GENEROSITY is at the heart of God
At New Community we desire to be generous. We want to use our resources to positively impact others. We want to be known as a generous church because we believe that generosity is at the heart of God.
This, however, is not the perception that many people have toward the church. The church, and subsequently Jesus followers, have also become associated with greed and the accumulation of wealth. It is for this reason we deliberately don’t take up a collection on a Sunday. Not because we don’t believe that giving is an important spiritual practice, but because it can be misunderstood.
So over the years we have approached the practice of giving through conversation and teaching resources like this one.
Contrary to popular opinion, Jesus spoke a lot about money. Take a look at this passage:
Matthew 6:19-24.
Clearly Jesus looked beyond the physical notes and coins and addressed the powers at work behind them.
For Jesus, to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul, and your neighbour as yourself’ required more than lip service. It demanded a decision. A wrestle of the will.
Loving God begins with the heart and a calculated response to the question: Who will I serve? What will I worship?
Why is this so important? Because we become what we worship.
And for Jesus it all came down to a matter of the heart. To who or to what is my heart most attached?
So take a moment (or longer if you need) and ask yourself: Who or what do I ultimately serve?
This, however, is not the perception that many people have toward the church. The church, and subsequently Jesus followers, have also become associated with greed and the accumulation of wealth. It is for this reason we deliberately don’t take up a collection on a Sunday. Not because we don’t believe that giving is an important spiritual practice, but because it can be misunderstood.
So over the years we have approached the practice of giving through conversation and teaching resources like this one.
Contrary to popular opinion, Jesus spoke a lot about money. Take a look at this passage:
Matthew 6:19-24.
Clearly Jesus looked beyond the physical notes and coins and addressed the powers at work behind them.
For Jesus, to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul, and your neighbour as yourself’ required more than lip service. It demanded a decision. A wrestle of the will.
Loving God begins with the heart and a calculated response to the question: Who will I serve? What will I worship?
Why is this so important? Because we become what we worship.
And for Jesus it all came down to a matter of the heart. To who or to what is my heart most attached?
So take a moment (or longer if you need) and ask yourself: Who or what do I ultimately serve?
THE WHY BEHIND GIVING
Three good reasons for practising generosity:
1. It is an act of Worship
In biblical times God required his people to bring a tenth (a tithe) of all their produce to the temple annually. In his presence they were to feast on the produce. It was a thanksgiving meal for his provision that year (Deut. 14:22-28). It was an act of worship. Bringing your tithe before God served as a reminder that he was the ultimate provider, and that he was to be worshipped for his provision. In keeping with this imagery Paul, a prominent follower of Jesus, described the financial generosity of the Philippian believers as a pleasing aroma to God (Phil 4:18).
2. It is a demonstration of Trust
All good relationships are built upon trust. Bringing an annual tithe was also a demonstration of trust. You were trusting that God would supply your family with all its needs despite foregoing a tenth of your crop. Relationship with God is always at the heart of tithing. Jesus tells us not to be anxious because God’s care towards us is great (Matthew 6:27). Paul wrote about his experiences of trusting God in times of need and plenty. He found that all these experiences forged a deeper level of intimacy and contentment (Phil 4:11).
3. It is a response to Need
Redistribution of one’s wealth is not only the right thing to do but the responsible thing to do. Our resources are to be used in response to the needs around us. Many of the practical needs in the early church were met by people within their Christian community. Food ministries were established for the hungry (Acts 6:12). Financial provision was sent to those undertaking a personal calling to serve God (2 Cor 11:7-10). Redistribution of one’s resources served to establish an equality between the haves and have-nots (2 Cor 8: 13-15) and provide for the livelihood of those who led the church (Luke 10:7; 1 Cor 9:13-14).
1. It is an act of Worship
In biblical times God required his people to bring a tenth (a tithe) of all their produce to the temple annually. In his presence they were to feast on the produce. It was a thanksgiving meal for his provision that year (Deut. 14:22-28). It was an act of worship. Bringing your tithe before God served as a reminder that he was the ultimate provider, and that he was to be worshipped for his provision. In keeping with this imagery Paul, a prominent follower of Jesus, described the financial generosity of the Philippian believers as a pleasing aroma to God (Phil 4:18).
2. It is a demonstration of Trust
All good relationships are built upon trust. Bringing an annual tithe was also a demonstration of trust. You were trusting that God would supply your family with all its needs despite foregoing a tenth of your crop. Relationship with God is always at the heart of tithing. Jesus tells us not to be anxious because God’s care towards us is great (Matthew 6:27). Paul wrote about his experiences of trusting God in times of need and plenty. He found that all these experiences forged a deeper level of intimacy and contentment (Phil 4:11).
3. It is a response to Need
Redistribution of one’s wealth is not only the right thing to do but the responsible thing to do. Our resources are to be used in response to the needs around us. Many of the practical needs in the early church were met by people within their Christian community. Food ministries were established for the hungry (Acts 6:12). Financial provision was sent to those undertaking a personal calling to serve God (2 Cor 11:7-10). Redistribution of one’s resources served to establish an equality between the haves and have-nots (2 Cor 8: 13-15) and provide for the livelihood of those who led the church (Luke 10:7; 1 Cor 9:13-14).
HOW SHOULD I GIVE?
Three ways to practise giving:
1. Give Generously
Jesus observed people — both the rich and the poor —as they placed their money into the temple treasury. Having observed a poor widow place in two small copper coins he said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than anyone else; for they gave out of their surplus but she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had to live on” (Luke 21:1-4).
Giving may not be at the top of our list of cheerful activities, but it can be a personally enriching experience. Paul says that we should give, not under compulsion or begrudgingly, but rather deliberately and cheerfully, according to what resources we have available (2 Cor 8:12; 9:6-9).
