(As people enter, give them a bag of peanuts.  Some big bags, others small bags.)

Good morning.  Well, I hope that everyone had a great New Years celebration.  Hopefully, everyone is excited to begin this new year, and I would say that there are a list of things that we all want to see change.

Well, as we do start a new year, let’s make it a goal to keep up with today’s topic.  Now, today we are going to talk about a topic that when it is mentioned, everyone cringes just a little bit.  It is a topic that we try and avoid as much as possible.  It is a topic that Keith touched on several weeks ago.  When I say this, everyone is going to grab and protect their wallets, purses, and checkbooks.  Why, because this morning we are going to take a look at giving.

But, before you take off, before you decide to block out everything that is said, understand that this morning we are going to talk about a couple of ways that you can give, and one of them doesn’t mess with you wallet, your purse, or your checkbook.  In fact, there are ways to give that don’t involve money at all.

But, before we take a look at this subject, let’s open our time together with a word of prayer.

Let’s Pray!

The American industrialist, Henry Ford, was once asked to donate money for the construction of a new medical facility.  The billionaire pledged to donate $5,000 to the hospital.  The next day in the newspaper, the headline read, “Henry Ford contributes $50,000 to the local hospital.”

The irate Ford was on the phone immediately to complain to the fund-raiser that he had been misunderstood.  The fund-raiser replied that they would print a retraction in the paper the following day to read, “Henry Ford reduces his donation by $45,000.”

Realizing the poor publicity that would result, the industrialist agreed to the $50,000 contribution in return for one requests.  And that one request was that above the entrance to the hospital was to be carved the Biblical inscription, “I came among you and you took me in.”

Sometimes in life we feel like we’ve been taken.  Ever make a bad purchase?  Ever buy something that wasn’t as good as it was described?  Ever give to a cause that you knew was going nowhere?  Ever give to a person whom you knew would blow it?  Ever invest in something that was a total waste?

To give or not to give?  That is the question.  Well, no, that is not the question.  That may be the question for many people in our world today, but it shouldn’t be for the Christian.  In fact, giving should be a natural part of our lives.  We should want to give because of God’s example of giving to us.
John 3:16 tells us that, “…God so loved the world that He GAVE…”

God has given everything for our enjoyment in this life and He has given us what it takes to make it to eternity.  The greatest of all gifts is the sacrifice of His son Jesus on the cross.  Giving doesn’t get any better than that.

No matter how much we give back to God through the church, or through missions, or by any others means, we will never be able to out give God.  But that doesn’t mean that we should stop giving or cut back in our giving.

Preacher W.A. Criswell told of an ambitious young man who told his pastor he’d promised God a tithe of his income.  They prayed for God to bless his career.  At that time he was making $40 per week and tithing $4.  In a few years his income had increased and he was now tithing $500 per week.

One day he called on the pastor to see if he could be released from his tithing promise, because it was too costly now.  The pastor replied, “I don’t see how you can be released from your promise, but we can ask God to reduce your income back to $40 a week, then you’d have no problem tithing $4 again.”

Now, you would think that as a person is blessed by God financially, that they would want to give even more back to God.  This story just reminds us of how self-centered we really are.
Have any of you ever heard of Jon M. Huntsman?  He is a billionaire who gave over $100 million dollars to help find a cure for cancer.  Huntsman has gone through 2 bouts of cancer himself.  He had prostate cancer in 1992 and then cancer of the mouth in 93.

It’s said that Huntsman could be a poster boy for old-fashioned values.  He grew up in what he describes as a “humble and modest” home in Blackfoot, Idaho, the second of 3 sons of a schoolteacher and his wife.

So, the big question is, “How did he make his billion dollars?”  Well, one thing was the “Big Mac” burger box for McDonald’s.  I think prior to that it was the egg carton and then came plastic bowls and plates for hospital use.  His companies are in 23 different countries now.  Huntsman once said, “I never dreamed that I would be in this position financially someday, nor did our family ever expect it, nor do I think, frankly, that we deserve it.”

He goes on to say, “It has unfolded in such an incredible way, I feel maybe the good Lord intended me to utilize it for the betterment of human-kind.  There’s no better explanation for someone to have picked potatoes as a kid and suddenly have a 4 to 5 billion dollar company in one lifetime.”

Huntsman has done a good thing.  His giving has apparently been motivated by a gracious God.  And so must our giving be motivated by God as well.

