WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:12.160 I would like you to turn your Bibles this morning to 1 Corinthians chapter 16, and I will 00:00:12.160 --> 00:00:17.199 ! I will tell you that it will take a while for us to get to the text and there's a reason for that. 00:00:19.039 --> 00:00:22.960 First of all, one of the things that I think has characterized my ministry among you is that I 00:00:22.960 --> 00:00:29.920 have probably been a fairly repetitious individual on certain things. One of the things that I have 00:00:29.920 --> 00:00:39.200 brought to the fore over and over again is my appeal that you would pray while I preach and that 00:00:39.200 --> 00:00:45.679 you would pray when anyone preaches. I don't make that request just because it happened to have come 00:00:45.679 --> 00:00:52.160 to me on one dark night, but I make that request on the basis of Scripture because over in 2 Thessalonians 00:00:52.160 --> 00:00:58.000 chapter 3, the apostle did there in that passage something that you actually will find as you 00:00:58.000 --> 00:01:03.439 work your way through the Scriptures, you'll find Paul wrote and asked people to pray for him over 00:01:03.439 --> 00:01:10.159 and over again. It was one of those hot-button issues for him. And I can tell you that if there 00:01:10.159 --> 00:01:15.439 is a time when you need to pray for a pastor, it is particularly when he is preaching, but it's also 00:01:15.439 --> 00:01:21.280 when he's preaching about something that you all, at least for the most part, have heard more than once. 00:01:21.280 --> 00:01:30.240 And we are in the second of a two-part series on stewardship. And when you're going over something 00:01:30.240 --> 00:01:36.079 that you've heard before, there is a tendency to say, oh yeah, I've heard that, and your mind kind of clicks off. 00:01:37.120 --> 00:01:43.680 I want to encourage you not to do that. I want you to recognize that there are always new things that 00:01:43.680 --> 00:01:49.920 God can teach his children when our heart is humble and inclined to hear what he has to say. 00:01:50.800 --> 00:01:56.880 And so as I am preaching, you can pray with your eyes open, you can pray with your eyes closed, 00:01:56.880 --> 00:02:03.040 and I will not suspicion that you've dozed off. I'm going to assume that you are focused and 00:02:03.040 --> 00:02:07.600 you're inclined and you want to learn. You want to see what the Word has to say. 00:02:07.599 --> 00:02:15.199 And so we are going to look this morning at the second part of the matter of giving. You'll 00:02:15.199 --> 00:02:21.919 remember last week I talked about the importance of our heart attitude. God cares a great, great deal 00:02:21.919 --> 00:02:27.519 for how we give, the spirit with which we give. In fact, in the scriptures, interestingly enough, 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:32.159 contrary to what you find with many fundraisers and particularly with our government, 00:02:32.159 --> 00:02:39.840 the scriptures encourage us to give only when we want to. It says, whosoever is of a willing heart. 00:02:41.120 --> 00:02:44.240 Now, by the way, if you're sitting out there thinking, well, that gives me an exemption, 00:02:44.639 --> 00:02:49.840 you're right. But the problem in taking that exemption is that it's acknowledgement of a heart 00:02:49.840 --> 00:02:54.840 that's just pretty nasty. Now, by the way, I want to tell you that giving in and of itself won't change 00:02:54.840 --> 00:03:01.759 your heart. Don't think that. But when you recognize that your heart has no affection for 00:03:01.759 --> 00:03:08.459 being part of what God is doing and participating in the blessing of being an individual who's a 00:03:08.459 --> 00:03:13.239 channel of grace, you need to go back and say, Lord, you need to do something to my heart to rekindle 00:03:13.239 --> 00:03:17.719 my affections for the Lord Jesus Christ or do something that changed the way I think. 00:03:19.459 --> 00:03:23.060 Last week, we talked about the heart attitude. This week, we're going to talk about methodology. 00:03:23.299 --> 00:03:27.739 And I want to give you a little bit of background to why I think methodology and giving is important. 00:03:27.740 --> 00:03:36.640 Interestingly enough, this last week, I was coming back from a hospital visit and walked into our 00:03:36.640 --> 00:03:43.100 lobby. And lo and behold, there was an individual that was working in our lobby that I have known 00:03:43.100 --> 00:03:49.580 for something like 20 some years. And I actually didn't recognize him because the way he was dressed 00:03:49.580 --> 00:03:53.219 and I just didn't spot him right off. And he said, hey, Pastor Knoyer, how are you doing? I looked 00:03:53.219 --> 00:04:00.699 over. Whoa. Yeah. How are you doing? And anyway, we had a little short conversation. And it brought 00:04:00.699 --> 00:04:09.300 back memories because about 20 years ago, this was early in my ministry here. And I was still in the 00:04:09.300 --> 00:04:14.379 process of learning some important things about pastoral ministry. And that is that sometimes it's 00:04:14.379 --> 00:04:24.719 appropriate to say no. In our office, we deflect many of the appeals for help. We send them off to 00:04:24.719 --> 00:04:31.319 Pastor Saul because I don't have no in my vocabulary. You know, it's a hard one for me. And anyway, this 00:04:31.319 --> 00:04:37.199 guy, about 20 years ago, he showed up here at the church. And I'm a guppy. Do you know what a guppy is? 00:04:37.199 --> 00:04:44.099 I just fall for every line. And this guy told me the story. And I was just about, you know how I get 00:04:44.099 --> 00:04:51.120 emotional. And I was caught up. And we didn't have any cash at that time here. You know, oh, 00:04:51.180 --> 00:04:59.759 everybody say we've got cash around the church. No. He told me he was an electrician. This is how it 00:04:59.759 --> 00:05:04.459 went. And he didn't have any work and he didn't have any tools. And he just wanted help. He wanted me 00:05:04.459 --> 00:05:09.459 to give him some money so he could buy electrical tools. Now, I was born, but I wasn't born yesterday. 