WHAT TO DO IN TROUBLED ECONOMIC TIMES PART 2: FULL CIRCLE GIVING

WHAT TO DO IN TROUBLED ECONOMIC TIMES PART 2: FULL CIRCLE GIVING   Phil. 4:14-19; 1 Cor. 9:1-2, 13-15 March 1, 2009 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introduction "In recent weeks the global wealth shrank several trillion dollars, our US economy has been taken to the pawn shop (and maybe to the cleaners) to the tune of a 1.2 trillion dollar deficit, not to mention a 17-trillion dollar national debt. We’re never at a loss for analysts picking through the ruins of our financial collapse, are we? And they’re dusting off old-fashioned words like greed, moderation, integrity and trust. When secular analysts start clicking their tongues and discussing things at a values level, it’s time to sit up and take notice. Last week we started to consider what the Christian, and the church, must do in such times in order to be faithful to God and relevant to the needs of people, both inside and outside the church walls. We come at the question again this morning asking the question, What behavior does the Bible encourage during troubled economic times? The answer is simple and undramatic: the same thing you do in untroubled economic times! You do what is taught in the Bible that issue in healthy living and economics. This morning we consider one of those principles. I like to call it “Full-Circle Giving.” As counter-intuitive as it may seem, the worst thing to do in troubled economic times is to get stingy. That is to say it is not wise to begin going against spiritual wisdom in a time of testing or stress. Biblical wisdom dictates that generous giving is the wisest course of action. And when things get tight, the faithful Christian will bear down and become even more generous. I. The Point of Giving (vv 14-15a) Would you read with me from Philippians 4:14-19? As you turn there in your Bibles, let me refresh you concerning the context of this Philippian letter. The apostle Paul has a deeply affectionate relationship with this church at Philippi. A quick read of the first chapter convinces you that the feelings are mutual. Here in chapter 4 there are remarkable insights into that relationship and the mutual love and encouragement between the church and her missionary apostle, Paul. It is clear that the church has recently sent some support to Paul, who is at this point in prison in Rome for preaching the gospel. In verse 10 of this chapter Paul says he rejoices gratefully that they had revived their concern for him. Which then leads him to balance his comment by saying that, even without their contributions, he carries on contentedly because he’s learned that he can do everything through Christ who gives him strength. Philippians 4:14-15a – Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. Moreover, as you Philippians know… Let’s stop for the moment here. 1. Identify Needs What was it, do you suppose, that prompted the church family to send Epaphroditus on that 600-mile trip to Paul’s jail cell in Rome? Do you suppose it was just a vacation? Hardly. It was probably something similar to what moved us as a church to send Charlotte and me 3700 miles a year ago to visit with our dear missionaries and friends in Brazil. There were needs. And this church did all we could to identify and alleviate those needs. 2.  Interest in Needs However the Philippians church came to know Paul’s needs it immediately aroused their concern. Whether material needs or the need of moral support, churches rise to meet the legitimate needs of those they are called to love and serve. As the body of Christ, we understand when one member cries we all taste tears. 3.  Involvement in Meeting Needs But, while we weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice (Romans 12:15), we know that is not enough. Where there are genuine needs, the church moves quickly and lovingly to meet them. And it is a collective ministry. But that doesn’t mean somebody else takes care of it, and I don’t have to worry about doing anything. Don’t mistake the church for the government. Over the course of 35 years of ministry I have learned a few things, and this is one of them—when the church meets a need, everyone in the church should have a part. Some will pray, some will call or visit, some will quietly serve in a kitchen, a hospital waiting room or a funeral home, some will carry on special intercession, some will fast, some will send cards, some will give. But when the body of Christ is truly being the body of Christ, all the parts of that body rush to meet that need. We know what part Epaphroditus played in meeting Paul’s need. And we can be certain that everyone in that church family prayed, even those who were recent converts and only knew Paul through inference. And everyone, we can be sure, had a part in the monetary offering sent to Paul. There were a few in the church who were well-off. Lydia, for example, a dealer in expensive textiles, probably contributed more than her share. Others, like the slave girl or the jailer, may not have had as much to give, but they shared out of love and concern. My guess is a few in the church might have been tempted to feel they had so little they could offer that their part wasn’t important, but