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Miracle Offering
In this profound sermon, Pastor Nate Gagne reflects on the significance of the recent Miracle Offering at Restoration Church. Delivered with passion and clarity, Pastor Nate highlights the incredible generosity displayed by the congregation, which has contributed thousands of dollars towards Kingdom Builders projects. These funds are dedicated to expanding local church outreach, supporting global missions, and nurturing future Christian leaders.
Throughout the sermon, Pastor Nate shares inspiring stories and updates from the mission fields in Tanzania and Cuba, illustrating the direct impact of the church’s generosity. He encourages the congregation to continue their support, emphasizing that the opportunity to give extends beyond the initial offering day.
Transcript
Well, hey, Restoration Church.
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:Good morning.
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:Today is the miracle offering and
thousands and thousands and thousands
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:of dollars will be received to use, to
be used for projects around the world.
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:If we haven't met before, my name is Nate
Gagne and if it's your first time here
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:today, I'll explain what's going on and,
uh, and allow you to, uh, participate
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:at the level you're comfortable with.
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:But, Restoration Church, we
give our tithe, we give our
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:giving to our local church.
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:We also give beyond that to something
called Kingdom Builders, which is, uh,
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:which is something that goes toward three
types of projects, and already this year,
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:We've, uh, together, our church, we've
given over 100, 000 to Kingdom Builders,
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:and we're believing that miraculously,
we may be able to hit 250, 000 this year.
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:And these projects that we give to are
for local church expansion, to help
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:churches reach more people, to help
our church even reach more people.
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:Global missions projects.
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:We have partners around the world
that we've, that we've been helping
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:over the years and that we helped
this year and then to help develop
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:future Christian leaders that, uh,
you know, it doesn't end with us.
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:We won't be the last generation to
follow the Lord, and it has been
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:an amazing and impactful year.
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:They're just going through, uh, you Uh,
these pictures are a, uh, scroll of,
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:that feels kind of far away, a scroll
of, of, uh, just different projects
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:that have happened through the year.
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:We've had teams in Tanzania, teams in,
in Cuba, and we've done things, it's
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:been an amazing and impactful year.
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:Will you put your hands
together for everything that
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:has happened already this year.
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:We have projects that we're still
hoping to do this year, ways
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:that we're still trying to help.
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:Uh, those are, uh, helping our
teenagers with their Kingdom Builders
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:projects of Speed the Light and BGMC.
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:And these are projects that
help missionaries and the
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:gospel around the world.
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:A couple weeks ago you heard from
Mike Bartell of Free International.
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:Our giving from Miracle Offering,
um, uh, will, will complete that
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:project of what we've committed
to give to Free International.
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:And then also, AG Foster Care Network
and WorldServe are a couple other
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:initiatives that we haven't funded yet
that we'll be funding this, um, in the
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:next couple weeks as we give today.
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:Uh, as the, as the money comes in, we'll
be, um, when we can complete a project,
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:we'll be mailing out a check the same day.
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:It has been amazing, uh, an
amazing year, impactful year.
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:For those of you who are, uh, part
of the church, I have been asking you
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:and your location pastors have been
asking you over the last few weeks
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:to pray to God and to ask Him this
question, what do you want me to give?
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:And it's nothing that in our church
where we tell you what to give, we
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:suggest to you an amount, we look
at what you're giving, we're like,
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:come on, you can do more than that.
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:Uh, we're asking you to ask God.
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:If you're here and you follow Jesus,
then this would be an area where you'd
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:say hey, I'll follow you in this area
to Jesus What do you want me to do?
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:How do you want me to participate?
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:What's the level that you've asked and I
and I I trust that you brought your gift
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:this morning that as you as you've asked
God that as he's spoken to you about that
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:that you came prepared, but it's possible
Like, that you're like me, and you forget.
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:And like, I didn't know that was today.
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:The other day, I didn't
know we were in November.
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:They said something about November.
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:I'm like, oh, that's quite a ways away.
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:They're like, no, it's literally November.
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:And, uh, I'm like, what, what happened?
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:Someone call my doctor.
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:Um, now, they, there are gifts that
have already started coming in online
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:today, and so you can give through
the Church Centre app on your phone.
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:You can give through the website.
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:I know people are doing that.
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:Um, The one thing that I would
ask is before you click enter
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:on the app or before you write
something on your envelope to make
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:sure that you have prayed first.
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:God, what do you want me to do?
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:And if you're here for the first time or,
um, you're, you're new to the church in
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:the last couple of months, so you've never
done, uh, been a part of this before, once
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:a year, we receive the miracle offering.
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:Once a year.
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:We, uh, we encourage everybody to
participate, and once a year, instead
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:of, um, giving at our seats or giving
online, we have everybody come up
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:to the front and give in person.
