Corinth Reformed Church
150 Sixteenth Avenue NW
Hickory, North Carolina 28601

Robert M. Thompson, Pastor
December 07, 2008
(more sermons)

Raising the comfort level

Today I get to preach on giving. At the end of the service, I will be asking you to fill out a card that provides an estimate of your General Fund giving. If that makes you uncomfortable.

When I know I will be faced with a message about giving that I can't respond to, I avoid that situation if possible. Linda and I give more than a tenth of our income to Corinth and other charitable causes, but we cannot respond to every appeal.

If I am listening to a radio appeal or telethon I cannot participate in, I switch channels. If someone is collecting money or selling items at the entrance to the grocery store, I look for another way in. If something comes in the mail that I know is going to be an appeal for money I can't give, I throw it away without opening it.

So I understand the feeling if you are sitting in church today thinking, "I think I have to go the bathroom. And while I'm walking, I'll just head on home."

So now that I've identified with your feelings, how about if you identify with mine for a moment. Preaching about giving is kind of like talking to your young children about brushing their teeth, or your teenagers about doing their homework, or your adult children about calling home more often. You wish you didn't have to say anything at all. Your instinct is to affirm, and nurture, and encourage. You want to be only positive. But you also know there are some things that need to be said, even if they're not comfortable.

Let me give you some good news, though, before we get into this subject. I agree with the Apostle Paul. You should only give what you want to give. "Not reluctantly or under compulsion" are his words. Not out of guilt, not due to coercion, not because someone got in your face and made you feel horrible about not giving. When we pass the plate or you drop in your commitment card, give only what you want to give. Not a dollar more.

The Jerusalem poor

Let's take another look at 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. Here's the situation. The "mother church" of the first century was in Jerusalem. That's where it all started. Jesus' original twelve disciples (Paul as well) were Jews, and the center of their religious life was Jerusalem. So that's where the church got its start.

That profession of faith in Jesus was costly to many Jerusalem believers in Jesus. They lost jobs, homes, and businesses.

Hearing of their plight, Paul asked the Gentiles who had believed in Jesus in Asia Minor and Greece to take up an offering for them. This offering would be completely voluntary.

What fascinates me is the multi--faceted approach Paul uses to make his appeal. He comes at the subject from every possible angle. Let me quickly run through the reasons Paul gives in two chapters why the Corinthians should give anyway when they don't have to. I was surprised how many reasons Paul mentioned. If you write notes in your Bible, write these words in the margins. If not, maybe write them on your bulletin or on a yellow card.

Why we give

1. Competition (8:1).
   The Macedonians, who are poorer than you are, have given generously.
2. Excellence (8:7).
   You're good at everything else. How about trying to be just as good at the grace of giving?
3. Jesus (8:9).
   Though he was rich, he became poor so you through his poverty might become rich.
4. Completion (8:11).
   You started this a year ago. Now finish what you started.
5. Impact (8:14).
   People are hurting, and you can help.
6. Equality (8:13).
   "Equality" is a relative term here. Paul doesn't mean everyone puts their stuff in a pile and takes out an equal share. He means why should you have so much when they have so little, through no fault of their own?
7. Scripture (8:15; 9:9).
   The Bible tells me so. Twice Paul grounds his argument directly in the Old Testament.
8. Messenger (8:17).
   Titus is handling this offering with a lot of enthusiasm and initiative. You can trust him.
9. Integrity (8:21).
   We are making an effort to handle this offering in an above board way. The money will go where we have said it will go.
10. Proof (8:25).
    You say you are compassionate. Here's a way to demonstrate it.
11. Reputation (9:2).
    I have been boasting about you to the Macedonians. Don't make me look bad.
12. Results (9:6-8).
    You will reap generously what you sow. God is able to provide all your needs.
13. Reward (9:7).
    God loves a cheerful giver. You will make God's day by what you give.
14. Gratitude (9:14).
    Just think about the way others will "light up" with joy and tell you thanks.
15. Praise (9:15).
    When you give, others give glory to God.

It is just as significant what Paul doesn't say as what he does say about why we give. He doesn't say because it will get you into heaven, or even because it will increase your heavenly "rewards." He doesn't say to give because it's a Christian duty. He doesn't say to give because if you don't, you will show how greedy or materialistic you are. He doesn't use manipulation. He wants you to want to give.

Corinth reasons

You may say, "OK, but Paul was talking about a direct offering for the poor. You are asking me to make a commitment to the church -- to salaries, to utilities, to programs. Yes and no. 13% of your giving does go outside the church to missions and benevolences, but even that's not that the point. Listen, if you take ten percent of your income and give it all directly to the poor, that's OK with me.

