Strength Builders: The Spirit & Marks of Generosity // Ps Dato’ Dr Daniel Ho

good morning skyline sib what a joy and a privilege to connect with you all like this or over technology but we thank god for all these available i trust friends you are all keeping well by the grace of god watch our protected provided for in every way but the lord jesus christ you know i long to look forward to really meeting all of you face to face especially having fellowship pacific and passing nancy well we cannot wait okay hopefully things will open up soon they will connect meet have young child together wonderful time with one another like this it'll be such wonderful and great like this and i always look forward to watch time with skyline srb really i see the energy the um okay there is all of you i long to be there boy because i want to rub off the um on me so the likewise you know i will be able to continue to press on in the work and minister kingdom so friends you know what a joy and blessing it is to connect with you pastor philip has asked me to speak on the subject of generosity and so therefore i want to talk this morning about the spirit and marks of generosity on the read from 2nd corinthians chapter 8 verses 1 to 7. paul writes and now brothers we want you to know about the grace that god has given the macedonian churches out of the most severe trial the overflowing joy and extreme poverty welt up in rich generosity for i testified that they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability entirely on their own they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in their service to the saints and they did not do as we expected but they gave themselves first to the lord and then to us in keeping with god's will so we urged titus since he had earlier made the beginning to bring us to completion this act of grace on your part but just as you excel in everything in faith in speech in knowledge in complete earnestness in your love for us see that you also excel in his grace of giving let us pray father we thank and praise you for the joy the blessing privilege it is we can gather in your name oh god like this again father we ask oh god you'll take your word by your spirit speak to us and challenge us our father this whole subject with generosity father i pray in jesus wonderful name amen amen friends you know we find that the bible talks a lot really about the whole area of generosity and giving and so in the spirit of generosity for example the bible commenced okay about the whole area generous giving and so verses one to the first part of verse three again ii corinthians chapter eight paul says and now brothers we want to know about the grace that god has given macedonian churches out of the most severe trial the overflowing joy and extreme poverty world of enriched generosity for i testified they gave as much as they were able and even beyond the ability see friends in spite we find here of the trials that mexican churches were experiencing and yet you know his friends it wells up in them joy as well as generosity in one to give as much as possible to the work of the churches okay there in philippi what a blessing what a joy is it that we see in the life okay of the people of god they're in korean friends really as we see friends stretching extending in a wonderful manner why because the mexican churches wanted to participate right in a blessing and a joy of getting really like this and to express scripture commands friends a whole area of generosity right in the life of the mexican churches also we notice friends david talks like this was in the old testament king david himself as he challenged the people of god to respond and rise to gift towards the building of the temple there in jerusalem and this record given to us in one chronicles chapter 29 and in verse 17 okay king david said i know my god that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity all these things are given willingly and with honest intent and now i've seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you see david celebrates indeed the joy and the people of god in rising up to give like this and commend them for doing that so we see friends the bible commenced again and again those who rise up in the spirit generosity and giving towards the work of god towards the work of his kingdom but secondly there is a blessing in the spirit of generosity and that's how paul talks like this speaking to the efficient elders in acts 20 and in verse 35 right paul says in everything i did i showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak remembering the words the lord jesus himself said it is more blessed to give than to receive see jesus himself said it is more blessed to give than to receive so friends you are giving israeli a blessing it's really something friends you and i do want to be short changed as it were by the same i also realized when there are times god spoke to me which i didn't obey and i lived a regret but there are also many times when god spoke to me and i joined the blessing to be able to participate in the giving right to be to share okay in this blessing and the grace of god which is just amazing and he said and so friends you know this the right stuff is the people of god to share to participate for example in the building of sky arena that is coming up very soon for all of you saying what a blessing to be able to participate in something like this but friends you know as a people of god we don't give to get that's wrong teaching wrong theology we give just to give and the blessing of giving friends is a huge huge okay grace of god upon our lives really but thirdly also friends notre is a blessing to give there is also joy in the privilege involved in it and that's how it again friends the second half of verse three and verse four okay two corinthians eight this is what paul writes entirely on their own they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints you see the mexican churches realize that this giving is really a privilege and a joy that they want to participate in isn't it and that's so important friends you know in the life of all of us likewise is the people of god david says the same as all okay in this regard here back to one chronicles chapter 29 and in verse 14 david says like this but who am i and who are my people that we should be able to give as generously as this everything comes from you and we're giving you only what comes from your hand see david himself could recognize looking back in history of the jews they were aliens they were foreigners really for example in a foreign land in egypt