“Thoughts on Offerings”
I Cor. 16 pt 16
Opening Illustration: “Dangerous Sacrifice”: What it means to go above what is required of us.
Interview with Rick and Kay Warren – They communicate the message about being a doer of the Word of God and being willing to sacrifice for others in the world.
Video from You tube- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zQYA6OgyuM
Thesis: Paul teaches all of us Christians about the importance of giving offerings to God’s people this includes finances, hospitality, recognition and love.
Scripture Text: I Cor. 16
1Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.
5After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you—for I will be going through Macedonia. 6Perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.
10If Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. 11No one, then, should refuse to accept him. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.
12Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.
13Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong. 14Do everything in love.
15You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints. I urge you, brothers, 16to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it. 17I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. 18For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.
19The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. 20All the brothers here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.
21I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.
22If anyone does not love the Lord—a curse be on him. Come, O Lord!
23The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.
24My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.
Introduction:
I find this last chapter of 1 Corinthians very interesting and riveting. Paul is telling the Corinthian church and other church people to set aside at the beginning of each week a offering for other people in the Body of Christ. In other words he is telling all of us that we need to be intentional about giving offerings to others within the kingdom of God. Paul then moves in another area where we should give offerings and he tells us that we need accept others who labor in Lord. He tells this church that they are to offer their service to these other workers and they are to be hospitable to them. Paul then addresses another area where we all need to be giving offerings. He tells them to give recognition and respect to those who are leading them. He then instructs them that they are also to give an offering of love to everything they do.
When I look at the word offering this is what I know about it – it means to give above and beyond in the financial realm - the tithe. It means go further then what is required of me. It means being intentional about going the extra mile for God, for His people, for His workers, and for His leaders within the Body of Christ. When I looked the word “offerings” in some Bible dictionaries it was equated with word “sacrifice!” This word means I am willing to go above and beyond the normal and move into the realm of being a living sacrifice for the Kingdom of God.
I like what I read in the CEV in Romans 12:1, 2: 1Dear friends, God is good. So I beg you to offer your bodies to him as a living sacrifice, pure and pleasing. That’s the most sensible way to serve God. 2Don’t be like the people of this world, but let God change the way you think. Then you will know how to do everything that is good and pleasing to him.
Paul tells the church over and over that we need to be willing to go the extra mile with our life because this pleases God and it’s the most sensible way to serve God!
Illustration: GOING THE SECOND MILE
A salesman called his wife from a coin-operated phone in a distant city, finished the conversation, said good-bye, and replaced the receiver. As he was walking away, the phone rang. He went back and answered it, expecting to be informed of extra charges. But the operator said, “I thought you’d like to know. Just after you hung up, your wife said, I love you.”’
Paul comes to the end of this letter to the Corinthians and in a sense he tells this church to go the extra mile with their giving, their hospitality, their encouragement of the leaders and their love for one another. I hear Paul saying to them don’t be haphazard about it! You must plan on doing this every week! Make it a weekly habit to give offerings to others and in process you will please God and be blessed by God for doing it.
T.S. - Let’s look at the 4 ways we need to be giving offerings to others within the Body of Christ. The first way centers on the use of our money:
I. Offering to God’s Kingdom my finances.
a. Paul encourages the believers in Corinth to set aside special offerings for others within the Kingdom of God.
i. Notice he is not talking about tithing here but about giving special offerings to others within the Body of Christ who are in need.
1. When you read some of Paul’s letters to the churches you at times here him thanking them for their offerings and encouraging the people in these churches to give offerings to those in need.
a. Acts spoke of this after the Day of Pentecost of people within the church selling things they did not need to bless those in need within the Body of Christ.
ii. Paul encouraged offerings from the churches he ministered in and then have them distributed to people within the Body of Christ who were in need.
1. This is really an interesting instruction by Paul - We need to plan on blessings others financially. We need to put offerings into our budgets as well as our tithes! – Paul says do it weekly – set aside money to bless others – budget into your everyday week the expense of helping others out in the Body of Christ.
