FIRST, WE GIVE OF OURSELVES Giving in Grace

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1 FIRST, WE GIVE OF OURSELVES A Bible Study exploring grace-full living and grateful giving By Rev. Kurt R. Nordby

2 BIBLE STUDY: The Gift of God s Grace Read Romans 3:21-24 In this passage from Romans, the Apostle Paul lays out the cornerstone of God s great love for us. That cornerstone is Christ and God s rich, abundant, and free gift of grace in Jesus Christ. As Paul tells us, each of us are sinful and in need of this life giving grace. Through faith, we receive the greatest gift we could ever receive, God s grace. It is this grace, in and through Christ, which brings each of us forgiveness and life. Grace lies at the foundation of God s relationship with us and informs how we are to live as God s people each day. Stewardship is our faithful, joyful, and thankful response as we delight in this rich gift of God s grace. 1. What do these verses from Romans tell us about God s grace in Christ? 2. How does the gift of God s grace in Christ impact our understanding of who we are as person? 3. How do you respond to this gift of God s grace? 4. One way to understand our Christian stewardship can be summed up in this statement: Stewardship is how we live each day in the midst of God s rich grace in Christ. As we live each day in God s grace, how does that inform our relationship with the people and the world around us? Share some examples of what difference this kind of lifestyle would make. 5. How does this passage from Romans inform your understanding of stewardship? 6. Beyond the obvious such as family, friends, and church, what are some examples of God s grace that you have seen or experienced this past week? Dig deep! 7. What are some ways you have given in grace this past week?

3 BIBLE STUDY: We Give of Ourselves Read 2 Corinthians 8:1-7 In this passage of Scripture, The Apostle Paul writes of what we might call the first world hunger offering. In the passage from 2 Corinthians 8, Paul commends to the church at Corinth, the Macedonian Christians who, despite their own trials, shared a grace filled offering for God s people in Jerusalem. As Paul speaks of this gift from the Macedonians, he uses descriptive terms such as the grace of God, abundant joy, and wealth of generosity, and others. But the most interesting description of the Macedonian giving is the phrase found in verse 5 of this text. Paul says this about the Macedonians offering: and this, not merely as we expected; they gave themselves first to the Lord 2 Cor. 8:5 Giving of oneself is set out by Paul as the spiritual understanding of our grace filled giving. Our giving is more than what is in our pocket book at any given moment. Giving in grace is a life filled response to God s grace in Christ. It is the joy and delight in the giving of oneself in response to God s rich and abundant gift of grace. This is the measure of grace filled stewardship. 1. What do you think Paul means when he says about the Macedonians; they gave themselves first to the Lord.? 2. What characteristics might be present in this attitude of giving? 3. How would this attitude that Paul describes affect your understanding of giving and your faith practice of giving? 4. If we understand stewardship as how we walk each day in the midst of God s grace, how might giving oneself be lived out in this context? Does this apply only to the sharing of gifts or does it impact other facets of life such as relationships with others? 5. How does the concept of giving oneself impact your understanding of stewardship? 6. How does the concept of giving oneself impact your understanding of stewardship? 7. Beyond the obvious, such as family, friends, and church, what are some examples of God s grace have you seen or experienced this past week? 8. What are some ways you have given yourself in grace this past week?

4 BIBLE STUDY: Read Luke 10:25-37 In the parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus provides a compelling example of giving in grace. The story relates the experience of a man on a journey who was beaten, robbed, and left beside the road. We are told that three people came upon this man and his suffering, a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan. The priest and Levite passed the man by while the Samaritan came to his aid and did all that he could to care for the man including making provisions for recuperative care. From this experience, Jesus asks the question, Which of these three do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers? The answer given was, The one who showed him mercy. To this Jesus tell us, Go and do likewise. 1. How is this story of the Good Samaritan an example of giving in grace? 2. What are some characteristics of this giving? 3. What do you think was the motivation of the Samaritan as he helped the traveler? 4. How does the Samaritan s actions reflect an understanding of stewardship as how we live each day in the midst of God s rich grace in Christ.? How do the Samaritan s actions reflect giving in grace? 5. Beyond the obvious, such as family, friends, and church, what are some ways you have experienced God s grace and mercy this week? Dig deep! 6. In what ways have you given in grace and have been a grace-full neighbor this week?

5 BIBLE STUDY: Giving of Grace Read Luke 15:11-32 The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a story of grace and the joy of sharing the gift of grace. Luke shares this story first to illustrate the completeness of God s grace in Christ. It is a gift that is not limited in any way by the bounds or barriers that we are so inclined to erect in life. Secondly, the grace given by the father to the prodigal and his brother, has the same characteristic of grace we receive from God in Christ. It is a grace that fully encompasses us as individuals and celebrates our being a child of God no matter the circumstances. Such is the abundant and rich grace of God. Thirdly, this is the grace in which God s people live each day. It is a grace that is life giving and full of surprises. This is the great gift of God in which we live our lives. Christian stewardship can be defined as how we, as people of God, walk in the midst of this abundant grace each day. In other words, the question for us is, How do we share the joy of this gift in our own giving of grace by what we do and say in life?. The answer to this is how we live a grace-full life of stewardship. 1. How is the Parable of the prodigal Son an example of giving of grace? List some of the actions and behaviors in the story that lie behind this giving. 2. What gift of grace did the brothers receive? The father? Dig deeper for the father. What do you think motivated his giving in grace? 3. The writer of I John tells us: We love because God first loved us. I John 4:19 God s love in Christ is the foundational principle and motivational factor in a life of stewardship that is grace-filled and grace-given. How does God s gift of life transforming grace in Christ inform and motivate you in your giving? 4. How does a grace-filled sense of stewardship transform our giving from something we should do to something we do in joy and celebration? What do you see as characteristics of a grace-filled lifestyle of stewardship? How would this transform your own sense of life and giving of grace? 5. Beyond the obvious such as family, friends, and church, what are some ways you have experienced the gift of God s grace this week? Dig deep! 6. What are some ways you were involved in the giving of grace this past week?