and out of that kind of background friends god has raised them up to have the privilege and the joy of participating giving towards the work of god towards the building of the temple in jerusalem and there's such friends you know what what happens an occasion of celebration and thanksgiving to god is it and that's so important really a privilege of a lifetime give an example for us here in a building a dream center i share with the people here in umc you know god is giving you an eye not only the blessing but the joy and privilege of participating in something that is a chance of a lifetime really contributing towards the building of a church the dream center like this right so as i share with them i say you know what okay in the raising of funds okay in a building dream center now originally i thought 25 million chicopa enough but we went up to all together 50 million ringgit but you know we've got only one million in our coffees in our reserve my goodness 50 million how to raise that money so you know i told the church right we will raise funds in this manner but firstly i said when you see two outcomes in this fundraising campaign first outcome is that this is a real phase statute exercise as i said we have only one million with the raise 50 million my goodness it's going to stretch our faith yes the first outcome when you see that our faith is really stretched second outcome is this will be a good experience you know sometimes we have to confess that chase building project can be a bad experience people are pressurized okay again again to give and feel really sometimes a bit weight down and and really like this but say you know what not in gmc the second outcome is a good experience what is the test of a good experience right which is this at the end of the project some of you come up to me and say pastor daniel is there another one we can go for then i know this is a good experience but if many of you come to pasadena please for goodness sake no more no more not not ever again i know we're in big trouble this is a bad experience but really i want to say these were a good experience i pray by god's grace it happened to all of us and then i went on to tell these are the five principles where we're gonna raise funds what are they firstly i said there's no fundraising campaign there should be no fund what how do you respond without having fundraising capital yeah this has always been really okay the practice of gmc from day one forty one and a half years ago no fundraiser whatever right when the race funds fall no fundraising you wanna give trying to give is okay secondly i said okay there is no pressure to give or that you'll make to feel guilty not a given enough and we don't do that we've never done this in the life of gmc thirdly i said i will not talk to any tycoon or thai food for money i know something more than delighted to give but no i will not talk to anyone which is also my practice all these years fourthly i say even if you don't give a single cent you're welcome here really you know we embrace anybody and everybody you know sometimes in a cell go in your connect group sometimes talk talk talk amongst yourself members connect members they find two or three don't give a single cent and say shame on you how come you don't give a single cent towards christ arena you know what not only bring your family along you bring us all to come to church and don't you give a sing how can i no no everyone is welcome here really you know no pressure to give you you'll never be feel guilty not given enough not at all fifth and finally i told them all you know what join me to pray that is to get a look to god because at the end when a project is realized you know it is really god and not just men and that's so important and you know what friends within three and a half years we got all the 50 million to pay off the whole thing friends you know this is the testament of the grace of god at work and the privilege and the joy that you and i could have in participating in project the dream center and for you all there for sky arena like this as well which is i think you know a chance of a lifetime to be involved to share in it like this so that one day we look and graduate in thanksgiving that god has given us the joy the blessing the privilege of participating something like this okay fourthly to excel in it all right and that's how paul writes in verse seven but just as you excel in everything in faith in speech in knowledge and complete earnest and love for us see that you also excel in this grace of giving isn't amazing all right to rise up go beyond the surpass okay what you are giving isn't it and to stir one another on in this regard like that it's just amazing friends and that's how god wants to teach us and help ourselves to rise up and find a joy or doing it excellently for the lord jesus christ and excelling and giving talking about this in fact there's a group of gentlemen from the rotary club in kl and they turned the race funds for a community project in kl and so they went down to different businesses finally they came to this business this businessman they sat down with him right in his office chatted with him and sharing the need of a community in kuala lumpur and how okay his business could respond he himself could respond and give him towards that he should ask for the donation talk talk talk at the end of the day he said you know what there's also a church okay a very unusual church all right and by one weekend they raised four five million just like that you know you should go and talk to that church also like you know really like this and so one of them smiled quietly and then said to him by the way what church are you talking about the church called do you emcee don't know what it stands for you know what this this this man in the team said actually that's my church it's called diamond sarah town methodist church or dmc definitely unusual methodist church okay friends you know what a joy and a blessing it is to excel and to share this grace of god in giving right towards the work of god work of his kingdom like this fifthly right spirit generosity is patterned after the lord jesus christ really why again ii corinthians chapter 8 and verse 9 paul writes for you know the grace of the lord jesus christ that though he was rich yet for your sakes became poor so that through his poverty you might become rich you know that's what it is friends you know for all of us right we rise up in giving and giving generous is because of jesus himself who gives generously fully perfectly totally towards all of us and because of his