We are in a three-week series getting ready for summer, looking at three things in our relationship with God that are easy to let fall away this summer. What if our summer was intentional and purposeful for, yes, recreation, but also something greater than that? We have talked about Giving and Growing, and today we are talking about an area that we also often forget about in the summer—Going. Going to those around us as messengers of the hope that we have found in Christ. If you are a follower of Christ here this morning, then just like the topics of the past two weeks there is something unnatural about talking to others about the hope that we have in Jesus; something intimidating. But unlike the past two weeks, there is also something more natural about it. Giving and resting don’t come naturally to us. But spending time with people is natural for most of us during the summer because summer is a natural time to hang out with those we love and like. So in a way, we just need to let Jesus work in what we are already doing, rather than adding something new to our lives. This morning I want to look at why Scripture says we share Christ with those around us. And why sharing the hope we have with others is something relatively easy to do. And at the same time, why sharing the hope we have with others is always really hard to do.

We are in a three-week series on how to thrive in three areas that typically fall by the wayside in our walk with God over the summer. Last week was Giving; this week is Growing. We will only grow in summer by having a proper view of rest. In the Bible, rest is an invitation by God into something more than just ceasing from labor or of just substituting recreation for work. God both calls us and commands us to rest in a deeper way than we thought possible. In the bible, rest a gif; it is purposeful and sacred. It is what the Bible calls Sabbath. I am convinced that true, Biblical rest is a spiritual habit that the people of God in the suburbs need to develop if we are going to look more like Jesus ourselves and help others to know Jesus well. Let’s take a look at some texts in the Bible that talk about the specific kind of rest called Sabbath rest.

We will be in a three-week series looking at maintaining a healthy walk with God this summer in three areas that we tend to let go over the summer: Giving, Growing, and Going. This morning I want to talk about giving and generosity. Why talk about money and giving at all? For one, Jesus talked about money and generosity more or nearly more than any other topic in His recorded ministry; He spoke of money more than the topics of faith and prayer combined. 11 of His 40 parables were about money or used money as a way to teach us spiritual truths. And yet Jesus never pursued wealth or money Himself, and didn’t even have a place to lay His head or many earthly possessions. He depended on the giving of others Scripture says. The other reason we need to talk about money is that it is flat out important; money is a huge part of our lives. Most of the worry and anxiety in our lives is caused by wondering if we have enough of it. Arguments over it are among the leading causes for marital, friendship, family and roommate problems. It is the reason for most of society’s crimes. It's been called The Root of all evil but also the means of great good! So no matter how much of it we have or what we decide to do with it, the one thing we can’t afford to ignore, and the one thing we can all agree on, is that money is important! I know there can be some different attitudes on giving and finances. Maybe you are a follower of Jesus but have heard money talked about poorly or abusively by the church. Or maybe you are not a follower of Jesus and your impression of Christians and churches is that they just want your money. But let me say this: It’s important that we filter our past experience through what Jesus actually says about money in His Word rather than filtering God’s Word through our past experiences.