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Gail Claremore, a big welcome. Welcome us right into Together. It's a little different shift today as you can imagine. We had anticipated last week we had a special day with our guest that came from Iran and we live streamed back and forth and we only do this three or four times out of the year. But today I was to preach here in Owasso, Claremore, and Jim Bell was to preach in Claremore and he and Doritha were in Kansas for a memorial service for another family member when they got news. Jim got news of his sister who'd been fighting cancer passed away on Friday and so they had to get back and just the weight of all that. We said Jim be with your family and so thank you for being the church and letting us do this and we have a great team of pastors. Anyone could have jumped up and preached at the last minute, but we're on a particular subject today so we didn't think we would put that on. So God bless you. Thank you for being part of that. We just came out of ATI conference. Man, so powerful.
Powerful. Come on, Claremore. It's powerful. In fact, today's worship, I just wanted to go ahead and preach out Revelation 4 and 5. I mean, that worship remember that set, guys. That's a great set. So very lively. Even the 9 a.m. before you're not normally thinking of people awake, they were just joining in like you were. So thank you for being a part of that. I want you to get your Bibles. I know we put the script with them about stewardship and generosity and I think it's good to hear from our people because how many know that really generosity and stewardship is more caught than taught and you actually catch it when you're around other people. Generosity is contagious, isn't it? It really is. When you see that in the heart of other people, you want to be a part of it. Well, today we're addressing the currency of trust in the kingdom.
You call it stewardship, but it's really a currency of trust because the kingdom operates on such currency. It begins by trusting God, Him alone, and whether or not we can be trusted with what He's put under our care. If you don't hear anything else I say today, my challenge would be, by the Holy Spirit, that every one of us would walk out of here with a new awareness of the measure that God has placed under your care. It's called under your authority. It's called stewardship. And in kingdom stewardship, we are held responsible for that care. And Paul addresses integrity, he addresses what it means to be stewards in the passage that we're going to read, and that's why I believe integrity matters when it comes to stewardship. The question is, what kind of kingdom steward am I? Can you remember that? Ask yourself while I'm going through this, what kind of kingdom steward am I? So, get your Bibles. We're in 2 Corinthians chapter 8. We believe in reading of the Word, so I'm going to read several passages here down through the end of the chapter, then the first five verses in chapter 9. Hear the Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God, who penned to the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. For Titus not only welcomed our appeal, but he's coming to you with much enthusiasm on his own initiative. Can I just say something here about spiritual sons, spiritual daughters? Listen to what Titus caught the heart that Paul had for the churches. He even said that about Timothy. You remember, I have no one like Timothy, because they all care for their own. But I see this. He had his own initiative. He volunteered. Hey, I want to go. I want to be a part of that. I hear your heart of how to raise the money for these saints that are suffering in Jerusalem, among the gentiles. And I want to be a part of that. And so he had his own initiative. He said, I want to go.
Verse 18. And we're sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry offerings, which we administer in order to honor the Lord himself and show our eagerness to help. Now in the Amplified, it says Luke. We don't know who this guy was. Some of us speculate, but some believe it's Luke. Some believe it's probably Timothy. Some thought it could be Barnabas, but probably it was Luke. And he said he's been chosen to go along with us as accountability. Verse 20. We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. So apparently this was a lot of money, because they're gathering and collecting it from these churches. And he said, over, by the way, over about a year period of time. He said, we want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift, for we are the church. And he said, we want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift, for we are taking pains to do what is right. Not only in the eyes of the Lord, watch this, but also in the eyes of men. How many believe integrity is important? Clare Moore, I know you responded with that. Integrity. Notice what he says, verse 22. In addition, we're sending with them our brother, who has often proved to us in many ways he is zealous, and now even more so, because of his great confidence in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker among you. As for our brothers, they are representatives of the churches. They were like sent apostolically. And to honor to Christ, therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason of our pride in you, so the churches can see it.
