March 28, 2015 - Church at Worship

Sermon: "Knowing Where It’s Going" Part 3 – When You Give... - Randy Roberts

Pastoral Welcome: Tyler Stewart

Child Dedication: Fern Sylvia Primitiva Valdivia - Randy Roberts

Scripture Reading: 2 Corinthians 8:16–21, TNIV - Richard and Teri Blum-Johnston

Note: Child Dedications and Baptisms are on the extras section of the dvd.

Sermon Notes:

One of the most meaningful compliments the recipient of a gift can give to the giver of the gift is to use the gift! So wearing the dress, playing with the baseball glove, reading the book, or using the gift certificate is a way of saying thank you. What I draw from this is people want to know their gift was meaningful, valuable, and useful. I believe the same is true when it comes to money we put in the offering plate at church. Most of us want to know what happens to our offering—that it was meaningful, valuable, and useful. Yet, here is what is surprising: most of us don’t know very much about what happens to our church offering. When Paul was collecting his offering for the needy saints in Jerusalem, he wrote about it to his Corinthian friends. He told them, “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 others” (2 Cor. 8:20–21, TNIV). In other words, Paul wanted clarity and candor regarding how the offering was handled and, one would assume, about the fact it reached its intended destination.

Today, we consider how the same realities apply on our local level.

Randy Roberts

Senior Pastor