"WHEN" YOU GIVE, NOT IF!
Just like prayer and fasting, Jesus says in Matthew 6:1 "WHEN you give" not "if" - giving is supposed to be a part of everyday life. It's supposed to be 'the norm'! A constant thing! Like prayer and fasting, it's not a random, one-off event. It's a manner of living, a lifestyle, a way we must live.
We must LIVE with generous, open, giving hearts - praise God that he produces His own character of generosity in us, so the more we know Him, the more we want to give - in our own strength and nature, we want to be selfish. I am selfish, Jesus loves to give. Amen!
Giving, like fasting, is a physical/tangible expression of what is happening in our heart. The love of Christ in our heart compels us to give. Because our God is infinitely generous and giving, and His Spirit lives in us!
GIVING IS AN INVESTMENT, NOT A LOSS
Sometimes we view giving the wrong way - as a chore, a religious ritual, a loss. A loss of time, a loss of money, a loss of energy - whatever it is we're giving. But Jesus says in Matthew 16:25-26 "If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything wort more than your soul?"
When you give, you're gaining. When you give righteously, you're investing in the Kingdom of Heaven!
When you give time to someone in need, love someone who doesn't deserve it, give more than your ability in the offering at church - you're making a PHYSICAL action that is actually SPIRITUAL. Remember, a true Christian doesn not separate the physical and the spiritual - we went over this when we did baptism.
By giving in the physical realm, you are SPIRITUALLY storing up treasures in heaven.
Matthew 6:19 "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven..."
Jesus is saying "You're not of this world! Seek the KINGDOM OF HEAVEN and concentrate on storing up your treaures there, not the kingdom of this world, where everything will rust away and decay and perish - just a your earthly bodies will!"
"Where your treasure is," he finishes, "There your heart will also be"
Basically, if you store up your treasure on EARTH - in the form of material things for yourself, your desires will be fixated there. You won't be able to get your mind off that latest iPhone; you'll be caught up in the latest fashions - and it's perfectly ok to ENJOY these things (God is most glorified when we are joyful!) but if your heart is fixated on them, it leads to obsession.
If earthly things is where your heart is - your fixation, your focus, your everything - you are storing up your treasures there. You are putting your heart into something that is subject to time and change. You're guaranteed to be disappointed because the things of the worldly kingdom will change and rot away, can be stolen and taken away from you - don't put your heart there beautiful ones! Don't invest in that!
Invest in the kingdom of Heaven - which is the same yesterday, today and forever. Where NOTHING and NOBODY can take that from you! It is impossible to be dissatisfied when you give to THAT cause.
YOURE LEVEL OF LIVING DEPENDS ON YOUR LEVEL OF GIVING
The world (secular living) says your life will be better if you keep everything for yourself. (In other words, self GAIN is better according to the world). But GOD says your life will be better if you make ANOTHER person's life better.
Peter declares to the church leaders in Acts 20:35 "it is more blessed to give than receive"
The world says: you're more blessed when you receive.
Jesus says: you're actually more blessed when you give!
SOWING AND REAPING
Galatians 6:7-9 "Don't be misled - you cannot mock the justice of God. You always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy theur own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up."
The principle of giving and receiving, of reaping and sowing, applies in many areas of life.
E.g. if you invest an hour a day into exercising, than you will reap the benefits of that investment - a strong healthy body. However, if you invest that same time flipping channels on the tv, you will reap the benefits of THAT investment - a wasted hour.
If you smoke, you could reap a smokers cough and possibly lung cancer
If you overspend, you will reap calls from the banks and possibly poverty
God isn't punishing us by saying "you will reap what you sow". He's giving us the FREEDOM OF CHOICE to sow as we please and is telling it like it is.
Paul wasn't just talking about time and money when he penned the letter of Galatians.
He's talking about sowing INTO the lives of others. In the very next verse he says
"Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone - especially those in the family of faith".
If you give mercy, you will reap mercy.
If you give patience, you will reap patience.
If you give forgivenes, you will reap forgiveness.
If you give friendship, you will reap friendship.
(It's important to note that you won't always receive from the same place you give)
Proverbs 11:25 "If you give generously you will reap generously"
2 Corinthians 9:6-9 "Remember this - a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don't give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully".
SO! Make a choice - decide - to give FREELY (not wanting anything in return) for others. ACTIVELY look for ways to bless others, and be a blessing. The most recent example I can think of is Ellie Davidson - as soon as she walked into Eastgate Church, she got a taste of God's love and immediately set out to see how she could serve - cooking the community meal, helping out at the drop in centre...God's love does crazy things in our heart!
SOWING PHYSICALLY REAPS SPIRITUALLY
Now this is not just about money - but I want to use money as an example. Because MONEY IS SEED - Jesus devotes of 2 thirds or the parables to money and possessions.
So giving money is SOWING seeds.
Tithing: tithe means "first fruits". It means "a 10th of". It came in BEFORE the law (when Abraham was hanging around). We are children of Abraham, remember!
Tithing is a faith response to God - a love response. It's saying "I trust you God, that this harvest is going to be blessed". It wasn't talked about in the New Testament because it was a UNIVERSAL PRINCIPLE. Tithing is about THE HOUSE (your house, my house, and God's house - the church!)
He says "I will look after you - you won't even know what to do with all I give you! Just trust me with what you've got, which I gave to you anyway!"
So, tithing represents TRUSTING God to look after me.
Offering: But there's WAY more than just the house - there's a HARVEST! A massive harvest - THE harvest.
2 Corinthians 9:10 says "If you become a sower, you will be given MORE and MORE to sow". It doesn't say OUR seed will increase - when God has fulfilled our daily needs we don't need any more - what He said is that he will increase the STORE of seed. He will give us what we need - and then bundles more for others - the harvest!
God is hanging out for us to partner with Him on this! To rescue souls across the planet is going to cost money, hands down. He'll increase our store to fund this rescue mission - if only we jump on board the giving wagon!
The boy and his lunchbox in the gospel didn't give a 10th of his lunch. He gave up ALL he had. He offered it IN FAITH (which is all it takes!) and GOD gave the increase! God will increase and increase your ability to sow and give in your life, the more YOU choose to give!
2 Corinthians 8:3 - according to their ability and BEYOND their ability they gave.
The offering is about the harvest and so of course it requires a miracle - have you seen how nay people need their souls to be saved on the earth? Sowing seeds is tapping into the miraculous! This fantastic storehouse of seeds God has waiting for us, if only we offer in FAITH. It's always going to take faith - have childlike faith!
GENEROUS WORSHIPPERS AT EASTGATE CHURCH
We are all, as God's children, called to be generous worshippers. We WORSHIP God with what we give. That's got to be the heart of giving - worship. Not religion, not rules, not regulations, not out of a sense of duty - but out of love.
Because we love God, and we want to worship Him, the one and only God - with EVERYTHING He has entrusted to us - our time, energy, money...
Part of our vision statement at Eastgate is to be generous worshippers. Our mission statement is to glorify Christ and make Him famous. Let's worship God with every possession, every thing we have, to glorify Him and spread His fame!
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