How Om Runs - a Simple Lifestyle — Peter Maiden

Father, as we turn to your word now, we pray that you might help us to understand what you have to say to us about the grace of giving and we pray, Lord, that you might help us to be able to apply what we hear to our lives.

Thank you for all that we were able to think about this morning. We pray for insights as well as to how we can apply all that to our individual situations. Lord, through all this talk and all this listening, we do pray that we may be able to find definite things which we can apply to our living.

We want to be more Christ-like, more God-glorifying in the way that we live our daily lives. Help us then to understand your word and to apply it in Jesus' name. Amen. Right, could you turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 8 and we're going to read the first 14, 15 verses.

The Macedonian Example of Grace-Filled Giving

2 Corinthians chapter 8, 1 to 15. Until the coffee break, we're going to look at what the Bible has to say about giving and then after the coffee break, we're going to look at, let's try and look at how all that we've looked at the past couple of days applies to the OM situation.

2 Corinthians 8 verse 1. And now brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

For I testify that they gave as much as they were able and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will.

So we urge Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. Just as you excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us, see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter. Last year, you were the first not only to give, but also to have the desire to do so. Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it according to your means.

For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard-pressed, but that there might be equality.

At the present time, your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn, their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality, as it is written, he that gathered much did not have too much, and he that gathered little did not have too little.

God’s Giving Nature and the Christian Call to Generosity

Of course, it is a huge subject, the subject of giving in scripture. And it is a very essential part of the Christian character. Our God, in his very nature, is a God who gives. God so loved the world, what was his response?

He gave. Our God is a giving, generous Father. And if we are going to be God's people, if we are going to become like our God, then our whole demeanor, our whole attitude in life should be that of giving.

It should be that of generosity. So this afternoon, we're going to narrow down the subject a little, and we're going to look at three things, if we've got time. We might not even have time for this, but we'll try.

We're going to look at the reasons why we should give. And then we're going to look at something equally important, the manner in which we must give. And finally, you might hope we don't have time for this, we're going to look at how much should I give.

Giving Proves the Sincerity of Christian Love

So let's start with the reasons for giving, and we'll do a quick run through the 15 verses that I've just read to you. I think the first reason we should give is that giving proves the sincerity of our love.

If you want to know just how much you love God, then the best measurement might not be how heartily you sing these lovely modern choruses. It might not be how heartily you give your testimony. It might be much more measurable when the collection plate arrives in your hand.

Probably then, by your response to that, you're beginning to be able to measure how much you love God. Now you can see that in 2 Corinthians chapter 8 and verse 8. We often think of the Corinthian Christians as being very carnal, don't we?

But if you look at verse 7, you'll see that they weren't all carnal by any means. Paul says they excelled in everything. In faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in your love for us.

But then he adds, see that you also excel in this grace of giving. In other words, don't allow your love to be just words, but let that love express itself in the grace of giving. Now he says in verse 8, that by the way he gives, they give, he's going to test the sincerity of their love.

It's actually a very remarkable statement. Paul, in the opening verses of the chapter, as you saw, spoke about the love, or the giving, of the Macedonians. They were a marvellous example. Verse 2, out of their most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

That's how the Macedonians gave. Now says Paul, verse 8, I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. What's he saying? He's saying, I saw how the Macedonians gave, and so I know how they love.

Now I want to see how you give. And when I see how you give, I'll know how you love. So that's the first reason, we should be a generous, giving people. Not just our money of course, but our talents, our time, everything.

Giving Produces Spiritual Growth and Tests Faith

We know the reality of our love by our willingness to give. A second reason for giving is the spiritual growth that results in our lives by giving. Verse 10, here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter.

So it's best for us if we give. Not just for those who receive, but it's best for us if we are a giving people. In the next chapter, chapter 9 and verse 6, the promise is that those who sow generously, God is able to make all grace abound to them in all things.