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:So, if it's your first time here, a
couple things you can do, alright?
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:So, you know first off, when everybody
stands up and comes forward, if
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:you want to, pick up an empty
envelope, walk forward and put it in.
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:No one's gonna double check, like,
hey, you know, what did you put?
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:No one's gonna check.
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:Um, no one's, we don't
want you to feel awkward.
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:And so you don't have to participate.
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:It's your first time here.
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:You don't know us, you
may not want to give.
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:But it is possible that you're here,
and you do follow Jesus already.
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:So it would be something
that you could ask him.
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:Hey, it's my first time here But
god, is there anything you want me
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:to do and you are welcome to give
we're not going to be like Hey,
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:you want to help move the gospel?
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:Uh, you want to help jesus
to be known around the world?
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:Sorry, we'd like to get you to know
you first It's kind of like I don't
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:know if you realize this back in
the golden days If someone wanted to
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:put money in your bank account, they
just could Nowadays, they won't let
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:you unless you have to unless you
have like proof Which is so stupid.
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:If someone wants to put money
in my account, let them.
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:They don't need my
verification and my approval.
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:Anyway, so anyway, we're
not like the banks.
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:We will, um, receive what you want
to invest into the kingdom of God.
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:And, uh, it is going to be a
good time that we're together.
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:And today I'm going to share with you a
couple of testimonies because you've got
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:to know that what we're, when we give.
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:It has absolutely nothing
to do with our own benefit.
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:It's not about, it's not about
whether we, we, what we feel.
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:It's not about, um, uh,
it's not about ourselves.
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:It is about the kingdom of God.
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:And this is something that we might
hit later on through our message.
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:When we give it something that is
spiritual, it And it is a specific
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:way God wants to move in our life.
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:We know that God wants us
to pray and talk with Him.
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:And that something happens in that.
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:It's not just about
saying a recited prayer.
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:It's a relationship that's built.
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:He speaks to us.
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:He guides us through that.
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:He transforms us through that.
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:And we should pray.
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:We know that as we read
the Bible, He speaks to us.
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:He guides us.
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:He protects to us.
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:He protects us.
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:He aligns us with his will.
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:And so we pray, not just because we
have to do a checklist, but because
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:God wants to do something in us.
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:And giving is a similar way.
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:We don't just do it
because we have to do it.
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:We know that when we
give, He speaks to us.
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:He guides us.
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:He aligns us.
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:He transforms us as we do that.
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:So I'm going to share a couple
of testimonies with you.
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:But the first I want to
share with you is a video.
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:And it's a testimony from
someone at the Plymouth location.
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:Her name is Brenna.
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:You likely, uh, some of you have met her.
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:She leads the youth, the youth
group at the Plymouth location.
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:And, uh, I want you to hear
from her and hear her testimony
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:that came out of last year.
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:Speaker 6: My name is Brenna and I attend
the Plymouth location here at Restoration.
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:And as we step into our season of
Kingdom Builders and Miracle Offering,
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:I wanted to share with you guys what
we're So this is a work that God
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:moved in my life this time last year.
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:Um, so this time last year I was deployed
and I was stepping out of my comfort
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:zone the most I ever have in my faith
throughout that year of deployment.
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:And I was attending a church down in Texas
and I was attending their equivalent of
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:circles and also trying to lead a ministry
within my unit and lead a Bible study,
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:which are all things that were already
Out of my comfort zone to put myself
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:really out there like that and through
this season god was Kind of showing me
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:and telling me that there was something
more that he needed and it was asking
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:of me to trust him more so I threw some
prayer and through The miracle offering
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:sunday that I was tuning into online.
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:God really worked out in me that
my giving and my tithing was
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:inconsistent and something that I
really needed to trust God with,
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:which was hard for me to do before.
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:I was 20 years old working
part time in college.
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:It felt like paycheck to paycheck,
needing everything that I had.
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:So to really trust God through
that process, um, through the
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:prayer that Sunday, God was
speaking to me a specific number.
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:And I thought it was a little outrageous
and it was really uncomfortable at first,
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:but I just decided right then and there
that I was going to start my giving
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:with a bang and just trust God with it,
knowing that it's going to his kingdom.
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:Um, so I whipped out my phone and I
put 3, 000 into the miracle offering
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:and just decided from then on that
I was going to continue to tithe.
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:Um, through that, I realized with the
amount that I added to tithes that
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:week to kind of backtrack the last
few months and that 3, 000, it had
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:been exactly 10 percent of what I had.
