When Giving Feels Irrational | Phil Kniesel

This week Pastor Phil continues our two-week series Rearranged with a message on generosity shaped by Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6. He talks about how money can easily become a competing master in our lives, why generosity is not about the amount we have but about what we do with what we have, and how giving frees our hearts from the grip of scarcity and fear.

Pastor Phil also teaches that real generosity is shaped by three things Jesus lays out: it isn’t about being seen, it isn’t a one-time act, and it is always noticed and rewarded by God. He challenges us to adopt a posture of open-handed, consistent generosity—trusting God to provide, investing in what lasts, and living in a way that reflects the hope and kingdom values Jesus calls us to.

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Transcript

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- Hey, this is Phil Kal, lead pastor at Hope City Church. Thanks for tuning into our podcast. My prayer is that this helps and encourages you, gives you some practical ways to live out your faith and ultimately fills you with hope. Enjoy the message.- Today marks the first Sunday of Advent and the theme for today is hope. The hope found in Jesus an advent is four weeks of waiting, preparing and celebrating the arrival of Jesus. And alongside of this, it is also meant to reflect on Jesus's eventual return. Today is also your friendly reminder that we are under four weeks out from Christmas. You're welcome, . Now I don't like clutter. Anyone else with me? No, we we get an applause. There we go. You definitely don't like clutter. See what my house, my car, or my office is disorganized. It feels like my whole life is off balance, but when things are in order, I feel unstoppable. And why is that? Because chaos crushes potential order releases it. And that principle applies to our faith. When we follow Jesus chaotically, it crushes our spiritual potential. But when we order our lives around his ways, clarity and peace follow. And that's why last week we started a two week series entitled, rearranged. We're talking about arranging our lives according to what Jesus said we should value. And if you missed Pastor Ken's message last week, I just wanna encourage you to check it out. Jesus told us how to align our lives. He said it this way, but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. The thing that matters most is seeking his kingdom, essentially choosing to know and follow Jesus. And maybe you're with us, you at one of our campuses, you're online, you're in the house and you haven't made the decision to follow Jesus. I want you to know, I'm really glad you're here. I also want you to know that God loves you. And the gospel says that anyone can come to Jesus just as they are. But the beauty is Jesus never leaves us as we are. God gave Jesus to die on a cross for your sins in order to make you right with him. He offers you the gift of life and life eternally when you believe Jesus is who he says he is. And that God raised him from the dead. See, Jesus is coming back one day or before that you will face the life after this life and friend, you wanna be sure that you will be with him. So that's step one in the alignment Jesus gives, seek him first. But then he calls us throughout his teachings to a pattern of living. And he challenges the world's notion of what matters most. I'm pretty sure if I asked you what matters, most many of you would say, well, relationships matter. And yet our day planner might say something different. The pressures of our career and weekly demands keep us from cultivating deep relationships, whether it's with God or others. It's like we spend a lot of time building into things that don't last I bet we would also say generosity matters. Yet if I were to look at your bank statement, the pressures of life, bills debt and more keep us from cultivating, giving. We spend a lot of time building into things that don't last. Imagine living differently. Jesus said it this way, do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where moths and vermin do not destroy. And where thieves do not break in and steal for where your treasure is there, your heart will also be. And in in these words here, Jesus is talking about the thing most of us don't like talking about. He's talking about money. And in his teachings he addressed money and wealth a lot. And in this context he's saying, if money has a big hold on your life, your heart is gonna be captivated by it. Now we know this, talking about money is awkward. Why? Because it's private. Most of us don't like being told what to do with our money unless maybe it's our financial advisor. And even then some of some of us don't listen. Why? Because money is ours. We've earned it. We've worked hard for it, so we should decide what we do with it. But since Jesus talked a lot about it, and since we wanna follow the ways of Jesus, I need to address it. You know, money has this weird potential to grip our heart more than anything else can. It's why Jesus said, no one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one or love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Notice he doesn't say you shouldn't serve two masters. He says you can't. And it's interesting how Jesus calls money a master. He's saying if you love money, you cannot fully love God. You can't have two things competing for your attention. One will always win the tug of war of your heart. And this series is about putting God at the top of your life over all things, including your money. Now