February 22, 2015
I Love My Church, Pt.
4: I Love My Church By Giving
Acts 4:32-36
SIS—One of the most significant ways in which we show our love for our
church, for God, and for the world is by regular, sacrificial giving which
makes us a “blessed-blesser.”
Today, I am going to preach
about “giving money to the church.”
Nothing instills more fear in more church-goers than a sermon on “giving
money.” Through the beloved King James Bible
the term, “tithing” fixed itself permanently in our vernacular. “Tithing” refers to the regular giving of ten
percent of one’s income to the church.
It is a practice that dates back to Abraham (Gen. 14:20) and was
commended by Jesus (Mt. 23:23). Tithing
has more to do with why we give than how much. Giving to God’s work is more than just a
matter of spiritual accounting. It is a
matter of “love.” Nothing says “I Love
My Church” like the practice of “tithing.”
Since tithing does have something to say about money, perhaps a group of
accountants could better explain it.
VIDEO: “A Bad Rap”
So, now that we all have a
better grasp on what “tithing” is, and how it works, let’s read about “giving
in the early church in the Book of Acts.”
READING:
Acts 4:32-36. Here we have three
steps to becoming a blessed-blesser by giving to and through your church.
Step #1: Loosen Your
Grip (v 32)
32
All
the believers were one in heart and mind.
No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they shared everything they had.
No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own,
but they shared everything they had.
“All
the believes were one in heart and mind.”
This is a very
important principle in regard to how the early church absolutely exploded in
growth during the approximate 30 years represented by the Book of Acts. The numerical size of the church by the end
of the Book of Acts has been greatly debated.
It is estimated as low as 1000 to reaching into the tens of
thousands. Whatever the exact number,
the growth was global and explosive.
Starting with 120 in an upper room days after the crucifixion, 3000 were
added in one day (2:41) and another 5000 in just a few more days (4:4). The Book of Acts ends the story sometime
before 60 AD with this statement: 30 Then
he stayed two whole years in his own rented house. And he welcomed all who
visited him, 31 proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus
Christ with full boldness and without hindrance.
The key words are, “without hindrance.” The early disciples were unified and laser
focused on the mission of spreading the gospel—and the gospel exploded. The fuel for this explosion was the money
they gave anointed by the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit giving is a key to the explosive growth of any church. When believers are united in one mind and
heart and they loosen their grip on the things of this world—revival happens. Look again at verse 32:
And
no one said that any of his possessions was his own,
but
instead they held everything in common.
This is not communism. No one is compelling anybody to give
anything. This giving is “completely
voluntary.” This represents a group of
believers who are so focused on heaven that the things of this world have no
hold on them whatsoever. It reminds me
of that song we often sing:
Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely
dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.
In order for you to be a
“blessed-blesser” you need to “loosen your grip” on material things. Holding onto this world will actually rob you
of blessings in the world to come. You
have to ask yourself: “do I want to risk eternal blessings for
temporal pleasures?”
I said earlier that nothing
instills more fear in church-goers than a “sermon on money.” There may be one thing: Yusuf
Ismail, “The Terrible Turk.” This was a “monster” of a man who earned mythical
status as a professional wrestler in the 1890’s. [Show
Pic] This guy was so “massive” (6’2”
and nearly 300 pounds) and so “scary” he instilled an almost heart-stopping
fear in French and American audiences. His brutality and strength cannot be easily
overstated. He once won a professional
match in just “four seconds” by picking up his opponent by the throat and
slamming him to the mat. Yusuf smashed wrestler,
Ernest Roeber, so hard he flew out of the ring and into the audience! In
another match Yusuf was so brutally beating his opponent, it appeared that Yusuf
was going to straight up murder his opponent in front of 80 witnesses. The referee tried beating Yusuf with a
stick. When that didn’t
work, it took the combined might of six people to tear Yusuf from his opponent.
Angered even more at this affront to his honor, Yusuf took out three police
officers before being arrested. His
opponent, by the way, felt it the better part of valor not to press charges and
anger Yusuf anymore (copied, Internet).
Yusuf earned his reputation as “The Terrible Turk.”
