Voice, and yet we are to give exspecting nothing in return, and even the Word says that he who gives to the poor, lends to God. He will repay the giver in one way, shape or form.  spiritual blessing are always much more exciting and fulfiling than material.

I knew you'd agree, Stevie bee. Great minds...hehe

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Amen! I've been exhorting people for a year now to get out of their comfort zones and help people in Kenya or India as examples. We are exhorted to do good to the family of faith (not geographically specific) in as much as it is possible to do so. If people can't give  $10 to send across the globe to the truly starving, chances are they aren't doing much to help their own brothers/sisters under the same worship umbrella at home.

Nonetheless, I encourage any Christian brother or sister to give, give, give!  Let us give with joy and let us purpose in our own hearts how much to give. Who needs new shoes, new clothes, new everything?. God will provide everything we actually need when we get outside of ourselves and trust in Him.

I'm not encouraging here that you should sell all your worldly goods and give to the poor.(I know that the rich man in the Bible was instructed to do this. I think his heart was being tested).Only that you look around you and afar and ask God, "Where shall I give?" and "What shall I give?".  Check out www.jonahsmissions.weebly.com or some of the many other needy missions represented here on mychurch.org

May you see for youselves how God will undertake in your areas of need (not greed and not only materially). 

Crystal, I am best not to go there with some of what's preached. lol  But let's just say we are in agreement.  :-)  I just look at the Apostle's lives and Jesus' lives.  That's our example. 

Anthony, yeah, that's how we think, yet it's like if they belong to Christ, they are our family. If we give to get something back, that ain't a good motive.

Oh, and I totally agree with Crystal. I am done, done, done with giving to any televangelist who has more than 1 house and one car and can afford to wear the best clothes and send all their children to the best schools. This is not what God has in mind.

Ministry on television and in many places has become a cesspool for people to say they proclaim the Word of God and live like kings, queens, setting up their children and families in mini empires flowing with milk and honey (money). I will not support that when people around me and across the globe are starving.

I would like to see televangelists selling what they have (some of the few who I think should sell all they have or better yet don't accumlate it in the first place) and send everything  to meet the needs of the poor. I also wish they would stop taking money from widows and old ladies and old men living on fixed incomes. They should be feeding these people instead of robbing them. (That is my rant for the day). God for give them and help them all before it is really too late.

Penny, you jumped in there. lol  Yeah, I amen what you say. I do get a lot out of some of the prosperity teachers. They do some good preaching, but I chew up the meat and spit out the bones.  yeah, I am not telling ppl to sell all their goods, either, but I guess it's like we get materialistic and forget about those in need around us.

Matthew 27:43

When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:

Crystal, if we sold everything we owned, we wouldn't have very much $$. lol We don't own anything that would get much at a pawn shop, no joke. lol  And personally I LOVE thrift shopping. We got something called Frenchy's here that you dig through bins of clothing. It's fun!  Like a treasure hunt. But there are things I buy new like winter coats I have. My last year's Christmas gift. Wanted something a certain length, certain breathable material, certain style that goes with anything, certain color and couldn't find it second hand.  Didn't feel guilty at all, either. lol    Stuff is....stuff. Nice to have enough $$ for sure. I would love that, personally, though it's never happened since I've been married to my husband, but we've never starved.

mmm...Tootsie rolls. lol!

Marcella, really?  Sorry, i think.

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My friend Lara,

You have a heart for this lost and dying world.  When I became born again and read about the disciples in the book of Acts, I called some Churches to ask why this is not being done in the modern day Churches.  I am still waiting for an answer .  

Let's pray,

Heaven Father, please teach us and show us how to love our neighbors as ourselves so that others can see the love of Jesus Christ in and through us.  I ask this in the name of my precious Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Thank you for this blog Lara, because I know that this is on the heart of our Saviour.   I pray that our Lord supply all of your needs as promised.

Shalom to you and your family my friend.

Lara, returning to my (short) comment above.... The early church, in the first chapters of Acts, was very unified and tight-knit (Acts 2:44, 4:32). But that simply isn't the case today. The "ecumenical movement" was/is an attempt to return to that unity, to look beyond the more superficial differences of various denominations, in order to focus on what unifies Christians, and thus bind us together in a more visible unity.

