IN PAUL’S LETTER to the Corinthian church, he discusses key aspects of generosity with them. The most important is application is this: “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. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” (2 Cor. 9:10) Paul speaks here not only to individuals, but beyond that to an entire church body, and beyond that to the interdependency that is inherent in all Christian churches. No one, and no one organization, exists in a vacuum, nor, in fact, is there any real independence in life at any level. We all have need for assistance and collaboration for shared activities towards a mutual goal at various times. The call for generosity to meet need is a primary principle in the life of the church, and we see this early in the very first church: “All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.” (Acts 2:44-45)
That same principle is seen in the nascent organization and partnership of Christian churches, as the work of evangelists birthed new churches throughout the ANE and Asia Minor as recorded in the testimonies of Barnabas and Paul. The Jerusalem church was recognized as central to the spread of this new movement, and exercised a much-needed leadership role. “We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul—men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing.” (Acts 15:24:27) In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul is asking the Achaian church to extend generosity to the newer church in Macedonia, with every expectation that they will do so.
Paul is the church of Jesus Christ’s first mass evangelist, and as such, he sets the pattern and the standard for all who will later follow him in this work. That sequence is to commission evangelizing church planters, to raise support for a specific church plant, to disciple and raise up leadership for the new church, and to find partner churches to help support the new church until it is established and becomes self-supporting, able to adequately meet the varied needs of its members. “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.” (2 Cor. 9:12)
The underlying foundational principle in all of this is generosity, and Paul appeals to this, not as a characteristic of the natural man, but instead from the perspective of the magnanimity of Jehovah Jireh—the provider of all things. “He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever.” (2 Cor. 9:9) God is not only generous; he is eternally generous, and does so from an endless fount of blessings. In Paul’s mind there is a direct connection between the Torah and his own writings about the nature and potential of man.
Formed in God’s image (cf. Gen. 1:27), the reborn man is ever being conformed to that image (cf. Rom. 12:2). Latent within the human spirit is a desire to do some great thing; our God-likeness calls us to be involved in some beneficial way. We desire a larger-than-life experience; to become part of a tremendous legacy-building movement that is greater than we are, and will last longer than our brief span of life. Paul understands this aspect of the man-seeking-God human experience, and often uses it to motivate others. All great motivators understand this. Anointed leaders, appointed by God, use this principle of motivation to unlock the spiritual gifts that are inherent in every body of Christ, and do so not for personal gain, but for the glory of God.
Generosity does not begin with the body of Christ. It begins first with God, and progressively enlightens our understand of God as Jehovah Jireh, the provider. Generosity begins its work as individuals within the body overcome the natural man’s tendency to grasp and hold on to the resources of life that give a sense of security. The more one has, the more secure one feels, or so the natural man believes. In practice, and in fact, the more one has, the more one wants. James warns of such an attitude: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” (James 4:1-3)
The desire to ‘have’ ever-produces the carnal desire to have more—this is the lot of those who do not know the path of life that comes from and returns to their creator. Fulfilling this desire is a violation of the Tenth Commandment: “You shall not covet.” (Ex. 20:17) Jesus tells the parable of a rich man whose harvest was so great that he exulted in the thought of building new and bigger barns. The lesson is this: “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself? This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.’” (Luke 12:16-21)
Jesus teaches the antidote to covetousness, saying “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matt. 6:25-24)
Many in first-world countries live in an age of affluence, and, all too often, excess. The most prosperous country the world has ever seen is America. It surpasses even ancient Babylon in adjusted wealth GDP, but it is also one of the most debt-laden. The per-capita share of the national debt is quickly transcending the $80,000 figure cited only a few years ago. And, the more debt-laden she becomes, the more tightly we hold on to the resources we have left; almost all charities now report a significant decrease in giving.
It is time for our first-world churches to practice far more intentionally what we preach. And that begins with you, and with me. We are on the front lines of the mission of God to redeem a lost and dying world. If we are to be about our Jesus’ great commission (cf. Matt. 28:18-20), we must have the principles of our Father in place in our lives. He equips us with spiritual gifts, and with practical resources. His purpose is not for the glorification of our personal needs. Jesus says, “Consider carefully what you hear. With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” (Mark 4:24-25)
If we set an example of generosity in our own lives, then perhaps within our church, others will follow. When enough band together in this way, the church is positioned in the will of God, and the work of God can then flow. With impassioned persistent prayer, with spiritual gifts released, and with abundant resources, the mission of God is empowered. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.” (2 Cor. 9:13) The generosity of the Father flows unrestricted to his children to the ends of the earth. “ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (2 Cor. 9:6)
Q. If Jesus came tomorrow, what would he say about my generosity?
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