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First Assembly of God Newsletter September 2008 |
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Psalm 24:1-2 says, "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and all they that dwell therein." It is obvious from these verses that all that we have is on loan from God. He is the true owner, and we are merely the caretakers while we make our journey though this world. I would like to take a few minutes of your time and discuss God's economic plan for your life and mine as outlined in Holy Scripture. Too often Christian people have been conditioned to think that the only time they really need to get serious about giving is when there is a need that appeals to their particular emotion. For example, we like to say, "I gave to feed a hungry child," or "I gave to build a new church in a foreign country," and it makes us feel good. But to say, "I gave to pay the electric bill, " or "I gave to buy some some cleaning supplies" doesn't sound as spiritual, and is not as gratifying. Our giving is often determined by the heart appeal of the particular need. Actually the problem starts with us, when we fail to recognize that the teaching of Scripture is not to give to needs but to give to God. First, the Bible tells us God owns all the wealth of the world (Psalm 24:1-2). He abundantly shares his wealth with us, and the beautiful part is that He doesn't send us a bill, and He never sends me a notice that my payment is overdue. None of us could exist even for a second on this earth if God didn't share His wealth with us. Second, God intends for His wealth to be circulated. This is a teaching in Scripture that seems very hard for us to understand. But the teaching is clear. Even though God owns everything, He cannot spend His silver and gold unless we give it back to Him. He gives it to us either to give or to hoard, and if we hoard it, God can't use it. God wants us to give back so He can bless it and multiply it and use it over and over again. He intends for the cycle to continue so that His wealth can be constantly circulated. God encourages us time after time to place our trust in Him, not our possessions. Third, I can appropriate God's wealth by giving. In the Gospel of Luke, chapter six, verse 38 are some familiar words. You've heard these words of Jesus before, "Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that you mete withal it shall be measured to you again." There are three parts to this verse. First, there is a command. God says, "Give." God has the right to issue that command because it is all His anyway. Along with the command, there is a promise, which is the second point. God says that when we give, He will give it back to us. That's the whole idea of circulation. Last, there is a principle. "With the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Jesus is saying with the same scoop you use God will scoop it back. Paul said it like this, "What you sow is what you reap. If you sow sparingly you reap sparingly. If you sow bountifully, you reap bountifully." So if I'm not receiving from God, then what is the problem? Either God is not keeping His promise, which is never true, or I have a giving problem that needs to be addressed. Next, I must act more from faith than reason. What I'm saying is that the amount of my gift to God will be determined more by my faith than by my reason. When you read through Scripture you will discover that most of the people who are singled out for giving great gifts to God would never have given the gifts if they had made their decision based on reason. The widow would never have given her last two mites if she had acted strictly from reason. The little boy would never have given his lunch to Jesus if he had listened to reason, but when he acted on faith the lunch not only fed him, but over 5,000 others were fed until they were satisfied with some left over. If we act strictly from reason, you add up your income and subtract your expenses. Whatever is left over after you have given to yourself, you give to God. Whatever you can afford to give you give, which in most cases is very little or nothing at all. But if you act from faith, it changes the whole perspective. Last, God loves a cheerful giver, but you already knew that. In 2 Corinthians 9:7, Paul says don't give begrudgingly. When you give, give with a smile on your face, and with joy in your heart. God demonstrated that He was a giving God when He gave us the best gift of all, His Son Jesus, who took our place on the cross and paid the price for our sins that we could never have paid. He has given His all to us, and He wants His people to learn how to be generous too, and willing to share. Are you cheerfully giving to the Lord? — Pastor Jeff |
BUSINESS
ADMINISTRATOR NOTES  |
In 1933, during the height of the Great Depression, the average American gave 3.2% of their income to the church. Seventy-one years later in 2004, the average American was 555% richer after taxes and inflation than during the Great Depression. You might expect that giving to churches would have increased, but unfortunately it declined to 2.5% of the average American's income, a net decrease of nearly 22% of income compared to 1933. It appears that the more we have, the more we think we need to keep or spend on material things. Mr. Busby expanded on those three Biblical foundations with seven principles which provide the framework for a Christian lifestyle of stewardship. They are as follows:
The only truly lasting treasures are those that are laid up in heaven. May we all strive to be a blessing to others as God continues to bless us. |