September 15, 2019
Throughout September, Bethany Lutheran Church is basing our adult Sunday School and Sunday messages on the Consecrated Stewards program. Our giving is a joyful response to the superabundant grace from our Savior and the presence of the Holy Spirit. The church is meant to provide a place for the giver to give and to have those gifts be applied to work in God's Kingdom. If we happen to help our church's budget with the gifts that are pledged for the next year, that is a nice benefit, but it is not the primary goal of our giving. Consecration Sunday is meant to be a celebration of how God is moving and working at Bethany Lutheran and in our lives.
In week two of our "Kingdom Talks", we look at “Kingdom Glory” based on 1 Timothy 1:12-17. God has acted in Paul’s life, so as he writes to his former travel partner, he expresses with joy how God has given him strength and has given so much grace that it has overflowed into his life. That leads to an expression of praise, similar to when David expressed his joy at the offerings people gave to build the first Temple in Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 29:11). Our giving is also in response to the great strength and overflowing grace God gives to us!
