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So You rain forever on your throne There's nothing left to do but standing on wonder There is no other when you speak All darkness is released We stand in awe and wonder There is no other Okay, so do I need to change then? Or do I need to go? Can you see, guys? I gotta go somewhere. Okay, so you're low low. I was low. I was below you. I was low low. Can we go back for a second? We're trying to find parts. Because I was low, she was low, and we was going low. There's nothing left to do We stand in awe and wonder Speak on power There's nothing left to do There is release We stand in awe and wonder There is Yeah, please.
There's nothing left to do We stand in awe and wonder There's like no other You see That's it. Was I not right now when I did it with you? You were, but it sounds like you didn't. Keep going. We'll figure it out. No. Right. You're good. No. If you want, like, I'm going Stadebury, this is not a cover. You keep going, and we'll see if that works. Yeah. Okay. I don't know. I can't.
Oh, because you've got to be off of him. I think we've changed. Oh, okay. Never mind. So, because the girl is singing, now my brain is listening to that note. You're good. I was trying to blend in somewhere. No, you're good. Yeah, if you just want to turn me up just a little bit more, I'm going to turn you up. And then you can hear what I'm singing. Because Pam and I are singing two different songs. I can't hear. I turned Pam. Just turned her mic on. I got you. I was like, I can't hear her at all. And then I was starting to hear you, because I have you, like, pretty high. But, like, if I turn you higher when you're singing by yourself, it will get me out. And I couldn't hear you. A couple of times. Yeah. And so I'm hearing not only with him, but also with the music. The music is good. So, that makes sense. So, first I found my note where you were, like, based off of that. And then I tried to find it there. And then I was like, oh, I don't know what's happening. So, yeah, no. And that's exactly what, yeah. So, I will stay. That's what I just did. Like, the parts that you're going.
Okay. And it did clap. Thank you. And please tell me all day. Yeah. Yeah. You want to listen? That's good. You want to listen? Come on. Take that little line off this one. Okay. Just do it. Okay. All of us. So, we're going to try. So, we're going to try. So, we're going to try. So, we're going to try. We cry on you. We fall face down and we're in shit. We all cry out. You are worthy. God. You are worthy. God. When we cry on you. We fall face down and we worship. We all cry out. You are worthy. God. You are worthy. God. I tell you. So, I think. I want to be. And I want to go. All I can do is pray. I can pray. Yeah. I can pray. That's okay. So, I'm going to pray. I can pray a little bit. And here I want to pray. So, we're going to pray. I set fire to you. Buckle up with the pedirian ritual. That's right. See you in your frontists.
See you in the back. around you fall face down and we worship your cry out you are worthy God you are worthy God you are worthy all the shame of the cross to the lamb who was slain as a torment for us to the son who overcame all the power of death we pray for the stripes for the wounds for the beating in your bones for the tears for the blood that was willingly poured for the man for the mercy for the wonderful majesty your love we fall face down and we worship your cry out you are worthy God you are worthy God we cry out we fall face down and we worship your cry out you are worthy God you are worthy God we worship you are worthy God to the lamb who was slain as a torment for us we pray to the cross who overcame all the power of death we pray for the stripes for the wounds for the beating you pour for the tears for the blood that was willingly PERCEIVED Fillingly poured for the merciful, wonderful majesty, your love. We crown you, fall face down, and we worship. We all cry out, you are worthy, God. You are worthy, God. We crown you, fall face down, and we worship. We all cry out, you are worthy, God. You are worthy, God. I love before I had a name. I rushed before I knew my shame. The slave for the earth was laid. What an awesome price he paid. I want to know all to Jesus. Oh. Every part of me lying at his feet. I will let every breath I take rise to drink and pray to the glory of one name. Jesus. Oh. Jesus. No. This time I'm holding mine. A crown of thorns has freed my mind. I cannot exist. The cross from none that Christ. Mercy brought me. I want to know all to Jesus. Oh. Every part of me lying at his feet. I will let every breath I take rise to drink and pray to the glory of one name. I want to know all to Jesus. Every last made victory, there is here one now, one now, one now. The high silence, every foe, every high thing brought down low, there is freedom, one now, one now. Soon everyone will know, there still is a blessed hope, our salvation's in one name, one now. He will one day come again, to the praises of heaven, hallelujah to our name, one now. We're singing of Jesus Jesus Jesus. We're singing of Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Jesus. Soon days will one day seem, every last made victory, there is healing in one name, one now. He has come again. The high silence, every foe, every high thing brought down low, there is freedom, one now, one now. And soon everyone will know, there still is a blessed hope, our salvation's in one name, one now. He will one day come again. Soon everyone will know, there still is a blessed hope, our salvation's in one name, one now. We're singing of Jesus Jesus Jesus, not enough words to ever say what I found, wonderful and beautiful and glorious and holy, he is merciful and powerful, who we talking about, that's my king, we just have the glory, give him all the honor, all together worthy, who we talking about, that's my king, there's no one to fool you, yes we will adore you, all of this is for you, who we talking about, that's my king, Jesus, you're my king, I'm not letting the rocks cry, without joining the chorus, there aren't enough notes to make the harmonies, it's the song of the angels, the angels, the angels, the angels, wonderful and beautiful and glorious and holy, he is merciful and powerful, who we talking about, that's my king, we just have the glory, give him all the honor, all together worthy, who we talking about, that's my king, there's no one to fool you, yes we will adore you, all of this is for you, who we talking about, that's my king, I'm not letting the rocks cry, without joining the chorus, there aren't enough notes to make the harmonies, it's the song of the angels, who we talking about, that's my king, I'm not letting the rocks cry, without joining the chorus, there aren't enough notes to make the harmonies, it's the song of the angels, who we talking about, that's my king, I'm not letting the rocks cry, without joining the chorus, there aren't enough notes to make the harmonies, it's the song of the angels, who we talking about, that's my king, I'm not letting the rocks cry, without joining the chorus, there aren't enough notes to make the harmonies, it's the song of the angels, who we talking about, that's my king, I'm not letting the rocks cry, without joining the chorus, there aren't enough notes to make the harmonies, it's the song of the angels, who we talking about, that's my king, king.
