PUTTING

GODFIRST

PUTTING GOD FIRST

PUTTING GOD FIRST

• We have to be careful not to let thembecome more important or more of apriority than our relationship with GOD.

• The first of the Ten Commandmentsstates we will have no other godsbefore Him. 3 “You shall have no othergods before Me.” Exodus 20:3

PUTTING GOD FIRST

PUTTING GOD FIRST

• Deuteronomy 5:8-9 (NLT) says, “You must not make for yourself anidol of any kind, or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods.”

How many of the things that occupy our time, money, thoughts

and attention have taken the place where God is supposed to be?

PUTTING GOD FIRST

PUTTING GOD FIRST

DISTRACTIONS FROM TRUTH

• Anything can become a god to us —anything we worship or put an excessive amount of time into.

• Even your feelings can become a god ifyou allow them to control you.

• “Am I bowing down to God and HisWord or to my feelings?”

PUTTING GOD FIRST

ANOTHER CHALLENGE

• Living in a world full of humanism and people not wanting God and His Truthto interfere with their lives and routines.

• It seems we have an epidemic of selfishness in our world today, and this creates all kinds of unhealthy situations.

• When people refuse to honor God andfollow His wisdom in their decisions.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

ANOTHER CHALLENGE

• Worry, resentment and bitterness, sickness & disease reside in their bodies

• In our culture, this behavior causes adecline in our moral standards and attitudes.

• But the good news is we don’t have tosettle for this way of living. In Christ, we can enjoy our lives—abundantly!

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS ABUNDANT LIFE?

It’s a LIFE.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS ABUNDANT LIFE?

• Abundant life for a person begins with- a new birth- a new relationship with God- new motivations- and a new relationship with mankind.

The process of Christian maturity for that person continues with learning to live abundantly, being cleansed from sin, and learning to fight spiritual battles.

WHAT IS ABUNDANT LIFE?

• Christian salvation and maturity is notreliant on the self-efforts of rituals, devotion, meditation, good works, asceticism, and self-control over desires,but by believing in the redemption from sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

ROMANS 3:24 (NIV)

And are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus

PUTTING GOD FIRST

1 CORINTHIANS 15:3-4 (NIV)

3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS ABUNDANT LIFE?

• Through faith in divine agency, theworking of the Holy Spirit, God transforms a person's desires to be more in conformity with God's will (Eph2:8–10, Rom. 12:1–2).[16]Abundant life teaches prosperity and health for the total human being, including the body, mind, emotions, relationships, material needs, and eternal life.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS ABUNDANT LIFE?

• Other elements are faith, prayer, evangelism, and concern for human worth in the areas of spiritual oppression, poverty, disease, hunger, injustice, and ignorance.

• In order for these teachings to have animpact on a person's fullness of life, it is essential for that person to align their goals with God's goals.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS ABUNDANT LIFE?

• Abundant life teachings may include expectations of physical and material prosperity and good health and well-being, but may also include otherforms of fullness of life, ‘kabuuan ngbuhay’ including eternal life, when persecuted or in suffering.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS ABUNDANT LIFE?

• For a Christian, fullness of life is not measured in terms of "fun" and "living large," or in terms of wealth, prestige, position, and power, but measured by fulfilled lives of responsibility and self-restraint, and the rewards andblessings that accrue over a lifetime of pleasing God.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS ABUNDANT LIFE?

• Abundant life according to the Bibleitself has promises of wealth, health, and well-being.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS ABUNDANT LIFE?

• Conditional promises. According to James 1:17, God gives only good and perfect gifts, so God only gives gifts and blessings that are compatible with that person's abilities and God's goals for that person.

• The source of abundant life is identifiedas the Spirit of God .

PUTTING GOD FIRST

GALATIANS 5:22-23,

"the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance".

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS ABUNDANT LIFE?

• Fulfilling this purpose and experiencing abundant life go together, as describedby Matthew 6:33,

"But seek you first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

PUTTING GOD FIRST

JOHN 10:10 (GW):

“A thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. But I came so that my sheep will have life and so that they will have everything they need.”

PUTTING GOD FIRST

The key to having God's 'abundant life' is keeping Him

in His rightful place in our priorities and putting God First.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS ABUNDANT LIFE?

• The Kingdom of God is a presentreality. It’s what we’re to be doing on the earth right now.

• The power of God is the present resource.

• It’s the energy you get to do what God wants you to do once you’re surrendered and submitted to His will.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS ABUNDANT LIFE?

• God’s glory is the reason.

• It’s not the reality or the resource. It is the present reason for everything.

• It’s all for God’s glory.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

ROMANS 11:36 (NLT)

“Everything comes from Him and exists by His power and is intended for His glory”.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS ABUNDANT LIFE?

• “I have so much, and yet I feel unfulfilled.

• I’ve got a good family. I’ve got a good job.I’ve got great kids. I’ve got good friends. Why am I so unfulfilled?”