Now, look at chapter 9. Verse 1. There's no need for me to write to you about the service to the Lord's people, for I know your eagerness to help, and I've been boasting about it to the Macedonians. The Macedonians were the northern Greece. It would have been Philippi. It would have been Thessalonica. It would have been Berea. Those were the churches that he's talking about when he mentions about Macedonia there, okay? And he says, telling them that since last year, and in Achaia, that would be where the Corinthians are, in the lower part. We're ready to give, and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. But I'm sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready as I said you would be. For if the Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, not to say anything about you would be ashamed of having been so confident. So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and to finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, watch this, and not as one grudgingly given. That last part tells us a little bit about intentional. So here's what I want to address. I want us to address what Paul is addressing is his care for the churches, their systematic stewardship that he calls them to. So the question is what it means, or the statement is what it means to be a steward. That means there is some intentional aspects of it. Look what Paul does. He goes back to the church. He had already talked to them in 1 Corinthians. In fact, the last chapter of the first letter of Corinthians 16, here's what he says. He's reminding them in that first letter, now about the collection, pardon me, for the Lord's people. Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. So this was something he did all the churches with. On the first day of every week, watch systematically, each one of you should set aside a sum of money and keeping with your income. Saving it up. Everybody say saving it up, to make a point here. So that when I come, no collections will have been made. Then when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift of Jerusalem. That's accountability. It seems advisable for me, if it seems advisable for me to go also, then they will accompany me. Now two things, as a steward, he identifies. One of that is, number one, being intentional and systematic. He actually has that in him.
I think it's interesting. Now he's not talking about tithing here, even though it fits in that. He's saying, I want you to systematically, the first day of the week, when you, whether they bring it, I don't know. He didn't say, but I want you to budget it. There's that terrible word. I think it's a six letter word, but it's really a four letter word in some people's mind. But that's what he's saying. I want you to budget it. I want you to be intentional. And that's key, because if you see that, generosity comes out of intentionality. Now sometimes we say, that person really was generous. And what we probably mean, they gave a lot. And that would be right to say they're generous, but I don't want you to think generosity is based on the amount. Generosity is of the heart. So it has nothing to do with the amount. Notice he doesn't say anything about the amount. But he says, I want you to do this. Why would he want them to do that? Because there is something about the principles of a steward being responsible. And sometimes I've said tithing, is sometimes people's first step towards living on less than they make. I googled what percentage of Americans live on more than they make, and it's surprisingly high. And the first means, if you just didn't do anything else but that, that's the first step, isn't it? About systematic. So in this process, he's not even talking about tithing. Now I want you to set this aside, this sum. Be systematic with it. Be prepared for it. Why? Because stewardship, watch. Stewardship allows everybody to be generous, just a different amount. Because you're going to admit, if I had plenty, I'd be generous. But systematic intentionality allows that, doesn't it? And not only that, but he said to give, set aside and give according to your income, or proportionately. You're to do this. So what he's really teaching is a biblical example of how every believer is responsible as a steward for what's in their care. And that's true as children. It's true as young. I'm telling you, my wife understood tithing from a friend of hers who had a garage sale, and they made $200.
And her friend said, okay, let's count down our tithe. My wife was brand new to the Lord. She said, what's a tithe? That's why I say sometimes it's caught more than it's taught. Because she saw that girl making God first with that. There was something that starts in the heart, in the small management of responsibility. And that's what a steward is. Let's talk about that. A steward owns nothing. Do they? A steward is responsible, however, for everything under their care. What the Lord, small l, what the Lord, meaning the Lord's in those days, put them over. So they were stewards of that. A steward worked for his Lord. The Lord owned everything, but as a steward, he had the responsibility and the authority, listen to this, to direct all of the Lord's affairs.
Joseph would be a good example of that, wasn't he? He's put in charge, and he'd direct those affairs. So as a steward, we could say Adam was probably the first steward, was he not? Because in Genesis chapter 2, verse 15, God placed Adam in the garden to do what? To tend it, to tend the garden. Now, what does that word tend mean? It actually comes from two Hebrew words, one of them meaning to cultivate, or it actually could mean to service, as to, this means to could work, to till, to serve. Adam was interacting with creation. He was fostering a growth and nurturing his beauty and finding creative fulfillment in his work. Work is not a dirty word either, is it? It was before the fall. Now, surely, it was more than picking weeds, and did weeds come before the fall or after the fall? I don't know. They were in some kind of order, at least.