self-giving love and total sacrifice for example on the cross today friends we've inherited the blessing the joy and the privilege of salvation in jesus christ said so it is jesus friends who sets an example and therefore we're going to follow his example surely isn't it in responding to the grace of god and enjoying the blessing of giving like this which is i think very important for us then sixthly finally to be done willingly and cheerfully that's the kind of spirit generosity that is important again verses 10 11 or second corinthians chapter eight and here's my advice about what is best for you in this matter last year you were the first not only to give but also the desire to do so now finish the work so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it according to your means is it to rise up to be eager and willing to give that's important paul writes further second corinthians chapter nine and verse seven each man should give what is recited in his heart to give not reluctantly or under compulsion for god loves a cheerful giver now see the word cheerful actually in greek is what hilarion which in english is the word hilarious so god wants us to be a cheerful a hilarious giver really in the work of god okay in what way this is where friends you know the africans have something to teach us african christians that's why i love to preach in african churches even when it comes to a time of giving you know what they do what happens is that the basket's placed right in front and then they roll up with a wonderful rousing music okay you know and everybody dance up all the way to give okay and drop the money in the basket you know and then it dance all the way back just express a joy and a blessing of giving you know friends you know maybe skyline should do that as well because what if you do that i guarantee your giving will probably go up in a wonderful manner why because there's so much joy and cheer okay and willingness to want to participate in the work of god like this but that's what it should be never reluctantly never under compulsion why because god loves a cheerful a hilarious giver a willing giver and that's very important friends for all of us like this now if this is a spirit generosity this scripture encourages and challenges us too really for all of us what are the marks of a generous person right scripture again tells us a number of things about the marks of a generous person firstly friends that person is such a fresh and a happy person generous givers are always fresh and happy why because proverbs 11 and in verse 25 it says a generous man or a woman would prosper he who refreshes others will himself or herself be refreshed friends you know right generous givers are always fresh and happy people the truth is this friends i have never come across a generous person who is grumpy and grouchy oh i got to give someone oh god in fact they look forward towards giving they counted the joy and privilege they thank you all right for asking them to give to participate in the work of god in adventure exercise or in just giving towards a community which is such a blessing and a choice we got here for example dmc right now right free food distribution cook ready anyone can come and take whatever number of packs that you want all right and okay we open it every day right from one o'clock to 5 p.m so people come hundreds of them will come from all kinds of backgrounds friends you know and some of the people seeing it they want to share it one indian gentleman i don't think it's a christian he says you know what i'd like to contribute to watch this on his own accord i said you don't have to no i just want to i've just gone into a building dream center to give some money there you know what happens we find generous people are just so happy and joyful as always friends and that's so important is that there's such a wonderful quality and mark like this secondly friends they are also the grateful people not to really joyful and fresh but also grateful as well and so paul writes collection chapter 3 and in verse 16 let the word of christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and his sing psalms heavens and spiritual songs with gratitude in our hearts to god say friends it's a life of great and thanksgiving because god has been so good towards us we cannot wait to see to really to honor god and really friends a heart of graduates rise up from all of us in the way god has really blessed us and that's how friends you notice here in acts chapter 16 apostle paul and his team have just arrived in philippi okay and then what happens is they were going to a place of prayer by the river just outside city gate in philippi and when they were there right ready to pray what happened they saw a group of women and then paul started sharing speaking to the women and now this is a record for us in verse 15 of acts chapter 16. when she referred to lydia herself there the lady heard it when she and the members of the household after they heard it what happened she responded to the message of paul and so he says when she and the member's house were baptized she invited all right us to her home if you consider me a believer in the lord she said come and stay at my house and she persuaded us you see that's what happens when a person has come to faith in christ there'll be such graduate thanksgiving to god and this graduate will always lead friends not to hospitality cannot wait to offer a generously a home and everything else to people who come by because the life of leader herself has been so wonderfully touched by the lord that's a reality friends for you and i really that a generous person is always happy and fresh but also ever so grateful and thankful to god for all that god has done to our lives and so if you know friends thanksgiving will always lead to thanks living all right living our great thanksgiving to god for all the grace that god has shown in our hearts in our lives thirdly they constantly acknowledge god's amazing blessings upon their lives and that's a reminder to the people of god in deuteronomy chapter 8 and verse 18 but remember the lord of god moses said to the people of remember the lord your god for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth and so it confirms his covenant which is sought to your forefathers as it is today say friends all the blessings and the grace of god that god has endowed and bless us with it comes from him isn't it and that's the reason why friends people are always going up to god to thank him for all his goodness and his blessings upon their lives in a wonderful manner and friends