2 CORINTHIANS 8:1-15
2 CORINTHIANS 9:6,7
May we just look to the Lord.
Christian stewardship - this is something that every local church, if it's going to function, has to come to grips with. There's much in the scripture about it. Not only in the matter of individual stewardship but also the matter of assembly stewardship - how the assembly is to behave in the matter of giving and receiving and so forth. Now I have to ask you all this morning, as much as you can, to try to put aside from your mind that the thought that what we're exclusively talking about is finances i.e. money. Certainly a big part of all of our blessings, our finances is what we have from God to pay our bills with, to live and to do His wok. But certainly we need to say at the outset that there's a great deal of other things that God has blessed us with too, e.g. time, energy, our job, and our friends, our health. We are stewards of all of God's blessings.
I think that the principle that God would teach us - and it do well to state it right at the outset - is that in giving we receive. Now that's very different from the world, where if you want something you go after and grasp for it. As Christians, God blesses us as we give. And this is something that our natural man does not naturally know. This is a spiritual concept - we learn it through the Holy Spirit; we learn it in Christ.
Proverbs. 11 states the principle - the liberal soul (or the generous soul) shall be made fat. That's God's domain, and He sees to that. There's nothing we could do about it. It's a spiritual law.
You might remember in Haggai, and the Lord there reminds the people through His servant, "You work hard, and you get your money and you put it into your bag with holes and you open the bag to look for the money that you thought you had, and it's gone!" And of course where has it gone? It's fallen out of the holes at the bottom of the bag. And then the prophet goes on and remind the people, "You have not done what is right, and so then God is the One who allows the bag to have holes in it."
Malachi says, "If you bring what is for God to Him, He will rebuke the devourer." Many of us realize, I hope, the devourer comes to many families - even Christian families. As someone has said it, "If the Lord does not get it - the garage man, and the dentist, and so forth will." And we just need to realize that many times we are not living up to our responsibilities as stewards as Christians. And therefore we don't really see in our families and in our lives that blessing and ability to move ahead as we want to for God. We wish we could.
Now just a look as the Old Testament concept versus the New Testament concept. I think it's worth mentioning because many get confused when they get back to the Old Testament. May I say again that the Old Testament is filled with principles of Christian giving and Christian stewardship. But we as the people of God in this dispensation, we do not seek explicit directions for giving in the Old Testament - we seek it in the New Testament.
Let me give you an example. Remember that there were 4 procedures in the Old Testament given that link the people of God with the covenant i.e. the covenant relationship of Israel to the Lord? Animal sacrifice, circumcision, keeping the Sabbath, and tithing. Now these are Old Testament procedures. And if you'll read your New Testament carefully, you'll find that these have been fulfilled IN Christ. What do we mean by that? We mean that the Lord Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the law. He didn't come to destroy it. He came to fulfill it.
We do not now practise animal sacrifice. Paul in 1 Cor. 5 says, "Christ our Passover has been slain for us. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world." We do not practise animal sacrifice in the church. Christ is our sacrifice.
Circumcision - many may practise this for medical reasons or reasons of preference. But we do not circumcise children in order that they enter into a spiritual relationship with God. I hope we know that. Paul in Gal. 5. says, "If you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. In other words, if you're going after circumcision now as a New Testament believer, in order that you may buy it and enter into a relationship with God, Christ will profit you nothing." We don't get saved through circumcision now.
What about the Sabbath? The Old Testament believers - the Old Testament people of God - found their rest in a day, the seventh day of the week. We do not find our rest in a day, we find our rest in a Person. Jesus says, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." That is fulfilled in the Person of Christ. Sometimes people say, "Well, our Sabbath is Sunday." That's not true. The Christian's Sabbath is not Sunday. The Christian's Sabbath is Jesus Christ. Our rest is in the Lord. Now we gather together as the people of God on the first day of the week, but that is not our Christian Sabbath. Our Sabbath is the Lord Jesus Christ. Heb. 4:9 says, "There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God." And the writer goes on to open out what that rest is - the rest is resting in a relationship with the Lord, abiding in Him.
Finally, tithing. I know that there are many, and I wouldn't want to be critical this morning, but there are many New Testament teachers and preachers who are always telling the people of God, "Don't forget your tithe." May I say that as far as I can tell in scripture, tithing falls into the category of animal sacrifice, circumcision and the Sabbath. It's an Old Testament rite for the Old Testament people of God. They were to bring the tenth - that's what the tithe is. And if you search the New Testament carefully, you'll find no commandment anywhere for the people of God in the church to tithe. Nor will you find any New Testament believer who did tithe. In fact, the only two people in the New Testament who tithed were both lost Pharisees. Now, am I against giving? Or is the scripture against us giving in a systematic and regular way? Not at all! But I think we need to see that whereas in the Old Testament ten percent was given to God and the rest could be kept for the person that is under Law, now under Grace an entirely new principle has come in.
