The Power of Giving; II Corinthians 9:10-11

 

Of all the subjects that a preacher can talk about, giving is the most sensitive one, especially on a Sunday where there's a lot of rain and you've had two collections. People would rather hear about hell and damnation than about the issue of giving money in the church.

 

Now, there are several reasons for this. First of all, sermons about giving rarely come at times when we're giving sufficiently. Giving lessons usually point out some deficiencies and people don't like that. It's as simple as that. Also, lessons about money may remind us that we don't agree on how the money is being spent sometimes, and that could cause some resentment. We may feel guilty for having indulged ourselves maybe a little too much in worldly pleasure at the expense of our offering, and giving lessons kind of make us feel a little guilty, so we don't like those kinds of lessons. And then, of course, some think that churches are always asking for money, and so a lesson on giving is just one lesson too many. But giving is also a biblical topic and it has to be covered from time to time.

 

One of the primary reasons, however, may be that we are afraid of the future, and lessons on giving tend to tap into that fear. We're afraid that if we give too much away, we won't be able to make ends meet. We won't have enough for ourselves. Christians read passages about God providing all of our needs and think that the Bible only talks about spiritual needs, but in the world's economy, the future is never sure. However, in God's economy, there is always enough for everyone's needs. In the kingdom of God, there is no need to worry. Now, if we weren't worrying, we would've really amened that statement. The Lord owns everything. The Lord is not stingy. He's not possessive about anything. The Lord wants to bless His children. All He asks is that we trust Him, it's all He's asking for.

 

So in this morning's lesson, I want to share with you three promises that God makes to those who give to Him, as a way to motivate and empower our giving to the point where we can continue being generous when special needs occur. And also, and maybe this is the point I'm getting to here, more responsible in making budget from week to week. The budget is a kind of contract, if you wish, between the leaders of the church and the congregation. They say, we're going to invest money, this much money this year, in doing all of these things, and the congregation is saying, "Yes, okay, we agree, we'll provide for that kind of work."

 

1. God Will Make You Rich

10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.

- II Corinthians 9:10-11

 

When it comes to God's provisions for us, we have to learn to differentiate between source and means. The means are our jobs and the bank, and our skills and the companies we work for. The ways that money and other blessings flow to us, those are the means. The source, however, is where the blessings, the money, the necessary things we require each day are created, where these things begin and who controls them. A pump or a faucet are the means by which we get water, but rain and the springs and the wells under the earth, those are the source.

 

We have many means which we can improve and develop, but only one source. And for us that source is God, Himself. And as far as God being a source, Paul says the following,

 

And my God will supply all of your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

- Philippians 4:19

 

The Bible teaches that when you give generously out of love for God, you tap into the very source of God's blessings or God's wealth. Tapping into the source by giving generously out of love will produce two specific riches for us. First of all, we will be made richer in our giving. Now, this is not the gospel of wealth preached by a lot of TV preachers: send money and the Lord will bless you for it. This is the give-to-get theory of religion. Generous giving to the Lord will bring many kinds of blessings on our heads, which include material and emotional blessings- look at Abraham, Job, Solomon and Barnabas.

 

However, the greatest of these will be the additional resources to be able to give more to the Lord. It's a sort of, you-give-so-you-can-give-again type of theory. No one ever went broke giving to the Lord. As a matter of fact, the more we give, the more the Lord enables us to give. Sometimes He does it by giving us more resources, sometimes He enables us to live more simply so we can give more generously, but either way we are richly blessed. To be able to give is a great feeling and a great blessing. To be able to increase our giving, regardless of the reasons, is even a greater blessing.

 

Now, let me ask you, have you ever been unhappy because you made a generous offering to the Lord? What was the feeling? You got a bonus, I don't know, income tax bonus or your uncle John, that you didn't know, died and he left you some money. He left you 2000,000 Fcfa and you sat down with your spouse and said, "You know what? Let's give half of this to the Lord. Why not? Let's give half of it to the Lord. We didn't earn it and we weren't expecting it, it just came in as a gift from heaven.

 

Let's just give half of it to the Lord. We've never done that, let's get crazy." And you write that check for 1000K and you drop it in the basket. Tell me, did you go home and cry after that? Did you feel somehow that God would abandon you after doing such a thing, such a generous thing? Of course not!

 

Another blessing of giving generously is that you will receive more than you give. In other words, you cannot out-give God. We believe this, but we don't practice it. God promises us that whatever we give, we will receive back a hundred fold. Did He not say that? For example, you give a smile, you receive back many smiles and good vibes. You give a hug and you receive not only a hug, but gratitude in return. You give forgiveness and you receive devotion and loyalty in return. When you give your money to God, He promises to give it back to you with interest. And so, the first promise of God to those who give generously is that He will make you rich in the way that it is important for you to be rich.

 

So the first promise of God, to those who give generously, is that He will make you rich in the way that it's important for you to be rich. Sometimes we do everything spiritually we can and still our lives are filled with struggles. Perhaps we need to examine and revive our giving so we can become rich the way God wants us to be rich. The problem is, we always want to be rich the way we want to be rich, and He wants us to be rich in the way He wants us to be rich, and there's a difference. Many times we want to be rich so we can have and use stuff. He wants us to be rich so we can give stuff and know Him more perfectly.

 

2. God Will Reward You

 

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows."

- Malachi 3:10

 

One of the problems with the Jews, that Malachi refers to, is that they did not fulfill their financial commitments to the Lord. They were, if you wish, behind budget. And the consequence was that they were suffering economic and social problems as a result.

