There are many identifiable characteristics found in the first century church that made them such a special group of people which are also seen here as well.

One of these characteristics is GENEROSITY.   Luke shares in Acts 2:44-45, “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.”   We read also about this in Acts 4:32-37. This trait made the early church a strong and close-knit family by responding beautifully to meeting one another’s needs. This wasn’t command at this time and was simply an appropriate response from the heart to those in need.

This trait was taught and shared by Jesus, witnessed and displayed by the apostles, and ultimately embraced and practiced by the early church.  Generosity is a CHARACTERISTIC that permeates throughout the church and is a beautiful quality learned by watching the faithful response of generous people who meet the needs of their spiritual family.

** Jesus went about doing good and helping those in need (Acts 10:38), taught by our Lord (Acts 20:35), remembering those in need was a common practice in the early church (Galatians 2:10), taught by the apostles (Galatians 6:10), Paul taught this expression of faith to a young preacher (1 Timothy 6:18-19), expressed by the writer of Hebrews (Hebrews 14:16), taught by Paul as an enduring quality (2 Thessalonians 3:13)**

I write about this because I have witnessed GENEROSITY first hand as a recipient by so many of you over the course of this last year. You have been so generous with me and my family in so many ways and we are grateful for each generous act given out of love.

Recently, we have received financial gifts in response to our adoption process. One was given by some children and another was given by a family. I mention these because they are generous acts of kindness like we find in the scriptures about the early church and, equally important, they were responses from the heart to help meet an important need.

These gifts of love were taught by the faithful example of parents who then passed this wonderful trait down to their children. It is ultimately lived out and witnessed by grandchildren who are now following in their grandparents’ and parents’ footsteps. What a beautiful sacrifice of love!

This is one of the many great qualities that makes this church such a wonderful spiritual family!  We are indeed grateful for help meeting a major need and loving us like family!!  “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.  And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” — 2 Timothy 2:1-2

I watched an episode from the TV series, “Gunsmoke”, which happened to be episode 21 from season 20 entitled “I HAVE PROMISES TO KEEP.”  The show originally aired on March 3, 1975 – I was 3 years old then, and 44 years later this episode made me think about my responsibility as a Christian.  This particular show is a great episode about a preacher who wants to build a church for native Americans on a small reserve but is met with bigotry from the citizens of a nearby town.  

As I was watching this show, Festus is having a discussion with the old preacher after having faced so much difficulty about building the church on the reserve.  Festus says something to the preacher about how he should be memorizing scripture instead of trying to build a church and help people. The preacher’s response is priceless.  He tells Festus, “THE TIME I COULD USE MEMORIZING THE BIBLE WOULD BE BETTER SPENT TRYING TO DO THE GOOD IT RECOMMENDED!”

That particular thought resonates in my mind and is certainly a common thought throughout the New

Testament.  Please don’t think that I DON’T value the importance of knowing God’s word and committing it to the heart. However, understand that I am saying that if we memorize, quote, and even share God’s word but never lift a finger to do the good it prescribes, then our efforts would appear meaningless.  The old

adage, “They don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care” is so very true.

Jesus was one who, “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38). As disciples of Jesus we are told to also “do good to all men” and “not grow weary” while doing so (Galatians 6:9-10).  James admonishes to “be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22).  Our Lord says, “Everyone who hears these sayings of mine, and DOES them, I will liken to a wise man…” (Matthew 7:24).

I believe the old preacher gave some pretty good advice and we would do well to follow it!!

I can almost smell it now!  My mom’s fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, were the best.  When my mom was cooking the aroma was almost intoxicating and I knew something good was coming.  A gift from her heart, a blessing of love, prepared by precious hands, with care for those she loves. I miss my momma and her cooking!