00:05:09.599 --> 00:05:16.959 So I took him down to Sutherland's. And we went and bought some basic tools. I paid for it with my own 00:05:16.959 --> 00:05:24.419 money. And I thought, you know, this is going to help this young man get right on the work. And by the 00:05:24.419 --> 00:05:30.620 way, in the scriptures, it says if a man doesn't work, he doesn't what? So the solution for not having 00:05:30.620 --> 00:05:35.500 something to buy your food with is generally get out there and do something about it. Don't sit on your 00:05:35.500 --> 00:05:40.980 hands and expect something to come to you. So I thought, hey, I'm taking a step for this young man. I'm going 00:05:40.980 --> 00:05:47.879 to buy him tools. And I bought him tools. And I thought that that was pretty good. I thought we've made 00:05:47.879 --> 00:05:54.340 progress. He called me up, short memory span. He called me up about a month later. And he started giving me a song 00:05:54.339 --> 00:06:00.679 about needing money for tools. And I said, hold it. Do you remember me? I said, you know what? This was in the old 00:06:00.679 --> 00:06:05.219 days of the Yellow Pages. You know, guys would just grab the phone book and kind of work through. And they'd lose track of 00:06:05.219 --> 00:06:13.620 who they were calling. So he was calling me and he was giving me the same solicitation. I said, hold it. Do you remember 00:06:13.620 --> 00:06:22.920 talking to me about a month ago? What was that? I said, I bought you tools at Sutherland's. I said, where are 00:06:22.920 --> 00:06:35.399 they? There was this long pause on the phone, okay? And then there was this click. I wish that's the only 00:06:35.399 --> 00:06:42.939 story I had to tell you about my inattention to the Scriptures earlier in my life regarding the matter of 00:06:42.939 --> 00:06:50.680 benevolence. I had to come to this process the hard way of actually going to the Scriptures and 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:56.959 researching and saying, what does the Bible have to say about the charity and the way in which 00:06:56.959 --> 00:07:04.740 believers go about the matter of giving? And I remember early in my ministry when Judith and I were 00:07:04.740 --> 00:07:12.659 working in northeastern Ohio, another situation where an individual showed up at the house and really 00:07:12.660 --> 00:07:21.000 had a very sad story. And I, remember, I'm a guppy. I fell for it completely. Judith was there in the 00:07:21.000 --> 00:07:25.840 home. And that evening, we didn't have a lot of cash. But what I did was I grabbed about three or 00:07:25.840 --> 00:07:35.080 four grocery bags and I went through loading them up. And about four days into that, I remember we'd had 00:07:35.080 --> 00:07:40.580 macaroni and cheese for about the third time in a row. Now, anybody that knows my wife knows that she's 00:07:40.579 --> 00:07:48.120 more inventive than macaroni and cheese three times in a row. And for the most part, I love my wife's 00:07:48.120 --> 00:07:55.060 cooking and I like to tell her that she's a pretty good cook. In fact, I like to verbalize at the table. 00:07:55.919 --> 00:08:03.279 Like, what about Bob? Remember that? Mmm. Yes. I'm really into most everything. But macaroni and cheese, 00:08:03.279 --> 00:08:10.219 and we're not talking about high-end macaroni and cheese. We're talking about the, you know, dollar 00:08:10.219 --> 00:08:16.619 store. You get nine boxes for a dollar, that kind of thing. And I remember saying to my wife, I said, 00:08:16.679 --> 00:08:22.939 honey, what's the deal? I mean, mac and cheese is okay, but three days, four days in a row, we're kind 00:08:22.939 --> 00:08:33.820 of pushing it. She says, honey, you gave away all the groceries. My wife had not said a word to admonish 00:08:33.820 --> 00:08:41.840 or correct me. I was brokenhearted when I thought of what I'd done. I remember beginning to pray about 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:46.679 that, and that's where I began to think, you know what? If a person shows up and needs help, then we're 00:08:46.679 --> 00:08:52.240 going to offer them an opportunity to work. Did you know that's what happens here in the church? 00:08:53.500 --> 00:09:00.820 Individuals call pretty regularly and ask for help. It goes on all the time. And we say, we're so glad 00:09:00.820 --> 00:09:05.300 you called. We would like to provide you an opportunity to work. Now, I've had some of them 00:09:05.300 --> 00:09:09.300 tell me, well, my doctor says I can't do anything heavy. I said, that's all right. We'll have you sit, 00:09:09.620 --> 00:09:15.560 and we'll have you dust, you know, the pews or whatever. Well, my other doctor said that I have an 00:09:15.560 --> 00:09:21.760 anxiety disorder, and I can't put myself under any stress. My response to that one was, you need another 00:09:21.759 --> 00:09:31.019 consultation, you know, because the Bible says work's a good thing. I remember beginning to search the 00:09:31.019 --> 00:09:36.919 Scriptures and discover that the Word of God has a lot to say, not only about the attitude of the 00:09:36.919 --> 00:09:43.319 believer in giving, but the methodology of the believer in giving. And so, this morning, I want you, 00:09:43.320 --> 00:09:48.760 as you're praying, also to turn in your Bibles over to 1 Corinthians chapter 16. 