That's my rock. That's my anchor. My defender. That's my rock. That's my apple. I'm protected. That's my king. That's my rock. That's my anchor. My defender. My defender. That's my king. We declare the glory. Give him all the honor. We're talking about. That's my king. There's no one before you. Yes, we will adore you. There's no one for you. We're talking about. That's my king. That's my king. whom we're talking about. That's my king. who we're talking about. Who we're talking about. That's my king. That's my king. Kings and kings. That's my king. Let us have. That's my king. Let's see... Let's see. That's my king. I will honor the queen. Spare her little bit. Okay. Sweet. street. you there's nothing left to do we stand in awe and wonder they're like no other when you speak all power is released we stand in awe and wonder there is no other there's nothing left to do but stand in awe and wonder you're like no other when you speak all power is released we stand in awe and wonder all power is released we stand in awe and wonder there is no other when you speak all power is released we stand in awe and wonder there is no other in the middle of our worship today we want to take an opportunity to go to the lord's table and we have what we call the lord's table and we have what we call what we call open communion that means it's open to every believer who knows their faith is in the completed work of christ and during our next worship song the ushers will be serving you the elements would you just hold on to those and we'll come back and lead you in the time of our communion together so just continue in your worship as they serve you would you we crown you we fall face down and we worship we all cry out you are worthy god you are worthy god we crown you we fall face down and we worship we all cry out you are worthy god we crown you we fall face down and we worship we all cry out you are worthy god you are worthy god you're so worthy you're so worthy you're so worthy you're so worthy you're so worthy away took upon himself Thank you, Jesus.
You are worthy, God. You are worthy, God. We crown you with all praise down and we worship. We all cry out. You are worthy, God. You are worthy, God. You're so worthy. You're so worthy. You're so worthy. You're so worthy. You're so worthy. You're so worthy. You're so worthy. We call the cross to a saint. It's a token for us. We decide overcame all the battle of the day. We bring you praise for the stripes. For the stripes, for the rules, for the beating you brought. For the tears, for the blood that was willingly born. For the merciful, wonderful majesty of your love. For the one who endured all the shame on the cross. For the one who was slain and atoned for us. For the one who overcame all the power of death. We praise. We can start the war. For the wounds of the beating you wore. For the tears, for the blood that was willingly poured. For the merciful, wonderful majesty in your love. We crown you and we worship. My God, you are worthy, God. Do you know he's worthy? You are worthy, God. We crown you with all face down and we worship. We all cry out, you are worthy, God. You are worthy, God. To the one who is due it, hold the shame on the cross.
To the lamb who was slain, as a tome made for us. To the one who overcame, shall the power of death be praised. For the stripes, for the wounds, for the pain that you bore. For the tears, for the blood that was willingly poured. For the mercy, for the wonder, for majesty, your love. We crown you with all face down and we worship. We all cry out, God, you're so worthy. You are so worthy. You are worthy, God. We crown you with all face down and we worship. We all cry out, you are worthy, God. You are worthy, God. This moment is not just elements, not just something you've been given, but it's the night that Jesus was betrayed. We go through this almost ceremoniously if we're not careful, not thinking about what it would have been like to have been there that night when Jesus broke the bread and he said, this is my body. Sitting there among them was God in the flesh, in a human body, that was going to go to the cross and take the sin of the Holy Spirit. And he was going to be made sin who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God.
I never come to this moment at the Lord's table that I don't sense what I wish I could have experienced in some degree to have been there. And that's what this is about. It's to remember. It's to reenact. If you were to reenact your wedding, you'd get an outfit on and you'd go through the ceremony. And we're reenacting. We're remembering. The Lord's dead. So Holy Spirit, you abide in us, reminding us by revelation of what it was for Christ's body to be broken for us. Jesus, you said when you took the bread, this is my body, which is broken for you. You told us to eat it. You said, unless you eat my flesh and drink my blood, Lord, you mean we are completely committed to the faith in you.
And right now we receive these elements, these elements that we have in our hand, in our middle of our worship. Make this a part of our worship, Lord. If there's anyone in this room that you're drawing in a particular way, listen, if you took these elements in your hand, I trust that you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, that you trusted in him. Did you take just a moment right there where you are and go before his throne and thank him for the forgiveness of sin? Thank him for the pouring out of his blood, that you stand there totally forgiven, fully accepted, fully loved by the grace of the Lord Jesus. Would you make sure your faith is in that and that alone? That's what it means to discern the Lord's body. So Father, we take this moment and do this with the bread there. Would you take just a moment and let's take the bread together. I'll give you a moment to open up the cup. He said, this cup is the New Testament. It's my promise to you. It's a forgiveness of sin. Jesus, as you poured out your blood, we are standing here. We are standing here in our worship today. And even as we continue in our worship, remind us of what this really represents. We honor you, Father, in your holy name. Let's take it together, could we? Would you just continue in your worship? Let this be the center of your day in your worship. In this next song, as we sing, let the saints declare the goodness of God. Could we do that together?
Let's worship him in our time together. Love before I had a name. Washed before I knew my shame. Oh, the lamb was slain. Before the earth was laid. What an awesome price he paid. I owe it all, all to Jesus. Oh, every part of me. Lying at his feet. I owe it all. Let every breath I take. Rise to bring him breath. To the glory of one name. Jesus. Oh, Jesus. Little pierced hands are holding by. A crown of thorns has straightened my mind. Sin cannot exalt. Grace shone on that glassy rock. I owe it all, all to Jesus. Oh, every part of me. Lying at his feet. I owe it all, all to Jesus. I owe it all, all to Jesus. Oh, every breath I take. Rise to bring him faced, to the glory of one name. Oh, blessed is the name. Bis There is a holy name. There is a kingdom in heaven. There is peace. One day he has silenced every foe, every hard thing brought down low. There is freedom in one name, one name. And soon everyone will know there still lives a blessed hope. Our salvation's in one name, one name. One day come again to the praises of our men. And there is freedom in one name, one name. We're singing of Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. There's freedom in Jesus. There is freedom in Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Their eyes will one day see every loss made victory. There is freedom in one name, one name. He has silenced every foe, every hard thing brought down low. There is freedom in one name, one name. And soon everyone will know there still lives a blessed hope. And soon everyone will know there still lives a blessed hope. And soon everyone will know. There still lives a blessed hope. Our salvation's in one name, one name. And he will one day come again to the praises of our men. Our name we ask you, one name, one name.