you know you and i can testify isn't it how god has been so amazingly good towards every one of us everyone in the skyline you have been really blessed out of your shoes your socks and your souls really by god in amazing amazing manners all of us including myself can look back coming from a poor family how i look back with such graduate thanksgiving today that god has blessed me with in so many ways right for example in health that i enjoy good health that i enjoy okay in friendship relationships as i mentioned pastor philip some of the best friends in the world okay skyline should you join privilege of sharing connecting with like this and so many other churches around the world but also friends you know blesses me for example with a fam wonderful family just one son but three grandchildren what a joy and a blessing and so many other things countless blessings and this is where friends you know we must constantly acknowledge this god our god is a good god amen very important for all of us to remember fourth and final friends somehow other blessings will flow in their lives when there's a spirit generosity really why because here in proverbs 11 verses 24 and 25 all right the writer says one man a woman gives freely yet gains even more another withholds unduly but comes to poverty a generous man will prosper he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed isn't amazed that when we are generous in giving it says here all right what happens god will prosper us even more why is this a case simply because friends you know why god can trust us right with whatever that he has given to us because we have been generous we have been openhearted right in sharing in wanting to participate in a blessing right of giving to people like this and that's why jesus says as well to all of us isn't it here in luke chapter 16 and verse 10 jesus says whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much see because of our faith and faithfulness in the little that god has given to us and because we've been faithful we've been honest we've been prudent in exercising stewardship like this friends you know what because of that god can trust us with more see everything starts small in small things friends when we prove to be prudent to be a good student god can trust with more and more why because we put faithful in small things and which is important you know some people sometimes say no wait until i'm a millionaire then i will give i said it will never happen because when you are no not a millionaire yet you don't give yourself freely cheerfully and generously you will never be when your million of multimelodies it doesn't work since when we are small when we little friends it is the whole area of the spirit of heart if a heart is one paper it will not hold on to things but thankful for whatever god has given to holy open palm as god gives god takes away but willing to share more than just allowing god to take it away willing to share and to bless people what a blessing and joy and privilege indeed and that's so important is for you and i too because we've been faithful trustworthy little god can trust with more and that's how friends you know added blessings will follow okay when we learn to have a spiritual generosity in ministering in sharing and blessing people around what your privilege and joy friends god is going to give to every one of us let me make close with this example sharing from my personal life really friends you know what in the raising of funds to build dream center two years down the road in praying to god together with the whole church i told the church let's pray look to god two years down the road in lieutenant looking to god all right for the funds available to pay off the whole project god spoke to me actually you know what god said to me my son i want you to give away all your savings you see i wasn't 59 grand or six years old it was just five years for i'll be retiring okay and you know what when you come to that season or that kind of age you begin to think about having enough for your retirement to take over retirement years like this and say and then god spoke i said what do you say god okay and you know what after they told doris now god spoke to say that we give away all our savings god said really i said i think sola you know what when god spoke to me like this not that it was not without any challenge it was not without any struggle okay i wrestled with god you know what god said my son can you not trust me about your future can you not trust me i've been faithful to all these years can you not trust me about your future friends you see when we challenge other people in faith now god is stretching ourselves and our faith is what he's saying are we willing to trust him in faith about our future and which is so important isn't it you know friends i'm glad that we obeyed really looking back today 10 years almost 11 years later we look back with thanksgiving gratitude why because this god has never shortchanged us this is the lesson this is for all of us you and i can never outlive god you and i right will experience a case of god is domain's debtor to any one of us and that's the reality of friends that you and i can really test and show that this god is really faithful amazingly good and wonderful indeed friends and that's a joy and privilege to prove that this god is really one who cares who loves us who knows what we're going through in life that is by walking in obedience in faithfulness in trust even whole giving giving of monies god will break through and show that he is there for us with us in us and around us what i joined privileged friends right as i said okay in something like this that god has given me the privilege of participating i look back with all grand thanksgiving it is really not about me it's really about god and god is giving and teaching me about the joy the blessing and the privilege also participating something like this isn't it and so my friends you know likewise for you and skyrim and srb don't miss the joy privilege of participating in a project of the lifetime skype arena because why together okay one day we celebrate the grace of god what god has done in our lives and you look back friends you know one day with such great thanksgiving that god has given a participation lifetime in something like this and that's what i say to our folks here as well okay at the end of this challenge i thought about the two outcomes i want to see and the five principles to raise funds at the end of that i told them please understand no pressure to give but let me share with you a vision of what