Theme: Inspired Giving
Text: Exodus 35: 4-29
Greetings:
Dearly beloved in Christ, I greet you all in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. The Lord is good, and his love endures forever.
This passage gives the mandate to give. The Lord inspires the donors, the skilful labours and experts in various fields. Giving is inspired. The Lord inspired the contributors and labourers for his ministry. He prompts and performs through people. Let me leave with you three actions related to inspired giving.
Give what you have (Exodus 35:4-9)
Give your talents (Exodus 35:10-19)
Give what you can (Exodus 35:20-29)
Give what you have (Exodus 35:4-9)
The address is to the whole community of Israelites. The Lord reached the Israelites with this sentence “from what you have taken an offering for the Lord” (Exodus 35:4). Moses has planned to erect a tabernacle as per the direction and revelation of Yahweh. He had the vision of God to build a beautiful hall. The Lord told Moses that he would inspire the people to give what they have. But this message of the need for tabernacles must reach people. An appeal was made to the people to contribute to the Tabernacle. They have decided to contribute liberally and joyfully to the Lord.
Giving is a privilege and responsibility of those who have received from God. God has given the ability to earn wisdom and intelligence to prove and protect the wealth. He had given the spirit of stewardship. So, Church and mission agencies can’t appeal to unbelievers for funds. If anyone thinks that pastors and mission leaders are after the money for mission work is a wrong conception. The born again believers always understand the need for preaching and reaching the unreached with Gospel. The mission will never be self-sufficient and superfluous. God always made the Church be depended upon him and have faith in Him.
You can donate anything to the Lord. All precious stones and linen. The list has wooden items and many other beautiful things to God. He listed the items such as Gold, Silver, Bronze, Linens with blue, purple, and scarlet, goat hair, ram skins, acacia wood, Olive Oil, fragrant incense, Onyx stones and gems for ephod and breastplate of the priests. When we notice the order Moses listed is just as that he received from the Lord in Mount Sinai (Exodus 25:3-7). There was no marginal deference to have some facility for him. Moses was such a servant of God, so God blessed him and blessed his congregation. No exploiting of the congregation and the donors in the name of the Church and projects. God weighs everything, and he blesses accordingly.
The whole nation to present freewill-offerings for the holy things to be prepared at Tabernacle (Exodus 35:4). Moses mentioning one by one all the materials that would be required for it (Exodus 35:5-9). This offering came from God’s command, not from Moses’ clever fund-raising techniques. This shows God’s normal way of channelling resources to His work – by the gifts given from His people with a willing heart (Enduring Word).
What we can notice and understand is that as long as the materials are with the people they are simple wealth. But when they bring them to the tabernacle, to the temple, to the church, it becomes the offering and sacred. This sacred pleases God and blesses the donor. When a person holds with his hand it’s a mere gold, silver, bronze. But when it is presented to God, it becomes sacred and a source of multiplication of blessing to the giver to the Church, and missions.
Give what you are (Exodus 35:10-19)
Contribution of voluntary work. God has entrusted the talents and skills with all. Some can perform many acts but most of us can do only one act at a time. But none of us can say that I can’t do any act. You are good at some work. Then do it with enthusiasm and grace. Though all could give offerings, only those with the God-given ability and the right motivation were to do the work. It is the leaders' responsibility to identify the gifted persons to carry the work of the Lord according to their skill and ability. Many missions and churches dwindled because of the wrong choices of leaders who succeeded as good leaders.
God inspired the skilful labours to make the tabernacle, its tent and its covering, its clasps, its boards, its bars, its pillars, its sockets. The ark, the staves thereof, the mercy seat, and the veil of the screen. The table, its staves, all its vessels, and the showbread. The candlestick for the light, its vessels, its lamps, and the oil for the light. The altar of incense, its staves, the anointing oil, the sweet incense, the screen for the door. The door of the tabernacle, the altar of burnt-offering, with its grating of brass, its staves, and all its vessels, the laver and its base; the hangings of the court, the pillars thereof, and their sockets, and the screen for the gate of the court; the pins of the tabernacle, and the pins of the court, and their cords; the finely wrought garments, for ministering in the holy place, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments of his sons, to minister in the priest's office”(Coffman Commentaries).
God chose Bezaleel and Aholiab to be the supervisors for this building project. He equipped them with a special outpouring of the Holy Spirit to carry out the work. These leaders had a unique inspiration from the Holy Spirit to do this important and practical work. Since God wanted the work done according to a certain pattern (Exodus 25:9), it made sense that He specially inspired some to do the work (Enduring Word).
Today, God has raised some as professionals, some as skilful labourers, some as orators, some as statesmen, some as businessmen. Everyone is unique and needed for the development of the Mission and God’s work. We all are running our race as fixed by the Lord. Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of the race. Every small work is beneficial to the kingdom of God.
Give what you can (Exodus 35:20-29)
The word “willing” is used five times in this passage in verses 5, 21,22,26 & 29. The willingness was expressed and exercised by men, women, everyone, every skilled person, and all the skilled women, and leaders. We read that everyone whose heart stirred him up and everyone whose spirit was made willing, they brought the LORD'S offering to the work of the tabernacle. They brought the bracelets, earrings, rings, and the tablets, of jewels of gold: every man that offered an offering unto the LORD (Exodus 35:22,23,25, 26).
‘If they wanted God to accept their offerings for the building of the tabernacle, they had to present those offerings in a spirit of joy and willingness’ (Bridgeway Commentary). You have got to purpose in your mind what you want to give. It is none of others business what you want to give. It is something between you and God. A willing heart gives to God whatever he is willing and wanting to give, but never out of constraint, never out of pressure (Coffman).
3 John 7 sets the tone for fundraising only among the believers and to avoid unbelievers. Giving is for all believers. Poor as well as rich Christians must give to the Lord (2 Corinthians 8:2). There are some wrong motives to give: Pride, power, gimmicks, guilt and greed. These are the signs of nominal believers (ref: Bible.org).
Last week we have had known the giving is sacred, secret and sincere. Added to these things giving is sacrificial. No one can give after attaining self-sufficiency in wealth. Always it’s the process of giving and receiving. Whenever we give what we have, then we receive multiple manners from the Lord.
The thump rule is ‘Whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring. All that were skilful must work’ (Matthew Henry). God could cause the money and materials to appear by a miracle. Yet He chose to fund His work through the willing gifts of His people. He works this way because we need to be giving people (Enduring Word).
For if there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. (2 Corinthians 8:12). 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 (Luke 6:38). God’s people faithfully brought in the contributions, tithes and dedicated gifts (2 Chronicles 31:12).
(for prayer contact me)