Amen. Jesus Jesus Jesus Say that over this nation. Say it over this nation. One more time, say it over the nation. Jesus. Father, we believe that your grace is sufficient for everyone who calls upon you. And I pray, Father, right now, across this nation, that you would birth something that our eyes can see, that the church would be alive and well and strong in the gospel. As we celebrate our nation's birthday, may we pray like never before. Not only intercede for the nations, but intercede for this nation. Restore hope of prayer, I pray, in the name that's above every name. We sing that and declare that over this nation. If you agree with that, say amen. Right here at the end of our worship, I want us to have a reading together, remembering our nation, honoring Jesus over our nation. This week, we will celebrate 250 years. For I believe, still in the nations of the world, we are the most blessed of any place on the earth.
There's a reason for it. And as we celebrate our nation's independence, we also give thanks for the remarkable Christian heritage that helped shape the founding, founding of the United States. Our founders were not all alike in their theology, but they shared a deep respect for the Bible, the principles of God's moral law, and the conviction that our rights come not from government, but from the Creator. The Declaration of Independence boldly declares that all men are created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights. It further advises, It further appeals to the laws of nature and of nature's God, and expresses a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, and concludes with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence. John Adams wrote, Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. Listen, it is wholly inadequate to the government of any other. How many know we need revival? George Washington reminded the nation in his farewell address that religion and morality are indispensable supports of political prosperity. Listen to what Patrick Henry declared, It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded not by religionists, but by Christians. Not on religion, but on the gospel. America's founding was not perfect. No human endeavor is. But the vision at the core was one rooted in accountability to God and the belief that freedom is not a gift from the government, but from the Almighty. As Christians, we are heirs to something remarkable.
The freedoms we enjoy to worship together, like you are this morning, to preach, to live out our faith, openly were fought for and framed by people who believe, as we do, that God is sovereign, that His truth is real, and that a nation blessed by Him, has a responsibility to honor Him. Read Psalm 33, 12 with me together. Ready? Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Would you join hands with fellow American and let's pray over our nation. While the nations rage right now in Venezuela, there's earthquakes, there's problems. A couple weeks ago, we had the lady from Iran here as we prayed for the nations. Could we take a moment and pray over this nation? Amen. Amen. Amen. Our hearts are for the nations of the world, but let's pray for America. Father, we pray right now that the church would stand together all across this nation on this week. And as we gather to celebrate, may we gather in prayer. Even when we gather here Thursday on these grounds, along with hundreds and hundreds of people in our city to celebrate with fireworks, may we pause and pray for our nation. Lord, I've watched through history. Every time you're working, you begin with your church. You purify your church. You uncover wickedness and evil, and you bring forth the glory of God in the converted. Do that again, O Lord, in this nation. As we join hands together in a sign of solidarity, of prayer over this nation, Lord, lead us. Lead us not only here in this city, but across this wonderful nation. And we thank you, O God, that there are believers who are honoring you, more than ever before, and we give you all the glory and the praise. In the name of Jesus, and everybody said amen. Give him a great praise for his glory, and honor him. In spite of everything, may the glory of the Lord be known. Declared. Wow. Would you find someone that you've just worshiped with and prayed with and greet them, and our children that are being dismissed ahead to their classes? Let's take this moment. Would you meet one another? We did. We definitely did. Okay. What is happening? I figured it out like that. Hey, as you take your seats, thank you for giving us just a moment to get set. Today, we get to do something really, really cool.
In fact, it stands out to me that in the last probably six weeks, maybe a little longer than that, since Mother's Day, this will be our third chance to hear from people in the body about God at work in their lives. And getting to do that last week on Father's Day, a month or so ago on Mother's Day. And then today, getting to hear from some wonderful couples. You guys can come on and have a seat whenever the chairs are ready here. That'd be great. And we'll get mics to you in just a second. But we're going to get to hear from people in our body about the generosity that the Lord produces in our lives. And this is really a benefit. We talk about this often, going through Scripture. And verse by verse is that we come into passages that we might not find ourselves in otherwise. And so in 2 Corinthians, we've been going through a series in the last couple weeks, in the last month or so, on generosity. And we've come to a passage that is, I believe, incredibly powerful, challenging, equipping. And I want to read this to start the day, and then we'll shift over to our discussion. It's 2 Corinthians 9, verse 6. Write a few verses. So you can pull it up on your phone or in your Bible if you'd like to as well. It says, Remember this, a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop, but the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your own heart how much to give, and don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully, and God will generously provide all that you need. Then you... You will have everything that you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the scriptures say, they share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be... generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. So two good things will result from this ministry of giving. The needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the good news of Christ. And here's how it ends.
And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing, overflowing grace God has given to you. Thank God for this gift, too wonderful for words. And so maybe to start today, if you would, would you close your eyes right where you are? Everyone in this room has had moments in their life where you yourself have been generous and that you've seen the gift and the work of Christ through the generosity that you've expressed. And everyone in this room has received generosity that meant the world. Whether it was a generosity that meant the world, a generosity of finances, a generosity of time, a generosity of spirit that was expressed to you, that you received it and it meant everything to you. It was like God himself was the one giving it. And that's what this passage is talking about. And so right where you are, let me pray that this would be stirred up in our hearts. God, we thank you today that you are our source. You are our provider. You are the one that gives seed to the sower. And today, as we take a minute to hear from the work of you and your spirit, in the lives of those among us, I pray that we would be enriched, that we would be encouraged, that we would be reminded of the ways that you have expressed your love to us through the generosity of the body and the ways that you continue to encourage us towards generosity one to another. I pray today that we would walk away reminded of your great love for us. In Jesus' name, amen. Amen. Well, why don't we, to start, kind of do some introverts.
