sand and go on normal or be transformed. I can't force you to do things, but I'm trying my best to encourage you to do something. I'm trying my best to compel you and to inspire you to do something you don't think you can do. Because when you realize you can do something you didn't think you can do, there's an excitement and an energy that begins to happen and it gets contagious it transforms people's lives around us." [01:38:32] (60 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)


5. "The church is looking to the world, or the world's looking to the church on how to live. And they come into the church, what do they see? The church living like the world. Why not just live in the world then, Steve? You know? If it's in here, what's the difference between being in here and being out there? I walk in here, it's the same thing. Except for you guys in here, act like you're holier than thou, is what we hear. You're more holier than me because you go to church. And they give a bad taste because they see a bunch of hypocrites. Had a lady one time, got mad at the church we used to attend because a guy was in there and she wasn't going to come back. You know what her reasoning was? He played the lottery. He bought scratch-off cards. And she wasn't coming back because he played the lottery. He's a hypocrite. You know what we found out? The gas station he bought the lottery cards at, she worked there and she's the one that sold them. So you hear that? He's a hypocrite for playing the lottery, but you're feeding his addiction. Instead of ministering to him, she's like, I ain't coming there. See what happens in the church today? Because people see. But the first time you say, I need to find a perfect church, as soon as you walk in, that church isn't perfect anymore. Because nobody's perfect." [01:20:16] (78 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)