2. Let me ask a question how many people do this today?
b. I have a question for you, “If money were not an issue for you - how would you live your life?”
i. Selfishly? Or Sacrificially?
ii. Another question: If you where to win a million dollars what would you do with the money?
1. Would you give it away? Buy more stuff? Travel the world?
a. Indulge in selfish pleasures?
b. Or would you bless others in the Body of Christ?
2. The story of Rick Warren and his best-selling book the “The Purpose Driven Life.”
a. What is he doing with all the money?
i. USA Today article: June 4th 2006 edition:
A uniter, not a divider
Warren is no liberal. He backed President Bush in the 2004 election and opposes abortion and stem cell research.
But in a refreshing change from today’s unhealthy norm, Warren is spending his time and clout not on the divisive issues that have come to define the Christian right — abortion, stem cell research, a supposedly anti-God judiciary and so on — but on a campaign that can bring people together and save many lives in the process.
Warren is taking on poverty and AIDS and on a continent — Africa — that tends to command the least of the world’s attention and resources.
PEACE is the moniker Warren has devised for his program in Rwanda. It stands for "Plant churches, Equip servant leaders, Assist the poor, Care for the sick and Educate the next generation."
In the tradition of evangelical Christianity, he believes the path to a better world runs through human hearts, and he is counting on churches and their members to lead the way against the seemingly intractable problems pressing down on Africa. "I’m coming from the fact that Jesus said, ’Love your neighbor as yourself,’ " Warren said at a news conference in November at a global health summit. "So what motivates me is not politics."
As Warren told The Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper recently, "The New Testament says the church is the body of Christ, but for the last 100 years, the hands and feet have been amputated, and the church has just been a mouth. And mostly, it’s been known for what it’s against. ... I’m so tired of Christians being known for what they’re against."
Some might be repelled by the explicitly Christian underpinnings of Warren’s PEACE effort, but he has a talent for giving religion a friendly, welcoming face. Despite his conviction that homosexuality is wrong, Warren doesn’t condemn gays or accept AIDS as God’s retribution for unholy living, as have some of his conservative Christian fellows.
While he holds the belief that Jesus is the one true path to salvation, he does not make a point of predicting hell for non-believers, and he makes alliances with left-leaning, maverick Christians (such as U2 singer and global activist Bono) and some who are not Christian at all.
Certainly, Warren is not the only evangelical leader transcending the narrow spectrum of social issues that have come to define the public face of evangelicals in the minds of many Americans.
Bruce Wilkinson, whose Prayer of Jabez made him wealthy and famous, forsook the opportunity to parlay his book into greater profits and stardom in the USA. He went to South Africa, where he fought AIDS and worked for racial reconciliation until his recent retirement.
On the political side, a group of prominent evangelical leaders petitioned the Bush administration last year to pay more attention to poverty issues. More recently, another group of evangelical leaders — Warren included — announced a broad initiative to fight global climate change.
What makes Warren and his message attractive to some also makes him anathema to others. One posting at the Slice of Laodicea website, commenting on Warren’s message at a United Nations prayer event, is representative of the sort of criticism he often generates: "A Benedict Arnold to the Gospel.
We can now see the TRUE COLORS of Rick Warren — UN blue and Christian ’yellow.’ " Some fundamentalists condemn his Purpose-Driven theology as unscriptural. Meanwhile, from his political left have come charges that he’s a conservative wolf in ecumenical clothing and that his recent undertaking in Africa is a naive exercise in futility.
ii. Fortune Magazine Oct. 2005: Will success spoil Rick Warren?
