Funding-Salesmanship or Stewardship Sermon

We Give in Spite of Circumstances (2 Cor. 8:1–2)

But their circumstances did not hinder them from giving. In fact, they gave joyfully and liberally! No computer could analyze this amazing formula: great affliction and deep poverty plus grace = abundant joy and abounding liberality! It reminds us of the paradox in Paul’s ministry: “as poor, yet making many rich” (2 Cor. 6:10). It also reminds us of the generous offerings that were taken at the building of the tabernacle (Ex. 35:5–6) and the temple (1 Chron. 29:6–9). The Greek word for deep poverty describes a beggar who has absolutely nothing to his name.

We Give Enthusiastically (2 Cor. 8:3–4)

“The preacher says I should give until it hurts,” said a miserly church member, “but for me, it hurts just to think about giving!” A sure mark of a heart that has been touched by the grace of God is this: it counts giving a privilege. We love because He first loved us and we give because He first gave to us; true giving always originates with the grace of God. We see from Scripture that people can give with the wrong motives, in order to be seen and recognized by others (Matt. 6:1, 2). Others may give attempting to earn favor with God. We can’t earn favor with God; we can only accept His grace through Jesus Christ.

We Give as Jesus Gave (2 Cor. 8:5–9)

Like Jesus Christ, the Macedonian Christians gave themselves to God and to others (2 Cor. 8:5). The most important thing about giving is not that you give your money but that you give yourselves to the Lord (see Rom. 12:1, 2). God is more interested in possessing our heart than our possessions. If we give ourselves to God, we will not have a problem giving of our possessions, for then we will understand that God owns it all anyway.
The Macedonians’ giving was, like Christ’s, motivated by love (2 Cor. 8:7–8).
Paul was careful that they understood that he was not ordering them to give.
Finally, their giving was sacrificial (2 Cor. 8:9).

We are now the children of God, “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ” (Rom. 8:17). Since this is true, how can we refuse to give to others? They didn’t have much to give, but they still gave sacrificially. It’s the attitude, not the amount that makes the difference to God. The principle this passage teaches us is that God is not looking for equal gifts, but equal sacrifice (cf. Mark 12:41–44).

What about the Tithe?

Whether we consider it a law to obey or a pattern to keep, the concept of tithing has been important to Christians from the very beginning. If every believer gave ten percent of his or her income to the Lord's work, everything would be fully financed--both in our home churches and in our missionary and benevolent ministries. How close do we come to that? The most recent studies show that the average church attendee gave 2.62 percent of after-tax income to the Lord. That's a sixteen percent decline since 1968 when the average was 3.11 percent. Let's ask God for the faith to be faithful to His cause.

We Give Willingly (2 Cor. 8:10–12)

There is a great difference between promise and performance.

During my years of ministry, I have endured many offering appeals. I have listened to pathetic tales about unbelievable needs. I have forced myself to laugh at old jokes that were supposed to make it easier for me to part with my money. I have been scolded, shamed, and almost threatened, and I must confess that none of these approaches has ever stirred me to give more than I planned to give. In fact, more than once I gave less because I was so disgusted with the worldly approach. (However, I have never gotten like Mark Twain, who said that he was so sickened by the long appeal that he not only did not give what he planned to give, but he took a bill out of the plate!)

Paul wanted to be sure the Corinthians understood that he was not ordering them to give. He was contrasting the attitude of the Corinthian church with the attitude of the churches of Macedonia. The Macedonians were following the example of Christ, who gave from a heart of love. Paul is challenging the Corinthians to prove their love for Christ and for others by sharing in the offering. Paul is not twisting their arms or applying pressure, but he reminds them that giving flows out of a heart that has been touched by the love and the grace of God.

We must be careful here not to confuse willing with doing, because the two must go together. If the willing is sincere and in the will of God, then there must be “a performance also” (2 Cor. 8:11; Phil. 2:12–13).

We Give by Faith (2 Cor. 8:13–15)

Paul did not suggest that the rich become poor so that the poor might become rich. Paul saw an “equality” in the whole procedure: the Gentiles were enriched spiritually by the Jews, so the Jews should be enriched materially by the Gentiles (see Rom. 15:25–28).

Who does the equalizing? God does. Paul used the miracle of the manna as an illustration of the principle (Ex. 16:18).

Our motive for giving is God’s spiritual blessing in our lives, but our measure for giving is God’s material blessing. Paul made this clear when he wrote to the Corinthians in his first letter, “Let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him” (1 Cor. 16:2). Paul did not lay down any mathematical formula, because grace giving is not limited by a tithe (10 percent). Grace giving is systematic, but it is not legalistic. It is not satisfied with only the minimum, whatever that minimum might be.

Some Observations:

1. I will never seek to know what anyone gives to the church.

2. We will never beg for money; we will communicate clearly and succinctly our needs.

3. We will always seek to be wise stewards of the resources given to us.

Grace giving is a matter of faith: we obey God and believe that He will meet our needs as we help to meet the needs of others.

Conclusion: Someone once said, “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” Does your giving reflect your gratefulness, your eagerness, and your love? Do you give spiritually and sacrificially? We should never neglect the privilege of giving back to the One who gave Himself for us.