Some introductions down the line. You guys may know some of these folks on the stage. Maybe you've never had a chance to interact with them one-on-one. And so maybe if you just would introduce yourself and tell us how long you've been a part of DLC and if you've got kids or family members that are here as well. And just give us a little context into you and your family.
My name is Rocky, and this is my wife, Jennifer. We've been here two and a half years. We do have two daughters, ones. 29 and 26. And we got two grandbabies. One will be three here shortly, and then one will be one. Yeah, so.
Thank you. I'm Ed. This is Lisa, Gil Slider. And we've been here for 44 years, 1982. All four of our children are raised here in this church. We have a daughter and three sons, Cammie, Jordan, Nathan, Luke. And their ages are? Almost 45. 45, 42, 39, and Luke just turned 37. We've been here for 45 years. So we went to, we grew up in Panama, went to church here in high school.
And this is the first day. Well, we, what we want to do today is we've got some prepared questions that are designed to really dig into God at work in our lives as we walk in generosity. And so what we're focusing on today is what the scripture said. You're going to hear some things, I'm sure, about tithing. You're going to hear about giving in the context of the church. But as well, like the verse has talked about, we're going to dig into what does it mean to be generous one to another? And what does that look like in their lives? And so we just want this to feel like a conversation. I know in our introduction, we kind of went down the line, but feel free to jump in and wave at us. Everybody will make room for each other to share. And we can't wait to hear from each other.
And we can't wait to hear from each of you about the Lord in your life. So to start, maybe let's begin with the assumption that you guys are all believers, right? We're in all agreement on that. And that you would see God as your, you know, Jesus as your savior and as Lord. But maybe let's talk about when it may have shifted to really embracing the Lord as your source, as the one who provides, not just the one who saves. And what did that look like for you? Was that in the same moment? Or was that something that had to grow as you kind of discovered God as your source? Anybody that'd like to go first can jump in. And I will call on you. I don't have any problem. Well, I think for us, we were just starting out our walk way back when. We did tithe, but we knew we needed to, but we cared, you know what I mean? So we paid all of our bills first. And then with what was left, we gave a little bit. And we went, you know, we went through this a little bit. We didn't have any, you know, good teachings or discipleships or anything like that. We were just kind of muddling through on our own, you know? And we needed a car. And, well, we just couldn't afford one. But we went and looked. And I don't know if y'all know Anthony Dixon.
He's a friend of ours. He used to sell cars. He was on the Father's Day panel last week. Yeah, he was. So he sells cars. So we called him and said, I said, hey, is there anything you can do? And he says, well, come on down. Let me see. So we found this little Tahoe. And it was very nice. He let us take it for the weekend. We talked about it. And we were like, you know, there's no way we could afford it. There's just no way. I mean, we barely could afford the electric bill, much less a car, you know? So we prayed about it. And we just said, well, we're going to have to take it back. So she was going to take it. And just the presence of the Lord was like he was in the car. And he said, don't take that car back. That's your car. And he said that I'm going to pay for that car every month. And I'm going to pay it off early. Well, we did have a trade-in. So I'm like, I'm thinking to myself, I'm rationalizing myself on the way to work, you know, that we can trade this car in. And it'll be, you know, the payment-wise, you know, we might be able to swing it. And he's like, I didn't say anything about trading no car in. That's my car.
And he said, you're going to, you know, this is going to be so I called Jennifer and tell her not to, you know, not to take the car. And so we're like, I don't even know if we can even get finance, you know? So anyway, we, we, we play about it and called it. I was crying. So we go to the car lot. We, we don't trade the car in. We, we, we ended up doing get finance back. We got really good financing and we got the car and I don't know how we afforded it, but it was, it was always there. Money was always there. And there's some later questions here that we'll, you know, talk kingdom. But it's been a good journey, but we're going to give him this first. So that's when our time started.
Right. It really was walking. It stands out to me that while I believe that scripturally the Lord calls us to tithe and we can be obedient in that without getting something back from him in that way. He is so kind to give to us the same way that while we were yet sinners, he still loved us. The same way that he meets us and walks us into what he's called us to. And so, yeah, that's a powerful, powerful story.
Gil Slider, Sweeney's, anything you guys would say about the discovering God really is your source? My story, I'd forgotten about this and I just want to encourage parents. I had a front row seat. My folks were extremely generous and like Jonathan said, this is not about money. It's generous of heart and time and friendship. And my mother was a first grade teacher and she would always find kids in her class that really needed some help. She always did it in a way that was never embarrassing. A lot of times I'm sure they didn't know it was her, but she would make my sister, make my sister and I participate and we would do shopping and get things ready. And when I was little, there was a little girl named Mabel and we went out and got Christmas presents for her. And my mom, I can remember this. It made such an impression. I was in the back of the car. She made us go with her and we just drove out in the country someplace. And you know, I was feeling kind of, and she says, no, you're going to get out of the car and you're going to go in with me. So we walked in there and it was a dirt floor and had newspapers on the wall. And, um, we went late at night so that Mabel wouldn't know. And, um, the mom, you know, came, came out so that we could be Santa, you know, and on my way home, I knew from that minute on, I knew that we were being used of the Lord. Nobody had to say anything. And so as I would see my mom and dad really be provision for people, I always knew that was the hand of the Lord. And so I always knew that the same God would do the same for me. And so I just really never thought about it. It was just part of our lifestyle. So I was brought up in the generation that you worked hard and you worked harder and you worked long hours and that was your source of your income. And so early on we, I did that and because of that you think after a while I'm working so much and I'm making so little until I could transfer that thinking that God is my source and he brings the money in and not this farm or not this person or not this ranch or not anything like that.
God provided. I did all those things. And until I could switch my thinking that God was the B was the one that was giving us that source of income and it wasn't my works and my long hours or my intelligence or lack thereof. Um, it was him and him alone and that the money he gave us, I just figured as a loan and I'm just giving back to him what he already was giving to me. It just by show of hands who in here would say that across their lives, in their life or maybe in this present moment that you can tell even if it's only in your flesh that you get moved by difficult financial situations, right?
