Overflow With Generosity

So while we gear up for our next series, I’m going to take this morning to talk about an important biblical concept. And that is, the topic of generosity.

I’m challenging you to consider a few things in your own life:

1. Are you a giver or taker in the life of this local church?

2. Are you a consumer or a contributor?

3. Do you see your resources as yours to control for your own kingdom, or do you see them as belonging to God...something to steward for the sake of His Kingdom?

These are crucial questions, and ones that need to be considered seriously.

Here’s the reality of our situation...

We are still a young church…young in age, and young in terms of a longevity of faithful service to Jesus Christ as a body. With this comes certain unique qualities.

One of those qualities is a big vision for the future.

The challenge that this presents is that the vision is often bigger than our ability to fulfill it. I share this because, as leaders, we owe it to you to communicate and paint an accurate picture of where we are.

I asked for this report so I could share it with you, equip you, motivate you and give you accurate understanding of a present reality. Over the last three months, out of approx 170 people who are members or have been attending here regularly, including adults and children, there are 26 people who regularly gave to the mission of this church. That’s 14%.

One thing that I have to say is praise God for providing for us, and for faithful partnerships in the Gospel. On the other hand, imagine the possibilities for the Kingdom if even 50%, or 80, or 100% gave from the heart as partners in the work.

We don’t want extravagance, but we do want stability, and the ability to steward finances and resources toward a steady Kingdom work.

This would include things like a building of our own to worship in, to train leaders, and to send missionaries and church planters from. A place of solace and refuge and fellowship…a place dedicated to God for decades of preaching the word to generations of disciple-makers.

All this takes what? MONEY! Oh…now you’ve done it! You’ve said the word which should not be spoken!

Because we desire to be a biblical church, we believe it’s biblical to be led by a plurality of elders. Some of these will be lay elders and will continue to work outside the church at a profession or a craft, but historically, and biblically, a pastor receives a living through the church so as to be able devote all of their time to the study of and preaching of the word of God, while not being so busy that their family suffers. This is biblical. Let me show you.

Look at what Paul says to Timothy when giving him instruction on the local church.

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.”

This is very clear, that honor is to be given to elders, and when possible, that honor will include wages - and especially for teaching and preaching elders.

in 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.

So, even though Paul chose to be a tent maker, and to not burden the churches, we know that he saw this as the exception and not the rule.

It is biblical for the people of God to provide monetarily for its pastor or pastors (when possible), and for that matter, any additional staff members that are employed for the fulfillment of the great commission.

But this idea of the Church providing for those who give their full attention to the ministry is not just a New Testament concept.

Let’s look back at Numbers 18:21-24

“To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting, so that the people of Israel do not come near the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. But the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the people of Israel they shall have no inheritance. For the tithe of the people of Israel, which they present as a contribution to the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said of them that they shall have no inheritance among the people of Israel.”

One sermon is not sufficient time to get into the entirety of this system. But let’s just summarize. Israel began as a theocracy, not a democracy. God was the head of Israel. He was the King, and the government of Israel was the priesthood. The priesthood and the Levites represented God’s law which He had given through Moses, to the people. Well would you believe it? That system needed funding. The way that this system was funded was through a tax called the tithe. Tithe simply means 10%. This was not an offering, as some may think, but was an obligatory tax that every member of Israel was to take part in.

In addition to this there was a feast tithe that was commanded in Deuteronomy 14, as well as a third tithe for the poor that was to be taken up every three years, and given to the widows, sojourners, orphans, etc... So, for those who are strongly convinced you should still be ‘tithing’ just like Israel was commanded, in reality it was closer to between 25% of their yearly increase…whether that be grain, produce, herds... or however they made a living, that was used to fund that Old Testament government system.

But the reality was, the Tithe for Israel was a tax, not an offering. But a tax doesn’t really show generosity does it? No!

But wait, we’re not done. The Old Testament also speaks of what is called a “Freewill Offering”. That is to say, that Israel did give above and beyond the taxation that was required of them.

Free will…simply meaning, they gave what they wanted and it was based on a matter of the heart, and not the letter of the law. And that’s really what has carried through into New Testament giving as well.

Now, the carnal mind thinks, “Well that’s good, now we don’t have to give as much as they used to, if even at all.” I mean, if it’s based on what we want to give...

In Exodus 35 when the tabernacle was going to be first constructed, this is what Moses said to the people.

Exodus 35:4 Moses said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “This is the thing that the LORD has commanded. 5 Take from among you a contribution to the LORD. Whoever is of a generous heart, let him bring the LORD’s contribution: gold, silver, and bronze; 6 blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen; goats’ hair, 7 tanned rams’ skins, and goatskins; acacia wood, 8 oil for the light, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 9 and onyx stones and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece.

What was the need? The tabernacle...

How was it going to get funded? The people of God?

How much should they give? It was not specified, only that whoever is of a generous heart.

Now look down at v20...Then all the congregation of the people of Israel departed from the presence of Moses. 21 And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him, and brought the LORD’s contribution to be used for the tent of meeting, and for all its service, and for the holy garments.

