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2 Corinthians 9:6-8

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called: “Why Do We . . . ?” We are taking a few weeks to look at why do we do certain things as a church. Why do we have church membership? Why do we give? Why do we sing together on Sunday mornings? Why do we practice baptism and celebrate the Lord’s Supper? Last week we looked at church membership, and this week we will look at church giving. We are going to look at a number of verses from Scripture this morning, but let’s begin with this passage in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8. [Read and pray.]

Why do we give to the local church? Or, the question that we seem to hear from people more often: why is the church always asking for money? Well, it depends on which church you’re talking about. There are two mistakes churches can make when it comes to the whole subject of money. One is to talk about it all the time, and the other is never to talk about it at all.

We don’t talk about money all the time here, but we do bring it up from time to time because it is an important subject. The Bible says a lot about money, and I am guessing every week most of us spend a good portion of our time thinking about money – thinking about what to do with our money, or thinking about what we would do if we actually had money, or perhaps wondering how we are ever going to make it on the money we do have. There are times when money can become almost a consuming issue in our lives.

And so the church has a responsibility to talk about money and to teach about money. That’s one of the reasons we offer the Financial Peace seminar at our church on a repeated basis, because it is important for us to learn how to manage our money in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.

There is a lot we could say about money, but this morning I want us to look at the whole matter of church giving. Why do we give to the local church? I want us first to look at some poor reasons for giving to the church, then some good reasons, and then finally we will take a look at how we approach the whole matter of giving here at PCC.

I. Some poor reasons to give to the church.

So let’s begin by looking at some poor reasons for giving to the church. I am sure there are other poor reasons why people give, but I want us to look at these three especially today.

   A. You should not give out of guilt or manipulation. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

First of all, you should not give out of guilt or manipulation. A few minutes ago we read from 2 Corinthians 9. Let me re-read verse 7 right now: Paul writes: “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) I want you to notice a few things Paul says in this verse. First of all, each person should decide in his own heart what he or she will give to the church. Only you can make that decision. No one else can decide it for you. But notice you are to decide in your heart. This is a heart matter before God. That means you need to spend some time talking with God about your giving. Take a look at your finances, take a look at the ministries of your church, and prayerfully ask God what he would have you to give. If you are married and share your finances together, then you will need to come to some type of agreement with your spouse. But what Paul says should not happen, is that you should not give reluctantly or under compulsion. God loves a cheerful giver. Therefore, you should not give out of guilt or manipulation.

Unfortunately, this is a very common reason why people give. And many times it is the church’s fault. Let’s face it. We churches do not always do a very good job in this area. Often times the church lays a burden of guilt on its people in order to try and increase the offering. I have heard about churches passing the plate, and then telling the people that they didn’t give enough the first time, and so they pass the plate again! Or churches can sometimes try to manipulate people’s giving in other ways. “If you double your giving to the church, I guarantee you that God will quadruple your return!” Well, nobody can guarantee that. The church is not a mutual fund. We should never give in order to get anyways. We should give in order to give. You should not give out of guilt or manipulation.

   B. You should not give to impress other people. (Matthew 6:1-4)

You also should not give in order to impress other people with your giving. Jesus spoke about this in the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew 6:1-4: “Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4)

Jesus says first of all, when you give, don’t announce it with trumpets. I can’t imagine that anyone literally did this, but Jesus is giving a memorable picture here of how some people approached their giving. It’s as if they struck up the band whenever they were ready to give. The point here is that they were drawing attention to themselves when they gave. Their motivation was to be seen and honored by others. Jesus said they would get no further reward from the Father. They had received their reward in full.

Jesus said that instead of drawing attention to yourself when you give, your giving should be in secret. When Jesus said, “Don’t let your right hand know what your left hand is doing,” he was saying, “Don’t even draw your own attention to yourself. Don’t be patting yourself on the back for your giving. And don’t be giving in order to try and impress others with your righteousness. We are all sinners in need of a Savior, and any righteousness we have comes from God anyways.”

