Lord’s Day Message:Basic Lessons for Christians (16) – Consecration and financial offering
- What is consecration?
- Belonging to God (1Cor.6:19b-20)
19 … You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
- Giving ourselves to God (Rom.6:13; 12:1)
Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. (Rom.6:13)
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Rom.12:1)
- Living for Christ (2Cor.5:14-15)
14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised. (2Cor.5:14-15)
- Some practices in our consecration
- Think about what the Lord Jesus has done in salvation. Receive such grace and love, and then give yourself to Him.
- Fellowship with the Lord to see is there some wrong doings in our living. Pray to the Lord that you are willing to be changed.
- Put down a list of things or matters with prayer (such as your time, your car, your family, etc.) that you want to give all these to the Lord.
- Consider what the church needs and then give yourself to serve accordingly.
- Financial offering – a practice and reality of consecration
- The tithe as taught in the OT (Lev.27:30; Neh.10:37-38; Mal.3:8, 10)
8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. … 10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. (Mal.3:8, 10)
- A willing and cheerful heart as encouraged in the NT (2Cor.8:12, 9:6-7)
For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. (2Cor.8:12, NKJ)
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2Cor.9:6-7)
- It is a blessing to give (Mal.3:10; Acts 20:35; Luke 6:38; 2Cor.9:8-15)
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.'” (Acts 20:35)
Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. (Luke 6:38)
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. … 10 He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. (2Cor.9:8, 10-11)
- The example of consecration/offering – it may be a waste in human’s eyes, but it is a beautiful thing in the Lord’s eyes (Mak.14:3-9)
3 And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head. 4 There were some who said to themselves indignantly, “Why was the ointment wasted like that? 5 For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. … 9 And truly, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”
Message Next Week: Basic Lessons for Christians (17) – The end time and the Lord’s return
Church Meetings/Time/Place
Home Meeting: 19/9 Mon., 7:30pm, (7:00 dinner) Richard & Flora’s
Pursuing of Uni Students: 20/9 Tue. 7:30pm, Yulin’s
Sisters Meeting: 21/9 Wed. 10:00am, Anne’s
Prayer Meeting: 21/9 Wed. 7:30pm, Meeting Hall
Pursuing of Words: 23/9 Fri., 8:00pm, David’s
Young People Meeting/Home meeting for Adults：
24/9 Sat. 7:30pm, Yulin & Jessica’s
Announcements:
- We welcome all the new ones who are joining us today and hope that you can leave your information for us to contact you in the future. After meeting please stay for lunch and enjoy the love feast together with us.
- The church will have a Spring Conference from October 1 to 3 (Sat. to Mon.) and will invite Brother Titus Chu to share the messages. Please remember this in our prayer. For practical serving, Brother Patrick Li will be the coordinator.
Today after lunch we will have the annual clean up of the hall. Please follow the instructions from Brother Richard Cui and Sam Li. If you finish your job early, please help others who are still working. May the Lord give each one a joyful spirit and safety in work.
Invitation cards for the conference are ready for everyone to pick up and distribute. May the Lord bless each invitation, so that many can join us to receive God’s word.
- The church would like to encourage the young people (with their parents too) to attend the conference in Cleveland in the end of this year. If you are interested to go, please contact Brother Yulin Wang or Thomas Wu.
<Reminder>
- Brothers and sisters, please come on time and bring your own bible to the meeting.
- During the meeting, please turn off your mobile phone or put the volume on silence and not to walk around or to wonder/talk too laud in the kitchen.
- When you prepare the love feast for Lord’s Day lunch, please do not prepare any food containing nuts as someone may have food allergy.
Please refrain from bringing uncooked food for the love feast so we may lighten the work for the serving ones in the kitchen.
Intercession:
- May the Lord bless the gospel friends among us that they can know how precious the Lord is and are willing to believe in Him.
- Pray for the new believers (David Hu, Gerald Huang, Bangde Liu, Peter Zhang and Michael Qiu, 5 brothers and Li Li, Mandy Zhou, Leonie, Berry Fei, and Jessica Li, 5 sisters) May the Lord establish them in the church life and bless their growth in life.
- Pray for the coming spring conference that the Lord can speak to us and give us His abundant grace to revive our spirit and our church life.
- Pray for the brothers and sisters or their relatives who are weak in body or spirit. May the Lord care for them and give them sufficient grace. Pray especially for the health of Brothers Shanwon Chow and Sister AhSeng Chow.
- Pray for those year 12 students among us. May the Lord give them wisdom to meet the needs of the HSC exam and help them to know His presence as their encouragement and timely help.
Serving This Week: (Sep. 18)
- Message: Richard Chen & Yulin Wang
- Breaking the Bread: Richard Chen & Richard Cui
- Serving Bread and Cup: Sam Li, Jason Wang, Richard Cui & Chuan Ma
- Cleaning: All
- Kitchen: Lisa & Pauline
- Children: Supervisor – Hannah Meng, Singing – Jono/Pris, Teachers – Christine
Serving Next Week: (Sep. 25)
- Message: Raymond Young & Yulin Wang
- Breaking the Bread: Yulin Wang & Olsen Yu
- Serving Bread and Cup: Sean Dong, Patrick Li, Richard Cui & Jason Wang
- Cleaning: Sam & Hannah Family, Tina & Fiona Jiang, Patrick & Lily Family, Baolin Lei
- Kitchen: Terry & Likun
- Children: Supervisor – John Ji, Singing – Chris/David, Teachers – Holly/Fiona
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