1 Cor. 6:19 says, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" Let me paraphrase that - "You do not belong to yourself any longer, for you have been bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's." The Old Testament principle under Law is the tithe. The New Testament principle under grace (see below) is a matter of personal fellowship and communion with the Lord. Now think of it - if it's true that you as a Christian have been bought with a price, you do not belong to yourself anymore, and you're entirely the possession of God. Then isn't it true that what you own really belongs to Him? What we have has been given to Him and Paul says, 1 Cor. 4:1,2, that we are stewards, and it is required in stewards that a man be found faithful.
So that's what we want to study this morning. We want to look at our stewardship as individuals and especially as an assembly.
For this we need to turn to what is the outstanding passage in all the New Testament on Christian giving. It's the portion that we read this morning - two chapters in the middle of the book of 2 Cor., chapters 8 & 9. These two chapters form a unit in the middle of this book. And if you have ever read 2 Cor. through at one sitting, you may have questioned, "I wonder why Paul puts this parenthesis in the middle of this book." Perhaps we can take a moment here and speak about the background of 2 Cor., specifically these two chapters, so that we might see how Paul could spend two chapters talking about Christian giving, specifically the gathering of funds in the assembly for those who were poor in the work of God in a distant place.
If we assume around 30 AD for Pentecost, we can say that the birthday of the church occurred somewhere around 30 AD. At that time, from reading Acts, thousands of people in Jerusalem were getting saved. Now, we as people today can't enter into what it meant to become a Christian then. You tell someone at work today that you're a born-again Christian, and they might laugh at you. They might say, "You're one of those religious people, or one of those nuts." But really you're not much in danger of being dismissed from your job. You're probably not going to be barred from shopping in a store, or buying food for your family. And if you have a business, probably there won't be a sign on your door on Monday morning that says, "We will not patronize you anymore. You're out of business." Pretty likely, things will go right on for you. You'll feel a little criticism at home, maybe some persecutions, and laughing from friends.
But we today cannot enter into what it meant for those early believers in Jerusalem. They were socially ostracized. They were economically barred. Ceremonially they were considered as dead. i.e. that they were gone from the Jewish faith. Families were severed. Families were shattered. And here you have thousands of people coming to know the Lord.
So we can understand then in Acts 4 a great need arose, and this pulled upon the hearts of those who knew the Lord and they tended to band together. And those who had more shared with those who had less. Now, there had been those who tried to say that this communality of goods, this sharing back and forth, and selling what you had to help others, would be the cause of poverty. I don't think I can agree with that.
If we realize that the chapter we're studying this morning occurs much much later, we could just see that as these people got saved, this was an ever increasing and growing problem. In fact, around 32 AD, two years after Pentecost, the problem became so acute, the church found it necessary to recognize some deacons. And they were able to administrate and help in disbursing these funds from the local church. Paul the apostle was converted around 34 AD. He made his first visit to Jerusalem three years later in 37 AD. As far as we can tell from the New Testament, he made no less than 5 trips to Jerusalem. If you study carefully, you'll find that in connection with at least 4, and possibly all 5, there is some mention made of Paul's great concern for the poor. As he traveled and served God, he never lost sight of the poor and the perennial problem of those who are in need in Jerusalem.
We come today to a study of what is quite likely Paul's coming 5th visit that occurred around 58 AD. So there's probably some 28 years that had elapsed since the day of Pentecost. This is a long time - more than a quarter of a century. So you're talking about a long-standing problem, not some over-night thing that happened because some foolishly shared with others and then became poor.