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:And that's when I realized that my
fluctuating that 10 percent mattered to
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:God and it mattered to my faith and my
trust in him So I decided from then on
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:that that 10 percent really is important
to God and it really is important to our
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:trust in God and since then God has been
Moving in my life working in my life
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:giving me opportunities to speak The
gospel and to share about my faith and my
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:trust and to utilize that for his kingdom.
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:So if any of you guys are In that position
where you're worried about it, or you're
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:not really sure how God is going to use
you I just encourage you to just start
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:giving now and and prayerfully Talk to
God through it and let him work that in
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:you and he will use you as a testimony
In your family and in your friends and
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:in your life To grow his kingdom and
and he really cares about your trust in
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:him in that so I encourage you to give
and I May God bless you through that
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:Speaker 5: It's it easy.
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:Yeah, we put our hands
together for Brenna.
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:Brenna.
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:We're proud of you.
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:And,
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:uh, thank you for, uh,
being a part of our church.
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:I think that's one of the beautiful
things of church online that if you're
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:deployed or, or things like that, like
Brenna was still able to participate and
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:be a part of the church through it all.
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:And church online was a
kingdom builders project.
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:One of our very first
kingdom builders project.
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:In 2018 to get that started and to launch
that Brenna, you, um, if you've never
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:met her in person, you may remember
back from a number of months ago when
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:we shared a story, uh, from our trip
in Tanzania that Brenna went on and she
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:had had a vision and prayer previously
and then found herself standing in the
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:exact same spot that she had dreamed of.
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:And shared her faith with, uh, a bunch of
children that had gathered around to, uh,
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:to stare at the white people and a bunch
of them gave their life to Jesus and came
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:to church with us that night and were able
to begin their journey following Jesus.
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:That was Brenna.
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:And, uh, she, obviously God's done
a lot in her life, you know, the
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:previous, prior to the miracle
offering, but, but then since then.
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:As she communicated with you, and
I, I, I want to make sure, right,
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:because sometimes if you don't know
me, you don't know our church, you
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:could feel, I don't know, I don't
know, this makes me uncomfortable,
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:money makes me uncomfortable, but to
hear testimonies from people who are
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:in our church, I, I, I want you to
hear that because I want you to know
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:that what we're sharing, um, is true.
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:And also for you to know what
we're sharing we practice.
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:My wife and I both grew up in this church
and both tithe as teenagers and tithe
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:as adults and give to kingdom builders.
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:So if you've got your bibles open up to
second kings chapter 14 and we're going
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:to read through This scripture together
this portion of the scripture together.
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:This is a true story that's been
recorded And it's miraculous.
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:It's amazing.
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:It's uh hard for us to to believe
that it happened Um, but there's
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:something to learn here from there's
something to understand about god.
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:God is the same He doesn't change.
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:He's the same yesterday today and
forever and so his ability to do
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:miracles in The Bible is proven true.
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:He's able to do those miracles now.
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:His ability to provide for this widow
who's in deep financial trouble,
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:it tells us and shows us, hey, if
he did it then, he can do it now.
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:And there are testimonies in the room
of people that God has done great things
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:for, that He's helped them in a great way.
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:So 2 Kings chapter 4, and I'm going
to start reading at verse number 1.
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:You can Use your Bible app to follow
along or Google it You'll also have it
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:here on the screen But I've got to tell
you this before we move forward if you
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:don't have a Bible We want to give you
one for free And so if you leave the
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:service today go to the new here Welcome
the welcome area and we'll give you a
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:Bible make sure you write your name in
it because we give away a lot Of Bibles
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:that look exactly the same and write
your name in it But we want you to have
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:a copy of God's Word So, verse number one
says, One day, the widow of a member of
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:the group of prophets came to Elisha and
cried out, My husband who served you is
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:dead, and you know how he feared the Lord.
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:But now a creditor has come, threatening
to take my two sons as slaves.
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:Just pause right there, and can you
place yourself in that situation?
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:I mean, this is, um, this is several
thousand years ago that this has happened,
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:but here's a lady, her husband was a
man of God, followed God, and now she's
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:being harassed by creditors, and their
payment that they're gonna say, it's
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:not like we're gonna, um, we're gonna,
uh, take money out of your bank account,
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:or we're gonna seize your property,
no, we're gonna seize your children,
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:and they're gonna become our slaves.
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:It's deep pressure,
deep problem, deep pain.
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:Don't miss that as you're reading that.
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:Understand that what she's
experiencing is horrible.
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:It's horrifying.
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:It's scary.
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:It's hard.
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:So Elisha says in verse number
two, what can I do to help you?
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:He's not sure.
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:He's thinking.
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:He's processing.
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:What can I do to help you?
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:He says, tell me, what
do you have in the house?
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:What do you have at home?
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:This lady who's, I mean she has
nothing, she says, I have nothing
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:at all except a flask of olive oil.
