The Rich Fool

Dennis McCallum

Luke 12:13-21

Jesus' interaction with the rich fool highlights the perils of materialism. Those entranced by wealth are oblivious to what God says about how to use His resources and look to selfishly accumulate more and more for themselves. Often, those who seek after wealth and riches encounter worry and anxiety, as they are unable to fully control everything they are trying to keep hold of. God's way includes trusting Him to meet our needs, and acting as stewards with His resources to accomplish His purposes. This type of lifestyle leads to real fulfillment in a way that riches and wealth is incapable of.

Christ Centered Relating

Gary DeLashmutt

Philippians 4:10-20

We can draw several principles about Christ-centered relating with each other from this passage. Paul the apostle implies that when we are following Christ, we are deeply involved in one another's lives. We are called to trust God to meet our needs and we demonstrate this trust in Him in a couple of ways: we can allow God to provide for us through other people (for example, Paul was receiving financial provision from the Lord through the church in Philippi); we can choose to give to others, especially in areas where we do not feel competent.

The Parable of the Talents

Dennis McCallum

1 Corinthians 2:7

In Jesus' parable of the talents we are given God's perspective on stewardship and reward. All people have been given stewardship responsibility over what God has revealed and gifted them. All people have a choice in how they respond to God's gifts.

Principles of Christian Financial Giving (Part 2)

Gary DeLashmutt

Luke 16:10-12

Paul sends multiple trustworthy leaders to deliver the money for a church. These are principles that are wise even today because it keeps those who handle money for Gods' church above reproach. But how should we handle our own personal money? The same principles can apply to households. Principles include no one should be left alone to handle money and having a mindful, frugal or no waste policy. Is God calling on you to make a step of faith to support His Will being done through many ministries that are reaching the lost?

Principles of Christian Financial Giving (Part 1)

Gary DeLashmutt

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

The Corinthians evidently made a generous commitment financially to the Christians in Jerusalem but started to back away from their commitment. Paul writes to motivate them to make good on their giving and reminds them of several key theological principles of Christian financial giving. Giving is a response to God's grace. Giving is an acknowledgment that we are God's stewards. Giving is an essential component of Christian spirituality. This area of our Christian life is easy to try to wall off from God and say He has no business there. But when we have been given everything through our salvation because of Christ's death, how can we tell God that our worldly resources are too sacred to part with?

Sermon on the Mount (Part 4): Our Motivation for Life

Dennis McCallum

Hebrews 13:5

Jesus called people to trust God with their needs. God has taken care of the birds of the sky, how much more will He take care of his people? This doesn't mean we should be undisciplined with what God has given us, but it does mean that God has put enough on our plate for today and we should take security in the Lord. We are called to be stewards and givers of the things that God has blessed us with.