Living Generously - My Generosity Manifesto, Part 2

I have never met a person who exercised an act of kindness, who made a sacrifice financially, who saw a life change and then turned to me and said, you know, I'm just so tired of being a generous person. The fact is we all want to be more generous, but something gets in the way.

How do we solve that? Well, stay with me. That's today. Thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. Living on the Edge is an international teaching and discipleship ministry focused on helping Christians live like Christians. Well, in this program, we're wrapping up our series, Living Generously, with the second half of Chip's message, My Generosity Manifesto. But before we dive in, if you've missed any part of this series, catch up through the Chip Ingram app. It's a great way to listen to Chip and Living on the Edge anytime. Well, if you're ready, here's Chip as he continues talking about the process of sowing generosity and how we can practice it.

Let's dive in. The third principle, and this is the one at least for me, was like, oh, wow, do I really believe this or not? Kingdom sowing is counterintuitive.

That's a big word for it sounds really dumb when you hear it, right? I mean, he's going to say the kingdom works. Here's the world. And God's kingdom principles are the opposite. So he's going to say, do things that you're thinking.

That doesn't make that's illogical. Notice the wisest man in the world in Proverbs three, verse nine and 10. Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce. And here's the promise. So your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.

I don't know about you. I didn't grow up reading the Bible. Someone's telling me, take the very first and the very best of your work and give it to God to love and help people.

And God says, that's how your barns are going to get. That doesn't make sense. You give away and you get more. It's kingdom.

That's why your life becomes unexplainable. And there's people all over the world, but they've got this core. We're going to be generous. We're going to build God's kingdom. We're going to give out of our prophets. We're going to give our time.

We're going to give to our employees. And crazy stuff happens. He just keeps blessing. There's one who scatters. Proverbs goes on to say chapter 11 and increases all the more. That's illogical.

Well, unless you look at it literally, if you scattered more seed, a lot more would grow up. And there's one who withholds what is justly do and it results only in one. And we all know this by experience. The generous man will be prosperous and he who waters will himself be watered. Pause for a moment.

I know I'm going fast. I want you to think of someone that you know that's just winsome. You know, everybody likes him at work or everyone likes him in the neighborhood or it's a Christian.

Maybe it's in one of your small groups, your studies. And then just ask yourself, what is it about this person that's so magnetic? It's the person that you sit down and talk and after an hour you realize you talk for 45 minutes and they listen for 45 minutes. It's the person that you're just kind of hanging out with and you know, you weren't even making a big deal but there was a little need over here and you get a note the next week and the person met the need. Generous people are super attractive. Generous people have friends. Generous people have joy. Generous people are like a magnet that we all want to be around. But what we sort of forget is they give.

They have the same hours in the day that we do. Many of them have less money. In fact, all the research says poorer people are far more generous than us rich people. Notice the words of Jesus, give and it'll be given unto you, counter intuitive. They'll pour back into your lap. Well, how are they going to pour back? Well, like good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over. It's a picture in agriculture society where someone's giving you something and you shake it to make more room. He says, God's not going to bless.

He's going to really bless and whatever size measuring you give, you get it in return. So bring a cup of generosity, you'll get a cup of generosity. Bring a bucket of generosity, get a bucket of generosity. It's just a law of the kingdom. Now there's no give to get here by the way.

That's a perversion. There's no like, Hey, I'm going to give away a lot because okay, now you owe me. Well, guess what? You've just violated the spirit of it. It's not generosity, that's manipulation. Final principles, we never reap in the same season that we sow. This is why it's hard.

Okay. You're listening to me and thinking, man, I got a bunch of debt and I'm supposed to start giving or okay, I give 1.3% or I'm doing this or I'm doing that. And even the thought of this, now I've seen God do it radically but when you begin to give, well, I'm going to be kind to my wife. I'm going to have a new person's going to show up at work. Don't expect the next day to get a promotion. He says, don't lose heart in doing good and do time underlying due time.

It'll reap if you don't grow weary. So then what should we do? While we still have the opportunity, let us do good. Get this to all people, circle all people. We don't just love each other, all people, especially the people that they don't think you care at all, the marginalized people, the people whose politics or lifestyle or sexual orientation is different.

