Serving Through Giving

Serving Through Giving

The best-known verse in the Bible, John 3:16, presents God as the greatest giver of all, for He gave His only-begotten Son. Scripture makes plain also that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). While we can never out-give God, what a privilege He grants us to be givers, like Him in some small measure. We may give back to Him a little of what He has given us! We thus share in that immense privilege of being givers and a blessing to others.

Old Testament Givers
From the days of Cain and Abel, men have brought gifts and sacrifices to God. Upon leaving the ark, Noah and his family thankfully offered sacrifices. Abraham offered to Melchizedek, King of righteousness and King of peace, a tenth of the spoil he had taken in battle. The Israelites brought their offerings to the Lord to build the tabernacle, and even had to be restrained from giving more. Later they were told that they should not come before the Lord empty-handed. In the final chapters of 1 Chronicles, we see David thrilled to be able to give, and to see his people Israel giving also. Men of God like Solomon, Hezekiah and Josiah gave liberally. So did the poor widow with the two mites, whom the Lord Himself commends for her liberality, for she gave all she had while others merely gave out of their riches (Mk. 12:41-44).

New Testament Giving
In Hebrews 13:15-16 our material giving is closely linked to our praise, as sacrifices with which God is well pleased. Passages like 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 show us how this giving became associated with the Lord’s Day – the day when the early Christians were accustomed to remember the Lord in His death – once the testimony had spread beyond Jerusalem and Judea (Acts 20:7). The custom of some churches today of taking a collection at every meeting is far from New Testament practice.

Those who administer such funds are stewards, and according to God’s Word must be men of integrity, not greedy for money (1 Tim. 3:8). The first such administrators of funds among Christians had to be men of good reputation (Acts 6:3). In 1 Corinthians 16:3 we see that those who gave to the Lord had a voice in choosing who would administer their gifts. Finances given to the Lord are to be dealt with honestly and honorably, not only in His sight but also before men (2 Cor. 8:21). A steward must be faithful, as 1 Corinthians 4:2 and many other passages point out. We may well ask ourselves whether we are faithful in our giving, and then in the administration of that which we give.

Satan’s Temptations
Satan knows well how to tempt the human heart to seek gain for self or to show favoritism to family and friends. These problems become even more intense in societies whose norms are not based on biblical principles of right and wrong, societies in which ties of family, clan or tribe rank above all else. For example, in many parts of Africa one who has money – or who has access to money – is expected to use it to help his needy relatives, regardless of whether it is his own or money that is entrusted to him. Missionaries from abroad can get quite frustrated when brethren they trust, under pressure from family or friends, handle funds according to prevailing local standards rather than scriptural standards of integrity.

Our God is the Lord God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth (Gen. 14:22). The beasts of the forest and the cattle on a thousand hills are His (Ps. 50:10). He is not dependent on us for support – in fact, quite the contrary! Yet He welcomes what we give, and if we withhold what we should be giving, He refers to this as robbing God (Mal. 3:8).

What And How To Give
What can we give Him? What scriptural guidelines do we have for our giving? First, we can give to help the poor and needy. Our Lord has said, “You have the poor with you always, and whenever you wish you may do them good” (Mk. 14:7). Second, we can give to support the Lord’s servants (1 Cor. 9:7-14; 3 Jn. 5-8). Third, we can give to support the many aspects of the Lord’s work (Neh. 10:32-34). Finally, we can give to alleviate suffering among the Lord’s people (Mt. 25:45; Acts 11:28-30).

How do we give? Despite their deep poverty and great trial of affliction, the early Macedonian believers gave liberally to aid their poor brethren in Judea. No strategy was used to extract this money from them. No pep talks, no appeals were needed. They wanted to give, and insisted on being allowed to do so. But Paul notes, in 2 Corinthians 8, that they first gave themselves to the Lord. Then they gave of their substance liberally, cheerfully, sacrificially and from the heart. This stimulated thanksgiving to God on the part of the recipients and also made these Jewish believers appreciate their Gentile brethren so much more. God viewed their giving as seed sown, which in time would germinate and produce an abundant harvest.

The Philippians were one of these assemblies in Macedonia. When Paul and Silas had to abruptly leave their city under difficult circumstances, these saints were sent twice to help them in their service for the Lord. Later Epaphroditus, a brother from their midst, went all the way to Rome to take Paul a gift from them, getting ill and almost dying as a result of this difficult journey. In those days sending a gift often meant sending a personal messenger to carry it.

Giving Today
We have it much easier today and can readily dispatch gifts by mail or even electronic bank transfer. But personal messengers can still be a tremendous cheer to God’s servants in lonely places. Many governments, too, have made giving easier by providing means by which income taxes can be reduced by gifts given for charitable purposes, thus enabling believers to give more.

Let’s not forget to back up our giving by our prayers, supplications, intercessions and giving of thanks! And remember too that we can give of our time to the Lord – a valuable gift indeed. May He direct and bless us in all our giving to Him!

By Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.