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:And Elisha said, and I'm sure he
was thinking about it, I'm sure
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:it clicked for him, he said,
here's what you're going to do.
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:Borrow as many empty jars as you can
from your friends and your neighbors,
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:then go into your house with your
sons and shut the door behind you.
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:Pour olive oil from your flask
into the jars, setting each
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:one aside when it is filled.
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:So, she did as she was told.
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:Her sons kept bringing jars to her,
and she filled one after another.
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:Soon, every container
was filled to the brim.
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:Bring me another jar, she
said to one of her sons.
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:There aren't any more, he told her.
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:And then the olive oil stopped flowing.
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:She went to go find Elijah, and when she
told the man of God what had happened,
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:he said to her, Now sell the olive oil
and pay your debt, and you and your
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:sons can live on what is left over.
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:It was a financial miracle.
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:It was a miracle.
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:I mean, obviously it was a
supernatural, uh, creative miracle.
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:And by creative miracle, we say God
creates something that does not exist.
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:It's a creative miracle.
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:He created something.
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:It was also a financial miracle.
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:It's a provision.
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:Where, when they were pressed against the
wall and it seemed like there was nothing
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:could happen, God was able to do something
they couldn't even have imagined.
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:We don't know this lady's need,
but she's in, this lady's name,
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:but she's in deep financial need.
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:She's grieving of the loss of her
husband, fearful that she'd lose her sons,
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:fearful she's gonna be without anything.
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:And I think for some of us, we may
have got to the place where, like,
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:what is the point of serving God?
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:I don't know.
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:What is the point of following God?
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:My husband feared the Lord.
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:My husband trained with the prophet.
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:My husband did everything
God told him to do.
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:Now he's dead.
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:Now his legacy is we lost everything.
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:Why would we even follow God?
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:If you are in a place of desperation,
stuck in a place of desperation,
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:stuck in a place of loss.
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:Stuck in a pace place of pain There's
something to learn from this lady
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:She didn't leave the lord
when problems came no she
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:continued to pursue the lord and
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:I Have this in my notes, but
it kind of is like a word.
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:It's kind of like a rap or a spoken word
So i'm just going to share it with you
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:Don't be separate when you're desperate.
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:Cling to the king through everything.
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:When it is getting tough,
don't say, God, where are you?
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:What a waste!
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:How could you?
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:I thought you No, when things get back
and they will for every single one of us
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:difficult things Happen to every single
one of us whether we've made a decision
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:to follow the Lord or not whether we
tithe or we haven't Things will happen.
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:There'll be difficult things
that happen, but don't be
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:separate when you're desperate.
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:Oh, it's so bad It's so bad God.
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:How could you and then say well,
I'm not gonna follow you anymore
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:No cling to him.
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:She said prophet, you know my husband.
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:He feared the Lord.
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:We are in bad in a bad place
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:She was saying it but but I if
I understand anything if I've
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:learned anything if I've seen
anything God can do a miracle
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:I want to talk to you from this passage
of Scripture, some things to learn.
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:Some, some principles
to apply from our life.
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:Just things to live by.
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:Things to understand.
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:Things that, uh, that we
want to understand about God
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:that, that seem to be true.
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:Not every, I, there's not really
another miracle of, of pouring oil.
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:It didn't happen in the New Testament.
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:We don't hear too many
testimonies like that.
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:But the principle behind it.
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:What is, what is it that God does?
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:How is it that God
functions that we can learn?
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:Here's the first thing.
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:God wants to use what you have right now.
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:Elisha asked, What do you, uh,
what do you have in your house?
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:What's there?
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:She said, I've got some, I've
got a flask of olive oil.
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:And, the, the thing for us, God.
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:God is not expecting you to do anything
with what you don't already have.
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:The, the, the miracle offering.
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:You know, there, there'll be some
that God will speak maybe this year,
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:maybe in the years ahead to give half
a million, a million to give even
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:more than that to kingdom builders.
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:But he's not asking me
that, at least not yet.
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:Because he can ask for it and I
can liquidate everything I have.
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:We're not going to get
to a million dollars yet.
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:So he's not going to ask me for
something that I don't have, but he
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:often is going to use what I have.
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:He's going to ask for
something I already have.
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:And so when we say, God, what
do you want to do through me?
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:God, what do you want me to give?
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:What do you want me to do with
the things that you've given me?
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:What are you asking of me?
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:He's going to look around.
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:He's like, well, what's in,
hey, there's some olive oil.
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:Hey, there's some knitting needles.
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:Hey, there's some money.
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:He, he, he looks at what we have
and he wants us to use what we have.
