Do we give out of a sense of duty or
obligation? Do we give as a sort of
investment, expecting that God will reward us with unexpected income or
power? Do we give as a sort of eternal
investment, reasoning that God will reward us by reserving a special place for
us in Heaven? Do we give money, with the
idea of paying our membership dues for the church, just as we pay membership dues for the golf
course or some other club? Do we give to
the church out of hope that somehow the church will use some of our
contributions to help those in need? Do we give to establish God's Reign here on Earth?
I believe that the Apostle Paul has
some important insights into why and how we should give money to the
church. Throughout much of his
missionary travels, Paul sought to receive a collection of money that would be
given to the Christian Church in Jerusalem.
The Jerusalem Church had an important need for financial assistance, due
to the large number of poor and marginalized persons that it was trying to
help. Throughout his letters to churches
he had founded, Paul lifts up this special collection for Jerusalem and asks the
churches for financial support. I think
that there is a great deal of wisdom in the Apostle Paul’s appeals for
financial assistance.
One of those passages is 2
Corinthians 9: 1-11, which will serve as the foundational scripture for our
services this weekend. Paul begins this
passage with a metaphor: “The point is
this: the one who sows sparingly will
also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap
bountifully.”(v. 6) Then, Paul offers a three-point guideline for giving (v. 7):
1. Each person must follow their own heart in
deciding how much to give the Church
2. We should not give out of a sense of
obligation or under compulsion
3. Rather, we should give cheerfully because “God
loves a cheerful giver.”
Then, Paul observes: “God is
able to provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having
enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.” (v. 8) Here,
it seems to me that Paul has a brilliant insight. When I think back on my own personal history
of giving to the Church or to charities, the force that causes me to hold back
on my contribution—or to give less—is fear.
The fear is that in a future crisis I might really need that money or
those possessions. I’m afraid that I
will regret my own generosity. This fear
can become paralyzing so that we give little or nothing at all.
Katharine Hayhoe observes, “When we act out of fear, we are thinking of
ourselves. But, when we act out of love,
we think about our neighbors.”[i] When I am afraid that I might not have all
that I need in the future, then I am stingy and unable to be generous out of
love. Yet, the Apostle Paul reminds us
that we need to have faith. We need to trust
that God will provide us with all that we need in abundance, when we share and
give generously to the church or those in need.
(A caveat is important here:
Some Christians have mistakenly misinterpreted this and similar
scriptural passages to say that, when we give to the Church, God will reward us
by showering us with money and many material possessions so that we will become
very rich. This school of thought is
called “prosperity theology.” It is based on a flawed and incorrect
interpretation of these passages.
Scripture does not say that God will make us all millionaires as a
reward for giving to the Church. Rather,
these scriptures say that God will provide us with what we need so that we can put away our fears and give joyously,
knowing that God will take care of us.)
Paul doesn’t promise that we will become millionaires if we give to the
Church or to the poor. But, when we give
with glad and generous hearts, Paul says that God will bless and transform
us. He writes, “You will be enriched in
every way for your great generosity…”.
God will not enrich us with just material possessions, rather God will
transform us, providing us with a joy and happiness that is much deeper and
greater than the happiness of having material things—as nice as they are. When one person gives with a glad and
generous heart, then two persons are blessed:
the donor and the recipient. To reiterate,
giving with glad and generous hearts transforms us so that we grow closer to
God and live joyful lives of flourishing.
Join us this weekend (May 3rd & 4th), as we explore how giving can
be a transformational experience, drawing us closer to God and enabling us to experience
genuine happiness and flourishing. Our
church is located at the corner of Main and Dawson Streets in Meriden,
Kansas. We have two worship services
each weekend:
Ø Our
contemporary service starts at 6 pm on Saturday evenings.
Ø Our
classic service starts on at 10 am on Sunday mornings.
Everyone is welcome and accepted because God loves us all.
[i]
Katharine Hayhoe, “Climate Change Evangelist,” a video talk available online at
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/blogs/secretlife/environmental-science/katharine-hayhoe/
.
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