Now just think of some of the areas where you might expect spiritual growth in your life if the grace of giving becomes a real reality for you. I suppose one area of your life, your spiritual life, which is really linked with giving, is the area of faith.

I think I may have told some of you my testimony about my first OM summer crusade. It was in 1967. And I was on a team in Spain, just a very young team member. And I'd been brought up in a brethren home where everything had been provided for me.

And then of course I found myself on this team where after the first day, in fact the second day, there was no food on the team at all. And there was no money. And all of a sudden, there was a tremendous crisis in my life.

Was the verses, were the verses that I'd been taught, such as my God shall supply all your needs according to his riches in glory, were they really true? Could they be proved in the real life situation?

And I remember bowing down on a street in Madrid with a young Mexican fellow who was leading the team and reminding God of this promise. Philippians chapter 4, you've promised to supply all our needs.

There was a great crisis in my life. Was this the word of God? Could it be trusted? Or was it just another collection of religious writings? Well, God dramatically provided for us for about two and a half months after that.

And I can tell you that my faith took a leap forward through that experience. I wonder sometimes if we as Christians live too safely. I wonder if it isn't time to go out on a limb with God and prove the reality of his word and his promises.

Giving Reveals Whether We Believe in Heavenly Treasure

This is one reason why I feel Christians should give. It proves their love for God, but there may well be enormous spiritual blessing associated with giving. A third reason for giving is that it's a test of our beliefs.

Do you really believe in heaven? Are you convinced that heavenly treasure is indestructible whilst treasure on earth will be destroyed by moth and rust? Do you really believe that? You'll probably find whether or not you believe that by your attitude to your possessions.

There's a lovely man up in the north of Scotland. He's in the Brethren Assemblies. And I love to go and visit this fellow because he lives in a huge house. I think you would probably describe it as a castle.

You always go for a meal with this fellow before you preach at the assembly. And he's a lovely old man. He really does love the Lord enormously. And as you sit down at this huge table, you're surrounded by antiques, antique chandeliers.

Everything is antique. And the one subject this man loves to talk about, and I'm sure it's absolutely genuine, is the second coming. He loves to talk to you about the imminence of the second coming. And he says things like this, We're just strangers.

We're just sojourners. We're just passing through. Of course, I'm sure it shows my depravity, but I am caused to think at such times, My, if this is camping, I'm all for it, I can tell you. Sometimes the way we live doesn't dovetail with what we say.

We really believe in heaven. If we believe that treasure reserved there is indestructible, whilst everything around us is just moth and rust and it will corrupt, then that's definitely going to affect, isn't it, the way that we give.

Giving Promotes Equality in the Body of Christ

So there's a third reason. It tests our beliefs. Fourthly, we looked at this reason earlier, so we won't spend much time on it, but you can see it in verses 13 and 14, or maybe 14 and 15. The fourth reason for giving is God's desire that there should not be great inequalities in the body of Christ.

So he says to the Corinthians, because of the famine in Jerusalem, I want you to give to the Jerusalem Christians. So, verse 14, at the present time, your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn, their plenty will supply what you need.

So there's a fourth reason we should be a generous people. Whenever we see others in the body of Christ who are suffering, because we want, as God wants, some semblance of equality, then we should be prepared to give to our brothers and sisters.

God’s Blessing Without Prosperity-Gospel Distortion

A fifth reason for giving is the profit the giver receives through his generosity. Now we mentioned this again yesterday. Let me just quote Proverbs 3, 9 and 10. Proverbs 3, 9 and 10. Honour the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your crops.

Then your barns will be filled to overflowing and your vats will brim over with new wine. So there's a very definite promise of God. If you honour the Lord with your wealth, then you will receive as a result.

And of course, some people, some Christians today, have made this the basis of their doctrine, a doctrine which we know as the doctrine of prosperity. Prosperity is a sign of God's blessing. Prosperity is a sign that you are being obedient to God.

This is what some people teach today. And if you are a poor Christian, then it's a sign that God is not honouring you, God is not blessing you. It's a sign that you have been disobedient. I think we've got to be very, very wary of unbiblical extremes at this point.