Now, what does Yusuf, The
Terrible Turk, have to do with “Loosening Our Grip On Material
Possessions?” I’m glad you asked. In his last match, Yusuf insisted that his
$5000 prize money be paid to him in solid gold. Since this was a demand from
the Terrible Turk, the request was of course granted immediately. Ironically,
this became his downfall. On his trip back to France, the boat Yusuf was on
began to sink. According to reports,
Yusuf reacted to his boat sinking exactly the way you’d expect, by punching
every person in his way while holding a dagger and wearing long flowing robes
as he sprinted for the lifeboats. Upon seeing that a lifeboat was already in
the water, the 300-lb. Yusuf leapt from the boat into the lifeboat, capsizing
it. Yusuf was an amazing swimmer, as you’d expect since swimming is basically
wrestling the water; however, the weight of the gold dragged him down and he
drowned (internet, Man Cave Daily).
Yusuf could have been saved
if he had loosened his grip on his material possessions. When we hold to tightly to what we own, what
we own puts a strangle hold on our lives.
To become a “blessed-blesser” one must “Loosen One’s Grip on Material
Possessions.”
Step #2: Tighten Your
Belt (36-37)
Now, you may not be a
“Terrible Turk.” You may feel that your
material possession really do not have a strangle-hold on your life. You may argue, “I simply do not have enough to
give. Our family is living from paycheck
to paycheck.” Here’s where you really
need to take inventory of your life.
When a person says, “I don’t have enough to give,” they indicate they do
NOT understand the principle of tithing, or proportional giving. Let me go back to our text last week when we
looked at the idea of “Living in Community.” Acts 11:29 says:
So each of the disciples, according to his ability,
determined to send relief to the brothers who lived in Judea.
Write this down in your
notes and burn it into your mind and heart:
“I cannot afford NOT to
give!” The essence of understanding
how a “blesser gets blessed” is to understand the principle of “tithing as first fruits.” God is the one who brings the pie:
VIDEO: God’s Slice of the Pie
In order to become a
“blessed-blesser” you will need to “tighten your belt.” Look at verses 36-37:
36 Joseph, a Levite and a Cypriot by birth,
the one the apostles called Barnabas, which is translated Son of
Encouragement, 37 sold a
field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
In order to give you may
have to adjust your spending. You may
have to look for ways that your family can sacrifice in order to become
obedient to the clear teaching of the Bible.
Until you do what God has asked you to do you will suffer the curse of
the “leaky purse” (Haggai 1:6):
You
earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.
Tithing, is NOT primarily
about “how much” you give to the Lord’s work.
Tithing is primarily about “why” you give, and most importantly, to “Whom”
you are giving.
So, set aside the Devil’s
lie that you “cannot afford to give a tithe.”
You cannot afford NOT TO GIVE A TITHE.
Tighten you belt and do what honors God and will make you a
“blessed-blesser.”
Step #3: Open Your
Heart (33-35)
This is what Loving Your
Church By Giving is really all about.
Look at verses 33-35:
33 And the apostles were giving testimony with
great power to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on all
of them. 34 For there
was not a needy person among them, because all those who owned lands or houses
sold them, brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, 35 and laid them at the
apostles’ feet. This was then distributed for each person’s basic needs.
These believers “opened”
more than just their pocket books—they opened their hearts. Many a pastor has been frustrated, and more
than a few have been fired, because they have tried to get people with “closed
hearts” to “open” their pocketbooks.
That is never going to happen.
Giving is not a matter of “accounting.”
It is a matter of being “accountable.”
Giving is a matter of being responsible believers. The Bible calls this “faithful
stewards.” Let’s look at a parable Jesus
used that shows what an “open-hearted giver looks like”:
Matthew
25:14 “For
it is just like a man going on a journey.
He called his own slaves and turned over his possessions to them. 15 To
one he gave five talents; to another,
two; and to another, one—to each according to his own ability. Then he went on
a journey. Immediately 16 the
man who had received five talents went, put them to work, and earned five more.
17 In the same way the man with two earned two more. 18 But
the man who had received one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground, and hid
his master’s money.
19 “After a long time the master of those
slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had
received five talents approached, presented five more talents, and said,
‘Master, you gave me five talents. Look, I’ve earned five more talents.’