It's pretty universal is that finances and provision and what we do is such a core part of how we experience our life, especially in modern America and things like that. And uh, and so the reality of the drifting to, you know, same, I think talking about fear. And and rocky what you were saying that there's like a, there's a fear that comes when we talk about releasing anything that we have to someone else and not keeping it for ourselves, you know? And so I'm going to, I'm going to jump a question here and I might throw off your car story. I apologize for that if you prepared some thoughts because I want to dig in to what basically everybody just shared, which is, can you talk about a time when God really tested your trust in him through a financial situation?
Maybe, maybe just explain what that looked like and give us a picture into where you really had to grow in trusting of the Lord in that way. Ed, would you start that? All right, I'll jump straight to you. So when our 42 year old son was a baby and um, we needed formula for him and Lisa will have to help me on all these details. But um, we had X amount of money here. Let me have her get this. Um, we were working for someone else at the time. So, you know, we're waiting for our paycheck and we needed $50 to get by for two weeks so that we could get formula and what we needed and we didn't have it. So I got some birthday money from my parents in November. So I had that check or that a hundred dollar bill in my wallet and um, to spend later and somebody in church came in. Um, and they had just lost their house to a fire. I think he lost everything. And so I felt prompted to give that a hundred dollars, which she was counting on for the formula we were counting on for the formula. But I just felt like I was supposed to give that a hundred dollars to this man who had nothing. And so we did in service. And then, um, before we left church and usher came up and somebody had given a hundred dollars to him to give to us to repay that not knowing that we had no money. So there's no way he would have known it was God that completely, completely repaid everything that we had given. Um, the other story that we talked about is, um, the first year that we own the clinic, I'm a staking, I did the books and stuff and I thought that the insurance and the taxes were part of our monthly payment. You know, I just didn't know that's where our house worked. And so we got to the end of the year and we get this thing in the mail telling us what we owed. And I thought, well, well, first of all, I couldn't believe it tracked it down. Sure enough. And I just told Ed, I said, we don't, we don't have it. And I don't know what we're going to do. I don't know. They're going to come haul us off or what, but we don't have it. And, um, the day before it was due our biggest account. It was a farm. Um, the lady came in and she said, is it okay if I pay ahead? Uh, because it'll help our taxes for next year. And she gave us a check for the, the exact amount that we needed. That's great. Any, any either other couple, just the times when you may have been really tested to trust in a financial situation. Yeah. First question. Why? Wasn't that a parent model? Okay. And, um, I started learning. I mean, it says it on the Bible, but, you know, words don't mean much. I want to be like, I'm going to try to say this without me. It's the first thing. Because when you're a new believer, you know, the Bible doesn't have much for, you know, it doesn't, uh, it doesn't mean much for every story. Um, so you have to, you have to sort of test that. As, as God's been to rebuild, learning, I started seeing that I didn't have to be the one looking out for me, which is like, you know, completely different.
And, um, that the experience that you, that you live, so me learning that I don't have to be the one looking out for me is counterintuitive. But, um, when you start serving the kingdom of God, like it says in the Bible, when you start serving the body of Christ and the people around you and, you know, the widows and orphans and people that need help, like all of it really is edited. It's crazy.
It's one of the seemingly paradoxical things in the Bible where it's, um, give, give part of your portion away. God gives a portion. No, that's great. That was great. Yeah. I think that that's a really good, uh, point as well, is that so much about generosity is between you and the Lord and faithfulness and obedience and as the Lord. And it, it really isn't natural in the sense that there's a formula and a process.
And I know this and that it's, it really is supernatural in that sense. And so, yeah, that's excellent. Sam, were you going to say something? That's okay. Just making sure. Rocky, Jen, anything for you guys you'd like to add about a time that the Lord asked you to trust? Yeah. So, um, he'll just hold that up a little closer. Sorry.
Um, kind of fast forward a little bit on the question. Um, we, we, we have a trucking company. We started a business on a 20 some years ago, 15 years ago. Um, it's been a long time. Um, but when, whenever we, whenever we stepped out in this, we, we were working for, you know, other people. And, um, you know, we were finally starting to make a little bit of money where we could afford to pay. So we, uh, we, we, uh, end up buying a house, building a house and, uh, paycheck to paycheck, you know? And, um, so I had the Tahoe still making payments on it. Um, and we were praying about, you know, work and business, you know, everything and, and how, you know, some decisions we had to make. And the Lord told Jennifer to, uh, uh, well, like Rocky said, I mean, we're, we're beginning to have things. God's very faithful in, in our life, but we're struggling still no excess, which is fine. Um, but we wanted this independence of maybe going into business for ourselves. And that just was on our heart. And so we had faithfully been praying about that and into that. And then I heard a word from the Lord one night that said, I'll do this for you, but you'll have to trust me. And I just somehow knew that he was talking about a blind faith that we wouldn't know how, and we wouldn't see where it was coming from.
So every single step of the way we just had to rely on him. And so I said, this is what the Lord has said. And so he transitioned some things and we began to recognize these opportunities that he was putting out. And then when he said, now's the time we both quit our jobs, our, our only income coming in that we're going paycheck to paycheck on. And we just said, we trust you, Lord. And we quit both of our jobs. And the Lord showed, showed up from day one on that. And the revenue that was turned was like four times more than we anticipated that we would be able to produce in this timeframe. And he said that he would do it. And not only did he do it, he did it times four. But that really took a real test on our finances to just leave the security of our paycheck and blindly trust him every single step of the way. I just want to add one thing. She, she kind of left out. So, um, but then that year we had enough revenue to pay the car off and the house. So he did pay the car off early, just like he said he was going to. And he paid off our house, our brand new house that we had built. So, uh, you know, that's stepping out with, you know, no income to, you know, all the bills we had to, to saying, Hey, you know, he says, do it.
So we got to have that space to step out and trust him, that he got our best interest, you know? And, uh, so, yeah, so that's. Man, when, um, tell a quick story of my own.