00:09:50.960 --> 00:09:54.740 And I want you to recognize that this is the apostle writing to the church at Corinth, 00:09:54.940 --> 00:10:02.040 and he has some very specific, direct statements to the congregation there in Corinth regarding the 00:10:02.040 --> 00:10:05.140 matter of giving. Let me read the two verses that we're going to focus, actually three, 00:10:05.139 --> 00:10:10.860 and we'll work our way through them. And I want to explain something. By the way, 00:10:11.360 --> 00:10:19.100 biblical preaching is the exposition of Scripture. And so, what I say should be directly rooted back 00:10:19.100 --> 00:10:23.460 to the Word of God. You should be able to track it yourself, see it for yourself, and that's the 00:10:23.460 --> 00:10:29.039 reason that having a Bible is a good thing. I don't care if you have it electronically or you have it in 00:10:29.039 --> 00:10:36.199 print, but I encourage you to track what we are studying so that you know yourself whether or not 00:10:36.199 --> 00:10:45.500 what I'm saying is scriptural. Now, concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the 00:10:45.500 --> 00:10:53.000 churches in Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put 00:10:53.000 --> 00:10:59.019 something aside and store it up as he may prosper, so that there will be no collection when I'm going to 00:10:59.019 --> 00:11:05.799 come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to 00:11:05.799 --> 00:11:10.960 Jerusalem. I want you to recognize as we look at this passage that the first point that stands out 00:11:10.960 --> 00:11:18.659 is that giving is a part of a congregation's life and worship. It's something that God has ordained to 00:11:18.659 --> 00:11:24.840 be part of what a body of believers do together. I enjoy listening to our singing together when we 00:11:24.840 --> 00:11:30.300 really get our hearts into it, and we're rejoicing in the truth of Scripture that's been put to music. 00:11:30.759 --> 00:11:38.720 And we participate together because we delight in God and we like to sing together. But that's not the 00:11:38.720 --> 00:11:44.680 only aspect in which God has called us as a body of believers to be involved in worship. Another way 00:11:44.680 --> 00:11:50.060 that we are involved in worship is in the matter of our giving. And it's evident from this passage here 00:11:50.059 --> 00:11:56.259 in 1 Corinthians 16, as it is from many others that we would find if we kind of work our way through 00:11:56.259 --> 00:12:03.500 the book of Acts, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, 1 Timothy, others that talk about the fact that giving is a 00:12:03.500 --> 00:12:08.739 part of what believers do on a regular basis. Now, I want you to understand that giving in the New 00:12:08.739 --> 00:12:14.839 Testament was not something that was on the back burner of the church life. And it was not something that 00:12:14.840 --> 00:12:20.040 was kind of shoved over to the side and dealt with on the side kind of as a manipulative issue. 00:12:20.960 --> 00:12:25.920 Apostolic teaching on the matter of charitable giving was something that was right up front, 00:12:26.080 --> 00:12:31.120 and it was something that a new believer had engaged in. Giving is not seen in the Bible 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:37.300 as the means of salvation. Now, I want to make that clear. No one buys their way into heaven. 00:12:38.040 --> 00:12:44.720 And you never hear any connection in gospel presentations that talk about how Christ died for 00:12:44.720 --> 00:12:49.740 sin, and whosoever believes in Him might have everlasting life. You don't have a little 00:12:49.740 --> 00:12:55.120 parenthetical statement after that saying, and by the way, there is a payment that is expected if you 00:12:55.120 --> 00:13:01.320 really want to be saved. Salvation is free. Christ paid the price. We receive it by grace. 00:13:02.500 --> 00:13:07.860 Furthermore, I want you to understand that giving is always seen as something that flowed through the 00:13:07.860 --> 00:13:16.200 local church. Offerings were collected within the framework of corporate worship and for the congregation's 00:13:16.200 --> 00:13:23.320 vision rather than off to the side. I have no doubt that in the New Testament time, as well as in this day, 00:13:23.820 --> 00:13:30.200 many individual believers are and were charitable. But I want you to recognize that we see something 00:13:30.200 --> 00:13:37.360 happening in our contemporary culture that I do find alarming. The idea is growing that the congregation, 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:44.980 the body of Christ, can be bypassed as a primary conduit and channel for giving. A very interesting 00:13:44.980 --> 00:13:50.560 article I read this last week as I was doing some research on the matter of giving, and this actually 00:13:50.560 --> 00:13:59.139 was an article that was written after the research had been done in 2011. And it said that giving to the 00:13:59.139 --> 00:14:07.300 church is going down giving to charitable organizations such as health, education, arts, human services, 00:14:07.360 --> 00:14:14.560 environmental issues, and animal organizations actually going up. And even believers more engaged in 00:14:14.560 --> 00:14:20.539 giving to these other organizations that have no gospel footprint and giving less to the body of Christ. 00:14:22.300 --> 00:14:31.379 Even mission agencies are pursuing what I believe is a pattern of solicitation or appeal that doesn't 00:14:31.379 --> 00:14:39.320 track clearly with scriptures. It's not uncommon for agencies, and particularly for missionaries, to completely 00:14:39.320 --> 00:14:47.340 bypass the local church in making an appeal for raising funds for whatever their particular mission interest or vision 00:14:47.340 --> 00:14:56.240 is. It's not unusual for missionaries to solicit the majority of their funds from individuals and never, ever have any 00:14:56.240 --> 00:15:04.620 contact with the local church. Mission trips send children, people, adults on trips all over the world and never have any 00:15:04.620 --> 00:15:11.399 footprint, any connection, any confirmation of the individual that they're going to be sending as to their spiritual 00:15:11.399 --> 00:15:18.039 passion or godliness. Never check with the body of believers and say, hey, is this person what they say they are? 00:15:18.039 --> 00:15:24.980 And by the way, we all know missions is