Acts 20:35
says that Jesus taught, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” What does
this teach us about our church contribution?Acts 20:35
says that Jesus taught, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” What does
this teach us about our church contribution?We would expect a gift to bless the person who receives it, but Jesus said the person who properly gives a gift is even more blessed than the one who receives it.
Some think this means, if you give money (especially to a televangelist), God will give you back more money than you gave: maybe even make you rich. Some call this “seed faith.”
But 1 Timothy 6:5 warns us not to believe that godliness is a means of gain. God has promised to care for His people, but He has never promised to remove all problems and surely not that we will become wealthy in material goods and pleasures.
So where is the blessedness in giving?
Philippians 4:17-19 – Regarding the financial support sent him by the church in Philippi Paul said: “Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.” The gift that the church sent to Paul resulted in a blessing to the givers.
2 Corinthians 9:6-12 – If we sow bountifully and give cheerfully, God will make sure we have abundance of the things we need to do good. This will increase our righteousness and result in glory and thanksgiving to God.
God has richly blessed us, especially with forgiveness through the sacrifice of Jesus. Surely Christians should feel blessed when we know we have used what God has given us to honor Him and to encourage other people to honor Him.
Matthew 25:34-40 – At the final judgment, those who have helped the needy will inherit the kingdom God prepared for the righteous from the foundation of the world.
Luke 14:12-14 – Those who provide for the poor and unfortunate will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.
No one can buy eternal life, yet giving generously to others is one condition God expects us to meet so He can reward us with eternal life by His grace.
I suspect that the blessings that God gives to those who give to others are beyond our ability to fully comprehend. But the principle goes far beyond giving material things. Many blessings that God has given to us give us the greatest joy when we share those blessings with others:
* Showing love for others results in loving relationships with God and with others.
* Sharing the message of the gospel leads us to benefit from the gospel ourselves.
* The one who teaches God’s word usually learns more than his students.
* Giving joy to others is one of the best ways to be a joyful person yourself.
The selfish person, who seeks self-indulgence and self-pleasure, will not be truly happy in this life or in eternity. The truly happy person is the one who does good for others. Those who seek to help others will find real meaning in this life and in the next life.
“It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
(Psalm 41:1,2; 112:5-7; Isaiah 58:7-12)
(c) Copyright David E. Pratte, 2018; gospelway.com
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Scripture quotations are generally from the New King James Version (NKJV), copyright 1982, 1988 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. used by permission. All rights reserved.