When I worked at the church is 2014. And, uh, I had a mortgage. JC and I've been married for a couple of years and Bennett had been born. And, and then I was let go from working here at the church and I had no degree and I had no plan, but I knew I was supposed to be here and I couldn't just go find another kid's pastor job somewhere. And, and so for a couple of weeks I tried to just figure something out. Actually, many of you might know, uh, Craig Abbott was a gentleman in the church who owns a construction company and he was like, you can come work for me. And I went and taped windows on the outside of the house that they were going to paint. Um, I'm scared of heights pretty bad. And I was up on a ladder taping windows badly, poorly. Um, and Craig was being very kind to me. Uh, and I went to lunch one day. With a gentleman that Jeff Ray was connecting me to potentially to go to work for him. And, um, and I sat down to lunch and told him my story and he basically was like, yeah, I wouldn't hire you. Um, either it was just tough, you know, that's what he said. Um, we're sitting in a rib crib and just to get in this terrible news that this is a closed door too, but he made a statement and here's why I'm telling the stories to highlight what you guys are saying is God really being the one in control. And, and what he said to me was he said, Jonathan, do you believe that if God desires to bring you something that you could stop him from doing that? And I was like, no, I don't believe that. I believe that God wants me to have it. He's going to get it to me. He said, okay. And he said, do you believe that if God has given you something that you can work real hard and put a little icing on top of the cake? I was like, I don't think I believe that either. I think that it's the Lord that's bringing it to me. And I had never been face to face with thinking about perfection.
Provision and such that specific way of not only can I not stop God from bringing to me what he desires to and you need this example you're giving, but also this scrappy work hard get thing that was so ingrained in us that it's not like God brings me what I have. And then I just add on top whatever extra I can produce, but that truly in the full picture, the Lord's bringing it. And so I think that that what you guys are sharing, I mean, we're going to be, we're going to be limited in time today. But, but hearing these stories, it stands out to me too, that we've already had more tears today than we did on the Father's Day panel. And something related to the Lord providing for us is so deeply personal to the connection of God taking care of us. It's so deeply personal to us releasing that God is the one. It's not up to me. I don't have to carry that on my own.
I don't have to make it happen, but I can just be obedient to him and he'll be the one that does it. And there's, there's something that goes far beyond the solving of financial issues. And so I want to jump down. This is our last question that we have written and take a little extra time if we need to. So I want to talk about what does it look like to be generous in the body?
So here's how the question is written. It says, can you share a story of how God showed you the fruit or the impact of generosity, whether you were on the giving end or the receiving end of something? And, you know, Lisa, I think your example would be a good example, people of that talking about Mabel and, you know, seeing the fruit of that. But, but maybe thinking about it as you guys share in the context of the body, the real fruit and impact of what generosity looks like. And in a moment where you got to see that, and again, anybody that'd like to start jump right in.
When we first started giving money towards Pakistan to freeing the indentured servants, which were really slaves that worked at a kiln. And when we, we got a picture of a family that is no longer enslaved because of money that we were able to give to free them. One of the pictures was, I think a man that had a hand chopped off because he had stolen. And so he was working in this brick kiln 24 hours, excuse me, seven days a week, all day long. His family was, his kids were just making bricks. And to see that now that they are free and they are no longer enslaved, because, because we were blessed enough to give and we'll never see them in heaven probably. Right. But never, they don't know who we are.
We didn't know who they were, but they are free. They are no longer enslaved. They're working and getting paid. And that blessed Lisa blesses Lisa and I, um, because we see the good that our money was able to do because of what God had blessed us for with.
When Sam and I were in the hospital, that was the first time we were ever raided. We were in the hospital. We were in the hospital and, um, God was there. Um, it was, it was a thousand stories like that. Like we had it. Hopefully, it's a meal for our family when that happens. God provide us. This is a good story. And this is, I believe a point of encouragement to the body. Is this a good story? that what Tim and his brothers did was not a small thing you know it's a project it's real but and again I'm making an assumption here but four to six hours of their time was a comfortable home for you guys to I mean it went far beyond the time that was that's the seed going beyond that adding beyond it's it's multiplied in a moment something that costs you x in whatever way it costs is then received and goes beyond so much more than just the equivalent that was given in that kind of sense I just think that's a good example to point that out on Lisa so I ask um this was a generosity that was given back to me when Luke was almost a year old he had major heart surgery and anyway that involved a whole bunch of stuff and an army of ladies came over to the house not just to clean the house but they planted flowers and did I mean just did everything that you could think of um Ed's folks were coming to our house for the first time and I just I was so overwhelmed and you think through the years in fact Glenn and I were talking about this at ATI the richness of friendships and time and relationships what what a gift and the concept of that time is you're exchanging your life for whatever the exchange is and we were talking about money and when you start shifting that to realize it's not about money it's about my life and how am I spending it so that then you realize I can't add a minute to my life so how I spend a penny is important because that was a second of my life let's just say and that changes your whole way of thinking that it's all his and how am I using my life and and the concept of I always have something in my hand to give always whether it's a hug or a smile or a phone call or whatever and that that principle really changes and you see harvest harvest time you know sometimes we don't know the seasons of course Oklahoma our seasons are all over the place but in the kingdom when a harvest comes you're just blown away you know and so is the seed to the sower you know we've had times that I'm like lord I don't think we've I see that need but I don't know how you know give me seed to sow but there's always something in your hand probably a few years before tobin we were praying and the Lord told us to forgive our debtors the people that you know yeah we had loans that you know I mean people we were blessed and you know we do on a trucking company so the people get some of the drivers would come and eat new engines for their trucks or want to buy a piece of equipment or or we would you know we would finance a truck for somebody or you know a big truck or something so maybe they had no and he came to us in prayer and said I want you to forgive those debts and I'm going to forgive the debt against you so we we we called and told everybody that you know and that their debt was forgiven now right to those people right and we stood on this but years later you know and we we still have bill you know so got trailer payments still got you know all this stuff that that is going on and we it was kind of like you just put it in the back of your your mind you know because we were still being blessed and through the business and you know everything else and still you know being able to be generous and well covet hit seemed like our work went from hero to zero you know yeah so you know we had contracts that were supposed to carry us through the next three years it was worth you know a big substantial you know amount of money and so we went from being super busy to being you know dust in the shop you know so we were wondering how we were going to pay bills you know we have an enormous amount of bills and so we kept you know praying and praying and praying and and you know it got to the point that we were you know probably within two weeks of having to shut down our business you know because there just was no we just couldn't keep the doors open with the debt that we had so we're praying in bed one night and I hear Jennifer say Lord what about this you know go ahead Yeah, you said you were going to forgive our debts, you know, and we need this.