I don't know how it was, but it was more, notice what, it was more of a bishop over it. He was more of protecting, protecting, protecting, protecting. And the other part of the word means a guardian. You're responsible for it, just like Jesus is the bishop of your soul, and you could say, you actually bishop your own soul. It means you're spirit in you, you bishop your own soul. But you're responsible. You have a responsibility as a steward. So, steward has things given under their care. That's what we mean by that. So, in order to cultivate that or protect that, the question has to be asked. Listen to me now. Is there more? Listen. The question has to be asked. The question has to be asked this. Am I being an effective kingdom steward of everything under my care? Am I being, that means my home, my house, my yard? I'll go over here, James. I don't know what you're doing in there, Clare Moore, but I'm really serious. I want you to think that everything under your care, if someone drives by your house, would they say that's a kingdom steward? I won't even look. I can't see Clare Moore, so I'm going to turn my back here. But isn't that the truth? I mean, sometimes, anybody besides me ever get convicted of not stewarding what's under your care? I don't have a business, Jeff, but we have some rental properties. And I felt convicted at times. I wasn't on top of it because it's under my care. I'm under my care. I believe this is eternal stuff. I'm going to show you here in a minute why I believe it's eternal. Because we think this life doesn't matter. But you're going to see Jesus is teaching it really does. It speaks more to our heart, doesn't it? It speaks more to our kingdom lifestyle. And our mindset. And so, actually, that is the question. How do you care for your family?
Your family is your steward, right? Parenting. I mean, can I tell whether you're biblically parenting or presently cultural parenting? I might tell if I went and worked in the children's ministry, right? In fact, this whole message, by the way, is the infomercial for this summer, Family Life Ministry. This next Wednesday, Wednesday nights, we've got parenting classes by Ed and Lisa Gilslott. They'll be teaching that. I want you to be a part of it.
If you have children, come and be a part of that. Why? Because it's stewardship, isn't it? And it's not just fixed in two weeks. It's a process. It's a challenge of responsibility. Then from that, we go two weeks of marriage. You actually, what? You steward your marriage, don't you? That's under your care. How healthy is your marriage? And then we're going to deal with finances, right? Going to get a man out, Jeremy. Does Jeremy be teaching? The Braves will be teaching. The marriage, and then Jeremy, and Carla Ford, the area of the finances. I'm serious.
We need to take advantage of this, because it's really about being what? Stewards. I remember reading a book by Ed Savoso a number of years ago by the name of Transformation. We had it in our book nook for a long time. He's one of the first, foremost forerunners of marketplace ministry, some people call it, in the sense of the kingdom being seen wherever you go. And he's written a book, called Anointed to Serve, Transformation, Testimonies of the Effect of People, really taking stewardship to heart. And he was teaching this over in Singapore at a conference. And I don't know if it was his friend. I think it was his friend came to the conference because Ed was teaching and got convicted. And the story is that this businessman owned eight hotels in Singapore, but it was kind of like an investment. He had not seen responsibility. He had not seen it as a part of his stewardship. Excuse me. Got convicted, started checking on him. He discovered that there were 2,000 prostitutes visiting his eight hotels. And best he could figure out, 10,000 jobs. So he got convicted. What do I do? This is a kingdom. It's under my care.
So he decided, I don't know where he got this, but he decided to hire 32 pastors. And he said, I don't want you to preach, but I want you to pray. And if you preach, I'm going to fire you. He did fire three of them, he said. He said, I want you to pray. And what he did, he opened up one of the hotel rooms and turned it into a prayer chapel. And when people would check in, he would say, part of the service of our guests here. While you're staying here, we're going to be praying for you. And as you feel that out, if there's anything we could be praying with you, just down the hall is our prayer chapel. We'll be praying for your stay. Guess what? The Johns quit coming. The prostitutes quit coming. And he began to remodel the place. And after 18 months, his testimony is out of 2,000 prostitutes, 1,800 of them came to Christ. What is that? That's kingdom stewardship. What if there's something under your care, right now, that the Holy Spirit would speak to you about? If Paul saw how he handled these things, had to be a testimony before God and before people in the finances, then don't we have the same kind of responsibility? Doesn't 1 Corinthians 4 tell us that it is required in stewards that one be found what? Faithful. So it's what I do with what I have. Do I know what comes under my care? And do I know where it's going? I have a little app called YNAB. Anybody ever heard of YNAB? Oh, some of you. Jonathan Cook, he's over in the Claremont campus. Jonathan, you can tell them. He and I are evangelists for YNAB. They don't pay us anything. We're just evangelists for it. And I stumbled onto it in 2018, and I wish I'd have had it 10 years before that.
