Initiate meaningful conversation with your family no matter how long the commute with Joe White's age appropriate short talks on scripture, parenting, culture, and community.
Episodes
Wednesday Apr 24, 2019
Wednesday Apr 24, 2019
"You may be like the boy that I just met last summer camp. Kid's 13 years old. He was watching CNN and he saw an orphanage on the network and he goes, "you know what? I'm going to build an orphanage in Africa.""
Family Discussions:
- What do you have to give in the name of Christ?
- What do you have to give besides your money?
- What are you going to do with what you've got to give to glorify Jesus?
Transcription:
00:14 Hey, if you ever wondered what the world would be like or even what your world would be like if Christmas was 365 days out of the year? Well, um, it can be. Look at chapter three of Acts. Starting in verse one, and it says this "Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the ninth hour, the hour of prayer, and a man who had been lame from his mother's womb was being carried along whom they used to sit down every day at the gate of the temple, which is called beautiful in order to beg alms for those who are entering the temple. When he saw Peter and John about to go into the temple, he began asking to receive alms. But Peter along with John fixed his gaze upon him and said, look at us. And he began to give him their attention, expecting to receive something from them.
01:07 But Peter said, I do not possess silver and gold, but what I do have I give you in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk." Man, it's like a root canal. It's like a spinal tap. It's like an ulcer, a tax audit, you know, pain is inevitable. But to probably, you know, to probably a whole lot of people sitting in church, there are few things as painful as listening to the preacher talk about, you know, giving your money, you know, to the church and, and you know, what's interesting about the sermons that, you know, that preachers have to give about giving money, they probably are harder for them than they are for us. But it's not that the preachers trying to make it, you know, personal gains, I don't believe that. I believe that he's just sharing the Word of God.
01:57 Um, you know, it's our obligation to give and not always obligation to give. It's our obligation to give it joyfully. I don't know anything more exciting, I mean, I really don't know anything more exciting than to take the stuff that God's given you. You know, whether it's your finances or whether it's your talent or whether it's your, you know, your, your sweat equity that you can bring to something, I don't know anything better than giving yourself away for the cause of Christ. There's nothing more joyful than that. There's nothing better than feeding orphans. There's nothing in this world better than putting clothes on people who don't have any clothes. There's nothing better than sacrificing in the name of Christ for folks who don't have as much. And you know what? You may have a lot of money and you may be able to give a lot.
02:43 And if you do, man, have fun giving it or you may be like the boy that I just met last summer camp. Kid's 13 years old. He was watching CNN and he saw an orphanage on the network and he goes, you know what? I'm going to build an orphanage in Africa. I'm serious. The kid's 13 years olds. True Story. He put up three lemonade stands and all weekend it, through the winter started working those lemonade stands. Except he would give the lemonade away. But he let people make a donation for his dream for an orphanage. Well he got a lot of donations. In fact, he got $46,000 in donations and then people who donate continue to donate. He's built this first orphanage for 20 orphans in Africa. And now he dreams to have two more. I remember one girl who didn't have a whole lot of money to our camp, but she grew her hair almost down to her waist.
03:34 And then she went to the hair place and they cut all of her hair off and made a wig for a girl who had cancer and was bald and didn't have any hair. Boy, there's a lot of ways to give alms, you know, silver and gold have I none. But what I have, I'm going to give Ya, cause what I've got is Jesus. Let me ask you a couple of questions today. You know, what do you have to give in the name of Christ? Think about it. I mean, besides this, and you know what? Even if it's a quarter, put it in the piggy bank, you know, after a year
04:10 to a lot. Uh, but, but what do you have to give besides your money? And I ask you today to make a point, make a plan. What are you going to do with what you've got to give to glorify Jesus? And, and, and here's the lifeline for the day. It's in giving that we receive. It's in dying that we receive eternal life.