second message: The Heart and Soul of Christianity

 

Scriptures: Mark 10:35-44; John 13:12-15; Matthew 25:31-46

 

Introduction

 

Last week our brother Clifford preached on the topic “Giving: The heart and soul of Christianity”. Today we will be looking and the second sermon on the same topic. You can understand why giving is the heart and soul of our faith. If we are not giving then we are like dead Christians and when you are dead you don’t exist. Those who have not learned generosity are just church goers, they don’t yet understand true Christianity. If giving is the heart of Christianity; then stop giving and Christianity will die. We saw that Giving begins with a cause

Giving entails a sacrifice

Giving leads to life

Giving produces joy

Now we just read about the request of James and John. They mad a very boundless request to their master (to do to them whatever they will desire) rather than asking him to do to them as he deems fit (Eph 3:20).

Worldly honour is so glittering that the disciples of Christ have also been dazzled (amazed) with it. Whereas to be good should be more our care than to look great, or to have the pre-eminence. The disciples became angry with James and John not because they affected precedency, but because they had the same ambitions. Jesus took this opportunity to teach them the heart of Christianity. Jesus showed them that;

1.    Dominion was generally abused in the world mark 10:42

2.    That it ought not to be accepted into the church and Christianity. It shall not be so among you…

Illus: The late Dawson Trotman, founder of The Navigators, was visiting Taiwan on one of his overseas trips. During the visit he hiked with a Taiwanese pastor back into one of the mountain villages to meet with some of the national Christians. The roads and trails were wet, and their shoes became muddy. Later, someone asked this Taiwanese pastor what he remembered most about Dawson Trotman. Without hesitation the man replied, "He cleaned my shoes."

 

How surprised this humble national pastor must have been to arise the next morning and realize that the Christian leader from America had arisen before him and cleaned the mud from his shoes. Such a spirit of servanthood marked Dawson Trotman throughout his Christian life. He died as he lived, giving his life to rescue someone else from drowning.

 

Service, in the vocabulary of the world, is often synonymous with duty, a necessary activity. And to many in our hypersensitive society the label "servant" is offensive. To them it would mean belonging to a lower class of people. They would think it demeaned their status in life, marked them as "common people." Consequently, it was to be avoided at all costs.

 

I. Jesus taught service

 

Not so with Jesus. Jesus Christ, the King of kings, came to serve. Serving others is giving; you are giving yourself, giving your time, giving your money, giving your energy, giving your talent, giving…giving. That is servanthood.  For Jesus, service was not a peripheral issue, not just a florescent sign splashing half -truth in a window of self-indulgence. When it came to service, he meant business. Because it is the heart of His ministry. Know that giving is the heart and soul of Christianity. It was near the end of Jesus' ministry. He and the twelve disciples were on the wandering journey to Jerusalem that would end in a few days with Jesus' Crucifixion. On the roadside, James and John came up to Jesus with a private, surreptitious (clandestine) request (Mark 10:35- 37).

What they wanted was rather clear. They knew many people were saying that Jesus was the Messiah who, like David, would be a great military commander and would drive out Israel's enemies (the Romans), and restore Israel to greatness. They suspected that, at Jerusalem, Jesus would start the revolution, stir up the thousands of pilgrims, and begin the war. They expected Jesus to win, and they wanted to have the two chief positions in His new government after the Romans were driven out. They wanted to be the secretary of state and secretary of defense in Jesus' new cabinet. Today we have men and women like that, we don’t care about ministry but what we care about is our position. Will I be deacon or leader in that ministry? Will I be this or that? We don’t look at the big picture.

 

Jesus seems to have been disappointed and frustrated with them. "You don't know what you're asking," He said. He was referring to the fact that His close associates likely would die the same kind of death He would face in a few days. But they didn't understand what He meant. Jesus said, "But to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared" (Mark 10:40, NIV).

When the other ten disciples heard what James and John had asked, they were furious, maybe because the brothers had beaten them to it! So the twelve disciples, having been with Jesus three years, near the end in Jerusalem, were arguing over who was the greatest. Jesus called them and spoke (Mark 10:42-44, NIV). "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them - Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all."

