Generously

Give generously.  This is perhaps the most difficult teaching about supporting God's Mission in the Bible.  That's because we think of generous giving completely differently than the people in the New Testament.  Their definition of generous giving is overwhelming to us today.

And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. (Acts 2:44-45 NLT)

Here are a few terms that form the background of their giving:

Tithe

You may have heard preachers or churchgoers talking about a "tithe."  This word simply means 10%.  In Old Testament Israel, there were twelve tribes that grew from the twelve brothers.  One of the tribes, Levi, was set apart to do God's work with and in the tabernacle (tent) and eventually the temple (building) where they would "meet" with God.  The other eleven tribes gave 10% of their income so the tribe of Levi could focus on the work given to them by God.  Levi, then, would also tithe as an act of worship to God.

"Give these instructions to the Levites: When you receive from the people of Israel the tithes I have assigned as your allotment, give a tenth of the tithes you receive—a tithe of the tithe—to the LORD as a sacred offering. (Numbers 18:26 NLT)

Offering

Offerings were any gift offered to God.  Tithes were offerings to God, but there were many other offerings people would make as well.  Some of them were to celebrate God's goodness.  Some of them were to repent of sin.  Some of them were for special projects, like building the tabernacle (tent of meeting) or, later, the temple (building of God).  

Take a sacred offering for the LORD. Let those with generous hearts present the following gifts to the LORD...  (Exodus 35:5 NLT)

After the temple was built, they would maintain the building with a special offering that was sometimes called the "temple tax."  

Then a proclamation was sent throughout Judah and Jerusalem, telling the people to bring to the LORD the tax that Moses, the servant of God, had required of the Israelites in the wilderness. (2 Chronicles 24:9 NLT)

These special gifts were designated above and beyond the tithe for God's workers.  They got the buildings built and paid for the maintenance.

Poor and Foreigners

Before any of this giving took place, God had a built-in system for supporting the poor among Israel as well as foreigners who decided to live in Israel.  They would always have food to eat.

"When you harvest the crops of your land, do not harvest the grain along the edges of your fields, and do not pick up what the harvesters drop. Leave it for the poor and the foreigners living among you. I am the LORD your God." (Leviticus 23:22 NLT)

Israelites, then, were already used to paying for the poor and foreigners, giving 10% to support the tribe of Levi, and a temple tax to maintain God's building.  This all took place before they paid taxes to the Roman government, paid for their own shelter, and fed their own family.  Yet, somehow, God provided.

The New Church

Generous giving in the New Testament church went above and beyond the things I just listed here.  They were meeting together in the temple courts.  They most probably hadn't stopped bringing offerings to the temple - at least not at first.  Even if they did stop, the old practices, the mindset of giving was at least as committed as before.  The poor were cared for generously.

There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need. (Acts 4:34-35 NLT)

God's workers, such as the apostles and elders, were supported similarly to the tribe of Levi.

Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, "You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain." And in another place, "Those who work deserve their pay!" (1 Timothy 5:17-18 NLT)

Most importantly, God's Mission continued and the Gospel was spread throughout the world.

They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord's Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46-47 NLT)

How about you?  Does your giving participate in God's Mission?  Are the poor fed through your giving?  Are God's buildings built and maintained?  Is the Gospel preached by people you support?  Do you give generously?

Consistently

Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in His kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity. For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do. So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. (2 Corinthians 8:1-7 NLT)

When God leads you to participate in a ministry, whether a church, a missionary, or a God-centered mission like feeding the hungry or housing the homeless, one of the ways you can be a consistent blessing is to be a consistent giver.  This helps the people in this part of God's mission be able to pay for certain consistent bills, like rent/mortgage, gas and electric, or water.  Sometimes that regular donation goes to something as simple and necessary as food.

I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that by His poverty He could make you rich. Here is my advice: It would be good for you to finish what you started a year ago. Last year you were the first who wanted to give, and you were the first to begin doing it. Now you should finish what you started. Let the eagerness you showed in the beginning be matched now by your giving. Give in proportion to what you have. Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don't have. Of course, I don't mean your giving should make life easy for others and hard for yourselves. I only mean that there should be some equality. Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. As the Scriptures say, "Those who gathered a lot had nothing left over, and those who gathered only a little had enough." (2 Corinthians 8:8-15 NLT)

Take the time to pray, talking to God about everything entrusted into your care.  Ask God for direction in giving.  Sometimes the money is best managed by God in your hands.  Sometimes it is best managed by another part of Christ's Body.  You should not see any ministry getting rich while you are getting poor.  We should all be drawing closer to the "average," in our area so God's work continues and God is glorified in it all.

Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God's people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don't wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once. (1 Corinthians 16:1-2 NLT)

Consistent giving simply makes it a part of your budget each week or month.  It allows you to see God at work in your giving regularly.  It becomes a part of your walk together with God.

And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. (2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT)

How about you?  Do you see giving as a part of your ministry?  Does God provide everything you need and ways to help meed the needs of others?  Does your giving help you and the ministries you serve, draw closer to the "average" for your area?  Has your giving become consistent?