friends, listen, okay, God doesn't need your money. And generosity is never about what God wants from you. It's about what God wants for you. Back in 2019, there was a guy in Calgary, his name was Trin, and he won Alberta's largest lottery prize ever. It was $65 million. Imagine that. Like what would you do with 65 mil? When reporters asked him, what do you plan to do with this money? This is what he said, I've got no plans. And I'm like, dude, you've got no plans. Like I can think of a few things. We got a $15 million expansion going on right here, no plans. I think most of us would instantly think, okay, I'm gonna pay off debt, I'm gonna take a trip, I'm gonna buy a new house, I'm gonna buy a car. I'm gonna upgrade my wardrobe. I'm gonna set up my kids. Oh, and I will also for sure give some of that money. See, that's the tension. We assume generosity makes sense. If we had 65 million, of course then I would give. But Jesus challenges that notion because generosity is not about how much you have, but how much you do with what you have. The other week I was mindlessly scrolling through social media. Not a great thing to do, I tell you. And between cat videos and fake AI clips of people wrestling bears, I came across a story. There was a man in Canada who he helped a woman in crisis. He gave her a thousand dollars for her restaurant business. He bought her a car. And through a crowdfunding effort, he also gave her $50,000. And it changed her life as you can imagine, and watching her receive this generosity and watching her response. So it actually moved me. I I teared up. And that's the thing about generosity. It always moves us. A chord is struck inside when we witness it. It's like this is the best of humanity on display. And we would all say, this is what everyone needs to be about and this is really important and this will change others. And this is something that the world needs and this is something that's gonna make all our lives better. And this is something you should do. One day I will. But right now, well Lord, you know my visa statement, we get moved emotionally by generosity, but we fail to act on it. But hear this again, generosity is not about how much you have but how much you do with what you have. We all say, Hey, if I had more, I'd be generous. Listen, I kind of believe if we can't be generous with little, we won't be generous with much. So how do we become generous people? What does real generosity look like in our lives? I want you to listen to something else Jesus said. And Matthew records this in his New Testament book. Matthew is the first writer, uh, of the book, the first book in the New Testament. And Matthew was a tax collector who chose to follow Jesus. So he personally would've understand the tension of allowing money to be more important than it should be. And so this is what he quotes Jesus saying in Jesus's sermon on the Mount Matthew chapter six, be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving may be in secret. Then your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. Three things stand out here, three things that shape real generosity. And the first one is this, generosity is quiet action. See, Jesus begins hiss teaching here in Matthew six with a warning. He says, be careful. Mean pay attention because the temptation is gonna be to do good things for the wrong reasons, to look spiritual instead of being spiritual. And when Jesus talks about these acts of righteousness, these are just the things we as Christians do, things that help us grow in our faith. He goes on in the chapter to define three specific things that mature our faith. Three specific acts of righteousness. So he talks about giving, praying and fasting. He's saying all three of these are part of the Christian life. All three need to be incorporated to help us fully live the way Jesus intended. And Jesus is saying, don't just do these things. But when you do these things, your motive matters. And in context, he was saying this because of the way the religious leaders and Pharisees were acting elsewhere. He said, for I tell you, unless your righteousness, so your acts of righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven. It wasn't that their actions were wrong, it was their intentions, their motives. They only did their acts to be noticed. And Jesus is saying, be careful when you find yourself thinking your reputation matters more than your relief. See, generosity is not about others seeing you. It's about what you do with what you have. It's a quiet action. Proverbs wisdom book in the Old Testament says, do not withhold good from those for whom it is due when it is in your power to act. And generosity only works when we can see beyond ourselves. And listen, it's not something we need to shout to everyone. It's not something that we need to make known kinda like it's look at me, look at what I'm doing. It's why Jesus said here, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. And I get it, that seems a little bit weird to say.'cause of course hands don't have minds of their own. And you can't really hide something in one hand without the other hand, knowing Jesus is using hyperbole. He's saying when it comes to your acts of generosity, create such a tight circle of privacy so that you eliminate the possibility of building your image in the eyes of others. Modesty, not ostentation is the hallmark of a follower of Christ. So don't be showy when you give. The first thing that shapes real generosity is generosity is quiet action. Secondly, generosity is a habit. And I wanna go back to this passage and I want you to listen for three words when I read here three words when you give, this is what Jesus says. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets. As the hypocrites drew in the synagogues and on the streets to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your father or so that your giving may be in secret. Did you notice two times Jesus uses the words when you give, implying that giving isn't a suggestion, it's an assumption. Giving is not a one-off, but a regular occurrence, not an if, but a when. It's a posture, meaning I live this way, it's a habit now we all have things we repeatedly do. Some are good, some aren't that good. Taking regular showers, really good bingeing on Netflix, not so good. And Jesus is indicating that generosity should be a habit for us. And I believe this can only become habit if we live with a stewardship mentality and a stewardship mentality believes everything we have has been entrusted to us, not entitled to us. And Jesus once told a story to enforce this idea. He talked about how a man went on a journey and entrusted his wealth to three individuals each at different levels, but each expected to do something with what was entrusted to them. And you can read about this in Matthew chapter 25. And by the way, Jesus makes it clear that people will have different levels of wealth entrusted to them. So it's not about wishing you had what someone else has, it's about you being faithful with what is currently in your hands. It's also implying that money is given to us as a test, as Jesus indicates in the story, those who can handle it well will be entrusted with more. Those who can't may lose what they have. Jesus expects faithfulness with our money, not comparison, not hoarding friends, you are a steward of what God has given you. And the sooner you understand that the freer you become. So it's not like, okay, I'm gonna tip God when I feel like it. We steward what is his? The Fraser Institute tells us that in 2024 the national percentage of Canadians donating to charities was at an all time low at 17.1%, one of the lowest times in our nation, Alberta ranked in sixth place in the nation at 16.4%. The most recent data also claims that nearly half of Canadians still identify as Christians. So generosity is obviously a hard thing for people to grasp. Like the giving data reflects this. And listen, I get it. The cost of living is increasing. I get that it's getting harder and harder to get by. But amidst all this, how do we as Christians continue to say, I'm gonna steward what I have for God's glory and not just for mine. I will make generosity a habit in my life. You know, I think it really comes down to two things. First, do we trust God that what he says is true, that he will supply all that we need. Not just some things, but all things that if we seek him first, everything else will fall into place. So do we trust God? And secondly, can we lose the scarcity mindset? My prayer is that you would wanna grow beyond where so many people live. This scarcity mindset, it's not about what you don't have. Instead my prayer is that you are able to live with a thriving mindset and say, what can I do with what I already have? And Paul underscored this when he was writing to the Corinthian church who were great Christians and he said these words, but since you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you. So he's saying you guys are killing it and following Jesus. And then he adds this. See that you also excel in this grace of giving excel meaning to be in excess, to be more than enough to exceed in measure, to make it habitual. It's all about raising the bar. And Jesus did this with almost everything when it came to seeking him and his kingdom. He took what was taught in the Old Testament and he raised the bar. It wasn't just do not murder, it was even if you're angry with your brother or sister, you'll be subject to judgment. He raised the bar. It wasn't just do not commit adultery. It was if you look at someone lustfully, you've already committed adultery in your heart. He raised the bar, he did the same with generosity. Giving in the Old Testament was defined by a 10% measure. And Jesus said, freely, you have been given, freely give. And by the way, these days I've heard that 10% measure challenged many times saying, you know that's not, we're what we're supposed to be about. That's not what we're supposed to do. The New Testament abolish, the Old Testament teaching on that. And truthfully, I'm just gonna be honest with you, church, most of the time people who challenge this aren't generous people. I've never heard someone who's generous have an issue with this. And according to Jesus, that's the floor generosity in the New Testament is extravagant, not minimal. He raises the bar. The 10% measure what's like baseline. He's saying take everything you know and then take it up a notch. Christians bring an upgrade. See, many people give, but not everyone lives generously. Everyone can do a one-off. But a habit of generosity becomes a posture, an intentional choice to trust God that his ways are higher than yours. And it's a mindset that says, I'm going to give outta what I have currently in my hands and ask anyone, anyone who embodies a habit of generosity, and I promise you, they're gonna tell you how much of a blessing and impact it has been for them. See, what it really comes down to is your heart. Generosity is always a heart issue. It's why Proverbs tells us, above all else, guard your heart for everything we do flows from there. And Jesus knew this. He knew that giving transforms our heart and releases this hold that money