Speaker: Supt Beaven
Topic: Do What Is Better
Scripture: Acts 20:
Community of encouragement
Center of empowerment
Church of Engagement
Every ministry of the church falls into these three areas of the church.
Some things in life are mentioned in scripture as being better or chosen to have.
Proverbs 22:1
Ecc 7:8
John 16:7 - better for a
I Corinthians - 7:8-9
Paul addresses the pastors in Ephesus before he leaves. He exhorts them according to ministry to what they should do while he is away
Take care of themselves
Be watchful over their sheep
Be watchful for wolves
Paul commends then to God Acts 20:32-38 *v 35
4 questions:
1. What does God want us to work hard for?
We are to work hard in the interest to help
others. Beware of covetousness. Intent
of Paul’s working was to support the weak
and lend a helping hand. Was an
example of selfless giving. The end of our
earning is to help others, not ourselves.
2. Did Jesus say what Paul said Jesus said?
It is asked because the saying if it’s more
blessed to give than received because it’s
not directly in the a documented
conversation. John stated that not
everything that Jesus did was not written
down because there would be too many
books to contain it all. Many phrases are
passed down through oral tradition.
“Remember “ is a recall of something that
occurred. You cannot remember
something that didn’t occur. If one will
not accept these two points, the essence
of the command is sound in scripture that
Jesus said.
3. Is God opposed to us receiving? It’s actually a blessing to both give and receive. It is more blessed to give than to receive. It is both blessed to give and receive. Matthew 7:7. You cannot give away what you have not been willing to receive. You have to receive in order to give. Matthew 10:8. God calls us to a higher principle of giving more than we receive.
4. What makes giving better or more blessed than merely giving? Proverbs 18:17; Proverbs 22:9; Proverbs 28:27
Jesus taught in the habit of giving not only in tithes and offering. He taught of the life philosophy of giving. The Bible gives many scriptures regarding our obligation to give. God doesn’t want us to give to get back, but to give because we should.