It's kind of like a Dave Ramsey, but it's on an app where you can redirect. But Mitt told me where my money went, I needed to know where it was going. So I started using YNAB, and I think I had the first 12 months, just in 2018, the first 12 months as a slide of our finances, no more money, no more increase of money, just knowing where it's going. How many know that stewardship is important? And so I encourage you, I don't care what area it's in, that you know, Lord, what is under my care? What responsibility? What am I responsible for? Why is that important?
Because that's what a Well, let me ask you this. What does it mean, then, to have integrity as a steward? If I'm a steward, then what does integrity mean? Here's what Paul says. Integrity matters to yourself, first and foremost, and before God. Paul writes, We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift, for we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men. What does Paul do? He sends multiple brothers, to travel with the offering. That's important. I know most of us give by text or online, but we still have offering containers, and you'll see two ushers. Why? For accountability. Two ushers to take the money, put it in a sealed container envelope, and put it in the vault. Then on Monday, two people count it. It's deposited it, and even our counting is outsourced, so we have someone outside of us to be able to do that. And so, I encourage you, I encourage you, I encourage you, to check the books. Is that okay? And anyone has responsibility to sign checks, they can't handle the finances. So, that's key to have accountability. Well, if Paul saw the principle, did he not? And he said, I'm only carrying this money. I don't want anyone to think what has happened, so our testimony of stewardship is vital. Integrity is vital. And so, he says, I'm sending multiple of brothers. And so, this is one that can't be just our ideas, can it? It's got to be, what is the scripture? What is the scripture? What is the scripture teaching us? Being a steward of that. And so, that's what really matters.
And so, when our integrity is there, we can be trusted with more. When you're faithful over one area, then you're enlarged. Jesus taught this.
Over in Luke 16, he's telling a people about an unsteward. Some of you remember that. And this unjust steward was going to get fired. And so, he thought, what am I going to do? He said, I'm too weak to dig. That would have been good for him to go out and do that. And so, he said, I'm too weak to dig. That would have been good for him to go out and dig. But he said, I'm too proud to beg. So, what am I going to do? So, he decided to find out those who owed his master. One of them owed a certain amount, so he cut it in half, 50%. Then he went and had so many bushes that he cut that to 80%. And so, in each part of that, Jesus commends him, not for being unjust. Don't miss it. Not for being unjust. He commends him for the, watch, for the way that stewardship is beyond this life. Listen to what he says. I'll read this. Worldly wealth to gain friends for yourself, so that when it is gone, and by the way, it will be gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.
What's he say? What's this? Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much. And whoever is honest with very little will also be dishonest with much. I hear people say, what would it take to buy you off? A million dollars? Ten million? A hundred million? Can I tell you what it is? Ten dollars. Not the large amount. You wouldn't break for the large amount. Come on. It's the little. The dishonest over a lot starts with the little. So, it's the integrity of the little. So, there's nothing under your care that's too little. That convicts my heart saying it.
There's nothing under my care, including my garage. Whatever the Holy Spirit speaks to you. There's nothing under your care that's too little. Make sense? Much less when it comes to the work of God and people in our life. Here's what he's saying. He's actually saying this. Integrity as a steward in this life, has reward. Here's what he says. He's saying use temporary earthly resources in a way that people are brought into the kingdom, helped spiritually, blessed materially, strengthened in Christ, and affected eternally. Then in eternity, there'll be people there because of how you stewarded what God gave you to receive you. Jesus taught that. So, does it matter how I handle practical things or spiritual things? It does, doesn't it? No, not only how I handle it with integrity, but so that I'm in a position to be a part of God's generosity. Because that's important that we see that because there's something that works in us in that regard. Because integrity works that.
In fact, that fits into the eternal. Paul made the statement to the Philippians that it would be to their account. He said, I'm not saying this to get an offering, but I want it to your account. Where do you think that account is? It's in heaven. Many of you give to missions above your time. I mean, I've been blessed. We've been married nearly 52 years, and there's not a week that I know of since marriage that we haven't given to missions above our time. I know there's some eternal fruit. Does that make sense? You say, Glenn, you can't think of it that way. Jesus did.