can have on us. It's why he said it is more blessed to give than to receive. See, if you practice generosity habitually, you're gonna be happier. And it begins with not waiting for something that you believe you need or even want. It begins with what you have. Because generosity doesn't just bless others, it frees you. It breaks money's grip on your heart and it fills your life with joy. And I can tell you I've experienced this in my own life and I've seen it in others as well. And I also wanna let you know that I'm not just speaking this, but our church practices this. This past year alone, we gave $20,000 to Youth Rise for renovations. Youth Rise is a organization that reaches out to youth in our city. We gave one of our global workers $25,000 to purchase a new vehicle to a Bible college in Tanzania. We gave 28,000 to kids on track in town. We gave 8,000 to a missions agency in the Middle East. We gave 25,000. We bought Shiloh Youth Ranch, a new washer and dryer. We bought backpacks for school kids down in Guatemala. We supported smaller churches in Canada. We leaned into the Shepherd's Care Foundation. We helped living Bible explorers get more Bibles out across our nation. We gave toward medical assistance in Ghana. We came alongside a Christian camp in the province. We did things for church planners in Canada. We supported relief efforts in Columbia, Honduras, Jamaica, Myanmar, Burundi. And even just this past week we gave to flooding in Thailand. And that is on top of the almost $700,000 every year that we commit to helping local and global workers around the world. And I want you to listen. We're doing this amidst a $15 million expansion happening at our Millwood campus. Why? Because it's not about us. It's not about us saying, okay, we're gonna focus on all of us and make sure that we pay it all off here before we can do anything else. Let's take care of this and then we'll be generous.'cause here's what I believe. I believe a church with a posture of generosity will be a generously refreshed church. And I believe a Christ follower with a posture of generosity will be a generously refreshed Christ follower. So if it's in your power to help, help, if it's a stretch to give, stretch yourself. This was an optional in Jesus's mind. If you wanna grow in your faith, giving is an act of righteousness. And I just keep thinking, man, what massive potential exists for a church of our size if we continue to adopt this posture? I know at times it might be irrational, but I believe this is the kind of generosity that Jesus blesses and uses because it's all about reaching people for Jesus. It's about stewarding rightly what God has given us. It's about stepping up when the need is in front of us and saying, I'm gonna do my part. So generosity is quiet action. Generosity is a habit. And the third thing that shapes real generosity is generosity is seen by God. I wanna go back to our Matthew six passage. Listen to this again. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving may be in secret. Then your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. God sees, God notices, God rewards. And I wanna make it clear we aren't people who follow God for what we can get out of it. Like we only give because we get a tax break and a write off. We don't give to get. But we can't go to the other extreme and think of God as not caring about what we do. Our heavenly Father notices and he responds like parents, if you see your child doing something kind for someone else without even asking you it, it makes you pretty proud and it makes you want to go up to them and reward them for it. And God feels the same way about us when we do things that he wants us to do, he spiritually rewards us. And this principle is all over scripture. Check this out, I'll give you some scriptures. Luke writes, give and it will be given to you a good measure pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap for with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Proverbs says, one person gives freely yet gains even more. Another withholds unduly becomes the poverty. A generous person will prosper. Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs also says, whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord and he will reward them for what they have done. Paul writes to the Corinthians, remember this, A farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop, but the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must decide in your heart how much to give and don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. Now, those aren't my words, those are Gods friends. There is a reward when we are generous with our resources. And please, please hear me. I'm not saying if you give, you're gonna get rich. I do however know that God blesses when we are generous with what he has given us. And if you were to do a deeper dive into scripture, you would find out that the Bible tells us. All kinds of rewards are related to generosity. And this is what it says about generous people. It says, you will be enriched, you will be refreshed, you will be repaid, you'll abound in everything you do. You will find grace. You will have a clear conscience. You will grow in faith. You'll diminish the desire for always wanting more. You will be blessed. You'll experience grace in a deeper way. You'll loosen the grip that money has on your heart. You'll feel freer, you'll be more satisfied. You'll experience joy, you'll embrace peace. You'll walk in confidence. You'll understand humility, and you will know God greater. And I could go on and on, but friend know this, your