Trusting God Concerning Giving and Receiving Part 3
Estimated reading time: 14 minutes
Cheerful Giving
We are going to look at three questions today.
Was Jesus Poor?
Most people use this verse to say that Jesus was essentially homeless.
Matthew 8:20 KJV:
And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.
That’s not what that verse means.
Matthew 13:1 KJV:
The same day went Jesus out of the house, and sat by the sea side.
Jesus had many people who followed him, including the 12 disciples and the women who followed him. He basically took care of those people—and possibly others—for more than a year. Wherever they went, they stayed in homes. That required money. Sometimes he stayed with people who had room, and sometimes he rented from people or stayed in an Inn. Remember, it had to accommodate at least 13 men. He also had wealthy friends.
2 Corinthians 8:9 KJV:
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
Many people get the idea that being poor is good, and if you want to be like Jesus, you should be poor.
No. Read the context. The poverty it is talking about has nothing to do with money; it’s about how he gave his life.
The poorest you can be is dead!
Jesus gave everything—he gave his life! He became as poor as you could possibly be, so that we could have life. It has nothing to do with money!
In Luke Chapter 2, when it talks about Jesus being in a manger, people get the idea that Mary and Joseph were poor. But the context is that Jerusalem was filled with people coming to the festival that was going on at that time that year, so there just wasn’t room.
Jesus didn’t stay in the manger. In Matthew we see that he was in a house.
Matthew 2:11 KJV:
And when they [the wise men, magi] were come into the house, they saw the young child [not baby, he was almost a year old here] with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
Those were some of the most valuable things you could give to someone at that time. The magi believed that Jesus was a king. When you visit a king and bring gifts, you bring a treasure!
There were not three magi. They would have come in a large caravan for safety from thieves and raiders. They probably had boxes of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Because of these gifts, Mary and Joseph had the money to flee to Egypt and live there for as long as they needed to.
What did Mary and Joseph do with the rest of the money? They safeguarded that money so that it would be there for Jesus when he came of age at age 30.
There’s nothing wrong with saving!
Luke 14:28–29 KJV:
28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? 29 Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him,
What if, halfway through Jesus’s ministry, he ran out of money and had to stop? Jesus himself must have counted the cost of what would be required to take care of his disciples for all that time. In our modern terms, this could have easily been half a million dollars.
Jesus was not poor (financially)!
Jesus also said, “Freely you received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8). How could he say that if he didn’t do it himself?
John 13:29 KJV:
For some of them thought, because Judas had the bag, that Jesus had said unto him, Buy those things that we have need of against the feast; or, that he should give something to the poor.
They needed a treasurer to handle the money. They had money for what they would need for the feast or to give to the poor. They didn’t think it was at all unusual to tell Judas to do that. So, it must not have been an unusual occurrence for Jesus to say to buy something or to give money to someone.
Jesus was in the business of giving—all the time.
When they fed the 5,000, they had already been taking care of those people for three days in the wilderness and had little left. They needed to eat so they could stay and hear the Word.
We need to change our thinking about this whole idea.
Money is not bad in itself. What matters is how you use it.
Counting the cost of something is what we should do.
Remember when Jesus spoke to the rich young ruler who asked what he should do to inherit eternal life. Jesus told him to sell his possessions (plural, his plurality) and give to the poor. So the young man went away sad because he had grown to trust in his riches.
Mark 10:24 KJV:
And the disciples were astonished at his words. But Jesus answereth again, and saith unto them, Children, how hard is it for them that trust in riches to enter into the kingdom of God!
It’s the trusting in riches, not having riches, that is the problem. It’s the love of money that’s the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10).
1 Timothy 6:17 KJV:
Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;
If He gives us richly all things to enjoy, doesn’t that include some money? So that you can do the things that He wants you to do.
Money can be used, but not trusted in.
One of the main things that God tells us is that we are to take care of the poor.
Proverbs 19:17 KJV:
He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.
Proverbs 19:17 ESV:
Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay him for his deed.
Who Are the Poor?
You can find more information in Chapter 8, Alms for the Poor, in my book Enriched in Everything.
Deuteronomy 14:28 KJV:
At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: 29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger [foreigners, non-Israelites], and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.
God’s definition of “poor” doesn’t mean that they have no money. It’s a category of who to look for to see who you should give to.
Many people compare the Levites with ministers today. This is probably the area in the field of giving that has the most misunderstandings.
1. Levites are the general category of workers for God. It is not talking about gift ministries or priests per se. It is anyone who is a worker for God.
2. The reason the Levites were in the category of poor was because it was a matter of time. Either they could spend their time in the field growing what they needed, or they could spend their time encouraging people in the Word. They are not in the category because they are unable to work, but because God called them to do a different kind of work.
