Giving

Well, good evening. Great to be here. Thanks for your invite. I was really excited that I was able to get out of Glasgow for work reasons, of course, as a minister tonight.

But just very exciting to actually be able to get in the car and use it after so long of being very, very local at home.

It's great to be back at Brunsfield to see some familiar faces, and I pray that God will bless us tonight.

Let me bring you some greetings just from the constituency of FIEC churches that I work for and represent across Scotland and beyond.

We've been trying to support churches over this strange time, over the last eight months, with some weekly webinars for church leaders across the UK,

trying to update them on the kind of various developments, but also just some of the challenges of leadership at a time like this.

And we've had a few separate Scottish webinars to update churches on particular guidance.

And I've been trying to send out some summary papers to pastors and others, which hopefully Graeme Shanks and others might have received here as well.

But God's work is going on, despite all the restrictions and limitations.

We're delighted that we welcomed into FIC family the new church plant out at South Queensferry, which I know you'll be very familiar with, Christ Church there.

The work in Aviemore is moving forward.

Of course, like everything else, it's been sort of strange and changed in many ways.

But it was great that Kenny Rogan and Leslie Rogan, the church planting family there, were able to buy a house in the town this summer.

That was a great prayer point for us.

And as Kenny said to me, he said, it's exactly where you would buy a house if you're looking at a map of Aviemore and wanted to plant a church.

So that's been a huge provision of God.

And we pray that will help them to make contacts and to get settled in the community.

And we've also been able this year to support revitalisation work in Mary Hill in Glasgow and a cross-cultural worker at Harper Church,

along with the just day-to-day and week-to-week kind of pastoral support and connecting of churches and ministries.

I just wanted to let you know that despite all the limitations, God is still at work, and I'm sure he is as well, in lots of ways.

Well, please do have your Bible open at that passage in 2 Corinthians chapter 8.

2 Corinthians 8 · chapter mention

We'll probably flick over to chapter 9 as well, because both chapter 8 and 9 deal with the subject of giving.

You've been doing a topical series, I believe, and tonight's subject is we need to talk about giving.

So we're dealing with a taboo subject.

So maybe just as well as no children here tonight.

Indeed, it's a subject that the Times newspaper once called the last taboo in an article which was subtitled,

Why it's okay to talk about sex and death, but never salaries.

Or in other words, why talking about personal wealth is one of the last no-go areas in polite society.

It's a subject, of course, that we can feel uncomfortable about when we come to discussing it.

And to preach on the subject of giving, believe you me, feels like entering a bit of a potential minefield.

Listeners perhaps feel an edge waiting for the guilt trip or the high-pressure appeal.

Don't worry, there's not going to be one of those tonight.

And speakers feel anxious about looking self-interested and not least their own shortcomings.

And there are some good reasons why we might have that kind of discomfort as we come to a subject like this.

One of the great evils of the Western Church in recent decades has been the exporting of the prosperity gospel to Africa

and other parts of the developing world.

It's ministers on the God channels promising riches for those who just have enough faith.

It's a Christianity, of course, that ultimately produces guilt and, worst of all, disillusionment with Jesus.

And ministries, incidentally, that don't even believe their own theology.

They tell us that whatever you give, you will get back 10, 20, 30, 100-fold.

Which begs the question, why don't they just do that with their own money in the first place?

Get back that great increase and save us all the appeals.

As John Stott said, we have to have the courage to reject the health and wealth gospel.

Absolutely.

It's a false gospel.

So we're rightly cautious then to avoid any sense of a preoccupation with money.

But the other danger, of course, if we go to the other extreme,

is that we make money a kind of no-go area in church.

But money is a big issue in the world.

It's a big issue in our lives, let's face it.

It is a key component in everyday living.

So we would expect the Bible to have something to say about it.

And it does.

Lots, in fact.

Jesus talked five times as much, or rather the New Testament has five times as much teaching on money

as it does in the subject of prayer.

Jesus talked far more about money in his ministry than he did about sex.

So a church without regular teaching on money would be as negligent as a church who never taught about prayer.

So as we go into this subject, and we're going to just pick a few of the kind of main points out of these passages in 2 Corinthians tonight,

let's just clear the undergrowth a little bit and establish a few basic truths from the Bible.

And the first one is that the material world was created by God and is a gift to be enjoyed.

That means that having things and resources and being able to acquire things is legitimate.

Indeed, it is a blessing.

1 Timothy chapter 4 and verse 4.

1 Timothy 4 · chapter mention

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.

God, of course, blessed Israel with material things, good lands, crops, prosperity.

