Chapter 30: Living the Generous Life
Hi Friends,
We entered a realm of generous living at Destiny. Just like in Acts 2:44-45. “And those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.”
I am doing a 3-part series on Living the Generous Life. It is important to know that giving is an integral part of our Christian life. Just like believing, praying or loving, the Bible emphasizes also on giving. Jesus taught on money matters because money really matters.
So what do we get back when we give? Luke 6:38, “Give and it will come back to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure – pressed down, shaken together and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
We actually have no choice because it says when we give; it will surely come back to us in good measure. Now the only difference will be the standard of our measure. If we are generous in our giving (of our time, talent, money), it will be measured to us in return – pressed down, shaken together and running over!
Do you know that we can give without being generous? We can be kind, we can love others, and we can worship and pray without being generous. We must learn how to give our time, talent and money generously. When we worship, it must be extravagantly.
During the renovation of the Prayer Room, many people gave money. Now, it is fully air-conditioned and carpeted. People even gave their DVD-CD player, speakers, books, etc. so that people who would like to pray can also watch and listen to preaching and read books.
Edwin and Anna Lynn Pages gave money for prayer room too. In less than two weeks, they were able to close a 40M- business deal.
To date, there are people praying everyday. Scheduled prayer meetings from different sectors start from 5 in the morning until 9 in the evening. While the prayer during the night watches start from 11 pm to 3 am.
More and more people are coming being generous with their time. There are testimonies of oil flowing from the hands, seeing open visions, great revelations and prophecies. The presence of God is mighty and people are extravagantly worshiping Him.
The prayer room is also open to the churches of Los Baños. Women from the Aglow pray on Tuesdays. Leaders from Destiny San Pablo and Lucena recently had an overnight prayer meeting too.
I Timothy 6:17-19, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who richly supplies us all things to enjoy. Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”
In other words, command those who are rich to be generous. We are all rich. Right? Not just by faith but this is the reality. We are children of the King. Amen!
The tithes and offerings for 2 Sundays were over P60,000 pesos. It is 100% increase in the usual tithes and offerings in Los Baños!
Destiny now has a L300 Mitsubishi van. Nep and Cris, who are among the faithful supporters of the ministry gave P400,000 pesos for the purchase of the van. Many individuals in addition pledged for the payment of the remaining amount monthly.
One Friday meeting after we dedicated the van to the Lord, a brother in Christ gave his one-year old motorbike for the use of the ministry. It is slightly used and top of the line model. Praise God!
Pastor Leo of Destiny Calapan gave his Guess watch to Val, who is now our new Missions Director.
Last November 18, we had a seed offering for the upgrade of the sound system. The total amount that was raised that day is more than P130,000.00 pesos. Amazingly, it was only done after the giving which amounted to almost P60,000.00 pesos. God is indeed blessing His people!
When we give an offering to the Lord, we are giving a part of us. When we give, we lose something (i.e. money, time, strength, etc) but the impact of it lasts for eternity. For example, giving to missions and church planting, our money left us physically. However, from that day forward it is continuously working for the cause of His Kingdom.
That is why it is written in Matt 6:19-20, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth… but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…for where your treasure is; there your heart will be also.”
During the recent honor offering to Pastors Lester and Jane Ordan who went to Singapore to pastor Destiny house church there; they received over P50,000 pesos plus bags, shoes, more than 3 cell phones among other things.
It is a blessing indeed to see people from the family (formerly community) sector giving generously to the servants and to the work of the Lord despite their financial conditions. A very special lady gave them a set of earrings worth more than P50,000 pesos too. Paul gave his coat to Lester as a symbol for mantle and impartation.
In Proverbs 11:25, “The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.” Moreover, in Proverbs 22: 9, “He who is generous will be blessed, for he gives some of his food to the poor.”
Ivar, after attending the Friday meeting, he looked for his friend who owed him an amount for so long. He canceled his debt. In return, he is cleared from his last job and received his remaining salary and bonus. Also, he had more than enough to pay for his new apartment.
Sam of Destiny Alabang went to church one Sunday he has no money to offer during the giving. He happily gave his wristwatch as an offering. Tuesday, his company issued a new laptop to him, and he received clearance from his former job – that means his remaining salary and bonus!
God’s favor is upon Gie when she formulated milk that lowered the production cost. She was promoted and she found favor from the owner of the company since. Gie gave Paul a pair of lovely slippers handmade by her father. The next week, her promotion paper was released and her new formulated milk is now in production.
For two consecutive weeks, our friends treated us to hotel stays – one at Sofitel (formerly the Westin Philippine Plaza) with our kids and the other at Pan Pacific Hotel with a lovely couple who are very close to us. The Lord just reminded us what we sowed before. We treated a couple to a hotel stay in Bangkok.
