Over the last several weeks we have been learning about how
to join the most important campaign ever—Jesus’ kingdom-building, gospel
sharing, hope inspiring campaign. We have come to understand that for our
campaign to be successful here in South Roanoke and around the world, we must
KNOW who Christ is, GROW in His likeness, and SHOW Him in winsome ways to those
around us. Like knowing a candidate,
growing familiar with his/her platform, and stumping on his/her behalf,
knowing, growing in, and showing Christ is our responsibility in the
kingdom-building effort as we race toward the day of the Lord. However, these
very “spiritual” principles and endeavors also require “practical” means.
In the course of any political campaign planes are
rented/purchased, security is hired, logos are designed, halls and arenas are
booked, and the list goes on and on. There is one thing that all of these other
things have in common—they require money and the donation of funds from both
groups and individuals! The same is true for so much that the church in general
and our church in particular wants to do. For instance, paying the bills
associated with this place helps us provide a place for people to come and learn
more about God (knowing Christ), investing in personnel and resources (like
RightNow Media) helps us provide ways for people to grow in their faith (growing
in Christ), and setting aside funds for outreach and missions helps us pay for
the events that we host in and around the community so that the gospel message
can go out (showing Christ). Therefore, as we prepare for our new fiscal year,
I thought I’d share a little about what God has to say about the opportunity He’s
given all of us to donate to His campaign here at Crystal Spring Baptist.
A sermon on giving to the church is easily one of the most
difficult to sit through and one of the most tedious for which to prepare.
However, passages associated with giving and finances are among the most
prolific in all of the Scripture and must be addressed by any Bible believing
church. With that said, let me immediately set your minds at ease by getting me
off the hook. First, in no way am I made aware of who gives or how much any one
individual or family has given to this church.
Second, I will be using the Bible. In other words, the ideas,
principles, and message you will hear are not from my own mind but from the
mind of God. This means two things. On the one hand you can rest easy, knowing
that I am not targeting any one person in this room with this message. However,
on the other hand, whatever challenges or convictions you may or may not
receive will most certainly be from God by means of His Word and through the
Holy Spirit. In other words, my agenda (as it is every week) is to preach His
message. God’s agenda may be to instruct, challenge, and correct as necessary.
Therefore, without further ado, let us take a close look at a profound series
of principles on giving from 2 Corinthians 9:6-8.
I. PRINCIPLE #1:
GODLY GIVERS GIVE AND RCEIVE PROPORTIONALLY-9:6
In giving, the harvest is always in view. In order to
illustrate this, Paul asks the Corinthians church to consider a farmer.
Although Corinth was not known as a primarily agrarian region, ancient
societies like Rome had closer ties to farming than the West today. Their
familiarity with the field came also with familiarity with common-sense growing
principles. Therefore, the image of a farmer sowing seed in the field,
harvesting, and taking his produce to the marketplace would have been easy for
the original audience to interpret.
Therefore, with this in mind, Paul presents two scenarios
for the church’s evaluation. First, Paul asks his audience to consider the
following scenario: “he who sows sparingly, will also reap sparingly” (9:6). To
sow sparingly means to sow a limited or even negligible quantity of seed. Regardless
of the reason why, those who put little into the ground will only receive a
little back.
On the flipside, in scenario #2 Paul states, “he who sows
bountifully will also reap bountifully” (9:6). The word “bountifully” actually
means “blessing” or “benefit,” suggesting here that those who put lots of seed
in the ground are going to take in a huge blessing come harvest time. Such
sowing involves great giving and a great reward. These two scenarios work
together to give Paul’s first principle for giving, “godly givers give and
receive proportionally.”
If you are getting lost in the fields, consider this modern
day analogy. In our world of 401K’s, IRA’s, Stocks, etc. people grow wealth by
the same general principle. In a perfect world, the more you invest in these
different assets or ventures, the more you are going to receive. Giving to
anything always takes into consideration the return. The farmer does not plant
seed and then walk away, saying, “Well, I’ll never see that again.” Although it
is out of sight and given away to the ground, he knows he will someday see the
harvest. Similarly, not one contributes to their IRA thinking, “well, there is
more money gone,” instead they have the big picture in mind, knowing that one
day they are going to receive a big return. Though this might seem overly
obvious, people fail to recognize that this same phenomenon exists in the
practice of giving to the work of God.
However, how do we know Paul is talking about money and
giving to the church? At the beginning of this chapter, Paul mentions an
anticipated gift. This gift would be used for the ministry of spreading the
gospel message and was expected to be big, “So I thought it necessary to urge
the brethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your
previously promised bountiful gift, so that the same would be ready as a
bountiful gift and not affected by covetousness” (9:5). Therefore, in order to
encourage the biggest and best financial gift possible, Paul provides these principles
to the church for guidance.
Studies reveal that the average church attendee gives 2.56%
of their income. That is not a whole lot of seed going in the ground. That not
lot a whole lot invested. What we are going to experience at the end of this
year, next year, and ten years down the line is going to be a direct reflection
of what we are giving today. If everyone gave the same percent you did to your
church, could the church expect great things? Godly givers give and receive
proportionally. The more we invest, the more God will accomplish. It is that
simple.
II. PRINCIPLE #2:
GODLY GIVERS GIVE WITH INTEGRITY AND CHEER-9:7
The second principle Paul gives concerning gifts involves
integrity and cheer. Though Paul desired a “bountiful gift” (9:5) (i.e. a big
check), what was more important to Paul was an honest and willing heart.
