STRETCH: OUR PART IN GOD S STORY (WEEK 2: OUR GIFTS) SMALL GROUP DISCUSSION QUESTIONS CONNECT (from last week): What will be the shape of your personal devotional life in 2017? Who will help you be accountable about this? What resources will help enable you in this endeavour? WARM-UP Questions 1. What is the greatest act of generosity that you have received from another person? What was so significant about it? 2. What do you find most challenging about being generous? READ Psalm 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 3. Why in a culture so focused on money is there such a resistance to talking about how we use our resources? How can it become a blindspot for us as passionate followers of Jesus? 4. For whom was Paul receiving money? What is the contrast between the background of the Corinthian church and the background of the Macedonian churches? 5. How generous has God been to us? How is God s generosity to us the basis for our generosity? What does that look like in day-to-day life? 6. Why might it be surprising (to someone who is not a Christian) that the Macedonian churches could be experiencing severe trial and extreme poverty, yet have an overflowing joy that results in generosity? Why should we not be surprised by this? 7. How can we grow in our appreciation of God s generosity to us? Why is this good news to share? 8. How does this basis of our generosity guard us against feeling proud or oppressed? 9. What does it look like to offer our lives as living sacrifices in response to Jesus sacrifice for us? 10. What does it mean for our generosity to be shaped by cheerfulness? Is this ever a challenge? 11. Do you feel cheerful about giving? Why or why not (do you think)? 12. Why is it important for people never to feel pressured or commanded to give? 13. How can we grow in eager and enthusiastic willingness to use our resources for God? 14. What does it mean for our generosity to be shaped in a sacrificial way? How do we ensure that none of our brothers and sisters in Christ are over-burdened? 15. How are we blessed as a church by those who have gone before us? 16. What are the effects of generosity that you see at St Bart s? In what way does our generosity as a church contribute to God s mission in Toowoomba? APPLY (to this week): What is one specific way that you could grow in generosity this week? PRAY: Gracious Father, thank you for your immense generosity, especially in the gift of your Son, Forgive us for when we have not shared our gifts according to your will. Please help us to grow in our generosity in every way for your glory. Please use our gifts for your good purposes and for the breaking in of your kingdom in the world. In Jesus name, Amen. For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU
STRETCH: OUR PART IN GOD S STORY (WEEK 2: OUR GIFTS) GOING DEEPER RESOURCES & SUGGESTIONS Each week in January, we will be providing additional resources that may help to go deeper with whatever series we re currently focusing on as a church. Resources could include recommended books, articles, online sermons, courses, or videos. These are optional extras! Please don t feel under pressure to look at every resource, but consider what could be useful to you (or your group if you are a small group leader). Resources for Families From Talking Together this week: Thinking about gifts and being generous, how could you use your gifts for the glory of God? How could you use your gifts to encourage someone else? Talk with each other and work out what each other s gifts might be. Talk about how you could help your family with your gifts. Break into pairs and work out how you can encourage each other this week. Music As we seek to grow in our appreciation of God s great generosity to us, listen to Bach s Christmas Oratario, which features the line: He has come on earth as poor, that he might have compassion for us to make us rich in heaven, and like his beloved angels.. King s Kaleidoscope, Grace Alone. See online: https://goo.gl/tqr7p8 Reflection from Spurgeon To all the church also, it is given, and to each member in his measure, to serve God by giving. Some are enabled, being made stewards of wealth, to give largely of their substance; they are bound to do so, but they should not give it merely as being bound, but feeling it to be their privilege to give whatever they can to Him who gave them their all, and who is their All. The poorest Christian is not exempted from this privilege; if he has but little, God accepts according to that which a man has, and not according to that which he has not. And if he is so poor that he cannot even give the two mites which make a farthing, still he may give to God of his time; he may give to God of such ability as he has in the teaching of the young, in the distribution of the printed word, or in some other form of service which shall come conveniently within his reach. But none must escape from being givers to God in some way, for we are all receivers, and so should be all dispensers. Give Him our prayers, give Him our praises, give Him such efforts as we can, but let us all be givers, and let us take heed to the text and be cheerful givers, too! (Charles Spurgeon from A Cheerful Giver is Beloved of God ) Articles and Other Reading More than Money: Tim Keller on How to Live Generously. See: https://goo.gl/pxpv8h BOOK: Giving Generously: Resourcing Local Church Ministry by Rod Irvine. For sermons and additional resources, visit STBARTS.COM.AU
Talk 2/4 (Stretch: Our Part in God s Story): 08/01/17 Growing in our Generosity by the Rev d Adam Lowe Bible Passage: 2 Corinthians 8:1-15 INTRODUCTION \\ ORIENTATION TO GIVING Last Sunday we launched a new series all about our part in God s story, and what it looks like for us to be stretched as followers of Jesus. We re spending four weeks, considering from God s Word, what it might look like to be growing in devotion, generosity, mission, and service. So with New Year s Day, we looked at growing in devotion, setting 2017 apart as a year in which every single one of us, might seek to grow in our relationship with God more, by growing in our: desire for God, dependence on God, and delight in God. This week we come to growing in generosity, considering 2 Corinthians, chapters 8 and 9. We heard a passage from chapter 8, but we ll look at parts of both, because together they form the single largest section of teaching in the New Testament focused on the topic of giving. 2
