Giving is Spiritual Discipline (2)
(Trusting God in Tough Times)
1 Corinthians 16:1-4, 5-9
In the Armenian sermon I
mentioned:
1.
All the churches Paul established were taught to give.
2. Giving to God should
be the FIRST THING.
Paul presents the
second principle of giving: “On the
first day of every week.” (v2)
The first day of
the week was Sunday, the day when the church members gathered for worship,
because Jesus was resurrected on Sunday. No wonder these writings follow the
great themes of resurrection in chapter 15.
Giving is a
spiritual matter. Because we believe in the risen Jesus who taught us how to
give our lives to God, we can learn to give and trust God.
-My parents taught
me that the first thing that I should do when I receive any income is to put
aside the Lord’s portion. The first
thing- not when we spend on all our needs and give from whatever is left. No, the first thing.
3. Each person is responsible in
giving
Paul adds: “each
one of you…”
Try to each person in your
family to tithe. We need to teach that each individual is responsible to bring
forth whatever they have to the Lord. I am not just talking about money. How
about time, life, service, talents, and so on? Teach your children to give and
tithe. I was extremely happy when our youth did the Samaritan Purse projects. I
encourage that each family will not wait for Christmas to do something; let
giving continue throughout the year, specially this year when things will be tougher for all.
4. Each person is responsible to put something
aside.
Paul writes: “each one of you
should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income.”
In the Old
testament 10% was the law, we call it tithing.
Tithing was an important principle I was taught by my mother. It was a priority,
and it became part of my life. When I got married, I used the same principle
with my family. My children sometimes
get tired of hearing from me whether they did put aside the %10 of their
income. Even when our income was low, tithing was priority, and that was the first
thing we did when we received any income.
Now with Jesus,
he taught us that giving is more than tithing, Jesus taught us to give
everything. What do I mean?
10% for a poor
person can hurt. 10% for a better income person can be OK.
But you see some
Christians thought if we give 10% then we are free to do whatever with the
rest. That is not what Jesus and the Bible teach us. I
gave this example before. Rick Warren, who is the author of the “Purpose Driven
Life” lives with 10% and gives away 90%.
Are you hurting
lately because of less income? Give accordingly, but give something that is
from your heart and it is the BEST.
You see the amount is not the point, but also do not give from your leftovers.
Many times we
postpone giving thinking one day we will be wealthy and more able to give. That
is not the Biblical way of giving, because giving should be part of your
spiritual growth, not a duty.
5. Give not because Badveli or the Church are asking
What do I mean by
this?
Listen what Paul
is saying to them:
“…saving it up, so that when
I come no collections will have to be made.”
Paul likes to teach the
believers that giving should not be a result of an emotional appeal. We see
that on TV. Paul wants his audience to learn to give without his presence and preaching. That is the reason he says when he arrives
the collection will have been made.
It is a tough thing to ask for
money for anything. As a pastor, when I served in Ainjar I had to learn to
raise money for our school and boarding school. Let me tell you I learned the
meaning of this verse:
“Each man should give what he
has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God
loves a cheerful
giver.” (2
Cor, 9:7) Isn’t that great, THE LORD
LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER.
I have seen cheerful givers
and also rich people who give with miserable hearts.
6. The receiver of the gift is accountable
to use wisely whatever was received.
“Then, when I arrive, I will give letters
of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to
Jerusalem.”
In another
translation: “I will accredit by letter those whom you choose to bear your gift
to Jerusalem.” (RCS Rendition)
Giving should not
be wasted. It should reach its goal. Giving should be carried out responsibly.
Paul wants to be sure that it happens with good management.
I learned this
when I was serving in Beirut. We had a good project sponsored by donors from
England. It was estimated to cost a certain amount of dollars. When the project
was completed, the Lebanese currency had devaluated and there was leftover money.
We wrote back to the organization and told them we wanted to send the balance
back. The organization was so pleased with our transparency and honesty that they
asked us to use it for another project. What I am saying is that we are
responsible in how we spend also our “gifts.”
-Lastly, Paul
ends with telling them of his desire to visit them and stay with them, if the
Lord permitted.
“After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you—for I will be
going through Macedonia. Perhaps I will stay with you awhile, or even spend the
winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. I do not want to
see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. But I will stay on at Ephesus until
Pentecost, because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there
are many who oppose me. (Vs. 5-9)
We love to make plans for the future. That
is great. Paul also made plans of
visiting and so on. But let us learn from his life that he was flexible,
learning that God has a plan for him. So he writes: “if the Lord permits.” Also
he learned that many would oppose him. He learned to listen to God and not people.
Life is full of surprises. These days many of us are in situations when
we are surprised. I wonder if God is trying to knock the door of our hearts. I
wonder if God is telling us something. Do we listen to the voice of God?
Let me remind you
of the five points:
1.
All churches Paul established were taught to give.
2. Giving to God should be the FIRST
THING.
3. Each person is responsible in
giving
4. Each person is responsible to put something
aside.
5. Give not because Badveli or the Church are
asking
6. The receiver of the gift is accountable
to use wisely whatever was received.
For next Sunday:
We are asking if
we can trust God.
How about, “Can
God trust us? Are we trustworthy?”
Amen