Cheerfully

Once you recognize that everything belongs to God, it gets easier to practice the three steps with every paycheck that comes in. Release. Receive. Redistribute. Releasing it back to God gets easier because you remember that God entrusted it into your care to begin with. Receiving it again gets easier, because you remember that it was given to you from God the first time. Redistributing it gets easier because you remember that God gave it to you to use for God's purposes.

Over time, it starts to affect more than just your paychecks. You purchase a car. Release. Receive. Redistribute. Suddenly, the car is being used to pick up people who can't get to church services on their own. You purchase a home. Release. Receive. Redistribute. Suddenly your home is being used for small group bible studies, showing hospitality to your neighbors, and welcoming missionaries who are in town to ask for prayers and financial support. Everything you have becomes God's. Then you start to realize it didn't become God's. It was already God's. You just see it now.

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV)
Using the resources God entrusted into your care for God's purposes gets easier and easier. You even start to have fun with it all. After all, God loves a cheerful giver. Do you know what the Greek word for cheerful is in this sentence? The New American Standard Exhaustive Concordance tells us: ἱλαρός; hilaros; cheerful. The Greek word, hilaros, is where we get the English word hilarious. God loves it when we enjoy giving so much that we roll on the floor laughing. (We used to have "ROFL" on the floor by our donation box at Life Bridge just to remind us.) God loves a cheerful giver.

How about you? Is it getting easier for you to release, receive, and redistribute what God gives you for God's purposes? Have you gotten to the point where you enjoy it? Do you give cheerfully, rolling on the floor laughing?

Everything for Family

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. (Acts 2:44-45 NIV)

The early church picture of giving is really overwhelming, especially to those of us living in today's day and age. We think in terms of owning everything we have. They considered it God's. This is why the picture looks a lot more like socialism than capitalism. What they were doing, though, was neither. It was a different approach to finances. They still controlled the money God entrusted into their care, like capitalism. They spent the money, however, out of love for their neighbor as much as themselves. This is the part that looks like socialism, because no one is in need.

The real driving force, however, is God. They are committed to God. They love God above all else. Everything they have belongs to God, so they lay it all before God and ask God for direction with 100% of what they have.

All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God's grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need. (Acts 4:32-35 NIV)

People were willing to do whatever it took to spread the good news that Jesus was the Christ, that through Him we receive salvation, and that in His Spirit we overcome the real enemy in this life as well. So much money came in that they ended up with food programs to support those in need throughout the church community. The church was a greenhouse, a safe place if you will, for people to grow closer to God. That included making sure the church had food to eat. This was their extended family.

But if a widow has children or grandchildren, these should learn first of all to put their religion into practice by caring for their own family and so repaying their parents and grandparents, for this is pleasing to God. The widow who is really in need and left all alone puts her hope in God and continues night and day to pray and to ask God for help. But the widow who lives for pleasure is dead even while she lives. Give the people these instructions, so that no one may be open to blame. Anyone who does not provide for their relatives, and especially for their own household, has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:4-8 NIV)

Before someone was supported by the church, however, they were expected to be supported by their physical family. In other words, God's provision for you and me is supposed to be used to make sure our family at home has food, shelter, and clothing. God expects us to care for our own family. Even unbelievers, Paul says to Timothy, understand that. Caring for our family is part of loving our neighbor as ourselves. It starts right at home.

So how about you? Do you ask God for direction with 100% of the finances entrusted into your care? Does God direct you to use some of it to care for your immediate family? Does God direct you to use some of it to care for the extended family?

Seek First His Kingdom

Money is only a problem when we look at it through the world's eyes.  We think of it as ours.  We think we earn it.  We think we get to keep it.  I've performed many funeral services, though.  Not once were they able to take it with them.

It's not ours, it's God's.  Everything came from God, belongs to God, and is entrusted into our care by God.  When we look at things through this perspective, it changes everything...for the better.  Whenever you receive money, like from a paycheck, try to think of it this way.  Release it back to God in your mind.  Then, receive it back from God to remind you it was placed in your care.  Finally, redistribute it for God's purposes.  When you do, it will relieve you of the pressure and worry.

So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:31-33 NIV)

Seeking God's Kingdom and God's Righteousness changes the way you spend God's money.  Seeking righteousness may remove things from your spending list that really don't take you down the righteous path.  Seeking God's Kingdom will cause you to think about where the money will best bring people to and build people up into Christ, who is the head of God's Church.

"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one-- I in them and you in me--so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23 NIV)

God intends us to work together - to be in unity with one another.  Jesus asked God to glorify Himself through us.  Jesus asked the Father to reveal Himself to the world through our unity with one another.  I've heard people talk about the invisible Kingdom of God that cuts across churches and denominations around the world.  Jesus, though, prayed for God's Kingdom to be visible through all of us - wonderfully diverse connected in unity.

"This, then, is how you should pray: "'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10 NIV)

So how about you?  Do you pray for God's Kingdom to come and God's Will to be done here on earth as it is in heaven?  Do you strive to be the answer to Jesus' prayer, living in unity with the rest of God's Church?  Do you release, receive, and redistribute the resources God entrusted into your care to use them for God's purposes?  Do you worry about money, or have peace because you seek His Kingdom and His Righteousness?