 

 Do you want to be great in God’s house? You must be servant; that kind of servant who get’s up on Sunday morning and the priority is to be in God’s house, That kind of servant who will be there at the first hour to clean the benches and to pray, that servant who wants to prepare the atmosphere for others to come and get an encounter with God. Not that kind who comes when he or she wants and at the time they want but at God’s appointed time. The paradigm has changed! The disciples must have felt as if they had been slapped in the face. Some must have looked at Jesus as if He were the one who didn't get it. What were James and John thinking?

 

Without doubt, it was one of Jesus' most radical statements. It was revolutionary because it turned the values and advice of the world completely upside down. The world measures greatness in terms of size, power, and authority; in the Kingdom of God, greatness is measured in terms of service. Though we value power and prestige, God values the heart of a servant.

 

II. Jesus modeled service

 

As though His statement about radical serving was not enough, the night before He was crucified Jesus modeled, once again, servanthood. It was Thursday night of Passover Week. Later that night He would be arrested and begin the dizzying round of trials before the Jewish high court, Caiphas, Annas, Herod, and Pilate. Before sundown the next day, He would be dead.

 

He knew that the time of His death had come. That made the celebration of the Passover Meal with His disciples all the more touching. It would be their last meal together, the last real time to talk with them and teach them. We call this meal on Thursday night the Last Supper.

 

During the meal, as the twelve disciples lounged on cushions around the low table, Jesus stood up, took off his cloak, and tied up his long gown with a towel. He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples feet and dry them with the towel. When He came to the impetuous (impulsive) Simon Peter, the disciple at first refused to let Jesus wash his feet. But then he relented. Slowly, around the table Jesus went, until He had washed all their feet. The place must have been silent; the disciples had never seen Jesus do this.

 

When he finished, He put His cloak back on and sat down at His place. He told them He had set an example that they should do as He had done for them (John 13:12-15).

 

What did Jesus mean that they should do as He had done? Some groups take His words at face value and periodically have foot-washing services. But these people know that there was much more to Jesus' words than an order simply to mimic His action. And the disciples would have seen clearly what He meant. He had acted out for them a basic truth of Christianity. The job of washing feet is a filthy job. People didn't bathe very often and they wore no shoes, or only sandals. People's feet were dirty and smelly, and it was a demeaning job to have to wash them. In fact, the job was usually dumped on the lowliest servant in the household. Washing feet was a lowly act of service to one's betters. And that is what Jesus was acting out to His disciples. He voluntarily took the lowly position, the position of lowest status and prestige. He put aside His due rank and privilege and became the lowly one. He

would complete the lesson the next day when He submitted and died on the cross to redeem humanity. He, the mighty God in human flesh, allowing His opponents to kill Him, in order to buy our forgiveness. He took the lowly place. And as He washed their feet, He drove home the point He had made a few days before on the road to Jerusalem as the disciples argued over who was the greatest: greatness in the kingdom of God is marked by being a servant.

 

III. Jesus judges service

 

Jesus taught about service, He modeled service, and He said that the basis of judgment will be whether we have been servants or not. One of the most disturbing passages in the New Testament is Matthew 25:31-46. It is Jesus' description of the final judgment, sometimes called the "Sheep and Goat Judgment." Jesus said that when He returns in glory in the Second Coming, He will sit on His throne and pass judgment on the people of the earth. He will divide like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. This is a disturbing passage theologically because Jesus said that the basis of the judgment will be whether we have been servants, whether we have helped the needy. We don't like to hear this, because we think our actions or works have nothing to do with our salvation. And other parts of Scripture make it clear that they don't. So, what is Jesus saying here? Could it be that

those with real faith, those who truly know God and will go to heaven, will see servanthood develop in their lives? Can He be saying that those who believe will be servants? What good is it to say that we believe in Christ but have no evidence in our lives to prove it? If we have faith, it will show in how we live. Good works don't save us; they prove that we are saved.