What happens in the next chapter, is that the guys who were skilled to oversee the work, they examined the freewill offerings that continued to come in every morning, and they actually had to tell them to stop, because there was too much coming in!

I’ve never seen that. I’ve never heard of a church having to tell their people to stop giving, because there was too much! Now, what this does say, though, is that the people who are charged with overseeing the funds are called to be honest about the needs. And that’s often the downfall of giving. People tend not to trust where their gifts are going. And this is why mission and vision is crucial. This is why communication, and biblical eldership, and truly having leaders that are commited to the Kingdom is so important.

They came with their gifts because they knew that it would be used for the tent of meeting, all its services, and the holy garments.

What was the vision? Create a place for meeting with the Lord, to be ever before his face, to worship in his presence, and to be that holy nation through which God had chosen to show the world who He is.

This is the mission that stirred up their hearts, and moved their spirits to give. Did you notice it? And they came, everyone whose heart stirred him, and everyone whose spirit moved him.

So what about today? What about the tithe? What about our giving?

To get really relevant…what is expected of the believers who are members of New City Church? We have a variety of ways to give that are mentioned every week by the person who leads the prayer time. You probably grew up in a church that passed an offering plate, or basket. And that’s not wrong either. What matters is the mission of the church that takes up the offering, and are we all thinking and responding biblically about giving?

We already know based on Paul’s words to Timothy that it was expected, similar to the Levites, that those who labor in local pastoral shepherding ministry should be supported, whenever possible, by the local church. Throughout church history this was accepted and expected. This and other expenses were not to be covered by a tithe tax (though many still use 10% as a starting point), but it was through free will, from the heart, spirit led giving.

There is no Tithe exacted upon the church today. Nowhere in the New Testament can we find that. When Jesus told Israel to give to Caesar what belonged to him, and to God what belonged to him - He was recognizing that Israel was not a theocracy any more under the rule of Rome - so pay taxes to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God. Now, what belongs to God, New City?

EVERYTHING!

Look at 2 Corinthians 8 with me

In this chapter Paul encourages the Corinthian church to be generous in their giving, and even challenges them in their generosity.

2 Corinthians 8: 1-5 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

You see that? Hey Corinthian believers, check out the grace of God among the poor and afflicted churches of Macedonia.

Here, Paul completely obliterates the myth that giving should only come from people who have extra.

Even the widow in Jesus day was praised for the single coin she offered in faith, because it was everything she had. And the rich were shamed, because out of their abundance, they gave only a fraction.

Several things stand out that should challenge our thinking about how we give.

1. Generosity is not a concept limited to those who have extra, but for all who have experienced the grace of God.

v2. Paul said that it was their abundance of joy, plus their poverty, that equaled a wealth of generosity on their part. That’s some strange math, but that’s what the grace of God does.

2. Generous Christians don’t need to be begged to give, but will of their own accord beg to be contributors to the cause of the gospel.

I’ll just ask you…Which one are? What kind of a church are we?

It would seem that the Corinthians did not have the same issue of poverty that the Macedonians had. And though he would not command that they give, notice that he did appeal to their hearts with the Gospel.

In other words, The greatest motivation to becoming a church that overflows with generosity, is for every member to understand how much Christ has given done.

And that’s why Paul says this in v9.

Look at v9. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.

You know, if you were to memorize this verse, I want you to image the scenarios in which someone might ask you…what is the Gospel? or What is Christianity all about?

Oh, it’s about a Saviour who is God of all, creator of all, richer than all, more glorious than all the stars, the originator of love, and grace, and kindness - and this Savior who has everything, and needs nothing, looked at the spiritual poverty of the world and was moved with compassion.

He was sooooo generous, was he not?

What did we have to offer him? Nothing at all!

What does he have to offer us? EVERYTHING!

Now, the person who tries to equate this to physical riches is ridiculous in his thinking and doctrine. You need to wipe all teachers from your social media, your podcast lists, your bookshelves, who say that Christ’s work at Calvary means we should be physically wealthy and healthy all the time.

No, the very example Paul uses here is that Christ WILLINGLY ENTERED POVERTY, for the sake of the church, so that we might inherit eternal life through faith in Him. It is Spiritual richness that makes us willing to forsake comfort, to sacrifice for others, to be generous for the cause of the Gospel.

Paul used different words to say the same thing earlier in Chapter 5.

2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

What am I saying with all of this?

We need to look at the generosity of Jesus who gave his love to us, to die in our place, save us from sin and the wrath of God - and see that up against the mission of our church - discipleship, church planting, missions and outreach, the preaching of the word and all the needs that surround all of this - and each one of us be utterly unwilling to sit on the sidelines letting everyone else to the work of giving to the Kingdom. A generous church is great. A Kingdom minded church is great! But you Put those two together and there’s very little, Lord willing, that this church family cannot do for the cause of the Gospel. If you are convicted today by any of this, or you find that as you examine your heart you’ve been unmoved by the Spirit, or you’ve been only a consumer, then take this to the Lord, and respond in repentance and obedience by saying lord, I see what you’ve done for me…help me to overflow with a generous life.

2 Corinthians 9:6-12 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. As it is written,

“He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;

his righteousness endures forever.”

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.

Let’s pray...