Invested

Stock Market

I don’t travel as often as I used to, but when I had a job where I was out of town almost once a month I started to develop some habits. I always flew with the same airline and I always rented cars from the same car rental company. Delta and Hertz respectively. I didn’t really give either of these companies much thought, other than the service that they provide and the fact that I had started to get complementary upgrades on flights and cars and that I had accumulated enough miles over a few years that I was able to use their services at no cost for a handful of personal trips. I was a consumer of their product and nothing more.

But, late last year I got this idea that I was going to try my hand at investing in the stock market. Now understand when i say this, we are talking about a very small amount of money that I have invested via an app on my phone and that I have made a grand total of about $195 in 8 months time. I don’t think I am going to be recruited to be a broker on wall street any time soon.

So, now I have a handful of shares in Hertz, that company where I had been renting my cars, mostly because it was only $1.20 per share when I purchased it. But here is the crazy thing, the Hertz stock went up almost 400% since I purchase it.

My relationship with the rental car company has changed! Now I am invested. I have interest in how global situations might impact this companies business and since their success is my success I have great interest in seeing them succeed!

Spiritual Investing

As Paul is in the final paragraphs of his letter to the Philippians, he is writing a church that has been invested in his ministry. They aren’t just people with passing interest, they are partners in the gospel.

Turn with me to Philippians 4:14-17 and we will read about the Philippians investment

Philippians 4:14–17 KJV 1900

14 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. 15 Now ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only. 16 For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity. 17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.

Our message this morning is entitled “Invested”

Pray

Partners?

Church Giving

There is, without a doubt, a whole lot more money being trusted to Wall Street than is being trusted to God. The latest number for what is invested in the stock marker is around 15 trillion dollars. While about $50 billion is given to churches each year. If you are doing the math, that is about 1/300th as much.

I was encouraged to read that 77% of those who give to the church, give between 11-20% of their income. And that is a good thing, especially considering that only 3-5% of regular church attenders give anything.

Additional Giving

It is expected that as Christians, that we are giving to our local church. But what Paul is talking about is something above and beyond what was required of the church for operation. They gave to meet the need of the Apostle, not under any constraint, but simply because they cared about Paul and they believed in the ministry to which he was attending.

Invested

They were invested.

Treasure

In Matthew 6:21 we read the words of Jesus

Matthew 6:21 KJV 1900

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Jesus is speaking to people who are stockpiling and saving material goods. What does he say? If what we treasure and store away are our material goods, we have to understand that those things can easily be lost to us.

On the contrary, those things that we invest in the Kingdom --can--not--be--destroyed.

Philippian Treasure

Paul says to the Philippians in verse 17

Philippians 4:17 KJV 1900

17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.

There giving

If you want to know the heart of the Philippians, you don’t have to do much research.

Their treasure was with Paul and ministry of the gospel, and so — we see that this is where their hearts were as well.

Remembering that Philippi was a city in Macedonia, we read that their support is what allowed Paul to say in 2 Corinthians 11:8-9

2 Corinthians 11:8–9 KJV 1900

8 I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service. 9 And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.

The Philippians were invested in the ministry of Paul, and their return was a Church planted in one of the most debased cities in all of the world. To understand the deprarvity of this city, term “Corinthianize” became slang for living an immoral and promiscuous life.

So when Paul in 1 Corinthians 6:10 begins to rattle off the list of people who won’t inherit eternal life....

Don’t read

1 Corinthians 6:10–11 KJV 1900

10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

when he concludes in v11 he says

And such were some of you

This tells us not just of the wickedness of the people in Corinth, but that these souls Paul is addressing have saved out of that wickedness.

If you look at v17 in Philippians 4 if you are still there what does Paul say about his motivation for wanting them to give? He says:

Philippians 4:17 KJV 1900

17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.

The fruit that abounded here: were souls that were saved in Corinth. And the Philippians, through their investment in Paul, had a major part in it, it is to their account. Their participation in the gospel is on the record.

Benefits

Christian giving is not without its benefit. And I am not just talking about Kingdom treasure either.

God makes a statement in Malachi, that, makes me a little uncomfortable. And that is mostly because of how this passage is abused by con artists who use the name of God to make themselves rich. Turn with me to Malachi 3:8-10 as we read the words of God delivered by the prophet Malachi

Malachi 3:8–10 KJV 1900

8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, Even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be meat in mine house, And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, If I will not open you the windows of heaven, And pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

This passage comes at a time of correction in Israel. People stopped tithing and God called this robbery. And while it’s true, that some people don’t want to be confronted with the truth that not giving back to God is robbery. That’s not the part that I find uncomfortable.

