MESSAGE: Cheerful Giver                         Date: 3/30/2025

SERIES: Fundamentals 

COMMUNICATOR: Pastor Kevin Geer

CHECKING IN: What’s one moment or experience from your week that really stood out to you, and why do you think it made such an impact?

Share Wins: How have you experienced God’s love this week? Have you seen Him answer a prayer, remind you of His presence, or use you to bless someone? In what ways do you feel Jesus is advancing His mission in your life or around you?

THINK, DISCUSS, LIVE: These questions are ideal for personal devotion or group discussions, guiding you to grow spiritually, engage deeply in biblical community, and live out your faith in the world around you.

1. Aside from salvation, what is the most meaningful gift you’ve ever received, and why does it stand out to you?
2. Generosity is at the heart of our Heavenly Father. Can you think of specific examples where His generosity has been evident? How have you personally experienced or witnessed His generosity in your life?
3. Read Acts 17:24-35. God wants you, not your money. Reflect on the fact that God has no needs—how does this truth broaden your understanding of all that we have in Jesus? What are some examples? 
4. Read Ecclesiastes 5:10. Can you share a story or example where you’ve seen or experienced the truth of this verse? What are some practical steps we can take to guard against this in our own lives?
5. Read and discuss Matthew 6:25-34. Can you share examples where you’ve seen God meet your needs, showing that He can be trusted with every aspect of your life? Why do you think it’s often easier to worry about life rather than fully trusting Him with it?
6. Reflecting on the passage above, what are some ways we can ensure our focus and trust remain firmly on God? What are some actions or attitudes we should avoid to demonstrate that we’ve truly placed our complete trust in Him? Be specific. 
7. Read and discuss 2 Corinthians 9:7-8. What does “cheerful giving” look like to you? Can you share an example from your life, either in giving or receiving, where this kind of generosity had a lasting impact on your life?
8. Generosity opens the door for blessing! In what areas of your life can you start practicing this truth? Who is one person you can specifically bless through your generosity? 
9. TAKING NEW GROUND! This week, take new ground by asking God to show you specific opportunities to practice sacrificial generosity. Pray for insight into areas or situations where you might have a ‘closed fist’ faith or mentality. Pray that God would open your heart to people and situations where you are called to reflect His love and generosity especially when the situation or people are difficult.
10. How is your faith journey progressing within the Transformational Model? Where do you currently see yourself in the Canvas Circle, Jesus Friends Circle, and Lost Friends Circle? In what ways are you growing to be more like Jesus and moving closer to the center of the diagram?

2025 TRANSFORMATIONAL CHALLENGE: We’ve created a Bible reading plan to help us go through the entire New Testament in a year. Read or listen to just one chapter a day, five days a week. Simply go to the Canvas Church app. and click on ‘Bible Reading Plan.’ If you prefer to listen, that option is available too! Join us on this life-changing journey! 

INDIVIDUAL AND GROUP PRAYER OPTIONS: “Jesus hasn’t revealed a God we can perfectly understand, but he has revealed a God we can perfectly trust. Trust is the certainty that the listening God hears and cares.” Tyler Staton

1. Praise Sentences: Take a moment to offer short sentence prayers of thanks to God for who He is and what He has done this week. Allow multiple people to pray, even more than once. Then, lift up the needs shared within your group. Finish by thanking Him for hearing your prayers.  
2. Invite Jesus into the challenges you or a loved one are facing right now, trusting in His presence and guidance. As you pray aloud, encourage one another with your words.
3. Pray for the person on your right, it can be out loud or in silence, if in silence nudge the person next to you letting them know you are done. 
4. Prayer Clusters: Groups of two or three (by gender) and share your week together. Pray together and for each other. Send them a text, or leave a message letting them know you have prayed for them this week. 

Practice on your own: What if you made it a daily habit to ask God what He wants you to know? It could be in every situation or just the ones that arise. Next, ask Him what He would like you to do?  It could be a specific answer or a way to apply what He reveals about what He wants you to know. Try it and see what happens! 

Ask someone in your group to keep an ongoing list of prayer requests and the answers to those prayers. This will help everyone in the group stay up-to-date on each situation, celebrate when prayers are answered, and encourage the group to keep praying when the answers haven’t come yet.