I can’t believe that we are only one week away from our public launch of Shaken.
We have been praying, anticipating, and working hard toward this season and I am excited to see more of what God is up to here at White Oak in and through us.
Today I wanted to take a few minutes to equip you in a very specific conversation that you may have (if you haven’t already) with others in the coming weeks in regard to Shaken.
I’m going to sort of point out the elephant in the room.
Blazing the trail with you,
Nathan Hinkle
Transcript:
Hey Trailblazers! I can’t believe that we are only one week away from our public launch of Shaken.
We have been praying, anticipating, and working hard toward this season and I am excited to see more of what God is up to here at White Oak in and through us.
Today I wanted to take a few minutes to equip you in a very specific conversation that you may have (if you haven’t already) with others in the coming weeks in regard to Shaken.
I’m going to sort of point out the elephant in the room.
No one… and I mean no one… enjoys conversations about their financial resources. We don’t like hearing about it at church especially. We’re not alone in that. When Jesus talked about the economics of our hearts and the hold that financial security has on us, his original listeners didn’t much like what he had to say, either. It’s uncomfortable. I mean, who among us hasn’t heard the phrase, “All the church wants is my money?” Right? Or, “people will hear us talk about money and be turned off.”
Well, here’s the deal. As trailblazers, we need to be equipped with the right response and the right heart to face the questions and anxieties others may feel as we talk about generosity.
One: Shaken is not about money! If people hear only the stewardship of resources aspect of Shaken, they aren’t hearing the heart of Shaken. Acts 3 and most of Acts 4 is NOT about financial generosity. It’s about asking and expecting the Holy Spirit to move boldly in us and through us. It is primarily about anticipating a powerful movement of God on his people in order to do his work! Financial generosity is an outcome of that later in the fourth chapter of Acts.
Two: Shaken is about 100% of us asking the Holy Spirit to stir us to take bold steps of trust! This is why we are doing a sermon series, life groups… it’s why we have spent time together at Trailblazer events, one on one conversations, Vision Nights, and more! It’s why our kids and students are going through Shaken. Our primary goal is discipleship. It’s learning to ask God to move in powerful ways in us and trusting him to move boldly through us.
Three: Jesus talked more about money and resources than nearly any other topic! There is a reason some of us latch onto the topic of financial generosity and we squirm a bit. Jesus knew the power things have on us. He knows what makes us wince. If we were honest, many of us would elect NOT to be discipled in financial generosity. We’d rather study servanthood, prayer, or worship. Jesus knows how to get to our hearts. He wants us to steward every aspect of our lives for his glory and the advancement of his Kingdom. That doesn’t dismiss prayer, service, or worship… but it cannot be done without the stewardship of our stuff. He wants the theology “of our first and our best for God” to reign in our hearts.
Trailblazers… we don’t need to downplay the secondary goal of Shaken which is trusting God for 6.2 million dollars over these next two years. Jesus never apologized for his teaching on stewardship, and we won’t either. I encourage you to approach this conversation with love, gentleness, and care. Have open and thoughtful conversation. Don’t try to relieve the tension people may feel… just lean into the tension and trust God to do what only he can do. That is the heart of Shaken.
Our Shaken sermon series begins this weekend on Oct. 23. Don’t miss one week of the series! Do whatever you can to be there for all five weeks. Please encourage others to do the same. I am praying for your leadership and influence in your Shaken Life Groups as well.
This is it! Buckle up! God has been working powerfully ahead of us… I can’t wait to see what he has in store for us this season.
Trailblazers, Thank you for joining with me this week and I’ll catch you again next time.