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:And a thing about this is that God,
when he asks, when he invites us to
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:experience impossible things, he, he
asks us to do that through possible ways.
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:And he doesn't ask us, hey, if you want
to experience impossible things, You
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:better learn how to fly an aircraft.
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:Because the only way that you'll
be able to experience me is if
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:you've got a pilot's license
and you're up at 35, 000 feet.
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:And you're like, well,
we're all eliminated.
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:There's like two people in
the church who can do that.
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:The rest of us, we're out of luck.
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:He doesn't ask us to do impossible
things in impossible ways.
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:He's, what do you have?
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:Alright, well, if you will place
before me what you have, I can do
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:impossible things through that.
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:I remember many, many years ago, um,
one of my, one of my friends at the
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:church, or maybe he's not my friend
anymore, well, I'll have to ask him.
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:Um, but he said to me this, he was really
excited, he, he had a, he had a, he had
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:a job, but he had applied for a new job
that was like, uh, more than double his
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:current pay, and so he was wound up, he
was, he was, he was well paid at the time,
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:and he's like, man, if I get this job,
oh man, and he, I remember him saying,
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:he, and it was a bunch of us around,
he said, if I get this job, I'll be the
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:largest tither in the church, and he was
so excited, And I asked him this question.
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:I wasn't trying to be rude, but
I said, oh, do you tithe now?
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:And it was silence.
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:And he was thinking about what I
could do if I had what I did not
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:have instead of thinking about what
can God do with what I have now.
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:God's not concerned with us giving
five million dollars away a year.
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:He's concerned with us being
obedient to what he tells us to do.
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:God's not concerned.
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:If you, God spoke to you and he said,
give five dollars, he's concerned with
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:you being obedient to that five dollars.
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:He's not comparing you to what
anybody else gives in the room, what
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:anybody else gives in the church, what
anybody else gives in another church.
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:He's saying, will you do, uh,
what I've asked you to do?
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:Will you be obedient with what you have?
395
:Because if you'll let me use what you have
I can do impossible things through that.
396
:For each of us.
397
:It's the journey we're on.
398
:It's not a comparison
journey with anybody else.
399
:It is me and Jesus, you and Jesus.
400
:What do you want?
401
:And then being obedient to him.
402
:God is not limited at all
by what you have right now.
403
:He is not limited at all
by what you have now.
404
:Here's the second.
405
:principle here.
406
:God stretches us through his instructions.
407
:He asks us to do something and it's
possible, it is possible for us to do
408
:it, but it is not necessarily comfortable
for us to do it or even easy for us
409
:to do it because it can really be
humbling sometimes to be obedient to
410
:what God's doing or because it's Because
we can't figure out how A leads to Z.
411
:God, I need a miracle.
412
:What you're asking me
to do, this is stupid.
413
:No, it's not.
414
:God, I don't think this is
gonna work out this way.
415
:And she was told by Elisha, pour your
little jar into many larger empty jars.
416
:I'm pouring this out.
417
:Sure, it's possible.
418
:But it's through that instruction
of saying, I'm going to waste my
419
:time pouring this out into all that.
420
:Pouring this out into all of these.
421
:And it's so simple.
422
:It's so stupid that some would say,
that's not going to make a difference.
423
:Why is God just giving me busy work?
424
:And they'll walk away from doing
the easiest thing possible.
425
:In her mind, it's like, well,
that will take me about a minute
426
:and a half to pour that out.
427
:But, some people wouldn't even
take the minute and a half.
428
:To see what would happen.
429
:God, some of you, God, what
do you want to do through me?
430
:Well, that doesn't make any sense.
431
:Uh, well, well, it won't
take a minute and a half.
432
:If it was 5, 50, 5,
000, 50, 000, 500, 000.
433
:I just, I'm not sure that it was
actually God that wanted me to do that.
434
:And they wouldn't pour out
the little bit that they have.
435
:There's a couple, uh,
instances in Scripture.
436
:Well, there's a lot of instances
in Scripture, but two that you may
437
:be familiar of or you've heard of
before, or are easy to explain.
438
:There's a group of 5,
000 men needed to be fed.
439
:Jesus said to his disciples,
Hey, take that little boy's
440
:lunch and feed everybody with it.
441
:And they looked at each other, and
kind of looked back at Jesus, and they
442
:said, You just want to clarify Jesus?
443
:What do you want us to do for you?
444
:Take that little boy's lunch
and feed everybody with it.
445
:And the, the instruction stretched them,
not because it was difficult, but because
446
:it didn't make any freaking sense.
447
:I do not get this.
448
:Lord God, I do not understand
how this instruction is
449
:going to lead to the miracle.
450
:I need to the result.
451
:I mean, I don't get it.
452
:And because we don't
get it, we don't do it.