 

Some say that in the New Testament, we're not required to tithe, 10%, like they were required to do in the Old Testament. Well, it's true, the New Testament does not mention the percentage of our income, but it does state that we have a commitment to the Lord to give, just like they had a commitment to give to the Lord as well. On the first day of every week, each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.

- I Corinthians 16:2

 

The commitment in giving in the New Testament is as follows: Each Sunday, regardless of where we are, to set aside for the Lord. We give each week, not each time we're in church. Whether you are in church or not you give every week. And then the second thing: Every member gives; this includes young people, old people, single people, married people, pensioners, part-time workers, every one should give.

 

If you take from the communion plate, you should contribute to the collection plate.

 

And each should put aside and save. This means a conscious decision and effort to earmark some money for this purpose only. Save means you could use it somewhere else, but you've chosen not to. You've set it aside for the Lord, and you do that first.

 

And then the other instruction: we give as we're prospered. Each give as he or she is prospered. This is where the percentage comes in. In Malachi, God invited the people to examine or to test Him, to see if His promise concerning His blessings was true. He said, "Go ahead, try Me. Stop giving Me the leftovers. Stop cutting down what you're giving. Stop falling behind. Go ahead, test Me now. Watch and see what I'll do if you do what I tell you to do when it comes to giving."

 

A weekly financial commitment requires a change of habit. It requires faith that God will provide. It requires discipline to continue with the commitment regardless of changing circumstances. But God promises that if you commit to Him financially, He will reward you for that commitment. But remember, He will reward you in His way, for His purpose. But you can be guaranteed of one thing: you're going to like it. You're going to like the way He blesses you.

 

3. God Will Surprise You

 

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.

- Ephesians 3:20

 

That, "abundantly beyond all that we ask," that's surprise. In Luke chapter five, Jesus needed Peter's boat in order to move back from the crowds who are pressing in on Him, on the shore. And Peter was tired from fishing all night, but he agreed to take Jesus out in his boat. And after the sermon, Jesus told Peter to cast his net into the deep part of the lake in the morning sun. Now, Peter had failed all night at fishing, had caught nothing- and that's when you fish. He had just cleaned and stored his nets, and fishing in the sunshine was not a good thing, and the deep part of the lake was the worst area to fish. All experienced fishermen on the lake knew this. But Peter obeyed Jesus anyways and made the greatest catch of fish in his lifetime. Not only did he make a great payday, it was this day that Jesus invited him to become one of His apostles, an invitation that would change his life forever. God surprised him.

 

A surprise means you're not expecting what will happen, you don't know the outcome. The Lord promises those who commit themselves to regular, generous giving, that He will not only bless us, He will surprise us.

 

And so the true power in giving is the power of God to fulfill His promises to those who give. That's where the power is, and that is: the promise to make rich those who give; rich in the ability to give joyfully, rich in the blessings that follow generous giving. And what are those blessings? Peace, joy, satisfaction, hope.

 

Secondly, a promise to reward us. Our social and economic welfare is directly dependent on God's ability and willingness to make us prosper and live in peace. God is able to do this, but His willingness is connected in a large measure to our faithfulness and our generosity in giving. And also, a promise to surprise us. Go ahead, see if you can out give God, go ahead. See for yourself how creative and generous God can be in blessing you. We never know where and when the blessings come and He blesses us in the most ingenious ways, so we are surprised, we are in awe, we are amazed at how wonderful He is.

 

Three Decisions to take

 

1. Giving as a Christian

 

Decision number one, a decision to give as a Christian. Christians give according to the Bible, as I read previously. We set aside a certain amount, a percentage from all of our income and wealth, salary, commissions, bonuses, tax backs, interest, gifts, whatever. If I get a gift, part of that goes to the Lord. We give every Sunday, not just when we're here. If we miss, we keep that portion for the Lord and we add it when we come back. If you are a Christian, then you should give like a Christian is instructed to give from the scripture, not what the preacher is saying, not what the elders are saying, this is what

the scripture says.

 

2. Develop a Giving Plan

 

Secondly, develop a giving plan. We plan for our pensions and they only take care of us for a few years. We should also have guidelines and plans for our giving to the church, that will last forever. Give the bulk of your offering to your home congregation, I always encourage that. If the local church and leadership is strong, then the programs for youth and missions and benevolence will also be strong.

 

Give first and foremost to your home congregation, because it is responsible for your most important assets: your soul and the souls of your family. Part of the plan, of course, is to give first to the Lord. If we wait until the last minute to figure out our offering, then there's usually not much left. When the first portion goes to the Lord, the Lord will enable us to live on the rest.

 

Another element of this plan is to increase your offering regularly. Look for extra ways and times to give, as the Lord leads you. Review your giving also so you can increase.

 

3. Dedicate All Your Wealth to the Lord

 

And so, give like a Christian, develop a giving plan, and then finally, dedicate all of your wealth to the Lord. Everything we have belongs to God and by rights we should give it all to Him. He recognizes

that we need to live, so He permits us to give Him a portion of our wealth as a way of dedicating or purifying all of our wealth beforehand.

 

Every time we remove the first portion to give to the Lord, we have made holy and acceptable everything else in our life. If we don't, it remains unholy and unacceptable to the Lord.

 

You may want to give your life to Jesus and become a true christian. Or you want to change your giving plan and test how the Lord is faithfull. This is the time to stand up as we get a song.