they resisted the temptation to think that way ad the temptation of non-involvement because they were well-taught that every little part and every person is essential to the church’s ministry. No single snow-flake ever feels personally responsible for an avalanche. II. The Principle of Giving (vv. 15, 19) Look at the remainder of verse 15 – Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only… I would like to suggest two things we should infer from this verse: 1) not every church that calls itself a church IS a church, in the strictest sense of the word. 2) At the same time, we must realize that not every need is met by every church. Just as every member in each church is important, so is every church a part of His plan to meet the needs He wants met. Thus it is of paramount importance that the church, especially her leadership, be praying for God’s leading. I’m sure you know how easy it is in our own minds to interpret every need we encounter as incumbent on us to meet. Of course, there is no way we can do everything. When you send a gift to one non-profit, a dozen more get you on their mailing list, it seems. You can’t serve them all. On the other hand, we may be selfish or prejudicial or even mean, and miss some things God would have us do. So, there we are, torn and tempted to give away the farm because we’re too compassionate or to say nuts to all of them because we’re too jaded. The leadership of the church, just as every individual Christian, must pray for God’s Spirit to lead and direct them in HIS will and good pleasure. He’s already promised to give us wisdom when we ask (James 1:5-7), and to make our paths straight when we lean not on our own understanding and in all our ways acknowledge him. (Proverbs 3:5-6) Jump ahead with me to verse 19 – And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Notice this reciprocity that surfaces: because you gave, God will meet all your needs. And, of course, when God meets our needs in such a bountiful way that only a term like “glorious riches” could describe it, we have more to share, and the circle of love and need-meeting continues. 1.  My giving is governed by my receiving. Here’s that process in a nutshell: first, my giving is governed by my receiving. That is, I cannot give what I do not have. God in His grace provides me a job, an inheritance, unemployment compensation, whatever it may be. From that income He calls me to be generous to His purposes. 2.  My receiving is governed by my giving God’s Word says that with the measure you give, with that same measure you will receive from the Lord—you give a teaspoonful and God will give to you using a teaspoon. You use a bucket to give, God uses a bucket to give to you. But the other half of Luke 6:38 says that God always gives MORE. Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. You can’t out-give Him. 3.  Giving and Receiving are Reciprocal Some in this room know exactly what that means, because you have proved God over and over again. Others have never taken the risk of trusting God by giving in a sacrificial, consistent way. There are believers who often belly-ache because God isn’t generous with me. Get generous with Him! III. The Persistence of Giving (v. 16) Third, I want you to see that giving that honors God is persistent. It doesn’t dry up the first time a challenge comes along. It is a clear indictment for the church if, when the general economy gets bumpy, Christians’ giving slows down. Now, if a person’s income drops, clearly his giving will take a hit, but the wise steward as we saw last week, has wisely prepared himself to absorb those bumps, and does not agree with others who say If it gets tight, the giving is the first to go. 1. A. Stick-to-it-iveness Invites God’s blessing and power How will we find the grace and courage to be generous even in times of economic stress? Faith. The question is do you really believe He will come through on His promise? Do you trust Him? The believers in the Philippian Church, according to verse 16, sent Paul aid …again and again when [he] was in need... That was a faith-stretching venture for these Christians. Paul was serving in Thessalonica at that time, and they sent him money “again and again.” They had stick-to-itiveness. In a little church in Binford, ND, one Sunday an elderly woman named Mary, fainted and struck her head on the end of the pew. An EMT in the congregation rushed to her side and an ambulance was called. As they strapped her to a stretcher and got ready to head out the door, Mary regained consciousness and asked them to wait a minute. She motioned for her daughter to come near. Everyone thought she was passing along what might have been her final words. The daughter leaned over and put her ear to her mother’s mouth. “My offering is in my purse,” she whispered. By the way, Philippi was in the region of Macedonia. At the time of their sending offerings to Paul, Macedonia was a very poor territory. Those believers were poor, some even destitute, but they gave liberally and continually. In fact, when Paul wrote to the Corinthians he bragged on the Macedonian Christians (including the Philippians). You can read it in 2 Corinthians 8:1-5. And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 