453
:But the people in scripture who saw
the miracles did what they did not get
454
:and they got what they did not have.
455
:5, 000 people ate that day.
456
:There are 12 baskets of food left over.
457
:Because God can take the little that we
have and do impossible things with it.
458
:God is, uh, and God wants us to obey
Him even when we can't understand.
459
:In the Old Testament, there's a story of
a man that had leprosy, and he went, uh,
460
:he went to say, Hey, I need a healing.
461
:I don't, you know, I'm
coming from a faraway land.
462
:We worship other gods, but
I heard your god can heal.
463
:I need a healing.
464
:And the prophet told him, Oh, a healing,
healing, healing, here's what you can do.
465
:Go dip yourself in that river seven times.
466
:Do that.
467
:You'll get the healing.
468
:And Naaman, Naaman experienced
what you probably experienced.
469
:Like, what a waste of time.
470
:Who told me to go see that idiot?
471
:Stupid.
472
:Stupid.
473
:Bathe in a river seven times?
474
:Stupid.
475
:And he's freaking out.
476
:He's, he's angry.
477
:Why would God, why would it be so stupid?
478
:And then one of his servants was like,
hey, I don't try to be rude here,
479
:but he just said dip seven times.
480
:We're passing, it's not even out of
our way, we're passing right by it.
481
:Why don't you just dip seven times and
then that, that way you at least know
482
:how much of an idiot that guy was.
483
:And then, and then we'll go back and,
Yeah, I dipped seven times, only thing I
484
:got was leeches, and you can share that.
485
:And so, Neiman's like, you're right,
you're right, it's easy enough to do it,
486
:I think it's stupid, it's ridiculous, but
I'll dip seven times, one, two, when I dip
487
:you dip, three, four, five, seven times,
comes up, and he's like, I'm healed.
488
:Imagine if he didn't obey.
489
:Imagine.
490
:Imagine if.
491
:He didn't obey.
492
:Here's something I teach my children.
493
:They're still learning it, but
I'll teach it to you as well.
494
:When I ask my kids to do
something, they're like, why?
495
:Why do I have to do that?
496
:Why should I do that?
497
:Why do you want me to do that?
498
:And I respond with, you can
ask me why after you obey.
499
:Do what I've asked you to do first,
and then you can ask me why after.
500
:God, or, and, and, and
I think the same thing.
501
:God, why do you want me to tithe?
502
:God?
503
:God, why do you want me to share my faith?
504
:God, why do you want me to to worship you?
505
:God, why do you want me to go to church?
506
:Ask why after you obey?
507
:'cause sometimes just the obedience
you understand and it makes sense.
508
:Dad, why did you want me to not
play in the middle of the road?
509
:They're learning.
510
:Um, Principle number
three, God multiplies.
511
:Verse number six, Soon
every jar was filled.
512
:A little bit of oil.
513
:Stupid instructions.
514
:But she does it.
515
:And God multiplies what she put
in, to then it filled every jar.
516
:Obviously there was a huge miracle there.
517
:But every jar was filled.
518
:You should, I didn't put this in my
notes, you should write this down,
519
:you should write this down, write
this down, write this down, write
520
:this down, or type it in your notes.
521
:We move, you have the opportunity
to move from feeling stupid
522
:for doing it, to feeling stupid
that you almost didn't do it.
523
:That's the blessing for you.
524
:This is stupid.
525
:I'm not gonna do this and then
you do it and then you feel stupid
526
:like what if I didn't do it?
527
:What would I have missed out on?
528
:Sometimes it's like I feel so stupid to
go to that person and ask him to pray
529
:for them And then you're like, hey,
I just felt like led to pray for you.
530
:Can I pray for you?
531
:Then they start crying and you
walk away like I'm so stupid.
532
:I can't believe I almost didn't
pray for them and This is a great
533
:blessing We feel stupid when God asks
us to do something like, Okay, let's
534
:feed this lunch to 5, 000 people.
535
:Okay, let's dip in the river seven times.
536
:Okay, let's, let's, um, let's
give him a miracle offering.
537
:Okay, let's come forward and let someone
put their hands on me and pray for me.
538
:And we feel stupid and awkward.
539
:Listen, that's the enemy trying
to keep you from obedience.
540
:God's instructions for
us are gonna feel stupid.
541
:They're so easy for us.
542
:But yet it forces our pride to be
taken out of the way Because god
543
:wants humble people following him.
544
:God wants to bless humble people
god Desires a humble heart For us
545
:in the miracle offering how You
know, we each give our part And
546
:somehow it turns into this huge
astronomical number That every year we
547
:celebrate, and we can't even believe.
548
:Here's the fourth thing.
549
:God blesses according to our obedience.