So we wake up the next morning, and I told Jennifer, I'm going to go to the bank and talk to the bank. So see what they can do. So we both went to the bank, and we sat down with our banker. And she said, you know, we can, you know, delay the payments for a couple of months, you know, whatever that, you know, we're going to have a payment for a couple of months on stuff. And, guys, it was substantial debt, you know, substantial payment. And then the Lord's like, while I'm in there, the Lord's like, ask her about this. So I asked her, you know, about relieving some debt, you know, here and there. The Lord just kept, you know, I just kept pointing here and pointing here and pointing here. And by the time we got out of there, we had three months' worth of deferred payment. And the money that we were going to make in that three months for not making the payments was paying off some other equipment that, in turn, you know, we get money for every month that we could turn around and pay off other equipment. So I said, okay. I say all that to say this.
Within 90 days of the worst time in our business history, we were debt-free. Ninety days. And we didn't have any money. We couldn't pay that stuff off in our best business time, you know.
And he took our worst time in our business ever that has ever been and did a miracle. So, you know, God is good, you know.
Just to add, in this season that Rocky's talking about, too, and how good God is, I remember one morning, and I mean, when you, like you mentioned, Jonathan, about how it hits you, like financially and the impacts and the emotions and the things that you have in that, I mean, we're spending a lot of extra time in prayer in this season. And I remember stepping out of the shower one morning, and it's just like I knew it. But in the midst of that, God said, it was like he, I heard him. I'm not going to say it was. But I heard the Lord say, I am yours, and you're mine. And you just step out of the shower with this amazing revelation. And then it was the encouragement that we needed to just keep staying and to have in that faith, even though if we took our eyes off of him for a minute, all of that chaos around us felt like it would consume us. But as long as our eyes stayed focused, and he was faithful through all of that time to just give us those words of encouragement, too.
And just a reminder of that. But to answer your question, it had said something that reminded me. So there was a season where we felt led to give into missions and things, too. And you don't ever see where that's going. You just trust that it's sowing seed where it needs to be sown. And there was a service, like we find receiving really difficult for us. We love to be the givers, and we love to bless others. But receiving is really hard.
And so in the midst of this generosity into the missions that we were doing, there was a service where the pastor had got to the end, and he called it. I think you were gone. I think I was the only one there. And he calls us up front, and he says, we're taking a special offering for the Ellis family. Lord, I can't do that. You've given us far more than we ever needed, could ever desire. I can't accept money from these people. But he said to do it. So I stood there while our whole church came and put money in this offering towards us. And they called it a love offering, and I just didn't understand that. And so when I got home, Rocky said, I don't know what we're going to do with this, but somehow this is special.
And we put it in the drawer. Remember that? And our friend was the pastor then, and he was at our home doing some work. They were fixing to go on another missions trip. And we said, okay. And then Scott said to give him the money that we had received to go on this trip with.
And it seemed like months later, after they got back in and conversed, I don't even remember how it came about. But Scott said, I want you to see the fruit of what that did. And it built two churches in Africa. And when you see the pictures and the blessing that that is, it's just amazing to see the fruit of what you're seeing. And it's just amazing to see the fruit of what that did. And I don't know if that answers your question, but that's what popped in my mind. Having to be humbled enough to receive something that later, I can't believe what it did.
You know, it's worth remembering, too, that sowing seed and what grows up in the natural takes time. And sowing seed, although supernaturally there are times where it's an instantaneous response, often it is a journey of the Lord provides in this moment. You hold this. The seed ready to plant when he says and then he says and then it comes back later. And there's these I'm sure, again, so many of you, I look around this room and and have received such tremendous generosity.
You know, Calvin, you're talking about meal trains and having kids. And, you know, there's there's been so much that my family has received from so many in this room. So I know that there's that this is alive in this church.
And and and so today, first of all, can we just give everybody? A round of applause here for their stories. Man, I I think that that it it's worth noting the scriptures that say things like, you know, one plants and one waters. But the Lord is the one who makes it grow. Guys, can I tell you, forgive me for making this about children. But when you serve in the kids ministry, it's sowing seed that you might not ever get to see. It's about generations and families and people that are impacted, even if they were only in the building.
For four weeks before they moved on to the next thing. And and so much of generosity is about, you know, we already said this a minute ago, but it's about you and the Lord and obedience to him and trusting him to be the one to make the seed grow. And so I just want to pray over us today.
If you would just right where you are, you can bow your heads. And I don't know, maybe I have this thought that there's almost nothing that feels scarier or makes me feel smaller than when. When I feel the pressure of what I can't do and I'm trying to do it, if it's for me with my wife, me with my kids, me and my business, me in ministry. It's like in every area of my life, there's almost nothing that makes me feel smaller and heavier and more chaotic and and alone than when I know I can't do it and I'm trying to. So I just want to pray on the strength of these stories today that we would remember that.
That it's the Lord who is our source, if that's OK. So where you are, be in touch with that in your own heart. Be connected to the idea of what you might try to control or possess yourself. Let me just pray over you.
God, thank you today that you are good. You are faithful and trustworthy and you keep your promises and you're the one that makes the seed grow, the seed of all kinds. I pray that that in the ways that we would hold on to things ourselves and the ways that we would try to control. Or possess or hoard unto our own self so that we could feel safe or protected by natural things. I pray, God, that we would separate from that and that we would be in touch with you and your provision and that we are safe in you, that we are provided for in you, that we are protected in you and nothing else. And I pray that in every area of our life where we are trying to do things in our own strength, that you gently and firmly would make your hand.
