Assembly Giving — Norman Crawford

The Biblical Foundation for Giving

And we're reading tonight, perhaps a few more passages than we have been reading on former nights. The subject is really very vast. We'll look first of all in Romans chapter 12. Now we're looking in Romans 12 and verse 1, I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Now in what we are looking at tonight, we are interested in verse 6, having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith, or ministry, let us wait on our ministry.

Now that word ministry is just service. It means deacon service, ministry, let us give ourselves, that word is, let us give ourselves to our ministry. Or he that teacheth, let him give himself to his teaching.

That's the idea in each one of these cases. Or he that exhorteth, let him give himself to exhorting. Now I am filling that in, let him give himself, but that is the exact statement of the early part of the sentence, him that serves, let him give himself to his service, and actually each one of the following statements carry that thought.

So he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity or liberality, he that ruleth with diligence, he that showeth mercy with cheerfulness. Now 2 Corinthians chapter 8, and this particular chapter is a key chapter in the subject we are looking at tonight, which is assembly giving.

2 Corinthians chapter 8 and verse 1,. Moreover brethren we do you to wit, or we make no one to you. That's an Elizabethan English, don't blame Paul for that, you'll have to blame the English for that in the days of when the King James Version was translated, that awkward statement, we do you to wit.

Moreover brethren we make no one to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia, how that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

For to their power, or according to their power, that means, I bear record yea and beyond their power they were willing of themselves, praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints, that is needy saints in Judea and Jerusalem.

And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord and unto us by the will of God, insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also.

Therefore as ye abound in everything in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all diligence and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also. I speak not by commandment, but by occasion of the forwardness of others and approve the sincerity of your love.

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich. And herein I give my advice, for this is expedient for you, who have begun before, not only to do, but also to be forward, a year ago.

Now therefore perform the doing of it. And those are priestly words, by the way. That word for begun and the word perform, those are priestly words having to do with the bringing of a sacrifice to the Lord.

This is one of three times in the New Testament that Paul uses these words in connection with giving. That there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also of that which ye have. For there must, or if there be first, a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.

For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened, and so forth. Now if you look down in the chapter, there are some very important words regarding how the assemblies handle these funds. Verse 20, avoiding that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us, providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men, and we have sent with them our brother, and so forth.

Now let us look as well, please, at Philippians chapter 4. Chapter 4 of Philippians, verse 14, notwithstanding ye have well done that ye did communicate with my affliction, now ye Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel when I departed from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and receiving, but ye only.

For even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto my necessity, not because I desire a gift, but as I desire fruit that may abound to your account. But I have all, and abound, I am full, having received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God.

But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Now unto God and our Father be glory forever and ever, amen. Chapter 13 of Hebrews for our final reading. Hebrews 13, verse 13.

Let us go forth ever unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

But to do good and to communicate, and that's the word that is generally used for giving to others, to do good and to communicate, forget not, for with such sacrifices God is well-pleased. And I trust God will bless to us the reading of his word tonight.

Assembly Giving as a Distinctive Christian Practice

The subject tonight is assembly giving. If you were at the meeting last night, you'll know that I said at the close of the meeting that I have never ministered on this subject in my life. The reason for that is that we generally feel that it would be better for elders in the assembly to minister on this subject.

I think it is very seldom ever ministered on, but I take that as a plus rather than any kind of a minus, because among assemblies that we know, I have never heard an assembly appeal for funds, and I hope I never do.

I've never known for believers who gather as we do to ever appeal to the Christians to give, and that is unique. I'm certain you know that that's not the common thing in the religious world. So much that names the name of Christ is characterized by begging, and it is so unbecoming to the gospel, which is God's free gift to men.

We thank God for the fact that there is no such thing as that among assemblies, and it is unique. I don't know of anything else like that in the world, and so we thank God for the simplicity of assembly order.