something that allows people to do somewhere else what they're already 00:15:24.980 --> 00:15:35.039 doing fairly well here. Does that make sense? And I'm stunned when I find out after the fact that someone is 00:15:35.039 --> 00:15:41.360 going to go on a missions trip, and I as the shepherd have not even been questioned as to whether or not this person 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:51.600 has any kind of testimony of godliness. I want to tell you this is contrary to Acts chapter 13, Acts chapter 15, 00:15:51.840 --> 00:15:57.360 and other passages of scripture that make it very, very clear that God has ordained the local church to be 00:15:57.360 --> 00:16:05.060 the preeminent or primary instrument of ministry. And if you have any question about that, stay with us as we work 00:16:05.060 --> 00:16:10.700 our way through the book of Ephesians, because I think the argument in Ephesians is just classic, 00:16:10.700 --> 00:16:17.920 as to the primacy of the local church. Now, the Bible does not see the local church out of the loop like 00:16:17.920 --> 00:16:24.200 this, and I got to tell you that while it is easier to raise funds from individuals in the short run, 00:16:24.460 --> 00:16:31.920 in the long run, it is counterproductive to the mission and ministry of Christ. Many of you were here 00:16:31.920 --> 00:16:40.379 this last Wednesday when we had Steve Overholt, okay, missionary that travels around the world with 00:16:40.379 --> 00:16:46.200 Gap with ABWE, did a good job, good presentation, and as I was listening to him, I was sitting here 00:16:46.200 --> 00:16:51.439 thinking, because I was actually studying earlier in the week for this morning's sermon, and I was 00:16:51.439 --> 00:16:58.259 thinking about what happens when missionaries bypass the local church. Well, one of the things that 00:16:58.259 --> 00:17:05.160 happens is that the congregation of God's people really do not catch a vision for what God is doing 00:17:05.160 --> 00:17:13.880 around the world. Most of their individual contacts are for solicitation for individual funding, not for 00:17:13.880 --> 00:17:22.400 the vision that God has placed on their heart. And what happens as a result of that is that as this 00:17:22.400 --> 00:17:28.440 private means of contribution goes on, guess what happens? You end up with a graded system of contact. 00:17:28.440 --> 00:17:36.240 If you're a heavier giver, guess what you get? You get more personal attention from the individual who 00:17:36.240 --> 00:17:41.900 is your contributor. Does it make sense? How many of you have ever received something through the mail 00:17:41.900 --> 00:17:49.519 that said, we would like you to give a donation, and if you give $25, you get a plastic keychain? 00:17:50.140 --> 00:17:57.279 If you give $100, you get a metal keychain. If you give $1,000, we'll inscribe a leather Bible, 00:17:57.279 --> 00:18:01.180 and it'll say, dear Tim, so thankful that you're part of the partnership, blah, blah, blah. 00:18:01.579 --> 00:18:10.559 Have you ever had anything like that? That's classic. And it bypasses the body of Christ, 00:18:10.639 --> 00:18:15.720 and I would appeal to you, beloved, pay attention to what the Scriptures teach on this matter. 00:18:15.980 --> 00:18:20.680 I find a passage in Scripture very instructive on this matter. Turn over in your Bible, if you will, 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:24.420 just for a moment, to first, and I know I'm stepping on toes, but here we go. 00:18:24.420 --> 00:18:33.320 So, 1 John, actually, 3 John, and by the way, I want you to understand it. In 3 John, the apostle, 00:18:33.700 --> 00:18:39.740 John, was dealing with a problem that had taken place in the church, okay? Look at what it says 00:18:39.740 --> 00:18:44.340 in verse 5. Beloved, it is a faithful thing that you do in all your efforts for these brothers, 00:18:44.460 --> 00:18:50.039 strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:57.740 on their journey in a manner worthy of God. What is it talking about? It is talking about the fact 00:18:57.740 --> 00:19:02.720 that in the New Testament church, one of the things that would happen is missionaries and evangelists 00:19:02.720 --> 00:19:08.019 would come into the local church, and when they were in the local church, a love offering would be 00:19:08.019 --> 00:19:12.619 taken up for them, and that would help them to make, to move forward on their journey. 00:19:12.619 --> 00:19:19.599 They would stop in Columbus, and the believers in Columbus would respond to their gospel ministry 00:19:19.599 --> 00:19:25.659 and say, here, take this with you, and then they'd move on to Chillicothe, and the churches supported 00:19:25.659 --> 00:19:32.679 the missionaries through that free will giving. Now, here's what happened. You look here in verse 9. 00:19:33.299 --> 00:19:37.879 I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, 00:19:37.880 --> 00:19:46.180 does not acknowledge our authority. Now, what was going on? Diotrephes, who evidently was in a 00:19:46.180 --> 00:19:54.160 position of leadership in that congregation, did not like seeing the local church supporting 00:19:54.160 --> 00:20:01.100 missionaries. And so what he was doing is saying, hey, we want to put some kind of hindrance or 00:20:01.100 --> 00:20:07.860 hesitation on this, and he was kind of dampening down the free will giving of the congregation. 