But question becomes, what differences are worth overlooking for the sake of unity? Can conservative and liberal, Protestant and Catholic, charismatic and traditional, mainline and independent churches all really come together? Unfortunately, to many conservative believers, ecumenism is a bad word. And sometimes this is rightly so. But just as often, the definition of orthodoxy has become too narrow, to the exclusion of many earnest believers.

The unity of the earliest manifestation of the church was astounding, and a beautiful thing. I wonder why they were able to be "one in heart and mind" (Acts 4:32), and to have "everything in common" (Acts 2:44)? We have a much better shot at becoming a diverse collection of giving churches, than becoming a unified church in the manner of Acts 2/4, IMHO. Nevertheless Lara, posts like this one can only motivate us to become more unified, right? Thanks!

Leigh, we have a cartoon about St. Francis' life.  I am not proposing that everyone go do this, b/c we need wealth to help the poor, right?  I guess it's just being more aware of those around us in need, and yes, sometimes sacrificing our 'wants' to help them with their needs.

Anthony, you're away from home a lot, and on the road, so why shouldn't you have a decent Blackberry?  Just like someone who is driving a lot, in their job or ministry; they need a good vehicle that's reliable.  God provides what we need, and yes, wants too. He blessed me with $120 from a woman at church who told me I had to go buy the winter boots I wanted, with it. I mean, wow!  And I love them winter boots. They are warm, practical and yes, stylish too!  It was fun to go out and buy something new by way of clothes which rarely ever happens.  

Thanks for the star, Maureen, sis!

Panda, amen!  Thank you!

Mike, I totally get what you're saying. In complete honesty there are denominations that are supposedly Christian that I don't see as such, at all, b/c they believe there are other ways to God and that they don't call what is sin, sin.  See, i get all excited when I see like what I saw with my church I'm at now.  our pastor is best friends with the Baptist pastor next door to us.  They pulpit swapped a couple months ago, and it was awesome! So you had our Pentecostal pastor preaching at the Baptist church, and their Baptist pastor preaching at our Pentecostal church (great sermon, BTW).  And we do outreaches together to the community. I believe there is a unity there, in spite of our differences.  We have a common cause: Christ. And the Baptists believe Jesus is the only way and are sound in their doctrine by way of what is sin and what isn't.  Sure they don't believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Sure they believe once saved always saved.  I know what I believe is the "line".  Paul instructed us to be like minded, and how that has gone down the toilet, eh?   But anyways, it's God's vision and desire for us too, and you can't fool God on who belongs to Him and who doesn't.

Anthony, you can keep em. Never owned a cell and don't want one. lol

Mike, it so totally is! Helps that our pastor grew up Baptist.   Our city also has prayer with several different denominations getting together to pray for the city, and they meet at different churches every time.  There have been many prophetic words spoken over Moncton, like it being where a Canadian wide revival will go forth from. Geographically, Moncton is called the "hub" of the Maritimes b/c it is the central place close to everything, and even John Paul Jackson, whom I do esteem spoke a prophetic word of that sort over us in our little tiny city.  I am here for such a time as this. Always believed that since I moved to Moncton six years ago.

Outreach, outreach, outreach. My daughter, 18 has been making me put together
food for someone, who is hungry. She has to go out at night to the downtown Denver area and look in the back alleys. We always have a glorious time!
And you made me giggle, what do you bring to the pot luck, or are you like me?
If I go, I bring myself. HA HA! That's good right?

Sis Cece, that is the awesomest kind of outreach!  And as per potlucks, it's been so long since I've been to one! lol The joys of living so far out of town...but only 11 more days til we move. 

Patrick, that's wonderful, bro! I love to hear that!!!!  I do like that our church has a sheet you can fill out and it has parts where if you need something, you write it in, and if you have something to donate, be it a material object, or your time or $$ or profession, then you write that in. I have never seen that before, although it's probably common among churches.  I think that's great what is happening there in the boonies.  :-)

Crystal, Amen! I grew up in the Baptist church, and there ain't nothing like the Baptist pot lucks! Good eats, indeed! lol