Abounding in Stewardship
Abounding in Stewardship
It's not about the mechanics of how we give but about the heart.
Always excelling in the Lord’s work (1 Corinthians 15:58).
Christians can excel in the work of the Lord because they operate from the perspective of victory. Our labor, Paul says, is not in vain. Therefore, we can go as far as we can go, do as much as we can do, and do things as well as we can do them. It’s not about doing as little as possible to get by; we abound in the works he has created for us.
Did you know 1 Corinthians 15:57-58 sets up everything that follows in Chapter 16, where Paul speaks of doing the work of the Lord? He wants us to do the work and excel in it. One example of this is how we give.
Abounding in Giving
In the New Testament, we find Paul helping raise funds for needy saints in Jerusalem. This relieved their physical needs and facilitated better and stronger relationships between Jews and Gentiles. Chapter 16 opens with Paul calling on the Corinthians to participate in the effort. In verses 3-4, he speaks of personal representatives from Corinth going with him to present the gift. It’s just more personal that way.
In verse 2, we find the example of local churches setting up a collection for specific needs and purposes. The directive here is specifically to the Corinthian church for a particular need in Jerusalem. A similar directive was given to the churches in Galatia, v. 1. If we’re going to view this as a command for today, we all need to be setting up a fund to send to Jerusalem. But it is an example we need to follow — because congregations have needs that must be met. Here, we also see that giving was part of the early church's worship every Sunday.
There are several Principles Here.
On the first day of the week, each of you is to set something aside and save in keeping with how he is prospering, so that no collections will need to be made when I come.
(1 Corinthians 16:2)
A Congregation Has a Treasury
“Save” in verse 2 is the word we use today for “thesaurus,” which means a treasury. Here, we’re talking about a treasury of money. The Corinthians had some kind of fund set aside for safekeeping where money could be deposited. The elders of the church would have had charge of it. Brethren were directed to bring funds to deposit into that collection and did that when they gathered for worship each Sunday. Why would giving be included as a part of worship?
I believe it is part of our worship to reflect on our stewardship. This aspect of the service is just as important as every other. We must not take it for granted or hurry through. Sometimes, because of the abuse of many religious organizations who continually ask for money, we want to pass over this part of worship because we don’t want someone to get the wrong idea. But it is an important time of reflection and must be taken seriously.
Stewardship
Another principle here is stewardship, which considers the amount and purpose behind our giving—not just the mode by which we give. Because of online giving, congregations have received much criticism over the last few years. This is a little strange because hardly anyone has an issue with writing a check and dropping it in the plate when it is passed. Let’s think this through. If you write a check this Sunday, when will the church actually receive those funds? Answer: When the treasurer remembers to the bank. So, if the person who objects to online giving because it is not done on Sunday wants to be consistent, he must quit giving by check and only donate cash.
Speaking of online giving, did you know receiving funds electronically is faster, safer, and more accurate? If making sure the gift comes out of your account on Sunday is a thing for you, did you know you set it up where your donation processes your gift on Sunday? Did you know when online giving is used, giving actually goes up by 30% or more? (That’s because hardly anyone carries cash anymore, and no one under 50 has written a check in 10 years.)
All the wrangling over the mode of giving is not what Paul was concerned with in 1 Corinthians 16. Here, he is not dealing with the mechanics of how we give, i.e., cash, check, or electronically; he is establishing the principle of stewardship.
Why is the time of giving so important during worship? During this time:
We honor God as our Creator and the owner of everything.
We acknowledge Him as the owner of all things.
We remember Him as the source of all our blessings.
We confess our dependence upon him.
Giving is Between You and the Lord
Some congregations are criticized by others for drawing attention to giving on their church homepage. Aren’t you soliciting funds from everyone and not just members? How a congregation decides to make people aware of online giving is a matter of the judgment of each eldership. Period. It is certainly not sin or digression to have a giving button prominently displayed for all to see. Here’s why:
Worship is an intensely personal activity. We are not the judge of who should be allowed to participate. What’s been the longstanding practice of our worship? If a nonmember comes into our assembly and wants to partake of the Lord’s Supper — do we refuse them? If a nonmember comes into our assembly and wants to contribute to what they feel is a good work — do we refuse them? I’ve never seen it. And why make the disclaimer during the giving portion of our assembly that nonmembers don’t have to give? If they want to give, let them. Encourage them. What they give and how they partake is between them and the Lord. It’s not our job to get in the way of that.
Giving is to be Done in Abundance
Again, we must not forget to connect verse 58 to the principle of giving in the early verses of chapter 16. The whole purpose and greater principle here is to abound … which means we give as much as possible. For each of us that amount will vary - because we’re all at different financial levels. This is why Paul says we save in keeping with how (we) are prospering. No amount is ever specified.
The Macedonians gave sacrificially. We are called upon to follow their example. During a severe trial brought about by affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part (2 Corinthians 8:2). When we give there should be a sense of sacrifice. Why? Because God has given us the greatest example of giving … and He gave … until He sacrificed His own son.
We should view our gift as an investment. You’re not throwing money away. You are investing it with God. God will bring forth the dividend.
The point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously… And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:6, 8).
Is this not what Jesus taught? For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you (Luke 6:38b). God is not doing as little as possible — He is doing as much as possible. And so are we. God’s work demands giving. There is a whole world that is lost. So, we give in abundance.
Wrapping Up
Let your work abound. Serve the Lord with emotion and zeal. Serve him wholeheartedly. Let your giving abound. Let your worship be in excellence.
But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the Lord’s work, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Corinthians 15:57-58).