00:20:07.880 --> 00:20:15.900 because he wanted it for himself. Interestingly, the apostle doesn't say, well, hey, missionaries, 00:20:16.360 --> 00:20:24.600 just bypass Diotrephes. It's easy. Get around him. And I will tell you, I see more and more 00:20:24.600 --> 00:20:29.760 missionaries that are beginning to follow an alternative pattern. Instead of coming through 00:20:29.760 --> 00:20:36.640 the body of Christ, they do their own work on the side. Here is John the apostle who says, hey, 00:20:36.640 --> 00:20:46.640 the problem is this man. The problem is not the method. And the congregation is the primary place 00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:54.640 in which the ministry of the gospel is to be encouraged and solicitations made. I believe 00:20:54.640 --> 00:20:59.120 another passage that has kind of a secondary application to it would be over in 1 Corinthians 00:20:59.120 --> 00:21:04.440 chapter 12 verse 7. And just bear testimony to it for a moment here. In 2 Corinthians chapter 12 00:21:04.440 --> 00:21:09.640 verse 7, it says that spiritual gifts are not for the benefit of the individual. Now, we all understand 00:21:09.640 --> 00:21:18.360 that, don't we? I mean, hey, gifts are not given just so you can sit about going, wow, am I special? 00:21:18.440 --> 00:21:24.680 I've got a gift. No, your gift is for the sake of someone else. I think about the women who are going 00:21:24.680 --> 00:21:30.340 to be involved in the spring tea. They have the gift of administration and organization. 00:21:30.339 --> 00:21:35.659 I couldn't organize my way out of a wet paper bag. And I am so very thankful for there are a lot of 00:21:35.659 --> 00:21:42.839 people that have adequate skill to help me with that. And it says that those gifts are for the sake 00:21:42.839 --> 00:21:50.159 of others. If spiritual gifts are for the sake of the body and for the sake of others in that construct, 00:21:50.419 --> 00:21:56.199 then I have to believe that also the charitable giving of the believer in general terms also fits 00:21:56.200 --> 00:22:02.580 within that frame. I want you to see another point coming from 1 Corinthians chapter 16. Not only is 00:22:02.580 --> 00:22:07.420 giving to flow predominantly, and I didn't say exclusively, predominantly through the local church. 00:22:07.559 --> 00:22:13.440 Secondly, giving should be regular. Look at what it says there. It says, on the first day of every week, 00:22:14.620 --> 00:22:20.539 giving is to be regular. And there's a benefit to giving that is patterned and structured in a 00:22:20.539 --> 00:22:28.240 consistent fashion. We all find that it is easier sometimes to give when you are moved by emotion. 00:22:28.339 --> 00:22:34.139 Would you agree with that? And the interesting pattern in Scripture is that giving was to be 00:22:34.139 --> 00:22:39.899 something that was established on a pattern that was consistent, and it was not something that was 00:22:39.899 --> 00:22:45.440 to be relegated over to emotional appeal. There are illustrations in the New Testament, particularly 00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:51.400 in the book of Acts, where special offerings were taken up for famines in Judea and circumstances that 00:22:51.400 --> 00:22:56.779 kind of happened atypically. But other than that, there was a regular pattern of giving that met the needs 00:22:56.779 --> 00:23:03.559 not only of the congregation, but also the vision that that congregation had. And that's the reason why 00:23:03.559 --> 00:23:09.660 here at Maranatha we establish a budget the way we do. One of the things that characterizes our fellowship 00:23:09.660 --> 00:23:16.160 is that on an annual basis, we vote on a plan, a spending plan that says, here's what, Lord willing, 00:23:16.480 --> 00:23:23.080 and God's people give, here's how the money that God gives to us is going to be handled. And you can 00:23:23.080 --> 00:23:29.620 go out there in the lobby right now and see what happened in the last month. It's all out there, 00:23:29.620 --> 00:23:37.140 and it's open for everybody's scrutiny. Every single dime that is spent is tracked, 00:23:37.140 --> 00:23:43.259 and you can identify how it's tracked, except for the funds that come through the deacon's fund, 00:23:43.460 --> 00:23:47.700 and those for the sake of confidentiality are not spoken of in a public fashion. 00:23:48.400 --> 00:23:52.880 Now, that makes sense, doesn't it? But I want you to understand that as you look at the Scriptures, 00:23:53.060 --> 00:23:58.660 the point that we find there is that giving should be something that is regular and patterned. 00:23:59.800 --> 00:24:04.120 Now, I understand that not every one of us gets paid every week, and so I'm not suggesting that 00:24:04.119 --> 00:24:10.359 you break your check down. You know, some get paid a month. Some get paid, you know, every two weeks. 00:24:11.079 --> 00:24:16.939 I'm not suggesting that you… Follow the pay pattern you have. In this culture, it evidently 00:24:16.939 --> 00:24:21.219 happened every week, and that's the way the thing was instructed, the instructions were given for that. 00:24:21.919 --> 00:24:27.679 Third thing that I want you to see is that giving should involve all believers. Look at the passage, 00:24:27.680 --> 00:24:36.840 if you will. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up as 00:24:36.840 --> 00:24:45.380 he may prosper. Now, one of Satan's lies is that giving is something only for those who have surplus. 00:24:46.200 --> 00:24:54.480 How many of you remember when you graduated from high school and moved into adulthood and suddenly 00:24:54.480 --> 00:25:00.620 had a regular job? How many of you remember thinking, when I finally get a job making $8 an hour, 00:25:00.799 --> 00:25:07.620 I'm going to be reasonably rich? Or you graduated from college. Remember when you were eating ramen 00:25:07.620 --> 00:25:13.059 noodles three times a day? Okay. And you graduated from college and somebody began to pay you for a 00:25:13.059 --> 00:25:19.819 real job, and you began thinking, wow, I am just incredibly well off. What happened to incredibly well 00:25:19.819 --> 00:25:24.559 off? Does anybody remember? There's a little saying, if I can get it right here, 00:25:25.039 --> 00:25:32.899 expectations, no, how is it? Expectations rise to meet the income. You got it? In other words, 00:25:33.039 --> 00:25:40.259 as our income rises, guess what happens to our expenses? There was a time when none of us had a 00:25:40.259 --> 00:25:48.839 cell phone, and the only cell phones we had or anybody that had was in their Cadillac kind of nailed to the 00:25:48.839 --> 00:25:53.240 dash in the middle. Remember that thing? And you had to have a spare battery pack to run the thing 00:25:53.240 --> 00:25:57.299 because it was so big, you know? You'd turn on the cell phone, and the lights would dim in the car, 00:25:57.359 --> 00:26:05.879 you know? It was really big time. Hyperbole there, so bear with me. Hyperbole means kind of joke. 00:26:06.839 --> 00:26:13.220 Sorry. Trying to work on my vocabulary here. Now we can't get by without a cell phone. 