Wholehearted Giving
Key Takeaways
Trust in God opens our hands to give generously.
Fear causes us to clench our fists and withhold.
God's grace alone has the power to make our hearts whole and transform our relationship with money.
Study Questions
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Reflect on the story of Barnabas versus Ananias and Sapphira. What do you think motivated each of their actions? How does our trust in God as our Father relate to our willingness to give?
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Pastor John said, "Money always follows our hearts." How have you seen this play out in your own life or in the lives of others?
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Why do you think Jesus was particularly harsh towards hypocrisy? How does pretending to be more spiritually mature than we are hinder our growth?
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Pastor John said, “Grace only works in reality.” How have you seen that to be true in your own life?
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How does focusing on Jesus’ Great Grace and his resurrection change our perspective on money and possessions?
5-Day Devotional
This Week’s Liturgy & Playlist
CALL TO WORSHIP
Leader: Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!
People: For the Lord, the Most High, is to be feared, a great king over all the earth. God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises!
Psalm 47:1-2, 5-6
Confession of Faith
From The Heidelburg Catechism
Q. What is your only comfort in life and death?
A. That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Savior Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit he also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for him.
Confession of Sin
Almighty and merciful God, we confess that we have not loved you with our whole hearts, nor have we loved our neighbors as ourselves. You call us to wholehearted devotion, but instead we fear loss, seek approval, and pretend to be what we are not. Forgive our divided hearts, our love of possessions, and our falsehood. Make us a people of sincerity and generosity, that we may walk in the light and not in deceit, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
ASSURANCE OF PARDON
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
1 Peter 2:24





Looking Ahead
Next week’s scripture: Acts 5:12-42