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?
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:Because if you'll let me use what you have
I can do impossible things through that.
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:For each of us.
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:It's the journey we're on.
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:It's not a comparison
journey with anybody else.
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:It is me and Jesus, you and Jesus.
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:What do you want?
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:And then being obedient to him.
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:God is not limited at all
by what you have right now.
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:He is not limited at all
by what you have now.
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: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.