But of course the other side of the story is that one of the quotations from the lips of the Lord Jesus, which is not given in the gospels, but is given in the epistles, concerns giving. The Lord Jesus said, it is more blessed to give than to receive.

So there is a great blessing in giving, and there are younger believers who are not taught about giving, and that is very obvious for the simple reason that there hasn't been much teaching about the subject.

So it is the word of God, and we need to teach it because it is scripture. In the Truth in Tidings magazine, one of the most well-read features are the questions and answers. I know that from talking to people.

Many a time people say to me, we really enjoy reading the questions and answers. There seems to be something about that sort of communication which people like. Tonight the outline is really in question form.

Each one of the sections is a question, and I have sought to give the answer from the scriptures following each particular question. So that will be a simple way to do it, and I hope it is helpful, and I hope it is interesting, I hope I don't put you to sleep.

Giving as a Priestly Sacrifice

Now first of all, what is giving? You would hardly think that would need to be asked. What is giving? Surely we know what giving is, but I'm not talking about Christmas giving. People are doing that just this time of the year, but that's not the kind of giving we're talking about.

You know well enough what that is, but I am talking about spiritual, scriptural giving. What is it? And the Bible answers that question in a rather remarkable way, because actually giving is a function of a holy and royal priesthood.

Giving is actually a sacrifice to the Lord, and because it is a sacrifice to the Lord, it's, as Paul says in Philippians 4, the odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable while pleasing in his sight.

When I was just a very young Christian, some young men who were desirous to know the Word of God and know what it taught, asked in a Bible reading one night why the offering on the Lord's Day morning was placed on the table with the bread and the cup at the close of the breaking of bread meeting.

I didn't even think of that question. These young men had been talking together about this, and they wondered really if that box with money in it, and of course their thought about money was something that was very low and very undesirable, and they said, is it right to put that box with money in it on the table with the emblems of the bread and the cup?

Now the brethren who answered the question were wise in the Word of God, and they pointed out that the offering of the saints is actually a part of the worship of the assembly, and it certainly belongs there on the table.

It is actually an expression of worship. Now that's why we read Romans 12 to start with tonight. Actually the giving of ourselves to the Lord is an act of worship. In fact the highest act of worship which a believer can render to the Lord is to bring his all, his heart, his affections, his devotion, all that he is, all he is for God, and lay it upon the altar for the Lord.

That is truly an act of worship. In fact when we come as an assembly to worship, we come to present to the Lord all that we are. It isn't just our songs that are presented to them, although they are. It isn't only the idea of our substance given to them, but first of all it is ourselves offered to the Lord.

And of course we read that tonight in 2 Corinthians chapter 8. Those believers in the assemblies in Macedonia, Paul said, they first gave themselves to the Lord and unto us according to the will of God, and that's a most remarkable statement.

2 Corinthians chapter 8, I think that's about verse 5, they gave themselves and to us according to the will of God. So it is the will of God that we should give ourselves. And of course when we have given ourselves, our substance will not be any difficulty to us because if you give yourself, you'll hold nothing back.

And in the outline you'll notice that we have mentioned the giving of ourselves and our songs and our substance and our service. And let me be very simple now, I'm not going to try to confound anyone, all that we give to the Lord is not a matter of material substance such as money, because there are many ways that we give to the Lord in service.

And all the service that is rendered to the Lord's people, to the assembly, even things that are rendered in connection with the building are our giving. It is a sacrifice acceptable and well-pleasing to God.

So the giving is much wider than what is put in the box or in the offering on the Lord's day, much wider than that. It is ourselves, our songs, our substance, and our service rendered to the Lord. The next question really takes up a subject which surely should be of great importance to us, who can give?

Giving Through the Assembly and Its New Testament Order

Because so far as I know, and I may be wrong, I could be wrong about this, but I have never come across people who practice what we do in connection with who can give. Now there may be people like that, as I say, I've just never met them.

