A Tour Through Acts ~ part 7
A Great Church is a Generous Church
Acts 2:45
Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. (Acts 2:45)
The Sunday School Teacher asked her eight eager 10-year-olds if they would give $1,000,000 to their church.
"YES!" they all screamed!!
"Would you give $1,000?" Again they shouted "YES!"
"How about $100?" "Oh, YES we would!" they all agreed!!
"Would you give just a dollar to your church?" she asked.
The boys exclaimed "YES!" just as before except for Johnnie.
"Johnnie," the teacher said as she noticed the boy clutching his pocket, "why didn't you say 'YES' this time?"
"Well," he stammered, "I HAVE a dollar."
"Money talks," it has been said. Indeed it does. It usually says, "Goodbye." But when you think about it, money does talk in many ways. It says much about the people who have it and who seek to have it. Our attitude toward money and the way you use our money says a great deal about us.
It might surprise us to find out that the Bible has a great deal to say about money and possessions. In fact, there are over 1,000 references to money in the Bible, it is second only to the topic of love. Almost two-thirds of the parables of Jesus had to do with money. It should be obvious that our use of money says volumes about us.
It should be no surprise that the power of the Holy Spirit made a difference in how these early Christians dealt with material possessions. When they came to Christ, they were utterly transformed in heart, mind, and lifestyle. That is what we see here in the opening pages of the Book of Acts. We see people who had been possessed by God.
Here we see another mark of a great church. A great church is a generous church. They were so committed that they sold everything they had. They were so overpowered by a spirit of generosity and giving that even their possessions were no longer important to them. They were concerned that in their church no one would suffer need. But what they provided was not merely spare change. It wasn’t even a few thousand dollars sitting in the bank drawing interest. It was their houses, their land, all their material possessions. What an unselfish spirit existed among these early Christians! They were a generous church.
A truly great church will be a truly generous church. I don’t believe God can bless tight-fisted, materialistically oriented, selfish, grasping, worldly Christians. That, at best, is carnal Christianity, and at worst, is not Christianity at all. True Christianity is generous Christianity. True Christianity is giving Christianity. "For God so loved the world that He gave..." God, in His very nature, is a giver. And we, if we contain the nature of God within this mortal flesh, will also be givers. A great church is a selfless church.
Jesus told us that it is impossible to serve two masters — that we simply could not serve God and money at the same time. It is really a question of priorities. And He also told us that we should not be worried about even those basic needs that we all have — needs like food and clothing. The reason is clear. He has committed Himself to provide for our needs, and He wants us to trust in Him for those needs.
It is because we serve a God who provides for us that we can give with the confidence that He will take care of us. This provides the motivation for giving. Let’s look at several characteristics which should mark generous Christian giving.
It Should Be Thankful
The first reason we ought to give is because we love the Lord and we are thankful for all God has done for us. Remember, Jesus gave His very life for us. Considering what He gave, how small is the gift of the tithe, 1 in 10, we are asked to give? Small indeed. God has blessed us beyond what we deserve. Because of all He has done for us, we give out of a heart full of love for Him. We give because we want to — because we are thankful. So our giving, first of all, should be thankful giving.
It is so easy to take things for granted. We live in a wonderful, free country. We are well fed. We have a roof over our heads, and money in our pockets. It’s true, we might not be as well off as some, but compared to most of the world we are rich. We are not only blessed materially, we are blessed with friends, family, and a future.
But, in spite of all this, we are sometimes slow to acknowledge our blessings. Because we have grown so accustomed to them, we take them for granted. It’s easy to do. Occasionally we need to be reminded of just what we have been taking for granted, and what we have to be thankful for. It is at special times, like Thanksgiving, that we are able to focus our attention on the things which really count.
What is the basis for true thanksgiving? Well, to be thankful, one must be grateful for something, and to someone. It has been said that, "The atheist’s most embarrassing moment is when he feels profoundly thankful for something, but can’t think of anybody to thank for it." The real basis for giving thanks is found in a Person.
The greatest gift ever given, by the greatest Person, was God’s Son, Jesus. He’s the real basis for all thanksgiving. 2 Corinthians 9:15 says, Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! The greatest gift that anyone has ever given to humankind is the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ.
This is what is called the Gospel. Gospel means good news. And it is good news indeed! Those of us who have experienced the effects of this good news in our lives also know the gratitude we feel toward God. How can we ever thank Him enough? Surely human words fail to adequately express the overwhelming gratitude which wells up in our hearts.
The basis for true thanksgiving is an encounter with the living God. As we get to know Jesus better, we will find that our gratitude grows. We ought to give because of an attitude of gratitude.
It Should Be Cheerful
Our giving also ought to be cheerful giving. The Bible says that "God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). It has been said that while God loves a cheerful giver, He will take money from a scrooge. But that is not His desire. The word for "cheerful" in 2 Corinthians 9:7 is the word from which we get our word "hilarious." God loves a giver who gives joyously, hilariously; not simply because he has to, but because he delights in giving. And that kind of giving brings God’s blessings.
Giving should be characterized by a grateful joy. It should be a joy to give to God. Perhaps we should take the offering in this church in a new way. Instead of passing the bags, maybe people to march down the isles in hilarious laughter and give. Giving should be a celebration of the grace of God.
This kind of giving does something important in our lives. Someone said, "Giving with glad and generous hearts has a way of routing out the tough old miser within us. Even the poor need to know that they can give. Just the very act of letting go of money, or some other treasure, does something within us. It destroys the demon greed."