Listen to Danny Lehman. He's an opponent of the doctrine of prosperity. And this is his description of that teaching. This is what they say, the prosperity people. God is a giver. He loves us and wants us to experience the abundant life.

John 10 .10. I have come that you might have life in all abundance. Material prosperity glorifies God and shows his blessing to our lives. Poverty is a curse. God desires above all things that you might prosper.

That's 3 John 2. The favourite verse of the prosperity people. He desires above all things that you might prosper. We're the king's kids. And if we're not prospering financially, Satan is robbing us of our inheritance in Christ.

What are you poor owners up to? The secret to prosperity is this. Give and it shall be given to you. Luke 6 .38. Give and it shall be given to you. If you give to the Lord, he promises you a hundredfold return in this life.

Mark 10 .30. Invest in God therefore and be prosperous for his glory. There's a sentence from prosperity teaching. Invest in God and be prosperous for his glory. Of course that leads to very serious extremes.

It's led to certain movements advertising like this. Here's a Christian advert. Those who have given regularly to our movements have enjoyed salary increases. They now drive new and better motor cars and on and on the description goes.

Now there's no doubt that Jesus does offer the abundant life to his followers. As we've seen he did teach that it's more blessed to give than to receive. The apostle Paul tells us that that was the teaching of Jesus.

He taught that it's more blessed to give than receive. But Jesus also said watch out. Be on your guard against all kinds of greed. A man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. That's Luke 12 and verse 5.

You don't see that verse quoted much in prosperity literature. Be on your guard against all kinds of greed a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions. That was only one of many, many occasions when Jesus directly warned against a covetous spirit.

If you're taking notes you might just put down Luke 12, 14 to 34. I think to read that whole section can be extremely beneficial. The apostle Paul was equally clear. After exhorting us to be content with food and clothing he warns us in 1 Timothy people who want to get rich fall into temptation a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires which plunges them to ruin and destruction.

Now I think there's a verse that every proponent of the prosperity doctrine should read carefully. People who want to get rich they have this desire for riches Paul says they fall into temptation. The real issue I think is very well defined again by Danny Lehman.

I think this is an excellent rebuttal of the prosperity doctrine. Can you imagine being the creator of the universe the giver of life itself and having your children give to your work for the purpose of getting a return on what they give.

Is that a child's love for its father? No, no. It's pure selfishness and manipulation. Manipulation of God cloaked in Christian terms. So we've got to get a balance. The Bible does say that the giver will receive profit.

Maybe Michael Green's or Michael Griffith's testimony in his book Take My Life will be helpful. This is what he says. Our personal experience as a family has been that we have so far never been allowed to part with some substantial donation over and above our normal giving without it being abundantly returned from some other source and often multiplied into the bargain.

So that even down here we seem to get our share of heavenly treasure. God is no man's debtor. His giving to us which is not to be measured merely on a financial scale is always and evidently on a scale which makes our giving to him seem utterly puny by comparison.

And I think every Christian could say an Amen to that testimony. You really can't out give God the blessings you will receive through your giving. Not always material but always blessing for the giver.

Giving Strengthens Christian Fellowship and Mission

Sixthly, sixth reason for giving is the great encouragement that it can be to fellowship. You imagine a local church which has decided to erect a new building. After being in our discussions this morning they'll be very careful about the building they erect of course.

It will be a moderate building but they decide to erect a new building and they've no money. And all of a sudden everyone in the fellowship is digging deeply into their pockets to provide the cash to raise the cathedral.

Now that is really going to unite people as they see commitment, united commitment to a particular project. You often find that giving creates fellowship links. Some of you are going off to the field as we call it, the mission field for the first time.

You'll experience this this year. As you receive regular gifts from supporters you'll find your hearts being knitted together. The recipient and the donor. Their hearts being knitted together through giving.