And I have talked to so many people in so many different organizations, religious systems, denominations of one kind and another, some of them were quite far, far from any kind of a New Testament order, and some were very, very close to New Testament order.

In fact, there are a group of people who are very, very small who meet throughout the most backward part of the state of Kentucky and the state of Tennessee. And I have run across these people on several occasions, and I cannot find in their practice and in their order anything different than what we practice here in an assembly.

The only significant difference at all is the name. And of course, when talking to those people, I have tried to point out to them the great importance of the name. But in their functions, they function as we do.

They meet as we do. Their breaking of bread, their prayer meetings, their gospel meetings, their ministry meetings, their conferences are just exactly the way we function. And that only makes me glad.

I'm delighted to know that there are people who have learned from the Word of God the proper order of gathering. The tragedy is, of course, that they call themselves a particular brand of Baptists, but they certainly wouldn't fit in with most of the Baptists we know.

They are much more simple and certainly much closer to the Word of God. But I asked them, when I first met them in Ohio years ago, I asked them if they took an offering in their gospel meeting, and they admitted that they do.

So evidently on that, they had no particular instruction or else no exercise. But as far as I know, assemblies are unique. We do not take offerings in any meeting where people are publicly invited to attend.

That includes ministry, prayer, gospel meetings, Bible readings, and so forth, and Sunday school. Here in the state of Michigan, and this may be of, this isn't said critically, I'm only telling you this that you might perhaps be able to appreciate better what we are trying to practice, there is a gathering not too many miles from Jackson, here in the state of Michigan.

It's a very large gathering in the town of Coldwater. And they once professed to be gathered as we are gathered, but they have far departed from the order that we believe to be a New Testament order. And they have gotten so far away that a few years ago, when I was talking to a man who is a leader among them, he told me that they have decided that children should be taught to give, and so they take a collection in their Sunday school even.

But of course I pointed out to him that unsaved children cannot give to God, and it would give them a totally wrong idea that they could. So we thank God for the order we have, that we believe that only those who are truly saved, acknowledging the Lordship of Christ, can give to the Lord.

Now where do we get it? Well second, the third epistle of John is very helpful to us, because there was a dear man by the name of Gaius, he was a godly man, he had often succored the Apostle John, and John is writing that letter to him, a personal letter to the man himself, and he tells about the many times when Gaius had opened his home, and ministered to the needs of strangers, that doesn't mean sinners, that means strangers as far as he was concerned, they were believers, they were brethren, but they were not known to him personally until they came to his home, and brethren that he did know, he opened his home to them, and those who served the Lord in the spread of the gospel, he helped them on their way, on their journey, as they were traveling, taking them into his home, and succoring them, and nurturing them.

And in that particular context, John writes, because these brethren that went out with the gospel, they went forth for his name's sake, taking nothing from the Gentiles. Now I know we don't have any difficulty who the Gentiles are, but we need to be reminded that there is a verse in the Bible that divides the world into three groups, it's 1st Corinthians 10 and 32, give none offense, neither to the Jew, nor to the Gentile, nor to the Church of God.

By the way, the way the Church of God there is the local assembly, that's quite a division of the world, isn't it? That's God's division of the world, I didn't make it, God did, the Jew, the Gentile, and the local assembly.

So the Gentile, of course, are those who have never yet been saved, and we do not take from the Gentiles. There's a very strong reason, of course, I have put on the outline Proverbs chapter 15 and verse 8, which says the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but there is another very similar verse in chapter 21 of the book of Proverbs and verse 27, and it says that the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination, but it adds this, how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked mind, and the margin of the revised version helps us a great deal, he brings it to atone for his wickedness.

And you see, that's the trouble, that's the great problem about people thinking they can give to the Lord. They know they have wronged him, they know they have sinned against him, and they imagine if they bring something to him, it will help to atone for their sins, it will appease God regarding their sins, how wrong that is.