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS ABUNDANT LIFE?

• It’s because you were made for more than this!

• You were made for more than survival. You will never find fulfilment in life until you begin to live in God’s Kingdom, by God’s power, and for God’s glory.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

How do you live a fulfilled life —the kind of life that you were

designed by God to live?

PUTTING GOD FIRST

1 THESSALONIANS 2:12 (GW)

“You should live in a way that proves you belong to the God who calls you into His kingdom and glory”.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE IN GOD’S KINGDOM?

• It means you make God’s agenda your agenda.

• You make God’s will your will.

• You care about what God cares about.

• Whatever you want God to bless, put him first in that area.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

“YES LORD”

PUTTING GOD FIRST

What does it mean to put God first in your life?

PUTTING GOD FIRST

FIRSTyou need to put God first in…

PUTTING GOD FIRST

FINANCES

• If you want God to bless your finances, even during a recession,you must tithe.

• There’s no other alternative.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

What do you need to changeso that God is first in your finances?

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS TITHING?

• TITHING IS RETURNING(not giving) THE FIRST

10% OF OUR INCOME TO GOD’S CHURCH.

• Tithe means 10%.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

LEVITICUS 27:30

A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS TITHING?

• Returning (frequent; habitual) —Technically you are not giving.

• You can’t give what isn’t yours.

• It belongs to God.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS TITHING?

TITHING IS GIVING GOD

MY FIRST AND BEST SO HE CAN BLESS THE REST.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS TITHING?

FIRST • Most important. • Having a higher rank, significance,

or authority than others in the same category

REST • freedom from mental or emotional anxiety)

PUTTING GOD FIRST

PROVERBS 3:9-10

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; 10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS TITHING?

• WEALTH, the state ofhaving plenty of money or possessions

• KAPERAHAN; KADATUNGAN

• FIRSTFRUIT

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS TITHING?

IT IS THE LAW

PUTTING GOD FIRST

GENESIS 4:4 (NLT)

4 Abel also brought a gift—the best

portions of the firstborn lambs

from his flock. The LORD accepted

Abel and his gift.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

EXODUS 23:19 (NLT)

19 “As you harvest your crops,

bring the very best of the first

harvest to the house of the LORD

your God.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

MALACHI 3:10 (NLT)

10 “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough

food in my Temple. If you do,” says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, “I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will

pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!”

PUTTING GOD FIRST

“WHY TITHE?”

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHY TITHE?

• TITHING PROVIDES FOR GOD’S WORKTHROUGH THE CHURCH.

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food inmy house… “Malachi 3:10

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS A CHURCH?

• CHURCH is a building for public worship, especially in the Christian religion;

• English Bible is ekklesia.

• Greek words kaleo (to call), with the prefix ek (out). Thus, the word means "the called out ones”.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT IS A CHURCH?

• " However, the English word "church“ does not come from ekklesia but from the word kuriakan, which means "dedicated to the Lord.“ This word was commonly used to refer to a holy place or temple.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

TITHINGTEACHES ME TO PUT GOD FIRST.

The purpose of tithes is to teach you to always put God first in your lives.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

DEUTERONOMY 14:23 (TLB)23 Bring this tithe to eat before the Lord your God at the place he shall choose as his sanctuary; this applies to your tithes of grain, new wine, olive

oil, and the firstborn of your flocks andyou always to put God first in your lives. herds. The purpose of tithing is

to teach

PUTTING GOD FIRST

“Dahil alam nila, sa KANILANGsipag at tiyaga nakamit NILA iyon, kaya kung ano ang mayroon SILA,

akala nila sa KANILA, hindi saDiyos.”

PUTTING GOD FIRST

SEEKGODthe truth will set us free

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHY TITHE?

• SEEK Him 1st in the morning, WORSHIP Him1st day of the week, FAST 1st month of theyear. And the 1st of EVERYTHING HE gives to us!

• It requires faith to give 1st. It doesn’t require faith to give last.

• True faith in God

• Never realized that you are robbing God.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

MALACHI 3:8-9

8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me." But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings.9 You are under a curse — the whole nation of you — because you are robbing me.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

MATTHEW 23:23 NLT

23 "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

TITHINGBUILDS MY

FAITH IN GOD…Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty,

"and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven…. Mal. 3:10b

PUTTING GOD FIRST

What do you need to changeso that God is first in your finances?

PUTTING GOD FIRST

I WILL GIVE GODMY FIRST AND BESTSO HE CAN BLESS

THE REST. NOT JUST FINANCIAL

BLESSINGS

PUTTING GOD FIRST

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO CHANGESO THAT GOD IS FIRST IN YOUR FINANCES?

• By bringing to God your Tithe whichis 10%, You are making God your first and that you are giving your best to Him and He will bless the 90% that remains in you and when you used it, it will met all your needs.

PUTTING GOD FIRST

PUTTING

GODFIRST