Turn to Romans 15 - this is written concerning Paul's upcoming visit to Jerusalem and you can see what a burden he has on his heart for the whole matter of the collection that's going to be brought to Jerusalem. Rom. 15:25-27 - "But now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem. It hath pleased them verily; and their debtors they are. For if the Gentiles have been made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is also to minister unto them in carnal [or temporal] things." You see, what Paul is saying here is there is underlying this whole matter a real important principle. And that is the fact that none of us cuts himself off from the body of Christ and says, "I'm saved and I'm on my way to heaven. And as long as I'm taken care of, it doesn't matter what my brothers and sisters are going through." No! We've been born by the Lord into the new family of faith and therefore we have a concern for the others in the body. And Paul goes on in v.30 and he requests prayer for this whole matter. He says, (v.30 -31) "Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me; That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea; and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints;" What is he saying there? "Pray for me that this ministry, this service, that I bring to Jerusalem might be accepted." We only need to just pause and consider how difficult it must have been for those proud Jewish believers, the center of religion in the earth, the chosen people of God ... "Well, here's a bag of money. Where did it all come from? That was sent by the Gentiles for you." ... how difficult that must have been. Paul says, "Pray for me that I can present this in a way that will not divide the work of God, but that will help them to see that this is their Christian responsibility." Jerusalem has become the center and the origin of the gospel going out to the world around. Now you have found eternal life in Christ through the work of God in Jerusalem. Now you have a responsibility - and you cannot evade that responsibility.
I bring that right down to a personal note this morning here and ask you, "Have you as a young believer (if you are a young believer) discharged your responsibility in being thankful to your parents, to your church, to that young person or couple that older man or woman who led you to Christ? Have you been able to watch them - perhaps laid aside in a sick bed or going through difficult days - and thinking , 'Well, it's nice that I feel well.'? Have you written to them and said, 'You met my need when I was without Christ and I just want to take this opportunity to send you a letter and tell you that because of your faithfulness to the Lord, today I'm saved'? What about any here who have been blessed in times of difficulties as a Christian? Have you encouraged those elders, those deacons, that Sunday School teacher, others who have blessed you? Or have you just taken for granted, 'Well that was my good luck. And now I'm on the right track and life is going well for me. And now I don't owe anybody anything'?" You see, God wants us to see this principle that we are responsible.
When I was 7 years old, I was sitting around the camp fire - Camp Berea in Hampshire - and that's where I came to know the Lord Jesus. I've heard it in the assembly. I've heard it at home. But that night God spoke to me. And I'm very very thankful, and I never forget the debt that I owe to those who took the time and gave up their summer. Maybe they could have been away having a nice summer - so I can't forget my responsibility and my obligation to them and to others. How many times I do forget, and I need to improve and I'm sure you forget. And we need these reminders.
Some of the principles that God sets before us in Christian giving in 2 Cor. 8. Remember that if it's just a simple matter of getting out your pocket calculator and putting down the amount of money you made last week, and figure out ten percent and give it, then all of this is really superfluous. It's not necessary. Just simply you owe God 10% and the other 90% is yours, and you could do what you want with it. BUT that's NOT the case. In fact, 3 times over in the New Testament we find scripture saying that we are to give ACCORDING TO GOD'S PROSPERING US, i.e. it is to be a matter of fellowship with God according to what we can put into the work of God, and give to Him.
2 Cor. 8:1 "Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia."
Philippi was in Macedonia, and other places, and Paul is saying, "I want you to know - I want to remind you - about the exercise of heart that other Christian churches have had in the matter of the poor." And he uses this word "GRACE", and I want to suggest that this is the key-word in this little section. Eight times in chapter 8 and 9, we find the expression "the grace of God" or "grace". We need to pause and see here that the whole matter of Christian giving is a matter of the grace of God. In fact one of the greatest verses in the New Testament is found in this chapter (8:9). Paul says, "You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor..."
Well, I'm so glad He didn't give a 10%. Aren't you? He laid aside all that He had, and He came down here to the earth. If He had lived in the best palaces that this world could provide, could we have said that that was even anything like what He had in heaven? And yet there wasn't even room for Him in the inn. He had to be born in a stable with the animals, perhaps laying on some hay. No room in the inn. "Though he was rich yet for your sakes." He became poor, that you through his poverty might be rich.
So, GRACE then underlies the whole concept. And I urge you, if you don't learn anything else from our discussion this morning, that we may never forget that the whole matter of Christian stewardship is a responsibility to illustrate and further the grace of God in the lives of others.
2 Cor 8:4, Paul says, "Beseeching us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints."
You notice in v.2 he speaks about the poverty of these Macedonians. Now these people live in poverty and yet in v. 4, so far from Paul begging them for financial help for the poor saints, he says, "THEY begged me, 'Oh please Paul let us have a part. Don't think that because we're in poverty we can't share. We CAN share. Please don't take the collection and go without our portion. We want to be counted in this.'" And so Paul says, "They begged us that they might have a part."