That's a denial of the precious blood of Christ, it's a denial of his finished work, and therefore it's an abomination to the Lord. Now I know those are Old Testament scriptures, but let me stop here and tell you something.

There are principles in the word of God which have no particular connection to either Old or New Testament. They run all through God's dealings with men, and God will not accept from the hand of man any kind of an offering to put away his sins.

And the only reason Old Testament offerings had value was because they were prefiguring the one offering forever of the Lord Jesus. In fact, if you read Hebrews chapter 10, you'll see that no matter how many times those offerings were repeated, they never took away sins.

And the repetition of them many times over and over and over did not make them any more efficacious. They could not take away sins. It was only the once for all sacrifice of Christ that could take away sins.

So God will not accept from man something of himself, like Cain's offering, something of his own hands, his own works, his own efforts, his own giving, God will not accept it. In fact it is an abomination to the Lord.

Giving by the Poor and the Widow’s Offering

Now poor believers can give to the Lord, and this is a very important thing, because you see, the work of the Lord is mostly supported by poor believers, the poor of this world, rich in faith. The passage in 2 Corinthians chapter 8 says that God does not accept a man's offering according to that he hath, but according to that he hath not.

And you have a wonderful illustration of that in Mark chapter 12. The Lord was sitting over against the treasury of the temple one day, and he saw what was being cast into the treasury. And there is something about that word, about them being cast into the treasury, actually the very word means to be thrown through the air.

It means a hyperbowl actually, it means an arc through the air. And obviously there was some type of a casting into the treasury so that everybody could see what was being given. It was a public display.

Maybe the Lord was referring to that very thing when he said give not your alms before men to be seen of them. Because rich men came and they cast their great gifts into the treasury. And it was obvious to all, these are great gifts they are giving.

And a poor widow came, and she cast in two mites. And two mites were one ninety-sixth of a penny in denarius. And that would mean, by our money today, it would mean a very, very small coin. Perhaps something like a five cent piece.

According to, I'm trying to put the value of money at that time, how much it cost to buy a loaf of bread to what it would be today. And it would be something like a five cent piece. And she cast that into the treasury, but it was all she had.

In fact the Lord says it was all her living, so you'll understand that he didn't just mean it was all she had in her purse at that time. It was all she had. She gave it to the Lord. Now I'll tell you what's so remarkable about that to me.

Mr. John Norris was here on this platform a couple of years ago and he said something in a meeting that has stuck with me ever since. And by the way, John Norris is a very spiritual man. He's a godly man.

And what he said impressed me deeply. Speaking about the widow giving, remember he spoke on the widows of the Bible that night? And speaking about the widow who gave her two mites, he pointed out that the context, both in Matthew and in Mark, was the fact that the disciples and the Lord had been looking at the great buildings of the temple.

And Herod the Great had spent thirty-eight years in the reconstruction of that temple. He began it at least and his sons followed him in it. And the construction had been going on for thirty-eight years.

And the buildings were tremendous, vast, wealthy. They were buildings that were displayed riches and luxury. And this dear woman, if she had looked at the buildings of that temple, she would have said, what would be the use in casting my two mites into the temple treasury?

They're not anything. But you see, she wasn't looking at the buildings. She didn't give it to the buildings of the temple. She gave her two mites to the Lord. Now that to me is a very touching thing. I don't give to others.

I give to the Lord. And the giving to the Lord is a sacrifice. It's a priestly function. It's an offering to God. And it's a great privilege to be able to give to the Lord. Because as we've been pointing out, when we were in our sins we couldn't give Him anything.

All we did was sin against Him. But we can actually give to the Lord and it's a great honor. Now the rich are commanded to give. Paul wrote to Timothy in 1 Timothy 6, charge them that are rich in this world, that they do good.

In fact that they be rich in good works, ready to communicate. But I must say that while there are those who are able to give to the Lord who have means, who have wealth, that that is not the usual thing.

