Center of Praise Ministries
Weekend Teaching ~ OmniGroups Study Guide
Biblical Wealth of the Believer Series
The Power of Family Submission
Dr. Ronn Elmore
Weekend of August 30-­‐31, 2014 CenterofPraise.net Introduction
What do we know about wealth? For many of us wealth has always been equated or linked to
finances, money, or cash. Over the past several weeks we have engaged the series Biblical Wealth
for the Believer, and have learned that wealth extends far beyond the limits of money. Of course it
includes money, however wealth encompasses every resource God has created, and employs
Kingdom Principles such as seedtime and harvest, which transcend any modern economical
construct.
True wealth involves the understanding that every resource God makes available to us belongs to
Him: the tangible, intangible, whether directly benefitting us, or directly glorifying God. Everything God
places into our hands becomes our responsibility, and we are to manage it all as if it belongs to Him.
The Word of God has been challenging us to do what is called holy and righteous. Everything we
need to benefit us and glorify Him is at our disposal. We are in His territory to engage His pleasure.
Beyond personal selves, God also includes us into the construct of family. God’s idea is that our
wealth is to be communal. We will find out that God Learning Objectives
has something in mind, and whatever it is He has
1. Paradigm Shift
in His mind concerning us is not simply an
2. God’s Glory in Collective Mentality
obligation, but an opportunity for us to be involved,
3. God’s Glory in the Family Collective
and for Him to have the pleasure of seeing His NOTE: Observe the FactorPoints
model in action and in effect on planet earth.
Shifting the Paradigm
Just as the Pastor of a church is responsible to hear direction
and receive vision from God, we too are called to hear
direction and receive vision from the Lord as it pertains to our
families. We are called to manage God’s wealth within our
families.
True, there are some who are single and without children, or
your children may have grown up and moved on. For these,
the mindset might be similar to this: “what’s mine is mine, and
that’s just fine. It’s between me, myself and I, and Jesus.”
While God recognizes and knows each person, saves those
who would respond to His Gospel, and genuinely loves the
individual, the individual is seen by God as part of the Body.
2 Corinthians 9:8, 10
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And God is able to bestow every
blessing on you in abundance,
so that you will have all
sufficiency at all times, and you
will always have overflowing
resources for every good work.
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The same God who provides
the seed that farmers sow and
gives bread for food will provide
and multiply the resources you
invest, producing an abundant
harvest from your righteous
actions.
There are over 5000 times in scripture where the words you or your are used in the Bible. In the Old
Testament alone it is used over 3600 times. What we must realize is that in God’s economy the word
“you” does not simply mean you as an individual. Rather, in God’s economy the word “you” is used
collectively and refers to YOU ALL (or as some would say, “Y’all”).
God, in His unlimited thinking and in His thoughts pertaining His children, speaks to the “you” as His
collective Body of Christ, the Church. And when He address the Body of Christ, He is not merely
concerned with the individual blessings of the “me and the mine” as much as He is concerned with the
YOU ALL.
The Body of Christ is the “you” God is trying to deal with. In our western cultural mindset we hear the
word “you” and immediately think of ourselves. God, while never leaving nor forsaking us as
individuals, is ultimately concerned with the state of the Church, the Body of Christ, and its wellbeing.
What would happen if we were to approach the scripture from a collective mentality rather than an
individual mentality?
The same passage would read:
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And God is able to bestow every blessing on you all in abundance, so that you all will have all
sufficiency at all times, and you all will always have overflowing resources for every good work.
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The same God who provides the seed that farmers sow and gives bread for food will provide and
multiply the resources you all invest, producing an abundant harvest from your righteous actions.
Our assignment on earth is to individually connect with others in order to accomplish the sovereign
will of God on the planet: not as individuals, but as a collective. Genesis 1:26 reads, “Then God said,
“Let us make human beings in our image,…” God, in the community of His being, said, “Let US…”
design, construct, and produce human beings (plural) to impact the planet and emulate Him (plural).
Where the individual might stop and think, “I thought God said He would bless ME and keep ME, and
give ME a clean heart;” God is activating those who would register as part of the whole: those who
would respond to a more grand assignment. He is making you (individual) to be a part of the “you”
(collective) in order to engage in Kingdom activity.
Glory of God
Throughout scripture the term “Glory of God” is used. “We are created for His glory,” or “In order that
the Lord receive Glory” and so on. But what does this word glory really mean?