Robert and Nilo is preparing and raising funds for the crusade of Leif Hetland. After they proposed to Paul about it, they experienced breakthroughs. Each of them received calls from their clients in their own personal businesses. Later they shared that doing the business the Kingdom way is more exciting and fulfilling!
One Sunday, Gilbert gave all the money he had in the offering basket when he learned that his wife, Sol, did the same. They never thought if there was enough gas in their car, they just love their God. After the service, a couple approached them and gave them a gift more than the amount they have offered. Gilbert and Sol were then invited to lunch twice!
Nine in the evening, Gilbert and Sol visited church-friends. They learned that they have no electricity because of unpaid bills. Sol readily gave a thousand pesos to pay the bill then returned home. At ten in the evening, somebody gave them P2500.00 pesos! In God’s economy, the rate of return is fast – very fast!
Giving will surely bless us in return. It is a great source of joy to see the faces of the people when they are blessed by our generosity. Acts 20:35, “…He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
As part of my preaching, I asked the people to give something to someone they do not know. Sometimes it is easy to give something precious to someone who is close to us and harder to somebody we do not know. That Sunday nobody was left behind.
A woman came to me and she was sobbing. She was holding her necklace on her right hand while there was a jewelry set on her left hand. She said that the moment she took off her necklace to give it to me, Mary, the woman beside her gave her jewelries. She was overwhelmed because she had just decided to give and then the Lord gave something in return.
When Mary gave her jewelry set away, Yeye, the woman seating in front her gave Mary her lovely handbag. She said that she poured out the things inside her bag and gave the purse away.
Some people received USB memory stick, caps, sunglasses, key holders, money in pesos and in dollars, pens, accessories, bags, wallets, candies, medicines, etc.
Jane later testified that that Sunday she gave her bracelet she bought from Singapore. The Lord returned to her the set of earrings.
II Corinthians 9:6-7, “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. And he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
One Sunday service, we ended with a decree that Destiny as a church, as a family, and as a movement – WE ARE GOING TO LIVE AND GIVE GENEROUSLY FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD! A GENERATION OF CHEERFUL GIVERS!
REVIVAL FIRE in MINDANAO
Pastors Jimmy, Ariel, Janneth, Verg, Paul and me, went to General Santos City for a Southern Mindanao District-wide Youth Rally. If you can still recall, Paul was invited to preach at Four Square church last summer. That church is experiencing a continuous revival since then.
Ariel preached on Desperation for God and Receiving the Fire of God; Verg preached on the Father’s Love and shared to the youth their role in the revival, while Pastor Jimmy shared on the Glory of Man and the Passion to Serve.
After every session was impartation. The pastors and the youth were hungry for more of Him. They were on the floor, crying aloud with deep desperation and utter surrender, with passion and love for Jesus. One hundred seventy youth were registered but almost 300 people came during the night sessions.
Paul preached during the night services on Fresh Baptism, The Face of God, and Keeping the Fire Burning. The people were totally undone. He also shared to the pastors their roles in the revival and our experiences in Destiny.
I shared on Strengthen Yourself in the Lord and Generosity. In the time of giving, Ate Susan, Paul’s sister, was overwhelmed because the basket is not enough to hold the offering!
The offering that day was more than P10,000 pesos, above their usual tithes and offering and surprisingly, most of the participants were youth. Included were 2 bracelets, 3 watches, key holders, perfume, lotion, belt, ladies accessories, pens, belt, handkerchief, and Bibles among other things.
Pastor Jimmy gave his Swiss watch to Verg. Verg in return gave his watch to a fifteen-year old boy who was thinking of giving his cell phone during the offering. He was crying and so grateful to God when he received the watch.
We in return experienced so much blessing from the church too. They housed the pastors in a very nice place, with overflowing food and very warm hospitality.
We ended the youth rally with praise celebration. Everybody was so bless and could not contain the blessings and the joy of the Lord. They are ready to give and share what they have experienced to others.
To Cheerful Giving,
Ahlmira
January 9th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
WANTED: RADICAL GIVERS!!! This is probably the clamor of my soul. I personally believed that that generosity has a remarkable impact in our personal lives as sons of the living God. A culture of radical generosity must really be developed inside the church. For one thing for sure GENEROSITY Iis one of the spiritual battering ram that the Church canuse to really topple down the citadel of selfishness, poverty, debt, financial lack and the like which is so rampant inside Church nowadays I personally believed to the core of my being that with the resources that we have at our disposal, God has given us the capacity to really unlock the floodgates of His bounty. Blessings right before the throne room of the living God is so incomparable and sweet!!! When you received it ‘HE ADDS NO SORROW TO IT.” More power!! Destiny Bloggers!!!
January 15th, 2008 at 3:09 pm
I feel so blessed by just reading various testimonies.Indeed God’s grace transcends all distance & barriers!!!..God bless your ministry..