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There’s a whole world out there Before going to Europe on business, a certain man drove his Rolls-Royce to a downtown New York City bank and went in to ask for an immediate loan of $5,000. The loan officer, taken aback, requested collateral. The man replied, "Well then, here are the keys to my Rolls-Royce."The loan officer promptly had the car driven into the bank's underground parking for safekeeping and gave him $5,000.Two weeks later, the man walked through the bank's doors and asked to settle up his loan and get his car back. "That will be $5,000 in principal, and $15.40 in interest," the loan officer said. The man wrote out a check, got up, and started to walk away."Wait sir," the loan officer said. "While you were gone, I found out you're a millionaire. Why in the world would you need to borrow $5,000?"The man smiled. "Where else could I safely park my Rolls-Royce in Manhattan for two weeks for only $15.40?"Citation: Adapted from a commercial; submitted by Michael Herman; Glen Ellyn, Illinois

I wonder how smart you are with your money. Do you invest it wisely? Do you give it generously? Do you see yourself as a giver? What does the Bible teach about stewardship and our responsibility?

Jazz great Count Basie learned a hard lesson about giving and receiving when living in Kansas City near the trumpeter known as "Lips" Page.The two musicians were about the same size, but Basie did not have his wardrobe with him. The Count remembers, "So one night we were supposed to go out somewhere and I said I couldn't go because I didn't have anything to match up, and he said, 'That's okay. Why don't you borrow one of my suits?'"I figured that would be great. Because he had three really sharp, truly great outfits. But I didn't know what I was getting myself into." Apparently his friend Page had not learned the principle of being openhanded with his giving."I couldn't get rid of him. Everywhere I went he was right there with me saying, 'Don't lean on that.' Or he'd say, 'Hey man, that chair is kinda dirty.' Or 'Basie, watch it sitting down.' He couldn't think of anything else all night but that suit of his I was wearing. That was one of the most uncomfortable evenings I've ever had in my life. I never was so glad to get back home and take off a suit." Citation: Bonne Steffen, Wheaton, Illinois; source: Patrick Kavanaugh, Devotions from the World of Music (Chariot Victor, 2000)What kind of a giver are you? Do you have the ability to give and to let it go? Have you ever said or thought to yourself, "If I only had the money I would love to give thousands of dollars or millions of dollars to some project or cause?" Although we may not have the resources right now to do that, God does! All that He wants is for us to be channels through which He can give that others might come in contact with the message of Jesus Christ.

I want to talk with you for a few minutes this morning about something we call faith promise. Each year in our church we ask you to pray about what God wants to give through you. All of us do it. This is a very exciting week. You get to connect with God and ask Him what He wants to give through you.

The official definition is, "A faith-promise offering is money that God will give through you, which, He might never give to you, if He saw He could not trust you to pass it on to others."

It is very exciting to become one of God's channels through which He gives so that every person might hear the message of good news through Jesus Christ.

In Second Corinthians, chapter eight and verse one through nine we get an opportunity to read what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth about their giving.

Let me read it to you and make a few comments along the way.

Read scripture.

Notice verse 3. "For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability,”

Question: How can one give beyond the limits of their own resources?

Answer: Through a "Faith-Promise" offering.

Let me share with you four principles that we learn from this writing.

1. Longing to Give: One's ability to give is not dependent on the size of their bank account.

      A. The believers in the churches of Macedonia were extremely poor. (v.2)

“Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.”

They really wanted to give even though they did not have the resources to spare. This is a unique and wonderful spirit that can only be attained as we seek God with all of our hearts and learn to live with a view toward self-denial.

The mathematical equation in this verse doesn't make sense to the world or even to the new Christian. Affliction + poverty + joy = liberality

      B. They had received the grace of God.

There are many kinds of 'grace' that God gives to those who serve Him: saving grace, strengthening grace, and grace for giving.

Note another equation here in Scripture: Grace + Obedience + Faith = Abundant Life

Sometimes we live very anemic Christian lives. We are weak. We are not strong.

They received God's grace, they were in obedience to His Word doing what they could, and then by faith they went beyond their own resources that others might hear the message!

Do you long to give?

