Preached @ Metro 10th Feb 2006 by Jeff Williams

We are confronted with choices daily, if you have watched the TV show  - Deal or no Deal, you would have seen contestants confronted with  choices throughout the program. What guides a person in making the decision to keep playing for more money?

• An urgent bill they have to pay ?
• Greed for more money ?
• Opportunity of a lifetime ?

What does the bible say about choices

Deut 30:15-19  tells us that we have a choice between life and death, blessing and curses.

How do we chose life?

We are to LOVE GOD And WALK IN HIS WAYS (Obedience), we can summarize this by saying PUT GOD 1st.

Matthew 6:33 Seek 1st the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added unto you.

Time
Love
Finances

Bringing a First Fruits OFfering

Deut 26: 1-2
1 When you have entered the land the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance and have taken possession of it and settled in it, 2 take some of the firstfruits of all that you produce from the soil of the land the LORD your God is giving you and put them in a basket. Then go to the place the LORD your God will choose as a dwelling for his Name

Proverbs 3:9
Honor the LORD with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops.

Nehemiah 12:44
44 At that time men were appointed to be in charge of the storerooms for the contributions, firstfruits and tithes. From the fields around the towns they were to bring into the storerooms the portions required by the Law for the priests and the Levites, for Judah was pleased with the ministering priests and Levites.

Abel practiced the principle of 1st In Genesis 4:3-5 we see that Able brought of the firstborn of his flock, while his brother Cain brought some of his produce.

What do I give?

1 Samuel 16:17
The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.

Man looks at the outward, but God looks at the heart. People look at the figure to give, but God looks at the heart and the attitude with which the gift is given.

In Numbers 15:17-21 the bibles tells us to prepare our gift to give to God. Let's prepare a gift over the coming weeks as a first fruits offering. A gift that is appropriate to the receiver' "FATHER GOD".

How are First Fruits used?

Our firstfuits offerings this year will go towards the planting of our new congregation - Metro South Community Church and the paying of our church facility - The Princess Theatre. 

Ways of giving

There are a number of ways to give your firstfruits gift to God

1. Use the envelopes provided
2. Use the eftpos machine after the service
3. Debit directly into the church account
   Commonwealth Bank of Australia West End
   Metro Central Community Church
   BSB 064131
   A/c 10149346