00:26:13.220 --> 00:26:18.960 I remember going out to India back in August. I mean, we're talking about people who are barefoot. 00:26:19.019 --> 00:26:23.259 They didn't have shoes, but they had a cell phone. I mean, I'm telling the truth. 00:26:26.319 --> 00:26:32.440 Now, it says giving should involve all believers. Look at it again. On the first day of every week, 00:26:32.600 --> 00:26:40.059 each of you is to put something aside. The Bible sees giving as something that all believers are to 00:26:40.059 --> 00:26:46.379 participate in. If you're here today and you don't know Christ, this sermon is not for you. 00:26:47.799 --> 00:26:53.279 The one thing I want to take place in the life of someone who is sitting here who doesn't know the 00:26:53.279 --> 00:26:58.679 Lord Jesus Christ is that they come to know Christ as their personal Savior. That's the most important 00:26:58.679 --> 00:27:04.480 thing. For the believer, we're talking about one of the ways in which we show our love for the Lord 00:27:04.480 --> 00:27:13.500 Jesus Christ. And our giving is really a reflection of our affection and delight in the Lord who saved us. 00:27:14.380 --> 00:27:22.680 God blesses us with salvation and every good thing, and a portion of what He blesses us with flows back 00:27:22.680 --> 00:27:29.420 to Him. Now, it's very interesting to find that there are specific commands given to those who are rich. 00:27:29.420 --> 00:27:34.440 And turn over, if you will, just for a moment to 1 Timothy 6, verse 17. 00:27:37.960 --> 00:27:42.519 1 Timothy 6, verse 17. 00:27:50.660 --> 00:27:55.600 As for the rich in this present age, everybody, how many of you think you're rich? How many of you 00:27:55.599 --> 00:27:59.699 sitting here think you're rich? Okay? Hey, look up, everybody. 00:28:04.939 --> 00:28:13.719 Many of us here pay more for our water bill than some people in the world pay for their monthly 00:28:13.719 --> 00:28:18.899 fees in everything, clothing, food, shelter. 00:28:18.900 --> 00:28:35.480 About 50% of the world get by on less than $3 a day. Okay? So, would we be rich in global thinking? What's the answer? 00:28:35.480 --> 00:28:48.279 You could be sitting here this morning on SSI, food stamps, whatever, and you would be incredibly 00:28:48.279 --> 00:28:54.559 wealthy in comparison to the rest of the world. So, think of this passage as having application to you. 00:28:55.680 --> 00:28:56.599 Here's what it says. 00:28:56.599 --> 00:29:04.139 As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on uncertainty 00:29:04.139 --> 00:29:10.099 of riches, but on God who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, 00:29:10.379 --> 00:29:14.099 to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share. 00:29:15.240 --> 00:29:21.359 Now, we have that as instruction to those who are incredibly well off, but then I want you to look at 00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:25.479 another passage that gives us a completely different picture. Turn back, if you would, 00:29:25.719 --> 00:29:32.019 to Mark chapter 12. In Mark chapter 12, Jesus is doing a little bit of people watching. How many of 00:29:32.019 --> 00:29:38.839 you like doing that? Yeah, people watching is fun, isn't it? You want, what were they thinking when 00:29:38.839 --> 00:29:44.619 they dressed like that? Have you ever been in a restaurant and listening to the conversation and 00:29:44.619 --> 00:29:50.339 thought, you know, you guys need to take this outside? Okay? Well, here's Jesus watching some people 00:29:50.339 --> 00:29:59.480 giving and turn, if you will, to 41, Luke chapter 12, verse 41. And He sat down opposite the treasury 00:29:59.480 --> 00:30:06.019 and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. 00:30:06.079 --> 00:30:14.799 Now, how could Jesus tell that it was large sums? Huh? Come on, help me out. What do you think? 00:30:14.799 --> 00:30:21.299 You know, they'd come up to the offering box and they'd stretch, you know, lift up a bag and go, 00:30:21.700 --> 00:30:35.180 you know, whoo! Yeah! Okay? Hey, if you kind of follow scripturally, you'll remember earlier in 00:30:35.180 --> 00:30:39.720 Matthew, He says, don't be like some people who, when they give, they, you know, they hoot and holler, 00:30:39.720 --> 00:30:45.759 they let people know. And up comes this little widow, you know, and she drops in, I think it's a 00:30:45.759 --> 00:30:53.240 couple pennies. Look what Jesus says. A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which made a 00:30:53.240 --> 00:30:57.940 penny. And He called His disciples. Now, they're kind of scattered around. They weren't paying attention. 00:30:58.240 --> 00:31:03.400 He was on the task. You know, He was, I'm watching giving. I know what's going to happen. This is going 00:31:03.400 --> 00:31:07.700 to be good. The disciples are over there. They're kind of blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And Jesus says, 00:31:07.700 --> 00:31:14.759 hey, guys, come here, come here. Watch. And here, He says, truly, I say to you, the poor widow 00:31:14.759 --> 00:31:20.039 has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. Now, we're talking about what 00:31:20.039 --> 00:31:28.059 kind of people have been giving. Heavy lifters. I mean, the big time guys. The ones whom without 00:31:28.059 --> 00:31:35.259 the temple couldn't survive, right? And Jesus says, this woman has outgiven all of them. Why? For they all 00:31:35.259 --> 00:31:43.480 contributed out of their abundance. They had leftovers. But she, out of her poverty, has put in 00:31:43.480 --> 00:31:54.220 everything she had, all that she had to live on. It's a very interesting fact. Research has shown, 00:31:54.220 --> 00:32:06.400 sadly, even among general believing people, as income rises, the proportion of giving declines. 