Do good to all people. That's what Jesus did but especially to the household of the faith. The reason we continue in unhealthy, unwise, selfish, greedy practices and did you hear we, all of us, is because the consequences don't show up right away. I mean, if I sat down to watch a good basketball game and ate, I mean, this whole box of Triscuits with my super duper sharp cheddar cheese and my super diet Coke in a moment of binging and then if I got up and walked into the bedroom and immediately two pounds went around my waist, I think I could kick my Triscuit addiction but it doesn't work like that and more seriously, small neglects in my marriage, small neglects in my investment in renewing my mind, just a little pecking around with some pornography here, just a little flirting here, nothing happened, right? Nothing happened. A little obsession with work and not really spending time that's knowing what's on your kid's heart, nothing happened.

Everybody seems okay, 10 years, 12 years, 20 years, marriage falling apart, kids disengaged, you know, it was just a little bit of debt, it was just a little bit of neglect, 10 years later. See, you never reap in the same season that you sow. That's why it takes faith. The goal, God's goal is not to get some people to come to meetings, church, listen to someone talk, sing a couple songs and be relatively a little bit nicer and maybe a little bit more moral than the world. That is not a Christian. Those are some activities that Christians are in. Following Jesus is the seed of the living God of the Holy Spirit comes and takes resonance inside your body when you recognize your sin and turn from it and ask God for forgiveness and base it totally on what he did on the cross and his resurrection.

He actually enters your life and he begins to develop and cultivate the very character of Jesus in you as you get in community and get in his word and talk to him and become generous. This is, it actually says my generosity manifesto, so this is mine, all right? It's in yours. And here's the question, do you want to be extraordinarily kind and do you want to be extraordinarily generous? If so, you can check a box or two and at the very end you can do this and put that somewhere, that's what I really want to be and God will start doing it. Or, I would never say this out loud, if you would rather choose to be a bit more selfish and a bit less generous and be miserly which usually ends up in miserable, then I wouldn't do anything.

I mean, I really wouldn't. But there's, remember, we're deceived. Money has the power to deceive.

We actually think we're doing okay. Your money is probably the clearest x-ray or MRI of your soul and it's so clear and so measurable. That's why Jesus talked about it because our money and hearts are connected. So let me walk through, here's my manifesto. Whatever part you're willing and ready by the grace of God, here's an invitation. I hereby declare by the following actions, I'm inviting you to do that, that I believe it is, as Jesus said, more blessed to give than to receive. If you really believe it's more blessed to give than to receive, that your life is better and blessed in every way, relationally, friendships, financially. Well then, okay, check number one, I thereby declare that all that I have or ever will have belongs to Christ.

That was the turning point for me. I mean, I remember coming to church, I wasn't a Christian, like, give 10% of my money, are you people on drugs? I bet you're like those people on TV just trying to rip me off. And I met some real Christians and saw how they really used it and it's like, whoa, it's not yours, Chip. Oh, I guess it's not as hard to give back his money to him or his time to him. Second, I hereby declare to act in obedience to God's word by giving back to God the first 10% of what he's blessed and entrusted to me. And you can hear debates on tithing for today or whatever, it's probably not worth going into. Long before there was a law, Abraham gave 10% to Melchizedek after God richly blessed him with spoils, pre-incarnate Christ. Moses, they gave 10% of everything and if you add it all up, they gave like 23% of their income because they were living in a theocracy. Part of it was kind of like tax and the other part was these thank and voluntary offerings. You keep moving, Jesus, his life, the Pharisees of the day, boy, they tithe but they miss the heart, mercy, justice, kindness. He said, don't forsake the former tithing but you got to get your heart right. Malachi would just say, you know, the reason you're having financial issues and relational issues and your life has got, he talked about like you have a purse with holes in it.

In other words, you keep putting stuff in and it keeps leaking. He said, because you're robbing God. You declare it really belongs to him by giving the first portion. For some of you, man, that'd be a big step. You probably have to rearrange your finances and to do it first and not know how it's going to work out, that's faith. That was a hard one for me.

But I can look back and realize, wow. Third is, I hereby declare that Jesus' blessings, both financial or otherwise, are not designed primarily to raise my standard of living but to raise my standard of giving. See, when you're unconsciously greedy and deceived, every time you get more money, you get bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger, bigger. You know, I used to drive this kind of car, now this kind of car, this kind of car. I used to make this much, so here's my house. Now, this is my house. Now, here's my two houses. Now, and we just do it. Now, I think God wants to raise our standard of living.