2. Give Regularly
Routines and patterns within our lives reveal our deeply held values. They reflect our personal priorities. The regular setting aside of a certain amount ensures that generosity remains a personal priority (1 Cor 16:2). It requires us to be disciplined but at the heart, it is supposed to be a visible and regular demonstration of ones love (2 Cor 8:8).
3. Give Quietly
There is a tendency in all of us to want to flaunt our generosity. It seems like such a noble thing! Everyone should know how generous I am, shouldn’t they? No. Jesus says, ‘give quietly’, so that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. Don’t blow your own trumpet, rather give your gifts in secret, and your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you (Matt 6:2-4). Jesus was criticizing the trumpeting of one’s own act of charity because giving, at its core, is about others, not ourselves.
1. Give Generously
Jesus observed people — both the rich and the poor —as they placed their money into the temple treasury. Having observed a poor widow place in two small copper coins he said, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than anyone else; for they gave out of their surplus but she, out of her poverty, put in all that she had to live on” (Luke 21:1-4).
Giving may not be at the top of our list of cheerful activities, but it can be a personally enriching experience. Paul says that we should give, not under compulsion or begrudgingly, but rather deliberately and cheerfully, according to what resources we have available (2 Cor 8:12; 9:6-9).
2. Give Regularly
Routines and patterns within our lives reveal our deeply held values. They reflect our personal priorities. The regular setting aside of a certain amount ensures that generosity remains a personal priority (1 Cor 16:2). It requires us to be disciplined but at the heart, it is supposed to be a visible and regular demonstration of ones love (2 Cor 8:8).
3. Give Quietly
There is a tendency in all of us to want to flaunt our generosity. It seems like such a noble thing! Everyone should know how generous I am, shouldn’t they? No. Jesus says, ‘give quietly’, so that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing. Don’t blow your own trumpet, rather give your gifts in secret, and your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you (Matt 6:2-4). Jesus was criticizing the trumpeting of one’s own act of charity because giving, at its core, is about others, not ourselves.
WHERE DO I START?
If all this talk about giving and generosity is new to you, by now you might be feeling a little nervous so may I make some practical suggestions?
1. Start where you are.
Giving begins at home, at work, or where ever you find yourself being presented with an opportunity and nudged by God. Do it. Reach into your wallet, take out some money, and give. That’s the exchange I’m talking about. At first it might feel like you’re robbing yourself of hard earned cash. Perhaps you are. But in God’s terms you will be partnering with him in bringing a little of his kingdom here on earth, just like it is in heaven. And that’s eternal work.
Over time you will come to experience the freedom and clarity practising generosity brings to your life.
2. Ask God to set the number
At this point some people quite rightly ask, “How much should I give?” To this I reply, “There is not a set number.” The earlier parts of the Bible use the word ‘tithe’ which means ten percent. However the New Testament focusses upon the idea of generosity rather than repeating a fixed amount. So you might start with a ‘tithe’ amount. For some people this might seem like a big jump, or a great stretch, and it can be. So I would suggest that you first focus upon the practice of generosity rather than being overly concerned about the amount.
Better still, why not seriously ask God to speak to you about the amount. This might vary over time or change over seasons. After you have asked, do what he says. And continue to be open to his voice.
Most of all though, ask him to help you buy into generosity and the pattern of redistribution. I can affirm, having practised the act of giving for many years now, that it really is an exchange of values worth embracing, because at the heart of it is a generous God who has given it all.
3. Build into New Community
What about New Community? Glad you asked. If you identify with NCR as your faith community, then I would invite you to give so we can all share the financial load, release staff to serve, and build into the life of New Community together.
Here is where you can give:
Physically: in the letter boxes on a Sunday
Direct Deposit to NCR Bank Account:
Account name: New Community Ringwood
BSB 704 922 Account no: 100013794
Online via Giveway: Go to the Giveway website -
https://www.giveway.org.au/bfsgiveway/generosity
where you can give via credit card or direct debit.
1. Start where you are.
Giving begins at home, at work, or where ever you find yourself being presented with an opportunity and nudged by God. Do it. Reach into your wallet, take out some money, and give. That’s the exchange I’m talking about. At first it might feel like you’re robbing yourself of hard earned cash. Perhaps you are. But in God’s terms you will be partnering with him in bringing a little of his kingdom here on earth, just like it is in heaven. And that’s eternal work.
Over time you will come to experience the freedom and clarity practising generosity brings to your life.
2. Ask God to set the number
At this point some people quite rightly ask, “How much should I give?” To this I reply, “There is not a set number.” The earlier parts of the Bible use the word ‘tithe’ which means ten percent. However the New Testament focusses upon the idea of generosity rather than repeating a fixed amount. So you might start with a ‘tithe’ amount. For some people this might seem like a big jump, or a great stretch, and it can be. So I would suggest that you first focus upon the practice of generosity rather than being overly concerned about the amount.
Better still, why not seriously ask God to speak to you about the amount. This might vary over time or change over seasons. After you have asked, do what he says. And continue to be open to his voice.
Most of all though, ask him to help you buy into generosity and the pattern of redistribution. I can affirm, having practised the act of giving for many years now, that it really is an exchange of values worth embracing, because at the heart of it is a generous God who has given it all.
3. Build into New Community
What about New Community? Glad you asked. If you identify with NCR as your faith community, then I would invite you to give so we can all share the financial load, release staff to serve, and build into the life of New Community together.
Here is where you can give:
Physically: in the letter boxes on a Sunday
Direct Deposit to NCR Bank Account:
Account name: New Community Ringwood
BSB 704 922 Account no: 100013794
Online via Giveway: Go to the Giveway website -
https://www.giveway.org.au/bfsgiveway/generosity
where you can give via credit card or direct debit.