"Live to Give"
1 Corinthians 16:1-24
47 days.
47 days from now until....Christmas.
That means – for me – I have exactly 46 days until I begin my Christmas shopping...
SO....by a show of hands, how many of you are like me...you would describe yourself as a last-minute Christmas shopper?
(All the men...ok) (A lot of gift cards being purchased by this room I see)
How many of you begin your Christmas shopping the weekend of Black Friday? ....
...you definitely are not alone....according to most polls, the majority of Americans begin their annual Christmas shopping on the weekend after Thanksgiving.
How many of you have already started your Christmas shopping?
Yeah.... I know the type.....I'll bet you guys were also the teacher's pet back in school, weren't you....You were the ones who got all straight A's....you never missed a due date on an assignment, right?....you completely ruined the curve on the exam for the rest of us....your Trapper Keeper was an extremely organized, portable file cabinet, wasn't it!.....you even stayed after class to help the teacher put chairs on the desks, didn't you?!?!?!
You Know you Did!
Sorry, I'm getting a little carried away here....as you can tell...I was NOT one of those kids back in school....perhaps there's still some residual anger I need to deal with there....
And then....then we have the 1%....the people who are so organized...so coordinated...so structured...that you start your Christmas shopping the day after Christmas just to catch the Christmas clearance deals...
....then you store your gifts in the cellar for 364 days!
By a show of hands....how many of you are brave enough to admit that you actually do this?
(I'm sorry....we can no longer be friends 😊 )
Well....no matter when you do your Christmas shopping....whether it's 364 days before Christmas....or 1 day before Christmas....
We're all participating in the same thing.....acquiring something in order to give it away...
Do you remember how old you were when you began to find more enjoyment in giving a gift than getting a gift?
Maybe it was somewhere in your 20's or 30's....?
Or perhaps – like Lisa – it was when you were around 4 years old (She's always been a natural giver)
For me...it was probably... Oh, I don't know... 48?
Just kidding.... it was probably more like 53 😊
Well...the Bible tells us that we were made - not for receiving - but for giving.
And in our final installment of 1 Corinthians, Paul begins the chapter by reminding the Corinthians of the importance of giving....
He begins in verse 1 (1 Corinthians 16:1) by writing "Now about the collection for God's people....."
For context, Paul was making plans to visit the church in Corinth...
....and he was making sure that the church was actively collecting funds that would then be taken to the church in Jerusalem....
So, the phrase 'God's People' in verse 1 is specifically referring to fellow believers back in Jerusalem who were falling on hard times....
You might be wondering....why did the Church in Jerusalem need support...
After all, the church in Jerusalem was the 'mother ship' of Christianity, right?
This is where it all began...The death, burial, and resurrection of Christ....Pentecost....3,000 people saved at one time....
...The church of Acts chapter 2....
Why would Paul need to collect money from smaller churches...like those in Corinth and the surrounding area....to help support the home church in Jerusalem?
Well...for one...Acts 11:28 informs us that there had recently been a severe famine in the area of Jerusalem
...and famines tend to hit harder where the population base is larger.
Also – Jerusalem was still a city dominated by Jews who were hostile to Christianity....
....and many Bible scholars believe that heightened persecution of these believers in Jerusalem led to a significant degree of economic hardship for followers of Jesus in the area....
So....it became a situation where the home church needed financial support from outlying churches....
....and Paul was making plans to help deliver funds from Corinth to Jerusalem the next time he came through the area...
Verse 2 (1 Corinthians 16:2) provides a template as to how the Corinthian church was to go about collecting offerings from its members
....and it also serves as a guide for how we ought to view our way of giving today as well....
Verse 2 states, "On 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."
Basically, Paul is telling the Corinthians to be habitual about setting money aside on a regular basis....
....so when he comes through to take the funds to Jerusalem....there will be no need to spend time going around to each person to collect funds....
...It was much more advantageous to have church members bring their offerings to the church treasury on a regular basis....so these funds could be distributed quickly and efficiently...
