The Right Way To Give
| Not only is the right way to give regularly, universally, and proportionately. It is also done freely. There is a rather odd request from Paul. He doesn’t want any collections to be made during his visit. Instead, he wishes for it to take place prior to his arrival. Why? Several reasons may lie behind Paul’s wish that no collections take place after he arrives. His use of the noun “grace” in 1 Cor. 16:3 to describe the gift suggests that he considers it to be a freewill offering that is a response to God’s grace in their lives. By taking up the collection in advance, they are completely free in what they give, and he will not know who contributed what. Possibly, he wanted to avoid being perceived as twisting arms to get money by asking in person (cf. 2 Cor. 9:5), or he did not want to take time from other labors to try to raise money (Barrett 1968: 387). Since he intended to spend the winter with the Corinthians, he may have “anticipated sending the delegation (v. 3) to Jerusalem almost immediately upon his arrival in Corinth” (R. Collins 1999: 589) in the late summer or in early autumn. In addition, he may fear that the sum would be meager if collected belatedly, and he wishes to avoid a last-minute scraping for funds (Thiselton 2000: 1325). He has no desire “to go round begging” (Robertson and Plummer 1914: 385). He also may be sensitive to possible accusations of chicanery (cf. 2 Cor. 8:20; 12:14–18). If you don’t guard your heart, the enemy will divide your loyalties. In other words he wants them to give freely.Perhaps the story of the 5 year old girl, the quarter, and the dollar. |
| Introduction!The true story is told of a man who came to Peter Marshall, former chaplain of the Unites States Senate, with a concern about tithing. He said: "I have a problem. I have been tithing for some time. It wasn't too bad when I was making $20,000 a year. I could afford to give the $2,000. But now I am making $500,000, and there is just no way I can afford to give away $50,000 a year."Dr. Marshall reflected on this wealthy man's dilemma but gave no advice. He simply said: "Yes, sir. I see that you do have a problem. I think we ought to pray about it. Is that alright?"The man agreed, so Dr. Marshall bowed his head and prayed with boldness and authority. "Dear Lord, this man has a problem, and I pray that you will help him. Lord, reduce his salary back to the place where he can afford to tithe."According to some recent statistics, this man is not alone. I bet you didn’t know that only 12% (12 out of every 100) of Protestants and 4 % (4 out of every 100) of Catholics tithe! If all committed Christians would tithe there would be an extra 46 billion dollars a year available to promote the kingdom of God. That’s enough money to fund 150,000 new missionaries; 50,000 new seminary students; provide food, clothing, and shelter for all 6,500,000 current refugees in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East; enough money to sponsor 20 million needy children worldwide. In short, reasonably generous giving by committed Christians would result in enough money to literally change the world. The truth is that sometimes even the most committed Christians have difficulty giving properly to the church. Sometimes I may have difficulty giving as I should. Sometimes you may have difficulty giving as you should. The early Christians had difficulty giving. That’s why, on more than one occasion, the apostle Paul had to deal with the issue of giving in the local church. In this letter, the apostle Paul responds to the believers at Corinth. He answers their questions about sex, marriage, divorce, food offered to idols, public worship, spiritual gifts, and the resurrection of the dead. But most importantly he instructs them in the right way to give. And that’s what I want to talk about this morning, THE RIGHT WAY TO GIVE. Give Regularly!First of all we ought to give regularly “on the first day of the week”. The early church met on the first day of the week in commemoration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. And each time they met they were encouraged to give. YOU CANNOT GIVE REGULARLY IF YOU DON’T ATTEND REGULARLY. If we are committed to the cause of Christ then we should be committed to the church of Christ. 1. The writer of Hebrews warns, “Do not forsake the assembling of yourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Heb 10:25)Regular worship is a part of what it means to be the church. That’s why |
| The Right Way to Give! (1 Corinthians 16:2) |
| 2.Celebration is one of the 5 C’s of our mission statement. Because that’s part of what it means to belong to Jeffries Cross Missionary Baptist Church. It means we regularly meet to Celebrate God and goodness. 3. Committed Christians worship regularly and as a part of that worship they give regularly. In 2 Sam. 24:18 King David wished to build an altar on a threshing floor that did not belong to him. The altar belonged to King Araunah, who was more than pleased to give David not only the threshing floor, but oxen, wood, and threshing implements. But David refused and said, “I will not offer to the Lord that which cost me nothing!” WHAT OFFERING HAVE YOU BROUGHT WITH YOU? AND HOW MUCH HAS IT COST YOU? 4. Because what the LORD has given us cost Him dearly. He gave us his ONE and ONLY SON … He gave us JESUS to die on a CROSS for your sins and mine. That WE might not perish but have everlasting life. Give universally.Not only must we give regularly, we must also give universally. Paul says, “let each one of you lay something aside.” That means everybody gives. The young and the old; the rich and the poor; the educated and the uneducated; the white-collar workers and the blue-collar workers. God’s plan is that the church be self-supporting. And she can be, if everybody gives. · If everybody gives, we won’t have to depend on government grants to further God’s vision for this church. · If everybody gives, there will be no need to sell chicken dinners and raffle tickets.· If everybody gives, the question won’t be if we will be able to support full-time ministry but when. · If everybody gives, this church can provide housing for the homeless, clothing for the naked, food for the hungry, and jobs for the jobless.· If everybody gives, this church’s witness will transform lives in this community and beyond. Another “C” of the cross is commitment. Part of our mission is to develop each believer’s commitment to Christ. This is a tithe and offering church. That means each new member is expected to demonstrate your commitment to Christ through giving your tithes and offerings. Give Proportionately!If we want to give the right way, not only must we give regularly and universally. We must also give proportionately. The text says “storing up as he may prosper.” But it the verb “prosper” is not active but passive. That means the subject is not the one performing the action but rather the one upon whom the action is taking place. A better rendition is provided in the NET Bible – “save it to the extent that God has blessed you”. |
| The trouble is, too many saints, as they earn more, involve themselves in more and more financial obligations; and then they do not have more to give to the Lord. As the old saying goes, “When your outgo exceeds your income, then your upkeep is your downfall!” This text makes it clear that God is the one who prospers us. God is the one who allows us to make money. God is the one who is at work meeting the needs of others through us. And God is the one at work through pastors and preachers admonishing the saints to contribute towards the Lord’s work. When the church is faithful in stewardship, humanity is meeting needs and also having its needs met.Hasn’t God prospered us? Hasn’t God blessed us? Hasn’t God brought us from a mighty long way? Hasn’t blessed us to to matriculate from an institution of higher learning? Hasn’t God blessed us with AD, BA, BS, MS, MD, or PHD? Hasn’t God blessed us? Hasn’t God blessed us with incomes that some of us never thought we would make? Hasn’t God blessed us with homes that we never thought we would live in? Hasn’t God blessed us with opportunities we never thought we would have. It was expected of ALL believers to give and the giving was not to be the same for each believer. Paul says let each of you give “As God hath prospered him”. THAT MEANS THE MORE WE’VE GOT THE MORE WE GIVE. Although Paul doesn’t mention the tithe, certainly we should give no less than the tithe. 10 percent of our income is a good place to start. As the Lord gives us more, we should plan to give more. That means if I have been blessed with 10 dollars, I should give the Lord at least one of them. 8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. 10 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. (Mal 3:8-10 NKJV) Give Freely! |
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