Giving and Receiving (sermon)

I - want to be like that

Think with me for a minuet. If you really needed help from someone who would you ask when there is no time for a no?

Erin and I kind of have a hirearchy of help when we need something.

The top is full of people hwat

If if was an emergency and you needed to come up with money you didn’t have...

Or if you needed someone to come quick and watch your kids...

Or if your car broke down at 11 o’clock at night in a snowstorm and you needed a ride...

Or if your friend or family member need help moving tomorrow?

Or you need someone to pick you up from surgery?

Or your water stopped working and you cant afford a plumber?

Who would you call?

What would they say? Would they be there right away?

People that “owe” you something

I am lucky to have some people like that.

Incredibly Generous gracious people i know

the Westphals - Sort of people that would drop anything to give you a hand. The people you call at midnight

people here

ABUNDANT generosity. AND its clear that giving gives them life. I was telling a friend about their generosity and he said, some people like that, they feel good by being generous… But I think there is more too it than that

I constantly see and RECIEVE ABUNDANT generosity from people who expect nothing in return. Its almost too much.

And it makes me think … How do you become that person? what does it take to become TRULY generous. To have that kind of generose spirit that oozes out of your encounters with others. that kind of love that SPLASHES over the sides

“I hope someday I will be rich enough, I hope someday I will have enough time, I hope someday I will be in a position in my life that I can be generous”

Perhaps when I am getting enough sleep

Perhaps when...

but then a year goes by and another year and I am right where I started, pinching pennies, hours, and energy

Y - I think most of us do

I think most of us WISH we could be generous like those people.

Wish we could be benefactors. Wish we could live the gospel like that.

But we dont know how. So we just sort of blindly try. When we are feeling good, we give....

“I hope someday I will be rich enough, I hope someday I will have enough time, I hope someday I will be in a position in my life that I can be generous”

Perhaps when I am getting enought sleep

Perhaps when...

but then a year goes by and another year and I am right where I started, pinching pennies, hours, and energy

G - Paul says its about JOINING into the CYCLE of Grace. Not giving to get back, but joining the cycle of CHARIS

TRANSITION: The bible talks a lot about Giving and receiving. Jesus talks a LOT about money and the harm it can cause but also how we ought to think about it. But one of the most valuable sections of the bible on giving and receiving is in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians ch 8-9.

We aren't going to read all of it. But seriously take some time and READ IT this week. All of it and let it mess with you a little. wrestle with it a little. Because its pretty radical pretty amazing stuff.

As Paul tries to address the reluctance of a group of Christians to give. Paul paints a beautiful picture of what it looks like to live according to the SUPERNATURAL generosity in the Love God Love oThers GOSPEL.

Background on the gift - Jerusalem Church famine, where it all started, people are dying and paul is going around trying to raise money for them. AND this was kind of rare at the time. It seems familiar now, when disaster strikes people send money. But then people RARELY gave money or resources to anyone else unless they were pretty sure to get something back. PATRONAGE, ESTEEM, ECT. But the last time Paul was with the Corinthians they agreed to send money, but now it seems like they wont.

Background on Gift Giving in 2 Corin

Paul is trying to convince Corinthians to make good on their promise to support Jerusalem...

Paul addresses this gift in kind of a backwards way.. he seems to be just as concerned with HOW they Give as he is with THAT they give.

Paul could...

Command

Demand

Shame

Manipulate

Offer them something

He focuses on this one word,

PAUL does none of these things. And when people/pastors do its wrong.

But instead he focuses on this one word. A word we use alot in church but less so in other places

GRACE - CHARIS

He says it 18 times in 2 Corinthians, 10 of those times are in chapters 8/9.

CHARIS.

Instead of commanding, or twisting their arm, and demanding they live up to their commitment. He focuses relentlessly on CHARIS

Paul uses these two chapters to paint a picture of how CHARIS figures into this biblical theme of Giving and receiving and what it means to join it.

He tells some stories about what CHARIS looks like

Look at: God’s CHARIS in macedonia. Complete the CHARIS Circut

Starts with an example of God’s CHARIS at work in another reigion.

The New International Version Chapter 8

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very 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 Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. 6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

v. 1 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches.

I want you to know about the gift, the grace, the blessing God gave the M Churches. Now listen to this blessing

The New International Version Chapter 8

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very 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 Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us. 6 So we urged Titus, just as he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

Did you hear that!?