God invites Israel to put Him to the test, which is something that is extremely out of the ordinary for God. And then God says that he will bless those who do with great abundance. What makes me uncomfortable is this idea of God promising prosperity to those who are faithful in giving.

Tithe

Now, I have to be upfront on this. We can’t find a command or a blunt instruction given in the New Testament about how much or what percent of income is supposed to be given to the church.

But, what I do see is a pretty solid principle establish in the Old Testament with the tithe given to the temple, a word that in itself means 1/10th. I find Abram giving 10% to Melchizedec, the High Priest of God. And in the New Testament, despite being under the rule and taxation of the Roman government, In Jesus parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, In Luke 18:11 the Pharisee justifies himself in proclaiming that he gives a tenth of all that he gets.

I find a compelling pattern that has led our family in giving, and we have never missed it.

Generosity

What is very clear in the New Testament is the picture that forms about the benefit of having a heart of Christian generosity.

2 Corinthians 9:7 tells us

2 Corinthians 9:7 KJV 1900

7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

This isn’t like a savings bond. You don’t put in some amount and God is obligated to return back some multiple of that amount. Like pretty much everything else we find in scripture, this is more about the --heart-- of giving, than the act giving.

Principles on Giving

And we find some things of what God says in Malachi echoed by Jesus in Luke 6:38

Luke 6:38 KJV 1900

38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

And then Paul further echo’s this in 2 Corinthians 9:6

2 Corinthians 9:6 KJV 1900

6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

Essentially, the amount of generosity that you have towards God, and towards others. That is the same type of generosity that God will return again to you.

Cheerful Giving

You don’t have to be a theologian to recognize the benefits of generosity.

Happiness

There was a Study conducted by Harvard back in 2008. And they found, that once basic needs were met, what they called prosocial or charitable giving was a leading indicator of happiness. Regardless of how those that gave reported their happiness before giving. Interestingly, while this trend was significantly measurable for those who gave, it was not for those who spent money on themselves.

Prosperity

Once more, even if we set aside what the bible says about being blessed by giving, and by generosity. There have been secular studies that have come to similar conclusion.

In 2009 Arthur C. Brooks did a study and found something that may be contrary to conventional wisdom.

Conventional wisdom would tell us that the more prosperity that someone has, the more likely they are to give charitably.

What the study found is that this relationship is circular. The more prosperity you have, the more you give. The more you give the more your prosperity increases.

Don’t go to far

Prosperity Gospel

I do think I need to disclaim that I am not promoting the prosperity gospel here. But, I am not going to throw out the clear teachings of the bible, either. Just because there are people who call themselves Christians, who have abused this truth and have streched it beyond it’s context, doesn’t make it not true.

Suffering Need

Remember what Paul said just a couple of verses earlier, in v11-12 of Philippians 4

Philippians 4:11–12 KJV 1900

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.

It may be, that you are as faithful as the Apostle Paul but God has determined that the best way you can serve the Kingdom, or the best circumstance for you to grow in sanctification, or to be equipped for work he will entrust you with: is for you to suffer need!

Abounding

But if God has caused you to abound. The way you will be blessed by that abundance is through your generosity.

Abounding?

Coming back 2 Corinthians 9:7, remember what it said:

2 Corinthians 9:7 KJV 1900

7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

One of the mistakes that we can make is seeing giving as a chore. Or we give because we have been brow beaten through bully preaching into giving.

It’s pretty clear that God doesn’t want you to give unless you have a heart to give. And we aren’t supposed to give because it is the thing we are told we are required to do.

We should give because it brings us joy to do so.

God loves a -cheerful- giver

And when you see how God can use your generosity to build a church, to impact lives, and to reach the lost for Christ. For a Christian, getting the privilege to participate in that should bring you great joy.

I have loved getting to see our church family grow and I have loved seeing Harvest become greater equipped and greater prepared for the work ahead of us in reaching this community.

And I hope that in your giving, it’s not just because it’s something you feel obligated to do…but that you have real joy in being able to participate in the advancement of the Kingdom of God.

To mirror what Paul said in Philippians 4:17, The victories that come from ministries of our Church. Those are to your credit.

If you have any questions about this message or if there is something on your heart about your relationship with God. I am available after the service and would be happy to talk to you. If you happen to be watching this online, you can send me a message personally or through Harvest’s page and I promise that it will remain confidential.

Pray