#1: Why Should I Give Money to Christ and His Church?
2Corinthians 8:9 – “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (See also 2Corinthians 8:1).
This passage is found in the middle of Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church as he is encouraging them to follow through on their giving. In the same chapter we see that God not only wants us to give in response to his grace, he also calls us to give because we are his people.
2Corinthians 8:4, 5 – “…they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this to the Lord’s people. And they went beyond our expectations; having given themselves first of all to the Lord, they gave themselves by the will of God also to us.” (See also 1Corinthians 6:20 and 1Corinthians 7:23).
God has purchased us with the life of his Son, Jesus. As we give ourselves to him we are also moved to give of our resources to him. A third motive for our giving is love. As moved by the Holy Spirit, Paul mentions this in the same passage.
2Corinthians 8:24 – “Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it.”
When we love someone or something we willingly give to them what is dearest to us. The greatest example of this is found, once again, in the gospel.
John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
If we love Christ and his Church we are moved to give what is important to us, including our time and our finances.
A fourth reason we give is to glorify God. This is what the gospel is all about. This is what our lives are all about. And this is what money is all about. Paul explains to the Corinthian church that their giving will cause God to be pleased, cause his name to be praised, and cause his gospel to be proclaimed. Our giving glorifies him.
2Corinthians 9:11-15 – “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, people will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”
In summary, we should give to Christ and his church for at least four reasons –
(1) Because of God’s gracious gift of Jesus Christ
(2) Because we are God’s people so our resources are God’s resources
(3) Because we love Jesus Christ and his Church
(4) Because we want to glorify God
#2: How Should I Give to Christ and His Church?
If we are give for the wrong reasons we are likely to give in the wrong way. Likewise, if we are giving for the right reasons we will likely be moved to also give in the right way. What is the right way? How should we give? Paul’s letter to the Corinthians helps us answer this question as well.
2Corinthians 9:6 – “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, whoever sows generously will also reap generously” (See also Romans 12:8).
We see from this verse that we should give in the same way we want to receive: we should give generously. In the verses that follow (see 8-11) we see that those who give generously will reap generously in contentment, good works, righteousness and the like.
In addition to giving generously God also wants us to give without reluctance and without compulsion.
2Corinthians 9:7 – “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Instead of giving reluctantly we should give cheerfully. When we take pleasure in our giving God takes pleasure in us. As we trust more and more in Christ and his gospel we will delight in giving all the more because our ultimate pleasure is found in Christ and in pleasing him.
Also, instead of giving under compulsion God wants us to give out of obedience. And there is a serious difference. Those who give under compulsion give out of fear of punishment or exposure. Those who give out of obedience give out of love for Jesus and a respect of his authority.
2Corinthians 9:13 – “Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, people will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.”
In summary, God cares just as much about how we give as why we give. He wants us to give,
(1) Generously
(2) Without Reluctance
(3) Without Compulsion
(4) Cheerfully
(5) Obediently
#3: How Much Should I Give to Christ and His Church?
This is the question that is asked most frequently. “How much should I give?” We like questions like this. We like to know how much God expects of us so that we can give just that much and no more. But that is not what it looks like to live out the gospel. As the gospel continues to grip us we will stop asking, “how much do I have to give” and we will start asking, “how much can I give?” This is consistent with the teachings of the New Testament which do not require that followers of Christ give any specific percentage or amount of money. When the New Testament discusses giving it does so in a very different way.
2Corinthians 8:3 – For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own…”
This is very different than being required to give a specific amount or a specific percentage. We are called to give according to our ability. Some of us will be able to give a higher percentage while others may only be able to give a lower percentage. And that is okay because God does not call us to give what others give but to give according to our own ability, and perhaps even beyond it. We see here that the proper question is not “how much do I have to give” but “how much can I give.”
On a similar note, we are called to give according to our means. And when we do give willingly, according to our means, God judges our giving according to what we have and not according to what we do not have.
2Corinthians 8:11, 12 – “Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have.”
Once again the question is not “how much do I have to give” but “how much can I give.”
The “how much” question is answered most fully in this same context.
2Corinthians 9:7 – “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Again, there is no specific percentage or particular amount that the Christ-follower is commanded to give. The follower of Christ is instead commanded to give “what you have decided in your heart to give.” Some people see this as an escape. Since no percentage or amount is required they feel free to give as little as they please. But this is not an out. This is demanding. It is also condemning. This shows that the amount of our giving is directly related to the condition of our heart. If we give little it only shows how little we value Jesus, how little we value his Church, how little we value his mission, and how much we value ourselves and how much we value money.
God calls us to give but he wants us to give for the right reasons and in the right way. He also provides guidance for the amount we give.
(1) We are called to give according to our own ability
(2) Our giving is judged according to what we have
(3) We are called to give as we have purposed in our heart
#4: Where Does My Giving Go?
For the follower of Christ giving is not optional. It is a command. And God expects us to obey. He also has a plan for where that money is supposed to go. Primarily, it is to go the local church in order to serve the following purposes.
A. The Preachers of the Gospel – The Christian Workers
1 Corinthians 9:13-14 – “Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.”
1Timothy 5:17 – “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.”
Paul is claiming that the apostles had every right to refrain from secular work and receive the material support of those they served.
The Pastors and the church staff rely on the people they serve to value God’s instruction to support those that labor among them. The spiritual devotion of studying God’s word and delegation of the work among the family of Red Sea should never be neglected or underestimated in terms of importance.
B. The Community of Believers
Acts 2:44-45 – “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he has need.”
The spirit of love and generosity was so great in the early church that the believers willingly and joyfully surrendered their own property and possessions in order to minister to the needs of other saints. They went so far as to sell land and houses to take care of one another. (See also Acts 4:34).
I John 3:17 “If anyone has material passions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
Galatians 6:9-10 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
As the people of the local church give they give to those who are in need within their local church. As brothers and sisters it is our responsibility to care for one another.
C. The Poor and Dependent
Matthew 25:31-40 – “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me. I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”
James 1:27 – “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”
As Christ-followers give to the local church these resources are re-directed toward the needy and dependent of the city.
In summary, as we give in response to the gospel of Jesus Christ our money is used to advance the gospel through both declaration and demonstration.