Week 5 || Restart Smart || How To Make The Most Of Everything You Own
Date: 10.14.18
Text: Proverbs 11:24-25, 10; 14:31

Conversation Starters help us dig deeper, connecting Sunday’s sermons with our everyday lives. These prompts have been designed to help Community Groups grow in their relationship with God, with one another, and with their neighbors.

Money is a touchy subject. Hearts start beating faster and defenses go up whenever it’s mentioned. But the Proverbs take a different approach, addressing money almost more than any other theme. Could it be that we’ve got it wrong? Is there wisdom in taking a closer look at how we relate to money?

What makes talking about money and generosity so difficult?

Think about the last time you were the recipient of incredible generosity. What emotions did you experience in that moment?

READ PROVERBS 11:24-25. What is it about generous giving that brings joy to life? And what is it about stingy withholding that makes life less enjoyable?

At Christ Community, we often say that the “generous life is the best life.” What do you think? Can you name moments when you’ve found this idea to ring true in your own life? What about moments when you’ve found it challenging to embrace?

Money is powerful. It shapes us as we use it, and it has been used by many for both great good and great evil. How have you experienced money’s power in your own life - either for good or for ill?

PRAY. Spend time giving thanks to God for his provision in your life. Seek God's wisdom in discerning areas in your life where you can grow in generosity.

Title: How to Make the Most of Everything You Own
Scripture: Proverbs 11:24-25; 14:31
Speaker: Gabe Coyle, GabeC@ChristCommunityKC.org

"Why is it that American Christians give away so relatively little of their money? Contemporary American Christians are among the wealthiest of their faith in the world today and probably the most affluent single group of Christians in two thousand years of church history. They have a lot of money...Most American Christians also profess to want to see the gospel preached in the world, the hungry fed, the church strengthened, and the poor raised to enjoy lives of dignity and hope—all tasks that normally require money. And yet, despite all of this, American Christians give away relatively little money to religious and other purposes. A sizeable number of Christians give no money, literally nothing. Most of the rest of American Christians give little sums of money. Only a small percent of American Christians give money generously, in proportion to what their churches call them to give. All of the evidence...points to the same conclusion: when it comes to sharing their money, most contemporary American Christians are remarkably ungenerous." - Christian Smith, Passing the Plate

>> Money is power,

GENEROSITY IS PARADOXICAL. Those who give, receive back in turn. By spending ourselves for others’ well-being, we enhance our own standing. In letting go of some of what we own, we better secure our own lives. By giving ourselves away, we ourselves move toward flourishing. This is not only a philosophical or religious teaching; it is a sociological fact.
- Christian Smith, The Paradox of Generosity: Giving We Receive, Grasping We Lose