It Should Be Generous
The Bible teaches that our giving ought to be generous. Luke 6:38 says, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Also, a pertinent Scripture is 2 Corinthians 9:6: "Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously." If we are stingy with our sowing, we shall be sadly disappointed with our reaping. The measure we pour out shall be the same measure we get back. If we give stingily, we shall receive little. If we give bountifully, we shall receive in abundance. We can’t out-give God.
It Should Be Sacrificial
Our giving, as was the giving of the early Church, ought to be sacrificial in nature (see 2 Corinthians 8:1-4). They not only gave out of their excess; they gave out of their need. Most people give only out of their surplus. But, God rejoices in the person who gives over and above the tithe, over and above what is expected by God. People who give of their time, sweat, talents. The person who lives more simply so that the Lord’s work can prosper is the one who is storing up treasure in Heaven. The story goes that a man died and went to Heaven. There, he made this comment concerning his use of money on earth. He said, "What I spent, I lost; what I saved, I left; and what I gave, I have." We do not lose what we give. We send it on before us that there may be treasure in Heaven.
There is a direct relationship between giving now and the future. I heard of a very wealthy woman who lived in a palatial home, surrounded by fine tapestries, linens, imported china, expensive things, and who indulged herself in every luxury. She died and went to the gates of Heaven. An angel was chosen to accompany her to the home. They passed many homes of grandeur and magnificence. Finally they came to a street of much less glamour, and down at the end of it was a very humble little cottage. They turned to enter, and the woman stopped and looked about with tragic disappointment on her face.
The angel said to her, "This is to be your eternal home."
"Oh but," she said, "I have been accustomed only to the finest and most expensive. There are many, many beautiful homes which we passed similar to mine on earth. There must be some mistake."
"Ah," said the angel, "we had to build your eternal home here out of the material which you sent us from earth, and this is the best we could do."
Many will be surprised at the linkage between giving and God’s blessing. Many have been blessed even in this life by giving. J. L. Kraft, head of the Kraft Cheese Corporation, who had given approximately 25 percent of his enormous income to Christian causes for many years, said, "The only investment I ever made which have paid constantly increasing dividends, is the money I have given to the Lord. Pastors will do their greatest service in leading their men to understand the truth of God concerning the stewardship of time and money."
John D. Rockefeller explained a great principle when he said: "I never would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 a week."
Other examples include John Wanamaker of Philadelphia, who from the beginning of his business career is said to have dedicated one tenth of his increase to the Lord. Likewise, William Colgate, the great soap and perfume manufacturer, rose to fame and wealth while consistently paying a tithe of his earnings into the gospel treasury. This he recognized as the minimum requirement designated by divine wisdom; and year by year as God prospered his efforts and multiplied his wealth, Colgate gladly gave far more than a tenth.
The real question we must ask ourselves is, "What does our giving say about us?" And then we must ask, "What do we want our giving to say about us?" And this is something that is done, not before other people, but between us and God. You might ask if your pastor gives. Yes I do. But not so that anyone can see how does. Our giving is to be done in secret, it isn’t anyone’s business but God’s how much, or what, or where one gives. It is a private thing, so I don’t write a check. So, a great church is a generous church. These early Christians gave because their lives had been changed and, as a result of their spirit of generosity, God blessed the church.
Think about the selfish bent of our society today and what this kind of unselfish, future looking giving says to our greedy, materialistic generation. Giving shows the world that we really believe in eternity. Only one who knows that this life is not all there is will truly give. When you think of it, generous giving says that you really believe.
Chuck Swindoll, in his book Improving Your Serve tells this story:
Shortly after World War II came to a close, Europe began picking up the pieces. Much of the Old Country had been ravaged by war and was in ruins. Perhaps the saddest sight of all was that of little orphaned children starving in the streets of those war-torn cities. Early on chilly morning an American soldier was making his way back to the barracks in London. As he turned the corner in his jeep, he spotted a little lad with his nose pressed to the window of a pastry shop. Inside the cook was kneading dough for a fresh batch of doughnuts. The hungry boy stared in silence, watching every move. The soldier pulled his jeep to the curb, stopped, got out and walked quietly over to where the little fellow was standing. Through the steamed-up window he could see the mouth-watering morsels as they were being pulled from the oven, piping hot. The boy salivated and released a slight groan as he watched the cook place them onto the glass-enclosed counter ever so carefully. The soldier’s heart went out to the nameless orphan as he stood beside him. "Son...would you like some of those?" The boy was startled. "Oh, yeah...I would!" The American stepped inside and bought a dozed, put them in a bag, and walked back to where the lad was standing in the foggy cold of the London morning. He smiled, held out the bag, and said simply: "Here you are." As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug on his coat. He looked back and heard the child ask quietly: "Mister...are you God?" We are never more like God than when we give. "God so loved the world, that he gave..."
COMMUNION
Let’s take a few moments to reflect upon what we are remembering. And, let us examine ourselves, in light of God’s great sacrifice, asking for forgiveness and cleansing. And, thank for loving us and saving us from ourselves.
Conclusion: Lord God, Bless us as we leave this place. May we receive your blessings, your hand of protection. Lord direct our thoughts and intents, that our lives would be blessing and honor to you.
25. Rev. 1:5b-6 - To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
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