He's very, very gracious. I live in a really great house. I have a really nice car. But ask yourself, when do you say, this is good. This is my standard.

This is all I want. This is where God wants me to live. And you know, for some of you, that's a five-year-old Volkswagen. For others, it's a Tesla. You figure that out.

You know, because of your roles and your work and however, you figure out what it is. But just what if you said, when God brings more in, maybe it's not for a second home. Maybe it's not for a remodel. Maybe he actually gave me some to help some refugees in Syria or some clean water in Africa or some local ministry right here. The next little box that I've checked is I hereby declare to intentionally and aggressively remove the shackles of personal debt that have limited my giving, my going, and my peace. 40 to 50% of all marriages that fail are traced back to financial issues that cause tension. Some of you, the next step is, okay, I'm gonna give this, but I mean, there's certain things that are appreciable.

God bless us, right? I'm paying for a house, but I actually pay a bunch off on the principal every month. Your personal debt, attack it. Go to a counselor, cut up your credit cards.

There's plenty of good books about how to do that. But here's the deal. When I pay everything on time and I make minimum payments, I'm the slave, the scripture says. Borrower was the slave to the lender. So if I have a card and a lot of stuff, they're charging me 12, 13, 14%, you're more than tithing, you're just not doing it to God.

It's called Visa, Mastercard, Discover. You are, and you're paying that much more. We better move quickly on that one. That was very convicting for some of you. But here's the deal. You can't be kind. You can't be kind. You can't be generous.

You got all this stuff on you. Attack it aggressively. Share. Manifesto. I'm going to get out of debt and I'm going to learn to give along the way.

Man, everyone I've met that's ever done that, it's 18 months or two years or three years, who cares? Bam, you go for it and you go for it. Every one of these things are to free you.

You're listening to Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. We'll get back to our series, Living Generously in just a minute. But first, if this teaching has ministered to you, consider becoming a monthly partner. Your regular financial support goes a long way to help us encourage pastors, create resources, and share Jesus with today's youth. Visit livingontheedge.org to learn how to support us today.

Well, with that, here again is Chip. The next box is, I hereby declare that I'll prayerfully cap my lifestyle expenses to become an extraordinarily generous person. And this was something that I did not that long ago. I grew up really pretty poor and my wife grew up pretty poor and had four kids and sometimes two in college and two in private schools. Gosh, I remember like we have $1,000 in savings.

We're doing really, really great, you know? And that wasn't all that many years ago. But I made some decisions and one of them was to do pre-decisions about generosity because your heart is deceitful. So I had a guy that was a mentor and he said, someone had asked me to write a book and I was on my first book, and he said, I want to hire a professional financial planner for you to help you with your finances. I said, I don't need a financial planner. I got two kids in college, two in this, two in that. This is how much I make.

This is what we're giving. I don't have any money. I don't need a plan.

He goes, no, no, no. You need a plan. He said, you need to decide in advance, Chip, what you're going to do if God decides to bless this. He said, do you want to be dependent on like income from books? I said, no, but I'd like to be able to pay for college education and some stuff.

He said, okay. So I got with this financial planner and basically this is, they tell pastors, it's a Christian one. So look, if you fall morally, you wreck your life, you wreck the church, whatever you have to do, don't do that. If you get arrogant and full of yourself, you wreck your life, you wreck the church. But the one you guys don't think about is if your finances get out of line, you wreck your life, you wreck the church. So why don't you decide, I've worked these things out, what should you give before you ever write the first book? So I prayed about it, talked with Teresa.

Okay, we don't want to be dependent on this. So why don't we say in advance, this was really easy, you know, at least half of anything that comes in from any book, anytime, we just give the Lord's word. It was really pretty easy. I gave half of nothing away. But that decision in advance changed my world. And you know, as a result, yes, I have a very comfortable lifestyle, but then we said, anything Living on the Edge goes to them. Here's our lifestyle, all of that that comes in, we're going to give it all away.

And it's been, it's so exciting. I mean, we're poor people, we grew up, I mean, poor people, like we couldn't pay the rent and stuff hardly. And now to write a check for all these orphans in Zimbabwe and to write a check to an institution, the joy and the excitement and look into people's eyes, God wants that for you. This is not about give your money, give your money, but cap your lifestyle and you cap it where he shows you. You know, I'm going to limit myself to two houses, okay? Great. Do whatever God shows you to do.

