Well, it is our last week in Philippians, I just got home from a trip to Yokohama (details tomorrow hopefully) and it is 11:12 p.m. and I need to study for a quiz, so I apologize in advance for any grammatical errors, random thoughts etc.
Today I want to talk about giving. I think that when the offering plate comes around there are two types of people that put money in. 1st, there are those who put money in for the wrong reasons: it will make God happy and less mad at me, give me some reward, because I have to, because it makes me look good, etc. Alternatively there are those who put money in for the right reasons and thus take joy in their giving. That is what I want to focus on tonight.
I think giving is a hard topic to touch on and even as I type I believe it will be the hardest exposition I have written so far. I also acknowledge that I may not have all the answers or even might not have the perfect view on giving, but I'm going to try hard to faithfully write. I think Pastors have to have the hardest time preaching on giving. Think about it, they go up in front of everyone and talk about how Jesus commanded us to give but still stay completely faithful to scripture and somehow not put in his personal agenda or any thought about how the church is doing financially. Well, I am not a pastor but I still want to tell you that giving to your local church is important. This statement carries some connotations:
1st: You are a Christian. You believe that, in short, Man has sin or separation from God, which deserves punishment but Jesus Christ took on flesh and died for mankind's sins thus creating a way to a right relationship with God. Thusly, you have put your faith in Christ and live your life for him now.
2nd: You belong to a local church. The reason I think giving is important is that giving is what keeps churches running. Therefore, if you are a member of a church, it should be important to you to keep that church running and spreading the gospel. That is why we should give! Giving to a church honestly makes no sense unless you are a part of that church.
With all that said, let us look at scripture. In verse 9 Paul writes: Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me - put into practice. Paul has given a pretty good example of giving his entire life for the sake of the gospel, therefore I think we can infer that giving is part of the Christian walk. Monetarily is great but physically giving yourself for the sake of the gospel is also great. It has been very truthfully said by John Piper that there are goers and senders (people going into missions and people sending them monetarily) and if you aren't one of these than you are sinning. Jesus commanded us to share the gospel, he also commanded us to give and to love God, in other words obey God's commands which we just said were sharing the gospel and giving.
Paul continues on to exhort the church for giving to him. I'm not going to get into this but, Paul tells them that they will be blessed for their giving. I don't think giving will directly give you blessing but there are many stories of God meeting needs after someone gives. I think it is all about trust in God.
Last year I began giving to my church, one because I began to see the importance of my role as a church member. I'm not just going to sit, sing and listen, I'm going because it is my fellowship and body of believers which I am a part of. Secondly I felt like if I wasn't trusting God with a little bit of my money each month, how can I trust him to help me pay for things like school and studying abroad.
To conclude, if you are a member of a local church and you aren't giving, think about why not, and truly consider giving to help the church that you are a member of. If you aren't a member of a church but you are giving and maybe even regularly attending, I would ask you why you haven't formally said you would like to be a part of the body. In Muslim nations, they don't need church membership because the church is very separated from the rest of the country. However, in America there are lots of people who say they are Christians who truly aren't. Membership is a way for a pastor and elders to look at someone's life and say yes, they are following Christ and should become a part of our body here. If you aren't yet a Christian, I would ask you to consider Jesus. Where do you think evil comes from? Christians believe man is inherently sinful and this is a big problem because it separates us from God. Through Jesus Christ alone however, we can gain salvation.
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