In him we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
Colossians 1:14 (CSB)
2.Reflector – He helps me see the heart of God.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
Colossians 1:15 (CSB)
3.Creator – He designed me for a specific purpose.
…the firstborn over all creation.
Colossians 1:15 (CSB)
For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him.
Colossians 1:16 (CSB)
4.Sustainer – He holds me together.
He is before all things, and by him all things hold together.
Colossians 1:17 (CSB)
We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, 4 for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love you have for all the saints 5 because of the hope reserved for you in heaven.
Colossians 1:3-5 (CSB)
2. I Should Be Grateful for the Growth of the Gospel
You have already heard about this hope in the word of truth, the gospel 6 that has come to you. It is bearing fruit and growing all over the world, just as it has among you since the day you heard it and came to truly appreciate God’s grace.
Colossians 1:5-6 (CSB)
3. I Should be grateful for Godly leadership
You learned this from Epaphras, our dearly loved fellow servant. He is a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, and he has told us about your love in the Spirit.
Colossians 1:7-8 (CSB)
For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
Colossians 1:9 (CSB)
Eight Aspirations of Spiritual Knowledge
1) Live a Worthy Life
…so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God…
Colossians 1:10 (CSB)
2) Please the Lord
…so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God…
Colossians 1:10 (CSB)
3) Bear Fruit
…so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God…
Colossians 1:10 (CSB)
4) Grow in Knowledge
…so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God…
Colossians 1:10 (CSB)
5) Surge in Strength
…being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully.
Colossians 1:11 (CSB)
6) Develop Endurance
…being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully.
Colossians 1:11 (CSB)
7) Increase in Patience
…being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully.
Colossians 1:11 (CSB)
8) Give Thanks
…being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you[a] to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light.
Colossians 1:11-12 (CSB)
Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole household. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.
Acts 18:8 (CSB)
2. WHAT IS THE MEANING OF BAPTISM?
For you were buried with Christ when you were baptized. And with him you were raised to new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead.
Colossians 2:12 (NLT)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
2 Corinthians 5:17 (NIV)
3. WHEN SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED
Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord, along with his whole household. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized.
Acts 18:8 (CSB)
4. WHERE SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED?
Those who believed what Peter said were baptized and added to the church that day—about 3,000 in all.
Acts 2:41 (NLT)
5. HOW SHOULD I BE BAPTIZED?
After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water…
Matthew 3:16 (NLT)
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Proverbs 3:9-10 (ESV)
One tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy.
Leviticus 27:30 (NLT)
2. Allows God to Bless Me
Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Proverbs 3:5-10 (ESV)
Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:24-25 (NLT)
3. Protects Me from Becoming Selfish
The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller.
Proverbs 11:24 (Mess)
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
1 Timothy 6:10 (NLT)
4. Makes Me Trust God
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.
Proverbs 3:5-10 (ESV)
5. Teaches Me Discipline
We should make plans—counting on God to direct us.
Proverbs 16: 9 (LB)
The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty.
Proverbs 21:5 (NKJV)
6. Brings Me Joy
A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)
In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord. And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
Genesis 4:3-5 (NIV)
It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.
Hebrews 11:4 (NLT)
2 Heart Check Questions…
1. Am I giving when God wants me to give?
2. Am I giving what God wants me to give?
A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.
Leviticus 27:30 (NIV)
For if the first fruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
Romans 11:16 (NKJV)
Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned.
1 Corinthians 16:1-2 (NIV)
Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
Genesis 4:6-7 (NIV)
Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.
Genesis 4:8-12 (NIV)
Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.
Proverbs 3:9-10 (NIV)
“Listen, Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts…”
Deuteronomy 6:4-6 (CSB)
2. Teach Momma Teach
“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:6-9 (CSB)
3. Focus Momma Focus
Fear the Lord your God, worship him, and take your oaths in his name.14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you…
Deuteronomy 6:13-14 (CSB)
4. Answer Momma Answer
When your son asks you in the future, ‘What is the meaning of the decrees, statutes, and ordinances that the Lord our God has commanded you?’ tell him, ‘We were slaves of Pharaoh in Egypt, but the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand. Before our eyes the Lord inflicted great and devastating signs and wonders on Egypt, on Pharaoh, and on all his household, but he brought us from there in order to lead us in and give us the land that he swore to our fathers. The Lord commanded us to follow all these statutes and to fear the Lord our God for our prosperity always and for our preservation, as it is today. Righteousness will be ours if we are careful to follow every one of these commands before the Lord our God, as he has commanded us.’
Deuteronomy 6:20-25 (CSB)
Edge Church Mission Statement: People helping people, find and follow Christ.
1. What are the core values of Edge Church?
a) Life Transformation
And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:47 (NIV)
b) Levels of Excellence
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men… Colossians 3:23 (NIV)
c) Loyalty
Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
Hebrews 13:17 (NLT)
And I told them of the hand of my God which had been upon me for good, and also of the words which the king had spoken to me. And they said, “Let us rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
Nehemiah 2:18 (RSV)
2. How can I “rise up” and to fulfill the vision of Edge Church?
a) What is a tithe?
A tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit, is the Lord’s, and is holy. Leviticus 27:30 (TLB)
b) Why should I tithe?
Bring this tithe to the designated place of worship… Doing this will teach you always to fear the Lord your God.
Deuteronomy 14:23 (NLT)
c) How do I tithe?
On the first day of the week, each of you is to set something aside and save in keeping with how he is prospering, so that no collections will need to be made when I come.
1 Corinthians 16:2 (CSB)
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly. So that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
2 Corinthians 9:7-8 (NIV)