Heaven will be a real place.

There will be great plenty there to enjoy.

So there is nothing wrong with the appropriate possession and use and enjoyment of material things.

That's the first point.

The second point is that being rich is not wrong, neither is poor to be glorified.

There are many godly men and women in the Bible who were wealthy.

However, Abraham, Job, Philemon, contrastingly, the ungodly poor are never set up as role models.

As Andrew Boner Law very well put it,

far better a rich man seeking God than a poor man seeking riches.

But of course, wealth does, in a fallen world, present some real dangers to us.

It's one of the primary reasons that people turn away from God.

Wealth can easily create a self-reliance, a pride, a love of comfort that displaces God in people's lives.

And so we need to be wary of it and careful and cautious in our use of it and where our hearts go in relation to it.

But being rich in itself is not wrong, neither is poverty some great virtue in and of itself.

And then the third and final point as we go into this subject is that the New Testament sees financial giving as a barometer of spiritual health.

We saw something of that in the passage that was read to us by Ailey on the screen.

Paul writes,

I'm not commanding you in this area of giving, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.

Paul is making a link there between their attitude to giving, their earnestness in giving,

and to the spiritual temperature, we might say, of their hearts.

Luke chapter 12 and verse 34 says,

Luke 12 · chapter mention

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

That is, where your money goes tells you something about where your heart is.

That's the word of Jesus himself.

But not the order of that verse, which we'd had it on the screen,

but the order of the verse says, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

And in closer reading, we might think, is that not a little bit back to front?

Shouldn't the order be, where your heart is, there your treasure will be also.

After all, surely our money will follow our hearts and not vice versa,

as seems to be what Jesus says in Luke chapter 12.

Luke 12 · chapter mention

But of course, Jesus never fumbles his words.

And I think there is something very practical in this about the order that Jesus puts it in.

Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

That is, where we put our money will influence and shape our concerns.

That is, our hearts.

If I choose to give money to a mission in India, then guess what?

I'm likely to find I'm a lot more interested and concerned about mission in India

than I might otherwise have been.

If I give a gift to the youth group, you know what?

The youth group is probably likely to nudge its way up my prayer list

because I've suddenly got a bit of an investment in it.

You see, one of the ways that you can start to shape your heart around heavenly things

is by making the very cold and practical decision to put some of your cash into them.

Where your treasure is, your heart will be also.

Now, God isn't some heavenly sheriff of Nottingham.

He is not obsessed with your wallets or just taking your cash for its own sake.

God, of course, owns the cattle on a thousand hills.

And as somebody has said, he owns the hills as well.

He is the self-sufficient one.

Acts chapter 17.

Acts 17 · chapter mention

He has no need of anything.

He's the one who has made and gives everything to everyone.

In 1 Corinthians, Paul asked the question,

what do you have that you did not receive?

It's a rhetorical question, of course, isn't it?

Because the answer is nothing.

We enter the world naked and one day we will leave everything behind.

So God isn't interested obsessively in some kind of unhealthy way about your bank balance,

but he is interested in your heart.

He's interested in the kind of people that you and I are.

You see, the world around us sees the accumulation of money and possessions

as the yardstick of measuring somebody's worth and significance and value and importance.

We know that, don't we?

We see that all the time.

If you've got cash, you will get attention and status and prestige.

If you're poor, nobody's that interested in what you think or who you are.

But Jesus calls in his people to have a very different set of values.

Now notice at the centre of the passage that we read in 2 Corinthians chapter 8,

2 Corinthians 8 · chapter mention

right at the heart of it,

where Paul is encouraging and indeed expecting that Christians will give of themselves financially,

he traces it all back to the gospel itself.

chapter 8 and verse 9.

We know this verse so well, don't we?

It's a great verse to memorise.

Paul says,

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.

Jesus gave up his riches unselfishly, generously, out of love for us.

Our God is the great giver,

giving up even his own son, that indescribable gift,

as he has described at the end of chapter 9, for our welfare.

Our saviour and Lord Jesus Christ gave up even his own life for your sake and mine.

Think of it this way.

Your life and my life, if we're Christians tonight,

were rescued and turned around because someone who was rich

gave up that wealth in order to intervene in our lives.

Isn't that amazing?

There we were in spiritual rags,

and the richest person in the universe gave away his money

that we might be showered with blessings

and raised up to heavenly places.

Paul says it is this gospel truth

that should shape and direct us in how we use our wealth.

How amazing to be able to give away the resources,

the finance that we have,

so that other people might have their lives transformed.