It’s been said that when we give we are most like God.  This may very well be.  Giving is one of the hardest things for most people to do, because we are taking away from ourselves.  And self is very strong in all of us.  In fact, the concern for self often dominates and controls our lives.

So, when it comes to giving in any form, let’s think in terms of becoming more like God, who gave His all FOR us, and TO us.

Let me tell you a story of 2 men.  One, we will call Jim, and the other we will call Ron.  Jim went to church one Sunday morning.  He listened to the choir sing, and noticed that the choir sang too loud, so he just made a face and shook his head.  He saw a teenager talking as the pastor was praying, and he just frowned.  He felt sure that the ushers were staring at him as they passed the collection plate.  He heard the pastor use incorrect grammar during the sermon.  So as the pastor gave the invitation time, Jim slipped out the side door, and shook his head and said, “What a waste of my time.”

Ron went to church also.  He heard the choir sing How Great Thou Art, and he felt chills run down his spine.  He was glad that the church was taking up a special mission’s offering that day to help a missionary.  He especially enjoyed the sermon.  It seemed to really speak to him about an area in his life that he had been struggling with.  On the way out, he shook the preacher’s hand, and thought to himself, “How could anyone not be blessed after this morning’s worship time?”

2 men, 2 totally different responses.  Both men went to the same church, the same Sunday morning, and heard the same sermon.  And I would go so far to say that they both found what they were looking for.  You see, Jim came looking for faults, and he found them.  But Ron came to worship and to praise God.  He wanted to learn from His word, and he did.

You see, it’s all in our attitude, and how we approach God.  You only get out of a service what you are willing to put in to it.

We should come to church expecting to receive God’s word, and to act on what we have heard.  In Matthew 7:24 Jesus says, “Therefore, everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock”

Today, we will hear God’s word and find out how He feels about spreading the Gospel.  Luke 4:43 Jesus says, “I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.”

Reaching out to the lost is really about life and death.  Many people are searching for something real, something genuine in their lives.  They are looking for something to fill the void that is placed in their hearts, and that void can only be filled by God.  But, many of the un-churched are unaware that Jesus Christ can fill that void, and it is up to us, the church, and not the building, but the people in it, you and me, to tell them about Jesus.

Most Americans claim to be Christians, and yet during a recent poll, they were asked, “What is the Great Commission?”  It was surprising to find out that out of those who claim to be Christians; over half of them didn’t know what the Great Commission was.

Well here it is, Matthew 28:18-20 Jesus tells us, “All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  And surely I am with you always, even to the very end of the age.”

Jesus has commissioned every believer, you and me, to reach out to their family, to their community, and to the world.

So, what is evangelism, or outreach?  Well, it is the bridge that we build between our love for God, and our love for people.  It is our effort to share the love of Christ with those who do not know Him.  I want us to look at 2 things today.  We need to ask ourselves these 2 questions this morning.

1. Do I have a heart for evangelism?

2. Will I help support evangelism through prayer and by giving?

To answer that first question, “Do I have a heart for evangelism?” we need to realize, that if we say that we are a Christian, then we need to care for the lost.  Jesus didn’t come to heal the healthy, He came to save those that were sick and lost.  So, if I claim to be a Christian, then I HAVE to care about evangelism.

Now, on to the sticky stuff.  This is the time that you clinch your money.  Question number 2, “Will I help support evangelism though prayer and by giving?”

Now, make sure that you understand that.  You can support the growth of God’s Kingdom through giving, and through prayer.  Let’s look at the easy one first.  Prayer is the pipeline that we have between us, and God.  When we talk about spreading God’s word to those who don’t know Him, the one thing that we can all do, regardless of age, ability, or wealth, is pray about it.

Pray for those who are in the mission field.  Pray for the people that are sharing God’s word right here in our own city.  Pray for each other, and the opportunities that we have to share God with others.  Pray for the receptiveness of those who need to hear about God.  You see, when you go before God with your prayers, amazing things can begin to happen.

And now we come to the hard part.  Now for the stuff that not everyone likes to hear.  Now we can talk about the giving part.  But understand this, it doesn’t always have to involve you money.  Perhaps you can give of your time.

Maybe you could go on a short term mission trip.  Go and actually be the person that is sharing Christ with others.  Brenda will be doing that at the end of January.  She will be going to India to share Christ with the people there.  But what if you can’t go to a foreign country and share Christ?  What can you do then?  Well, maybe you can give of your time right here in Vanceburg, as you share with a neighbor who doesn’t have a relationship with God.  So, you can give of your time.