The first time I saw Warren, he was striding down the aisle of a United Air Lines flight--the middle leg of a 24-hour journey from Los Angeles to Kigali, Rwanda--handing out Chick-fil-A sandwiches to church members on the trip. He stopped to help a stranger get her luggage into the overhead, glad-handed the flight attendants, patted people he knew on the shoulder, and went back to his seat in business class. Like a politician who loves the campaign trail, Warren feeds off people. A large, gregarious man with spiky hair and a goatee, Warren dresses in Hawaiian shirts and wears no socks, even on stage at Saddleback. He’s known as Rick or Pastor Rick, not Reverend Warren. "Rick is not sophisticated in any way," says his wife, Kay. "He’s always been the class clown." He jokes about his weakness for doughnuts, and he uses one-liners to deflect questions he’d rather not answer. Ask about politics, and he’ll reply, "I’m not left wing and I’m not right wing. I’m for the whole bird." Rick and Kay, married 30 years, were both the children of small-town pastors. Rick’s father, Jimmy Warren, was a "church planter" and carpenter; he literally built dozens of small churches. The family never had money, but Jimmy, like Rick, was a down-to-earth guy with a big personality. Rick first thought about going into politics but turned to the church in high school. He started Saddleback in his apartment in 1980.
b. Rick is giving all the money to the poor in Africa and taking on the Aids epidemic!
c. Here is an important thought - We need to open our stingy wallets and give to others in the Kingdom so that we are making a difference with our life!
d. We need to risk giving and be like Nehemiah was willing to give it all up to go help people in need:
i. Video Illustration: Bluefish TV – “Comfort Zone” The Life of Nehemiah DVD.
T.S. – We need to offer to God’s people who are in need special offerings and we also need to offer workers within the Kingdom our hospitality.
II. Offering to God’s Kingdom your hospitality
a. Paul challenges the believers in Corinth to offer their services to God’s people within the Kingdom.
i. To practice hospitality with others is to be applauded within the Body.
1. We need to be willing to offer up our homes to others and be willing to serve others as they labor for the Lord.
2. It’s something that we should just do because of what Jesus has done for us.
3. The gift of hospitality – Wagner’s definition: The gift of hospitality is the special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to provide an open house and a warm welcome to those in need of food and lodging” (page 255, Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow.”)
a. Scripture texts which refer to this gift:
i. I Peter 4:9
ii. Romans 12:9-13
iii. Romans 16:23
iv. Acts 16:14-15
v. Hebrews 13:1-2
ii. Paul tells this church that they are not to be in fear of others workers for the Kingdom but instead they should reach out and help them to serve the Kingdom.
1. When other ministries come through - we should support them and encourage them with hospitality not with fear and apprehension.
a. We need to be encouraging not discouraging others in their work for the Lord!
iii. We need to treat others in the ministry with openness and then send them off in peace and with a blessing.
1. I see too much fear with others fellow workers in the Body of Christ especially when it comes to blessing other ministries.
a. Jesus addressed this issue with his own disciples.
i. Mark 9:38-41: 38“Teacher,” said John, “we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we told him to stop, because he was not one of us.” 39“Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “No one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, 40for whoever is not against us is for us. 41I tell you the truth, anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.
2. Remember what John said - Perfect love cast out fear!
iv. We need to open up our homes to others within the Kingdom of God – not just our local church friends – but to other brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to open up our guarded hearts!
1. We need to drop our guards and bless others in the work of the Lord!
T.S. – We need to offer hospitality to anyone working for the Lord and also offer encouragement and recognition of those leaders with the Body of Christ who serve faithfully.
III. Offering recognition to those who labor in leadership within the Body of Christ.
a. Paul tells this church that they must have the willingness to submit to God and to his leadership within the Body of Christ.
i. He even tells them to recognize and honor those who serve in leadership faithfully.
ii. October is Pastor Appreciation month and it’s the time of the year when Pastor’s get encouraged by their congregation.
1. This really is a Biblical thing to do!
2. But all leadership within the Body of Christ needs to be encouraged!
a. It’s one of the best ways to serve God by submitting to his leadership and encouraging the leadership God has placed in your local congregation.
b. Paul challenges this church to respect and submit to the leadership God has sent and set up in the church.
i. This is the will of God and they need to follow it!
ii. Don’t forget this church was divided and split and they all followed different personalities and Paul in this section say’s they all deserve recognition and respect.
1. We all need to honor and respect those who serve for the Kingdom of God.
a. This includes: Elders, Deacons, Kid’s Leaders, youth leaders and the like!