Don't have the idea that some rich people carry on gospel work in North America. If you have that idea, it's one of the most mistaken ideas you've ever had in your life. Because it is not some wealthy people who carry on the gospel work in North America.

It is humble believers who have not much of this world who give of their means to the Lord. So why should I give? Perhaps already in what has been said, this has been mentioned a number of times. But we should look at it directly.

The Believer’s Debt to Christ

Why should I give to the Lord? There was an old gentleman who lived in the city of Cleveland many years ago. When I was a young preacher, he was still living and he was still active. His name was Mr. W .P. Douglas.

And when I say he was one of the old preachers, I mean truly one of the old ones. Not in the same generation as the men who were before my age, but another generation or two before that. In fact, Mr. Douglas began to preach when he was the same age that I was when I was commended.

I won't tell you how old that was, because I never heard of anyone else being commended at such a young age. But Mr. Douglas was commended as a very young man. And he spent his entire life in the work of the Lord.

And when he was old, he came to a conference in Vernmar, Pennsylvania. And he got up at that conference and he spoke on one of his favorite subjects. And I had heard him speak on that when I was just a boy.

And my, when he announced this text that day in Luke chapter 16, I knew what was coming. But it thrilled my soul to hear him. He spoke about the unjust steward, how he went out to his Lord's predators, and he said to them, How much owest thou unto my Lord?

And he applied that question of the unjust steward to the creditors of his Lord. He applied that question to the believers. How much owest thou unto my Lord? And he went through every department of the Christian's life and showed that in every department of the life, all we are and all we have we owe to him.

He gave his all. The Lord Jesus held nothing back. And we are debtors. I was looking before coming to the meeting tonight at the Epistle to the Romans. Paul said, I am a debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise.

So as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel. When he spoke about the believers later on in chapter 8, he said, We are debtors not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. And in chapter 13, he said, Oh, no, ma 'am, anything but to love one another.

So that's a debt we'll never repay. We'll never get to the end of our debt. I'm very grateful that I know very little about material debt. And I thank God for that. I have trouble enough sleeping as it is, and I wouldn't want to have to sleep with a debt on my head.

But I have a debt I can never repay. Never. That's a debt of love. So we're constantly owing because we have received so much. Where should I give? Now, the answer to the question, obviously, is found in 1 Corinthians chapter 16.

Where and When Giving Should Take Place

I'm not sure why that's not here in the outline, but it should be. Because 1 Corinthians chapter 16 also tells me when I give, and I think that's where I have that. Yes, I do. But it also should be here in where should I give.

Because obviously, the giving was a giving to the Lord through the assembly. Now, as I've already said, giving is priestly. It is a sacrifice of priesthood. And priesthood is a collective function in the assembly.

We are a holy and a royal priesthood. It is kind of interesting, in the New Testament, you never have a believer called a priest. Not once. Never once do you have a believer called a priest of God. It never happens.

But we are called a priesthood. Always in plural, always collective. And there's probably more reason for that than what I have time to go into right now, because the meeting will be finished and I won't get finished my subject if I go into priesthood.

But obviously now, priesthood is a collective function, so that when we gather together to break bread, we are a company of priests, offering our spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

You see, that very language is priestly language. Sacrifices acceptable to God. A sweet incense to God, to our Lord Jesus Christ. So, our giving is a collective thing as well. And whenever Paul wrote to the Philippians, he had this in mind.

In chapter 1 of the Philippian epistle, he uses these same two words that we mentioned already here in Romans 12. He said, you have begun and you have completed. And those two expressions were two priestly words related to a sacrifice.

The bringing of it, and the slaying of it, and the completion of the act of sacrifice. And that's the two words that Paul uses, I think it's verse 5 of Philippians 1, referring to their fellowship in the gospel.

And of course, the fellowship of these dear believers in Philippi was very much appreciated by Paul. That's why we read here in Philippians chapter 4 tonight. And if you turn to that passage, you'll see that there are some outstanding features about their giving.

