The Principles Of Giving (Part 2) (1)

Dear Bethelites,

As we are considering the topic of the principles of giving, we have touched on the purpose of giving in our previous pastoral chat. Today, we would like to focus on the time to give!

I. When Is The Time To Give?

1 Corinthians 16:2, Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

The first day of the week is Sunday. This is the day Christ was risen from the dead. The Jews would worship God on the Sabbath which is on Saturday (last day of the week according to the Jewish calendar). But when they realized that Jesus was the Messiah and they became believers, and with the resurrection of Christ, the day of worship was moved to the first day of the week which is Sunday. For example, in Acts 20:7a, “And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them.” Subsequently, this day is called the Lord’s Day, as the Apostle John said, “I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet (Revelation 1:10).”

So, when do we give? We give on the Lord’s Day, which is Sunday, the first day of the week. Today, many churches have switched from physical giving to bank transfers (to minimise the handling of “money” due to the previous Covid-19 pandemic). Some church members may choose to do the bank transfers throughout the week (e.g. Monday to Saturday), nonetheless, everyone understands that it is meant for the Lord’s Day!

Notice the phrase, upon the first day of the week, which means our giving must be regular. It is not dependent upon whether one feels or does not feel like giving. But every week, when we gather together for worship, let every one of you lay by him in store, which means, let everyone come prepared with what God has blessed him, and then he gives.

Some of us receive our paychecks every fortnight. In some countries, the people may receive their paychecks once a month. Is it wrong to give to the Lord every fortnight, or once a month? Should we receive our monthly paychecks, and we spread it out into four weeks, so we can have something to give each week? I do not think Paul was being legalistic here. The point is that our giving must be regular, so even if we do not have anything to give on a particular week, we must remember that giving is part of worship. Thus, here, the phrase, as God hath prospered him, would give us the liberty. If our regular income arrangement is every fortnight, or once a month, and we acknowledge that this is how God has blessed us, then let it be so. It is the spirit of the giving that matters!

Do you think God does not know how much we have received, or how much we give? He knows about the new job we have gotten, or the recent promotion, or the salary increment, etc. How can He not know? God is the One who has blessed us. Sometimes, people would say, “Well, it doesn’t matter how much you give, it is the heart that matters!” Allow me to give you an illustration. If today is your wife’s birthday, and she asks you, “Dear, where would you be taking me out for dinner tonight?” And you say, “I will just buy you a hamburger in a fast-food chain. Well, it is the heart that matters.” How do you think your wife would feel? By that, I do not mean there is anything wrong with celebrating someone’s birthday with a hamburger, and I am not making fun of those people who can only afford a hamburger. But I believe you understand my point!

God is not blind. He is able to see if the giving is inconsistent with the heart. He knows everything about us; the reasons why we give or not give, our excuses, our faithfulness, etc. Our God is omniscient, all-knowing!

Who are the people who give? Paul said, every one of you! Without exception, every believer is commanded to give. Some people have been blessed by God abundantly, and they can give more, others may be out of a job, or they are retirees, or they are students still receiving support from their parents. But everyone has something to give!

The original Greek word for in store is from where we get the English word for thesaurus or treasury. All the money collected would be put into a treasury, and today, we may call it a church account. The place where the money is to be collected, and then prayerfully dispensed, is the church. Sometimes when we hear of a brother or a sister in need, it is an emergency, we should help immediately, we do not wait until the Lord’s Day to address the need. But in normal circumstances, our giving should always be directed to the church, and the church is responsible to prayerfully dispense the giving.

Let me share with you a testimony. Many years ago, I knew of someone who claimed to be a preacher, but he refused to be supported by the church, even though the church offered to take him on full-time. Nobody knew the reason why, until several years later, they realized that he was receiving financial support from people everywhere, not only from individual church members but from other churches as well. He did not want to come under the church so he could go around to solicit for funds. Most people would not share about their giving, that was why it took such a long time for his motivation to be exposed. The Bible calls such people hirelings, and the only way to stop these hirelings is to be accountable to the church.

There is another reason why we should always direct our giving to the church because if we personally hand the money to the person, somehow, he or she would feel obligated to us, don’t you think? There is always this temptation to make the people obligated to us, appreciate and praise us, for our generosity. That is why the Bible warns us that when you give, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. When we put the money into the offering bag, nobody knows, only God knows!

And Paul continued to say, that there be no gatherings when I come, which means, when he came, the money was already prepared. But why didn’t Paul just wait until he comes, and then they can do the collection? Remember, firstly, giving is an ongoing regular practice, as part of worship on the Lord’s Day. And secondly, I think Paul did not want to pressure the people into giving, by his presence, “Oh, the Apostle Paul is here. The teacher is here. The theologian is here. Therefore we should give!” It must never be that way. That is why we must never use any gimmicks or pressure anyone into giving. Our giving should always be given willingly, and on the basis of love!

(To be continued in the next pastoral chat)

With love in Christ,

Pastor Paul Cheng

1 CORINTHIANS 16

The Principles Of Giving (Part 2) (1)

The Principles Of Giving (Part 2) (1)

1 Corinthians 16:1-4

The Principles Of Giving (Part 2)

The Principles Of Giving (Part 2)

1 Corinthians 16:1-4

The Principles Of Giving (Part 1)

The Principles Of Giving (Part 1)

1 Corinthians 16:1-4