Acts of the Assembly: Giving I. Introduction A. In the New Testament we see examples of brethren assembling and engaging in various activities 1. These activities include singing, praying, the Lord's Supper, hearing a lesson, giving, and studying the Bible 2. Such, then, are the things we do as we assemble together with one another B. It is good for us, then, to spend some time examining the nature of these activities so that we can engage in them more properly and more profitably C. We have already examined singing, having seen that we are to sing songs to encourage, teach and admonish one another, and therefore must give all diligence to what we sing D. We have looked into praying and how our prayers in the assembly are to function, giving thanks to God, making requests of Him, and in so doing encouraging one another E. We have considered the memorial of the Lord's Supper, how we are to remember the Lord's death and resurrection, and how the Lord's Supper represents the communion of believers F. We have also considered the lesson, and how the lesson is there to present material of exhortation, rebuke, or instruction to encourage the brethren G. Let us continue by looking into giving H. Before we begin, let us keep two important truths in mind: 1. In the New Testament, "worship" is not limited to practices inside an assembly; the "assembly" and "worship" are never explicitly connected in the New Testament. Our lives of spiritual service-- being a living and holy sacrifice-- according to God's will represents our worship to God in spirit and in truth (Romans 12:1, John 4:20-24). Assembling with the saints is a part of that spiritual service, but not the sum of our worship to God 2. Likewise, we have seen from 1 Corinthians 14:12, 26 and Hebrews 10:24-25 that the purpose of what we do in the assembly is to edify and encourage one another-- everything we say regarding giving in the assembly must be considered in that light I. Having established such things, let us examine giving in the assembly from the Scriptures II. Giving in the Assembly in the Scriptures A. Let us begin by seeing the nature of giving in the assembly in the New Testament B. Acts 2:45, Acts 4:33-37, Acts 5:1-10 1. All of these passages attest to the giving of the earliest church 2. They gave all that they had, in large part, so that none would have needs C. 1 Corinthians 16:1-3, 2 Corinthians 8-9 1. In these passages Paul addresses the giving by the brethren in Corinth and Macedonia 2. Paul affirms that they are to give, and that on the first day of the week 3. They were collecting for the needs of the saints in Judea D. These represent the examples that we find of giving in the assembly in the New Testament 1. We see that the collection was made on the first day of the week 2. We see that the collection was designed to meet the needs of the congregation E. Caveat 1. In this lesson we are speaking solely on giving in the assembly 2. It is of course recognized-- and very much encouraged-- that we are to give to others in their times of needs as individuals (Matthew 25:31-46, Galatians 6:10, etc.) 3. Our giving ought not be limited to the assembly 4. At another time we can explore the need to give outside of the assembly; please just recognize that this lesson is not trying to exclude that kind of giving, but such is simply not part of the scope of this lesson F. Having seen such things, let us explore why the collection is necessary III. Why Giving? A. A stumbling-block to many is that we do not have an explicit command for us to give in the Scriptures 1. There are certainly commands for the Corinthians and Galatians to give, but surely Paul is not coming to pick up our collection! 2. It is bothersome to some that the Scriptures do not explicitly speak of a treasury or a command to collect B. Regardless, we can see from the Scriptures why giving would be necessary: to meet the needs of the church 1. Such is what we saw in the Biblical examples 2. There was a need in the church in Jerusalem-- the church took collections of the proceeds of all the people to meet it 3. There was a need in Judea-- churches in many places took collections to meet it C. The Scriptures do indicate what the needs of the church would be D. Benevolence 1. Benevolence for saints elsewhere in times of trouble: 1 Corinthians 16:1-3, 2 Corinthians 8-9 2. Benevolence for members of the church in need: "widows indeed", 1 Timothy 5:3-16 a. incidentally, the example here in 1 Timothy 5 demonstrates the need for a treasury b. it is manifest that the church is to support the physical needs of "widows indeed" (vv. 5, 9-10, 16) c. since the widows would require continual support, it is by necessary inference that we see that the church in Ephesus would require some form of a "treasury" to maintain the funds necessary to support such widows 3. We can see, then, that when the need arises, the church is to support its own financially E. Evangelism 1. The evangelist: 1 Corinthians 9:1-15, Philippians 4:15 2. Paul demonstrates that those who preach the Gospel have the right to receive physical, monetary reward for their spiritual work in 1 Corinthians 9 3. In Philippians 4:15 we see that the church in Philippi did send some form of physical benefit, be it money or supplies, to assist Paul in his work elsewhere 4. Paul charges that he "robbed" other churches so as to work with the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 11:8) 5. We can see, then, that the church is to support evangelism F. Miscellany 1. The church has need to support teaching (Acts 2:42) 2. If the collective determines to have a building to expedite assembling, the church will have to support it (Hebrews 10:25) 3. Elders perhaps require support (1 Timothy 5:17-18) G. Giving, then, is necessary, since the church has these needs which it must fulfill 1. In theory, if the church had no financial needs, a collection would not be necessary 2. Yet while we are still on the earth, souls will need saving and brethren will need relief, so therefore there are always needs that require meeting, whether locally or abroad IV. Who Gives and When? A. Having seen why we give, it is good to see who is to give and when B. In all the examples we have seen, Christians, members of local