1 Kings 17:8-14 (NASB77)
8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, saying,
9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and stay there; behold, I have commanded a widow there to provide for you.”
10 So he arose and went to Zarephath, and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, “Please get me a little water in a jar, that I may drink.”
11 And as she was going to get it, he called to her and said, “Please bring me a piece of bread in your hand.”
12 But she said, ” As the Lord your God lives, I have no bread, only a handful of flour in the bowl and a little oil in the jar; and behold, I am gathering a few sticks that I may go in and prepare for me and my son, that we may eat it and die.”
13 Then Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go, do as you have said, but make me a little bread cake from it first, and bring it out to me, and afterward you may make one for yourself and for your son.
14 “For thus says the Lord God of Israel, ‘The bowl of flour shall not be exhausted, nor shall the jar of oil be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain on the face of the earth.’”

When Elijah the prophet declared that the judgment of God was going to bring a drought upon the nation he suffered the natural effects of the drought along with everyone else. This did not stop God from supernaturally providing for his servant and those who would care for him during this time of no rain. This should encourage everyone in the family of faith that God moves beyond the natural realms of economy. He is able to meet all of our needs in ways that are supernatural. He has created the principle of First Fruits for us to be able to see this happen in our lives. In this passage of scripture, we see that God saw a woman who was not an Israelite but she was someone that had a destiny in God. Elijah was glad to hear that God had “commanded a widow” to take care of him. Little did he know how bad her natural circumstances were when he arrived in her town. She was in a place that was so bad she thought she was about to cook her last meal before her and her son would die. What would you have done if you were Elijah seeing her in this state of poverty? Would you have looked for another widow? Would you have given her something instead of asking for her to “give first?” Elijah knew this woman needed supernatural help and he knew the principle of the First Fruits. When she gave to God first she opened the door for God to give her a continual supply that was she could not have accessed any other way. First Fruits is a principle everyone needs to tap into; especially those who are down to their last natural means. I encourage everyone to move beyond their natural circumstances and into a realm where God can command his supply to come into your life this year.

Malachi 3:8-17 (NASB)
“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts. “All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the Lord of hosts. “Your words have been arrogant against Me,” says the Lord. “Yet you say, ‘What have we spoken against You?’ You have said, ‘It is vain to serve God; and what profit is it that we have kept His charge, and that we have walked in mourning before the Lord of hosts? ‘So now we call the arrogant blessed; not only are the doers of wickedness built up but they also test God and escape.’ ” Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another, and the Lord gave attention and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and who esteem His name. “They will be Mine,” says the Lord of hosts, “on the day that I prepare My own possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him.”

Tithing can be an area that creates discomfort in church settings. Most people know something about the topic but few like to discuss it. To some, it means giving money to the church and having less money for their personal use. Others might say that, “I don’t need to tithe because that was part of the Law.” But let me ask you if this is really the truth or are these mind sets contrary to God’s plan to allow us to be financially free? God created the principle of the tithe over four hundred years before the Mosaic Law was given. The first person to tithe was Abraham and he gave a tenth of all in Genesis chapter twenty two. One of the most frequently quoted scriptures about tithing comes from the book of Malachi which is listed above. Many pastors only read verses eight and nine to their congregations and emphasize the part about the curse. When the passage is read in context we see the end portion giving us a better picture of God’s heart regarding why He wants us to tithe. God starts out by clearly stating that the tithe and offerings which He has required really do belong to him. If we are a child of God then He says that we are keeping His money when we refuse to tithe and give offerings. Why is it important to give? The tithe and the offering moves us into the Kingdom of God economy where we allow God to supernaturally watch over our provision and needs. He tells us that there are windows in heaven that can be opened when we give out of our finances on the earth. He wants to bless us. He wants to protect us from financial curses that devour our income and keep us filled with stress and anxiety. The biggest problem we face is our own belief that we know more about this than He does. He actually calls this arrogant thinking when we say that tithing does not work and people who disrespect God are more blessed than those who honor and obey him. He has been working with mankind a lot longer than we have been around. His method is tried and proven. I love the final part of the passage. It says that when those who feared the Lord began to talk about obeying Him, He wrote their names down. This is a wonderful scripture to meditate upon. God is asking us to take time to discuss His plan for finances with an open mind and respect for His heart towards us. He makes a promise to all who will be humble and teachable to His ways. He says that when the day of trouble comes He will protect these individuals like a father protects the son He loves. Wow! Now that is a beautiful picture! I am a father and I love my kids. I know that if trouble ever came their way and I was around I would step in and protect them from harm. God is explaining His plan to us in this same way. The world economy we are living in will have some perilous times. It can destroy individuals and families. We simply cannot trust it. We can trust God. He is a loving father that will protect and provide for His children. This is why He wants us to give our tithes and offerings. This step of faith opens the windows of heaven and allows us into a different economic experience for our lives.