 

But Jesus' words about judgment disturb us for a more personal reason - that many aren't comfortable being servants. We would rather hear that the evidence of real, saving faith is that we go to a lot of church meetings, because we can do that. Or that one is intellectually convinced that Christianity is true, because we are convinced of it. We don't want to hear about service, because we don't always choose to serve.

 

After a surgery performed by an American missionary doctor, perspiration ran on the doctor's forehead; his eyes were glassy, his lips almost purple from unrelenting strain. His hands began to tremble with fatigue. "How much would you have gotten for this operation in the States?" the physician was asked. "Quite a lot," said the physician, "it was a complicated procedure."

 

"How much will you get for this here?" The doctor looked at the poor Korean woman who had come to him with only a coin in her hand. She had asked for help in the name of Christ. Tears welled up in the doctor's eyes, and with choking voice he said, "Well, for this I will get nothing but her gratitude and my Master's smile. But that, sir, is worth more than all the plaudits and money the world can give."

 

The distinction that will then be made between the precious and the vile He shall separate them one from another, as the tares and wheat are separated at the harvest, the good fish and the bad at the shore, the corn and chaff in the floor. Wicked and godly here dwell together in the same kingdoms, cities, churches, families, and are not certainly distinguishable one from another such are the infirmities of saints, such the hypocrisies of sinners, and one event to both: but in that day they will be separated, and parted for ever Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, Malachi 3:18. They cannot separate themselves one from another in this world (1 Corinthians 5:10), nor can any one else separate them (Matthew 13:29) but the Lord knows them that are his, and he can separate them. This separation will be so exact, that the most inconsiderable saints shall not be lost in the crowd of sinners, nor the most plausible sinner hid in the crowd of saints (Psalms 1:5), but every one shall go to his own place. This is compared to a shepherd's dividing between the sheep and the goats it is taken from Ezekiel 34:17, Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle. Note, 1. Jesus Christ is the great Shepherd he now feeds his flock like a shepherd, and will shortly distinguish between those that are his, and those that are not, as Laban divided his sheep from Jacob's, and set three days' journey between them, Genesis 30:35,36. 2. The godly are like sheep--innocent, mild, patient, useful: the wicked are like goats, a baser kind of animal, unsavoury and unruly. The sheep and goats are here feeding all day in the same pasture, but will be coted at night in different folds. Being thus divided, he will set the sheep on his right hand, and the goats on his left, Matthew 25:33. Christ puts honour upon the godly, as we show respect to those we set on our right hand but the wicked shall rise to everlasting shame, Daniel 12:2. It is not said that he shall put the rich on his right hand, and the poor on his left the learned and noble on his right hand, and unlearned and despised on his left but the godly on his right hand, and the wicked on his left. All other divisions and subdivisions will then be abolished but the great distinction of men into saints and sinners, sanctified and unsanctified, will remain for ever, and men's eternal state will be determined by it. The wicked took up with left-handed blessings, riches and honour, and so shall their doom be.

Giving: The Heart and Soul of Christianity Scriptures: Matthew 20:28

 

 

"For God so loved the world, he gave . . ." (John 3:16). We are never more like God than when we give. Jesus said, "I did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give my life" (Matt. 20:28). The world's thought is get all you can. But to be like Jesus, we must give.

Observation:

Jesus was teaching his disciples basic principles of discipleship. That they must be like the Master himself and it is very fit that they should, that, while they were in the world, they should be as he was when he was in the world. They should be as he was in the world for to both (disciple and master) the present state is a state of humiliation, the crown and glory were reserved for both in the future state. Let them consider that the son of man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. Our Lord Jesus set two things before them; humility and usefulness (or humility and giving to others).

 

Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and we never saw that they washed his feet. No one ever ministered to Jesus as a great man. He ministered help to the needy; the sick and diseased. He deprived himself of both food and rest to attend to the needs of these people who came to him continually. That is humility.

