Serving the Saints

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At this time of year, we like to think about wealth, money and possessions.

Jesus himself taught about wealth and his teaching was tough. In his Parable of the Sower he spoke about "the deceitfulness of wealth" that "chokes" the word, "making it unfruitful" (Matthew 13.22). He said to his disciples: "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!" (Mark 10.23). And he said to the crowds: "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed" (Luke 12.15).

Then listen to Paul who links greed with sexual immorality - Colossians 3.5:

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry.

So what is at the heart of the Bible's and Jesus' teaching on wealth?

First, that getting rich is not the main thing in life. Jesus said, Luke 12.15: "a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions."

Secondly, he said that money is unreliable. That is what he taught in his Parable of the Rich Fool. That is what Paul taught, too, in 1 Timothy 6.17:

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.

Now that is a command. Most of us in the West, even if we are relatively poor, are still rich compared to the majority in the world. That command, therefore, comes through to most of us here this morning.

So what are people like us to do? Paul tells Timothy in verses 18 and 19 of 1 Timothy 6:

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

The Bible does not tell people not to make money. Even the rich man that Jesus told, in Mark 10.21, to "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor" was not told to stop working. Suppose he had given everything away. He might then have discovered, like Jeffrey Archer, that he could make another fortune. He, then, could give that away. Wesley taught, "make all you can, save all you can and give all you can." Often God blesses people financially when they give away their money. They can then give away even more. That happened with Sir John Laing (of Laing's the builders). He gave much of his fortune during his life to Christian work. Those lines of John Bunyan are so true to Christian experience:

There was a man,Some called him mad;The more he gave,The more he had.

What is wrong is not making money. What is wrong is making money your primary aim. Money is to be a means not an end and a means to service - serving God and serving people. That of course includes those in your own families but also serving other people, especially those in the family of God, the church.

So our title this morning is SERVING THE SAINTS.

But how does all this work out in practice? Well, in this short series on giving we are looking at the concrete example of the church in Corinth, found in 2 Corinthians 8.16 and following.

I simply want us to see two things. First, what this passage teaches about SERVING THROUGH ADMINISTRATION; and, secondly, SERVING THROUGH GIVING.

First, SERVING THROUGH ADMINISTRATION

Corinth was the rich capital city of Achaea (in Greece) which was the Roman Province to the south of Macedonia. Macedonia in the north, by contrast, was less well off. But compared with the Corinthian Christians, at this time, the Macedonian Christians were more generous in their giving. You see, Paul was wanting the Corinthians and the Macedonians to help God's work in Jerusalem and the poor Christians in that area.

Now Paul knew that, in one sense, there was no problem at Corinth. For the Good News is that the Church is not a building but people. So it has all the money and resources it needs. But at Corinth, as often in the West today, the money and resources stay in the pockets or bank accounts of the members. It is not released for God's work or to help God's people when they are in need. The bible teaches that all our wealth belongs to God. 1 Chronicles 29.14 says it so clearly:

Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.

Therefore, we are to be stewards of our possessions. We are not ultimate owners who can do what we like and ignore God's priorities. So the problem at Corinth was getting the money out of the pockets of the members and then spent on gospel needs and gospel priorities. On this occasion the priorities were the desperately poor Christians in Jerusalem.

But how is this problem solved?

First, there has to be a fundamental giving - a giving of yourself to God as you put him and his will first in your life. This is what the Macedonians had done. Look back to verse 5 of chapter 8

they gave themselves first to the Lord.

That is where it all starts. So can I ask this morning if you are someone who has not yet "given [yourself] first to the Lord"? If so, don't focus on the details of this Giving Review. Focus on putting God first, the triune God of the bible. Realize that the Father is your loving creator, the Son offers you forgiveness of sin through the cross, and the Holy Spirit will give you new life and strength for living as God intended. That is what the Macedonians knew. They then acted accordingly.

Secondly, there needs to be in place good mechanisms and administration for handling what is given. Last week Ian Garrett spoke about practical principles and procedures for giving. Paul had taught those to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 16. So in 2 Corinthians 9 verse 1 he says:

There is no need for me to write to you about this service to the saints.

He had already taught disciplined, regular giving that is proportional giving. Paul didn't encourage any legalism. But 10 percent is a biblical proportion you can consider. Some believers in the New Testament, like the converted Tax Collector, Zacchaeus gave 50 percent. The poor widow gave 100 percent, like the rich man Jesus spoke to did not!

So there is a duty laid upon church leaders to teach principles and help set us systems to help people give. That is what this Giving Review and our Giving Scheme is all about.