Honesty in giving begins with being honest with oneself. People ought not give out of compulsion,
obligation, manipulation, or guilt. Instead, they must give in compliance with
the will of God in their lives. They should not give more because their
proverbial arm is being twisted. They should not give less because they are
holding back and lacking faith for God to provide. How much should people give?
Exactly as much as God wants them to and in keeping with the Spirit’s leading
in their lives.
With that said, the Bible does provide some guidelines for
godly giving elsewhere. The Old Testament is clear that a tithe (that is 10% of
one’s income) is an acceptable gift to God (see Gen. 14:20; Lev. 27:30-33; Num.
18:28-29; Deut. 12:11). But wait, some might say, “if tithing is such a big
deal in the church today, why didn’t Jesus have much to say about it. I thought
we were free from the Law?” However, the New Testament confirms that Jesus came
to fulfill the law, not to dismiss it (Matt. 5:17-19).
Matthew 23:23-“Woe
to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and
cumin and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law; justice and mercy
and faithfulness; but these (tithes) are the things you should have done
without neglecting the others.”
In this verse, Jesus addresses tithing as something so
understood that it’s almost unworthy of a mention. Yes, we are free from the
law, but we have been called to live by the higher standard of grace. A tithe
was considered a starting point not an end goal. If anger was taught to be on
the same level of murder and lust equal to adultery in Jesus’ eyes (raising the
bar in these areas), does it not stand to reason that the tithe is now
considered a base-level command—a minimum expectation.
“I never would have been able to tithe the first million
dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per
week.” –J.D. Rockefeller
Under the grace that we enjoy, the average, modern-day
Christian gives only 2.5 percent of his or her income (not even a tithe). In Money, Possession, and Eternity, Randy
Alcorn writes, “When we as New Testament
believers, living in a far more affluent society than ancient Israel, give only
a fraction of that given by the poorest Old Testament believers, we surely must
reevaluate our concept of …giving.”
Not only must a believer give with integrity, he or she must
give cheerfully, “God loves a cheerful giver” (9:7). Motives play absolutely no
role in the farming analogy Paul used earlier. It does not matter what kind of
attitude the farmer had while he was sowing seed. If he sows good seed and has
good weather, he will reap a harvest whether he is working for profit,
pleasure, or pride. It makes no difference how he plans to use the money that
he earns; the harvest will probably come just the same (Wiersbe).
This is not so with giving in the church. Motives matter to
God. As one commentator says, we must not be “sad givers” who cry as they see
the money leaving our hands or “mad givers” who give because we feel like we
have to. Instead, believers ought to be “glad givers” who cheerfully share what
they have because all that they have is a demonstration of God’s grace. God
loves a cheerful giver.
Ask yourself these questions. How much do you give? Is it
consistent with God’s will as expressed in His Word and according to His leadership
in your life? Also, how do you give? Is it with great joy for your Creator and
eagerness to participate with Him or is it grudgingly? Godly givers give with
integrity and cheer.
“Giving should be an outward, material expression of a deep,
spiritual commitment…an indication of a willing and obedient heart.” –Larry
Burkett
III. PRINCIPLE #3:
GODLY GIVERS GIVE OUT OF ABUNDANCE AND BLESSING-9:8
The third and final principle provided in these verses
reflects Paul’s understanding of God’s grace. Ultimately, Christians can only
dispense of what they have received. All that the believer has received is a
gift from God, who, is capable of making every grace available to the believer
at all times. The universals of verse 8 are incredible. First, “God is able to
make ALL grace abound to you” (9:8). Every grace of God is available to be
afforded to the believer. This speaks not only to the grace afforded to the
believer at salvation, but the grace that is afforded to the believer for his/her
everyday needs. This first universal reveals the potentiality of God’s giving
capacity to the godly giver.
The second “all” statement suggests the following, “so that
ALWAYS have ALL sufficiency in EVERYTHING…” (9:8). Here, Paul communicates that
the Christian who practices godly giving will have what he or she needs when he
or she needs it. This does not mean that God awards giving with wealth and
material possessions. Instead, it means that God blesses those who give with
what they need to do what He’s called them to do! No one who gives to the Lord
in a godly way is lacking anything to do all that God desires of them.
Finally, Paul concludes by saying, “you may have an
abundance for EVERY good deed.” God’s grace seen in the time, talent, and
treasure He has bestowed on His people do not exist for the benefit of those
who already have much. Instead, they are to be used to do good works for
others. In other words, the reason God has been so generous with us is so that
we might be generous with others for His kingdom-building work!
Our church is all about doing the best work that there is,
seeing people come to know Christ, grow in Christ, and show Christ to others!
God’s grace will provide all that is necessary for us to be effective in seeing
this happen in our city. However, we have some needs that need to be addressed
in order for this good work to be made manifest. The good news is this—we have
all of the money necessary to do all that God has called us to do. We have all
the funds necessary for a successful campaign in this next year. There is just
one issue. We must be willing to give it!
So What?
Godly givers will always give and receive proportionally,
give with integrity and cheer, and give for good. What do we do in response to
a message like this? Malachi 3:10 might have an answer.
“’Bring the whole
tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me
now in this,’ says the Lord of hosts, ‘If I will not open for you the windows
of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.’”
By way of application consider the following in this upcoming
fiscal year—when it comes to what you give, test God! That’s right! (Don’t worry,
the Bible gives permission). Test God
and see how He will bless you and this church because of your godly gifts. If
you have not been tithing, I challenge to test God by giving a tithe. If you
have been faithfully tithing, I challenge you to test God by giving an offering
(beyond a tithe). If you have been giving an offering, I invite you to test God
by giving even more so that we can do more for the cause of Christ in our
context! Donate Here! Donate often, and stand amazed at what God will do!
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