But at some point in time, draw a line. It's really exciting. And then the last one here is, I hereby declare, I'll volunteer my time and talent X percent of my waking hours. I'd like to write 10 percent.

And I'm being really gracious with you. Are you ready for this? 168 hours in a week. Hardly anyone sleeps eight hours, although we should. So eight times 756, subtract that out. Now we're down to 112. Let me give you some time to eat.

Take those 12 hours away. So you got 100 hours every week. Imagine, are you ready?

Imagine, imagine. Can you imagine if all of us gave 10 hours a week, that's 10 percent of our awaking in the name of Jesus to love people. I mean, you could volunteer in the church, you could volunteer outside the church. Here's what I want to ask you. Which of those boxes are you going to check, and what's your next step? You grow into generosity.

Well, here's some specifics. First step, and just do it for 90 days. If God doesn't show up, don't do it anymore.

But for 90 days, I commit to take the first step in generosity by committing to give, and you put a percentage in of my income and my time weekly. Maybe you're saying, I don't have much faith, this is all new to me. Dear God, I have 2.5 percent faith, so that's what I'm giving.

Or 5.7, or 1.3, or 8.9. I don't care what it is, it's between you and God. There's no number here. But what if all of us did something? Half of all the people in America that are Christians give nothing.

Sounds really strong, but it's true. But I think if I ask you, are you generous? You know what, we don't make the connection.

You're not a bad person, but we don't get it. Next step, as a follower of Christ, I commit to generously and faithfully give 10 percent of my time weekly. I mean, there's probably lots of you who know, this is what I really ought to do, I intellectually believe that, but right now, because of, I'm going to give some time, and I've got these kids in school, and I've got this here, and things that work a little hard, and I'm concerned about the future, guess what?

None of those things ever change. This is about faith. God, it all belongs to you, you have told me, demonstrate that I really believe that by giving first and foremost. Above and beyond, I commit to joyfully growing my faith and generosity by giving blank percent above my current tithe of 10 percent of my income and weekly time. It's interesting that as our income and things grow, I've met people that they've been a Christian for 30 years, 30 years ago, I believe in tithing, it all belongs to God, they gave 10 percent. Thirty years later, I give 10 percent.

How can that be? How can our hearts not grow? How can we not see the opportunities? I can tell you what happens, we get deceived, and so what happens is, our lifestyle grows, but our giving doesn't grow. You know, like take a big risk, one percent this year.

I'm an 11 percenter this year. I met a guy that literally supercharged my giving, he heard about that the year after he was married, and so he decided every year I'm married, I'm going to give one more percent just to see if God shows up. I met him when he was married 58 years. Fifty-eight and ten, he was giving 68 percent of his income, and then he turns to me, he goes, you know, it's really interesting as a private architect, and somehow things worked out, I ended up kind of doing these shopping centers, and I can look back over, he talked like this, I can look back over, he was really old, I can look back over 58 years, and I've never made less money this year than the year before.

It's amazing, God, you invest in the great bank of heaven. Sorry Paul, that's a bad invitation. But what would happen?

What would happen if we did that? The final one here is for those of you that everything I'm talking about, you may even have the gift of giving, and you're going, yeah, yeah, yeah, rah, rah, rah, I believe that. You're giving over and above, you're looking at a pretty big percentage. Here's my word for some of us that are kind of, we've been growing, pause and just ask about your motives. One of the dangers of getting radically generous in your giving is to begin to see numbers and, okay, I gave 29% last year, but I gave 31% this year, like, hey, God, what do you, hey, look at me. And just back away and just ask, is there still joy? And then ask, okay, Lord, have I justified myself? Is there something really exciting you would put on my heart, and would I do something crazy and radical if you showed me? And just pray, because this is always about your heart. Although he was rich, speaking of Jesus, he became poor, that we, through his poverty, might become rich.

The eyes of the Lord go to and fro throughout the whole earth, that he might strongly support those whose heart is fully his. Lord, I've talked a lot about money. I know you have people all across the spectrum. You have some people that actually you don't even want any of their money today. You want them to say, could I receive something? Could I receive forgiveness of my sins and you come live inside of me and start a brand new life and have all my sins behind me today? Lord, that's your heart, and God, for all of us, it's easy to say this, but it's so true. You really, really, really neither need nor want our money, but Jesus, you talked about it so much, because our heart is connected to it. My heart's desire is that you, tender, kind, gentle, loving Holy Spirit, would fill people with a level of courage and faith, that you would break the power of darkness in their heart and in mine, and that every one of us would take at least a baby step toward being more generous. Amen. If we were talking across the table from one another and you leaned in and said, you know, Chip, all this stuff about generosity, it's really a lot deeper than that, isn't it?

