Generosity Is A Form Of Worship. Series

Generosity is a form of worship.

As you will know if you’ve been here over the last few weeks, apart from last week when we focused on youth and children, we have been looking at Dr Harry Wendt’s material, “In Heavens Name Why on Earth.” This is the last week of the series, and the focus of this week is on our generosity being an act of worship. Money will be mentioned, and this material utilises a good number of Dr Harrys own words. I know that I just used the “M” word but relax I’m only going to discuss biblical stuff here. I’m tackling the idea of being generous as a type of worship, that in being grateful to God, we worship him with our time, talents and treasures.

Last time I spoke on this I mentioned how we, that the church is a priesthood of believers in the same way that the nation of Israel was to be a priesthood of believers. Why so that we can be witnesses and magnets that draw others to God. When God gave Israel his laws and decrees, he said this to them: Deuteronomy 4:6-8; “Observe them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ What other nation is so great as to have their gods near them the way the Lord our God is near us whenever we pray to him? And what other nation is so great as to have such righteous decrees and laws as this body of laws I am setting before you today?”

Being that the sermon series is called about a ‘Lifestyle of Generosity’ here comes the bit on money.

Illustration 3D

Point one. This illustration shows; there are two hands in the illustration; the one on the left, Mary’s contains a Kiwi fruit, Mary grows Kiwi Fruit! The one on the right Mark’s, contains a wheelbarrow wheel. One day Mary gives Mark a wheelbarrow load of kiwifruit and in return he gives her a new wheelbarrow wheel. So what are they actually giving each other, Dr Harry answers this by saying, nothing! Now this might seem a bit odd but he explains it this way. Though Mary put effort into growing the kiwifruit, they come from and belong to God. Although Mark put the effort into making the wheel, the materials and skills he used come from and belong to God.”

So what they are exchanging is the effort that was used to grow the fruit and to make the wheel. Dr Harry states the Wheel, like all manufactured things could have a label, “Raw Materials property of God, fashioned by people using the knowledge and strength supplied by God.”

One day Mary might need a new wheel for the wheelbarrow but has no fruit due to the season or having sold it all, to buy it with. But what she does have through her previous efforts, is her service now stored in the form of money, this is a resource she can buy the wheel with.

Money itself is a neutral thing, “stored service.” Money is neither good nor bad. Paul writes to Timothy about it. 1 Timothy 6:6-10;

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

In this passage we see that not money, but the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.

Paul also says this to the church in Corinth: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Dr Harry then addresses the matter of tithing, in this illustration about percentages.

Illustration 3E

The World’s Approach

Time, Talents and Treasure, he mentions that many are questioning how much of our time, talents and treasures should they give?

I introduced you to Sylvester a couple of weeks ago, Sylvester assumes as many do that those three T’s, his time, talents and treasures are all his, that after he has decided what to give to God of what is his, once he has given his fair share the rest is his to do what he pleases with it.

Jesus Approach to this is different to Sylvester's. As Christians we are to see generosity as an act of worship. That as we are generous, we are doing it out of an understanding that God has given us much, given us all we have.