1 Cor. 9:6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written:
“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”[a]
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
As we head into our Thanksgiving Offering for our new children’s wing, I thought I’d share some reflections about the New Testament’s view on giving, and what God wants to do in and through our giving. First of all, the tithe, as much as it is a focus in the church today, is not necessarily the standard for giving in the New Testament church. The tithe (along with a number of other offerings) were required of God’s Old Testament people. However, the New Testament reveals a different standard: willing generosity from the heart. This is the kind of giving God desires.
Second of all, Paul mentions promises that go with this “sowing.” That is, generous sowing comes with generous reaping/blessing. No, this is not a “give-to-get” scheme that some churches promote, focusing on God giving big houses and fancy cars to those who give to a particular ministry. However, we cannot avoid the reality that this passage encourages us to give generously, trusting that God will meet our needs. More importantly, God’s goal is to bless us so that we can “abound in every good work.” Thus, God’s ultimate intent is not to fill your bank account, but rather to “enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.” God blesses our giving so that we can continue to give more!
In the end, Paul says this will result in “thanksgiving to God.” As we come to our Thanksgiving Offering, it is both an opportunity for us to give thanks for all that God has blessed us with this past year, but will also become an opportunity for others to give thanks to God because they will be blessed by the ministry that is done through our generous gifts for the next generation.
This Sunday we will take up two offerings. The first will be our regular weekly offering. The second will be our Thanksgiving Offering. As part of this second offering, we will also be inviting folks to make pledges for the Called to Grow building campaign over the course of the next three years. Even if you previously made a commitment but would like to continue with that same amount, we are asking that everyone who commits to give over the next three years fill out a card so we can have an up-to-date number for commitments moving forward.
I look forward to seeing what God does in and through this offering and campaign and the stories of how God will bless and provide for those who give generously!