God's Charis looks like

Joy + Extreme Poverty = Generous Giving

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 Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.

God Gave them the CHARIS in the midst of severe trial,

that they asked for the CHARIS of giving,

So Paul asked Titus to bring this CHARIS to completion in you.

So that you too can grow in the CHARIS of Giving

God’s Charis, made it possible for them to have Charis towards the Mission, so that through Titus they might Complete the CHARIS by joining in.

This is what Paul is saying.

Paul is not saying “give when you cant afford to” as some general principal, The Macedonians did that, but only at God’s leading and their own insistence.

NO

But he IS saying. Their gift is a part of the flow of God’s grace.

God gave them the Grace to Give, they took that Grace and gave, Now the Corinthians having heard the story of that Grace have to decide to continue it, by giving to the collection, or to let it die.

example: its like “the wave” God started it, Macedonians Continued it, will the corinthians let it die?

Dont get it? Paul Gives us another example.

Dont get it? Paul Gives us another example.

Grace=Charis is trusting God enough to give when you don’t have much, Charis is being inspiried to give by the giving of others

God’s CHARIS in Christ. Finish the CHARIS Circut

The New International Version Chapter 8

9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

So: Give

He sums up the gospel in Money Metaphor

Right, the CHARIS of Jesus is that he gave up everything so that we might have everything.

Look at: The sower’s the more they plant, the more grows CHARIS Circut

All of these stories come together to say - the CHARIS CIRCUT

Therefore: Give generously, cheerfully, and eagerly CHARIS Circut

Grace begets Grace, Recieving leads to giving leads to recieving.

Then YOU will be the example

The more you connect your life to the GRACE cylcle, to giving and recieving the more you benefit from it. (in ways you could never predict) it changes you, it changes others, and it changes the world. PAUL Knows this. He doesnt want their money, he wants them, transformed. HE wants them to recieve the benefit of joining the cycle. To experience the JOY of being the sort of people who DEMAND to give even when they shouldnt.

Spiritually

Y

The elephant in the room: Pastors and churches who benefit from generosity encouraging generosity. Christians only ever talk about money. Abuses, and reality

Recognize the GOD's ABUNDANCE and so GIVE ABUNDANTLY in all aspects of your life. RECOGNIZE WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN

Not grudgingly but generously

Are you recieving from God, are you willing to recieve from others? Be willing to RECIEVE, be WILLING TO GIVE.

Where is God calling you to give

Where is god calling you to recieve

Where is god challenging you in the generocity of your spirit?

With money

with time

with talent

with patience

to church

to the poor

to family

to friends

to strangers

Giving to the mission and ministry of this CHURCH.

Giving to a missionairy and ministry

Giving to the poor

Giving of your time/talent

Giving of your leadership

Giving to friends/familiy

CHallenge:

Read

Sit down by yourself, or with whoever shares financial and life decisions with you.

How do we use our time/talents/treasure?

Do we need to clear room for Generosity?

Where is God calling us to participate in Giving Time/Talents/Treasure?

What do we need to ADD

What do we need to REMOVE?

What do we need to CONTINUE?

What do we need to ADD?

W - Bethel’s Story of CHARIS

I will never forget how I felt the first winter I spend here.

Snow over my head

a nearly 700 dollar heat bill for a month and a half at the parsonage.

by our second

Our church had been restricting our giving out to pay our bills

We stopped heating this building during the week to save on LP. I used to work with a space heater in my office to keep warm :)

I remember

Here I am fresh out of seminairy and I’m working at a church that is talking about closing. It was a scary time. I remember thinking I better keep my eyes open for work around her in case things fall apart.

BUT you will be amazed what started to happen when we stopped looking so hard inside these walls and started taking opportunities out there. When we stopped focusing on our deficits and started looking for oppertunities to serve.

Renew

Kingdom Budget

Will

KKF

Farm Jam

Vitality Pathway

The Gift

Increased giving

Kids around

Healhty air

New faces

Excitement

When I tell my friends at other churches about what is going on here they cant believe it. Because they know me, and its got nothing to do with me :).

We are far from where God is calling us. There is more on the horizon. We are far from perfect. But This church in my opinion is an example of what happens when you enter into the cycle of GOD’s CHARIS. WHen you give and recieve togehter. When we stop worrying about if we will have enough, and start looking for ways to plant the seeds that God gives us.

Does it look like changes to our building maybe yes maybe no.

When you stop eating the seeds and start looking for ways to plant them it changes your life.