Killing Entitlement: Generosity Isn’t Just Monetary

Whatever you invest your treasure in is indicative of where your heart is. Whatever you are generous toward is what has your heart, whether it’s your kids, your friends, your hobbies, or even your time. If you’re invested, it matters to you. 

Today, I want to give us a broader perspective, to “zoom out” if you will. In our culture, it is so easy to get entangled in the trap of entitlement. We are incredibly blessed here in the U.S. However, blessing can quickly turn into entitlement and overindulgence, and entitlement will strangle generosity quicker than anything else. We have to remember that we are not subject to the ways of this world. You’re a partner of God's Kingdom before you're a part of this nation. As members of this great nation, we tend to believe that we deserve to have it our way. 

Do you know what you actually deserve? Hell. We all deserve hell because of sin. Thank God, He decided not to give us what we deserve. Instead, Jesus took what we deserve, endured our punishment, and now we get to enjoy the blessing of eternal life and restored relationship with Father God. How incredibly humbling!

Generosity Isn’t Just About Money

Acts 4:23-35 NKJV

23 And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24 So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, 25 who by the mouth of Your servant David have said:

‘Why did the nations rage,
And the people plot vain things?
26 The kings of the earth took their stand,
And the rulers were gathered together
Against the Lord and against His Christ.’

27 “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together 28 to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. 29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. 32 Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. 33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. 34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.

There are a few things I noticed about this portion of scripture that I noticed will help in overcoming entitlement and a selfish heart. 

Let Go of Fear

In Acts 4:32-35 it says that they were of one heart and one soul. They were unified in everything. They had their heart in the right place–to me this speaks of being aligned in the spirit. But they were also in one accord in their soul. What is the soul? It’s the mind, will and emotions of a person. The soul is not a bad thing! It is the makeup of our emotions, our thoughts, and our personality. They were not only aligned in the spirit and heart. They were aligned in their emotions, thoughts, and will, as well. That is incredible to me!

What came as a result of this unity and alignment? No one lacked. They all took care of each other! In reality, they relied on God to take care of them. They gave freely and fully to their brothers and sisters, and God provided. They weren’t afraid of going hungry or having nowhere to take shelter. When we trust the Lord with our earthly possessions, our money, and our hearts, we can be sure He will give us what we need. Not necessarily what we want, but what we need. 

Know Your Purpose

When you think the purpose of your finances is to accumulate everything you hope and desire, you can end up using it as a tool for your own whims and pleasures. However, what if your finances are not actually yours in the first place? This is a question of stewardship, not “rights”. I have had many people argue that since we no longer live under the Old Testament Law, which only required that people give 10% of their increase, we do not have to live under the principle of giving anymore. I would push back with the teaching we find in Matthew 5, specifically verse 17-32. 

In short, Jesus says that He didn’t come to abolish the Law, but to fulfill it. He calls us up to an even higher standard! I encourage you to go back and read it, but what Jesus explains here is the principle of generosity. In the Old Testament, 10%, or the tithe, is what was expected. In the New Testament, we are expected to give sacrificially as Jesus did—100%. He gave us His all, and we are to shine forth His light to the world. 

We should not be looking for ways to be less generous. If we want to be like God, who gave everything, then we need to be prepared to give it all! What are the areas we need to be generous in? 

Shift Your Focus

Let’s look closer at Acts 4:29-30 for this. Their focus was not on themselves. Instead, they prayed, not for deliverance from persecution, but for more boldness. They prayed that God would show forth His hand in powerful signs and wonders. Why? This wasn’t for themselves, so they could brag about being a part of a really cool movement of the Spirit. It was so souls could be added to the Kingdom of God! When we give, we get to be a part of something so much bigger than ourselves. We get to see signs and wonders, miracles and deliverance come in every area of our community! 

Let Your Generosity Know No Bounds

Proverbs 11:24-25 NLT

24 Give freely and become more wealthy;
    be stingy and lose everything.

25 The generous will prosper;
    those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.

What are the ways we can be generous that do not necessarily involve money?

We can be generous with our Savior. This might seem like a no-brainer, but do we actually mean what we say when we want others to come to Jesus? What happens when this interferes with your schedule? Or when someone takes “your seat” at church? 

A church that is healthy and obedient is a growing church. For many years we have prayed that we would grow and be able to impact our community for Jesus. Be sure that you are not getting twisted over something you prayed for now that we are seeing the “discomfort” that comes with it. In the scheme of eternity, giving up your seat is a small price to pay. 

We can be generous with our church. Be the kind of church you would want to go to. Give first, even if no one sees. If you want to be greeted on a Sunday, go greet someone else first! If you want to have the best seat near the front, give up your seat for someone else. If you want to be blessed, go bless someone else first. Don’t wait for someone to come up to you and greet you. As it says in Luke 6:31, “31 Do to others as you would like them to do to you.” 

We can be generous with our openness. God wants to connect you with others wherever you go! Sometimes we get so busy with life that we may not even realize we are being closed off. We get nervous to talk to new people or get out of our comfort zone. However, you literally carry the Light of the world inside you wherever you go. Small acts of loving kindness go a long way. A smile. A nod. Giving up your place in line at a grocery store–or even paying for someone’s groceries as they’re trying to figure out what they need to put back and what they can pay for…

Maybe God has put you in that situation for a reason, so you can extend His love and mercy to someone in need. 

We can be generous as a family team. It is natural for a transformed person to meet the needs of others. When we let go of control and decide to give—not because of a tax write-off, or because we get to assuage our pride with a “look what I did…” kind of attitude, the Kingdom of God advances. When we pull together to reach people’s needs, we accomplish so much more than what we could on our own. 

In for the Long Haul

How does that tie into the theme of giving and the concept of Kingdom Builders that we’ve been discussing the last few weeks? 

We are not just building our own little “Refuge Church kingdom” here—something that we horde and keep to ourselves for our own benefit. We are building the Kingdom of God. It’s not “my” kingdom, it’s God’s Kingdom. Our heart and passion is to stay on mission for the long haul. We want Refuge Church to be here when our kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids are in places of leadership. 

If we don’t give, we might very well see this church wither up and die, just like so many others. Being generous allows us to be about the Fathers business, so we can share our Savior and ensure that we are a refuge to others for generations to come.