What does the Bible teach about Christian giving? We can learn a lot about the giving of the Philippian church to support the ministry of the Apostle Paul.
[powerpress]
Giving That Glorifies God
Philippians 4:10, 14-20
As we come to the final few paragraphs of the letter of the apostle Paul to the Philippians, Paul takes some time to thank and commend them for their generous recent gift to him. The Philippians had sent Epaphroditus as their representative to Rome, where Paul was being held under house arrest. The Philippians had taken a collection and had sent this gift with Epaphroditus to give to Paul to help him meet his needs in prison. In those days, prisoners had to rely on friends or family to take care of their material needs. The prison system didn’t automatically do that for the prisoners. Thus, Paul had some great needs. He needed food, warm clothing, and blankets to keep warm. When Epaphroditus showed up, he got deathly sick and almost died. However, God had mercy on him, and he fully recovered. Paul took the opportunity of writing the Philippians this letter and had Epaphroditus deliver it to them.
Paul lifts up the Philippians as a godly example of faithful giving. He commends them warmly for remembering him and reaching out to minister to his needs. As such, this section gives us rich instruction in Christian giving.
I know that many people chafe whenever someone teaches on giving. There was a college student in need of money who wrote home to his father. He said, “Dear Dad. No Mon. No fun. Your Son!” The father promptly wrote back, “Dear Son. Too bad. I’m sad. Your dad!”
Money always seems to be a very sticky subject. Honestly, I don’t really understand that. If Jesus Christ is Lord of your life, then He is Lord of all of your life. Why is it perfectly okay to teach about our responsibility to love one another, flee sexual immorality, and witness to the lost, but not about our responsibility to give to the work of the Lord?
I suppose this hesitancy arises because of the abuses of some churches and television preachers. Of course some have manipulated the people of God and abused their position in the church. Several prosperity gospel preachers have become multi-millionaires off the backs of the people of God, having private jets and living in mansions. When that is the case, I believe the people of God are justified in suspecting that something is really wrong. I’m glad that in this church, nothing is spent on buildings or preachers. Jerome and I have full-time jobs, and do not receive any financial gifts from the church, so you can feel comfortable that your gifts are going to be used to minister to the needy and reach the lost.
Christian giving is a very important topic, because it is a barometer of where your heart is. Jesus taught in Matthew 6:21, “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Someone said, “It is better to have your bank in heaven, than to have your heaven in a bank.” So, this morning, let’s take a good look at the wonderful example the Philippians give us in this matter of Christian giving.
We’re going to look at their giving under three different questions:
- When Should We Give?
- Why Should We Give?
- What Will Happen When We Give?
1. When Should We Give?
A. When You Have A Heart Concern.
Philippians 4:10a, “But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at last you have revived your concern for me…”
The Greek word for “concern” means “to think” or “be on your mind.” The Philippians had the apostle Paul on their minds. They were thinking about him. They were concerned about him. They had learned that he was in prison, and was suffering for Christ and the gospel, and their hearts went out to him.
To be concerned about someone, or to have them on your mind a lot, indicates that you love them and your heart goes out to them.
Here is a Biblical principle – we are to give from our hearts. In 2 Corinthians 9:7, Paul writes “Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” God does not value your giving when you do it because you have to even though you don’t want to. That’s what it means to give grudgingly or under compulsion. God wants you to give because you love the person and want to help them.
And, by the way, this principle doesn’t just apply to giving. It applies to all areas of our Christian life. For example, in 1 Peter 5:2 Peter exhorts the elders “shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness.”
When your heart goes out to a person or people or a ministry which is in need, give!
B. When You Have An Opportunity
Philippians 4:10b “indeed, you were concerned before, but you lacked opportunity.”
It had been about ten years since Paul had planted the church in Philippi, and they had sent him some financial gifts. Paul makes it very clear that the fact that they had not sent him a gift recently was not because they weren’t concerned for him. It was due to the fact that they simply lacked opportunity. Perhaps it was because they had no one they could send on the three month journey from Philippi to Rome to take the gift. Perhaps it was because they did not know about Paul’s imprisonment until just now.
