The Giving Heart 2 Corinthians 8:16-9:5 The Grace of Giving Message 2
By Pastor Brian Fort Bend Community Church
2021.11.21
Introduction
Every year, on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, this year is November 30, it is called "giving Tuesday". Whether it is donating to charity or volunteering, we are to give back to the community. "Giving Tuesday" is especially aimed at soliciting donations from Christians. Two-thirds of the giving in the United States come from Christians, because generous giving is the teaching of the Bible, and money giving is our Christian duty .
We have all received a lot of fundraising letters. Whether it’s emails, mass media, especially on Facebook, GoFuneMe, we are asked to donate money to this one, and that one. Within these two weeks, I received letters from four seminaries, a dozen of organizations, all asking for money. The church also told us that we still need 600,000 dollars before the end of the year to break even. The church also has a "Shoeboxes" donation drive. Winter clothes are collected every year to donate to those who are in need. Every year, school supplies are collected for poor students at the beginning of the school year. How should we give generously? Who do you donate to? What kind of ministry do you donate to? How should we give generously?
Let us learn from 2 Cor 8:16-9:5 on the giving heart. I want to share two points:
1. Grow our giving heart in discernment, 8:16-24
2. Grow our giving heart in readiness, 9:1-5
1. Grow our giving heart in discernment. 8:16-24
Generosity and giving need to develop a discerning heart.
First, discern the purpose of the donation.
What is the purpose of the donation? Does it make sense? Is it worth it? Is it pleasing to God?
Paul collected donations from the believers in the Corinthian church for the famine in Jerusalem. “This ministry to the saints” Paul is talking about refers to the collection to provide the basic needs of the saints in Jerusalem during the famine. The purpose is very clear. The Corinthian church is mainly Gentile believers. It is a very worthwhile and meaningful donation to help the believers in Jerusalem who are mainly Jews. This would help the unity of the early church, taking care of each other.
Today we support the ministry of the church so that the house of God has no lack; we support missions to spread the gospel; we support the poor in the community; the purpose is very meaningful, and what we donate is pleasing to God. So First, discern the purpose of the donation.
Second, identify the integrity of the fundraisers or ministries. Discern their heart.
How do they raise funds? How do they use the money they raise? Do they believe in the mission?
Today how does the church spend its money? How does the seminary use the donations? What method is used to raise funds? The heart of giving needs to cultivate discernment. Are they upright? Is there integrity? Do they use the money for the purpose it is intended?
The world’s largest church, the founder of the Full Gospel Church in South Korea, David Yonggi Cho, who passed away in September this year, was accused of manipulating church offerings in 2002 at a price three to four times higher than the market price, to buy the shares of his eldest son’s private company. The 29 elders of the church accused him of embezzling church funds and privatizing church assets, causing the church to lose 12 million US dollars. In 2014, Pastor Cho was sentenced to three years of imprisonment for misappropriating church funds. On the first Sunday after the court announced the judgment, Pastor Cho publicly apologized to the 750,000 congregation, saying that he was sorry that he caused harm to those who contributed to the church.
When we give, we must pay attention to the integrity of the fundraisers.
Paul raised funds from the brothers and sisters in the Corinthian church. He paid great attention to the integrity of his fundraising. He was a great theologian, an outstanding evangelist, the Apostle to the Gentiles, and a church planter everywhere in the Roman Empire, but when it came to money, he was very cautious and careful not to give anyone the opportunity to doubt his integrity. He went into extensive details to carefully collect the donation from Corinth.
He sent three brothers to collect the donations, before his own visit to Corinth. They were responsible for bringing the donations to Jerusalem. Paul didn’t want to handle the money directly.
The first one he sent was Titus: The soul partner, the man of compassion
16But thanks be to God who puts the same earnestness on your behalf in the heart of Titus.
17For he not only accepted our appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord.
23As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you;
Titus was Paul’s closest co-worker, laboring for the gospel together as a partner. Titus, like Paul, was “earnest” in the relief work. He has gone to Corinth of his own accord. Earnest :-- Serious, has a strong burden, and passionate for the cause. Secondly, verse 16, Titus, as it is the same as Paul, has the same "earnestness" for the people of Corinth in his heart. The noun is the same word as "earnest” in verse 17. Titus has a passion on the people AND the relief work. And he believed in the mission.
What we need today is these people who are enthusiastic about serving people and the ministry, people who are passionate and not for themselves.
The heart of the person Paul sends to handle donations is very important. Honesty is very important. His heart is equally passionate about the people and the mission. And he is not selfish, not self-serving, doing it not for self-gain. We need to discern. We must cultivate generosity and grow in discernment, discerning the honesty of the fundraiser.
Third, the character of the fundraiser or ministry
Paul sent the second brother to Corinth with Titus to collect donations. He is The famous brother.
18We have sent along with him the brother whose fame in the things of the gospel has spread through all the churches; 19and not only this, but he has also been appointed by the churches to travel with us in this gracious work,
This brother who handled the donation was "praised" by the churches and was selected by the churches. "Praise", translated into "famous" in English. The usage of this New Testament refers to a good reputation known for his character and good deeds. Approved.
