I. Pray

II. Introduction:

As we continue to study what a believer's responsibilities are to the local Church, this morning, we come to the issue of financial responsibility. Thus, the questions before us include: should we give to the local Church and how much should we give to the local Church. Many might answer quickly: 'Yes we give and we should simply give our tithe.' Yet, is this all that is to be said on the matter? What does the New Testament call us to? Another issue in giving that I want to explore this morning is that of the heart. We have all heard it said that God loves a cheerful giver, yet, what does that mean and how do we practically apply this principle can be very difficult. As we have said with all of the responsibilities that we have talked about this semester, in giving to the Church we must recognize the responsibility and the privilege. Thus, we want to look at some passages that deal clearly with believers' financial responsibility to the Church. Yet, in these passages, I want us to pay particular attention to the call to joy that comes with being faithful to our responsibility to give.

III. Passages and principles:

A. The passage that I want to begin with this morning is 2 Corinthians 8:1-15. I think we can identify some important lessons and principles from this passage that will aid us in answering the question of our financial responsibility to the Church. We see in this passage that Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to give in order to support those in 'the Church' in need. Paul points to the Macedonians as an example for the Corinthians. From the passage we see that the Macedonians begged Paul 'for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.' Paul tells us that they gave 'according to their meansâ€¦and beyond their means, of their own free will.' And notice this giving proceeded from 'their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty.' This attitude is not normal for our churches to say the least. Rather, our tendency is to seek for the bare minimum requirement. We ask, 'What can I give and not feel guilty?' Yet, here we see Paul pointing out that the Macedonians were 'begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints.'

Paul goes on to note that the Macedonians 'gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.' There is a clear since in which they understand themselves to belong to God and their possessions and everything else is at His disposal (consider Job). The Macedonians give all they are freely to the Lord and from this give materially, with great joy, for the relief of the saints. This realization that all we have belongs to the Lord is vital in our consideration of financial responsibility as believers. With whatever God has given us, we should be asking the question, 'For what purpose has God blessed me with this gift?'

After speaking of the Macedonians, Paul tells the Corinthians that giving will prove their love. There is a sense in which our love for the brethren will be evidenced in how much we give to support them. We cannot claim to love the brethren and not be concerned about meeting their needs (see James). Rather, like the Macedonians, Paul is encouraging the Corinthians (and us as well) to let our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ be evidenced by how much we are willing to do and give in order to support them.

One last point that I want us to consider from this passage comes from verses 13-15. Paul's point in these verses is that the believer is given abundance that he might supply for the needs of others. He sees the current abundance of the Corinthians as a blessing from the Lord. Yet, the blessing is not the material wealth itself, but rather, the blessing is that they can use their abundance to meet the needs of others. He illustrates this point by quoting Exodus 16:18. If we consider the context of this passage we can learn much. Exodus 16 deals with the Israelites being given the manna from heaven. Verse 18 is explaining that God met the needs of all in the Community. Those who needed more simply gathered more and those who needed less gathered less. As we consider the Community of faith in the New Testament, is it not amazing that God is still supplying our needs? Paul sees all of this as the grace of God (see v. 1). Thus, Paul is encouraging the Corinthians to use their abundance at the present time to meet the needs of the Community of faith. Shall we not see all that we have as the means by which God is blessing the current Community of faith and shall we not give out of our current abundance knowing that God will provide needs should we ever be in lack

B. The second passage I want us to consider this morning is found in the next chapter of the book of 2 Corinthians. In 9:6-15, Paul gives us some more important principles to ponder when thinking about the issue of financial responsibility. The first is simple: you will reap what you sow in giving. This is the principle God continues to act upon in the new covenant and Paul makes it clear. In this, I do not think Paul is trying to say 'How much money you give is how much money you will receive.' Rather, I think Paul is getting us to realize how things work in the economy of God. We must remind ourselves that we can never out-give God and that in our giving we receive so much blessing (be it spiritual or physical).

How much should we give? Paul says, 'As he has made up in his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.' Here we see the heart of the matter. Just giving is not necessarily obedience. We are to give cheerfully. The real issue is the heart, what does it value and long to support? This is what we are forced to consider by these texts this morning. We are not trying to come up with a percentage or dollar amount, rather, we need to ask ourselves 'Where is my heart in this issue?' That may sound trite or like I am trying to spiritualize the question, but I think it is the right question to ask according to this text. We will speak more of this in just a moment.

The last principle I see here is this: God is the one who ultimately provides (v. 15). A.W. Tozer, in his book The Pursuit of God, has a chapter entitled 'The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing.' In this chapter he encourages the reader to realize that everything they have is a gift from God and that in the end we possess nothing but our only stewards of the gifts that God has given us. We must come to terms with the fact that there is nothing that we have that has not been given to us. All that we have is the Lord's. Our role is one of stewardship and distribution. It is silly and sinful for us to amass wealth simply for the sake of being rich. In the end what is the purpose of being rich for the Christian except to be able to bless others who are less fortunate? We need a proper perspective. This is what Paul is reminding the Corinthians in these two chapters. We must focus on the truth of God's ownership that we might gain a proper perspective of our financial responsibility. This is the challenge that is before us today.

IV. So, then, how much should I give?

A. Many would answer this question by simply saying give a tithe. A tithe, by definition, is 10 percent. This has been the rule for many in the Church. And I must admit, it is an easy answer to a difficult question. We simply give our tithe and that is the end of it. It is mathematical (10%) obedience. Yet, is it right? As New Covenant believers are we simply just required to give a tithe? Do we just figure out our 10% and feel good about our giving to the Church? I think not. It is interesting to note that Paul never even talks about tithing in these two chapters. Why doesn't Paul just command the Corinthians to give their tithe? As we have already said, the issue to Paul is not a number or figure, but rather it is the heart. So, then I ask again, 'How much should we give?'

B. I think the best answer I can give (which many might call just a cop-out) is that we should give based on the principles and teaching of the New Testament (Gospels, Acts 2, 4, 5, 1 Timothy 6). What are these principles you ask. Well, consider with me what Paul has taught us in 2 Corinthians 8-9:
1. Recognize that we are the Lord's (8:5, 9; 9:8f).
2. We are given abundance to supply need (8:13-15, 1 Timothy 6:17-19). We are not given abundance that we might have an abundance of things. Rather, we should take on the wartime mentality and realize how much others can benefit from our abundance. Again, this goes back to the stewardship issue.
3. You will reap what you sow (9:6).
4. We must give cheerfully what we have made up in our minds to give (9:7).
5. God will provide and take care of us (9:8f; Matthew 6:25-34).
I am sure that if we look at the other texts in the New Testament that deal with giving we could come up with more principles than these, but I think these are a good place for us to start this morning. If we can begin to apply these principles in our financial responsibility to the Church, I think we will be well on our way to being faithful in our responsibility to give

V. Conclusion

There is no hard and fast rule in the New Testament concerning just how much we should give. Yet, the New Testament is clear concerning its principles for giving. We must realize that how much we give will reveal our hearts. What we value is not so much measured by what we say we value, but rather, what we value is measured by how we spend our money, time, effort, etc. So then the question becomes, by this standard, are our treasures in heaven? Do we realize that everything we have is a gift from the Lord? Have we grasped that we are only stewards of what we have? Thus, my challenge this morning is not to simply just give more. Rather, I challenge you to ask the Lord for the right perspective concerning your financial responsibility and to consider again the principles for giving as presented in the New Testament.

VI. Close in prayer.

Financial Responsibility