First of all, that they gave out of love to him. He said, your care of me has flourished again. That's verse 10 of chapter 4. And the word for care there is the idea of love. It was a loving care. Your care for me, he said, has flourished again.

They lacked opportunity. They didn't lack desire, but they lacked opportunity to communicate with him. And then they communicated with his need. For he said, you did communicate with my affliction, in verse 14.

So now, their giving was intelligent. It was out of love. It was devotional, but it was intelligent. It was according to the particular need that he had. And I would take it that really the gifts sent by the assembly in Philippi to Paul may have involved certain funds.

It is likely that it did, but it may also have involved certain goods that they knew he had need of. But it was according to his need. And then they did not just give to Paul. They gave to the Lord. And concerning giving, in verse 15, is really the idea concerning giving to the Lord.

And that to me is the principle of the dear widow. She didn't give to the temple, but she gave to the Lord. And then it was fruit that would abide. It was fruit to their account. And then it was a priestly sacrifice.

It was an odor and a sacrifice acceptable to God. And then in return for their giving, and we'll come to this at the end of our subject tonight, in return for their giving, my God, and Paul never uses that expression, my God, unless it's something that's very touching and moving.

It's something that is very personal to him. And on his heart heavily, my God, he says, shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. So there's a first responsibility. A believer in assembly fellowship has a primary responsibility to give to the Lord through the assembly.

And I would say that that's a very clear principle of the New Testament. That is priority, to give to the Lord through the assembly. Because you see, if that fails, then the whole fellowship of the assembly fails.

And it is most important that we recognize the fact that our giving is priestly and it is part of our worship. There is personal giving as well. Galatians chapter 2 and verse 10, Paul is speaking about the elders in Jerusalem.

And he says about those elders that they were forward, they were very, very interested in the remembering of the poor. The same, he says, which I also was forward to do. Now Paul uses the personal pronoun.

I was forward to do. And it means that Paul himself personally was forward in giving to the poor. Personally he gave to the poor. Galatians 6 and verse 6 is the next scripture on the outline. And it simply means this, that those who receive from teaching communicate to the teacher.

Those who are taught in the word. That is, sitting, listening to the results of the labors of a man who is teaching the word of God, you have the privilege to communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.

And I don't think that that excludes anything at all that can be shown in the way of love and kindness and care and meeting need. So that is a very simple scripture. Hebrews chapter 13 tells us of another kind of personal giving which is most important to us as an assembly.

That is, hospitality. And surely Christians do personally give when they entertain Christians, strangers, and the servants of the Lord in their home. In the world, they cannot believe that men can go into an area to preach the gospel for weeks and that those men are entertained in the homes of the Lord's people.

The world doesn't believe that. They say, why, that's impossible, nobody would do that. Yes, it is done. It's done by dear, exercised believers who give to the Lord. And in the years I've been preaching, I look back over 40 years of the tender love and kindness of the people of God to me.

And I have never been mistreated by the Lord's people in their homes at any time. They have sacrificed. I have stayed in homes where they didn't hardly have enough food to put on the table. That's not as rare as you might think.

It has happened on several occasions. But those people put on the best face you could ever imagine so that we would not have known until afterward that they actually were giving us the very food out of their mouths.

God is honored and there will be a great reward for that kind of service to the Lord in the coming day. That is truly giving to the Lord. Dear Mrs. McElwain and I, I don't want to rob her of her reward or Mr. McElwain either.

He has gone to be with the Lord. But we built the hall in Hansford for many weeks and ate our main meal of the day in their little home beside the hall. And we had a great meal. And Mrs. McElwain put on the table all she had.

I don't know if I have ever even mentioned this in a meeting in my life. But we worked there for two and a half months. During that time we never ate a meal with meat or fish or cheese or eggs or any other protein that comes from animals.