Secondly, notice from v,4 - the fellowship of the ministering of the saints. What a great expression that is. Anybody want to know what fellowship consists of? Right here. If fellowship just includes words and does not include service and ministry, it's pretty shallow fellowship. Fellowship - the word 'koinonia' means 'to have in common'. And we need to go back to the New Testament concept of fellowship because I fear that today there's far too much of word-fellowship, and not enough deed-fellowship! These people were willing to put their own belongings on the line, and get involved with the poor saints whom they've never even met.
2 Cor. 8:5 - "This they did, not as we hoped, but first they gave themselves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God."
What a great tribute to these believers!
First, they settled the matter of the Lordship of Christ, and then they gave. That should characterize our giving. Let's not give because it's the thing to do or because the preacher says so or because a collection bag goes by. Let's first settle the matter of the Lordship of Christ. If Jesus Christ be Lord, and I've been bought with a price and it is true that I am His steward, then I desperately need to see every single thing that I own as His and I'm an administrator. And some day, I'm going to stand before Him, and He's going to say, "I gave you a lovely home, a car, help, talent, spiritual gifts, business - I gave it to you. I entrusted it to you as my steward. And I expected you to use it for my glory and for the good of my people - and now you're to give an account."
Do we really believe the Bible? Do we really believe that's going to happen? Or do we feel that that's some kind of a myth made to scare people to reach a little deeper? That's not it at all! I praise God that in the services where we gather, we don't pass the collection here every time we have a meeting, because that's not the principle. I'm not trying to get anybody to give a little more, or dig a little deeper. What we want to do is show from the word of God that every person in this room who's a child of God is a steward. Then it's your responsibility to do as God leads you.
Beginning at v.7 and following there are a number of specific principles that we can apply to what we call Christian giving.
2 Cor v.12 - "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that which a man hath, and not according to that which he hath not."
This verse teaches us that God accepts what we have - not what we hope to have some day. Some people love to live in the realm of all the riches that are just around the corner. "God, if you make me a millionaire, or if you make me win the lottery, or if I find a thousand dollars, Lord, I'll do this and this." You'll never read in scripture that God works that way. What is acceptable is our giving out of what we now have. I don't believe that the whole matter of pledges and faith-promises are supported by any line of scripture. God is interested in us giving what we have, not out of what we hope to have or think will have, or promise to have some day. Remember the Lord Jesus sitting against the treasuries in the gospels ... and the poor widow came and she only could put in two mites - one farthing, quarter penny. It won't buy much today. In fact we don't even have coins that small. And that's how much she could put in. And the Lord said, "You see this widow? She is putting in more than all those coming up and casting in large amounts." Why? Because He measured by what she had left. And so she gave her whole substance, the Lord said.
2 Cor. 8:13,14, Paul says, "I'm not meaning that other men be eased and you be burdened - that wouldn't accomplish anything. But rather by an equality that now your abundance may be a supply for their want, and that their abundance may be a supply for your want ... so that there may be equality."
Now, please, neither the Lord Jesus, nor the Christian church, stand for a forced artificial equality. That's not the spirit here at all. The desire is that motivated by a heart of love - "I desire to share of my extra, my abundance, with those who have less than I have." Notice 8:8 ... Paul says, "This is to prove the sincerity of your love." That's what this collection is all about. You talk about love for the brethren, love for the Lord, well, here's an opportunity to prove it.
2 Cor 8:24 - "Wherefore, show ye to them, and before the churches, the proof of your love ..."
Same thing. Here's an opportunity to show this love that you've been talking about. Here's a concrete situation. So the equality that we're seeking for in Christ is not a forced artificial equality at all. It's something that happens as the Spirit of God works on the heart and says, "You have two, he has none. Why don't you give him one?" That's the way it's supposed to work - FROM WITHIN.
2 Cor 8:16 - "Thanks be to God, who put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you."
This is not just talking abut money - here is a man Titus, and he has a care for the Corinthians. And Paul says, "I'm sending Titus to help you. Why? Because I know that God has put into the heart of Titus a care, a concern, for you."
This stretches out to our time and to our commitment during the week for one another, does it not?
2 Cor 8:17 - "Indeed he accepted the exhortation but, being very diligent, of his own accord he went to you." Not because of pressure. Paul didn't say, "Titus, I'll pay you so much", or "You owe me a favor .... " He says, "Titus, 1 recognize that the Spirit of God has worked in your heart..." And so - OF HIS OWN ACCORD.