Dare I suggest that sometimes when we think about growing as disciples, we don t immediately think about giving. We think about Bible reading and prayer, We think about serving God with our talents, We think about sharing the Good News with our lives, but generosity with our resources does t always jump to the forefront of our minds. We can even baulk a little at the mention of the topic, and respond, hey, we can t possibly talk about that!. It s astounding actually, that we live in a culture in which money is so often at the centre, so often elevated to almost god-like status, yet we can be reluctant to discuss it. And that s really dangerous, because it means that how we use our resources, can become a bit of a cultural blindspot, it can become even a Christian blindspot, despite the importance that we know our society places on it, despite how much the Bible has to say much about God s people and resources. That s true of the Old Testament, it s true of the New Testament: we see that reflected in the teachings of Jesus, we see that reflected in the teachings of Paul. We see consistently, the call on God s people to use their resources for the building up of God s kingdom by supporting the poor, mission, and the local church. 3 Paul writes here to the Corinthian Church, a church full of passionate followers of Jesus, and he s saying, folks, you love the Lord, that s great, you re growing in some many ways as followers, that s fantastic, but I also want you to be growing in generosity. He s saying, generosity is actually a discipleship issue. The generosity of God s people is part of God s kingdom bursting into the world. // Now Paul s a serial church planter, so you might be thinking, well of course he s talking about giving, because he s a minister and he needs things funded. But actually, as followers of Jesus, generosity runs much deeper than that, because following Jesus is about how we use our whole lives generously, including the resources at our disposal, as we seek to follow him. So in order to grow in our generosity, what do we need to understand? Three things The BASIS of our Generosity; The SHAPE of our Generosity; and The EFFECT of our Generosity. 4
#1 THE BASIS OF OUR GENEROSITY \\ IN RESPONSE TO GOD First, the BASIS of our generosity, is in response to God s generosity to us. Immediately as Paul opens this section to the Corinthians, he wants to tell them all about the churches in Macedonia. And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. (vv.1-2) Note the pattern: Amidst severe trial and extreme poverty, they overflowed with joy and generosity! It defies what we might normally consider cause-and-effect. How is that the case? We ll come back to that soon. It really is quite remarkable that here you have the poor churches in Macedonia, being tremendously generous in supporting the church in Jerusalem via Paul. 5 The church in Jerusalem was considerably impoverished, we re not 100% sure why, but we know that it was the case, and so Paul had collected money from other churches, particularly in Macedonia - so Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea, to support these fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. The Corinthians had been the first on the scene to commit support, but had been slack on the follow through. So we read 10 And here is my judgment 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. 11 Now finish the work (8:10-11a) For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year you in Achaia were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. (9:2) That s awkward isn t it?! Paul had been rejoicing in their enthusiasm, it spurred others on in generosity, but it didn t continue on. And so now Paul s hoping that the Macedonian s generosity, will spur the Corinthians on. 6
Of course, Paul is doing a bit more than hoping, it s actually pretty sharp, challenging the Corinthians, to not be hollow (9:3) but sincere through action. There s a stark contrast! The Corinthian church are rich: made a commitment, but have ceased to act. The Macedonian church are poor: have begged for the opportunity, and have done it. Instead of people lining up for a boxing day sale and tripping over one another, the Macedonian church who are undergoing all sorts of troubles and poverty, are are saying, Paul, please let us have the opportunity to give, to God s kingdom work. So how does poverty and trial result in overflowing joy and generosity? Because their response has not been born out of their moral fibre and goodness, but out of their conviction and thankfulness of how much God has given them. They first gave themselves to the Lord, Because the Lord had already given himself to them. Their secret: they had a healthy understanding of what God had done for them. Paul expands on this in verse 9. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. (v.9) 7 At Christmas time, it is tremendously appropriate that we give gifts, because it can help us be reminded of the greatest gift to us: Jesus. Who gave up his enormous riches, set aside his glory and rights, coming into our world as a baby, growing up to go to the cross, in order that we might inherit all the riches that belong to him. Or as Paul puts it in Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God this is your true and proper worship. (Romans 12:1) It s only when you sort out the WHY of your generosity, that we ll be inspired and enabled to give ourselves to God. And it s essential. Because when generosity flows out of what God has given to us, it guards against us feeling proud: thinking that God owes you; and it guards against us feeling oppressed: thinking we need to earn God s love. When the why of our generosity centres on God s generosity to us, we re liberated to show generosity in a way that defies the logic of the world. 8
