One of the defining characteristics of the Acts 2 church was a deep,
abiding spirit of generosity. These believers possessed giving
hearts that came from an overflow of the love and grace expressed to them
through Jesus. The Bible says of this first church,
“And they were selling their possessions and belongings and
distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” (Acts 2:45)
At The Brook, we believe that one of the most important
indicators of our spiritual health is the generous attitude in which we
leverage our resources to ministry. Simply put, the church is not a healthy
reflection of Christ without a prevailing culture of generosity. This is where
men and women steward their financial resources in such a way to give to God
and to others through the church.
This spirit and attitude hinges on a few important, shared
values:
Contentment
Consumerism and greed seem to be hard-wired into the DNA of
our American culture. If you look around and look closely, you’ll see that this
worldly value permeates almost every message that comes our way. However, right
in the middle of a world driven by materialism and the need for more, Christ
calls us to find contentment in our material possessions.
Christians must ask themselves the question, “How much is enough?”
From a prison cell, the Apostle Paul says, “I know what it
is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret
of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry,
whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all things through Chris
who strengthens me.” (Phil. 4:11-13)
In order to be generous we must learn how to say “enough is
enough” to ourselves, and feel the peace that halts our striving after that
which can never be attained- “more”.
Faith
It is God’s #1 goal for our lives to bring glory to Him
through our faith and trust. Hebrews 11:6 says, “And without faith it is impossible
to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists
and that he rewards those who seek him.”
Our Father wants to take responsibility for His children. He
wants us to depend upon His provision and enjoy a relationship with Him where
we pray, see Him work supernaturally to provide, and where we build confidence in
His power. The problem? People don’t give in such a way that they learn to actually
trust God.
Jeff Manion states, “The chief inhibitor to generosity isn’t
greed, it’s fear. Fear of not having enough. And the only remedy for fear is
trust. Trust and generosity walk hand in hand.”
When was the last time you trusted God in the most practical
sense- i.e., with your finances? This one area may be the one place you lack faith in your life. Can you find the strength to trust this sphere of living to
God?
Stewardship
God has provided some rather clear instructions in His Word
on how to build a lifestyle of trust and generosity. The principle of the tithe
provides a guideline (not a legalism) for building these important values into
our lives.
Giving 10% of our income is a clear principle of generosity
and faith in the Bible. In the Old Testament, Abraham tithed (this was before
the law of Moses), and God commanded His people that 10% be given for the work of ministry
(actually when you add up all prescribed giving in the OT it was more than
10%). Additionally, in the Old Testament this form of giving was described as
giving directly to God Himself.
“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the
land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD’S: it is holy unto the LORD….
These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of
Israel in Mount Sinai.” Leviticus 27:30, 34)
“Return to me, and I will return to you, says the Lord of
hosts. But you say, ‘How shall we return?’ Will man rob God? Yet you are
robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and
contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole
nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food
in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will
not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until
there is no more need.” (Malachi 3:7-10)
In the New Testament a spirit of love and generosity is added
to the command. Remember, Jesus did not come to abolish the law, but to fulfill
it (Matt. 5:17-18). While Jesus never commanded tithing, He did commend it when
it accompanied love, justice and a generous spirit.
“Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint,
rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love
of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former
undone.” (Luke 11:42)
The Apostle Paul advocates regular, systematic and sacrificial
giving— the foundation of which is the tithe from the Old Testament. He said…
“Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed
the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week,
each of you is to put something aside and store it up, a sum of money in
keeping with his income, so that there will be no collecting when I come.” 1
Corinthians 16:1-3
So while the New Testament teaches giving that goes beyond
the legalism of the tithe, tithing remains a principle for the ongoing
stewardship of our financial resources. When accompanying love, grace, and
willingness, it becomes a powerful principle of continual trust in God.
Spontaneous Giving
Of course, the life lived in faith is not always planned
out. There are moments when God places people, situations and opportunities
into our lives and asks us to respond. We can do so as the Holy Spirit calls us
to meet a need, support a ministry, or bless an individual. This is one of the
most enjoyable aspects of giving. It is above and beyond the regular giving of
the tithe— that is, the tithe should not be sacrificed in these opportunities,
rather it should be added to.
I know a person who regularly looks for spontaneous
opportunities to bless people with giving. He has some amazing stories of bringing
people to tears as he by faith sought to leverage his resources to God’s glory.
There are moments where he knew that God had placed a person in his path for
the sole purpose of helping them… and reminding them of God’s love and His care for
them through his gift.
Be on the lookout for others in our church and in your world
who may be in need and who could be blessed by a gift from you.
Additionally, our church has building programs that also require
this kind of faith and generosity. Our way of meeting ongoing ministry needs is
through the tithes of our people, and the way we can expand to reach others through
buildings, land and parking is through the spontaneous and sacrificial giving
of our people above and beyond the tithe. What a joy for all of us together to
have faith as a whole church family and to join in a “together initiative” to give
more than the tithe in order to see buildings constructed that house ministry to
children, youth and adults!
Gratitude
A thankful heart is a giving heart. Likewise, a thankful heart
belongs to a person that recognizes all that he or she has been given is a gift
of grace from the Lord. All your material possessions are from God. So, regular,
systematic and sacrificial giving places our thanks beyond our lips and into
the fabric of our lives. It is not just saying to God that we are thankful. It
is displaying our gratitude to Him by returning to Him the “first part” of all
He has given to us. It is in recognition that all we have is simply on loan
from Him, and He asks that as a starting point we give back to Him 10% of the
100% He has blessed us with. What a great way to display gratitude and worship
to our Father!
What you see in Acts 2 is a group absolutely in love with
Christ and in love with one another. The gratitude that drove this spirit was
uncontainable. It poured out in generosity as wealthy people, middle-income
people, and poor people sat next to each other in worship… and each gave
according to their ability to the work of the Lord and to each other.
May God continue to bless us with a generous, sacrificial,
thankful and trusting church family— and may this characteristic be a witness
to the community and to the world of our great love for our great God!
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