God has prepared for us out of His rich love and mercy a beautiful blessing of love --- SALVATION through His Son.  Jesus was the ULTIMATE and FINAL sacrifice for sin once and for all (Hebrews 10:12).  His sacrifice stirs in us a sense of gratitude, love, service, giving, and sharing.  Our graciousness honors His sacrifice and pleases our Heavenly Father. Listen to the Hebrew writer as he shares God’s word in 13:15-17 - “Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.  But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.  Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”  

We have the opportunity to give financially so the gospel can be shared locally and abroad in order to bring others into a saving relationship with God through Jesus our Lord.  We also have the opportunity to be pleasing to God not only by giving but also by obeying our elders (God’s Spiritual Shepherds) in the requests they encourage us to participate in concerning HIS WORK in the Fulshear Family. A big request right now is to continue to sacrifice weekly and give for our new building. Meeting our weekly budget is paramount to ultimately building our new building.  Also, PLANNING to sacrifice for our next quarterly Special Contribution (May 19) is essential to our missions and new building.

Remember, God does not require us to give what we don’t have but to certainly have a willing heart to do what we are able (2 Corinthians 8:12) knowing that He loves our gift (2 Corinthians 9:7) and that it is a Sweet Smelling Aroma to His throne of Grace and Mercy. You see, OUR GIFTS are a sweeter aroma than my mama's fried chicken and definitely better because when we give to Him we smell just like JESUS and that is a fragrance that God loves.  

Listen to Paul in these two passages, “Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.”  Ephesians 5:1-2 - “Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.”  (2 Corinthians 2:14).   

Our Lord not only says but shows that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).  Let’s follow His lead!

A college professor told of being invited to speak at a military base one December. On arriving, he met an unforgettable soldier named Ralph. Ralph had been sent to meet him at the airport. After they introduced themselves, they headed toward baggage claim. As they walked the concourse, Ralph kept momentarily disappearing. Once it was to help an older woman whose suitcase had opened up. Once it was to lift two toddlers up to where they could see Santa. Another time it was to give directions to someone who was lost. Each time, he would return with a big smile on his face.

“Where did you learn to live like that?” the professor asked. “During the war, I guess.” Then Ralph told the professor about his tour of duty in Vietnam. He described his job – clearing minefields. He said he had watched friends be blown up before his eyes – one after another.

“I learned to live between the steps,” he said. “I never knew whether the next one would be my last, so I learned to get everything I could out of the moment between when I picked up my foot and when I put it down again. Every step I took was a whole new world. And I guess I’ve just been that way ever since.”

May we all strive to be people who live BETWEEN THE STEPS.

1 Peter 2:21 “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an
example, that you should follow His steps”

There are things that we must continue to do and maintain in order for the church to grow in the city of Fulshear.  The beauty in the body of Christ is that God uses everyone in a slightly different way to help the church develop a healthy, mature, and strong body for growth.

In his book, THE PURPOSE DRIVEN CHURCH, Rick Warren says “….since the church is a living organism, it is natural for it to grow if it is healthy…If a church is not growing it is dying...”  We definitely have a desire to be healthy, vibrant, active, and growing in Fulshear.

It is essential that we know where Are We Going.  There is an old saying if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  People are drawn to a purpose, mission, and vision. We get excited about being a part of a church that is making a difference.

Creating an Inviting atmosphere is essential for growth.  We need to be proud of where we attend and worship!  Providing an environment that is comfortable, encouraging, exciting, and Biblical is vital to our growth.  When we are excited it permeates throughout the congregation and spills over into the community.

Developing a welcoming experience will help us make a great first impression.  There are not many things more awkward  than for a visitor to be ignored. We must look for and be aware of our visitors and help them to feel welcome and encouraged.  We need everyone on board with looking for and encouraging our visitors when they come - Jyusef calls this “the swarm!”

We must enjoy the ride.  If we don’t enjoy the ride then we will become disgruntled and that do harm to the growth of the body.  Whether you are a senior member, youth group member, or somewhere in between, we must enjoy what we are doing.  Spending time with God is what fuels us and serving Him is what satisfies us. “Don’t get so caught up in the ministry of the Lord that we forget the Lord of the Ministry.”  He is walking with us and we will go hand in hand with Him!

God is depending on you and me to do our part so that we can grow together!