They Gave To Anyone As He Had Need
The importance of sharing what you have was made plain to the Jews from the very first reading of God's law. He made provisions so that nobody would be poor or hungry. Every seven years there was to be a canceling of debts. They were to allow anyone to walk through their vineyards and grain fields and eat what they wanted as long as they didn't take any away with them. They were not to glean to the edges of their fields so that "the alien, the fatherless, and the widow" could take what they needed. This was the mindset of the Jew: that they were a community and they were to share what they had.During the reign of King Joash, he decreed that the temple should be restored. The people all came and put what they could into a large chest. II Chronicles 24 says that "all the people brought their contributions gladly." When the chest was full, it was emptied and brought back. They were happy to be doing what God wanted.
When the church was formed on the Day of Pentecost, we read immediately of the Christians sharing what they had, selling their possessions as people had need and laying their contributions at the feet of the apostles. This was no Utopia, even though we paint the early church that way. There were problems from the get go, as we see in the examples of Ananias and Saphira and in the overlooking of widows in Acts 6. But the fact remains: when someone had a need, the church filled that need.
This is certainly not the American way. This is the opposite of capitalism. This is brotherhood. This is family. This is not giving because you're supposed to, it's sharing because we simply will not allow others to live in need. This is giving in its purest form: an act of worship.
In "The Emerging Church," Dan Kimball writes of his change of heart in taking the offering. Initially, he dismissed it quickly, or put boxes in the back of the assembly to make it a private affair. Eventually he realized that people were being robbed of their chance to give worshipfully. He made it a point one day to teach how giving of what we have is like sending sweet incense up to God. Two tables were set up to the left and the right of the worshipers and on them were set candles, incense, scriptures pertaining to giving and deep baskets to hold the offerings. During a time of quiet singing and reflection, people were given time to approach the tables, read the verses, smell the incense and watch the smoke rise towards heaven...and then drop something in the basket. The contribution nearly doubled that day, but that was not the point. The point was that people were thrilled to give, they were happy to do what God wanted. They were blessed.
The mindset of God's people is that giving is GOOD. It pleases our father, it helps our brother, and it blesses us. And it shows those who don't know Christ that Christianity is not about asking for money. It is about helping, loving, and following the teachings of Jesus.
posted by Thurman8er @ 1:58 PM
1 Comments:
Paul encouraged the early believers to grow in the grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7). My feelings and attitudes changed regarding giving when I began to look at giving from this perspective.
This means our giving is an act of grace, an expression of worship, not a dutiful exercise of membership.
I also think a good gauge of our attitude towards giving is found in the ease at which we ask compared to the ease at which we give.
For example, is it easier for me to say "Can I borrow your golf clubs?" or is it easier for me to hear from someone else "Can I borrow your golf clubs." Which causes me more apprehension?
Far too often is has been easier to ask than it has been to give.
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