That is the privilege and the purpose,

the prize of the money that you and I give to gospel work.

People hear the gospel.

They see the love of Christ in action,

and through that investment,

by the grace of God,

they too can move from spiritual ruin

to spiritual riches.

You see, when you give,

you are living out the gospel.

So if we think of Christian giving

as just another unwelcome tax,

if giving becomes a reluctant duty,

as Paul describes it in chapter 9,

verse 7,

something which is done kind of grudgingly

under some kind of compulsion,

if it's resented,

then we have totally lost sight of the gospel.

That's why Christian giving

isn't based on legalistic commands.

That's why Paul says there in verse 8,

I'm not commanding you.

This isn't something that you're going to be

dragged kicking and screaming to do.

But if you get the gospel,

if you get verse 9,

if you understand how God has used his riches

to transform your life,

then all of a sudden,

giving becomes something which is a privilege

and a joy and a blessing

to be invited to do.

Now, in 2 Corinthians,

Paul writes to encourage

and advise Christians

about their financial giving.

And in the instance of chapter 8

and chapter 9,

it was organizing a gift

to help struggling Christians elsewhere,

poor churches back in Judea.

But we also know from Corinthians

that Paul expected

that Christians would give financially

for other causes too,

such as the support of gospel workers.

that it was right

that appropriately gifted

and godly people

could be set aside

for gospel work

and paid for

by those they served

for the work that they did.

That is a good biblical principle.

Well, very practically,

just in the time that we have,

let me just highlight

three practical points

about giving

from these verses.

So very briefly then.

Firstly,

plan your giving.

Plan your giving.

Be organized.

Chapter 9, verse 4,

Paul says to them,

he says,

For if any Macedonians

come with me

and find you unprepared

in this matter

of organizing a gift,

we, not to say anything about you,

would be ashamed

of having been so confident.

So I thought it necessary

to urge the brothers

to visit you in advance

and finish the arrangements

for the generous gift

you have promised.

You see, Paul is saying,

you know,

get organized in this area.

You know,

do a bit of preparation.

You know,

plan ahead here

so it's not just

a complete disaster

or kind of muddle

when the time comes

to collect this money.

Because the fact is,

as you and I well know,

that if our giving isn't planned,

it probably won't amount

to that much.

You know,

a kind of piecemeal approach

of what have I got on me

on a Sunday morning?

Well,

it's not going to deliver much,

is it really?

Never good.

Or,

just, well,

what's left over

at the end of the month?

Well,

that's probably not going

to be very much,

is it?

That kind of approach

to giving,

kind of haphazard,

last minute,

you know,

end of the list,

is not,

verse 7,

to excel

in this grace

of giving,

is it?

That's why,

let me say,

practically,

a standing order

is really good.

It prioritizes

your giving.

Verse 5,

it kind of makes

that statement

that giving

for gospel work

is your first priority

or one of your first priorities.

It's first

to the Lord

there in verse 5.

To get that,

it doesn't have to be

everything you give,

but it might just be

that base amount

that you know

is regularly established

and will go out

come what may.

Likewise,

let me just say,

signing the gift aid form.

Please,

if you're a taxpayer,

do that

for your Christian giving.

It's not getting

a gift from the government,

it's just getting

some of your own money

back

that can then be used

for gospel work.

So plan your giving,

be organized.

Maybe that's the one

take-home thing

that somebody needs

to take away tonight

or somebody

who's watching this

online

is simply

to get onto

their laptop

later on

or tomorrow

and to set up

a standing order.

That would be

a great outcome

from this

in this area.

As simple as that.

But secondly,

let me say,

stretch yourself

in giving.

You see that

in verse 3.

He writes of these

Christians,

the Macedonian Christians,

for I testify

that they gave

as much as they were able

and even beyond

their ability.

Our culture

is often one of

great self-indulgence,

isn't it?

I'm worth it.

Me time.

It's 5 o'clock

somewhere.

I see that

in Facebook sometimes.

You know,

somebody puts a Facebook

post on,

you have stacked

the dishwasher,

time to open

the wine

and to chill out.

Wow,

that's quite

an undertaking,

isn't it?

we're very quick

to justify

ourselves

with all sorts

of luxuries

and treats.

And there's nothing

wrong with some

luxuries and treats

in life,

but we have to keep

that in perspective,

don't we?

Because you see,

there's a real sense

in the Bible

that this life,

this side of heaven

is wartime

for the Christian,

for the spiritual

battle that we're

engaged in.

There is so much need,

so much gospel work

needing resourced.