Some people offer large donations to the church, but only if their name can be attached to the donation somehow. “Sure, I will pay for your new church facility to be built, but only if you re-name it, ‘John Smith Community Church.’” Well, it’s usually not that obvious. Perhaps they just want a plaque in the hallway acknowledging their name and gift. And you know, that can be very tempting to a church that is seeking to raise funds for a project. But I do not believe it is biblical. If a person is not willing to give privately to the church, then the church should just say, “Thank you – no.” You should not give in order to impress other people.

   C. You should not give to try and earn favor with God. (Titus 3:5)

A third poor reason for giving is this: you should not give in order to try and earn favor with God. Titus 3:5 says: “He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.” (Titus 3:5) God does not save us because of any thing that we do, but simply because we trust in his Son Jesus for our salvation. We are saved not by our works, but by God’s mercy and grace. Some people give because they think that they are somehow racking up points with God. But you cannot buy your way into heaven. Heaven is not for sale. God does not need your money. He owns everything anyways. God is more interested in your heart than your wallet. God will not love you any more if you give more, and he will not love you any less if you give less. You should not give in order to try and earn favor with God.

II. Some good reasons to give to the church.

   A. You should give as an act of worship to God. (1 Chronicles 16:29; 1 Samuel 24:24; Luke 21:1-4)

So those are some poor reasons for giving to the church. What are some good reasons for giving to the church? First of all, the Bible says that you should give as an act of worship to God. 1 Chronicles 16:29 says: “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.” (1 Chronicles 16:29) This is not giving to earn God’s favor, but giving simply to acknowledge that he is God, that he is worthy, and that you owe your life and being to him.

When you worship God with your tithes and offerings, you are recognizing God’s ownership of all things, and you are demonstrating your own dependence upon him. This is why the Bible teaches us that we should give the first portion to God. The first portion is the first and the best of all that we have, and we give it before we even know if there will be a second portion. Why? We give God the first portion because he owns it all, and we trust his promise that he will provide for all of our needs.

The Bible makes it clear that our offering should cost us something. This is why the two concepts of offering and sacrifice are so closely related in the Bible. In 2 Samuel 24 David wanted to buy a certain man’s threshing floor in order to build an altar to the Lord. The man offered to give it to David for free, along with all the oxen and wood David needed for the offering. But David replied: “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” (1 Samuel 24:24) You see, an offering that does not cost much does not mean much.

When our boys were younger and Rosi’s birthday came around, I always insisted that they buy her nice presents. Depending on the gift and their age or their ability, I would help out with the cost, but I always made sure that an appropriate portion of the money came out of the boys’ own pockets. Why? Because a gift that did not cost them anything did not mean anything. Now of course, the gift did not always have to cost money. They could also use their time instead to create something for Rosi. The gift would still have meaning because it cost something. It cost them the time and effort and love to make something special for their mom. I just wanted to make sure that when they gave a gift to Rosi, that they were showing a proper appreciation for her and for her worth as their mother.

Well, that is similar to our worship of God. Our giving should say something about how much we value God. Jesus spoke about this in Luke 21:1-4: As he looked up, Jesus saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. “I tell you the truth,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” (Luke 21:1-4) Her offering had meaning, not because it was a lot of money, but because it was a sacrifice. It cost her something. Her offering was true worship of God.

How do you know if your giving is sacrificial? Well, for some people with very little income or resources, any amount of giving is sacrificial. It is tough to give when you do not have a lot to begin with. But here is the question that I like to ask to see if I am giving sacrificially. “Are there certain things that I would like to buy or do that I cannot, because of my giving to the church?” In other words, does my giving impact my lifestyle? If I can still buy or do everything that I wanted to anyways, even after giving to the church, then I haven’t given sacrificially. Unless my giving causes me to do without something, then it really hasn’t cost me anything.

Giving is worship, and true worship reflects a high value of God. When you give to the church, be careful not to make it routine. As you fill out your check or place your offering in the plate, breathe a prayer of worship to the Lord. Acknowledge his Lordship. Thank him for his provision. Pray over your offering and ask God to use it and multiply it for his glory. You should give as an act of worship to God.

