A Small Idea: “Set up a Generosity Fund.”
- v. 2.
- This passage is not about tithing to your church. It’s about a specific need in a specific church and the Corinthians choosing to give to help meet that need. Obviously, they were taking care of the needs of their own people as well, so this is about a situation “above and beyond normal tithing.”
How Would You Do It?
1. Have an envelope or an account that you give to every payday.
- v. 2.
- “first day” - They would be paid more often than we would, sometimes daily. The principle here is to give regularly from your pay.
- You may want to just have an envelope on your dresser that you put a certain amount of cash in every time you get paid. You might want to set up a savings account and put a certain amount of cash in every time you get paid. The key is to be doing it every payday over a period of time.
- Also, I think “first day” is serves as a reminder to us that we should give to this idea at the start rather than giving it whatever happens to be left over after we’ve spent everything.
2. Give generously.
- v. 2.
- “as he may prosper” - Paul doesn’t give percentages, quotas, or numbers. He just encourages each one to give generously.
- It may be that some of us could literally begin to give 30% of our income to our “Generosity Fund.” Given the wealth that many Americans enjoy, many of us could easily give away huge chunks of our funds while still caring for our needs (not our wants). For instance, Rick Warren, in light of the income that has come to him as a result of The Purpose-Driven Life, is now giving away 90% of his income and living on 10%.
- This is beyond the money that we give to our church as our regular giving.
- Whether we see this as a good idea and whether we desire to invest generously in it will in large part be determined by whether we have bought into the materialistic lies of our culture. The money goal of the American Dream is to have as extravagant a lifestyle as possible; the money goal of the Kingdom of God is to invest as heavily as possible in eternal things.
3. Use the money carefully.
- v. 3.
- Paul puts into place safeguards as to the way all this money will be spent. It will be accompanied by more than one courier to ensure that it’s not pilfered along the way or put in the wrong hands once it reaches its destination.
- We too should, whenever possible, make sure we are using our money in a way that is actually touching a need and not being wasted or abused. There are, of course, limits on being able to know if our funds will be well-utilized, but we should do what we can to make sure our money actually serves some good.
Who Would Do This?
1. A group of believers could do it for a specific time toward a specific goal.
- That is the direct situation that Paul speaks of. The whole church was to do their part. They were to do it until Paul got there - that’s the specific time. They were to do it to help the Christians in Jerusalem - that’s the specific goal.
- This could be a whole church deciding to each put aside money weekly for a month toward hurricane relief. This could be a small group deciding to each put aside money weekly for their 13-week Bible study toward sending a short-term missionary to Haiti. This could be a group of Christian friends deciding to each put aside money weekly for a year toward getting a Christian friend of their’s out of ghetto housing.
2. An individual Christian could do it on an ongoing basis while looking for needs.
- This is not directly the situation that Paul is addressing, but I think the principle that Paul is putting forward fits well with it.
- You could decide to lay aside a percentage of your income (another 1%? another 10%?) or a certain cash amount ($20? $100?) each payday. This would be your “Generosity Fund” and as the money built you could constantly be watching for needs that you could use the money to meet.
- Too often the time when there is a serious need is also a time when we are tight on cash. The beauty of this system is that we are deliberately storing up resources toward the future opportunities. When the need arises, we’re ready.
Why Should I Do This?
1. Paul doesn’t ask them to; he orders them to.
- v. 1 - “orders” and “must”
- It’s important to note that Paul is giving a command here. This was not optional.
- Because what he is talking about is a specific need for a specific situation, I don’t feel like I can say to you this evening that “I order you” to do this. The point I want to make is to note how strongly worded Paul’s phrasing is. That should be an indicator to us of how important this is to him and to God.
- Too often “fundraising” is done by gimmicks or guilt. Paul here simply points out their need to be generous, with the expectation that they will rise to the challenge.
2. Paul doesn’t ask some of them to give; he asks all of them to give.
- v. 2 - “each one of you”
- Maybe you have a ton of financial resources. God wants you to give generously. But maybe you’re barely making because you make so little and putting $5 a pay toward this would be a sacrifice. That’s fine. You do what you can. God recognizes and blesses sacrifice when he sees it.
- We all know of situations where $50 makes all the difference in the world. God may direct you to situations like that where even a relatively few dollars can make a big impact. Don’t forego this just because you can’t afford to give huge amounts. (And, of course, don’t give a pittance if you can afford to be more generous.)
3. This is not a new idea.
- Leviticus 19:9-10.
- Is Paul making this up out of whole cloth? Not at all. The principle here is actually illustrated vividly in an Old Testament command.
- In Leviticus 19, as part of the Mosaic Law, the Israelites were commanded to leave unharvested the corners of their field for the poor among them. (Additionally, they were not to gather the gleanings from the harvest.) Thinking of a large field with the corners left standing for the poor is a nice picture of what a “Generosity Fund” is. We’re not an agrarian culture, but we are “leaving the corners of our field” by setting aside a portion of our income to use to help the poor as we have opportunity.
- In fact, if this Old Testament passage really speaks to you, instead of calling your fund a “Generosity Fund,” you might call it your “Corners Fund.”
4. This will bring us increased joy.
- Proverbs 14:21; Proverbs 22:9.
- Seeing needs met and people’s hearts touched will bring us more joy that using our money to buy more junk.
5. Having a heart for the poor is another sign of being someone who honors God.
- Proverbs 14:31 - “He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the poor.”
6. It’s always a good idea to “store up for drought.”
- Acts 2:44; Acts 4:34-35; Acts 11:28; Acts 24:17; Romans 15:25-32.
- Early on in the life of the church, who was it that set such a bold example in financial generosity and spiritual faithfulness, so that the church blossomed and grew out throughout the Mediterranean? The Jerusalem church. Who was it that needed help later because of a great famine? The Jerusalem church. Sometimes we’re the givers; sometimes we’re the receivers.
- We may be up financially right now, but there is a chance that we may be the one in need someday. Toward that end, as we give away in generosity now, we are “storing up generosity” with our Father so that He will be delighted to care for our needs when we’re on the asking side. Storing our money in banks can be wiped out by a depression; investing our money in stocks can be wiped out by a downturn in the market; the money that we’ve invested in the Kingdom is secure.