00:32:10.600 --> 00:32:17.100 And there was a woman who gave generously. I want you to go to one other passage, if you would. 00:32:17.200 --> 00:32:23.420 Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 8. 2 Corinthians chapter 8. And let's look at verse 2 through 5. 00:32:24.220 --> 00:32:29.240 He's talking about the churches in Macedonia and the giving that they were engaged in. He says, 00:32:29.319 --> 00:32:35.640 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in 00:32:35.640 --> 00:32:40.960 a wealth of generosity on their part. Now, track the next one. For they gave according to their means, 00:32:41.079 --> 00:32:50.000 as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor, 00:32:50.000 --> 00:32:56.019 the blessing, the benefit, the privilege of taking part in the relief of the saints. And this, 00:32:56.579 --> 00:33:02.920 not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 00:33:04.440 --> 00:33:11.940 What made their giving exceptional? It wasn't the amount. It was, first of all, the attitude of their 00:33:11.940 --> 00:33:16.880 heart. And then that their giving probably exceeded what Paul expected. And they thought, 00:33:16.880 --> 00:33:21.660 well, maybe they can give. No, they went beyond that. I want you to recognize another thing if 00:33:21.660 --> 00:33:27.120 you'll go back to 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and just track what it says here. Giving should be 00:33:27.120 --> 00:33:35.200 proportionate, proportionate. And mark what I mean by that. In the Old Testament, let's go back and 00:33:35.200 --> 00:33:41.900 think a little bit in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, there was a tithe. Tithe boils out to 00:33:41.900 --> 00:33:48.180 mean a tenth. And God taught the Old Testament saints that they were to tithe on the increase. 00:33:48.300 --> 00:33:55.060 Now, let me explain this if you have any familiarity with farming. Let's say you had 10 bushels of corn, 00:33:55.560 --> 00:34:02.580 and in the spring you planted it. It didn't get rained on too bad. And it not only that, but got adequate 00:34:02.580 --> 00:34:10.700 moisture, and the field did pretty well. And you had 110 bushels at harvest time. Now, trick question 00:34:10.699 --> 00:34:18.899 for mathematicians, what was the increase? It was 100 bushels. Why is that? Because you had 10 bushels 00:34:18.899 --> 00:34:23.519 that you used to plant. How many of you pay anything called tax capital gain? Don't raise your hand and 00:34:23.519 --> 00:34:30.839 wave at me. But you understand, what do you get taxed on in capital gains? Try me out. It's called you 00:34:30.839 --> 00:34:34.779 get taxed on the increase. Kind of follows an Old Testament Bible pattern, though they don't know it in 00:34:34.780 --> 00:34:43.720 Washington. I want you to understand that it's what you got in addition that you were called to tithe on. 00:34:44.680 --> 00:34:50.280 And the increase had to do with what you received beyond where you had been. 00:34:52.160 --> 00:34:57.220 The same principle of giving flows over into the New Testament. The believer's regular giving should 00:34:57.219 --> 00:35:05.959 flow out of what the Lord has provided. What the Lord has provided. As a result, our giving should 00:35:05.959 --> 00:35:12.339 grow as the Lord allows us to prosper. Even more importantly, our giving should grow as we grow 00:35:12.339 --> 00:35:18.779 spiritually. In fact, let me go a little further than that. If you are not growing in the area of giving, 00:35:19.019 --> 00:35:22.959 then you probably need to check and see whether or not you really are growing spiritually. 00:35:22.960 --> 00:35:31.159 Because to say that you are growing spiritually or to think that you're growing spiritually when there 00:35:31.159 --> 00:35:37.280 isn't a growth in other areas of your life is to be compartmentalizing your religion and thinking, 00:35:37.440 --> 00:35:43.679 well, it's okay for me to do this but not to do that. No, listen. As you grow in grace, 00:35:44.260 --> 00:35:49.240 your giving should grow. Let me mark one other thing here in the passage. Our giving should be planned. 00:35:49.239 --> 00:35:54.599 It says, so that there is no gathering. Looking at the passage, it says, so that there is no gathering 00:35:54.599 --> 00:36:00.459 or no collecting when I come. Paul's saying this, I don't want to arrive in Corinth and have to have 00:36:00.459 --> 00:36:07.299 special meetings in which the predominant theme is, hey, guys, we have CDs out in the lobby and I've 00:36:07.299 --> 00:36:12.000 got sweatshirts that say, go for Paul, and it's all about funding my next missionary journey. 00:36:12.000 --> 00:36:23.039 Now, you know, he says, do it ahead of time. Do it ahead of time so that there's no pressure on this 00:36:23.039 --> 00:36:31.760 issue. How many of you prefer it that way? It's scriptural. And that's one of the reasons why 00:36:31.760 --> 00:36:36.860 actually our budgeting process here in this congregation begins in, I think it's October, 00:36:36.860 --> 00:36:42.780 or November. When does it begin? October? And we say it publicly. If there's any part of our 00:36:42.780 --> 00:36:48.460 fellowship that thinks there's a need for a change in the budget, let us know. Let us know. And it 00:36:48.460 --> 00:36:56.620 slowly works its way through so that we can plan how the giving of this fellowship is directed. 00:36:57.840 --> 00:37:01.400 I want you to come to one other thing that I think is important to recognize. 