21 “His master said to him, ‘Well done, good
and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in
charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’ 22 “Then the
man with two talents also approached. He said, ‘Master, you gave me two
talents. Look, I’ve earned two more talents.’ 23 “His master
said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You were faithful over a few
things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy!’
24 “Then the man who had received one talent
also approached and said, ‘Master, I know you. You’re a difficult man, reaping
where you haven’t sown and gathering where you haven’t scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went
off and hid your talent in the ground. Look, you have what is yours.’ 26 “But
his master replied to him, ‘You evil, lazy slave! If you knew that I reap where I haven’t sown
and gather where I haven’t scattered, 27 then you should have deposited my money with the
bankers. And when I returned I would have received my money back with interest.
28 “ ‘So take the talent from him and
give it to the one who has 10 talents. 29 For to everyone who
has, more will be given, and he will have more than enough. But from the one
who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 30 And throw this
good-for-nothing slave into the outer darkness.
In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
Now, many people would
argue (mostly in an attempt to excuse themselves of bad behavior), that this
parable is not really about money. The
word, “talent,” here does not refer to our English word meaning “a skill or ability.” This word is a reference to “money,”
specifically it is a reference to a “talent
weight of silver” equal to 3000 shekels. A talent’s weight would be roughly
equivalent to 75 U.S. pounds. At today’s
silver prices a talent would be almost $18,000 (if I did my math correctly
which is not under warranty). Even one
talent would have been a considerable fortune, let alone ten talents. So, this parable is definitely about “money”
and about “how we use the Lord’s money.”
But, it is also more that just “economics.” It is about the “heart.” A person who has a closed fist on his or her
possessions, also has a closed heart to God!
This sounds harsh, but when you consider what Jesus said about
the “closed-hearted money manager,” my
words are pretty mild.
For years I have had people
ask questions like: is “tithing” (giving ten percent) required by the New
Testament? That translates into: "how little can I give and still be a
Christian?" Or, I have been asked the question: "should I tithe on my
net or my gross?" Translate that:
“I don’t want to be guilty of giving too much to God’s work.” These questions seem to be almost silly, if
not so tragic, in light of this picture:
(Preacher in Nepal Being Burned Alive)
The world is going to hell
in a hand basket as the saying goes. The
world needs the gospel, and the gospel needs our enthusiastic, sacrificial
financial support. When we say, “I Love
My Church,” what we are really saying is, “I Love the Bride of Jesus Christ.” If we truly the church as the Bride of
Christ, we will “open our hearts” and give sacrificially to see hurting people
helped and lost people saved.
There are three resources
necessary to grow a church and build the Kingdom of God: 1) the Holy Spirit. Without Him moving in our hearts, nothing is
going to happen; 2) man-power. Any time
God did something spectacular in the Bible (after creation), He involved
man. When He wanted to save the world
from a flood, he called Noah. When He
wanted to deliver His people from bondage in Egypt, He called Moses. When God wanted to knock down a haughty,
pagan giant by the name of Goliath, He called David. When God wanted to save the world from sin,
He came to earth as a “Man”—the God-Man.
Just like cars run on horsepower, the Kingdom runs on man-power (and you
women, too); 3) building the Kingdom of God requires “money.” This world’s commerce is fueled by
“cash.” The Church needs “cash” to
operate. Prayers are nice, but the Gas
Company wants cash! The Holy Spirit, God
called men and women, and money are the capital for building the Kingdom of
God.
I don’t apologize for
preaching on “money.” It’s as much a
part of the “full gospel” as prayer or evangelism or Bible study or any other
activity in the Christian life. Let us go
back now and see what happens when we 1) Loosen our grip on material things; 2)
tighten our belts on acquiring things; and 3) open our hearts to giving:
33 And the apostles were giving testimony
with great power to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was on
all of them. 34 For
there was not a needy person among them.
Grace and power fell on
everybody—both the givers and the receivers.
The “blessers” became the “blessed.”
Let’s all resolve to show how much we really, “Love Our Church,” by giving
enthusiastically and sacrificially and anticipate with great joy that God is
going to do a marvelous work in our midst.
One
of the most significant ways in which we show our love for our church, for God,
and for the world is by regular, sacrificial giving which makes us a
“blessed-blesser.”
<<end>>
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.