Geschrieben von: Gayle Claxton Samstag, den 01. März 2008 um 00:00 Uhr
With 2008 already in full swing, we are seeing the vision that God has put before us unfold. This is exciting as we are all part of one advancing Kingdom. I wanted to do this teaching below to encourage you, and also to remind us all once again of what God's promises are.
An Attitude Adjustment About Giving
"And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.
And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God‘s will. So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But just as you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us - see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so.
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 he does not have. Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written: "He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little."
2 Corinthians 8:1-15
How do you view giving? Some see it as an obstacle, burden, punishment or even a ritual. Sometimes we need to readjust our attitude towards giving. Although the Bible is speaking here about special offerings to help the needy, it is interesting to note that not all Christians tithe.
It's not just the non-tithers that need an attitude adjustment - those who do tithe might also need to have a change of view. Many people say that tithing was only for the Old Testament; theoretically this is true, as the New Testament tells us that our whole life is a living sacrifice to the Lord. Yet God still commanded us to bring our first fruits to Him.
We need to be transformed from attitudes of selfishness to attitudes of generosity, from attitudes that give grudgingly to an attitude of giving liberally, from an attitude of stinginess to an attitude of sharing. The context of this passage concerns the poor saints in Jerusalem and the generosity of the Macedonian believers who had given generously to a special offering Paul was arranging for them. Ironically, those who began the fire of the Good News going into "all the world" were now the ones in desperate financial need. They were at the centre of the most severe persecution during those days; they suffered economically, politically, socially and emotionally.
Let's consider together three possible adjustments:
1Giving is not a punishment, it is a privilege (v.1-4)
It is a privilege to have God work through us (v.1). God was moving powerfully among the Macedonian churches (v.2). There was a great deal of affliction, but an abundance of joy. There was severe poverty, but a wealth of generosity. When you are put to the test of affliction, how you respond is who you really are. The Macedonian believers passed with flying colours.
It is a privilege to help meet the needs of the needy (v.3-4). The Macedonians begged to be a part of the col-lection and went above and beyond their ability, considering it a favour to have the opportunity to help.
2Giving is not an obstacle, it is an opportunity (v.5-9)
It is an opportunity for worship. It’s another way to give yourself to Jesus. It is an opportunity for growth. The Corinthian church was known as the fastest growing church of their time. A church with lively worship services, gifted believers, miracles and wonders, they were sophisticated and probably well-funded for a church of that day, since it was located in the prosperous city of Corinth. It was definitely the church to be a part of. Yet they needed to grow in their giving! When you truly give yourself totally to God, you will have little problem giving your substance to God. Our generosity in giving material blessings says a lot about the depth and maturity of our spirituality.
3Giving is not a burden, it is a blessing (v.8-15)
It is a blessing to be like Jesus. He is not laying upon us another “command” but a blessing in which to partake … to be like Jesus, and prove the sincerity of our love. Proverb 19:17 says: “One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the LORD, and He will repay him for his good deed.” In 2 Corinthians 8:12 we read that it is a blessing to give of what you have. The Bible says that we are to give according to what we have and not what we don’t have. God measures the sincerity and the heart of the giver more than He does the size of the gift. Being a generous giver is certainly to our advantage. “Sell what you have and give to those in need, this will store up treasure for you in heaven and the purses in heaven have no holes in them …” (Luke 12:33 NLT).
It is a blessing to bring about equality. When you are giving to Voice in the City, you are not giving to the ease of the staff but to the lost and broken hearted and their needs. As we give to them materially, we reap a spiritual blessing in return. The Bible records Jesus saying that "It is more blessed to give than to receive." (Acts 20:35). Do we really believe that? Because of believers who took the Good News into all the world, the Corinthians, who were spiritually bankrupt, received the message of salvation. Now it was time for them to return the favour by finan-cially supporting others to go and bring the Good News.
One of the most exciting aspects of giving is that one day, when we enter the realms of glory, we will have countless souls proclaim to the Lord our God, "we were hungry and he gave us something to eat, thirsty and she gave us something to drink, naked and they clothed us, we needed a wall built and they did it." And Jesus will say, "When you did it to the least of these, you did it to Me. Enter into the joy of the Lord." - Matthew 25: 37-40.
Yes, taking the gospel takes more than commitment, it also takes financial provision. Travelling and outreaches are costly, yet the reward is always a harvest of souls.
At the present time we face a financial need, and ask you to consider prayerfully how you could help us to fulfil this mandate. Any one-time gift or monthly donation, however large or small, makes a difference and multiplies itself into the nations.
Thank you for helping us!
Together for the lost,
Gayle Claxton Co-founder & Teacher