I am moving away from the single topic of First Fruits to the general topic of biblical economics in today’s study. The First Fruits is one of the four key ways God has instructed us to give from his word. God wrote to us in Deuteronomy chapter twenty eight all the ways he wanted to bless his people financially. He started the chapter with the admonition that we should be careful to obey him in all the ways he has instructed. For most people who do not have an upbringing with biblical knowledge we do not know all the ways God wants us to participate in giving. When you put all the scriptures together on this topic they will fall into one of four different categories; The tithe, First Fruits, Offerings, and Alms. Most of us would think that giving any amount to any place would suffice as “giving to God.” But God is very specific on what to give. He even wrote down the key areas that we should give and what we should pray when we are obedient. Read the following scripture:

Deuteronomy 26:12-15 (NLT)
12 “Every third year you must offer a special tithe of your crops. In this year of the special tithe you must give your tithes to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows, so that they will have enough to eat in your towns.
13 Then you must declare in the presence of the Lord your God, ‘I have taken the sacred gift from my house and have given it to the Levites, foreigners, orphans, and widows, just as you commanded me. I have not violated or forgotten any of your commands.
14 I have not eaten any of it while in mourning; I have not handled it while I was ceremonially unclean; and I have not offered any of it to the dead. I have obeyed the Lord my God and have done everything you commanded me.
15 Now look down from your holy dwelling place in heaven and bless your people Israel and the land you swore to our ancestors to give us—a land flowing with milk and honey.’

God wants us to make sure the finances he has told us to set aside are actually given by taking them from our house and presenting them at his house. Then we are instructed to say to him in prayer, “I have obeyed you completely with my finances. I now ask that you allow me to possess my earthly inheritance in full.” Wow! What an incredible scripture. Next week I am going to discuss God’s heart for us in establishing his reason behind requesting we give in these different ways.We are continuing our fifty days of collecting the First Fruits offering. I hope these short teaching are equipping you to make a good decision about what you are presenting to God this year. Thank you for allowing me to speak to you from my heart.

2 Chronicles 31:5 (NASB77)
5 And as soon as the order spread, the sons of Israel provided in abundance the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of all.

Exodus 25:1-2 (KJV)
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.

Acts 10:4 (KJV)
4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

When we become a citizen of the Kingdom of God it is a free gift given to us. Jesus paid the highest price, his precious blood, for our salvation to be purchased. We can never give any amount of money that will buy our way into heaven’s gates. But once we are a citizen of God’s Kingdom we are now under jurisdiction of the King to operate by his guidelines for life. When we follow these guidelines we are recipients of the blessings connected. When we reject these guidelines we are still open to experience the curse that rests upon everyone in disobedience. What I am saying is our salvation is free, but living in freedom requires obedience to all that God has written to us. In the areas of finances and economics, God has recorded four key ways that our money should be directed first before we spend it on other things. When we are disciplined to obey the word of God and hear the Holy Spirit with our finances God will rebuke the devourer from our lives and open the windows of heaven to pour the financial blessings upon us! Do you know what the four biblical ways to give are? Are you practicing them as a regular way of living? Did you know that even unbelievers who teach about wealth tell people that they should give at least ten percent away? Even those who do not know God’s word have tapped into these principles. How much more should we be obedient to what God has commanded? Here are the four areas of giving and I have listed some scriptures regarding them above.

