Stewardship Series Part 1
The Grace of Giving
I Corinthians 16, II Corinthians 8 & 9
SCRIPTURE READING: II Corinthians 8:1-7
INTRODUCTION:
I read an interesting Biblical statistic the other day concerning the frequency of certain words used in the Bible. It seems that…
Believing is mentioned 272 times in the Bible
Prayer is mentioned 371 times in the Bible
Love is mentioned 714 times in the Bible
But Giving is mentioned 2,162 times!
o 3 times more than love,
o 7 times more than prayer,
o 8 times more than believing
Evidently, God wants us to be givers! Rather than apologize for bringing up stewardship, I should probably apologize for preaching on it so seldom! But my opportunity has arrived because we are between our Pueblo- related Bible themes. My intent this Sunday and next is to challenge growing Christians to incorporate, what the Apostle Paul calls “the grace of giving” into our lives.
Paul wrote Just as you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us – see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” II Corinthians 8:7
These words were written to the Corinthian church. Paul was giving details about a special offering they had pledged to support. The offering was to go from the “daughter” churches in Asia to the “mother” church in Jerusalem. The offering was desperately needed because the Christians in Jerusalem were suffering terrible persecution and hardship.
That is why Paul urged the Corinthian church to excel in the grace of giving. Grace can be defined as: pleasure, favor, beauty, kindly action, thankfulness, and spontaneous generosity. Grace is always freely given – the opposite of paying a debt. You may be aware of the fact that “grace” in the Greek language is “charis.” (…This is easy for me to remember because I have a niece named Charis…) Charis is the root of the English term “charisma.”
The Apostle Paul was full of personal charisma, but he was also a man of intellect and logic. So he proceeds to give rational arguments for why we should practice the Grace of Giving. First he urges us to FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE SET BY OTHERS.
1. Follow the example of others II Corinthians 8:1-7
Paul held the Church of Macedonia up as an example of the Grace of Giving. The Macedonians were going thorough their own tough times, so initially Paul had not even asked them to contribute. But they caught wind of it and begged to be included. Paul describes it this way:
2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. II Corinthians 8:2-5
What a shining example of the Grace of Giving! Paul knew that the enthusiastic giving of one person will stir others into action. It’s a funny thing about giving. Sometimes, the only thing needed is inspiration. Last year, we completely funded Vacation Bible School through a bake sale. It was an auction led by none other than our own Janet Arnold. Things started slow, but it wasn’t long before the generosity of some was caught by everyone. Before long the whole room broke out in a frenzy to out-bid the others on high-carb treats. (Now you could call this out-of-control gluttony I guess, but I prefer to think of it as overflowing generosity!)
Paul understood the contagious nature of generosity when he told the Corinthians about the example of the Macedonians. The fact was, some time had passed since the Corinthians started collecting their offering. The enthusiasm of the Corinthians was fading. Some people had forgotten all about the offering. But hearing that the poor Macedonians had given as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability was a wake-up call. The Corinthians needed to finish what they had started.
I want to remind you of a similar event in the life of our church. We, too, have a task to finish. More than 5 years back members of Castle Hills Christian Church pledged funds for a New Worship Center. Many of you participated in those pledges. But others of you are new here. We want you to know the background of this project.
It was a bold task for us to undertake. We raised more than Half a Million Dollars before we ever broke ground, and by the end of the project it was only necessary to borrow about $420 thousand to finish the building. In the 26 months since the building was completed your generosity has whittled almost $100 thousand off of that note --- which stands at only $324 thousand.
I’m excited that we have paid off about 70% of this bold undertaking in less than 6 years. But we have not yet finished the task. Even though we have not talked much about the mortgage payments lately, about 30 people have continued to give toward the building fund.
(Now, I’m going to talk numbers for a minute, so you may need to switch to the “math” side of your brain.) About 6% of our congregation has been contributing about $1,200 each month for the mortgage payment. That’s great, except that the mortgage payment is not $1,200. It’s $3,900 per month.
In other words, we are having to pay about $2,700 a month out of our regular giving toward the mortgage. This year the shortfall in our budget has been almost equal to that amount. I think it’s a problem that will be solved if more people are willing to get on board and help us finish the task we started. That’s what the Banner at the back of this room is all about. If enough people will pledge to Finish the Task, then the regular giving from our congregation will match our annual budgetary needs.
Like Paul, I want to encourage you with the example of others. I am encouraged to remember the sacrificial gifts of members of our congregation as we started this project. There are many examples I could give, but I’ll hold it to two.
o I remember one elderly couple who were planning to buy a new car. They put off that purchase in order to give a large lump sum. This actually was the kick-off for our building fund. They gave before we asked for funds to be turned in!
o Another family had received a large legal settlement. They decided to give the entire tithe to the building project. Now, they are a young family with kids to raise and a dad currently unemployed. I’m sure they could think of plenty of uses for that money. But they gave generously so that God’s Kingdom could grow.
My wish and prayer is that together we can support the full amount of our building payment each month. It’s not beyond our ability. We’re talking about less than $4,000 per month shared by above 400 members. We now have about 30 people giving an amount that could be rounded off to $40 per giver each month above the tithe. If another 90 people would match that, we could support the whole building payment and have enough left to support our other ministries completely. (I need to emphasize that we are asking for a pledge ABOVE your current regular giving. Otherwise, we’ll be causing a shortfall in one area while solving it in another.)
Some of you have given in the past and can do so again this year. Others are new and can come on board with us. We are almost there. Susan and I together already give $300.00 each month above our tithe to this project. And I am willing to increase it by another $40 above what we are already giving until we are finished. I would never ask you to do what we aren’t doing.
There is a pledge card in your bulletin. (Go ahead and pull it out and take a look.) I’m asking you to go home and pray about it. Then bring it back --- filled-out --- next week. If you are already giving to the building fund, I encourage you to fill out this card anyway, so we know what you will give in the future. I would love to be able to announce after next week, that the entire building payment is supported and that our financial situation is in order for the new year.
I’ve asked_____________________ to give a testimony about the importance of the Grace of Giving in his life. I hope his words will be an encouragement to you: TESTIMONY
It’s true that the example of others can spur us on. But we will never really understand the Grace of Giving until we look at the supreme EXAMPLE of JESUS CHRIST himself.
2. Follow the example of Christ II Corinthians 8:8-9
Paul told the church at Corinth: 8I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. II Corinthians 8:8-9 Paul, really pulled out a trump card when he reminded them of Jesus. Jesus did not start giving on the cross, or even at his birth. For Jesus the Grace of Giving began in Heaven when he laid down his Crown and stepped away from his Throne and turned toward earth.
CONCLUSION:
Around Easter time we used to sing a beautiful song called “Out of the Ivory Palaces” The words of the chorus are: Out of the Ivory palaces, Into a world of woe, Only His great eternal love, made my Savior Go.
For Deity to become Human is a big step downward. To become a poor, disadvantaged, and despised human is a greater sacrifice. But to die a criminal’s death when you have done nothing wrong is beyond comprehension. The Mel Gibson movie THE PASSION OF CHRIST had a big impact because for just a couple of hours, we watched and heard a little bit of what Jesus sacrificed. He gave all He had. He gave himself.
And that is the starting place for everyone of us. Paul described the Macedonian Christians this way: They gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. II Corinthians 8:5
Will you give yourself first to the Lord today?
