THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING A GENEROUS CHURCH

A struggling single mother had spent weeks on her knees crying out to God, “Lord please give me just a little financial relief”. She faithfully gave what little she had, but bills mounted up. One morning, she found an envelope in her mailbox. Inside was the exact amount of cash needed for her overdue rent, power, and gas; with a little extra for groceries. The anonymous note inside read: “God sees you. He loves you. Trust his grace”

That act wasn’t about obligation; it was a beautiful, Spirit-led overflow of love. Like the churches in Macedonia described in 2 Corinthians, this generous person had first given themselves fully to the Lord, then, out of their joy and grace, responded to a very real need.

That story captures the heart of true generosity – the kind Paul writes about in 2 Cor. 8 and 9. Generosity that isn’t just a good habit, or something the church occasionally does alongside prayer and fellowship, but a core act of worship. It’s one of the most visible ways we declare our trust in God, and our love for others.[1]

So today to help us understand and live out this kind of Generosity we’re going to explore two passages: 2 Cor. 8:1-15 and 2 Cor. 9:6-15 under 2 headings: Reasons for Generosity & Our Response to Gods Generosity

1. REASONS FOR GENEROSITY

(READ) 2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Paul gives us at least five reasons for Generosity, the first being…

1. The Example of the Macedonian Churches (2 Cor. 8:1-5)

Comparisons between churches can often be unhelpful, but Paul uses the Macedonian churches as an example to lift the Corinthians’ vision higher when it comes to generosity. He doesn’t say, “Look at them, they’re rich and have no problems, of course they’re generous!” No. He says in 2 Corinthians 8:2, “In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.” God’s kindness to them wasn’t removing poverty, but making very poor people radically generous. That’s the situation! Not grumpy and whining, but overflowing with joy that somehow “welled up in rich generosity.”

And Paul was surprised; they gave more than he’d hoped for, more than they could afford. How does that happen? Verse 5 tells us: “They gave themselves first of all to the Lord…then…to us.” Paul’s most important point wasn’t the amount they gave, but that they gave their lives to God.[2] They put themselves in the offering. That’s the starting point for generosity.

The story is told of a very wealthy man, hesitant to surrender everything to God – much like the rich young man in the gospels. When he finally committed and it was time for his baptism, he showed up in an expensive three-piece suit, designer shoes and all. When the pastor asked “why are you dressed like that?”, he simply said, “This day marks the end of what I once valued above all else. Today, I declare that all I am, and all I have, belongs to him.”

He gave himself! Committing our lives to Jesus means giving our whole self to him.[3] That’s how we well-up with rich generosity! Generosity isn’t about fitting Jesus into your budget; it’s about aiming your entire budget at Jesus and the Kingdom of God. Generosity will be nowhere on the radar of our lives until the 3-piece suit and designer shoes are handed over to God[4].

The 2^nd Reason…

1. Grace from God (2 Cor. 8:1)

What has God given us? Everything! When Paul says in v.1 we want you to know about the grace God has given the Macedonian churches, he means everything that church received, owned and then gave away was purely by God’s grace.

Our generosity is helped by realising we can take no credit for what we have; everything belongs to God.  We own nothing! What we have in our possession and bank accounts is there by God’s grace.[5] We’re simply stewards of what is Gods to begin with. And one day we’ll give an account of how we stewarded God’s gifts to us in our salaries, pensions and investments. So, what does our stewarding say about where our treasure is[6]?

We know grace is God giving us what we don’t deserve. Pauls point is that generosity isn’t something we do out of obligation, but an outflow of God’s grace working in us. Acts 4:33, 34 …God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. Meaning generosity is passing on the grace of undeserved gifts God has given us.

1. The Example of Jesus (2 Cor. 8:9)

The most compelling reason for Generosity in this text, is v.9. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.

The cross was Christ emptying himself (Phil. 2) and becoming poor so we might become rich. Rich? What riches did Jesus give up? Not a house, car, or bank account. He gave up the riches of privilege.

What do I mean? Jesus is the King of Kings, the creator of earth. He never stopped being all-powerful. Yet he chose to give up the privilege of using his power for his own advantage[7]^. in order to serve, help and ultimately die for others.

…he became poor, so that you…might become rich. Rich materially? No. Rich in joy. Rich in treasuring Christ above anything and everything on earth. Rich in giving up our “rights” and privilege in order to serve and help others. Christ gave himself. How is God asking us to give ourselves?