But, thirdly, there is a duty on the church leadership to see that when money is given it is handled honestly and goes to where the donors intended it to go. That is so important. Sadly three years ago there were headlines in a local paper about a former head teacher of a Church of England school in the North East, who was also treasurer of his local church. The man managed to steal £27,000 from church funds for his own personal use. For doing so he was sentenced to 6 months in prison. These things can happen. There will always be a temptation to behave like Judas Isacariot. He kept the bag - the money bag for Jesus' team of disciples. He, too, was a thief.

So Paul wants to be whiter than white. He knew that opponents of the Gospel will attack you at any point, including over finances. That is why churches have to be scrupulously careful over money and ensure that it is handled honestly and spent only where the donors intend it to be spent. So you must have audited accounts. At this church they are at the back of the church for anyone to see around the time of the Annual General Meeting.

Also you need a team of people involved in the finances. And not any old people. That is what Paul is writing about in verses 16-24 of chapter 8. In verse 17 he says that Titus, his colleague, "is coming to you with much enthusiasm". Then in verse 18 he says:

we are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel.

Then in verse 22 he says:

In addition, we are sending with them our brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous.

What was the reason for this team of men? The answer is given in verses 20 and 21:

We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.

These were men who would ensure that the money was handled properly and not going into Paul's own pocket and also that it was going to Jerusalem and not somewhere else. Those are very important principles. But what sorts of people do you want involved in administration and finance?

First, people who have a primary concern for people and not for their money. Remember money is not an end but a means. In verse 16 we are told Titus has a "concern ... for you" - not primarily for your money.

Secondly, you want enthusiastic people. Verse 17 - Titus had much "enthusiasm" for God's work.

Thirdly, people who have the confidence of church members. In verse 18, the second man is said to be "praised by all the churches."

Fourthly, gospel minded people. Yes, these people must be good at finance, but that is not sufficient. For this second man was praised by all the churches (verse 18) "for his service to the gospel". It was not just for his accounting skills. We can, indeed, thank God that the people at JPC involved with money and property fulfil all these criteria.

That brings me to my second heading ...

Secondly, SERVING THROUGH GIVING

Look at verse 24:

Therefore show these men the proof of your love.

What is to be the proof of the Corinthians' love? Answer: their financial giving. Giving is a proof of our love for God and of our love for one-another.

What is a Christian? Someone who basically gives themselves to God - who trusts him and loves him for what he has done for us in Jesus Christ. But there needs to be evidence of Christian faith and proof of Christian love. How can you be loving God if you allow his work to be underfunded and his people in other parts of the world who are poor to remain in need? But why do believers not give if they are born again? Why is there still a problem with you and me?

In simple terms it is the reality of sin and the devil - the devil who still tempts God's people. He tempted Jesus. He certainly will tempt you and me.

First., he tempts you to plain greed. How did Jesus resist the devil? He quoted scripture. He had meditated and so absorbed biblical principles. That is why we need to revise and then remember those biblical principles about greed. That is why this Giving Review is good. I find it good having to prepare a sermon like this. It reminds me of things I know, but can easily forget.

Secondly, the devil tempts you to financial indiscipline. The Corinthians the year before had talked (and presumably acted) in full support of Paul's giving project. But now a year later they had done very little. They had never got round to systematic giving. God's people can be good one year and then slack the next.

Maybe that is something for us here at JPC. We had a wonderful year last year. Let's pray that this year there is no complacency or wrongly presuming on God for our financial needs.

Above all the Corinthians needed the Holy Spirit to be working afresh in their hearts. They needed, in the words of verse 1 of chapter 8, something of "the grace that God had given the Macedonian churches." But how did those Macedonian Christians receive that grace? What was the mechanism of the Holy Spirit's working? Did they pray and just sit back and wait to be zonked? Sadly, that is the way some Christians operate?

Yes, you must pray for the Holy Spirit to fill you afresh. But you must use your mind while you are waiting. So you discover what other Christians are doing. You hear of men like John Laing or of gift projects at other churches, like our 3 Osborne Road project. There is then a godly and healthy desire to rival what others do. This certainly is how the Holy Spirit worked in the hearts of the Macedonians. Look at verse 2 of chapter 9:

your [Corinthian] enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action.

Healthy and unselfish rivalry for something good is a legitimate motivation.

But the deepest motivation that must under gird all giving schemes and all presentations of achievements or needs is the love of God in Christ on the cross, as we celebrate at our Communion services:

Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.

Praise God for the example of this church last year in Christian giving. Pray that this year what we give will be (verse 5 of chapter 9) "as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given."

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