So giving increases fellowship. And then a seventh reason for giving we don't need to elaborate because we've been speaking about it all weekend is the unimaginable physical, emotional and spiritual needs around our world today.

Well that's the foundation. Seven good reasons that every Christian should be a giver. Now let's look secondly at the way in which we should give. Because this is just as important as the reasons for giving.

Giving for God’s Glory Rather Than Human Praise

You remember Jesus warns in Matthew 6, 1 -4 Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men to be seen by them. If you do, you'll have no reward from your Father in Heaven. So when you give, says Jesus, don't announce it with a trumpet as the hypocrites do in the synagogue and on the streets to be honoured by men.

Bit of a sense of humour the Lord Jesus, didn't he? He imagined these Pharisees going to the temple with their trumpet. And just before they drop the donation into the collection box they play trumpet voluntary or something just to ensure that everybody gathers round to see how much they give.

Okay, says Jesus, if that's the way you want it, fine. But you have your reward upon this earth. However much you might give, don't expect heavenly reward if that's the way you give. Now you can see some examples of that in the world today, I think.

You get the characters who give a tremendous contribution to some charity with one stipulation. The building you build with that money must carry my name. So it's got to be the John Smith Library. Alright, says Jesus, fine.

But you have your reward upon this earth. For many Christians, this means anonymous giving. A lot of Christians believe that's the way you should give. The scriptural exaltation is not to allow your left hand to know what your right hand is doing.

Instead of blowing a trumpet, don't allow your left hand to know what your right hand is doing. So when it comes to how we give, the motive is vital. The motive must be for the glory of God alone. That would be our first point.

Planned and Systematic Giving

It must be for God's glory alone. The second point I would make is that our giving should be planned and systematic. Just look back to 1 Corinthians chapter 16 and verse 2. And you'll see that Paul is giving specific instructions concerning how they should give to the Christians in Jerusalem.

This is what he says. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Systematic, planned giving.

So giving is not all to be haphazard. It's not all to be on the spur of the moment. I think there will be some giving like that. You hear of some need, some immediate need, and there's an immediate response from you.

That's natural. But not all of our giving should be like that. You should sit down. If you're married, you should sit down with your wife and you should plan out your giving in accordance with your income.

By the way, just because you're in Christian work, it doesn't mean that you no longer should be giving. If you look at the Levites in the Old Testament who received the tithe from all the other children of Israel, you will find that they also gave a tithe as well.

So Christian workers are just as responsible before God to give as are Christians who are not in full-time work. Another of the problems I think we face in OM with our financial system is how we do that.

But even in most of our teams that I come across, I find that people tithe their personal money. It might be a very minute amount of money, maybe three or four pounds a week, but they tithe their personal money so that they can give.

I think it's good to know that we as a movement, Operation Mobilization, as a movement, give. And you are part of Operation Mobilization, so you are part of that giving. OM gives an incredible amount of Christian literature.

We tend to give literature rather than actual cash. But from time to time, we even give cash donations to certain situations as they arrive. Tom Reeves put it like this, a regular, disciplined giving is just as important to your spiritual development as is regular worship, prayer, and Bible study.

Now most of us here, I think, have got our Bible study plan. I hope we've got our prayer plans. And I do hope too, especially if you leave OM and you get back into the secular world and you're receiving a normal wage, I do hope that you get your giving plan as well.

Joyful and Voluntary Giving

So that's the second point, our giving must be systematic. Thirdly, our giving must be joyful. You know the famous 7th verse of 2 Corinthians 9, God loves a cheerful giver. So it must be voluntary. It mustn't be grudgingly given.

It must be the free response to the love of God. Sometimes money can be exacted from us, can't it, by long drawn out emotional appeals. You've maybe been in that kind of meeting where the collection takes about 15 or 20 minutes and they're dragging money out of you.

Sometimes it can be dragged out of you by slick advertising campaigns. John MacArthur speaks about a book which he read one day entitled How to Develop a Tithing Church. And here are some of the chapter headings.