   B. You should give out of a desire to see God’s kingdom grow. (Matthew 6:24, 33)

Secondly, you should give out of a desire to see God’s kingdom grow. Jesus said in Matthew 6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33) What do you seek first in your life? What are your most important priorities? Jesus said that we should seek God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness above all things. When we give to the church, it should not be out of a sense of obligation or duty but out of a genuine desire to see people come to Christ, a passion to see God’s name and fame spread throughout the nations.

This is one of the reasons why our church made the decision many years ago to tithe our church’s income to missions. We started at 10% and that number has grown over the years to where we now give 26% of our church’s total income to missions. Each week 26% of the offering goes into our mission fund to support missions all around the world for Jesus Christ. Jesus told us to go into all the world and preach the gospel, and we are trying to do our part in obeying Jesus’ command. So when you give to the church, realize that you are also helping to extend God’s kingdom in this world as the gospel goes out to the nations. I trust that you are also praying for our missionaries and for world missions in general, because our giving should just be one expression of our desire to see God’s kingdom grow.

Realize that God’s kingdom also has to do with your own personal life as you allow Jesus’ Lordship to take greater and greater hold in your life. One of the ways we grow in our loyalty and service to Jesus is by letting go of those things which compete for our loyalty. Jesus said that money is one of those primary things that compete for our loyalty. Matthew 6:24: Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.” (Matthew 6:24) When we give sacrificially to the church, we are weaning ourselves away from our natural love and loyalty to money, and learning to serve God instead. Jesus said, “Seek God’s kingdom first.” You should give out of a desire to see God’s kingdom grow.

   C. You should give because you are committed to the local church. (Ephesians 5:25)

And then finally, you should give because you are committed to the local church. Ephesians 5:25 says, “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” (Ephesians 5:25) We looked at this verse last week when we talked about the importance of church membership and committing yourself in membership to the local church. The church is God’s primary instrument to do his work in the world. Jesus said that he would build the church. Jesus loved the church and gave himself up for her. We also need to love the church and be committed to the church’s health and growth. And so although we shouldn’t give out of a sense of obligation, we do have an obligation to support the local church and its work in the world.

What are some good reasons why you should give to the church? You should give as an act of worship to God. You should give out of a desire to see God’s kingdom grow. And you should give because you are committed to the local church.

III. How do we approach giving here at PCC?

   A. Practical matters (offering; envelopes; privacy, etc.)

So how do we approach giving here at PCC? Well, let’s go over some practical matters first. First of all, we have an offering. We do not have an endowment, we do not charge membership dues, we don’t sell tickets at the door. We have an offering where we give people the opportunity to give. The church and all its ministries are funded through the free-will offerings of God’s people.

You may have noticed some people using offering envelopes when they give. The offering envelope makes the process simpler both on the giving and receiving end of the offering. It makes it easier for you to give because instead of writing separate checks for different ministries, you can simply write one check and designate the funds accordingly. If you’re not sure how designated giving works, there is an explanation in your bulletin on the back side of the sermon outline. Offering envelopes also make it easier for the church on the receiving end, because the envelope has a number that is keyed to your name, and that makes it easier to keep a record of your giving for tax purposes at the end of the year. If you would like offering envelopes to make your giving easier, please let us know and we will get them to you.

It’s also important for you to know that your giving is kept private at our church. The only person who knows how much you give in a given year is our financial secretary, Jan Washburn. And the only reason she knows is because someone has to know in order to issue you your year-end giving statement. Don’t bother going up to Jan and asking her how much someone else in the church gives, because she won’t tell you. It’s confidential. However, there is one exception to that rule, and that is Jan has my permission to share Rosi’s and my giving with anyone in the church who asks her. I don’t publicize my giving, and I ask that you not make it public or share it with anyone else, but I offer that as a measure of accountability as your pastor and so that you will know that your pastor practices what he preaches.