Whatever the case, we see here that giving should take place when our heart concern and our opportunity line up. We can have a great heart concern, but if we don’t have any opportunity, we can’t give. We can have all kinds of opportunity, but if we have no heart concern, we will just be giving under compulsion or grudgingly.
Brothers and sisters, create the opportunity to give by setting aside a portion of every check you deposit. I can’t tell you how much you should be setting aside to give. I don’t believe the tithe is a New Testament practice. You are going to have to decide what amount to set aside. But, definitely set aside money to give to the poor and the furtherance of the gospel. Then, when you discover a need, you will have the opportunity to give!
2. Why Should We Give?
A. To Share With Others In Their Affliction
Philippians 4:14, “Nevertheless, you have done well to share with me in my affliction.”
Paul here describes his situation as his affliction. No doubt, he was suffering in prison. Perhaps he had little food to eat. Perhaps he had inadequate clothing or blankets. Perhaps he was feeling restless and caged up with no ability to travel, and preach the gospel and plant churches.
The wonderful thing was that the Philippian church made Paul’s affliction their affliction. They were willing to share his affliction with him. They made it a point to put themselves under the burden that Paul was bearing, and help him to shoulder it. They were not just thinking about themselves, and their comfort, but they were doing what they could to relieve the burden and suffering of the beloved apostle.
My friends, this is the first reason we give – to relieve the afflictions of those who are suffering. When you see someone who doesn’t have enough food to survive, or who has no clean water to drink, or who is eking out an existence in a run down shack with no running water or indoor toilets, does your heart go out to them? When you hear of believers who are being persecuted, or beaten, or whose homes are being burned down, does your heart go out to them in their affliction?
B. To Get The Gospel To All The World
Philippians 4:15, “You yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving but you alone…”
Here Paul speaks about his ministry as the “preaching of the gospel.” The Philippians gave in order to enable Paul to preach the gospel all over the Roman world.
That is another huge reason why we should give today. We need to give in order to get the gospel out to all the inhabitants of the world.
According to an article written by David Platt in May of 2021, there are still 3 billion people in over 7,000 people groups who do not have access to the gospel. He says that churches are using 99% of their financial resources in places that have already been reached with the gospel. That means that churches are using 1% of all their financial resources to reach the 3 billion people that have never heard the gospel, and using 99% of all their financial resources to reach the 4.75 billion who already have the gospel.
As someone once said, “Why should some people hear the gospel hundreds of times before others hear it once.”
I love the fact that we are able to support Bibles For Asia, who are actively reaching out to people groups who do not have access to the gospel.
Now, this is not to say that it is wrong to use our financial resources to get the gospel to other parts of the world. Everyone needs the gospel. But it is to say we should give extra attention to helping all the people groups of the world hear the gospel during their lifetime. So, yes, we should support local pastors, teachers, evangelists, missionaries to get the gospel out to people here in the United States. But, we should also give so that the gospel is preached among peoples who have never heard.
C. As An Act Of Worship
Philippians 4:18, “But I have received everything in full and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus what you have sent, a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.”
Notice the language Paul uses in describing their gif to him – “a fragrant aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.” Paul is using language reminiscent of the Old Testament animal sacrifices. 42 times in the Old Testament, the Bible describes the animal sacrifices as a “soothing aroma.” This means that the offering was well-pleasing to God. In the Old Testament, the chief way that people would worship God was by offering the prescribed sacrifices.
Paul is telling the Philippians that their gift was worship. They had worshiped God by the way they had given, and God was well-pleased!
Have you ever thought of your giving as worship? You should! Your worship is not just about singing songs, giving Him vocal thanks, or even listening to a sermon. When you write a check and drop it in that box, that is a tangible way that we worship the Lord.
So here are three Biblical reasons to give: to share with others in their affliction, to get the gospel to all the world, and to worship God.