Isn't it true that all that is done for the Lord here in this assembly - speaking locally - we want to be done of one's own accord? We don't want anyone to turn up here to pack clothes for workers up in New York state, because they feel pressured or somebody brow-beat them into it. We don't want that. We only want those who'd come to do like Titus - of your own free will and accord. Now that's an opportunity for service.
There's lots of opportunities for service in this local church right here. I pray that all these will not be undertaken because of pressure. The pressure that we need to feel is the pressure from within - the Spirit of God moving our hearts in love.
2 Cor. 8:19 - "NOT only this, but Titus was chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace (word for the collection) which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord."
Here we see the need for the financial things of the assembly to be administered. That's why we have deacons, a treasurer. That's why we know how much we have given to this missionary and that missionary. We have to do things in an orderly way. We're stewards.
I bet if there's money in your house you'll know right here it is, and you can give an account for the bills you've paid. Well, there needs to be an administration in the assembly. That's why we have these things.
But not only that. Paul says in 8:20, "Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us. Providing for things honest, not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the sight of men. We have sent with them our brother... "
Now what is he saying there? There's a need not only for administrating the things of God, but there's a need to keep them above reproach. We have two men counting the collection - not that we cant find a single brother that we can trust to do that alone. NO! Let no man say that. We have 2 men in fulfillment of 2 Cor. 8 - that's required by the Lord that there's always 2 or more handling the funds of the Lord's work. It's nothing to do with whether we trust people - it's just simply obedience to what is written here. You've got to be willing to work as a team. We all know how quickly the world loves to accuse the Christian and the church of anything that they can accuse us of'. So we have to be very very careful then to give honest appearance for all that we do.
2 Cor. 9:6 - "He who soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he who soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully."
Isn't' it clear what that means? God is going to see to it that as we sow so we shall reap. In Luke 6:38, the Lord Jesus says, "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye measure it shall be measured to you again."
As an illustration, I drew a picture of a teaspoon, a tea-cup, a pint- measure, a quart-measure, then a pail, and then a barrel on the board. Now imagine the Lord calling you to give, and to select from all those measures one that you would use to give. Suppose you choose the quart- measure, and say, "Here Lord I'll bless with this". And the Lord says, "Give that to me." And you ask "Why?" And the Lord will say, "That's the measure that I'll use to bless you. Whatever measure you choose, that's the measure I'm going to use to bless you." If God sees that the desire in your heart is to bless one another, He'll bless you according to your measure.
2 Cor. 9:7 "every man according as he purposeth in his heart"
It's going to be a different amount for everyone. You've lots of bills to pay? You're newly-married? Then start very very small. Choose a small amount, and be FAITHFUL to God, rather than to pick a big amount and then get discouraged. Perhaps at the end of the year you may pray about the possibility of increasing your giving. It's better to go up over the years faithfully than to pick some large amounts and get into debts and trouble. But it's got to be according to the heart's purpose - not grudgingly, not of necessity, nor pressure. How sad it is to see how many organizations and even individuals today resorting to pressure of all kinds and gimmicks to try to support the work of God - absolutely contrary to what we find in this verse. God loves a cheerful giver.
(1 Cor 16:1 KJV) Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.
(1 Cor 16:2 KJV) Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
If you have time, turn to 1 Cor. 16:1,2 where Paul specifies that on the first day of the week everyone of us when we come together, lay aside in store - a little laying aside on the first day of the week. That's a good basis on which to take an offering at the Lord's Supper. Others do it differently. On the first day of the week we lay aside so that when the need arise we don't have to have last minute pressure etc. There's money for the Lord; there's assets that waiting to be used.
2 Cor 9:8 - "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."
There's the heart of the steward. He sees himself as a steward and he wants to abound - not just do a little, but he wants to overflow in every good work. Paul says, "God sees that desire in your heart, And He's able to make His grace abound toward you, so that you can abound in every good work."
Refer to Deut. 15:7-11
Notice the end of verse 10 - because of this thing the Lord shall bless thee in all thy works and in all that thou puttest thine hand into. Do we really believe that God is still the One o sits over against the treasury this day, and takes note? I'm sure we do. And some day we will stand before him :and- give account of our stewardship? I'm sure we believe that. May the Lord encourage us to take a new look at all the blessings and resources that we have. No one can reward you until some day you stand before the Lord. But we KNOW that He will reward because He's made that promise. If there's some who have not acknowledged. their responsibilities - NOT to the church - NOT to :any person - but God in this matter, perhaps we could do so in days ahead.
Let's close.