The Generous Church - 31

The Imperfect Church – 31

The Generous Church

Introduction

In September 2013, a man in Brazil developed what doctors called "pathological generosity." In an article published in the journal Neuroscience, doctors described the strange case of a 49-year-old man identified as "Mr. A" who had a remarkable personality change after suffering a stroke. His physicians said that after the stroke affected the subcortical regions of the man's brain, he suddenly had an "excessive and persistent" urge to help others. He wouldn't stop giving money and gifts to people he barely knew. According to his wife, he would buy candy, soda, and food for kids he met on the street. Eventually, the issue became so troublesome that he quit his job as a manager at a large corporation.

Dr. Larry Goldstein, a neurologist at Duke University said, "Although the observation of personality change is not that unusual, this particular one is apparently novel." When asked by researchers if he wanted to return to his job, Mr. A. claimed that he "saw death from close up" and he wanted to "be in high spirits" for the rest of his life.

Don’t we all! Though this man’s generosity came from a tragic medical issue, he did come to understand that generosity created the reality of “high spirits” in his life. He came to realize that giving made a difference in his life. Jesus said that it is more blessed to give than receive. We understand a bit of what Mr. A experienced, don’t we? He had a major life-changing event, and that change resulted in generosity. From the biblical perspective, we call that “conversion.” When God does his saving work in someone’s life, one of the radical changes that occurs is a new commitment to, and participation in, a lifestyle of generosity. We see this from the very beginning of the Church. Let’s go to and remind ourselves of how the Church started and how it functions.

records the events surrounding the birth of the church. It is the Day of Pentecost, around 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. 120 believers are in a room together and the Holy Spirit falls. They go outside where there is the sound of a mighty rushing wind. A crowd gathers and the disciples start preaching. Peter, the chief spokesman for the day, preaches the first recorded Gospel sermon in history.

- 32 “God raised Jesus from the dead, and we are all witnesses of this. 33 Now he is exalted to the place of highest honor in heaven, at God’s right hand. And the Father, as he had promised, gave him the Holy Spirit to pour out upon us, just as you see and hear today. 34 For David himself never ascended into heaven, yet he said,

‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand 35 until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”’

36 “So let everyone in Israel know for certain that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, to be both Lord and Messiah!”

The sermon landed well. V. 37 says that Peter’s words “pierced their hearts.” So they believe that what Peter said was true, and they are convicted by it. And they ask, “Brothers, what should we do?” How do we respond to this Gospel?

- 38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 This promise is to you, to your children, and to those far away—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”

And man, do they respond! V. 41 says that 3,000 people were baptized into Christ that day, and thus the Church begins. Immediately, the Bible records for us what the Church did, what they focused on, and how they lived out their new Christian life.

- 42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. 46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

If you have been around Broadway for any time at all, then you know that we look to these verses to show us how to build a great church. We don’t get to make up how the church functions…God has already shown us. These verses show a pattern of living that is true of all Christians (slide of graphic)

1. DISCOVER GRACE

These people had just had a radical encounter with the truth of the Gospel. They responded to it and discovered God’s grace can change any life. They have crossed, as the NT says, from death to life. From Hell to Heaven. From hopeless to hopeful. Grace changes people. They immediately showed signs of that change.

2. TAKE STEPS

Notice that they didn’t sit and talk about their new faith. They didn’t decide that they were now Christians, so let’s go back to the way life was before. They immediately began growing in their new faith.

v. 42 – All the believers devoted themselves to the apostle’s teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

From the start, the Church focused on growing in their faith. They devoted themselves to the practices and environments that would help mature their new faith. But these were not just personal, private practices they did at home. Others were involved.

3. BUILD RELATIONSHIPS

v. 44a, 46 – And all the believers met together in one place…they worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity.

Their faith was not based on a “me and Jesus” philosophy. They understood that if they were going to live out their faith, and properly grow in their faith, they had to do that with one another. Part of God’s purpose for the Church is to bring diverse people together, showing the Gospel’s power to create unity. But as they were spending time together, they realized that this change that God brought about in them was not for the purpose of them just hanging out together. As they were with one another they were up close and personal with the real needs around them.

4. PURSUE GENEROSITY

v. 44-45 – And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.

They knew that part of this change that God brought about in their life was to life their focus off of themselves and put it on others. They saw needs and made some radical changes to meet them. Notice that it doesn’t say they gave a bit out of their extra stuff to meet needs. No, they gave up to be able to give. They sold property and possessions to generate necessary funds.

After Warren Buffet gave a $26 billion gift to the Gates Foundation, he said that his gift has not changed his lifestyle at all. He still goes to the movies and goes out to eat. He said the true heroes were those who give gifts that require they can’t go to the movies or out to eat. He acknowledged that sacrifice is the measure of generosity.

This practice of generosity was so ingrained in their lives that by chapter 4 in Acts, we find this description of the Church: - 32 All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. 33 The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. 34 There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.

“No needy persons among them.” That’s incredible! When a person discovers grace, they next move is to begin taking steps to grow in that faith. But that isn’t done in isolation, God puts us into the Church to grow together. And when we begin to build relationships with people, and are introduced to their needs, because God has changed us so deeply, our response is to pursue generosity. So, I say all of that for review to say this…from day one the Church has been passionate about, committed to, the pursuit of generosity. With that in mind, turn to .

