“…As Any Might Have Need”

Scripture:            John 3:16; Acts 20:35

C.I.:                The Grace of Giving (Part 2)

Last week we saw that our giving is our response to God – for the incredible gift of His Son.

Today we will conclude this series – by seeing that a Xn – is never more like God – than when we give!

I. The Purpose of Giving:

1. To Unify Us (unity is very important to God – Jn. 17:21, “…that they may all be one, even as….”)

a. Our corporate worship is to be a unifying force in the body.

b. Singing:

1) (Quote Eph. 5:19), “Speaking to one another in songs and hymns and spiritual songs….”

2) (Heb. 2:12), “I will proclaim your name to my brethren, - in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.”

c. Lord’s Supper:

1) (I Cor. 10:16-17), “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? – Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? – Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; - for we all partake of the one bread.”

d. Proclamation:

1) Teaching/Preaching/Scripture Reading should all bring us together – (Eph. 4:11-13), “He gave some… - until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.”

e. Giving:

1) As each act of worship expresses unity – so too does our giving.

2)  (Acts 4:32), “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; - and not one of them claimed that anything belong to him was his own, - but all things were common property to them.”

3) It is another example of how the saved – join together to glorify our God - as ONE!

2. To meet the physical & spiritual needs of others - (that’s what God did – Scripture Reading)

a. Widows & Orphans:

1) (Jms. 1:27), “This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God: - to visit the widows and orphans in the time of their distress.”

b. Others with needs:

1) Congregation: (Acts 4:34), “For there was not a needy person among them, - for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles’ feet, - and they would be distributed to each as any had need.”

2) Individual / Alms: (Jms. 2:14-17), “What use is it my brethren, if someone says they have faith, but he has no works? – Can that faith save him? – If a brother or sister is without clothing or in need of daily food, - and one of you says to them, ‘Be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? – Even so faith, if it has no works [giving] is dead, being by itself.”

3) Missionaries: (Phil. 4:15-16), “You yourselves 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; - for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once.”

3. To bring our heart in line with the heart of God (all of these attitudes are also found in God):

a. Attitude #1: Selflessness

1) (II Cor. 8:5), “…they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.”

2) (Jn. 10:18), “No one takes My life away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative.

3) Giving: What are we more concerned about – what we get to keep – or what we have to give?

b. Attitude #2: Readiness

1) (II Cor. 8:12), “For if the readiness is present, it [giving] is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have.”

2) (Rom. 5:6), “At the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”

c. Attitude #3: Generousness

1) (II Cor. 9:6), “He who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully.”

2) (Rom. 8:32), “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”

d. Attitude #4: Cheerfulness

1) (II Cor. 9:7), “Let each one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or under compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

CONCLUSIONS:

1.  As with every other act of worship – our giving should bring us together as a unified people of God.

2.  In our giving we should be seeking to meet the physical and spiritual needs of others.

3.  Our attitude when we give should be the same that of God who gave Himself for us. – Rom. 6:3-4