Pentecost 6 (2)

Have you ever been asked to give money to help out a person or a group of people who have been impacted by loss due to circumstances beyond their control? My assumption is that your answer is “Yes”.

Locally, we know of people who were displaced from their apartments near Fleet Farm in Beaver Dam after an explosion. You may know some of those people personally.

You may have participated in fund raising efforts to help someone with expenses due to a medical treatment, a fire, or loss from a storm.

On a national scale, we are are asked either directly or through the media to donate to victims of a fire, hurricane, tornado or some other catastrophe.

We are made aware of a need and implored to step up and help out.

It should come as no surprise then that St. Paul himself takes part in a fund raising effort to help out fellow Christians who were in need because of a famine that had driven food prices through the roof. But it was not his idea to start the fund raiser. As we will see, it was the people to whom he writes who volunteered to do this, another group which was considered too poor to be asked who set an example of unselfish generosity, and St. Paul teaching godly principles when it comes to giving of ourselves to help out others.

The situation: The people in the area around Jerusalem were in the middle of a famine. Because food was scarce, the law of supply and demand took over and because food was scarce, the prices were very high. Sometimes we hear of senior citizens who have to decide between buying their medication and food. This situation was similar. People were in danger of spending their meager life savings just to stay alive. Since it was impractical to send the food, people were volunteering to raise money to send to Jerusalem to help them afford it.

This is a noble endeavor. The principle of giving of our abundance to help those in need is highly commended by God.

(NIV) 25  I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. 26  They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be blessed. 27  Turn from evil and do good; then you will dwell in the land forever. 28  For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off;

(NIV) 24  One man gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. 25  A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. 26  People curse the man who hoards grain, but blessing crowns him who is willing to sell.

Jesus cites feeding the hungry in his parable of the Sheep and the Goats as evidence of Christian faith.

St. Paul teaches us that being generous reaps eternal rewards.

(NIV) 17  Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18  Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19  In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

In the Jewish faith, alms giving was considered to be very important.

In Judaism, tzedakah - a Hebrew term literally meaning righteousness but commonly used to signify charity [1] - refers to the religious obligation to do what is right and just.[2] Contemporary tzedakah is regarded as a continuation of the Biblical Maaser Ani, or poor-tithe, as well as Biblical practices including permitting the poor to glean the corners of a field, harvest during the Shmita(Sabbatical year), and other practices. Tzedakah, along with prayer and repentance, is regarded as ameliorating the consequences of bad acts.

In Judaism, tzedakah - a Hebrew term literally meaning righteousness but commonly used to signify charity [1] - refers to the religious obligation to do what is right and just.[2] Contemporary tzedakah is regarded as a continuation of the Biblical Maaser Ani, or poor-tithe, as well as Biblical practices including permitting the poor to glean the corners of a field, harvest during the Shmita(Sabbatical year), and other practices. Tzedakah, along with prayer and repentance, is regarded as ameliorating the consequences of bad acts.

In Judaism, Tzedakah (charity) is seen as one of the greatest deeds that man can do.[3] Jewish farmers are commanded to leave the corners of their fields for the starving to harvest for food and are forbidden to pick up any grain that has been dropped during harvesting, as such food shall be left for the starving as well.

Although we disagree with much that Islam teaches, even they recognize the importance of giving to the poor (See proof).

In Islam, the concept of charitable giving is generally divided into voluntary giving, or Sadaqah, and the Zakat, an obligatory practice governed by a specific set of rules within Islamic jurisprudence, and intended to fulfill a well defined set of theological and social requirements. For that reason, while Zakat plays a much larger role within Islamic charity, Sadaqah is possibly a better translation of Christian influenced formulations of the notion of 'alms'.

Zakat is the third of the five pillars of Islam.[5][6] Various rules attach to the practice but, in general terms, it is obligatory to give 2.5% of one's savings and business revenue and 5–10% of one's harvest to the poor. Possible recipients include the destitute, the working poor, those who are unable to pay off their own debts, stranded travelers and others who need assistance, with the general principle of zakaah always being that the rich should pay it to the poor. One of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to God and, therefore, wealth is held by human beings in trust.

Christianity

In the majority of Christian forms of worship and denominations, a collection of "tithes and offerings" is given for the support of the church's mission, budget, ministry, and for its relief of the poor, as an important act of Christian charity, united to communal prayer. In some churches the "offering plate" or "offering basket" is placed upon the altar, as a sign that the offering is made to God, and a sign of the bond of Christian love.[note 4] In addition, private acts of charity, considered virtuous only if not done for others to admire, are seen as a Christian duty.

The Corinthians did a God pleasing thing when they started a fund raiser. Even today it is commendable when we encourage one another to support a cause which is greater than ourselves (charitable giving including giving money to church).