The 4^th Reason for Generosity is it…

1. Proves a Motivation For Sharing (2 Cor. 8:14-15)

When Paul uses the word “equality” in 2 Cor. 8:14 he doesn’t mean every Christian has the exact same size back account. He means that God, as our provider, will ensure that every Christian has exactly what they NEED to carry out HIS purposes; not a dollar more or cent less!

Maybe Paul had Acts 4:32 in mind: All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.

There is no denying that scripture teaches that those who are blessed with more resources are called to share with those in need.

Again, this is equality not in exact terms, but where every person in the church has their basic needs met and no one suffers in painful poverty while others live in excess.

God calls us to a readiness to use our financial blessings to alleviate the burdens of others. This is because Christians are responsible for each other’s well-being.  Part of that responsibility is recognising that circumstances can change, overnight. Today we might be the giver, and tomorrow the receiver.

This principle hit me during the Covid season. Karyn and I delivered food parcels to homes, and honestly, I sometimes found myself driving up to lovely homes, thinking, “How do these people need this?” That was my sin. These people were desperate, lost jobs, lost income…Believers would say to us, “were not used to being on the receiving end, like this…”

Paul teaches that generosity proves our motivation for sharing. Is the motivation of our hearts a readiness to share at a moment’s notice[8]? Today the giver, tomorrow the receiver!

Having heard the Reasons for Generosity from 2 Cor. 8…let’s explore the Response in 2 Cor. 9:6-15

2. RESPONSE OF GENEROSITY

READ 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

The summary of Vv. 6-15 is: when the magnitude of the grace of God hits us, the response is generosity. However, our response will fall into 1 of 4 categories:

• I don’t want to – “I see nothing in the Bible that encourages generosity”
• I have to – “I give begrudgingly”
• I need to – “I give hesitantly”
• I want to – “I give as an act of worship…”

Where are we? The fourth place is where we need to be. I want to give, because as v.7 of 2 Cor. 9 says, God loves a cheerful giver. 

1. Cheerful Giving (2 Cor. 9:7)

Paul’s teaching on generosity is profoundly insightful, especially his emphasis on cheerful giving. He’s not offering a casual suggestion; he’s laying down a spiritual principle. Giving that isn’t cheerful – whether it’s reluctant, pressured, or even stingy – falls short of what God desires. God doesn’t delight in giving that is forced or half-hearted. Just as we can sense hesitation or insincerity when someone gives us something with a forced smile, God sees beyond the outward act and looks straight into the heart. He delights in generosity that overflows from joy, not duty.

In fact, I discovered in my study, the GK word for cheerful is hilaros. Which gives us the English? Hilarious! Paul means our generosity should be so cheerful it is side splitting!

So cheerful giving yes, but Paul being practical too, understands that generosity isn’t one-size-fits-all, but an individual decision based on personal circumstances. Life changes, things happen. Some of us have disposable income, others very little, some struggle to pay the weekly bills. So Pauls teaching is sensible. It’s why he says in 2 Cor. 8:11 Give in proportion to what you have…not what you don’t have….

This principle is about cheerful giving, but not beyond what you can afford. But afford, doesn’t mean giving after we’ve bought what we want. It is giving what we can afford, first, to God, based on our needs

So the summary of this first Response is: each of us must decide in our hearts before God, what our Generosity looks like, it’s in proportion to what you have, and how we are to give it, is cheerfully; hilariously!

1. Sowing and Reaping (2 Cor. 9:6-11)

The absolute first thing to say here is that God is not generous toward us, for us. He’s generous toward us, for his mission, his kingdom purposes and for others. We’re the means, to his ends!  

If you owned a 1000m2 of bare land, got in there with the rotary hoe, went to Bunnings and bought one of those tiny little packets of Broccoli seeds, cast them out and waited.

8 weeks later you’ll have a lot of dirt and 6 Broccoli! Paul says in v.6 we sow sparingly, we reap sparingly! He also says (v.6) you sow generously you’ll reap generously.

Now we know to be careful of taking Paul literally. He’s talking proverbially. Like Prov. 11:24-25 Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed[9].

Verses 6-11 don’t mean that when we put 10 bucks in the offering, God guarantees to give you back $20. We are never the end of the money food chain. Gods glory is.