 

There was no example of beneficence and usefulness as there was in the death of Christ, who gave his life a ransom for many. He lived as a servant, went about doing good and he died as a sacrifice doing greater good of all. So he came into the world for a purpose. Our lives were forfeited (surrendered) into the hands of divine justice by sin. Christ’s atonement rescued our lives as he was made sin, and a curse for us. He died, not only for our good, but in our stead (Acts 20:28, 1 Pet 1:18,19). This is the reason why we should not strive for precedency (important than others), because the cross is our banner, and our Master’s death is our life. So, study to do good and for the consideration of Christ in dying for us, not hesitate to lay down your lives for the brethren (1 John 3:16)

 

Look at these basic principles of New Testament giving.

 

I. Giving begins with a cause

 

The disciples of Jesus gave up everything to follow Him. They left behind homes and jobs and security to follow this Nazarene Carpenter. Why would those men give up everything to follow an itinerant preacher? Because they were captured by a cause. The kingdom of God was at hand. The Son of God was in their midst. They wanted to be a part of a life-changing cause.

 

Such actions did not stop with the first followers of Jesus. The Book of Acts records men and women giving up houses, incomes, possessions, land, time, and talents to follow Christ. These people were persecuted, murdered, and endured suffering. Why would they endure such pain and torture? Because they saw themselves as a part of a great cause.

 

 

These early Christians saw giving as the means of Kingdom building. In giving what they could, the expansion of God's kingdom on earth would occur. We can selfishly live for ourselves, meagerly exist and eventually die. Or, we can give ourselves to the greatest cause of reaching people for Christ and therefore find life.

 

II. Giving entails a sacrifice

 

Jesus said, "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28, NIV).

1. Since godly giving entails a sacrifice, does he expect anything less from us? Jesus observed a touching event when he watched people give contributions to the Temple. Many people gave considerable amounts. Then came a widow. She gave two coins amounting to less than 1 Fcfa. Then Jesus used her action as an object lesson for His disciples. Jesus was saying to His disciples that the size of the gift does not matter as much as the size of the sacrifice. The woman could have kept one of the coins and everyone would have understood. But, she gave everything she had. She did not hold anything back.

 

The heart of Christianity says that you haven't given God anything until you have given God everything.

 

III. Giving leads to life

 

In the Holy Land, fresh water comes from a brook and fills the Sea of Galilee. This body of water has always been fruitful in fish. And then the Sea of Galilee takes that water and gives it to the Jordan River. That famous river uses its water to turn the desert into a rose and make it the land of milk and honey.

 

The Jordan River spills into the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea does not have an outlet. It takes the water in but does not give any away. That produces the saline problem which makes it salty and dead. Nothing lives in the Dead Sea.

 

This is a universal principle: One has to give to live. "Give, and it will be given to you," Jesus said. The fact remains, abundant living begins with abundant giving

 

IV. Giving produces joy

 

This was our central message last Sunday. You've heard it said, "Give until it hurts." That's not true. People don't give because it hurts. They give because it feels good. Again Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35, NIV). The happiest people on earth are givers. They have discovered the joy of giving.

 

Conclusion

 

When we give of ourselves our heart is changed. And the heart of our Christ shows through.  Shalom

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.

Superficial versus. Spiritual Wisdom 1 Cor 2:12-13

 Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual.

Paul opens the chapter reminding the church that he first came to them only with the wisdom of God not of man. He determined to be nothing before them except for Jesus Christ and him crucified. Paul was reminding the Corinthian church and us today in mount Zion Boko that when we come to Christ we are bound to grow in the basic facts of what God has done and even deeper teachings of God’s word.

This growth is a rigorous process. This wisdom has depth to it. A Christian who is maturing in his or her faith is not coming to church on Friday evening or Sunday, church school, or all the other activities, to be entertained by some clever, eloquent performer who orchestrates your emotions and makes you feel good. It is our responsibility to teach you. It is your responsibility to learn. That is why Paul says, "Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to perish. But we speak God's wisdom, secret and hidden, which God decreed before the ages for our glory" (1 Corinthians 2:6-7).

Wow, Paul says though I did not come to you with eloquence, we speak wisdom among those who are perfect, among those who are well instructed in christianity, and come to some maturity in the things of God. They don’t only understand the plain history of Christ, and his crucifixion, which is basic doctrine, they also discern deep and admirable designs of the divine wisdom. It is not wordly wisdom but divine wisdom. To those who enjoy the gospel revelation; types are unveiled, mysteries made plain, prophecies interpreted, and the secret counsels of God published and laid open.