The Tithe: This is ten percent of our gross income

The Offering: This is a freewill financial gift to the work of God above and beyond the tithe.

First Fruits: This is an offering that is free will but given at the beginning of receiving finances in your life. It might be the first check from your first job or a percentage of an amount you believe God to bring into your life.

Alms: This is a secret amount you give to the poor, the widows or the orphans.

When we learn to practice all four of these areas of financial discipline in our lives we are on our way to trusting God as our source for success. Take some time to pray about these different ways to give and ask God to give you a plan.

2 Chronicles 31:5 (NASB77)
5 And as soon as the order spread, the sons of Israel provided in abundance the first fruits of grain, new wine, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of all.

Exodus 25:1-2 (KJV)
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, that they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with his heart ye shall take my offering.

Acts 10:4 (KJV)
4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

When we become a citizen of the Kingdom of God it is a free gift given to us. Jesus paid the highest price, his precious blood, for our salvation to be purchased. We can never give any amount of money that will buy our way into heaven’s gates. But once we are a citizen of God’s Kingdom we are now under jurisdiction of the King to operate by his guidelines for life. When we follow these guidelines we are recipients of the blessings connected. When we reject these guidelines we are still open to experience the curse that rests upon everyone in disobedience. What I am saying is our salvation is free, but living in freedom requires obedience to all that God has written to us. In the areas of finances and economics, God has recorded four key ways that our money should be directed first before we spend it on other things. When we are disciplined to obey the word of God and hear the Holy Spirit with our finances God will rebuke the devourer from our lives and open the windows of heaven to pour the financial blessings upon us! Do you know what the four biblical ways to give are? Are you practicing them as a regular way of living? Did you know that even unbelievers who teach about wealth tell people that they should give at least ten percent away? Even those who do not know God’s word have tapped into these principles. How much more should we be obedient to what God has commanded? Here are the four areas of giving and I have listed some scriptures regarding them above.

The Tithe: This is ten percent of our gross income

The Offering: This is a freewill financial gift to the work of God above and beyond the tithe.

First Fruits: This is an offering that is free will but given at the beginning of receiving finances in your life. It might be the first check from your first job or a percentage of an amount you believe God to bring into your life.

Alms: This is a secret amount you give to the poor, the widows or the orphans.

When we learn to practice all four of these areas of financial discipline in our lives we are on our way to trusting God as our source for success. Take some time to pray about these different ways to give and ask God to give you a plan.

Ezekiel 44:30 (NASB)
30 “And the first of all the first fruits of every kind and every contribution of every kind, from all your contributions, shall be for the priests; you shall also give to the priest the first of your dough to cause a blessing to rest on your house.

One of the basic questions most people ask is, “Why do I need to give my money to the Lord?” Many people look at the buildings we use and then how tight their own personal budget is and they determine that they need that money more than the Church. Have you ever had that type of reasoning enter into your mind? Today’s scripture touches on an answer to this question. There is a blessing from God upon the home of those who give to God first. God did not sayHedoesn’t want you to have the portion you worked for; He simply explains that the power of His blessing is tied to when we give to Him first, not last, or not at all. Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than to receive. This sounds good to the ear, but most of us could use a little more receiving in our bank accounts! Putting our personal situations aside, I think everyone can relate to the good feelings we have inside our hearts when we sacrifice for the well being of someone less fortunate. I would even go beyond that to the good feelings we have when we bless someone we love with an unexpected gift. So really, I think all of us can agree with what Jesus said; it is better to give than to receive! But why does God want us to give to Him first before we eat any of the produce, or in today’s world, use any of the money? When we give to Him first, we are putting our trust in Him instead of ourselves or our employers. We are declaring that our financial well being is not determined by the world markets, it is blessed by God! Secondly, when we give to Him first, He gets all that He deserves and requires. There is a strange phenomenon that occurs when we give to God last. There seems to be nothing left to give! This is why it is so scary to start giving to God. Our natural experience is that if we give to Him first, there won’t be anything left for our needs at the end. This is where God does something supernatural. He makes our money extend and expand in ways we cannot. He has our best interest at heart. He wants our kids to have clothes, go to college and even be able to see the dentist! He wants us to have a nice car instead of one that breaks down all the time. He wants us to own a home, not just pay rent to someone else. How do I know all of this? All of these promises are found in His word; except the dentist. The same word that challenges us to honor Him with the first also promises us a better or blessed life when we obey. For most of us it is difficult to grasp, but ask someone who has obeyed God for several years. Ask them if they believe God has lived up to His end of the bargain. You will see a smile and a confident yes will be your answer.

