It is Better to Give

Intro

We are kicking off our brand new series, A Generous Life: The beauty in giving. All throughout scripture, we see examples of believers living a life of generosity, and so we are going to look at these examples and see how to apply the same principles to our own life.

The challenge of living a generous life is that it is very counter cultural. We live in world that says it is all about me. Especially with the introduction of social media, we need to keep up appearances, and those appearances often come with a price tag.

The other challenge to a generous life is our current economy. Many of us feel like we are barely scraping by, how in the world could we possibly even dream about being generous?

Well we are going to dive into that very discussion, and the thought I want you to hold onto over the course of the series is, maybe being generous is the solution to your problem. Which problem am I talking about? The one that you are wrestling with.

So to kick things off, we are going to be in Acts 20:17-38. This is the part of Acts where Paul is on his farewell tour. He is traveling to Jerusalem, knowing the religious leaders are going to imprison him and possibly even kill him. So he is intentionally stopping at the different churches he has planted to say goodbye, knowing he will probably never see any of these people again. This part of the story, he is meeting with the elders of the Ephesian church, and he wants to reminisce of his time with them.

Acts 20:17–38 NLT

But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, asking them to come and meet him. When they arrived he declared, “You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews. I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes. I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus. “And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God. “And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again. I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know. “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following. Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you. “And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself. “I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes. You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them. They all cried as they embraced and kissed him good-bye. They were sad most of all because he had said that they would never see him again. Then they escorted him down to the ship.

The Mission Requires Generosity

The first thing you should notice about Paul's address to the leaders is his commitment to the mission. Whether it is telling people about the gospel or following the Spirit's leading to Jerusalem, he is committed to sharing the gospel, his mission from Jesus.

But he is so committed to the mission that he is willing to give whatever it takes to see the mission accomplished. He was willing to face any trial that came his way. He was willing to work to supply not only his own needs but the needs of those who were helping him. In fact, it is epitomized in verse 24 where he says, “I consider my life worth nothing to me.”

Paul was willing to give whatever it took to love the people that God had put in his life, even his own life. He is not talking about generosity from his abundance; he is talking about generosity despite the fact he really had nothing to give.

This mindset reflects the attitude we see in Jesus. Jesus didn't even have a home to lay his head down, yet he found ways to provide and care for the people that followed him. It shouldn't surprise us that his followers did the same. Acts tells us constantly that no one in church had lack because others were willing to provide

Coveting is the Enemy of Generosity

I don't think it is a coincidence that Paul makes a point about coveting. He says that while he was with them, he never coveted anything that they had.

It is not a stretch to say that coveting is the enemy of generosity. Coveting is a consuming and controlling desire for what someone else has or for more of what we have already

One commentator pointed out that even though coveting was the last of the 10 commandments, it is often the one that leads us to break the other 9. Those who covet will steal, lie, and kill to get what they want. They will dishonor their parents. Eph 5 says that covetousness is actually idolatry.

If you're honest, you get it. How many times have you refused to exercise generosity because it will get in the way of that thing you really want?

God Designed Us to be Generous

One of the interesting things I stumbled upon was a recent study of a person's brain. We have learned through fMRI that giving actually activates the part of the brain that is stimulated by food and sex. Experiments show that generosity is actually hardwired into your brain and you like it!

Jenny Santi says this, “Helping others may just be the secret to living a life that is not only happier, but also healthier, wealthier, more productive, and meaningful"

I don't know about anyone else here or online, but at least one of those things in that list caught my attention. Let me read that quote to you again.

it is that study that explains why people are prone to extreme acts of self-sacrifice.

I want to close with this story:

“When Air Florida Flight 90 smashed into a frozen lake in the middle of a snowstorm, all but six passengers were killed. Some 20 minutes later, a helicopter arrived to rescue the survivors. After getting one man to safety, the helicopter threw a life-ring to Arland Williams … who immediately gave it to the passenger next to him. When the helicopter came back for a third time, he did the same thing again. And again. When the helicopter came back a final time, Arland was dead. He’d used his last ounce of strength to save a complete stranger”

it is one thing to show such generosity and self-sacrifice for someone you know, it is a complete other thing when you do that for a complete stranger

but this is the way that God has wired us. To humble ourselves, to put the welfare of others before ourselves, to live a life of generosity. It is so ingrained in God's teaching on how to live life, He even hardwired our brains to enjoy being generous.

Let's pray

1. What stood out from the message?

2. What is the first thing that jumps into your mind when you think about living more generously?

3. What is something you are coveting? Can you see how that thing is getting in the way of being more generous? Is it affecting some other area of your life?

4. What if being more generous really had the effect we talked about today? Would it be worth giving it a try to see? Why or why not?