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. Brothers and sisters, when the rest of the economy hits the skids, I believe the church should thrive. I think that is to the glory of God. It might be well for us to think of this as a Macedonian test for the church. How might God be honored if when everything else is in a downturn the church demonstrates an UP turn? Some, I know, will make the economic conditions an excuse for giving less to God’s kingdom. But I dare to suggest that this is the ideal time to not only be persistent in your giving, but increase it! Pastor are you nuts? Yes, I have Macedonia-itis. 2. A Whimper and a Bang T.S. Eliot’s The Hollow Men closes with the stanza, This is the way the world ends, this is the way the world ends, this is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper. Worldly thinking and faithless living always starts off with a bang but ends with a whimper. Godly, faith-filled giving starts with a whimper and ends with a bang. Now if God is to be glorified, it will be His doing, beginning to end. But he calls His people to get on board with Him—He always works through His faithful people. What a great opportunity for God to be glorified! The world around us looks at the economy and they whimper; but our eyes are heavenward and our faithful obedience to God in this hour should sound like a “BANG”! I challenge you to stretch your faith in such a time as this, to prayerfully and faithfully grow into a whole new level of giving. Stop thinking of your money as your security and recommit to the Lord as your security. Helen Keller said, Superstition is mostly a superstition anyway. It does not exist in nature, o do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run that outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.” I do truth when I tell you the most thrilling and satisfying moments of my life as a Christian steward were the times when I stepped out in faith and emptied my pockets for a Godly cause. Dare to look at your giving as what it really is—a faith adventure. Faith is like a rubber band—it is totally useless until it is stretched. Here’s a great little reading from Ann Landers: To laugh is to risk appearing a fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out for another is to risk involvement. To expose feelings is to risk rejection. To place your dreams before the crowd is to risk ridicule.  To love is to risk not being loved in return. To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds is to risk failure. But risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing does nothing, has nothing, is nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he cannot learn, feel, change, grow, or love. Chained by his certitudes, he is a slave. Only a person who takes risks is free. To win a great victory on must risk failure. To grow in faith involves risk. C.T. Studd, one of the greatest Christian missionaries in history, bemoaned, “Are gamblers for gold so many and gamblers for God so few?” This is the man who, when cautioned against returning to Africa because he might end up a martyr, replied, Praise God, I’ve just been looking for a chance to die for Jesus!’ The bottom line is this for those who will dare to be generous givers who give like the Macedonians, “again and again”: Will I dare to believe Jesus, who said Seek first the kingdom and all these things will be added to you? IV. The Products of Giving (vv. 17-19) Lastly, the products of giving. God has some intended results for your giving. Listen carefully – these results will be accomplished. With or without your personal part in the process. If you refuse the call of sacrificial giving God will have someone else do it in your stead. But I think you want to be in this circle of giving. Read verses 17-19 - Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. I just want to interject that, as a pastor, I resonate with this sentiment. I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Paul’s ambition: that the financial giving the believers in Philippi made toward him would be “credited to your account.” There is a ledger, and God is keeping the books. Let me quickly say that this has nothing to do with your being saved, getting to heaven. Jesus has provided that secure hope for you. We are saved by grace through faith, but we are saved for good works that we should walk in them. And when you do good works, God notices. 1 Corinthians 15:58 urges, Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. Hebrews 6:10 assures us that God is not unjust, he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. Full Circle giving produces two things that are of extreme priority to God. The first is His pleasure. It’s there in verse 18 – our giving is a fragrant offering to the Lord. ‘You know what? If you love Him, you want to please Him. Hebrews 13:16 – Don’t forget to do good and share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. The second product of full circle giving is His Glory. There is where the circle is completed. He gives to us and we’re blessed; we give back to Him and His is blessed and glorified. Close with devotional reading of 2 Corinthians 9:12-15 – meet needs, praise and gratitude.     [Back to Top]