550
:This is a principle of the kingdom of
God that not everybody understands.
551
:We get jealous of other people.
552
:Oh, they get more.
553
:Oh, they're better looking.
554
:Oh, they get nicer clothes.
555
:Oh, they get to talk
on stage all the time.
556
:Oh, they get to go to Pastor Nate's house.
557
:And we're just jealous about everything.
558
:They got healed, mine
are not getting healed.
559
:And when we're spending all
this time like trying to compare
560
:ourselves with other people and to
recognize, first, you're not God.
561
:You don't get to determine
what God does and doesn't do.
562
:I don't get to determine that either.
563
:He makes the decisions.
564
:He acts according to His
wisdom and His purposes.
565
:I Not mine.
566
:So he does what he wants.
567
:But also to understand, that sometimes,
people have had more years of obedience.
568
:They've taken bigger steps of obedience.
569
:And because of that, they've
experienced greater blessings from God.
570
:Because those who obey the
most, get blessed the most.
571
:This, this lady, only the containers
she and her sons collected were filled.
572
:What would happen if they had
scoured the land a little bit
573
:further and they found ten more jars?
574
:Ten more jars would have been filled.
575
:What happened if during the, the, the,
the feeding of the 5, 000, another
576
:5, 000 people would have showed up?
577
:5, 000 extra people would have been fed.
578
:It's in our obedience that God blesses.
579
:So, those four things.
580
:God wants to use what you have right now.
581
:Don't feel bad about what you have.
582
:Retirement, fixed income.
583
:Low paying job.
584
:Don't you feel bad about what you have.
585
:God can use what you have.
586
:Principle number two, God stretches
us through His instructions.
587
:He's not going to tell you to do something
that's logical and makes sense every time.
588
:Something that's really easy.
589
:He's going to ask you to do things
that don't quite make sense.
590
:So He can know if you're
really going to follow Him.
591
:Principle number three, God multiplies.
592
:He takes the little that we have and
he does something far beyond possible.
593
:Far beyond what we could
imagine is possible.
594
:And principle number four, God
blesses according to our obedience.
595
:It is being obedient to God that leads
us to the abundant, John 10, 10, the
596
:abundant overflowing life that, that God
has for us is by being obedient to Him.
597
:Why am I not blessed in my relationships?
598
:Well, are you following God's
word in your relationship?
599
:Why, why am I not blessed in my marriage?
600
:Well, are you following
God's Word in your marriage?
601
:Why am I not blessed in my workplace?
602
:Well, are you following
God's Word in your workplace?
603
:Why am I not blessed in my finances?
604
:Well, are you following
God's Word in your finances?
605
:Why am I not blessed in my health?
606
:Well, are you following
God's Word in your health?
607
:So, usually it's not a God
problem, it's us problem.
608
:It's a following problem.
609
:We know exactly what to do.
610
:We just don't do it.
611
:It's that same old stupid
question, how do I lose weight?
612
:Eat less, move more.
613
:And we're like, I need a different way.
614
:What can you tell me about Ozepic?
615
:I need a different, eat less, move more.
616
:I, there's gotta be a different way.
617
:And I'm not mocking anything.
618
:Just, The simplest instructions that
sometimes we don't want to follow.
619
:I want to share with you another testimony
from a guy in our church named Bobby.
620
:And, uh, this is from him.
621
:And I want to share this with you.
622
:Bobby writes, I grew up in church
and attended Christian schools where
623
:tithing was always talked about.
624
:But it wasn't until I attended
Restoration Church that I began to
625
:understand the gift and joy of giving.
626
:To me, tithing always seemed
like a chore rather than
627
:something to get excited about.
628
:Similar to going, similar to going to the
gym, you know you're supposed to do it,
629
:but it's hard and much easier to avoid.
630
:When Pastor Nate returned from Africa
in:
631
:thank you, about the work being
done there with Kingdom Builders.
632
:He talked about, uh, giving away
a pair of his shoes to Kasim,
633
:who called him Baba or Dad.
634
:It was such a powerful message that
brought tears to my eyes and inspired
635
:me to think about the ways I could
make an impact, not just locally,
636
:but throughout God's Kingdom.
637
:Watching the Gagne family and all the
ways they're impacting our church and
638
:community both locally and overseas
has shown me just how much someone
639
:can give when they intentionally
and wholeheartedly pursue it.
640
:Being intentional and focused is
the best way to attack anything
641
:and giving is no different.
642
:Figuring out your 10 percent tithe
and an overall plan for giving
643
:forces you to budget and plan.
644
:Most importantly, it requires
you to audit your spending and
645
:look at what you prioritize.
646
:Have you ever added up how much you
spend at Dunkin Donuts each year?
