The Giving

There is a danger in preaching through books of the Bible - Sometimes you encounter passages that deal with topics or issues that would not necessarily be popular or easy to deal with.

The preacher doesn’t get to cherry-pick his favorite passages, so he may need to

Today we’re going to talk about money!

does that make you uncomfortable?

Being Fully Devoted is being Jesus-first in your finances.

There are

In , Jesus equated some people’s love of money with the worship of a god.

In some ways, rather than being a god, for some people money is the ‘prayer life’ by which we control the one we really worship - ourselves.

32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. 34 There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold 35 and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. 36 Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, 37 sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Spirit-led Generosity

(2min) (*37min)

What we have here is a picture of the Spirit-filled and Spirit-led church.

many of the same characteristics that we saw in the church shortly after the Holy Spirit fell in

Unity,

One of the greatest evidences of a Spirit-led community is found in it’s generosity.

What we will learn today is that generosity has more to do with your heart than your wallet; however, your wallet will oftentimes reveal the state of your heart.

Comes through the Holy Spirit (4:31)

(3min) (*35min)

31 And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.

32 Now the full number

32 Now the full number. . .

Genuine generosity is not natural, it’s supernatural.

ILLUST - kids and cutting the cake fairly

JD Greear:

“The gospel had loosened their grip on their stuff and tightened their grip on each other.”

Demonstrates unity (32)

(3min)(*32min)

‘One heart and soul’

I think we oftentimes miss how diverse this group of believers were.

They were different races, different languages, different age groups, people from different socio-economic statuses - they weren’t uniform, they were unified.

They didn’t choose the Jerusalem church because they preferred it over the church of Bethlehem.

The unifying factor was Jesus and the common thread among them was the Holy Spirit.

I don’t know of a church that has split over a fight over who would give more.

Used for mission (33)

(3min) (*29min)

And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus,

I find that people will give to a ministry or church generally for one of two reasons: 1) because of a dynamic(?) man or 2) a fruitful mission

Delivered through love (34-35)

(3min) (*26min)

There was not a needy person among them . . . it was distributed to each as any had need.

Money evidences what you love.

They used money to love people - too often we see the opposite.

(Illust - Driscoll)

ILLUST - As an illustration of Jesus’ love for us, a church in Kansas paid off the medical debt for 1,600 families in their state.

ILLUST -

https://www.westernjournal.com/l/kaylakunkel/church-pays-off-2-2-million-medical-debt-1600-families/

If one of the greatest evidences of a Spirit-led community is found in it’s generosity, then one of the greatest evidences that an individual is Spirit-led is found in that person’s generosity.

is Evidence of a Fully Devoted life. (36-37)

(3min) (*23min)

Story of Barnabas - ‘Son of Encouragement’

We’ll see him several times in Acts:

Model of generosity (4:36)

Vouches for Paul after his conversion when all the other disciples are wary of him. (9:27)

Sent to Antioch to verify God’s work among the Gentiles - ends up being their pastor. (11:23-25) Also called, “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.” (Men, wouldn’t that be a great way for someone to describe you?)

(Maybe because of what happened in ) he along with Paul, are put in charge of taking money to Jerusalem to help the church there after it had been hit by a famine. (11:30)

He was set apart by the Holy Spirit along with Paul to be sent on a missionary journey to Cyprus

Gives John Mark a second chance after he had deserted Barnabas and Paul during the missionary journey.

He’s a mans who is sold out for Jesus and his mission and he put his money where his mouth was.

It all starts with him laying everything down at the apostle’s feet. He sells some property and lays it all down at the apostle’s feet.

(We’re not calling for that)- it is the heart behind the giving that is important - not the amount that he gave.

However, the amount that he gave was what God had prompted his heart to give.

It is this spirit of generosity we are to emulate not necessarily the method

Should Christians even type thing? Tithing was understood to be 10% portion of the first fruits of your income has commanded by the Mosaic law. But we are not under the Mosaic law anymore.

ILLUST - What if the Church Tithed?

Christians are only giving at 2.5 percent per capita, while during the Great Depression they gave at a 3.3 percent rate.

what would happen if believers were to increase their giving to a minimum of, let’s say, 10 percent. There would be an additional $165 billion for churches to use and distribute. The global impact would be phenomenal. Here’s just a few things the Church could do with the kind of money:

– $25 billion could relieve global hunger, starvation and deaths from preventable diseases in five years. – $12 billion could eliminate illiteracy in five years. – $15 billion could solve the world’s water and sanitation issues, specifically at places in the world where 1 billion people live on less than $1 per day. – $1 billion could fully fund all overseas mission work. – $100 – $110 billion would still be left over for additional ministry expansion.

https://relevantmagazine.com/love-and-money/what-would-happen-if-church-tithed/

We don’t tithe today in the way that many understand we give as the Lord leads us.

I’ll probably get in trouble, but I’m going to tell you not to ties not to give 10% instead going to ask you to ask the Lord what you should give what does it look like to give generously to the work into the ministry and to the mission of Christ? To not give all that God is asking you to give is stealing from him and lying to yourself the Holy Spirit and the church

2 Corinthians 9:7

7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

We can’t all be like Peter and John, but we can all be a Barnabas - Generous man full of the Holy Spirit and of faith - he gave up money to save people.