The second fundraiser is a person who has a good reputation for his good character and good deeds. He is selected by the churches to handle the donated money. Many interpreters think that this person is probably Dr. Luke. The character and good deeds of the fundraiser are very important. You need to discern when donating money.
The founding pastor of Singapore City Harvest Church, Pastor Kong Hee, and five other church members were accused of embezzling church donations from 2007 to 2009, of US$23 million, to buy bonds of the music company Crossover, which was actually used to fund his wife, Sun Ho’s singing career. After the church accountant discovered this, Kong again used the church funds, pretending to buy back the bonds to cover up, and the scheme failed.
In 2012, he was arrested. Kong claimed that he misappropriated funds to fund his wife's album production for the purpose of spreading the gospel and for investment for the church. On October 21, 2015, he was convicted and Kong was sentenced to eight years in prison, the heaviest sentence among the six.
The appeal verdict stated that Kong did not receive improper personal gains directly or indirectly from this, so his sentence was reduced to three and a half years. However, on pages 264-267 of the verdict, it accused Kong of his character and described him as "colored by greed and Self-interest”. It was a character problem, and it was not that he did not want to benefit financially from the scheme, but it just failed. And it ended up that he did not get any money.
The end doesn't justify the means. Today, whether it is a political figure or a person dealing with public funds, you must look at their character, whether they are trusted and praised by everyone, before you donate money to support them.
Fourth, discern the competency of fundraisers.
Paul also sent a third brother to go with Titus. The tested competent brother: 22 We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you.
Competent and diligent.
So whether the fundraiser has the ability and whether it has been tested in many ways to prove their competency is something you need to pay attention to when you donate. To donate requires not just generosity, but also a discerning heart, not an impulsive giver, donating based on a feeling. We must cultivate discernment and be ready to give.
2. Grow our giving heart in readiness, 9:1-5
Paul mentioned "prepare" four times:
9:2 Achaia, namely the Corinthians, has been "prepared"
3 But I sent the brothers there to ask you to be "prepared" accordingly;
4 If you are not "prepared", then we will be ashamed; you too will be ashamed.
Paul uses the same word and repeats it three times. In verse 5, he repeated it a fourth time with another word: "ready." Be ready to give.
Verse 5, Paul said: By “preparing well” it shows that what you donate is out of willingness, not out of reluctance as if I have forced you to give. Readiness to give reflects your willing heart to give.
In other words, a well-prepared heart shows that you really have the heart to give, and it is not a temporary performance.
Are you ready to give? Are you prepared to give?
Ready to give. First, have a giving plan.
Plan and support the church, tithing is indispensable. Support the pastors, support the needs of the ministry, support the various expenses of the church. There may be many well-to-do members in FBCCh. But FBCC is not rich. The church has financial needs.
Plan your giving and offer your firstfruits.
Some of us make a decision to tithe before we get into marriage. We would tithe and husbands and wives have a plan to give.
Plan to support missionary work. Think it through, and be financially prepared. Plan well. I will support missions this much this year. And this is the kind of mission I would like to support.
Be prepared. Your readiness shows that you are not out of reluctance, but you give from the heart.
Donate for the poor. M68, donation for disaster relief, set a principle for you to support these ministries. How much do you give to the poor each year? What mission should be supported? Have a policy. Establish your guidelines.
When you pass by Chinatown, someone asks you for money at a traffic light at a crossroads. You want to plan in advance whether you would give or not. In just a few seconds, you have no way to know whether he has actual needs. You can only judge by his appearance. You have to plan in advance. In this case, will you give it? If you think you can give because you have compassion on him, all the other things don't matter. You think it over beforehand, and if you decide to give, you give it every time. If you decide you don’t want to give for some reasons, you don't have to. The donation needs to be prepared properly and plan ahead. This shows that what you donate is willing from the heart.
Prepare it properly and discuss it with your family. Have a family plan. What is our donation plan this year? The husband and wife discuss together how much to donate. When and under what circumstances do you donate? Prepare the donation money, which shows that you are willing.
If you have children in your family, let them participate, plan together, and plan to contribute. They can also participate. You can teach them how to discern and why we want to give. Let them give a portion of their money. Let the children cultivate a willingness to give from an early age, to have the wisdom of discernment, and to cultivate the heart that is ready to give. He can be a willing and joyful giver throughout the rest of his life.
Plan your giving. Secondly, manage your own finances so that you are ready to donate and help those in need.
The people I know who give generously are people who use money very carefully. They don’t spend money casually. They manage their money well, so that they have more to give.
The joy of these generous people does not come from having more material things. Bigger houses, more toys, and fancy cars. The material enjoyment is only very short-lived. Their joy comes from helping others. Generous giving is always a well-conceived and deliberate choice. Giving is more blessed than receiving.
Many givers are what I call casual givers. Giving on impulse. When it is convenient, dropping some money into the offering box. Never intentional.
During the pandemic, no one came back to the church for worship. The church was locked down. One day there was a sister who drove to the church deliberately to give to the church, just for the sake of giving. She had the intention to give, and when she was ready to give, she was prepared. Of course, offerings can now be done entirely online, and you don't need to come to the church for offerings, but the most important thing is to give from the heart. Manage your money well.
