The Final Thoughts Part I: Instuctions on Financial Collections

Intro

Good morning and wolcome to Countryside Vineyard Church, my name is Joe Fager, and I am one of the pastors here.

This morning we will be continuing our study in 1 Corinthians, and I believe that next is our last message in this book, and then we move on to 2 Corinthians.

This morning we will be hanging out in Chapter 16, verse 1-4.

Instructions on Financial Collections.

Also this morning is communion, so if you are at home, we will live stream this at the end you are welcome to grab some juice and bread and join us at the end of the service.

Before I begin to teach, let’s pray....

Instructions for the Collection

This is a short passage, just four verses and honestly though we can get some good take aways from the passage it is not theologically dense material like some of the other passages we’ve been through in this book.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. 3 And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable that I should go also, they will accompany me.

The first thing I notice about this passage is that it’s sort of abrupt, right, I mean Paul doesn’t give any backstory or anything, like why the gift is being collected in the first place.

We know from elsewhere, specifically Romans 15:26 that this was a gift that Paul was taking to Jerusalem for the poor christians there.

In Romans 15:25-28 Paul says this:

English Standard Version Chapter 15

25 At present, however, I am going to Jerusalem bringing aid to the saints. 26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem. 27 For they were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also to be of service to them in material blessings. 28 When therefore I have completed this and have delivered to them what has been collected, I will leave for Spain by way of you.

Excursus On the Unity of the Bible

Now you guys know I am kind of a geek for these things, but this one of those occasions where the unity of the New Testament really comes to light. See no matter how critical scholars try to discredit the relaiability of the Bible things like this get em every time.

What do I mean?

So, the lettter to the Romans, Paul wrote that from Corinth. He was staying in Corinth when he wrote Romans. (Acts 20:2-3)

1st and 2nd Corinthinas he had written some years prior to this final visit there probably from Ephasus.

When he wrote this passage we are dealking with today, he had already given instructions to the churches of Galatia for the collection for Jerusalem, probably while he was there, and was in the process of collecting the gift from them.

All of this is happening on his third missionary journey that the book of Acts outlines in Chapter’s 18:24-21.

This is cool so you see in these verses that he says if I’m able to come back I will accomplany the gift to Jerusalem, well we find out in Acts that is exactly what he did. In Romans he says he collected the gifts from Macedonia (including the churches of Greece (Corinth)) and Achaia, Ephasus and churches around there and the Galatian churces as well.

What’s my point? These things were real historical facts, and thanks to little throwaway details like this, we can peice together a lot of information in the Bible, and verfiy its authenticity and reliabiblity.

Collection for Jerusalem

Ok, so what was this collection for the saints in Jerusalem all about? We actually don’t know much about it.

We only know that the Jerusalem church really struggled, her members were

very poor and they were

heavily persecuted, and

many of them had lost their family, friends and employment for the sake of the gospel.

Remeber that Jerusalem is the captial of Judaism, and there were many more Jews than Christians. Plus it was occupied by Rome, so it was a hostile place for Christians to live in.

Apparnetly the corinthians knew the backstory having been told personally by on his previous visit there. He was reminding them of something that all the churches were doing.

He was saying I want to you bring whatever you can spare to the church each Sunday and give it to the church for safekeeping until I come get it.

I want to make this clear, this offering or gift was above whatever the church there had normally collected. Paul didn’t ask the church to send a gift to the poor in Jerusalem, Paul was asking each and every member to give a gift to the church in Jerusalem. The church simply collected and kept it safe unitl it would be finally delivered.

Excursus on Giving

Now I want to talk a little about what the Bible has to say about giving.

It’s been quite some time since we as a church have talked about this important subject, but here it is staring us in the face, so we are going to talk about it.

There are two basic types of giving in the church.

The first is called the tithe, and the second is called the offering.

The Tithe

The concept of tithing is something that Scripture clearly teaches, Old Testament and new.

I’m going to give you four quick reasons to Tithe after a give you a definition and an ataboy.

First, the ataboy.

We have done fairly well in the midst of closing and people losing jobs and or not getting that job they had planned on getting, or cut hours or whatever your case may be during this pandemic.

The church has not had to cut anything from the budget, and any shortfalls have been covered by the money we aren’t spending on normal operational expenses.

Amen, Praise the lord, that is good news, and that is you guys being obedient and scraficially giving. That’s great stuff, and I want to commend you for that.

What is tithing, you may ask.