(4min)

The Holy Spirit enables generosity while hypocrisy is the fruit of greed.

5 But a man named Ananias,

— Warren Wiersbe

Self-Serving Greed

(3min) (*20min)

5 But a man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, 2 and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet. 3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land? 4 While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, was it not at your disposal? Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.” 5 When Ananias heard these words, he fell down and breathed his last. And great fear came upon all who heard of it. 6 The young men rose and wrapped him up and carried him out and buried him.

7 After an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not knowing what had happened. 8 And Peter said to her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much.” And she said, “Yes, for so much.” 9 But Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.” 10 Immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. When the young men came in they found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. 11 And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

Is stealing (1-2a)

Conclusion

(3min) (*17min)

‘kept back’ - literally means to ‘embezzle’

they stole from the Holy Spirit

Peter doesn’t confront them because he wanted more money but because they had cheated God.

The issue was not that they didn’t give enough (Peter makes that point by saying it was theres to do with what they wanted.

Breeds hypocrisy (2b)

(3min) (*14min)

This is where the story gets scary in my mind. Why? because they LOOKED righteous.

From the pew, they looked like the model Christians who were fully devoted.

The problem with hypocrisy is it is like anti-evangelism.

If social media has shown us anything it has shown us that the natural inclination of the human heart is to paint itself better than it really is.

Sometimes I hear “the church is full of hypocrites” and I feel like saying and “I’ve seen your Facebook we have room for one more come join us.”

Is demonic (3)

(3min) (*11min)

But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit

“Satan had failed completely in his attempt to silence the witness of the church. However, the enemy never gives up; he simply changes his strategy. His first approach had been to attack the church from the outside, hoping that arrest and threats would frighten the leaders. When that failed, Satan decided to attack the church from the inside and use people who were a part of the fellowship.”

— Warren Wiersbe

If Satan can create a place of greed rather than generosity he can begin to so the seats of everything that is opposite of a spirit lead community. It would be a place of disunity not marked by Love and generally self-serving rather than serving the mission of Jesus.

Reveals the heart (4)

(3min) (*8min)

Why is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You have not lied to man but to God.

Peter, through the power of the Spirit is able to know the truth behind the lie.

ILLUST - pastor on YouTube who yells at people from the pulpit - calls people out

Lying is never the problem. Lying is the attempt to cover a deeper issue.

We can lie to others and lie to ourselves (justification)

justi

Peter is pointing out not the issue of lying but the heart issue behind it.

Just like in , Jesus equated some people’s love of money with the worship of a god.

In some ways, rather than being a god, for some people money is the ‘prayer life’ by which we control the one we really worship - ourselves.

Is deadly (5)

(3min) (*5min)

sin is serious - always

One person has said that the reason this part of the story makes us so uncomfortable is because if this was how God chose to work today, we’d all be dead.

ILLUST - What if we published everyone’s giving records?. . . This is there v. 11 comes in: ‘And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things.’ We would never do that, but the shock makes a point.

The believers of the Early Church certainly did not see their faith or their giving to be something that was private - they had all things in common.

We shouldn’t ask then, “Why did they die?” We really should be asking, “Why are we still alive?”

Why was it so severe?

While the punishment for the sin may not be as severe today, the gravity of the sin and its effects on our spiritual life are still just as severe.

v.11 - ‘great fear’

I find it interesting that the final result of the passage is fear.

fear was understandable - if we are talking about being scared

‘Fear’ is same word used in connection with worship (ref?)

Tim Keller - Definition of biblical fear: “Awe mixed with intimacy.”

Ownership vs Stewardship

(2min) (*2min)

The real question is ‘How do we gain a Spirit-led heart of genuine generosity?’

The answer is found in understanding the difference between ownership and stewardship.

God owns everything, and he allows us to steward some of those things.

God owns everything:

Psalm 24:1

1 The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,

the world and those who dwell therein,

David:

11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all.

10 Therefore David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the assembly. And David said: “Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, forever and ever. 11 Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as head above all. 12 Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all. 13 And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

He allows us to steward some things:

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016), .

Is there an area of your life that you have not surrendered all to Jesus. Is this something that you are holding back? You may look religious you may act religious but if you’re honest it’s just a mask of hypocrisy? You’re essentially a Facebook Christian. The picture you put out for all to see does not match when compared to what is actually given.

Maybe you need to check your heart by checking your budget. Are you stewarding the resources that God has given you well? Do you see yourself as a steward given by grace resources to use for God‘s kingdom? Or do you see yourself as an owner who’s earned the right to spend what you have for yourself?

fear was understandable

‘Fear’ is same word used in connection with worship (ref?)

What has God called you to give? Are you giving?

Tim Keller - Definition of biblical fear: “Awe mixed with intimacy.”

I Surrender All

Jim Elliot - in 1956 - one of five missionaries killed while trying to evangelize a tribal group in Ecuador.

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

“One does not surrender a life in an instant - that which is lifelong can only be surrendered in a lifetime.”