A Revival Offering
Nehemiah 10:35-37 NASB
And in order that they might bring the first fruits of our ground and the first fruits of all the fruit of every tree to the house of the Lord annually, and bring to the house of our God the first-born of our sons and of our cattle, and the first-born of our herds and our flocks as it is written in the law, for the priests who are ministering in the house of our God. We will also bring the first of our dough, our contributions, the fruit of every tree, the new wine and the oil to the priests at the chambers of the house of our God, and the tithe of our ground to the Levites, for the Levites are they who receive the tithes in all the rural towns.

The men, women and children of Skyway Church practice the biblical offering of First Fruits every year. We are receiving each person’s offering from Easter Sunday to Pentecost Sunday. I am writing to you each week to help develop your biblical understanding of this offering so you can join your faith with your offering as you bring it before the Lord. Today I am sharing this passage from Nehemiah with you. The book of Nehemiah is a “revival book.” By this I mean that the nation of Israel had fallen away from worshipping God and they were ignorant of the principles of his word. When the Temple was restored and Ezra read the word of God to all the people they began to weep because many of them had lived their entire lives without anyone teaching them the holy principles of life. When we are unaware or grow cold and indifferent to the holy principles of faith we slowly but surely will drift away from God. When the Spirit touches our hearts to obey God’s word we are in a season of revival. When everyone heard that it was God’s will for them to bring the first portion of everything to the Lord they joyfully responded in faith. I remember that this is how the Spirit of God touched me. The first time I learned that there were things in the Bible that I was not obeying, I was grieved at my ignorance and immediately I was happy to respond in faith. I am still learning more about what God wants me to do every day. When I see opportunities for obedience I want to quickly respond with actions of faith. This helps keep me personally in a place of revival. Where are you today? How easy is it for the Holy Spirit to reveal new avenues of obedience to you? First Fruits is a revival offering and I encourage you to ask God in prayer how much you should offer this season.

First Fruits begins March 23
Exodus 34:26 (NASB)
“You shall bring the very first of the first fruits of your soil into the house of the Lord your God.”

The Skyway family has practiced the biblical principle of the First Fruits offering since 2000. It was then that we learned about this key offering which is different from any other offering in the Bible. First Fruits is an opportunity for every child of God to give a financial offering of faith above and beyond their tithe. This offering is a representation of each person’s belief that God is their source of provision and He will give them abundance this year. This is the first of much more to come! In the O.T. when this feast began, people would take the first ripe crops that appeared in their fields and trees and bring them to the House of the Lord during the appointed Feasts. In this same spirit of faith we bring our offerings before God today to the local church. We trust Him to bring abundance into our finances throughout this year of 2008. This offering is a Promise Land Offering. By this I mean that the fear and unbelief that controlled our thinking in the wilderness season of life is through. We are now committed to living our lives in the power and abundance of God’s provision. We will have homes, lands, vineyards and fields that God gives to us now in our real life experience! We will have good jobs, education for our kids, homes that are debt free and more. Does this sound like the type of life you want to experience? Is this what you want your kids to experience? This offering is special; it is different in this sense. It is the individual’s expression of faith towards God to change their financial future. I encourage every person to pray about your First Fruits offering today. We will begin receiving this offering next week and continue throughout the season of the feasts. I will write more about this next week.