But a problem happened. More than a problem, it was a sin. They were reneging on their promise. Offerings had stalled and St. Paul was concerned that when he came to collect, the gift would not have been gathered. They were not following the command of Solomon in Ecclesistes:

(NIV) 4  When you make a vow to God, do not delay in fulfilling it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow. 5  It is better not to vow than to make a vow and not fulfill it. 6  Do not let your mouth lead you into sin. And do not protest to the [temple] messenger, "My vow was a mistake." Why should God be angry at what you say and destroy the work of your hands? 7  Much dreaming and many words are meaningless. Therefore stand in awe of God.

Are we like the Corinthians at times? We make a commitment to give and then we choose not to do so. Not because we don’t have the resources which would be a valid reason, but because we have chosen to withhold our support for sinful reasons. We don’t agree with a decision that our church has made or we dislike the pastor or others in the church is sometimes given as a justifiable reason for not giving.

In another teaching on money, St. Paul teaches Pastor Timothy that it would be necessary to command those who are rich.

Jesus himself warns against personal greed in his parable of the rich man and poor Lazarus and the rich farmer.

His parables of the good steward also reflect that what we are given is to be invested in the lives of others.

Although St. Paul could have chided the Corinthians (and would have been justified here) for their lack of follow through, he approaches the issue in a different way. He teaches several principles supported by Scripture and experience that were meant to encourage the Corinthians.

First of all, he points to the generosity of the Macedonians.

(NIV) 1  And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2  Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3  For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4  they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5  And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. Compare to the widow’s mite.

. (NIV) 1  And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2  Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3  For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4  they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5  And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. Compare to the widow’s mite.

I am reminded of a fund raiser for the Tent of Meeting which received overwhelming gifts.

Exodus 36:1–7 NIV

So Bezalel, Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord has given skill and ability to know how to carry out all the work of constructing the sanctuary are to do the work just as the Lord has commanded.” Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the Lord had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work. They received from Moses all the offerings the Israelites had brought to carry out the work of constructing the sanctuary. And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. So all the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the Lord commanded to be done.” Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work.

Secondly, he reminds them of the generosity of Jesus Christ.

Secondly, he reminds them of the generosity of Jesus Christ.

(NIV) 8  I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9  For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

This is where true generosity comes from.

Lord of glory, you have bought us With your lifeblood as the price.

With your lifeblood as the price.

Never grudging for the lost ones That tremendous sacrifice,

And with that have freely given Blessings countless as the sand

To th-unthankful and the evil With your own unsparing hand.

Grant us hearts, dear Lord, to give you Gladly, freely, of your own.

With the sunshine of your goodness Melt our thankless hearts of stone

Till our cold and selfish natures, Warmed by you, at length believer

That more happy and more blessed ‘Tis to give than to receive.

Thirdly, he reminds them of what the Bible says about generosity.

What impact did it have?

Acts 24:17 NIV

“After an absence of several years, I came to Jerusalem to bring my people gifts for the poor and to present offerings.

Application: How does this event apply to us today? Sometimes we are the ones who are in need of help and cannot afford it. We can be thankful that God uses people in our lives to supply what we need.

Application: How does this event apply to us today? Sometimes we are the ones who are in need of help and cannot afford it. We can be thankful that God uses people in our lives to supply what we need.

God has blessed us with resources. Although we often keep close to the vest exactly how much we do indeed possess, an inventory of what we have would show just how blessed we are in material resources.

Our greatest blessing are the spiritual blessings that are ours through Jesus. We have been enriched in every way including this grace of generosity.

We are made aware of people who are in need and organizations that depend on our support.

One of those organizations is your local congregation. Your church is dependent on the free will offerings of its members. We do not get support from the government, outside donors, membership fees, charges for services, or the sale of goods. And although some people may think that the offerings only go to support the pastor and are justified in with holding their offerings because of some disagreement they have, let me tell you this. We have some very dedicated members with very limited financial resources who are practically unable to support the church they love financially who are served by their church only because those who do give unselfishly pay for them. “At the present time your plenty supplies what they need.” You are doing a good thing for them!

How you decide to give depends on your own generosity based on what you believe about what our God has done for you. Those who believe that though Jesus Christ was rich, yet for your sake became poor, will through his poverty become rich — rich in generosity, love, good deeds, etc. It does not depend on how much the church needs, how satisfied you are with the current situation, or even on how much you can afford. The Corinthians could certainly afford to help the Christians in Jerusalem because they were rich in money, but they chose not to. The Macedonians were hard pressed to give anything, but their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. They gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and they by the will of God also to those in need.

Conclusion:

Today’s sermon will be received in several different ways.

Those who complain that I talk too much about money will be reinforced in their belief because I did preach on the regular epistle lesson for today that does indeed talk about money—specifically giving it to help others who are in need.

Others will be encouraged as we were reminded just how generous our God is toward us.

Some may see this as an appeal to give more money to church.

Others will realize that there are those in financial need beyond the church that we can also help through our joyful generosity.

My prayer is that we will all take to heart what the Bible teaches about generosity and believe the words of Jesus, “It is better to give than to receive.”