In terms of your giving and commitment to Corinth, I could parallel every one of Paul's reasons. All fifteen. For time's sake, I won't -- but if you are not sure how one or more fits with giving to Corinth's General Fund, ask me. They are all just as good reasons for wanting to give right here.

I will pick out just three.

1.Impact.

Your money does good work. Don't think of staff compensation and building maintenance as "overhead" so that we can give 13% of our money to missions. 87% is a lot of overhead!

No, every dollar meets real needs -- spiritual, physical, emotional. Let me give you a few examples just in the past week or so. Where necessary, of course, I have changed the details to protect confidentiality.

Just yesterday, a man came by the church. In talking with him only a few minutes, I realized he was a fellow believer, not that I wouldn't have helped him otherwise. He was from Missouri, and had come to North Carolina to be with his daughter for Thanksgiving. While here he wound up in the hospital, and he showed me evidence of that. He had a dollar left to his name, and all he wanted was prayer and some gas to get home. He left encouraged because a pastor was here and the Good Samaritan Fund could help him.

A young family wanted some help keeping their marriage together. Both partners want it to work, but the husband has been unfaithful and it's hard to see a future. Their young daughter needs both parents. You are helping them work on their problems.

One of the missionaries we support, Dr. Salem Barghout, has been working for ten years at a mission hospital in Jordan, treating tuberculosis patients in a country where there are about 350 new cases each year. His mission organization is now releasing him to work in Pakistan for the next year, where there are 280,000 new TB cases annually. He is going with the World Health Organization, but as a Christian physician in an overwhelmingly and increasingly militant Muslim country. You are ministering through him.

A thirty-something couple has been moving toward marriage, but they don't have a church home. They came through our doors with some initial trepidation, but were surprised by the warm welcome and the down-to-earth people. They want to start their life together with the blessing of God and the church. They want their children to grow up in a loving community of faith where the next generation can have a better start to life than they received in their families of origin.

Your gifts to Corinth's General Fund make an impact on these and hundreds of other families on a weekly basis.

2. Excellence.

We do a lot of things well, but when it comes to giving, we can do better. American Christians in general do a lot of things well. The vast majority of congregations operate without scandal in pew or pulpit. We teach our young, feed the poor, share our faith, welcome outsiders, and provide hope through the gospel.

But according to the cover story of the most recent issue of Christianity Today, we don't give well. Oh, we give -- but we don't give what we could. The story, titled "Scrooge Lives," says that one fourth of American Protestants give away nothing -- "not even a token $5 per year." The median annual giving for an American Protestant is $200/year -- about one-half of one percent of annual income. Only about a fourth of evangelical Christians tithe (give 10%).

What could we do if we ALL tithed? We could feed an additional 20 million hungry children in underdeveloped countries, start eight Christian colleges in Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia, triple the funding for Bible translations, sponsor 150,000 national missionaries in countries where foreign missionaries are not allowed, and still have $70 billion to decide where to spend.

This may not surprise you, but Americans in general give less when they earn more. During the Great Depression, the average American family gave more than they gave after the economy improved. Even today, Americans who earn less than $10,000 a year give, percentage-wise, almost twice as much (2.3%) as those who earn more than $70,000 (1.2%).

The point? Paul said it this way. You excel in every other way -- in faith, in sincerity, in love. Take that same drive for excellence and apply it to giving. Let's do the best we can.

3. Reward.

I love verse 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." Literally it means don't give with mourning or under obligation. Give only what you can give willingly and happily.

Why? Because God loves that. This is probably a bit anthropomorphic (picturing God as human), but I just picture God with a big grin every time we take a step forward in giving. Every time we step out on faith even though the economy's bad, every time we realize the freedom that comes in letting go, every time we say, "Meeting someone else's need takes priority here," God smiles, jumps up from his throne, high fives Jesus at his right hand, and says, "Yes!"

Why? Because that is his grace at work. Giving is probably the very best indicator that his grace is transforming us. He sees himself in us when we give. We look more like him. We care more about what he cares about. He smiles. That's enough reward for me.

At the close of the service today, we are going to ask you to bring your 2009 commitment card forward. We want you to do so in a way that doesn't create obligation or pressure -- just a voluntary response. Our Financial Gifts Committee is praying that we will have more than our usual one-third of the congregation make a commitment. Putting your pledge in writing is not only an act of faith; it is an act of community. You trust your brothers and sisters in Christ to join you as we all do our part and use God's gifts as stewards. Amen.

Copyright 2008 by Robert M. Thompson, Pastor. Unless otherwise indicated, Scriptures quoted are from The Holy Bible, New International Version, Copyright 1978 by New York International Bible Society.