The Red Letter Disciple 074: Gregory Baumer on How God Taught Him Generosity at Harvard, and the One Question Every Disciple Should Ask about Money
While taking a course at Harvard Divinity School, Greg Baumer’s world was turned upside-down. He discovered that when it comes to money, God wants something for us, not from us. Since that time, Greg has become convinced that God offers a unique joy to those who choose to live generously. As he explored the words of Jesus around generosity, he believes every disciple of Jesus should ask the question, “How much do I need to keep?” To learn more about the podcast or access the show notes, visit www.redletterpodcast.com.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Dwelling 1:14. Led by Pastor Greg Finke, Dwelling 1:14 is a discipleship organization that comes alongside pastors and leaders to help them intentionally disciple their people. Greg has worked with hundreds of churches and tens of thousands of people. He has developed a year-long training process that helps your church produce greater disciples in their everyday lives. He’s an experienced practitioner and mentor, and he’s ready to help your church. You can contact him and learn more about this year-long process here.
Additionally, on May 16th, from Noon-1PM Central, I’ll be hosting Greg Finke for a church leaders webinar called Creating a Discipleship Plan for Your Church that Transforms Lives. You can register for free by clicking here or the image below.
Resources mentioned in the episode:
True Riches by Gregory Baumer and John Cortines
God and Money by Gregory Baumer and John Cortines
The Bible Project Story: God and Money
Key insights from the episode:
The point is, do I believe all I have belongs to God? - Greg Baumer
In a culture where our most pervasive sin is materialism, we’ve lowered the bar on what good stewardship looks like. - Greg Baumer
The question every disciple of Jesus should ask: “How much of God’s money do I need to keep for myself? - Greg Baumer
The best teaching on generosity is not on what we should do but rather on what [God] has done. - Greg Baumer
Almost all of Jesus’s teachings on money are warnings. - Greg Baumer
Most elder board members at church are wealthy people. - Greg Baumer
It’s critical that we, as Christ's followers, understand why God asks us to give. If we don’t know why, the tactics don’t matter. - Greg Baumer
The three most frequent causes Jesus said to give money to are 1) to the poor, 2) to spread the gospel, and 3) to build the local church. - Greg Baumer
Greg Baumer’s Challenge: Give generously according to the cause God has uniquely designed for you.
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