Some of you have expressed an interest in online giving. We do not have that in place right now, but it is something that is being discussed. We understand that many of you do most of your budgeting and finances online these days and that you might prefer that as an option. I know for many of you, your offering to the church is the only check you ever write. Our main concerns are that we help each other maintain an attitude of worship in our giving and that we do not put someone in a position of racking up debt on their credit card in order to make an offering to the church. But we are talking about it.

And let me just say, if you are not a member or regular attender of this church, you are welcome to give if you want to, but we certainly do not expect you to. And if you are a member or regular attender at another church and you are just visiting here today, please give your regular offering to your local church rather than here. Your primary commitment of giving should always be to your local church.

   B. We encourage biblical giving. (1 Corinthians 16:2; Deut. 16:17; 2 Corinthians 9:7)

So those are some of the practical matters of giving here at PCC, but the other way we approach giving is that we encourage biblical giving. The Bible says that your giving should be regular, proportional and cheerful. 1 Corinthians 16:2 says, “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income.” (1 Corinthians 16:2)

“On the first day of every week” – that is regular giving. Some people at our church give weekly, but others don’t get paid every week, so they give regularly every other week or even monthly, whenever it is they get paid. The Israelites gave when their crops came in. So we don’t want to be legalistic about how often. But the biblical principle is to practice regular giving. If you receive regular income, you should give regularly to the church. That means also keeping up your giving when you are away on business or vacation. We are to give in proportion to our income, not in proportion to our attendance.

This brings us to the next principle, which is proportional giving. When Paul says “in keeping with your income,” he is teaching the biblical principle of proportional giving. Instead of everyone paying the same amount, the person who earns more should give more, and the person who earns less should give less. The person who earns less should not feel bad that they cannot give more. Deuteronomy 16:17 says, “Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the LORD your God has blessed you.” (Deuteronomy 16:17)

Of course the question comes up, what proportion should I give to the Lord? I believe the Bible teaches that the first ten percent belongs to the Lord as a tithe, and then we should give an offering beyond that as the Lord enables. For many people a tithe is a great sacrifice. But for others, it is not a sacrifice at all. There are people who could give 50% of their money to the Lord or even more, and they would still have far more left over to live on than many other people who are just struggling to pay a tithe. Once again, biblical giving requires that you go before the Lord and work this out before God in your heart. Keep in mind the three good reasons to give we shared earlier – to give as an act of worship to God, out of a desire to see God’s kingdom grow, and out of your commitment to the local church.

And how about cheerful giving? That brings us right back to where we started today in 2 Corinthians 9:7: “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7) God wants you to give because you want to give. Your attitude in giving is a measure of your heart, and God looks at the heart. Whatever you give to the Lord should be given cheerfully, as an act of worship to God.

CONCLUSION: I was talking with another pastor, and he made the statement, “Whenever God does something in the world, someone always has to pay the cost. It always costs something.” And then he paused and asked, “Who will pay the cost for the church to continue its work in the next generation?” It’s a good question. You know, this church would not even be here were it not for the faithful giving of God’s people.

Over the years God has used Plantation Community Church to touch so many lives for the gospel. God has done great things in and through the lives of the people here at this church. And I believe that God has even greater things ahead for us. We have a bold vision as a church of reaching out to our community and around the world with the love of God and the gospel of Christ. Who will pay the cost for that work? God is able, and he will provide. But it begins with us. We must do the work that God calls us to do now, so that we will be ready to do the work he calls us to do later.

Let me encourage each one of you here this morning to consider your giving to the church in light of today’s message. Ask yourself three simple questions.

First ask yourself: 1) Why do I give? What is my motivation? Am I giving for the right reasons?

And then ask yourself, 2) How do I give? Am I giving biblically? Do I give a regular portion of my income for the work of the church? And do I give that cheerfully as an act of worship to God?

And then finally, stop and ask God, 3) What shall I give? And then commit to giving as God leads you for the glory of God and the good of his church.

© Ray Fowler

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