Well the definition is literally tenth. So, your leaders at the church, myself, the Van Wey’s the Quibell’s, the Everts, the Tackett’s start our giving at 10% of our income. We beleive the Bible teaches that.

Does that come from net or gross? Ask god let him direct you.

When money come in, the first 10% goes to the local church. That’s the concept.

Probably the most common Scripture passage concerning the Tithe is Mal. 3:8 ff

Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

Now this is clearly a message to Israel written about 2500 years ago, but we beleive the prinicples and promises are still valid for the church today.

Why can I say this, becasue I and all the leaders here can you tell you story after story about how God blesses these words. We have tested God, and found him reliable and true to to his word.

Anytime you scrafice something for the work of the Kingdom you will receive blessing that you did not see coming. It’s just who God is.

I’m going to give you four reasons why tithing is important.

It feeds your Pastors so they can focus on feeding you the word,

Plus maintains the building and operations of the church and ministries of the church.

Pretty simple concept that goes without saying, but people don’t often think about it.

1 Corinthians 9:13-14 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.

1 Timothy 5:18 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”

Galatians 6:6 One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches.

Supports the poor and mistreated in our community.

This is the church’s job, not the government’s.

Deut. 26:12 “When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled,

It’s about obedience.

There is always blessing in obedience always, every time. You cannot out-give God in any way shape or form. He will bless you for your obedience.

Back to

Malachi 3: He contrasts disobedience with obedience. He says because you are being disobedient you are being cursed and when you decide to start listening to me, and being obedient, I will pour out so much blessing you won’t even know what to do with it.

I could tell you story after story, and bring up person after person to testify to the absolute blessing in obedience to God.

He says (no He commands you) to put him to the test in this matter.

It’s about worship.

The reality is that the amount of money, of talent, of time, of ability you give or don’t give is exactly representative of your worship and devotion to God.

Now some of you don’t like what I just said, in fact it doesn’t sit really well me either.

You angrily say money has nothing to do with my worship or my devotion to God.

Ah, but I didn’t say this, Jesus did.

In Matthew 6:21 Jesus (not some biblical writer) Jesus said where your treasure is there your heart is also.

Matthew 6:24 We know it well “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

I know i said four but actually there is five, the fifth is this. God demonstrated it when he gave his only begotten son to die for you and me.

Phil 2:5-8 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Our God is giver.

So, that’s the tithe, so what about offering.

The Offering

The Bible never attaches a number of any kind to offering. Not 5%, not 2%, not any number, but only what is in your heart to give, when a need arises.

An example of this is the parking lot, way to go church again!!!

But this is what Paul is asking from the Corinthians, he wants them to give a little more than what they normally give, and he asks them to set aside this amount every week to be collected by the church and safely kept until Paul comes to get it.

Offerings are anything you give above the Tithe. Offerings can go to anything and anyone the Lord leads you to give to.

That means other ministries (not a part of your local church)

your neighbor who has fallen on hard times

anything and everything above the tithe is offerings and it does not necessarily have to go the local church, but it can.

Finally, we see here that Paul has set up contingency plans in case he is unable to make the journey to Jerusalem, which he does do.

Even then he seays, even if I go I will go with them. get this money to Jeusalem in I can’t make the journey.

Even then he sys, even if I go I will go with them.

In those days the sender of the gift would also write a letter to those receiving gift to validate the reason for the gift and probably what was to be done with it.

There is nothing out of the ordinary in any of these instructions.

Paul is practicing a principal here that is extremely important.

There should be accountability and protection for those who handle money in the church.

Take-aways

As I close, I want to leave with a few important takeaways.

Tithes and offering are a personal matter between you and God.

We won’t ever come knocking on your door to try and coherce into giving more, we only keep records for your taxes, otherwise I think we would rather not know who gives what, and in fact Bill doesn’t know who gvies what. That is the business of the church treasurer.

Something I didn’t mention earlier, but Tithe is meant to be a firstfruit. This is what Paul means by saying bring your offering on the first day (Sunday) becasue yes even in 50 AD they were meeting for worship on Sunday.

This means give off the top of your income, not from the leftovers. It’s hard at first, but I promise God will bless it if you test him (as he says to do) in this.

Be above board in how you handle God’s money.

This is more instruction for church leadership. Paul says, select people who are trustworthy, and have witnesses around so nonone is tempted (the people you send with the money and the letters will serve that purpose).

Communion

English Standard Version Chapter 11

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”