Paul did too. Listen to what he says in 1 Timothy. He says this about those who have money. He said, command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and be generous, willing to share. In this way, they will lay up treasure for themselves, a firm foundation for the coming end. So they may take hold of the life that is truly life. Wow. There's something that happens in us spiritually when we steward and be generous with what God has given us. There's life in it. Some of the greatest joy happens in that. Why? Because for God, he trusts us with greater responsibility. He tests us, ordinary stewardship, I think, to take us. Long before there's any public moments, there's public moments.
There's public moments. There's public moments. There's private moments. Can I ask you a question? I've got several questions here I want to ask.
Are we trustworthy with finances? If someone were to say to you, do you budget well? If you don't like the word budget, do you plan your spending? Do you handle what's in your hands? Do you handle what's been put under your care? What kind of steward am I? Am I honest in business? Are we transparent in ministry? Are we faithful with commitments? That's a good one, isn't it? Are we dependable with what God has entrusted to us? Here's why this matters. Because as stewardship with integrity, it produces certain things. Look what Paul says. What a steward with integrity produces. Integrity produces a readiness of generosity. Here's how he says it. Verse 5, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation. Have you ever forgotten something? You go, man, I didn't plan for that. Man, I didn't plan for that. And you feel a grudging obligation. You feel a grudging obligation. You feel a grudging obligation. You feel a grudging obligation. You feel a grudging obligation. You feel a grudging obligation. And he said, I don't want you to be that way. I want there to be a systematic principle. Here's what I want to ask. What is under your authority? What do you manage? What is under your care? The youngest to the oldest, you have it under your care. What are you stewarding? You say, Glenn, I've never considered my stewarding. That's why I'm asking the question. Can I say this as sober? If you stood before God today, what kind of steward would you be declared? I'm not talking about your salvation. I'm talking about the measure that he's given you. I'm talking about to be faithful to what he's given you. Would you be seen as a generous steward with integrity? I think those are sobering questions.
I'm going to ask you there in Claremore and here in Owasso, would you stand with me before the Lord? I want us to answer that question. Don't anybody walk out of here. You see, when we're teaching on generosity, today is the practical message is how do I get to the point that I can be generous? Number one, don't think generosity is a certain amount. Number two, don't think generosity is a certain amount. Number three, don't think generosity is a certain amount. Number four, don't think generosity is a certain amount. Number five, don't think generosity is a certain amount. You have that responsibility to steward it. I don't care. You've never given to missions. Start setting aside. Say, Lord, I'm a tither, but I want to give to missions. Maybe you've never given to people who are in need. You say, I want to manage to do that. Wouldn't it be great is out of this that we would say, God, today, I'm reminded of what I'm in charge of. I'm reminded of my responsibilities. I want you to pray a prayer with me, both in Claremore and here. I want to pray. I'm going to let you do the prayer, but I'm going to pray over you, and I want you to ask the Lord to speak to your heart about your measure of stewardship. I think there's some in this room who's going, you know what? That really is under my care. Someone walked out. They said, you know what? I'm going to go home and tend my garden. That may sound like a small thing, but how many know that's where it starts? It might be you going home, as Jordan Peterson says, to clean your room. That might be where it starts. He uses that a lot, doesn't he?
Why is that? It's a kingdom principle. You take what you're responsible for, and you say, Lord, how am I stewarding? What about my time? I would love to be able to care for some people. How can I steward my time with margin for my family, for my children? I said that. I felt that. I don't know if you're sensing that over in Claremore, but when I said that, I felt it. Managing and stewarding my time for family, for marriage. It's important, isn't it? I've got a precious brother. Tell this, and we'll pray. Call me from another corner. He said, I'm serving as an elder. I've been ordained as an elder, but my wife doesn't want to come to church services. She's a great woman of the word and the Bible and a prayer, but right now, she doesn't want to come. He said, I think I'm supposed to resign. I got so excited. I said, oh, brother, you're so right on. Let me tell you how important this is.
You're not only going to be an example in the days to come in that congregation of how to get priorities right, but this is a step for you. How many know our first church is a home? I said, I want you to do that. He shifted. He said, I'll do it. Nobody's going to understand, but I'm going to do it. That's big, isn't it? He said, I'm going to do it. He stepped out, started focusing on it, come to find out his own job. He was neglecting his family's job. I mean, everything was there. Not only today has God restored their marriage, not only has God restored both of them in the house, they carry a load pastorally. We'll be reordaining them sometime this fall. Because why? Stewardship.