father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. You can't slip one past him. God sees God notices God rewards. I read this quote this past week, said this, life is strange. You arrive with nothing. Spend your whole life chasing everything and still leave with nothing. Make sure your soul gains more than your hands. Hope city. Imagine the impact. If every one of us lived life like this, imagine if we became known not just as a large church in Canada, but as a church with lots of generous people. What if our generosity became so irrational that others couldn't explain it except by saying, Hey man, they must really believe what Jesus said. So let real generosity shape you. Generosity is quiet action. Generosity is a habit. And generosity is seen by God following Jesus. Chaotically crushes our spiritual potential. And so many of us do this when it comes to our money. It seems like, man, I can never get ahead. I'm always struggling. There's always complications when we arrange or rearrange our priorities around Jesus' ways. Clarity and peace, follow and friends, this includes how we handle our money. And so my challenge to you is this, be generous and give freely. Allow generosity to shape your heart, your habits and your legacy. And remember, your father sees, and he's the one who settles the books because it's not about what you have, it's about what you do with what you have. I'm gonna ask you to stand if you are able to please. I'm gonna close praying over. And for you today, Jesus, I thank you for your word. I thank you for the fact that you address so many harder topics in our lives. And so today I just pray over my friends, over our church, over all of us. I pray that we are men and women who embrace this posture, this habit of generosity. I pray that we will not allow money to have this tight hold on our life. That that it, it keeps us essentially stuck in bondage God. But may we, may we take steps of faith and trust you. Trust you, that when we are generous, you will honor that. And so I pray for generosity to outflow out of this church, out of our lives on a regular basis. I pray that you help us to understand that we are stewards of what you've entrusted to us. And we wanna make you proud God. We wanna be faithful in that. And so we take the steps to honor you in that. And Lord, as those steps are taken, I pray for your blessing. I pray for those rewards. I pray for you to come alongside and just speak, move, and work in their lives. Thank you that we can trust you for that. Thank you that your word promises that Thank you that you are good in every season. And God, I, I'm very aware that there are people here today that are just financially struggling. And so I pray even today that you, the provider, the one who comes alongside the one who can open doors and make things happen, will do that in their life. But I pray they too may see how they can incorporate this kinda lifestyle into who they are as they follow you. And so God, give us, give us the ability, give us the want and give us the faith to be generous people. You know, maybe you're joining us, one of our campuses online in the house. And you don't know Jesus personally. I said it earlier, I said, you know, one of the best decisions of your life is to follow Jesus. And Jesus said the hierarchy is put him first and then seek his ways. And maybe you're just saying, I gotta start with putting him first. And so if that's you here today, I wanna pray a prayer that helps you put into words just the beginning of your journey with Jesus. And I'm asking you to pray along with me. So let's pray. Jesus today I see my need for you. I thank you for going to the cross, for dying, for my sins, for rising and offering me life and hope both now and forever. And so today I put my faith in you. I put my trust in you. I believe that you are who you said you are. And I thank you that you forgive my sin, that you give me a clear start and a new beginning. And Jesus, I just pray that today you help me to understand what it means to make you Lord and leader of my life. And I follow you from this day forward. And Lord, I also wanna pray for every individual, for every couple, and for every family. I ask that as they go into this week, they may be surrounded by your presence, by your grace, by your strength. I pray Holy Spirit, that you give them just your guidance and your peace and your comfort. I pray whatever they face, they may know they have a God who's for them. They can depend upon you. And may they walk with you in and through every circumstance. And I ask that these individuals, these men and women are marked by generosity in all they do. And I pray this in the powerful, wonderful and incredible name of Jesus. Amen. If you prayed that prayer today of surrendering your life to Jesus, I wanna say way to go. Really proud of you for doing that. Um, if you could, if you could just tap the uh, little circle thing on the seat back in front of you, we'd love to get a digital booklet inside of your hands, talks a little bit more about knowing and following Jesus. And it's our way of trying to connect with you as a church. If you're joining in the house, we're gonna have a prayer team available down here at the front left after the service if you want prayer over anything they would really love to pray over. And for you, hope City know this. I'm praying for you guys. Love you guys lots and just am asking God to make himself fresh and real in your life this week as you leave this place. And one more thing is you leave this place. Go and be generous. Thanks for joining us in church today. God bless you guys.