What we sow, and how we sow correlates to what we reap. That could be a number of ways:

• The joy we get from helping others
• What it does for us spiritually, knowing we’re doing what God loves
• In the context of 2 Cor. 9 what we reap can/could be a greater capacity from God to sow more. Because when God sees us willing to give away and plant more seed, he’ll give us more seed. (see 2 Cor. 9: 10)

So the principle of sowing and reaping is: when we’re generous, with what God has provided, our generosity allows the blessing of Gods generosity to multiply through us, leading to more good works and thanksgiving. Do we see that?[10]

There are people in this church where your generosity keeps multiplying, you just keep giving and giving, and as a consequence, you enjoy the blessing of God topping you up. You’re living out sowing and reaping.

Our Response of Generosity means…

1. Meeting Needs in the Church (2 Cor. 9:12-13)

One commentator I read said this of Vv. 12 & 13: Paul simply assumes that believers will give all they can to meet as many needs as they can in order to glorify God as much as they can.[11]

When you’re generous in meetings other’s needs, that glorifies the Lord. We see in Vv. 12 & 13 generosity causes an overflow of thanks to God…& others will praise God for your obedience.

Can you imagine this: other people in FBC praising God for your generosity to them?

Furthermore, remember the Macedonians back in 2 Cor. 8 ^(3b) Entirely on their own – Paul says – ⁴ they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. ⁵ And they exceeded our expectations:

Do you hear what’s happening here? They were being tested, they’re poor, yet gave FAR more than they could afford, of their own free will.

Paul is holding up the Macedonians as an example of generosity in meeting other’s needs. “Corinthian Christians this is what generosity looks like that praises God!”

They pleaded and exceeded expectations! This is what happens when the Holy Spirit is moving on our hearts! When was the last time we pleaded to give, and exceeded expectations?

There are so many occasions where you/we have given so generously in my time here at FBC. None have moved me or encouraged me more than how you responded to the Tonga Baptist Church Fundraiser recently. This was a huge risk because we’d just completed RT where you also gave so generously. To see so many of you give and be present at the lunch was very moving to me. It says you care; it says you want to honour God. How you responded is what radical spirit-filled generosity looks like. Folks, let’s keep building and growing in our generosity!

Our final Response of Generosity is…

1. Thanksgiving to God (2 Cor. 9:7,11-14)

v.11 … your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God

v.12 … supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.

v.13… Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God…

v.14 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

Among us we have so much that God has given us.  Do you know that the Generosity of FBC can in immeasurable ways, have a profound mission impact? I’m so conscious that one day a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, (will) stand before the throne of Jesus… (Rev. 7:9) and there will be and could be people there because of FBC’s Generosity (NB. 9:13).

…Generosity among ourselves. Generosity to ministry in this church. Generosity to local mission. Generosity to Mission abroad – like the work of Arotahi. Generosity that isn’t because I don’t want to, have to or need to, but because I want to give, cheerfully. Since the Reasons and the Response of Generosity are clear to me in God’s word.

As you do You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and… your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

I think these words perfectly summarise 2 Cor. 8 & 9: “All to Jesus, I surrender, all to him I freely give.” It’s what the Macedonians did, what Paul wanted the Corinthians to do and is how I encourage you today.

[1] Jesus said, For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt. 6:21) In other words what we value the most, is an indication of a Christians true character. If Christ is where our treasure is, it naturally follows, the overflowing effect will be generosity.

[2] See cf. 5:15; cf. Acts 15:26; Rom. 12:1 – 2

[3] See Romans 12:1-2

[4] Having told the church what the Macedonians do, Paul directs his attention to the Corinthians and says in v.7 “But since you excel in everything…see that you also excel in this grace of giving” In other words, you get an A plus, on faith and love etc., but give that same priority, “excel also” in your generous giving

[5] It’s why Paul says in Rom. 11:35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them? ”For from him and through him and for him are all things.

[6] See Luke 12:34

[7] https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/spirit-empowered-generosity/

[8] This fosters a sense of interdependence and genuine care.

[9] Luke 6:38

[10] In these 4 verses Paul is saying: we enjoy the blessing of Gods generosity, so we can enjoy the blessing of being generous to others, so that others can enjoy the blessing of generosity toward others.

[11] Hafemann, Scott J.