Listen to the details:

Point 1: There are two kinds of wisdom.

a) One is "temporal wisdom." It is the wisdom of this age. It is the wisdom of the rulers of this age. It is a wisdom that has limited horizons. It is propelled forward by the spiritual powers of darkness. It has a satanic dimension to it. And it is doomed to pass away.

What would be some examples of this temporal wisdom?

There are many labels we could throw around.

Naturalism tells us that we live in a closed universe of cause and effect. What we experience through our senses is all that there is.

Hedonism declares a universe that has no real meaning, so "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die."

New Age Mysticism informs us that reality is found within ourselves and, with intense meditation, we will come to a greater awareness of who we are and how to function in relationship to others.

Materialism stimulates our inquisitive nature, promising that wealth and power is the purpose of living. "The one with the most toys wins."

Apostate Christianity belittles the historic biblical doctrines of the faith, yet still claims to be Christian.

There are those who still claim the name Christian but reject the notion of a Creator,  the God who sustains, who breaks into human history in the person of Jesus Christ and who reveals His truth in the Scriptures, which we hold to be "the only infallible rule of faith and practice."

All these worldly wisdom live within time. They don't really explain where we came from, why we are here and where we are going in a way that equips us with quality for the now.

b) The second kind of wisdom is eternal wisdom. This is the hidden wisdom of God. It is His natural and special revelation of himself. This lasts forever and is the ultimate ground of all being in which you and I can stake our very lives. Granted, at times, we distort it and misinterpret His wisdom. When we do so, we need to come under the authority of God's revelation, finding correction of our errors through our endeavor to more fully understand the wisdom that goes beyond our temporal, limited, finite, human rationality.

Point 2: None of the rulers of this age fully understand this.

Sometimes the phrase "rulers of this age" is used to describe evil, supernatural powers thought to control human destiny. It appears that here Paul is referring to human leaders, since, in verse 8, he says that these are the ones who crucified Jesus and since the contrast in this whole passage is between the believer who has the Spirit and the nonbeliever who does not have the Spirit.

Not many of the rulers of this world understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Power does have a way of corrupting. As has been said, absolute power corrupts absolutely. I do know that, when your citizenship is in the Kingdom of God and you bow your head before His sovereignty, there are those rulers of the kingdom of humankind who are threatened by your allegiance to the Lord. They do not understand this. The currency of the kingdom of humankind is a different currency.

Illus: My wife went to Egypt some few months ago and in returning she brought back some of their currency which she did not change. While in Egypt they were useful there but here in our country they are useless. Her plans was to give it to a visiting Doctor who came to the Hospital so that he can return with them. It is their currency and useful there but here it is irrelevant.

The eternal wisdom of the Kingdom of God is viewed as foolishness to the kingdom of this earth. It is currency that is irrelevant. It doesn't make sense. It is puzzling (confusing).

Don't be surprised when some people view you as odd when you are faithful to your Lord.

Point 3: No one can figure the eternal wisdom out on his or her own.

It is impossible to come to this truth of God without God's specific revelation. Paul paraphrases an Old Testament statement when he writes, "But, as it is written, 'What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him'-these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-10).

This is the wisdom of the before time, end time and after time. Paul is saying that the most brilliant of persons living in time alone could never come up with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact, the most brilliant persons who have ever walked the face of this earth cannot, in a clear and rational way, articulate the notion of before time and after time, much less be able to figure out the strange mysteries of the Creator, Sustainer God, who was before time, will be after all time is over and who functions in His triune nature here within the very midst of time. He is not only the alpha and the omega; he is everything between and that wisdom can only be revealed by His spirit.

Eternal truth is not perceived through the eye. We can see nature. It gives us wonderful pleasure. We enjoy art. Some of our most satisfying sensations come through the eye. We can study science. It is dependent upon observable data. However, when we see nature defaced into that which is ugly and observes science gone crazy in nuclear holocaust or physical disease or in legal transgression, we need healing that goes beyond our gifts of observation.