647
:Let's be honest, the coffee and
donuts aren't even that good.
648
:2023 was the first year our family
budgeted and planned our giving
649
:with specific goals and intentions.
650
:We ended up giving more than twice
the amount we gave the year before.
651
:This year, for 2024, we made
it a goal to give even more.
652
:And we exceeded all of our giving
in:
653
:All along the way, God has blessed
us in ways we could never imagine.
654
:You can't outgive God.
655
:He closes with this.
656
:In Acts 20, 35, Jesus says, It is
more blessed to give than to receive.
657
:The impact of Kingdom Builders
is eternal, and there is no
658
:greater joy than participating.
659
:Guys, put your hands together for Bobby.
660
:Thank you, Bobby, for sharing
your testimony with the church.
661
:Yeah, we didn't, I'm
getting myself in trouble.
662
:We didn't pay people to, to
give these testimonies here.
663
:Um, no, these are people who want
to share about what God has done.
664
:I would like you to grab your,
every location, you need to grab
665
:your miracle offering envelopes.
666
:And in a moment, we're going to
give, I want to invite, uh, location
667
:pastors to come up at your location.
668
:And, let me ask you, let me
answer a question for you.
669
:You may be asking, why would
others want to do this?
670
:Why would others want to do this?
671
:You're going to see
people excited to give.
672
:Move to give.
673
:You, you, you, you stay
around our church long enough.
674
:You're going to hear other testimonies.
675
:You're going to hear people
praying to give more.
676
:God, I want to do more.
677
:God, I've got this future goal.
678
:God, I want to do more.
679
:Here's what I'm doing now.
680
:But God, I pray I'd have
the ability to do more.
681
:That is so counter culture.
682
:And probably for some, not ever how
you've experienced giving in church.
683
:It's like, you were
trying to figure out ways.
684
:Is it like the government?
685
:Can I do some things to
be able to give less?
686
:People praying that way.
687
:They give because God has
done so much in their life.
688
:And they want it to be shared.
689
:God has done so much in our lives.
690
:That we want to do
things across the world.
691
:We want to do things in New Hampshire
to make a difference and to And
692
:to show Jesus around If you can't
give today Don't feel like a slug.
693
:Don't feel Embarrassed.
694
:I just want you to pray that you'll
have the ability to give next year
695
:God give me the ability to give next
year Miracle Offering is a day when
696
:everybody walks up front, alright?
697
:We, we, what we love is
100 percent participation.
698
:If you're able to move and you're
not able to move, you can pass
699
:your gift up with someone else.
700
:We love for 100 percent participation.
701
:And some of you already have given online.
702
:I want you to still move forward and come.
703
:You can write on your
envelope, give online.
704
:You can just bring an envelope
with you, symbolic of the
705
:gift you gave this morning.
706
:If you aren't prepared
to give, write on that.
707
:I'd be ill.
708
:Pastor, pray for me that, uh, that
things financially will change and
709
:that we'll be able to, to be people
who aren't needing miracles but who can
710
:participate in miracles moving forward.
711
:And then, um, if you, you know, if
you're not prepared, you forgot, you,
712
:you can come forward, you can give next
week, you can give online after service,
713
:there's other ways to participate.
714
:Everybody, at every location,
will you stand to your feet?
715
:Let me, over location, here's what
you're going to do, if you can all give
716
:me your eyes so it's not confusing.
717
:You're going to all walk
straight across to that aisle,
718
:and then come down that aisle.
719
:That'll, otherwise it'll be a traffic jam,
like when Chick fil A opened, alright?
720
:It'll be a complete disaster, but we'll
be stuck here for the next three days.
721
:Other locations, do what makes
sense, but, is um, the music's going
722
:to start in a moment, so, let me
pray, and then we can begin to give.
723
:Jesus, we pray.
724
:These gifts in our hands are
like a small jar of olive oil.
725
:It is like a boy's lunch.
726
:It is, in our hands, it does not
look like it's going to be enough
727
:to make a difference in the world.
728
:But we know, Lord God, what you do.
729
:You multiply.
730
:And what is going to happen today?
731
:God, every dollar given today is going
to be, uh, transformed into souls.
732
:People are going to come to know Jesus,
our Lord and Savior, through this giving.
733
:Some that we'll see, some that we'll
meet in heaven, but we're going to look
734
:at what we gave today and look at the
amount of lives that changed for eternity.
735
:And we're going to think
that was a bargain.
736
:God, you've multiplied this offering
into thousands and thousands and
737
:thousands and thousands, if not millions
of lives coming into the kingdom of
738
:God through this offering here today.
739
:And we thank you for that.
740
:And we praise you for that.
741
:In Jesus name, Amen.