And I would say, yeah, it really is. And if you were listening carefully to what I just taught, what you realize is, left to yourself, me left to myself, we can't be generous. In fact, it reminds me of the Old Testament passage where God would say to the nation of Israel, I'm going to remove your heart of stone and I'm going to give you a heart of flesh. In other words, you need a new heart, you need a new life, you need a new power. I mean, you can play the game and try to self-improve and work harder and take little baby steps and sort of be in a Jesus self-help sort of way. I'm going to be more generous. Or you can have a radical transformation that begins with a new life. And I know there's a lot of people that are moral and go to church.

I know there's other people that feel like they could never measure up. But the generous offer of God is for all people. The greatest act of generosity was that God so loved the world that He gave generously, His Son, the Lord Jesus, that whoever would believe, actually would entrust themselves, would put their faith in Him and what He did, shouldn't perish but have everlasting life. And what I've learned over the years is when I talk like this, God has already prepared thousands and thousands of people to hear what I'm about to say. And that is that you can have your sins forgiven today, that the generous God of the universe wants to say to you, would you receive my Son as the sole and only means of a relationship with an absolutely pure and holy God? And would you receive that forgiveness and allow my Spirit to come within you, and to make you my son or my daughter? And I've prepared a place for you, and I want to give you a new life, and it's a new kind of life. And so He called it eternal life, because it's the life of Jesus living in you. What I know is that He's prepared your thinking, and you're at this crossroads, and right now you need to respond and say, Yes, Lord, I want that, with all the implications.

And if you would bow your head if it's appropriate or keep your eyes open if you're driving, and just say in the depth of your soul and your heart and your integrity, Oh God, I need you. Will you forgive me right now for all that I've done? I believe Christ died in my place. I believe that He rose from the dead, and I'm asking you on that basis alone to make me your son, make me your daughter. And what I want you to know that God made that promise, and as you receive it in this moment by faith, you're His son, you're His daughter, you're forgiven. Now today you need to text or call the greatest Christian you know and say, I'm not exactly sure what I did, but I asked Christ to come into my life. And then you need to go to our website, livingontheedge.org.

We don't want anything from you. We have some resources to help new believers. And then find a church that teaches the Bible this weekend and start taking baby steps to grow in your relationship with Christ. God bless you. Well, if you prayed with Chip, we do have a free resource we'd like to put in your hands that was uniquely created for new believers. It's a tool that'll help you gain a clear biblical understanding of what it means to trust in Jesus. Request this free resource by calling 888-333-6003 or by visiting livingontheedge.org, then clicking the New Believers button.

That's livingontheedge.org or call 888-333-6003. Let us help you get started in your faith journey. Well, Chip's still with me in studio. And Chip, before we go, you wanted to take a minute and share some encouragement with our listeners.

Absolutely, Dave. What I want to share now is really important. For those of you who support our ministry in prayer and in your generous financial giving, I just want to say thank you. You know, when we share the Gospel like this, I can just tell you statistically, it's amazing.

The powers and the message, many, many, many people come to know Jesus, are transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light. And I just want you to rejoice with us, and I want to thank you for being a part of Living on the Edge and what God is doing. Thanks for praying. Thanks for giving. Let's keep pressing ahead together.

Thanks, Chip. Well, if you'd like to join us in spreading the Gospel and discipling fellow believers, consider becoming a financial partner today. As Chip just said, your support can have an eternal impact on someone's life. To learn more about becoming a financial partner, go to livingontheedge.org or call us at 888-333-6003.

That's 888-333-6003 or visit livingontheedge.org. App listeners just tap donate. Well, as we wrap up, I want to remind you that the Chip Ingram app is also an easy way to share messages or complete series with others. So whenever you're encouraged by what you hear, I hope you'll pass it along to a friend or loved one who'd benefit from it. And be sure to tell them how it made a difference in your life. Well, thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram. I'm Dave Druey, and I hope you'll join us again next time.