The moral word is not one of convenience alone. The ear can hear the great music, but there is a music of grace that goes beyond that which triggers the most rapturous of beautiful ecstasy.

The human heart can be filled with enormous piety, compassion and even love, but it cannot ultimately set right that which is wrong.

For all of this, we need God's revelation of himself.

Point 4: God has revealed His wisdom to us by His Spirit.

Tell me about yourself. Tell me your deepest inner thoughts, will you? I doubt that you will. They are secret, aren't they? They are your private thoughts. No one is going to know them, unless you reveal yourself honestly. And no one can make you do that, can they? You can play games, can't you? And you've done some of that. We all reveal facts about ourselves that fake people out. We all know how to do it, don't we? You can show off the knowledgeable or the ignorant you. You can show the wealthy or the poor you. You selectively choose to reveal what you want to reveal. That is your right, to own your own thoughts. No one has the power to rape your inner private self.

I notice this in my counseling ministry. There are layers on one's self that a person reveals. Seldom do they get down to the deepest level in the first interview or two. That is one reason why we advise long-term therapy. There is so much about a person that remains hidden.

Paul makes this human analogy when he writes, "For what human being knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God's except the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 2:11).

You have no opportunity to know who God really is and what He is thinking unless He initiates His self-disclosure to you. He has done it. The result is the wisdom of God that you can only discover through His self-disclosure.

Point 5: You have received not the spirit of this world but the Spirit of God.

Paul writes, "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we speak of these things in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual things to those who are spiritual" (1 Corinthians 2:12-13).

God has given you a tutor. If you have received Jesus Christ as Savior, you have the Holy Spirit in your life. He is the very essence of God himself, who has been given to you by God to impart not human wisdom, but spiritual truth. The Holy Spirit is not going to supernaturally teach me German language, or Chinese without my effort. Nor is the Holy Spirit going to do your physics for you or write your English literature paper or even fill out your annual tax forms. The Holy Spirit will give you wisdom that will help you use your time more wisely and maximize the intellectual gifts that are yours. He will help clear your mind, so that you can study. But the Holy Spirit's primary function is to interpret spiritual truth, so that you can come to Jesus Christ, grow in Jesus Christ, be enabled by Jesus Christ to face temptation, to be gifted in Jesus Christ and used by Jesus Christ in a way that validates your very creation.

Point 6: The unspiritual person does not receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

The unspiritual person does not receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit for they are foolishness to him. That person is not able to understand them, because they are "spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Why is this? The unspiritual person lives only in the temporal. The Kingdom of God understandings are moronic or idiotic to him or her. The spiritual person lives with a sensitivity to the eternal.

For example, when I teach from God's Word, if a person receives Jesus Christ as Savior, it will have a tremendous impact on how that person uses their money, sexuality and power; a nonbeliever becomes threatened. An unspiritual person rejects that. They accuse me of going from preaching to interfering in their business. It's their own business what they do with their money, their sex life and their power. They don't realize that every good and perfect gift they have comes from the Lord, and He owns it all, and He can take it back at any moment. They won't let go. It's theirs. They don't understand the joy of liberality, that sees one's self only as a temporary recipient and steward of what God has given. The concept of tithing is absurd. The fact that one could experience joy in giving himself or herself to the Lord and to others doesn't make any sense. The flip side is that the nonspiritual person doesn't understand why unlimited money, unlimited sex and unlimited power doesn't satisfy them.

I invite you today, if you have never received Jesus Christ as Savior, to open your life to Him; acknowledge your need of His forgiveness, His healing, His wisdom, letting go of that false pride, that arrogance which demands that you have your way as one living in the economy of this world's kingdom. Or if you have received Him but have restricted the Holy Spirit with a blanket of self-interest, elitism, arrogance, pride, doubt, party spirit, admit it for what it is. Repent! Welcome the Lord once again into the very center of your life. And live with the wisdom which comes from the Holy Spirit!