INTENTIONAL – Read: Matthew 6:19-21; 24; 1 Timothy 6:6-10; 1 Timothy 6:17-19

1. Pastor Connor opened today by reminding us of the goal of this series and of our money matters as followers of Jesus. He again shared the quote from Chris Cagle: “Money is a big deal in the Bible. We’re given more instruction in the Bible about money (more than 2,000 verses) than almost anything else.” – Chris Cagle; 5 Lies Christians Tell About Money. And as a foundation for our understanding, Connor suggested we look to Jesus’ own teaching in the Sermon on the Mount, specifically the Matthew 6 passage. As you recall from last week, what is Jesus saying to them and us today about the notion of wealth, money, and who we give our allegiance to? Do you have additional thoughts since last week? Read the first 1 Timothy 6 passage…what is Paul teaching his protégé Timothy at this point? Very striking words of caution from Paul, aren’t they?

2. And so how would you sum up the goal from last week? One way to say it might be, ‘We are to serve the Life-Giving Master’, or more simply, ‘Devotion to God’, or ‘A matter of primary allegiance’, or ‘Where your heart is’. Do these make sense to you? How so?

3. But, Connor suggested that we heed an important warning…he put it this way: “Money is one of the primary battlefields in the war for your heart.” What does he mean by this? Does this ring true? How so? Upon which other ‘battlefields’ in our lives does the ‘war’ for our hearts take place? How do you combat those? What does it take? Connor put it this way: “If the goal of the ‘game’, so to speak, is to win the war for your heart, to serve the right master, to master it instead of being mastered by it, to live a life dedicated to Jesus, we are going to have to be intentional about our relationship to money, how we view it, and what we do with it.” What does he mean by this? Do you see the central point of intentionality? Paul once again in his teaching of Timothy puts it so well in the second 1 Timothy passage…again, what does Paul say this time? This is key to our notion of money and wealth in our lives, yes?

WHO SHOULD I GIVE LIKE? – Read: John 3:16

4. Connor now turned to the aspect of generosity, and how we are called to give of our wealth and ourselves for the purposes of God’s plan. And one question that often surfaces, and often remains a source of confusion, is the Old Testament requirement of ‘tithing’, with the question for us being, ‘Is that the measure or standard for us today as Jesus followers?’ The short answer from Connor is, “No, it’s not”, and the reason is that we are simply not taught that notion under the New Covenant from Jesus nor anyone else. Connor shared some perspective from scholar E. G. Link: “Old Testament tithing, simply stated, was a tax that the Jews had to pay to underwrite their theocratic nation whose King was God. There were three taxes/tithes they were required to pay – For Levites and priests, for festivals and religious ceremonies, and for the poor. The annualized tax a Jew would be required to pay might total about 25%.” He goes on: “First, it is important to know that nowhere in the New Testament is there even one verse stating that Christians are to tithe – not one verse. The word ‘tithing’ is only mentioned on three occasions in the entire New Testament, and all three are merely historical references to the practice. Could we not rightly assume that if the Old Testament tithes were intended to be applied to us today, the New Testament authors would have said so at least once in all their writing to us about giving?” This is the basis for Connor’s answer to the tithing question for us. Does this make sense? How so?

5. And our own EAC Handbook (available on the website) shares this perspective as well: “At EAC, we believe that giving to God and giving to our community is what is required to obey His Word and commands, and that by giving of ourselves through our time, our treasure, and our talents, we both Glorify God and carry out His mission on earth. We encourage all members and attendees to give of their earthly treasure as their circumstances allow.” Did you know this? Does this make sense to you? Does it ring true? How so?

6. So, if that’s the case, then how much should we give? Connor’s honest answer for us is, “I don’t know…that’s not a question I can answer for you.” He suggested that we ask a better question: “Who should I give like?” And that answer is much clearer in Scripture, beginning with John 3:16. What does it say? Thus, we give, as best we are able, like our “radically generous God” in Connor’s words. Does this make sense? How so?

YOU FOLLOWING HIM – Read: Matthew 23:23

7. As Connor closed today, he shared a quote from C. S. Lewis from Mere Christianity, that helps us see the context of our generosity and giving in light of following Jesus, who sacrificed all for us: “Charity – giving to the poor – is an essential part of Christian morality. [. . .] I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those with the same income as our own, we are probably giving away too little. If our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure excludes them.” These are powerful words from Lewis and challenge us, don’t they? What do you think?

8. We are also reminded of Jesus words to the Pharisees as He calls out their hypocrisy in terms of Kingdom living…what does He tell them in the Matthew 23 verse? Again, a matter of priorities, yes? Connor shared it this way: “Christian giving should not be motivated by legalism, but by love. I love Jesus, I believe He has been so good, so generous to me, that not being generous in return doesn’t even make sense.” Does this make sense to you? How so?

9. Connor ended the service today by sharing the good news of our investment of financial resources in our children and youth ministries, and space for our staff who can be more a part of the community on a regular basis. Connor asked us to prayerfully consider becoming a tangible part of this investment. Further information is available from the church office or the Pastors.

Prayer: Pastor Connor closed our service with a corporate prayer that we shared together. For this coming week, use this prayer as your prayer as you approach God on this subject of money and who has the last word in your life. “God, I choose you over wealth as the master of my life. While many in our culture are worshipping at the altar of money, may we be different, may we choose to follow Jesus through whose death and resurrection there is forgiveness from sin and life eternal. Forgive me for the times I have served the lessor master. Money could never do for me what you have done through Christ. May our collective posture here at EAC towards wealth increasingly reflect the values of your Kingdom. In Christ’s name we pray, amen.” And as always, pray that the Holy Spirit would give you ears to hear, eyes to see, and hearts to respond to His call to you, in order to be His hands and feet in this world, affirming and proclaiming our one and only master, all for God’s Glory! Amen.

Previewing Sermon Discussion Questions September 13, 2026 Email