3. What Will Happen When We Give?
A. God Will Cause Profit To Increase To Our Account
Philippians 4:17, “Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek for the profit which increases to your account.”
Profit is what is left over after a company has paid all of its expenses. If a company brings in one million dollars over the year, but has to pay out $800,000 in expenses, it has brought in a profit of $200,000. The profit is the increase, the growth of the company. Paul is saying that he is excited to see them give, not because he is seeking the money himself, but because he knows they will receive a profit which increases to their account. In other words, when they give, they are going to receive back.
Now, we don’t know when we are going to receive back. Maybe it will be in eternity. Jesus taught in Matthew 6:19-20, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal.” Well, how do we store for ourselves treasures in heaven? Obviously, it is by giving. As we give now, we are storing up heavenly treasure, that we can enjoy in the life to come.
But, it may also be that we will receive this “profit” in this lifetime.
Proverbs 3:9-10, “Honor the Lord from your wealth and from the first of all your produce; so your barns will be filled with plenty and your vats will overflow with new wine.” Did you notice the connection between honoring the Lord from your wealth and produce and your barns being filled with plenty and your vats overflowing with new wine? Now we would think that if a person honored the Lord from his wealth and produce, that his barns and vats would shrink. But here we are told that they are filled and overflow!
Proverbs 11:24-25, “There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.”
And this truth is not just taught in the Old Testament. We have Paul’s own words on the subject in 2 Corinthians 9:6, “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” Now, this may sound like “give to get” theology. Actually it is “give to get to give” theology. Look at verse 8, “And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” Would you like to have an abundance for every good deed? Would you like to be able to write a check for $5,000 or $10,000 to get the gospel to an unreached people group? Well the Bible tells us that when we give generously, we are watered ourselves.
There is profit that accrues to our account, perhaps in this lifetime, and perhaps in the life to come.
B. God Will Supply Our Every Need
Philippians 4:19, “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
We all know and love Philippians 4:19. We have heard this wonderful promise quoted hundreds of times, haven’t we? Well, I want you to notice that this promise was made to a particular group of people. It is not made with all men, and it is not even made to all Christians. This promise is given to Christians who have faithfully and generously given to meet the needs of others.
What Paul is saying is that if you give to meet the needs of others, God will make sure that He meets your needs. It is true – you can’t out give God!
Now, let’s look closer at this wonderful promise.
“Will supply all your needs”. Notice, God does not bind Himself to meet all our greeds. He promises to take care of our needs. If you have given to such an extent that you now have needs, God will take up your cause, and make sure your needs are met.
“According to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus”. Paul did not say that God will supply all our needs “out of” His riches in glory. If a millionaire gave a gift out of His riches, He might give you $5. But if a millionaire gave you a gift according to His riches, He might give you $50,000! How rich is God? He is infinitely rich in glory! It doesn’t matter how great your need is, it is nothing to God. Philippians 4:19 is like a billionaire handing you a signed check made out to you, with no amount written in it. That’s what God has done for us. Whatever our needs are, He will supply them according to His riches in glory. However, remember, that this promises is only given to those who give to meet the needs of others.
Conclusion
Brothers and Sisters, I urge you to make giving a priority in your life. I’m not talking about giving once in a blue moon. I’m talking about giving systematically and regularly, as often as you get paid. Do you give to the work of God regularly, systematically, and generously? Are you thinking about ways you can give to relieve the suffering of others, get the gospel to the lost, and give worship to God?
I urge you to give in faith. Believe the Scriptures. Know that God will take care of your needs, if you selflessly give to meet the needs of others. Make giving a godly habit. If you are not giving to the work of God regularly and generously, your faith is deficient, and your Christian life is not what it ought to be. Seek God this morning. Psalm 37:5 says, “Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He will do it.”
______________________________
© The Bridge
Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. For web posting, a link to this document on our website is preferred. Any exceptions to the above must be approved by The Bridge.
Follow Us!