This is a productive guide for believers today as well....
Tithing on a regular basis allows us to continually experience the blessing of joy that comes with the opportunity to give of our earnings to ministries that spread the news of Jesus Christ....
....and that advance God's kingdom here on earth.
In verse 2, Paul talks about giving on a weekly basis....
....but I don't think he's as concerned about the specific frequency...as he is about getting in the habit of giving on a regular basis...
Whether the offering is weekly, bi-weekly, monthly....
....The timing is not as important as your offering being the result of a consistent heart's desire to give back to the Lord a portion of what He has given to you...
Also....It doesn't matter if you physically bring a check into the church building on a regular basis....
....or if you regularly give online through the church website....
The main thing is that you have forged a positive, habitual routine of providing for ministries that advance the gospel....
If you've attended this church for a while....
you know that we hardly ever talk about giving around here....
We don't even 'pass the plate' like some churches still do
...and yet, God has moved so many of you to provide generously for this church and its mission through the years...
...as well as for missionaries through programs like the Penny Crusade and Christmas in October fundraising initiatives....
....Many of you support the benevolent fund....
....Some of you purchase supplies out of your own pocket for items that are needed here at the church...
...Don't think those things go unnoticed
They are noticed.... and this entire body of believers is blessed because of your ongoing generosity.
Now....when we talk about giving in relation to the church....
....the question usually arises "How much should I be giving to the church?"
Well...Many times, people will say that the Old Testament tithe of 10% - traditionally associated with the Mosaic Law - is the amount that Christians ought to be giving to their local churches....
...and I would never say that 10% is a bad answer...It's certainly a good benchmark of benevolence
....but if we look at what the New Testament says about giving...there might be an even better answer to that question...
Let's take a look at what scripture tells us concerning proportional giving in the age of the church.
First of all, in our passage for today, Paul writes here in verse 2 (1 Corinthians 16:2) that "each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income...."
Well....that doesn't really narrow it down to a specific amount...but it does tell us that our giving ought to be commensurate with our income....
In other words, the more we make....the more we are expected to give.
....Some would even say that a relatively wealthy individual ought to be giving a higher percentage of their income to ministry than a lower wage-earner...
...simply because a wealthier individual will usually have more discretionary income to allocate to benevolent causes.... than does the person who depends on every dime to meet their needs....
.... I definitely think there's a valid biblical argument to be made in this regard
Jesus does say in Luke 12:48 "...From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked."
Now – in this passage – Jesus is not specifically talking about the issue of money....
....but it does parallel a consistent teaching in scripture that – in general - the more we are blessed with....the more we are expected to use those blessings to help advance God's kingdom."
Perhaps the most insightful New Testament verse on giving is in Paul's second letter to the Church in Corinth when he writes this "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)
First of all, absent from this central verse on NT giving is anything mentioning a tithe....or any specific percentage of income, for that matter.
But what is mentioned is extremely important.
Instead of teaching that we ought to be giving a specific percentage of our income to the church....
....Paul writes that whatever amount we give should be:
Between the individual and God
Come from a cheerful heart, not under compulsion
There are churches out there (And perhaps some of you have experienced this) where members are required to report their income to church leadership....
.....then they are informed by the church how much they will be expected to give every year....
...and if they don't meet that dollar amount, there will be repercussions.
I don't know about you....but that sounds an awful lot like something called.... taxation.
...And - according to Paul – God takes no delight in someone who is giving to the church under compulsion....
....He desires a cheerful giver...He desires a heart that truly wants to give back to Him a portion of what He has blessed them with...
SO.....How much is that portion?
Are we still talking 10% here?.....something different than 10%?
Well...once again - Paul refrains from teaching that a specific percentage is required - as was the case under the Mosaic law.
....And I think he does this for a reason.
He simply says here in 2 Corinthians 9:7 that "Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give."
Now...someone might say....does that mean I only need to give 5%?.... or 2%? ... or 1%?.... to the church?