We live in a world

heading for judgment,

the clock is ticking,

and everywhere

Christian work

is cash-strapped.

The writer Craig Blomberg

in his book on giving

neither poverty

nor riches

quotes a survey

that was done

of Christians

in the United States

and Christians

were asked

if they knew

that their income

next year

would be 10% less

than it was this year,

where would they cut back

in terms of outgoings

and their finances?

And the number one answer,

and I appreciate this

is the United States,

but the number one answer

was they would

eat out less.

Well, why not

miss one of those meals now?

Not all of them,

but maybe one or two now,

and give the money

to a Christian cause,

to Christian ministry.

I think there's lots

of examples of my own life,

and I'm not standing here

as some great guru

in the subject of giving.

There are lots of examples

in my own life

where I could be

a little bit more modest

and use the savings

to invest in gospel work

that will last for eternity.

So stretch yourself.

Thirdly,

give spontaneously.

It's great to have

a standing order.

I want to just

underline that point.

It's very sensible.

It's very helpful.

The church

or Christian ministry

can then plan

on the basis

of a stable income.

But there are times,

of course,

when we can make

that extra special gift,

isn't there?

Maybe we have a windfall

or some savings

come to fruition.

And before we just

splurge it

on some big extra treat,

just think about

who could be helped

by that gift

or perhaps a share

of that gift.

The missionary

who needs a new car.

The ministry

that needs

a new data projector.

The repair

in the church

that never has

been able

to get done.

And let me say

that in those

kind of spontaneous

extra gifts,

there is something

very liberating,

something particularly

joyful about them.

Those are the gifts,

I think,

when we really learn

the truth

of that old saying,

giving will never

impoverish you

nor withholding

enrich you.

Or,

as Paul puts it

in verse 15,

the one who gathered

much did not

have too much

and the one

who gathered

little

did not

have too

little.

Now,

giving generously

and sacrificially,

this is an important

qualification to the above,

is not about,

however,

giving irresponsibly

or recklessly.

We have to live

within our means.

You see that

in verse 12

of chapter 8.

He talks about

there,

the end of verse 11.

Now,

finish the work

so that your eagerness,

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.

That means

that we should

never get into debt

in order to give.

And we should

never neglect

our primary commitments

in order to give.

Our children

should never

go hungry,

put it that way,

because we're giving

to some other

Christian mission.

But all of this

in proportion

to our wealth

and our income

can give something,

even if it's just

the widow's mite.

In the Old Testament,

the Israelites

were commanded

to give 10%

of their income

to God.

That was to the

temple

and the priests

and all the things

that were needed

to resource

God's worship

and work

in the world.

Now there is no

such legalistic

commandment

as we've already

noted for Christians.

But many Christians

have nonetheless

found it quite a good

guide for giving.

Indeed, if anything,

we are so much

more blessed

as Christians,

so much more aware

of God's goodness

that it would be

strange in one sense

to want to be

less generous

than an Old Testament

Israelite

was asked to be.

That, of course,

is very much

for your conscience

and your heart.

Of course,

not everything

that you might

give financially

to the Lord's work

might just go

to one particular

ministry

or one particular

place.

You might give

directly to support

a particular

Christian organisation

that you have

a heart for

or an interest in

or a particular

missionary

that you have

a relationship to.

That's good

and fine.

But let me

encourage you

just as we

come to the end

to make the

local church

a priority

for your giving.

Make that

the heart

of your giving

for the simple

reason

that the local

church will

only be supported

by its members.

The world

will help

fund many

good charitable

causes

but it won't

fund the local

church.

It won't fund

the gospel.

Only Christians

will do that.

We can't expect

local churches

elsewhere to fund

what we could

pay for

here.

Greenview,

my home church,

is my primary

responsibility

when it comes

to my giving

along with

the other

members there.

Let me finish

by quoting

a great

Christian author

of the last

century,

A.W. Tozer.

And we'll

close with this

and just the

final verse

from verse

7 of the

passage.

Tozer says

this,

As base

a thing

as money

often is,

yet it can

be transmuted

into everlasting

treasure.

It can be

converted into

food for the

hungry and

clothing for the

poor.

It can keep a

missionary actively

winning lost men

to the light of

the gospel and

thus transmute

itself into

heavenly values.

Any temporal

possession can be

turned into

everlasting wealth.

Whatever is

given to

Christ is

immediately

touched with

immortality.

faith in

faith, in

speech, in

knowledge, in

all earnestness

and in our

love for you.

See that you

excel in this

act of grace

also.

And may God

bless these

thoughts from

his words.

to

wie

you

can

see that

here's a