3. Today is very different from Old Testament times. We must be very careful when we try to make rules from Old Testament times and apply them to today.
Today, there is no hierarchy, but in the Old Testament, there was.
Gift ministers today are servants, underneath, not above. Their life is the gift. They are not intermediaries between God and people. They are servants.
4. In the Old Testament, the priests were on top of the food chain. They could keep what they received and were never told to tithe or give anything.
We should look to the First-Century apostles: when money was laid at their feet, they distributed it. They didn’t keep it all for themselves. They appointed “men in whom the Spirit of God was” to oversee distributing it equitably.
5. Those who minister the gospel, who teach spiritual things, do deserve to receive material things. A workman is worthy of his hire (1 Timothy 5:18).
1 Corinthians 9:9–14 KJV:
9 For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? 10 Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. 11 If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things? 12 If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ. 13 Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar? 14 Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel.
6. God set it up so that there was no centralization of the money. There was to be a flow from people with abundance to people with need, with equality (no one more important than someone else).
Think of an example. Let’s say you have 100 people in your congregation who each average $30,000 per year. . You (erroneously) expect them to tithe $3,000 each. That means that the minister or church is making 10 times what the average person is making. Should the congregation live on $27,000 while the minister lives on $300,000? Does that seem equitable? Is that equality?
It’s not equitable for the minister to live at a much higher level than their congregation. The minister should live at a similar level to the people in their congregation.
The minister is no better than the congregation.
In the previous session, we saw that God set things up so that the Levites would be equal, not richer or poorer than the other tribes. Why should it be any different today?
What is Cheerful or Joyous Giving?
2 Corinthians 9:5 KJV:
Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty [blessing], whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty [blessing], and not as of covetousness [greediness].
2 Corinthians 9:5 NET:
Therefore I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to go to you in advance and to arrange ahead of time the generous contribution you had promised, so this may be ready as a generous gift and not as something you feel forced to do.
It’s done well ahead of time so that people can’t boast about how much they are putting in the plate, and that people don’t feel obligated or forced to give for appearance’s sake.
Don’t give in order to get.
Giving should be a blessing, and it should not be something that you are loath to part with.
2 Corinthians 9:6 KJV:
But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
It’s not referring to the amount so much as the attitude, the heart. You give joyously because you want to give, you can’t wait to give.
Anyone can count the seeds in an apple, but how many apples are in a seed?
The idea is not that you put something in so that you get something back. You don’t put in an amount hoping for 100 times back. That’s not the idea. When you put a seed in the ground, it starts producing fruit that continues on.
Hosea 10:12 KJV:
Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.
In both Hebrew and Aramaic, the word translated as “righteousness” can be translated as “alms giving.”
Part of our righteousness (alms giving) is giving to the poor.
Joseph had no money when he was a slave or when he was in prison, but he gave his whole heart to serve the Lord. That’s what people recognized. That’s what Jesus Christ did, too. Wherever he went, he looked for the need.
2 Corinthians 9:7 KJV:
Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
God loves a cheerful giver is a paraphrase from Proverbs.
Proverbs 22:9 KJV:
He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.
Proverbs 22:9 NET:
A generous person will be blessed, for he has given some of his food to the poor.
The Hebrew idiom behind “he that hath a bountiful eye” can be translated as “a kind man,” or God blesses a man who is cheerful and a giver.
The idea is that there is a desire to do it. Remember Jesus, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). He knew what it would accomplish. He knew that when he let go of his life and became poor (dead) for us, that we would become rich (have eternal life).
Giving is part of a flow. You don’t know what will come from it.
The Hebrew idiom is that a simple or bountiful eye means generous, whereas an “evil eye” means stingy. The idea of a bountiful eye is also what Jesus was talking about in Luke 11:34, where the Aramaic is if your “eye is simple” (see also the Darby Bible, Young’s Literal Translation, or the Literal Standard Version), then your whole body is full of light. It means, if you are generous, your whole life is generous in everything you do, then your whole body is filled with light.
2 Corinthians 9:8 KJV:
And God is able to make all grace abound [increase] toward you; that ye [plural], always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
2 Corinthians 9:8 (other translations): (NASB 95) And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;
(NASB 2020) And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that, always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;
(NLT) And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
(NIrV) And God is able to shower all kinds of blessings on you. So in all things and at all times you will have everything you need. You will do more and more good works.
We first receive from God. We open our hand and receive, then we also cheerfully give, and it flows. In the next session, we’ll look at purposeful giving.
Scripture References
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked (NASB 95) taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture marked (NASB 2020) taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from The NET Bible® Copyright © 1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. www.netbible.com. All rights reserved.
Scripture marked (NIrV) The Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®. Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998, 2014 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188, USA. All rights reserved.
See Also:
Cheerful Givers by George Müller
The audio files are also available from the Acts Now Fellowship website:
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