Some of us put part of our annual income into a fund, so that when the opportunity for dedication comes, he is ready. The money can be accumulated. When needed When the time comes, the money is ready and can be donated as needed.
Last year, I wanted to help translate and publish a textbook on preaching from English into Chinese, and initiated a private fundraiser to raise 18,000 US dollars for publication fees. It is such a worthwhile thing to do and will make a significant impact for the Chinese Church for years to come.
Who contributed to this meaningful project? Mainly are those who are ready to give. Several of them have an annual giving plan. They manage their money well. Every year, they put away a certain amount of money for donation. When there is a need, they are ready to give.
Have you ever wondered how you can give money away to help others?
I wonder if you have planned for your estates? Do you just want to leave your money to your children? Have you ever thought of making a plan to donate your estates to the kingdom of God?
Our Kunhua and Grace have planned to donate their wealth to a seminary and set up an endowment for a Chinese Ministry professorship to make a long-term contribution and influence to the development of the Chinese church. They believe their children don’t need their money. They are willing to give to the kingdom of God. As Paul said, give to the glory of God. And it is pleasing to God.
Some of us may have a retirement fund. Some are even in the millions, which will be more than anything you need in a lifetime. Now don’t worry, I’m not taking your retirement fund. I just want to ask you if you have ever thought about how to use your money to the glory of God? Give you away after you are gone. Or better yet, give it while you are still alive so that you are able to see an eternal impact. Money you cannot take with you to the heavens.
Perhaps you’ve heard about the old miser who called his doctor, lawyer, and minister to his deathbed. “They say that you can’t take it with you,” said the dying man, “but I’m going to. I have three envelopes with $100,000 in cash in each one. I want each of you to take an envelope, and just before they close the casket, I want each of you to slip your envelope into my casket.” They all promised to do so. And at the end of the funeral they did it! On the way home, the conscience-stricken doctor confided, “I’m building a clinic, so I took $50,000 and put the rest in the coffin.” Then the lawyer confessed, “I kept $75,000 for a legal defense fund and put $25,000 in.” At this, the preacher said, “Gentlemen, I’m ashamed of you. I put in a check for the full amount!” Yes. Money you cannot take with you to the heavens no matter how hard you try.
The story of Mr. Yin. When I just started serving in the church, I met an old man who came to the church to share about his mission. He was a businessman. After retiring, he held a lot of money in his hand. A big fortune and a 70-year-old man.
Just when China was reforming and opening up, in 1982, he decided to use his money to help rebuild the church in China. In 1984, I followed him to northern Zhejiang for about a month. This old man carried a pocket full of cash. He visited Christian ministers and churches in various places, donated to the ministers, donated to rebuild the church buildings and donated to church equipment. At the time China was still very poor. The church was in desperate need of repair and many ministers of the gospel were in dire straits. He donated his wealth to those in need. He had made a huge impact on me. Like many first-generation foreign students, I came here with very little. Just a suitcase and that was it. I work hard. Now I have a little more even as a pastor, I have more than enough. It is not easy for me to give my money away, I am not a generous person, but Mr. Yin has a great impact on me, and I am determined to be a person who is willing to give, because of the grace God has given to me, I am willing to cultivate generosity and be willing and prepared to give. I learn to give in every opportunity.
You will find that giving is very much like physical exercise. The more you exercise, the more you will exercise. The more you exercise, the more you are able to exercise. Exercise your giving. Giving releases you from the bondage of money and grow you to become a cheerful giver.
Giving must be voluntary, but it is not an option. It is God's command, not something you can choose not to follow. For God loves a cheerful giver.
Finally, there is a plan for dedication, and when you are ready to give, you must implement it. Do it. This is exactly what Paul wanted the Corinthian church to implement. After more than a year of preparation, it is now necessary to identify and bring the donation to Jerusalem. Where there is need.
Once, I was visiting a minister in China, playing and talking with his eight-year-old son at their home. He was going to buy a toy. I said, I will take you there. He just received his pocket money from his parents, one dollar RMB. He wanted to buy a toy for fifty cents. On the way, I talked with him about tithing and explained to him that he can give one dime which belongs to God. I want him to take it back to the church for offering. And I am ready to pay for the toy for him no matter what. But he didn't seem to understand what I was saying, "What?!" I had no choice but to give up and let him use his own money to buy the toy he wanted for fifty cents.
After returning home, I told his dad about this. His dad said: His son knows everything about tithing. He has taught him tithing many times, but he has never acted on it. He understands. He even had a plan, but he didn't act. And he pretended that he did not understand. His father didn't want to force him. The son didn't act because he valued his money very much.
Today many of us understand the principle of giving, and even have plans. If I get rich, I will definitely give. I plan, I manage, but I don’t take action. Isn’t this true of you?
Giving must be voluntary, but it is not optional, not something you can choose not to follow. Giving from the heart must be readily, willingly and gladly. Your spiritual life and your giving are inseparable. You need to discern well, prepare well and give well.
Conclusion
The giving heart is a discerning heart, a well-prepared heart, and a willing heart.
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