Perhaps...if that is indeed the amount that has been placed upon your heart.
However.....the person who phrases a question from the perspective of achieving the greatest gain for themselves....while - at the same time - avoiding the greatest cost for God's kingdom...
...that individual has displayed a serious disconnect in their understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus Christ....
...and - not only that – but they have displayed a heart of selfishness, ingratitude, and a serious lack of understanding of God's grace and mercy.
Folks, when we truly understand what Jesus Christ has done for us through his death, burial, and resurrection....
...Our heart posture becomes one that is steeped in generosity.
We desire to give back all we can for what He has done for us...
Jesus says in the sermon on the mount that "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21)
Brothers and sisters, if your treasure is tied up in the tangible things of this world....
....you will be that person asking the question about how little you are required to give to the Lord's work....
On the other hand....if your treasure is not tied to the materialism of this world – but to the spiritual kingdom of your savior....
Then you will be that person who desires to give everything you possibly can back to the Lord....because of what He has blessed you with...
You will be that individual who doesn't even think about percentages...they will mean absolutely nothing to you!
You will be the kind of individual who probably blows WAY past 10% in your giving....because your treasure is not tied to this world!
That is the kind of giver that God is looking for.
In fact, Paul teaches here in the passage from 2 Corinthians that if you are giving from a heart posture of ingratitude or hollow obligation....
...He doesn't even want your money.
Go ahead and use it on what your heart is truly desiring....because He would rather have a gift motivated by gratitude....than a gift motivated by empty, love-less compulsion.
One of the most heartbreaking shows on television is the reality series called "Hoarders"..... have some of you seen that show?
I've never really watched a full episode....I find it difficult to stomach...
If you're not familiar with the show, a TV crew goes to the house or apartment of someone who has accumulated so much "stuff" that they can no longer live in their home....
There is so much clutter that it makes for an unsafe environment....
These are the homes we hear about that have little pathways between the mountains of junk leading from one room to another...
Now...for sure...there are usually psychological issues at play in most of these cases...
...but these instances where people hang on to every little material thing that they possibly can....
...is a visual demonstration of what our hearts can look like to God when we have the attitude of "fiscal freeloading"....
.... of "how much can I accumulate here on earth - and still inherit salvation"
Rather than being able to part with material goods in exchange for building treasure in heaven.
Jesus also says in Matthew 6 "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal."
Brothers and sisters....Spend your money wisely.
Spend your money on things that will last....things that will benefit the kingdom of God – and give Him glory....
Be like the steward in the parable of the talents who chooses to do the most with what is given him....
....rather than the one who buries his responsibility in the ground....
If you choose to use your money for the Lord....He will bless you beyond what you can imagine....
And – I don't mean in a material way....don't expect a yacht to miraculously come to your door tomorrow if you cut a big check to the church today...
God doesn't work in a transactional way like that....
But He WILL bless you....
You will have joy
You will have peace.
You will have contentment of your soul.
And – yes, sometimes God does bless those who give generously in a financial way – but that's just because he knows that they are the kind of people who will re-invest those blessings into the work of the kingdom....
It's a cyclical thing with believers who have their treasure in heaven....rather than on earth.
So....at the end of the day....your giving is between you and God.
....and many of you are abiding by the 10% tithe that we see throughout the Old Testament...
...and there's nothing wrong with that.
It's a solid, traditional, noble way of giving back to the Lord.
But...ask yourself this....Is a 10% tithe representative of what Jesus has done for you on the cross....?
In your heart and mind....does 10% exemplify your gratitude for your sins being taken away forever on the cross....
...and the gift of eternal life that has been bestowed upon your soul?
If so?....fine....stay with 10%....or whatever amount you've been giving.
However....if grace, mercy, and salvation mean literally everything to you...
Then... Perhaps consider being tied – NOT to a number....
...But to a name.
The name of Jesus....your savior for all eternity....
At the end of the day....
Live to Give according to what the name of Jesus means to you.
Let's Pray.