That you would lead us, guide us, that we would hear your voice, that you would speak to us and give us the strength to obey. We thank you, Lord, that you're involved in every step. We ask that you would continue to be. And I pray today that generosity would be stirred up in this house, that generosity would be stirred up in the lives of every individual and every family and every business and every area of ministry that happens around our lives.
I pray that a spirit of generosity would be stirred up. And that we would be excited to give, that we would recognize that it's you that brings it to us, and that we would walk in obedience to you. We thank you for it today in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen.
Would you guys give one more round of applause? Y'all can head back to your seats panel. Thank you so much.
Wow. I want to be generous. I heard some amen over here. I said, I want to be generous. Generosity is contagious, isn't it? And I love it because in this house, these three couples. Go ahead. Give them a God bless you one more time.
These three couples, all through this audience, there are those of you that could be up here just as well, sharing what God's doing. I love to hear what others are walking through and what they've gotten out of.
So thank you for sharing with us. Thank you. I really receive from it.
And I've been around generosity. I love the generosity.
And I'm going to do something here this morning that in 46 years I've never done. With our tithe, I'm going to receive a saint's relief offering.
We have a fund called Saint's Relief. And we bless people out of it. I don't think we've ever received an offering for it. People just give into it. And while I'm sitting here, I get a text from someone that's in desperate need. And I'm reminded that we're on generosity.
What if we did something we've never done before? I found out that tithe dollars are different from mission dollars. And mission dollars are different from generosity dollars. Right? And I'm not going to put any pressure on anybody. But for the first time, I'm going to put any pressure on anybody. But for the first time in 46 years, I'm going to give you a chance, if you want to, to give into Saint's Relief.
Because there is a tremendous need among us that we can bless. And so, in just a moment, when we do receive our tithe and offering, I'm going to encourage you not only to worship with your tithe, but if you want to, if you want to, just add. Here's what the word is.
Here's what I've already done. I've put the tithe in missions. But if you're giving saints, it would be a separate. It just says saints. Okay?
Just type in the word saints and a dollar. If you're giving text. Or there's an offering envelope in the front seat back in front of you. You can mark saints on it and drop it in the offering container. Or if you're using a check, you can make it separate as well and mark it as well.
But I want to do that. I want to see what happens out of this and give you a chance to respond. First of all, I want to pray over you as you worship the Lord in your tithes and offering. If you're our guest today, don't feel compelled to be a part of this. This is just something we do as a body.
We worship the Lord out of what he gives us and out of that as a blessing. And so that's part of this. Today ends the series on generosity, but it has been a tremendous series. And so I appreciate those of you that have been a part of it. Let me just pray over you as you prepare your heart to worship.
Father, I thank you for your provision. I thank you, Lord, for what you're doing in the lives of the people. Thank you that this house is a generous house. Thank you that they're willing. Go out of their way to find out a need that's somewhere and you go to it and give it. And for those that's not even aware of some of the needs because of proximity or today, we give an opportunity to bless the saints of those who are in need. And we honor you in it today in our worship.
If you agree with that, say amen.
Amen. If you are our guest today, there is an envelope seat back in front of you. If you don't mind, we'd love for you to fill that out and drop that in the offering container. And if you have any questions, you can send it to us at the back doors as you slip out. We would appreciate you doing that. Also, the black book will be passed down. Some of you may have already done that. That way we have record. And by the way, if you don't think we have your birth date or anniversary date, would you enter that into the black book? We'd love to have you updated. If you're not getting a Gmail or something from us or email from us or something, be sure and fill that out. We want to get that to you as well.
So I want to invite the worship team to come back. And we're going to go out. We're going to go out with a song, God Bless America. Let me remind you of the things going on this week. What is July the 2nd on Thursday night? It is our Freedom Celebration. And I love to be here to volunteer.
I like to help park cars. If you want to be a part of that evening, it's not too late. On the seat next to you, I think there's a QR code or a way for you to be a part of it.
Come that evening, we have all activities for children. Different things are going on that evening. And then there's a firework display at dark. And it is first class. It'll be a great time for the community to bring friends.
And we fill the parking lot. And hopefully, it looks like it's going to be dry. We'll be able to park some cars maybe over in this area. If need be, we'll bring in buses from Catalaya School, whatever's necessary. It starts at really 7, but you can come earlier. Those of you that want to be a part of volunteering in that, we really do appreciate that.
If you've not gotten in on the Wednesday night sessions, this next two Wednesday nights are on marriage. I encourage you to be here. The parenting classes were outstanding. I encourage you to be here for the marriage.
And then there's going to be two weeks after that on finances. So we believe these three areas are important for the church body as we go through this summer during this period of time. And if you plan on buying fireworks, there's only one place to buy. Fireworks. If you wonder if I am favorite, absolutely.
It provides our youth budget, youth missions, and our youth get to go to summer camp. And here's what I love about it. They work. Come on, give me an amen. I said they work.
No, it's not just a handout. They work their hours.
Isn't that great? And earn their way. There's not one reason why any youth could not go to youth camp.
And so we want to be able to be a part of that. There's a lot of activities. There's a lot of activities going on this summer.
Stand together with me, and we're going to bless. I want this to be our blessing over our nation. This is a powerful song. Some of you have grown up singing it. God bless America. But don't let it just be a song. Would you let it be your prayer?
And after you have declared this, consider it your dismissal. Love on one another. And thank the team for sharing with us today. Lead us, team, would you? But I love to stand beside her and guide her Through the night with the light from above From the mountains, to the prairies, to the ocean Wild with foam, God bless America My home sweet home God bless America And though I stand beside her and guide her Through the night with the light from above From the mountains, to the prairies, to the ocean Wild with foam, God bless America My home sweet home So America, my sweet home That's our prayer.
That's our prayer. That's our prayer all this year.
Love on one another because that's who you are. God bless you. You're dismissed. Second service. I didn't figure it out until closer to the third song. Like, what is going on? Like, it's amazing.