What if the Holy Spirit's speaking something here today that you, that'd be big, wouldn't it? Lord, I just pray over us both in Claremore and Owasso. Lord, I pray that not one person would neglect what you've put them in charge of, care. Oh, Lord, our families, our businesses, our homes, our finances. It's so easy to look at finances and think that's what the message is about because eventually money does matter as you taught us in the word, how our heart is revealed and how we manage that which is our heart. And I think that's what the message is about. I think that's what the message is about. I think that's what the message is about. I think that's what the message is about. And that is true. Lord, there's so many other things. I pray today that you would adjust hearts. Don't let us walk out of here the same way we came in. I pray that, Father, in Jesus' name.
Now, one thing, Claremore, one more thing, Owasso, would you put your hand over your own heart? Would you pray for that for yourself now? Would you pray for your, as a steward, responsibilities that God has given to you? Just patronize me, laying your hand on your heart, just to have them do that silly thing. But I'm praying over it. Lord, I accept my responsibilities. I accept stewardship. I accept what you give me. Open my eyes to see it. By the grace of the Lord Jesus. Lord, even this house. Lord, help us as elders and shepherds and deacons. Help, Lord, to be better stewards of everything you've given us, of our time, our resources. Lord, use this series for the kingdom of God to strengthen us. As a result, Lord, we would be established and stand strong in the word and in life. We give you the glory and the praise. If you agree with that, say amen. Amen.
I'm going to let those of you in, Clare Moore, be seated. And I'm going to shift over to Jeff Dunn.
And those of you here may be seated. And James is going to come.
God bless you. Thank you for receiving the word and allowing us to speak both to Clare Moore and Owasso. Thank you at the same time. So good. Challenging, isn't it? Stewardship, more than about money.
Sometimes we think about stewardship and we think money. But I love how Lynn brought in, it's more than money and generosity. It doesn't have anything to do with the amount. Those are two great principles to really let this sit, honest, and just minister to us.
I remember a couple of years ago, I was taking a class, Dennis Peacock, a does, some in the body here in Owasso, taking this, call it BLS, Business Leadership School. And I remember when I first started that class, I was listening to the material. It's like the Lord stirred in me. It's like I saw myself. I don't know that it was a vision necessarily, but I saw myself standing there and I was, my hands were shaping this. It was like a vision. It was like a ball of fire. I can't really describe it any other way, but like a ball of fire. And there was this figure behind me, which I knew was God that put his hands around my hands and was basically directing me in shaping that. And it was like, it just, I just knew that that was for the rest of my life. I'm to give my life primarily to this. What is under your rod of cares? Lynn said, what is under your stewardship to man?
And I said, I don't know. I don't know. I just don't know. And I was challenged by it. I was convicted by it. I come back to it often. I drive my kids crazy when they say, hey dad, I need a new X, Y, Z. And I say, well, how are you treating the old X, Y, Z? Because I lied to myself for many years and said, well, if I had a new one, I'd treat it better. Oh, I wouldn't. Because if you don't treat the old one with proper stewardship, you're never going to treat the new one with proper stewardship.