2. Learning to Give: God's giving to us is often in proportion to our giving to Him.

We all need to learn to give. Sometimes I think we could take a lesson from Clarence...

Clarence wanted to buy a nice anniversary gift for his wife, but in typical fashion, he did not want to spend much on the purchase. Calculating that perfume would be his best choice for pleasing his wife while also saving himself some money, Clarence headed straight to the perfume counter. He told the saleswoman that he wanted to buy his wife a nice bottle of perfume for their anniversary. She pulled out a container of their best perfume and told him it was on sale for just $50. Clarence noted $50 was more than he wanted to spend so she pulled out a smaller bottle for $30. He told her the price was still too high so she reached for their most economically brand of perfume. The clerk showed him a small bottle that cost just $15. Clarence still wasn’t satisfied with the price so he specifically stated, “I want to see something that is real cheap.” The frustrated clerk reached across the counter and handed him a mirror. Reader’s Digest, Oct. 1995, p. 78

2 Co 9:6, What kind of harvest do we want? “Remember this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.”

Luke 6:38, We give to get to give again. “Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”

Mal. 3:10, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.” God challenges us to try to out- give Him. We can't win, but it is wonderful to try!

Are you willing to learn to give?

3. Living to Give: All true giving begins with the giving of ourselves. (v.5)

“And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will.”

      A. It isn't easy!

It is much easier to give from our resources than to give ourselves. It is much easier to pay the Pastor or staff to do the ministry of the church than to find our ministry and give of ourselves and time to perform it.

      B. It is a matter of Lordship.

A person will always have difficulty accepting the biblical principle of giving until they have first given themselves completely to God. We must acknowledge the Lordship of Christ over ourselves and all of our possessions. We can never know the joy the Macedonian believers experienced until we are willing to give ourselves and all that we have to Christ.

Note: Lk. 14:33, “In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” “Giving up,” doesn't mean we have to throw everything away it simply means we must release control and allow Christ to be Lord of ALL!

Are you living to give or are you willing to live this way?

4. Loving to Give: What we are willing to give demonstrates how much we love. (v.8)

Annually, Americans spend $26.6 billion on lottery tickets, and give $19.6 billion to churches. Associated Baptist PressVerse 8 talks about the, “sincerity of your love”

      A. The opposite of love is not hate, it is selfishness.

When you love to give you will automatically practice a generosity that is reflective of God Himself.

Jn. 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He GAVE..."

In giving His Son on the cross, God proved the sincerity of His love forever. Compare that with v.9 and we see how much Jesus Christ loved us by His giving!

Ver. 9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”

      B. If God measures my love for Him by what I have given to Him, how great is my love?

Faith-promise allows us to demonstrate and give evidence of our love. Note Jesus' soul-searching questioning of Peter in Jn. 21:15-17:

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." 18Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.

The Macedonian churches proved the sincerity of their love by giving over and above their means. Someone has said, "You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving."

Faith Promise is not a rash decision. Explain the process of faith promise.

Even in the secular world, there is a compassion that often exceeds that of the church world.

Watch this video and let God speak to you.

If you travel up I-395 through Washington, D.C., and cross over the Potomac, you will likely cross the Arland D. Williams Jr. Memorial Bridge. Who was Arland D. Williams Jr.?On January 13, 1982, he gave hope to five individuals at the cost of his own life. On that cold January day, Air Florida Flight 90 crashed into the icy Potomac. Ice on the wings prevented the plane from a successful takeoff. Almost all of the passengers perished.Five different times, a helicopter dropped a rope to save Williams. Five times, Williams passed the rope to other passengers in worse shape than he was. When the rope was extended to Williams the sixth time, he could not take hold and succumbed to the frigid waters.His heroism was not rash. Aware that his own strength was fading, he deliberately handed hope to someone else over the space of several minutes.Jesus did not make a rash decision to give his life for ours. That Jesus would be an atoning sacrifice for us was his destiny from eternity past. We need only take the lifeline handed to us by his sacrificial death on the cross. Citation: David A. Slagle; Lawrenceville, Georgia; source: "A Hero-Passenger Aids Others, Then Dies," Washington Post (1-14-82)

2004/10/24