00:37:02.599 --> 00:37:04.280 Look there, if you will, in verse 3. It says, 00:37:04.280 --> 00:37:15.019 Very interesting little comment. And what it reflects is that giving should be managed 00:37:15.019 --> 00:37:26.600 in a manner that is above question. The Bible gives instruction as to the integrity with which 00:37:26.600 --> 00:37:31.680 funds are to be managed. Isn't that interesting, the Bible's so practical? Huh? 00:37:31.679 --> 00:37:36.839 Huh? Here's Paul saying, now listen, you're going to collect, you're going to gather, 00:37:37.899 --> 00:37:42.799 and then you're going to send it to some other people that you have never seen and probably 00:37:42.799 --> 00:37:53.039 will never see. How long did it take to travel from Corinth to Jerusalem? Try me out. A long time. 00:37:53.039 --> 00:38:00.679 And the probability was is that you weren't going to find out quickly whether or not those funds had 00:38:00.679 --> 00:38:04.719 gotten there. And so there was a matter of integrity that those who took the money 00:38:04.719 --> 00:38:11.300 were responsible individuals. And look what it says here. He says, I will send those whom you 00:38:11.300 --> 00:38:19.279 accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem. There's a reason why after the morning service. 00:38:19.280 --> 00:38:24.920 I don't know what room it is. What room is it, Tom? Or Todd? Where's Todd? He's... Tom, 00:38:25.000 --> 00:38:30.160 what room is it over on the side that... Whatever. There's a number on the door. I don't know what 00:38:30.160 --> 00:38:38.080 room it is. 201. Yeah, we got to know which room it is. Okay. Important. But after the morning service, 00:38:38.080 --> 00:38:40.420 there's going to be two guys in there counting the money. 00:38:40.420 --> 00:38:49.740 The treasurer and the financial secretary are two different people. And the one who writes the 00:38:49.740 --> 00:38:54.059 checks and the one who takes care of balancing everything out, they're separate. Do you know 00:38:54.059 --> 00:38:59.539 why that is in place? Does anybody have an answer? It says in Scripture, let everything be done decently 00:38:59.539 --> 00:39:05.920 in order. There's a reason why you get a monthly report that explains exactly how every amount of 00:39:05.920 --> 00:39:11.559 money that has been given has been used. There's a reason why, and it's not just a matter of tax, 00:39:11.880 --> 00:39:15.800 there's a reason why you're getting reports that say, here's what your annual contributions are. 00:39:16.880 --> 00:39:23.360 And occasionally someone will come to us and say, wow, I thought this had gone to such and such, and 00:39:23.360 --> 00:39:28.860 I see that it was put into something else. When you designate, it has to be designated according to 00:39:28.860 --> 00:39:33.200 that which has been already designed by the body rather than just arbitrarily. I'd like to 00:39:33.199 --> 00:39:38.259 designate this to the SPCA, you know. Someone's wondering, what is that? Don't worry about it. 00:39:39.399 --> 00:39:47.059 Here's the deal. There's a reason why things are done that way, and it flows out of the Scriptures. 00:39:48.359 --> 00:39:51.899 Let me circle back around and have you think with me of this fundamental principle. 00:39:53.739 --> 00:39:59.739 God's Word tells us all that we need to know for life and godliness. Does that make sense? 00:39:59.739 --> 00:40:08.859 He hadn't missed a detail. And we are looking this morning at just a small slice of information 00:40:08.859 --> 00:40:14.839 regarding how believers are to be charitable in their giving, and we found out that God cares about 00:40:14.839 --> 00:40:21.439 the attitude we have, and God cares about the methodology that we have. Let me take a step beyond 00:40:21.440 --> 00:40:30.320 that. The starting place for every single person here is, first of all, their relationship with the 00:40:30.320 --> 00:40:37.440 Lord Jesus Christ. Does that make sense? Giving is something that is pertinent to believers. 00:40:39.039 --> 00:40:47.119 It is not pertinent to unbelievers. And if you are here today and you do not know Christ as your 00:40:47.119 --> 00:40:53.559 personal Savior, I would appeal to you to know this. The most important truth to take home today 00:40:53.559 --> 00:41:01.659 is this, is Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. He died on the cross to pay the penalty 00:41:01.659 --> 00:41:10.539 for your sins. And that black and dark and ugly burden that you carry in your soul may be cared for 00:41:10.539 --> 00:41:16.699 by coming to Christ and repenting of your sins and saying, I need Christ as my Savior. I stand here 00:41:16.699 --> 00:41:22.900 broken and humbled. My pride is destroyed because I know I'm a sinner, and I stand condemned before a 00:41:22.900 --> 00:41:27.380 holy God. And God says this, whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord, do you know what it says? 00:41:27.779 --> 00:41:35.440 Shall be saved. Salvation is of the Lord. Let's close in prayer. 00:41:35.440 --> 00:41:43.579 Our precious God, this morning as we gather to worship you, we worship you with our hearts. 00:41:44.559 --> 00:41:51.679 We worship you with our voice. We worship you with our wallet. We worship you with our obedience. 00:41:53.559 --> 00:41:58.679 And I would pray, Lord, that this morning as believers consider the practical counsel of the 00:41:58.679 --> 00:42:03.720 Scriptures, that their heart would rejoice in the fact that you who are the creating God of this 00:42:03.719 --> 00:42:12.159 universe have put the details together with wisdom and skill for the good of your people and the glory 00:42:12.159 --> 00:42:18.459 of the cross. And I pray for those who are here today that do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, 00:42:18.699 --> 00:42:24.379 that your Spirit would burden them with the affliction of their soul, and that they would cry out that 00:42:24.379 --> 00:42:30.079 Jesus Christ would be their Savior today. I ask this in your precious name. Amen. 00:42:30.079 --> 00:42:30.179 Amen.