Money, like fire and water, is a cruel master but a very productive servant. Some of the earliest incidents in the church were associated with money. After the great blessing at Pentecost (Acts 2) an enormous need was created among the new believers. The practical supply came from the believers who had resources. A second less pleasant event (ch. 5) involved the misrepresentation of a gift. In Acts 6, the now maturing saints were concerned at the apparent neglect of the fair distribution of support. This led to the widening of responsibilities in the handling of funds.
The epistles give instruction on giving to the local assembly. Here are eight observations about financing the local church:
1) Giving is a priority. “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him…” (1 Cor. 16:2). Good financial planning demands that you pay certain things first, that is, with determination, moving other things to the bottom of the list. This is equally true of giving to the work of the Lord. Every believer needs to determine an amount that should be given to the Lord before other expenses.
2) Giving includes everybody. “…let every one of you…” The youngest and the oldest, the richest and the poorest. The blessing that comes from giving excludes no one. Some Christians may have the idea that giving is for when I am older or richer, but it is for everyone right now. You may only have an allowance or a paper route. You can give something to the Lord. You may be on a fixed income or suffering financial trouble, but you too can give something to the Lord.
3) Giving according to prosperity. “…as God hath prospered him.” We can’t give what we don’t have. God is not concerned about the amount. He knows all needs, including ours. Yet the Macedonians’ “deep poverty abounded to the riches of their liberality” (2 Cor. 8:2).
4) Giving is to be done bountifully. The generosity of spirit that characterizes God should be the mark of those who have been touched by His grace. Paul, relying on the wisdom of Solomon (Prov. 11:25), instructs the Corinthians: “He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6). Legal calculation attempting to give the least has no place in the Christian’s thinking.
5) Giving is done cheerfully. “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7). It should be a delight to have the opportunity to give to God. The wordsmiths tell us “cheerful” is really hilarious (W. E. Vine).
6) Giving multiplies the blessing. Notice Paul’s words in 2 Cor. 9:8-14–“abound” “all sufficiency” “multiply” “increase” “enriched” “bountifulness” “abundant” “liberal” “exceeding grace of God.” In giving, not only are our needs met, but there is a multiplying effect so that the blessing abounds in greater proportion to the giving.
7) Giving is an investment for eternity. The Lord Jesus taught that in Luke 16:9. It is possible to make “friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.” Funds directed to the Lord’s work that leads to the spread of the gospel will meet us again in heaven with grateful friends who found the Saviour through our giving.
8) Giving is an act of worship. Again in 2 Cor. 9:15, we see giving motivated by an appreciation of a far greater gift, when God gave. Mere money seems hardly comparable to the “unspeakable gift.” Yet a test of true devotion relates to our handling of money.
The church today has an appalling record regarding money. Obscene appeals and manipulation in fundraising is a scandal. But it is perhaps more grievous when assemblies can’t afford to give generously to workers, invest in outreach, or pay for presentable meeting places. Talk about devotion if you will, but this is where the “rubber meets the road.”