So let these things, and they do a great job, by the way. My girl's still a good job. I wasn't trying to be trying to throw them under the bus they do a great job um but let this message really stir in us you know really stir and challenge us uh in that i can't think of a better message to move into worshiping the lord with our giving right so i want to give an opportunity for you to give i had a real uh a sense in my heart too we don't we don't say this often and you guys know us we're not high pressure and offering at all but i really felt the holy spirit stir me as then was ministering that there's some maybe there's more than one there's at least somebody here that you just never give it all you don't give it all and i just felt prompted to say to you to the lord it tells us the testament for you to step out and begin to give uh to the lord and watch what god does in it right don't hear that from jonathan but if that's you great do it tell lord in it and watch him do it and i don't know i can't explain to you how you can live better on ninety percent than a hundred percent i can't explain that to you it's just there's a spiritual principle there and i don't know how ninety goes further than a hundred i don't know i can't tell you that practically illogically outside of the spiritual so i want to pray over the offering you guys know there's envelopes there if you give by check or cash elisha and i text to give you can set yourself up to do that as well in your tithe or your your offer father thank you i'm so aware that when we worship you with our giving that we're declaring to you first off lord thank you for your provision and for your forgiveness and for your forgiveness and for your forgiveness and for your provision lord even in the message today i just i ask you ask that for myself personally for my own personal family for the families represented here in this house in the house as a whole would you help us to be very good stewards or managers of your stuff we don't own any of it and yet you've entrusted it to our care and even as glenn said you've given us the authority to direct it so i pray that you would give us real supernatural wisdom and lord there may be some here that are in need today of a job or better yet of a job that you would give us the authority to direct it better job god indirect their steps thank you for the opportunity to produce with our labor to trade our labor for income we bless you for that we thank you for it so first we declare thank you for your provision and second lord we declare we we trust you continued provision over our household help us to steward in the air finances steward in the area of our marriage steward in the area of our children even in these coming weeks lord this summer this is for family seminars that we're doing for these next six six weeks david okay uh... we have uh... we have several before we arrive we look at some announcements i want to do one more thing we've got several uh groups short-term missions teams going this summer to panama several were on a trip that just came back from costa rica we have one leaving for panama very early tomorrow morning and then another one in july we had several in the first service that are going this first one is kind of like a family trip we've got some parents and and kids going it's about in this service going on that trip tomorrow stand up guys would you have your if you're going stand up yeah give him a hand i want to pray over you guys we had some y'all remember how many on the group it's like 15 or 20 right maybe more how many 20 maybe more than 20 22 22 going so let's uh can we stretch our hands toward them i'm going to pray over them for just safe travel and for uh real success in the trip and just fruitfulness father we're grateful for this team thank you for you providing for them they've labored worked hard to raise this money we thank you for that we pray over every family uh that's represented even as they go lord i pray that you would do something special even in their own a nuclear family they're together there i thank you that you would touch them bless their labor as they do various construction projects and minister during the days i thank you father for guarding and protecting them thank you for the deposit that you're going to leave there in the nation of panama and even all that they're going to receive to bring back with them lord i thank you for it i bless you for it in jesus many name amen amen amen uh god bless you guys great big hand would you i think about the team this week as they come to your mind pray over them i believe jeff coats is bringing some leadership to that and layla is going to be helping us as well so thank you guys for doing that and then we got another one going in july back to the same place they'll have a different type of trip and i'm just excited uh about that and grateful to the lord for it so check out a few things we're going to be doing this week and we're going to be bringing back to that team things happening here in Destiny Life, and then we'll be dismissed. Hey, DLC fam. My name is Noah, and we're so glad you're here with us today. Let's check out these announcements. Hey, men of DLC, don't forget the men's breakfast is coming up Saturday, June 27th at 8.30 a.m. on the Claremore campus. For all the info, go to dlc-signup.com. Don't forget, our summer is for parenting. Don't forget, our summer is for family parenting seminars start Wednesday night, June 17th on the Claremore campus. We pray this will be a night of equipping and encouraging for parents with kids in any stage of life. Sign up for child care at dlc-signup.com. Freedom Celebration is right around the corner. Join us Thursday, July 2nd for a night of fireworks and fun for families. For all info or to sign up to serve, visit dlc-signup.com.
Tomorrow, we have a group that is going to Panama. They will be there the 15th through the 23rd. Join us in prayer over them as they travel. That's all then. If you have a prayer in need, please let us know. We'd love to be in prayer with you. Have a great week, DLC. All right, 250 years of America. I just want to say America every time I say that. That really is a blessing. Why don't you stand with us today? I want to pray a prayer of dismissal. I just invite our elders and deacons that are here and part of any of our prayer team to come. If you have a need, we'd love to agree with you over that need as you're dismissed. Father, thank you for the opportunity. We need to be together today in this facility with brothers and sisters in Christ. We bless you for that. Thank you for your word delivered to us. I pray that it would bear fruit and fruit that would remain. Thank you, Lord, for shifting us, even as we talked about, even in just the consistency of that. I pray that you would help us in that. Give us divine ideas and wisdom, discipline, all those things. Thank you for your people today. Be with this team as they travel to Panama and be, Lord, with the rest of the congregation as we're dismissed into Panama. Thank you for your favor over us in Jesus' mighty name. Amen, amen, amen. God bless you. You're dismissed. If you need prayer, please come. We'd be happy to pray with you today. God bless you.