Another way that you can give is through your abilities.  Perhaps you are good at building things, or creating things, or whatever it is.  God gave each of us some gifts that we can use to share His love with others.  It’s up to each of us to find out what those gifts are, and then put them to use.  So, you can give through your abilities and talents.

And finally, you can give of your finances.  One of the things that I have always tried to do, even when money was tight, was to make sure that I gave my tithe.  Each month, I give that first 10% back to God.  The tithe that you give here at church goes to further God’s Kingdom here on Earth.

Some have been blessed by God financially, and they can go above and beyond that 10%.  Perhaps they give it to another organization.  Maybe they just give extra when the plate is passed.  Possibly, when you see a need in someone’s life, you are able to help them out with what they need.  Or like today, they have the opportunity to give at our meal as a way of helping Brenda on her mission trip to India.

Without people who give of their finances, none of what we do here, or what is done in the rest of the world would be possible.

We’ve all heard the slogan from the capital one credit card company that says, “What’s in your wallet?”  Well, we can’t all go to world missions, but we can give.  Let’s change that up a little bit and let’s ask the question, “What’s in your heart?”  We can give from our resources, our money, or we can give from our time, through involvement, sharing our talents and abilities, and through prayer.

Notice that all throughout the Bible, it says that God came for “ALL PEOPLE.”  You see, Jesus wasn’t just A savior, He is THE Savior.  Jesus didn’t come to redeem just our friends and family.  Jesus didn’t come just to redeem the Fly Branch Church Of Christ.  Jesus didn’t come just to redeem the United States.

It says, “For God so loved the WORLD…”  And then in the Great Commission, we are told, “Therefore, go and make disciples of ALL nations…”

You see, the gospel transforms lives; it has the power to truly change people.  We can’t just sit on it.  We must share it with others.

If someone came up with a cure for cancer, they wouldn’t keep it to themselves.  They would want to share it with everyone.  The gospel is a cure for people’s souls.  And we need to share it with everyone we come in contact with.
Now, as we begin to wrap things up, you may be wondering why you have a bag of peanuts in your possession.  Well, allow me to explain a little bit.

In 1876 there was born a little boy in a small village near Venice, Italy.  His widowed mother read him letters from his uncle in America, and that young man began to tell everyone how he was going to go to America one day.  Everyone knew he was an exceptionally bright and creative child.  By the time he was 11 years old, his family had helped him save enough money for an immigrant’s ticket to America, and he set sail all by himself.

The story tells that this young man had no money for food, so his mother gave him a bag of peanuts which was all he had to eat for the 10 day trip across the ocean.  In this land of opportunity, the young man, at the age of 11, went to work as a bellhop and a helper at a fruit stand.  He worked hard and saved his money as he had promised his mother.

He soon learned that Americans liked the peanuts he shared with them, but few, if any, were growing them here.  So, he found a place to plant the handful of peanuts he had left.  While his peanuts were growing, he saved enough money to buy a horse and a wagon.  When his peanut crop came in, he drove around calling himself “The Peanut Specialist,” selling roasted peanuts.  By 1906 he had developed his own method of blanching and roasting peanuts, and he founded Planters Peanuts.

This young man became extremely wealthy.  Wealthy enough to send money to his family in Italy, and years later, he donated money to a city in Virginia to start the Louise Obici Hospital, named after his wife.

Now, that young man had only a handful of peanuts, but he had the choice of what he could do with them.  He could have eaten them, but then they would have been gone quickly and he would have nothing to show for them.  He could have sold them, and had a little bit of money.  But he wisely chose to plant what he had so that in time, he would have enough to eat, give away, and sell to send money to his family.

I don’t know if this young man knew about the Law of the Harvest in the Bible, but he certainly practiced it!  Look at II Corinthians 9:6-8 with me.  In that passage it says, “1”

So, when you came in today, you received a bag of peanuts.  Some of you were given small bags, while others were given larger bags.  That’s alright, because each of us is different.  God has blessed each of us in a different way.  Hold on to those peanuts and let them represent the resources that God has blessed you with.  Because, like that young man, you have a choice to make with what you have.

So, today, as we begin 2009, I would challenge you to have a heart for the lost people in your families, in your communities, and in our world.  Support the work of this church and of individuals who share God’s word.  You can do that through your involvement, your use of talents and abilities, your prayers, and by giving financially as well.

So, “What’s in your wallet?”  Or better yet, “What’s in your heart?”       Let’s Pray!