#2 THE SHAPE OF OUR GENEROSITY \\ CHEERFUL & SACRIFICIAL Second, the SHAPE of our generosity, is cheerful and sacrificial. I didn t misspeak, those two really can go together! Of course it s got to be consistent too, that s part of the problem with the Corinthians. Sometimes we can be a bit like the Corinthians, we can have great intentions, but just not get around to doing it. Our generosity should be in regular pattern. I m so thankful that I live in an age, in which as long as I set up my direct debits to support the poor, mission, and the local church, it takes very little effort to ensure they happen in a regular pattern. But behind that, we re to be cheerful and sacrificial. So the first part of the SHAPE of our generosity is CHEERFUL. In a little pamphlet on giving, put out by the Church of England, there s a little questionnaire and my favourite question is: How readily do you make your offering? Eagerly? With pleasure and in gratitude? Willingly? As a moral obligation? Rather reluctantly? 9 I m not sure where you would place yourself, but it s clear that Paul s intention is that it should be completely voluntary. It s not under force, there s no pressure, no extortion, I m not commanding you, says Paul. That s clear 8:11: that your eager willingness may bring it to completion; 9:5 not grudgingly; and 9:7: give according to what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. Willingness to give enthusiastically is much more important than the amount. Maybe that s got you thinking, I really struggle to give cheerfully, my heart s not in it, and I would really loathe to be inauthentic in my Christian life, so perhaps I can t give. And what I would say, and from my own personal experience is, the more you give, looking to the one who gave it all, the more it turns to joy. There s a good biblical basis for that reasoning, Jesus said: where your treasure is, your heart will be also. So: if you want your heart to be in image invest more of your treasure in it; if you want your heart to be in reputation invest more of your treasure in it; if you want your heart to be in the poor, or mission, or local church, invest more. 10
Paul s sketching a very distinctive portrait of what it looks like to be a Christian. Decide what you re going to give, don t make a display, and do it. Second part of the SHAPE of our giving, is sacrificial. It s often when things come to the greatest cost to ourselves, that we are most joyful about it. We see that in the Macedonians, despite extreme poverty, they gave sacrificially, and were joyful about it. That doesn t mean that God expects us to give what we don t have. In fact when Paul says that the Macedonians gave beyond what they had, that doesn t necessarily mean that they gave what they didn t have, more akin to they were enabled to give more than they could have on their own. He doesn t want people to be stretched beyond their means 13 Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed 11 God doesn t expect us to give what we don t have, not everyone is in the same position, but it does invite a mindset change in our generosity, from thinking about it as donation, to think about it as a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, the expectation for giving was clearer in a way. They were required to make a tithe, which in simple terms was 10% of their income. But it seems that in the New Testament that no longer applies, the New Testament concept of giving is actually much more challenging. Because too often, percentages can make us feel comfortable, when 10% in reality may be too much for some and not enough for others. God looks beyond a percentage, and to our hearts. We re reminded in Mark (12:41-44) by the widow, who gave all that she had, that God isn t impressed with the amount he s impressed with the heart. Each year, when we review our giving, I like to think about, what would it look like to hold onto my resources a little less, and hold onto the priorities of God s kingdom and others more. Cheerful and sacrificial. 12
#3 THE EFFECT OF OUR GENEROSITY \\ KINGDOM & DISCIPLES And finally, the EFFECT of our generosity grows God s Kingdom. John Dickson, on Facebook, as part of a larger post, shared the other day: It is a genuine historical mystery that a tiny Jewish renewal movement founded by a crucified Messiah became an unstoppable global phenomenon in just three centuries, with few resources, no armies, and zero legislative or political clout. All they had was service, persuasion, and prayer. It is so incredible, that as followers of Jesus responding to God in his grace, that God can gather up our gifts, in resources, time, service, prayer, and use them for his kingdom in ways that are almost beyond belief. When people who I know who aren t Christians, ask about our church, and I share with them some of the things that the Lord is doing, they re often completely surprised and blown away. They re puzzled that we could be building, or employing people, or supporting missions and they ll ask, oh, does the Diocese, does the Anglican Church give you money? 13 And I say, no, no, we support them! See the generosity of this church, and many who have gone before us, does not make sense by worldly standards of generosity. But it does make sense, according to a group of passionate followers of Jesus, who are committed to God s kingdom, because he is committed to us. I feel so privileged to serve here. I feel so privileged for my family to be growing up here. I feel so privileged that we re laying the foundations for disciples for decades to come. I feel so privileged that God gathers up all that we offer, and uses it to make and mature disciples, in ways that we could never do on our own. Sometimes in Christian circles you hear a kind of prosperity-gospel preached. You know: if you are more generous with your resources, you ll get more back. 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. (9:10) Paul does not mean that the more we give, the more financially we re blessed. Note that the seed doesn t result in more seed, but in a harvest! 14
And so Paul is saying, in God s kindness, he uses our generosity fruitfully for his kingdom and supplies our need in ways that we never imagined. I feel so privileged that God uses our generosity for his purposes, and really all we re doing is giving back to God, what was his all along. On the rare occasion, I ll walk into a conflict between Amelia and Theodore. And I ll say, Amelia, just let your brother play in your room, and she might respond but it s my room!. And part of me thinks, actually, it s not your room, it s mine, now share it?! How much more gracious is God with us. That even though we belong to him, that he could rightly demand it all, that the basis of our generosity, is in response to his; that the shape of our generosity, is not demanded but cheerful and costly; that the effect of our generosity, is part of God s unstoppable kingdom breaking in. 15