September - A New Generosity

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September 2008

A New Generosity

Countless newspaper articles have chronicled the amazing generosity of Bill and Melinda Gates. Bill Gates recently resigned from Microsoft to devote the rest of his life to overseeing his foundation. The Gates Foundation plans to give away tens of billions of dollars in the next few decades, in part, to eradicate certain preventable diseases from the face of the earth.

Bono, likewise, has been rightly celebrated as a person who has not only been personally charitable, but who has prodded national governments to greater generosity in eliminating Third World debt and in battling diseases such as AIDS.

The generosity of Bill and Melinda Gates and of Bono has been noticed by the Lord. When I think of people like this, I think of the angel's message to Cornelius in Acts 10:4, Cornelius, your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God. (In other words, God has taken note of your generosity.)

But it is not just huge gifts that catch the attention of our Lord. In Mark 12.42 we read of a poor widow, who put two very small copper coins (literally shaved pieces of copper) worth only a fraction of a penny into the Temple offering. Jesus commented on the widow's offering to his disciples and said, Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on.

The apostle Paul commended the Macedonian Church for their generosity. He said,
In the midst of a very 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.

There are different levels at which you can give. You can give less than your ability. You can give as much as your ability. And you can give beyond your ability. The Macedonian Church gave beyond their ability. Wouldn't you agree with me that at least 85% of Christians in America give less than their ability? Maybe 14% give as much as they are able. And certainly less than 1% of Christians in America give beyond their ability.

When I think of folks who give beyond their ability, I think of a woman from the Philippines, who came to America with very few possessions, except for a few pieces of jewelry she inherited from her family. These pieces of jewelry were her security. They were the only things she had that were valuable. When we built our community center, I received a note from this woman who wrote saying: I want so desperately to give to people who have less than me. God has moved in my heart to give away all of my jewelry. I believe her gift was noticed by the Lord!

The Bible has more to say about money and possessions than almost any other subject - more than 2000 verses, as compared to 500 on prayer, and far fewer on faith. Jesus talked about money constantly. Sixteen of his thirty-eight parables deal with money. Why is this subject so constantly mentioned in the Bible? Because God understands the power of money on the human heart. How we approach our money, Jesus said, reveals where our hearts really are.

What God desires of our hearts is that He be the all-consuming love of our lives. Money has the potential of dethroning God as the key love of our lives. It becomes his rival. It has often been said, "We can worship money and use God, or we can worship God and use money." How do we love and worship God by using our money correctly?

Jesus answered very plainly when he said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." Sounds simple. What are Jesus' commandments?

The overarching commandment to us as his followers is the Great Commission, "to make disciples of all the nations." How on earth do you obey the Great Commission?

Do you have money? Do you have not only enough to pay your bills and meet your basic needs (not necessarily your wants, but your basic needs), but more than enough? Why would God give any of us "extra" of anything - more time, more talents, more treasure than we need? Perhaps God wants us to obey him by fulfilling the Great Commission.

How can we fulfill the Great Commission? By giving our tithes to the church and offerings to the church and other organizations that are doing Great Commission work. One businessman recently said, "Life is a series of decisions about how I will use the money and resources that God has entrusted to me, never forgetting that he is the owner, and I am the steward." He added, "After much prayer and counseling, I recently decided to start a second business for one purpose only: to increase my giving to Great Commission work. My wife and my annual giving goal continues to grow. This year "kingdom investment" will be the largest item on my financial statement."

Wesley Willmer wrote this in his book, God and Your Stuff: The Vital Link Between Your Possessions and Your Soul, Our use of possessions is an accurate barometer of our faith. A growing faith is ultimately going to be expressed by a growing generosity in our giving. In Dr. Willmer's excellent book, he offers ten biblical directives for faithful stewards summarized as follows:

Giving declares who is the Lord of your life.
Giving shows that we understand what a faithful steward is.
Giving demonstrates that we have counted our blessings and we have more than we need.
We give to God first.
We give to God systematically.
We give according to our means and, indeed, beyond our means.
We give cheerfully.
We give regularly.
We give to God generously, but quietly.
We give to God regardless of our circumstances.

Let me share two other reasons to financially give to the church. In Randy Alcorn's powerful book The Law of Returns, Alcorn argues that giving is the only alternative to spending or hoarding. It breaks the back of materialism. Giving is a joyful surrender to a greater person and a greater agenda. It affirms Christ's lordship. Giving dethrones me and exalts him. It breaks the chain of mammon that would enslave me. It makes heaven, not earth, the center of gravity in my life.

Why be generous? Listen to Dave Anderson, the President of Learn to Lead when he says, Contrary to what Hollywood promotes, it is not what you get or accumulate that makes you significant, but what you give away; what you contribute, the value you add to others, and what you become in the process. Sadly, when most people die, it will be as though they never lived [but generous people will be remembered by others and by God for eternity].

Open your hand to give. Be faithful in giving to your church. Join up with the New Generosity.

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