Every time we sit down to discuss a big event at Skyway the meeting usually has a portion of time when I try to convince the rest of the staff that we should have a giant blow up gorilla on the roof of the church. You know, like the ones that are at all the car lots and furniture stores? For some reason I find the beast in various locations throughout the Valley to be fascinating. The first time I brought up the idea everyone looked at each other to see if I had lost my mind. But really, did all these businesses around the greater Phoenix area lose their mind? Well, never the less the staff has won out and we had our days without the gorilla. Until last Sunday… When we celebrated our 25th anniversary with all of you we were told to come to church and enjoy the day; beyond that we did not know what to expect. The video greeting to open the day was awesome. Then came the prayers by the kids; did any of you see our future preachers? The presents and presentations were all tremendous. All of you really went way out to make us feel special. We took our treasure chest of cards home to open them after church and were continually blessed by a couple hundred cards. Many were hand made by our kids starting with the two year old class. Dawn and I sat and discussed the wonderful stories you shared about Jesus touching your lives through our ministry. The work of God’s Spirit over the years is amazing when you sit and read about it all at once. We put all the cards up around our house to read them over again. We also were blessed to receive many gift cards and some cash gifts, we probably won’t have to pay for going out to eat for the rest of the year! What an amazing day. When it was all said and done all of you who were with us for that memorable day will be talking about it for years to come. You were at Skyway when the Gorilla and his zoo crew came riding into the sanctuary in a hummer throwing out t-shirts. See, I was right. Nothing beats a gorilla to make an event unforgettable.

Thanks for blessing our lives like never before.

wenty five years of pastoral ministry went by more quickly than I would have imagined when Dawn and I came to Skyway with our six month old daughter Sarrah, our son Philip would be born three years later. When we arrived we did not have a 25 year plan in mind. We simply came following the call of the Holy Spirit. I was impressed by the Spirit that “They were like sheep without a shepherd.” Following that inner conviction was the first steps in a life shaping journey that has now lasted all these years. During this span I have been privileged to see God do many miracles in lives and bodies. I have traveled the world preaching the gospel and building the Church. I have been touched time and time again by the presence of God through someone else and I still live in awe of God’s grace and mercy for me, a man in need of a Savior. By looking back and learning I pray that the life lessons will help me be a better leader for the years to come. Here are a few things I have learned that have shaped me as a person and fellow citizen of the Kingdom of God. The first priority is family. I never wanted my children to grow up with the stigma of being a PK. AKA the Preacher’s Kid! Dawn and I have always tried to live the gospel at home and to provide an environment for our children to love Jesus and pursue him rather than resent the Church for robbing them of their childhood. We never wanted them to behave in a way to impress others. We simply wanted them to really know God. It is our greatest joy that our adult children now walk in truth. The second priority is family; my congregational family. I have learned how precious and fragile the life of a congregation really is. During these years of leading I have seen many congregations, pastors and members alike suffer from within. The apostle John had one message, little children love one another. The local church should be the safest place for finding forgiveness, comfort and restoration. When we lose this sense of security and feel we must wear Christian masks to appease others around us we cut ourselves off from the true purpose of being a part of the local church. It is in our transparency with each other that we find the grace of God through healing prayers and acceptance. No matter how important a person may seem to have become, we are all only one bad decision away from needing forgiveness, grace and mercy. I pray that our congregation will always have this atmosphere of unconditional love so we can continue to grow in Christ together as we all face the trials of life around us. Finally, the third priority is family; the family of God universal. When are we ever going to be too big as a church? Every day someone is leaving this earth without knowing the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ as their Lord. Who can stand idly by and say they were not our responsibility to reach? God sent His Son to create a way for a huge family gathering in heaven. It is my greatest desire to continually raise up individuals who bring more people into the kingdom and leaders who will accomplish greater acts of faith than me. If God allows, I pray that in the next twenty five years I would live to see our fruitfulness multiplied one hundred fold. If Dawn and I could prayerfully continue to see these three priorities manifest in our future years we would be eternally grateful to Jesus. We know that all of you are a part of Skyway because you have made a choice. We want to honor that choice with our conduct, prayers and service. Thank you for being a special part of our lives all these years.

-Pastor Greg