2. Paul was telling the church to get rid of the divisions and their accompanying lobbyists and recognize the good in all the different leadership that has impacted their church.
a. We need to appreciate the differences of each one of these leaders and show respect to all of them.
T.S. – We are to offer proper recognition and encouragement to leaders within the Body of Christ and we are also to offer the gift of love to all.
IV. Offering love to others in the Body of Christ
a. Paul says “Do everything in love.”
i. Could you imagine how different the election for President would be today if they did the whole election process in love!
1. Let’s do a parallel with 1 Cor. 13 and apply it to a - “A Debate for President of the USA.” Which is motivated by love:
a. Candidate One: Opening remarks –
i. I want to open tonight’s debate with the following thought about my opponent, John is a wonderful man of God! He is a person who has devoted his life to helping the poor and the needy. The first time I met John I watched as he held an orphan baby in his arms and loved on him. I later found out that he adopted this baby and brought him home and he is now his own son. He has sacrificed his life for others. I frequently here of him giving $1,000 of dollars of his campaign money away. He gives most of his donations to his campaign for President to the needy instead of spending it on himself. My opponent for President is humble man of God and I know if he is elected He will serve God and this nation with his whole heart.
b. Candidate two’s opening remarks:
i. I want to first of all point out how blessed I am to be running for office alongside Bart. Bart’s heart is so genuine it just beats with the love of God. Just yesterday on the campaign trail I watched Bart sit down and listen to an older gentleman who was struggling in his life. Bart started to weep at the hurt he saw in this man’s eyes. Bart not only blessed this man with his own money but he found him a job and a new place to live. It took him off the campaign trail for a day but it did not matter to Bart. He knew that it was better to give then to receive. He knew that he had to do something for this man now. He knew what the good book said “To see a person in need and not do the good you know you are supposed to do is sin.” So Bart did the right thing and this is why I know if Bart wins this election – we will be led by a servant leader with a big heart.
b. Think about what I am saying this morning and then when you are watching Tv. today and the campaign adds come on take a moment and look at the spirit of it! It’s harsh, it’s hate. Imagine a Political campaign driven by the premise of Love – lets read how it would look:
i. 1 Cor. 13: 4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.8Love never fails.
1. Could you imagine Political Campaigns run like this?
c. Illustration of “An Act of Love”:
i. Let us imitate the barber who one week noticed that there was a good increase in his business. When he tried to find out why, he discovered that his competitor, another barber in the village, was ill. When the week ended, he took all that he had made above his average earnings and carried it to his competitor with his Christian love and sympathy.
d. Paul is really telling the Corinthian Christians to give their love away!
i. Illustration from Illustrations Unlimited GIVING LOVE AWAY: One evening just before the great Broadway musical star, Mary Martin, was to go on stage in South Pacific, a note was handed to her. It was from Oscar Hammerstein, who at that moment was on his deathbed. The short note simply said: “Dear Mary, A bell’s not a bell till you ring it. A song’s not a song till you sing it. Love in your heart is not put there to stay. Love isn’t love till you give it away.” After her performance that night many people rushed backstage, crying, “Mary, what happened to you out there tonight? We never saw anything like that performance before.” Blinking back the tears, Mary then read them the note from Hammerstein. Then she said, “Tonight, I gave my love away!”
1. Are you giving your love away?
ii. Illustration: Jars of Clay: “They will Know We are Christians By Our Love” Bluefishtv.com
T.S. – We are encouraged by God’s Word to give our love away in everything we do and giving offerings to God, his people and the world is the greatest act of sacrifice we could ever do.
Conclusion:
Here is the question for today: “Are you willing to go the second mile and give offerings to the Lord, to the people of the Lord, to the Lord’s leaders and love to all?”
1. Plan to offer financial offerings to God’s people who are in need.
2. Be determined to offer hospitality to the workers within the Body of Christ.
3. Be committed to offering encouragement and recognition to those who lead for the Lord in the Body of Christ. Give recognition where recognition is deserved so that God gets the glory.
4. Focus on doing everything in your life with love – don’t just do love – be love!