Next Sunday will be our 33rd and final sermon in 1 Corinthians. Today we are looking only at the first four verses of this final chapter. We are coming off of four weeks walking through the gloriousness of chapter 15, looking at the Gospel and the profound implications of the resurrection. There are few places in the Bible that compete with the glorious, hope-filling theology of chapter 15. Notice the first thing he says coming out of talking about that.

- Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. 2 On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once. 3 When I come, I will write letters of recommendation for the messengers you choose to deliver your gift to Jerusalem. 4 And if it seems appropriate for me to go along, they can travel with me.

Doesn’t this seem like a pretty hard transition? To go from the utmost of theological texts to a command about giving is about as hard-lined of a transition you’ll find in the Bible. But after what we saw in , this is a fitting transition. Because when you see what God has done for you in Christ, and what God is going to do at his return, one of the primary changes that makes in us is generosity. If chapter 15 is true, how could we not now want to take our resources and help others come to know those same truths? When you discover grace, you inevitable pursue generosity.

He mentions specifically collecting money for God’s people in Jerusalem. As Paul traveled around, he talked to multiple churches about this same issue. It comes up in Romans and in 2 Corinthians. There is record of a famine around this time in Jerusalem, not to mention some pretty harsh persecution happening against the Christians there. So, Paul is traveling around and telling all these Christians, even in different countries, this is your responsibility too. Not only should you care about their poverty, it will be your generosity that alleviates it.

Notice v. 2 – “…you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned.” That phrase “put aside” comes from the Greek word titheto that means to give up. Jesus uses it 4x in (v. 11,15,17,18) to refer to his offering his life as a sacrifice. Listen to these words from 1 John.

- 16 We know what real love is because Jesus gave up his life for us. So we also ought to give up our lives for our brothers and sisters. 17 If someone has enough money to live well and sees a brother or sister in need but shows no compassion—how can God’s love be in that person?

18 Dear children, let’s not merely say that we love each other; let us show the truth by our actions.

Jesus “gave up” his life for us, therefore we out to “give up” our lives for others. Both of those uses of “give up” are the same word Paul uses in . So just as Jesus has done for us, we do. He sacrifices, we sacrifice. Part of what that means is that we “give up” or “put aside” some of the money we have earned for the sake of helping others.

We do that each Sunday. At every worship gathering we come to this point in the service where we collect the offering. This is why. Because we acknowledge the transformation God has made in our lives. We have discovered grace. And part of what that means is a commitment to the pursuit of generosity. Your giving here enables this church to have its expansive reach into this community, into the lives of everyone else around this church (not just you), and even all the way around the world. Just as Jesus gave up his life for us, so we give up our money for others.

For the next few minutes I want to talk about a specific giving opportunity that is above and beyond your giving here. We have been privileged this weekend to host the Compassion Experience. I know so many of you have been able to walk through it and experience what life is like for a child in poverty. If you haven’t gone through it yet, definitely make that a priority for today or tomorrow. Your eyes will be opened to the reality of poverty and suffering in ways we have never known before. Hear the Bible’s clear encouragement to us…this is your responsibility. Your generosity can alleviate this poverty.

Compassion International is an incredible organization that is known for helping children in poverty, and handling finances with the utmost of integrity. Their mission is to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. Let me give you some numbers to help set up why this is so important:

--600 million children living in extreme poverty worldwide. Extreme poverty is defined as living on less than $2 per day

--18,000 children die every day from poverty and poverty related issues. Needed something to eat, needed shelter, needed medical care, and did not get it.

So, what Compassion does to alleviate poverty is to set up a system of sponsorship that pairs each child with a person who will fund their care. For $38 per month, that child is ensured food, shelter, medical care, education, and most importantly, are introduced to the love of Jesus (which they quickly understand because of the generosity of Christians like you).

Out in the lobby we have 120 packets that represent 120 children living right now today in extreme poverty. All of them are from Burkina Faso [pic of map] in Africa. By sponsoring all from the same country, we can begin to make a dent in the reality of poverty. We can change some families. We can change a village.

In each packet is a tear-off card. This detail is very important…this packet and this card cannot leave the building together. This packet is the only packet for this child, so if you leave without filling this out, it causes problems. So, don’t take a packet, decide to think about it, and fill it out later. This needs to be done before you leave. Again, this is $38 per month that comprehensively meets the needs of a child and absolutely changes their lives.

For some of you, $38 per month is beyond what you can sacrifice. Maybe get a few friends together and do this together. Maybe your small group can do this. For others of you, the issue isn’t whether you should sponsor a child, but how many you are going to sponsor. Our family has sponsored a couple kids over the years, but we haven’t in some time. But we believe this is so important that we are picking up a child to sponsor today as well.

Compassion now has an app that you can download. When you sponsor a child, you input your number into it, and you can see your child’s profile. You can write and receive letters from them right there (mail takes forever). You can have a real relationship with this child.

Now, before we dismiss to go do that, I am going to pray as we take up our offering. Again, once you discover grace, it is inevitable that you will pursue generosity. And as we see the needs of people around us here in Mattoon and in the lives of people in this church, as Jesus gave up his life for us, so we give up our lives, we give up our money to help them. That is what this time is for. Then after offering, we will sing another song together and then be dismissed. Head out into the lobby to the Compassion table and choose a child to help today.

PRAYER