Loyalty Week. Knock on Every Door Week. How to Have a Pledge System. How to Canvas a Neighbourhood for Donations. How to Motivate People to Give. Listen to this pearler of a chapter. How to Make Them Feel Guilty.

And Transfer Their Guilt into Donation. Marvellous stuff. But no, the Apostle Paul says God loves a cheerful giver. It must be voluntary. Otherwise it's not worth anything. It must be the response to the love of God.

Wise and Accountable Giving

Fourthly, we must give intelligently. I said yesterday the scripture emphasises the need to be wise as well as faithful stewards. It's not enough just to give. We have to be careful about whom we give to and that the gift is used faithfully.

Now when you think about your giving I think certain things immediately jump to mind. Most of us are members of a local church and in our normal situation it might be very difficult on an OM team but in our normal situation we would want some of our giving to go to the local church, wouldn't we?

We're receiving benefits from the local church and we would want to pay our contribution to its expenses. Now of course secondly, the Bible says both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament that God's servants who have been encouraged into full-time work whether it's the Levites of the Old Testament or the labourers of the New Testament they should be cared for by the rest of the body.

The labourer is worthy of his hire and so on. So God's servants who are in full-time work would be a natural second objective of our giving. I think thirdly there are specific organisations which we will want to give to and these organisations will be organisations that we come to know over a period of time.

You can't give to every Christian organisation on earth and so over a period of time you'll keep coming into contact with certain home missions and certain missions and you'll get to know these societies.

You'll get to have confidence in these societies because of your association with them. Rather than five pounds here and ten pounds there you'll be able to regularly give to certain organisations that you have confidence in.

Nevertheless from time to time you're going to hear of projects which you feel require a response from you. You hear of something on television or the newspaper some disaster somewhere and you hear that some Christian organisation is involved.

Maybe it's a Christian organisation you've never heard of before. How can you be sure about that organisation? How can you be sure it's worthy to receive your gift? Well we touched on this yesterday but as I didn't have my notes then let me give you the four qualifications as I see it.

Four questions you might ask a group which you're not sure about that you'd like to give. Number one is the organisation audited annually by independent qualified accountants? That's the first question.

Is the organisation audited is its books checked in other words every year by an independent qualified accountant? Do you understand that? Someone comes from outside a qualified man from outside and he checks that all you're saying about your income about your giving actually is true.

Number two are those figures those audited figures made available to the general public? So can you write to the organisation and say please send me your accounts for last year? Are the audited figures made available to the general public?

Thirdly who are the board members and the senior staff of the organisation? I think you should feel free to write to the organisation and ask these things. Who are the board members and the senior staff?

As I said yesterday if you get a letter back and they're told that Billy Graham and John Stott board members then you'll have a certain impression about that organisation. If you hear that George Verwer is a board member you might have another impression.

But you get an impression about the organisation if you know who the senior staff and board are. Fourthly finally how much does the organisation spend on fundraising and administration? When you get the accounts check that particular line.

How much does it spend on fundraising and administration? Now how much it should spend is always open to discussion. But you find some organisations who pay or who spend more than 50 on their income on further fundraising.

Now you've got to ask yourself whether that's sensible use of the Lord's money. I would think 10 is getting high. Certainly should be under that. So wise giving is important. I think a definite part of wise giving in most countries today is what we call giving by covenant.

Do you have that in other countries? In Britain you can give in a certain way a covenant you make over a period of four years whereby the recipient of your gift not only receives the gift but receives the tax back on that gift.

So for every pound given in Britain I think you receive £1 .40 or 49 pence or something like that. That's totally legal. It's above board. It's only if it's a registered charity that this can happen. But that's obviously intelligent giving if you're a tax-paying individual.

Intelligent giving, the fifth, the fourth point. Fifthly, our giving must be sacrificial. We saw that the Macedonian Christians were commended in verse 2 because out of their most severe trial their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

So it hurt when these people gave. They didn't just on a Sunday morning sit around the Lord's table or when the collection plate came round they didn't just put their hands into their pockets and take out the first coin or the first note that touched their fingers and throw that in and never think a second thought about it.