In John 17 before He was arrested, tried, and crucified, Jesus went to the
garden to pray. In essence He was saying, “Father, You glorified me in order
to accomplish Your plan and purpose on the earth, and in My accomplishing it
You are glorified.”
The word glory means a mirror image reflection. [ref 2 Corinthians 3:18 So
all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the
Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as
we are changed into his glorious image.]
Imagine looking into a mirror, and taking note that you are daily, steadily you
are becoming more and more like the face of Christ. That is the glory of God
activated in the life of the believer. His big agenda from the very beginning
was we, humanity, looking like the Godhead, the Trinity: Father, Son, and
Holy Spirit.
CenterofPraise.net
2 The Godhead is three separate personalities acting as ONE. Likewise, we as individuals are to
display God’s agenda, which is to commune, cohabitate, and collect together in order to attach
ourselves to His plan, His purpose, in His power, and under His authority to accomplish gracious
works that He might be glorified. God sends down His presence, His knowledge, and His power to us
and for us in order that we, the Church, embrace HIM, and worship, learn, and serve for His glory.
God’s Glory in the Family Collective
God’s word for each household is to do more by being more. In 1620 Wall Street was created where
a collective of individuals pulled their monies together in order to invest into businesses, and created
wealth. Another concept is where individuals join their monies with other individuals into what is
known as a mutual fund, where the strength of their collective resources plug into the strength of large
businesses. All of the money of individuals are pulled together and do much.
The world has the grasped the concept of God’s collective thinking. What would happen if the people
of God individually got together to mutually invest into the Kingdom of God to accomplish His great
plan and purpose on the earth? What would happen if the seed of every individual collected together
in order to plant on a larger scale? What would happen if the harvest produced 10, 30, or 100 times
more than our own individual seed? God’s glory would be achieved!
What happens when households and families grasp the collective mentality in order to produce
through prayer and giving what God has in His mind to accomplish?
The Word of the Church is to come together, bringing our collective resources, and planting them into
fertile ground in order that the Kingdom of God grows exponentially. We must do it collectively.
How do we do this in our homes? The enemy understands that the collective mentality is powerful,
and if he can stifle it in the home, he can then stifle it in the Church. The number one issue to
negatively impact marriages is money.
There must be agreement so that the two can walk together. In order to do what God would have for
families to accomplish there are some practical applications to engage in.
Coming Soon
Coming Soon to an OmniGroup near you!
Our OmniGroups will engage in the
OmniFactor Discipleship Training.
More information will be provided shortly.
CenterofPraise.net
3 Factor Points
He’s Here… He Knows… He’s Able. Therefore, we Worship, Learn, and Serve
Below are practical things for every household to engage in. As we have learned in this lesson, we
are to be a part of the collective Body of Christ, both at Church and in our homes with our families.
1. Create a real budget and treat it like a covenant – (Ephesians 5:15) “So be careful how you
live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise.” The word carefully means to proceed
according to a plan. It is as an ancient traveller who travelled the desert at night would have a
light to illuminate a map, and a lamp to make sure he did not fall into a hole or pit. Commit to
the budget and walk it out.
2. Take advantage of your differences - We are wired to be attracted to someone different than
ourselves. The differences might drive us crazy, but also hook us up. Do not curse the
difference; rather revel in them. Identify, define, and understand the different qualities of the
counterpart, and leverage the skills, strengths, and differences for the common good. That is
collective thinking, and God receives glory from this.
3. Know your own financial weaknesses – Get help resisting your weakness. If you identify,
define, and understand your own, and your counterpart understands his or hers, then you can
help one another to overcome the weaknesses. Constructively build each other by
encouraging alternative methods of handling finances.
Discussion Points
But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. James 1:22 NLT
One person can put one dollar into the cup of a hungry man.
Neither did you make a worthy sacrifice, nor did the man
have enough to purchase a sandwich. However, when we
pull our resources together, we can accomplish so much
more. As an OmniGroup, what are some endeavors we can
engage to bring about change in our church and community?
NOTES
Discuss the paradigm shift in the meaning of YOU from the
individualist perspective to the collective mentality. How
does shifting your thinking in this manner move towards
building the Kingdom of God?
The glory of God is defined in this lesson as God seeing a
mirror image of Him in us. What is previous understanding of
the glory of God? How does it compare or contrast with this
definition of God’s glory? How does this definition draw you
closer to Him?
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