it may look like one day i say you know what one day down the road right here in dream center when you see thousands of people coming here and so many are touched by the grace and the power of god and life change and transform you are so impacted you are so really excited about what god is doing here then you come towards me as the president i'd like to give some more can i and i might just say to you my friend sorry all paid up already all taken care of you know what the joy the blessing privilege of giving from you is missed in the opportunity friends giving towards dream of a church is something friends you know it's your lifetime that's what i said to the main contractor that we awarded this project to i said to him because after we had open 10 the short little three of them we finally appointed one to be the main con in this project is publicly this is the company i met up with the ceo okay i'm not a christian we've still been praying for him i said you're not ben it is very rare that even for a contractor of your size to have the opportunity into the privilege of building a church it's a chance of a lifetime almost ready it's rare and you know what i said to him i said my friend you know you better watch out and make sure you build it properly and rightly because you're building the house of course don't fool around why because if you get on the wrong side of my god you've been serious trouble now i'm just joking with him putting some fear into him i said well but we've been good friends that kind of thing editing a project in the midst of this i said to you ben every time you issue an invoice okay about payment within one week will pay out with one repair now this is unheard of as some of you know in the construction industry people dragon two three four months as long as possible but i told him no this is a church we'll practice a different way within a week right you'll receive a payment he was so thrilled by that at the end of the project i said ben how is it how's the payment oh he said this is amazing this is amazing friends this in itself will be a witness to the lord and so important we'll show it to the world outside we are different because we're the church of jesus christ and that's so important you say and this is where friends you want to extend all opportunities available to reach out to touch people by the grace of god and with the goodness and the gospel of christ or even in a time like this as we work towards friends raising funds and committing ourselves to build okay the sky arena that will touch many kkk and many around the world because you also is a beam all across the world and what the privilege and joy friends to know that god has used you all in an amazing manner touch has changed lives transforming society and extending god's kingdom and glorifying the lord jesus christ and a wonderful man shall we come to god in prayer well with our heads but our eyes closed maybe some of you watching right now on screen you might have come to faith in jesus christ this is an opportunity for you my friend to take the step of faith to trust in christ as lord and savior all they ever heard about giving it is unusual it is unauthorized as it were because it's a mark of the christian faith and mark of christians who will follow after the savior jesus christ who had given himself fully told towards us when they respond likewise in grand thanksgiving giving but most of all the savior jesus giving his all for the salvation whole world for your sins my sin sins of the whole world and so today if you like to take that step of faith to trust in christ as lord and savior i want to lead you in this prayer okay of trusting in christ will you fall after me in your heart quietly lord jesus christ i thank and i praise you for your love for me i acknowledge i'm a sinner i believe you died on the cross for my sins please forgive me of my sins come into my life and be my lord and savior take control of my life fill me with the holy spirit and your power and give me your love peace and joy and enable me from today onwards to live as a child of god as a follower of jesus christ thank you lord jesus lord for those who pray this prayer father i pray you'll seal it deep in every heart every life and bring this new birth and new life to pass enable these father i pray oh god to be followed up and discipled in the life of this church skyline as i be lord bless his precious ones father and their family members and loved ones so god i ask our father and i want to pray for you all it's a whole church my friends lord i give you thanks and praise for scotland assab what an amazing and a wonderful church that you raised up oh god and what amazing pastors impossible personality all the rest oh god of the pastors and leaders of church and everyone in skyline and sab bless the church father i pray and fill the church with a continuous spirit of joy grating thanksgiving or to rise up to participate in the work of yours again and again and here in this particular case father participate in the world oh god or sky arena father pray bless o god i pray our father work our sky arena coming days and enable your people to rise up to give cheerfully joyfully and thankfully towards the work of yours so that increasing the committee's father apricot sky arena will touch many hearts many lives will go with his facilities with all that he seeks to do father to the own and god of your name and extensive kingdom so bless each one father i pray oh god in a wonderful skyline in jesus wonderful name amen well scotland again god bless you richly and have a great wonderful day okay in the week and months ahead amen amen amen wow what a wonderful word that we just heard about generosity and truly what an amazing reminder that god truly enjoys a cheerful and hilarious giver and you know we give because truly god gave first and he gave the ultimate gift of salvation through jesus christ and if you have prayed that prayer alongside of pastor datto daniel hall's prayer and you've invited jesus into your life for the first time let me tell you you've just received the greatest gift of all and may i just invite you to go ahead and scan the qr code right now that's on your screen so that we can get to know you better get connected and we want to be with you in this new faith journey alternatively you can also head on to our website which is skylinessib.com next step we can also get connected there and we want to assist you in this journey

Channel: Skyline SIB

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Length: 32min 17sec (1937 seconds)

Published: Sat Sep 11 2021