It actually hurt when these people gave. Remember that famous story in 2 Samuel chapter 24. David, King David wants to build an altar to the Lord. And he comes to the home of a man called Araunah who's a Jebusite.

And when he gets there Araunah comes to meet him and he says, Look David, I know you want to sacrifice and I want to help you. I want to give you my threshing floor. I want to give you my sacrificial implements.

I want to even give you the sacrifice. It's all there. Now you go and sacrifice. Do you remember what David said? He said, No, I won't receive that from you. I'll buy it but I won't just receive it. And then he said this, 2 Samuel 24 verse 24.

It's a verse you should memorise. David said, I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God that which costs me nothing. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God that which costs me nothing. There's a great principle of the Christian life.

It's a principle of service. It's a principle of giving. Our giving, our service should be costly. Right, there's five hows if you like. How we should give. Let's finish this little session by the great question How much should I give?

Giving Everything to God While Managing Possessions Carefully

It would be marvellous wouldn't it if I could take the chalk and give you a graph up here and your income and the graph showing how much you should give in accordance with your income. The Christian life would be a bit more simple wouldn't it if it was like that.

Then maybe the freedom we were thinking about this morning would be abolished. In fact the Bible says as we saw that you should give everything. That's the biblical answer to the question How much should I give?

The Bible's answer is everything. When Jesus called his disciples they immediately left everything to follow him. And you remember Luke 14 .33 Anyone of you who does not forsake all that he has cannot be my disciple.

So that's the biblical answer. You should give everything. Now what does this mean in practice? First of all it means that there's going to be no tight-fistedness in our attitude to possessions. We realise that everything we are and everything we have is given to us by God.

When we realise that it means that we become open-handed people. Immediately we say it's not mine. The house I have, it's not mine. The car I have, it's not mine. The bank balance I may have, it's not mine.

Everything that I have is from God. It's his. So we're not tight-fisted mean people. There isn't such a thing, I don't believe as a tight-fisted mean Christian who really understands the word of God.

You understand the word of God you've got to be generous. All that you have is given to you by God. You become an open-handed person. Then secondly you're going to be characterised by a careful use of your possessions.

Because you realise it's from God and it's his and you're just a manager you're going to be very very careful with it. Because you're going to have to give account. So although we're very generous, we don't just give to any old person who comes up and asks.

Sometimes Christians get that wrong don't they? They think that every vagrant every tramp who comes to their door should receive immediately money, food, anything he wants. Not so. You've got to be careful with your possessions.

Because you're just a manager and one day you're going to have to give account as to how you've used what God has given you. The Bible also teaches us just as we passed by, we should mention this, that we should be careful and accountable not only to God but also to our fellow men.

And this is why some of the bookkeeping systems you're going to grapple with in OM in the next year or so become so important. Let me just read 2nd Corinthians 8 verse 20 and 21. Paul says we want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift.

For we are taking pains to do what is right, isn't it? Not only in the eyes of the Lord but also in the eyes of men. Paul wanted it to be very he wanted to be very very careful in his financial dealings that other men understood what he was doing with his income.

That's true in operational mobilisation as well. You might find some of our financial structures and some of our financial systems a bit pernickety. You might think it's a bit over careful. But we want to be sure not only before God but before men.

We want them to see that we're handling God's resources which have been given to us correctly. So once we realise that we should give everything to God once we realise that all we have comes from God, it does away with tight-fistedness.

It makes us generous people but it also makes us very very careful people. And I think that's how you should be as a Christian with possessions. You should be generous and yet you should be careful. What about saving them?

Saving Wisely Rather Than Trusting in Wealth

Does this mean that no Christian should ever save? If all you have is from God and all you have should be given to God, if unless you renounce all that you have you cannot be the Lord's disciple, does it mean that you should never save anything?