Resources for the Mission

I. Everyone checks his/her own resources to see what gifts they bring.
A. We have all been gifted with resources that help us fulfill the mission.
B. The Christ in us directs us in the use of these resources.
Colossians 1:27 “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

II. Offerings all are directed to God.
A. We must begin to see that what we offer is given to the Kingdom, not to a person or organization.
B. It’s for the mission He has given to us.
C. We’re building a spiritual house for the presence of God.
D. The local facilities simply give us a base of operation and becomes a visible manifestation of the Kingdom. (That is, if we understand that we’re on a mission.)

III. The offering comes from a heart dedicated to the mission God has given to us.
A. The gift comes from a willing heart.
II Corinthians 9:6-8 “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
B. God is looking for people who really want use their resources for the mission.
Psalm 40:8 “I delight to do Your will, O my God, And Your law is within my heart.”

IV. The offering for the resources comes from the heart of God.
A. God moves upon our hearts to see the Kingdom established.
B. The finished tabernacle was to house the presence of God.
C. We are the temple that God wants to inhabit in these days.
I Corinthians 6:19 “do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
D. He would no longer just be a pillar of fire by night and a pillar of cloud by day.
E. His habitation would be among them, in their midst.

V. I’m looking for the day when we can say, “We’ve got all we need, don’t bring anymore.”
A. What ministry ever told people to stop bringing offerings.
B. If we listen to God, He knows how much is needed, and we don’t have a right to ask for more than what He asks for.
C. Everything is to be done according to the pattern that originates in heaven. (On earth as it is in heaven!)
Exodus 25:9 “Make this tabernacle and all its furnishings exactly like the pattern I will show you.”
D. Jesus’ main concern was that His children be dedicated to seeing the Kingdom of Heaven established on the earth and in their midst.
Matthew 6:9-13 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. 11Give us this day our daily bread. 12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”

VI. The results of a commitment to the mission.
A. God had made a promise. He always does. We need to take Him at His word.
Exodus 25:8 “…make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them”
Exodus 29:45-46 “Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God. They will know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of Egypt so that I might dwell among them.”
B. The cloud covered the tabernacle, a visible manifestation of the approval of Father God.
C. The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle.
1. We’ve been wondering how to have the glory in our midst.
2. The glory is God Himself.
3. The glory is where the miracles and the declarations of God come from.
4. The glory is where the anointing is.
Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD.”