One of the greatest complaints people make against Churches in general today has to do with giving! In 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 Paul address this subject but several things need to be addressed before we look at the eight guidelines for giving that Paul presents here:
• God’s Giving to Us: It is important that we remember that Paul had just written to us about God’s giving to us as it relates to the resurrection as well as the fellowship we have in Christ. Practically speaking, we are only talking about “profit sharing” as God has given us everything and asks us only to invest it on His behalf!
• The Context: The context of the passage here before us deals not with a “tithe” but rather a “free will offering” for the suffering saints in Jerusalem (verse 3). The reason these believers were hurting was twofold:
•There had been several severe famines in the land that had wiped them out financially.
•The Church was birthed in Jerusalem, most of those who got saved stayed and were unemployed. It got to the point where the disciples were so busy trying to meet the physical needs of the church that they could not meet the spiritual needs. Instead of expanding the ministry into Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the world as Jesus had instructed, they stayed home and continued to deplete their resources until, as the persecution of Stephen occurred, the church was scattered and they lost what little economic base they had as believers scattered.
• Understanding Giving: Finally, we need to understand that Paul is not speaking about “tithing.” There is no such concept in the New Testament. The truth is that “tithing” or giving 10% of one’s gross income is more of an Old Testament concept than it is a New Testament principle. Paul will elaborate on this much more in his second letter to these same Corinthians as he writes to them saying, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” In reality, God’s commandment through Moses was more of a taxation to care for the temple as well as run the nation, and when all added up amounted to around 23%.
The general principle for Christians is, “If you have not received anything from the Lord, then by all means do not give.” But if He has enriched your life, changed you, your home, or marriage both now and for eternity, remember that He has done so for free. In fact, there is no amount of money you could ever pay that would equal the value of your life! Jesus reminds us of this in Matt. 16:26 when He asks, “what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” New Testament giving is out of recognition of what He has given us. I personally think this is worth far more than 10%?.
The story is told of two ladies who were discussing the issue of church giving. When one of the gals just said what so many folks think, “Our church just costs too much, they are always in need of money!” The other lady simply responded, “Dear, we had a daughter born to us years ago and she cost us a lot of money. At first, there were all the doctor visits, then the cost of groceries and clothes. As she grew, so did the amount of money that left our pocketbooks—there were school dances, a car, insurance. Then she went to college, oh my goodness, she started dating and wanted to live off-campus, we were spending every penny and then some. But you know what? One day it ended as she died in her senior year, and since her funeral, we have not paid a penny. Now, which situation do you think I would rather have? Dear, as long as this church is alive, it will cost to keep it going, but if it dies for want of support, it won’t cost you a penny. And let me tell you, a living church with the most important message for all the world is worth me praying and giving everything I have to keep it alive and impacting the world!”
Eight Guidelines in Giving
• Universal Practice: “As I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also:” (vs. 1b) Paul was not teaching one set of guidelines to one church and another set for someone else. Everywhere Paul planted a church, he taught them the principle that Jesus did in Matt. 10:8, “Freely you have received, freely give.” Giving is an essential part of our life in Christ and, in fact, it can determine what your life in Christ truly is all about! To the credit of these Corinthians, they were asking the question about it to begin with, which shows that they had an attitude of gratitude seen in their desire to support the work of the Lord.
• Act of Worship: “On the first day of the week:” (vs. 2a) This is one of the first indications that the Church had begun to worship on Sunday and not to keep the Jewish tradition of the Sabbath. Why Sunday? It was in celebration of the resurrection, and Paul rightly places giving in the arena of worship. It is Sundays where we gather together to celebrate what Jesus has given to us—what greater way to demonstrate our devotion to His giving to us than to give back to the degree we appreciate His gift for the furtherance of His work!
• Regular and Consistent: “On the first day of the week:” (vs. 2a) This same verse also reveals that our giving ought to be consistent as the next words speak of laying something aside. Giving was to be spontaneous but not haphazard, so they were to think on what the Lord had done for them and set aside what they treasured for Him.
• Personal: “Let each one of you:” (vs. 2b) Anyone who had personally benefited from God’s gift to us was privileged to participate from a heart of worship. No person was left out of the opportunity to be a blessing and further God’s work in people’s lives! What you realize is that it is not the proportion of the gift but rather the heart of appreciation that the Lord sees. Take Jesus’ words in Mark 12:42-44 where He commented on the “poor widow who came and threw in two mites (one penny).” As He said to His disciples, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”
• Save to Give: “Lay something aside, storing up:” (vs. 2c) The idea here is that our treasure ought to be invested instead of spent. If we wish to purchase something, we ought to lay aside and store up. Here, Paul exhorts these Corinthian believers to do the same with what God has given them.
• Give Proportionately: “As he may prosper:” (vs. 2d) Simply put, we ought to give in the way that He has given to us. Giving is based upon personal awareness of His giving to you! Jesus said in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” The exact amount is left up to you and your appreciation of the Lord’s work in your life. This causes us evaluate just how much we appreciate His gifts to us!
• No Pressure or Gimmicks: “That there be no collections when I come:” (vs. 2e) No professional fundraisers, thermometers, or gimmicks. We all ought to be moved by appreciation of His grace, not by disgrace. When we did this building and most of the churches in town thought we were crazy because we did not hire for a percentage someone to manipulate you all into giving, We must understanding that we can never out give what Christ has given to us and those who understand His grace towards us will always out-give those who don’t.
• Trustworthy Hands: “Place the funds into the hands of those you know and trust” (vs. 3-4): Paul’s final word here on giving—make sure that those whom you entrust the Lord’s funds have the Lord’s interests and kingdom in mind and not their own!
I believe that if we all took to heart the words given by Paul here, the Church would never need to ask for a penny. In fact, they would be as Moses in Exodus 36:6-7 as we are told that “the people were restrained from bringing, for the material they had was sufficient for all the work to be done; indeed too much.”
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