congregations have given 1. The only means of support of churches in the New Testament, as revealed to us, is the freewill contributions of its members 2. The burden, then, is squarely on the members of a congregation to support its work C. The only indication we have regarding when Christians gave is that they made collection on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:1-3) 1. Since the same day Christians assembled to partake of the Lord's Supper (Acts 20:7), we can see that it was a normative practice to have at least one assembly on the first day of the week 2. The opportunity was then given for the brethren to give 3. We see no indication as to other times brethren would have given; therefore, we know that it is right to give on the first day of the week, and have no positive Biblical authority for doing so on any other day V. How Much Shall We Give? A. The next major question, of course, is "how much shall we give"? B. The New Testament gives no explicit amount or percentage 1. In the old covenant, the Israelites were to give 20%: 10% to support the Levites, 10% given to the Lord (Leviticus 27:30, Numbers 18:21) 2. We have no such concept in the New Testament 3. The New Testament does teach us about how we ought to give by example and by precept C. Precepts of Giving 1. "as he may prosper"-- 1 Corinthians 16:2 a. we have the indication from this verse that our giving is to be in proportion to how much God has prospered us b. the better off we are, the better we should be giving 2. "not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver"-- 2 Corinthians 9:7-8 a. the main thrust of this passage is that we are to give not grudgingly, or as if we feel bound to give, but cheerfully b. lest anyone believe that as long as what you give you give cheerfully is acceptable, consider verse 6-- what you sow you shall reap c. if you sow sparingly but cheerfully, it is doubtful that you will be that cheerful when you reap sparingly! d. it is when you sow bountifully and cheerfully that you receive the reward 3. Such represent the precepts God has established for our giving D. Examples of Giving 1. Mark 12:41-43 a. while this example is regarding the old covenant, Jesus is highly instructive in His perspective on the matter b. even though on a number level the widow put in far less, proportionally she put in far, far more c. while the others perhaps put in 10-20%, and that in their excess, she put in 100% in her poverty d. hence, she gave more than all those who had come before her 2. Acts 2:45, Acts 4:33-37 a. in the early church, the example of giving is significant b. brethren were selling property and goods to make sure that no one had any needs c. Joseph, called Barnabas, sold a field and gave all of the proceeds to the Apostles to take care of the needs of everyone! 3. Acts 5:1-11 a. even in the example of Ananias and Sapphira do we see giving! b. Ananias and Sappira were not condemned because they did not desire to give all of the money of the sale to the Apostles, they were condemned because they lied to the Apostles and to the Holy Spirit by acting as if what they were giving was 100% of the proceeds c. while we may not have any exact figures, we can imagine that, proportionally, Ananias and Sappira were prepared to give more than what they had kept back, lest their ruse be obvious! d. even in this negative example, then, do we see some significant giving! 4. 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 a. when challenging the Corinthians to give as they had professed the desire to give, Paul describes for them how the Macedonians have given b. Paul reports with joy that the Macedonians have given not just at their means, but beyond their means, and that of their own free will! c. again, while we have no specific figures, we can imagine that the Macedonians were giving at least a quarter of their earnings since such were beyond their means d. regardless, it is hard to imagine that they would have given less than ten percent and yet be going beyond their means! E. The precepts of giving, illustrated by the examples of giving, thus tell us much about how we ought to give 1. The new covenant is not about a percentage, as it was under the old 2. Yet, since we have been the recipients of the greater promise and are under the better covenant (Hebrews 8:5-7), should it not stand to reason that we should give as much if not more than the Israelites were charged to give? 3. What does "as you may prosper" or "give cheerfully" really mean? Let us not consider our liberty to be an excuse for sloppiness or a pretense of greed-- we ought to give well! 4. After all, you reap what you sow, be it small or large! 5. It ought to be telling to see the examples of giving in the New Testament-- not one example was inferior to what was given under the old covenant! F. Are we giving in the same spirit and with the same generosity as the Christians of the New Testament? G. If not, let us consider bringing our giving to be in accordance with the greatness of the blessings that we have in Christ Jesus VI. Conclusion A. We have seen the nature of giving in the assembly B. We have seen that early Christians assembled on the first day of the week and gave, and gave bountifully C. They gave because the church had needs to meet and they felt compelled to meet them D. The early church had no other discernible source of income-- the brethren bore the burden alone E. We have seen how they used the liberty that they were given in terms of how much to give to give far more bountifully than what was mandated under the Law F. Let us, then, give heed to the examples of those who have come before us, and only be guilty of giving liberally and cheerfully G. Songbook/invitation H. Christians give because they recognize that God has given to them so much 1. If you are not a Christian, we want you to recognize that God has given of His Son so that you may have the forgiveness of sin 2. Come in obedient faith today and receive His blessings! 3. Or perhaps you are a Christian but have not lived as you ought; we can help you make your life right today 4. Or perhaps you simply require encouragement to keep the faith I. However we can help you, please let us do so; come to the front as we stand and sing