Stereotypical Confusion About the Role of Women...

As a church we have been discussing the reality that when we think about family relationships, we can find ourselves thinking of family days as family d.a.z.e. We have been looking at the reality that God has a design for relationships. God has designed specific roles within relationships and God has designed specific goals that those relationships are to accomplish. And because of that reality, for us to experience relationships as God designed them to be experienced requires that we be influenced by God’s Spirit. Apart from Jesus work on the cross and the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives, we do not naturally desire to experience family relationships as God designed where we willing place ourselves under others by placing others first. We discovered that only through the influence and control of the Holy Spirit that we can fully experience the relationships that we were created for. Because our relationships are influenced by what influences us.

And nowhere in our culture today is God’s design for relationships more misunderstood, misapplied, or resisted then when it comes to the relationship that men and women are to experience within a marriage. So this week, we will focus like a laser beam on a wife’s role and responsibility within a marriage relationship. And while the spotlight will be on the ladies this week, guys, next week we will spend our entire time focused on a husband’s role and responsibility within a marriage relationship. Now as we focus on the ladies by looking at a section of a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus, I imagine that for many a natural push back and resistance will occur because, for many of us, we have experienced this passage either misrepresented or misused in the past. So let’s look at this passage together, beginning in Ephesians 5:22-23:

Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.

Now, for many of us, as soon as you see this verse, a mental image popped in your mind. And as those images popped in our minds, we could feel the tension rise in this room, couldn’t we? The tension that arises from this verse comes from the phrase “be subject”. As we discovered two weeks ago, the phrase “be subject”, in the language that this letter was originally written in, means to willingly place ourselves under others by placing others first based on one’s role in the relationship. Yet here, just one verse later, Paul is commanding that wives are to willingly place themselves under the leadership of their husbands in a way that follows their leadership in a marriage relationship. And Paul seems to add to the tension when he states that wives are to be subject as to the Lord. In other words women are to willingly place themselves under their husband’s leadership in the same manner that they are to place themselves under the leadership of Jesus.

Now some of you ladies are thinking, “Well Paul would not have written that if he knew my husband”. Or you may be thinking to yourself right now “well Dave, my husband is nothing like Jesus”. Ladies, we will deal with your husband’s next week. You just have to trust me on this one. Now, I believe that the tension that we tend to feel fill a room when we discuss what the Bible has to say about the relationship between men and women within a marriage, especially when it comes to these verses, often flows from two specific areas of confusion.

The first area of confusion that can often arise when we talk about the idea of leadership or authority within a marriage relationship is due to how our culture attempts to portray God’s design when it comes to a women’s role in a marriage. Mary Kassian has done an outstanding job of summarizing the five most prevalent stereotypes that are portrayed about what our culture believes the Bible says about a women’s role in a marriage relationship. The first stereotype would be who we will call Dora the Doormat. Dora wears a please step on me sign around her neck and is a passive opinion-less servant who is unable and unwilling to do anything other than what she is told. She has absolutely no goals in life except to serve her husband and have him dominate her. Dora’s sister, co-dependent Clara, goes so far as to say that those who believe in the Biblical model of marriage relationships endorse abuse.

Then there is Dipstick Danielle. Dipstick Danielle does not have a brain, as she threw all rational thought aside when she embraced a Biblical model of marriage relationships. Danielle is close friends with Bobblehead Betty, who also does not have any thoughts of her own but simply nods “yes” to everything her husband says.

Then there is kitchen trapped Kathy. Kitchen trapped Kathy lives in the kitchen, except when she goes to the laundry room. Her existence and purpose is defined by her ability to handle the household chores. Her life-long aspiration is to have one of her recipes make it into the next edition of the Betty Crocker cookbook. Her friends Dipstick Diana and Bobblehead Betty are eager to connect and share tips on cleaning techniques and the latest shopping strategies.

Then there is Baby popping Bertha. Bertha aims to have 26 kids. As a matter of fact popping out kids is the only goal and purpose to Bertha’s existence. The more kids she has, the more spiritual she is, so the more the better! Bertha does not use contraceptives or family planning, just have as many kids as you can as fast as you can. Bertha is best friends with Megan the marriage monger. Megan’s only goal in life is to be married. She’s pushing 50 and has done absolutely nothing in her life except complain about being single and is waiting for “Mr. Right” to come along.

Finally, there is repressed Rita. Rita has gifts and nowhere to use them, because her repressive and narrow-minded church will not let her preach on Sunday mornings. She is forever destined to sit in the back pew and do nothing. Silent. Frustrated. Repressed. She’s not into teaching Sunday school, facilitating a women’s community group, or mentoring and discipling women, or even serving the pressing and profound needs of the community, because she wants to do something really important- not something as menial as ministering to other women and children.

You see, the problem with these stereotypes is that none of them are found in the Bible when it comes to the role that women have in a marriage relationship. First, as we will discover next week, unlike Doormat Dora, God’s design when it comes to the role of men in a marriage relationship does not promote the idea of a woman being a docile doormat. The claim that a Biblical view of the role of women promotes doormats and encourages abuse is both false and slanderous.

Second, unlike Dipstick Danielle, nowhere is Scripture do we see God promote the idea of weak willed, unintelligent women. What the Bible does promote are women who study and think hard about the message and teachings of Jesus and how they are to apply these truths to their lives. And the pages of the Bible are filled with strong willed and courageous women. Women like Deborah, Abigail, Ruth, Esther and Mary, just to name a few. A Biblical view of women promotes women who can swim against the cultural tide and critically think for themselves.

Third, unlike Kitchen trapped Kathy, the Bible does not teach that woman are to be homebound. What the Bible does teach is that part of a woman’s role in the home is to help create and maintain a welcoming environment where the marriage and family is nurtured and can grow. However, as we will see next week, this does not mean that she has to do all the chores or that the home is the sum of her existence. And for those of you who get hyper spiritual on this particular issue, I would simply direct you to Proverbs 31, where the woman described as the standard for women to follow not only managed a household-she also ran a business.

Fourth, one of the great meanings and blessings is to bear children and raise them in a way that promotes their good and God’s glory. Yet, unlike Baby-popping Bertha, the Bible teaches that while marriage and motherhood is a blessing, it is not a woman’s ultimate aim and goal. A woman’s ultimate goal, just like men, is to live their lives in such a way that reveals and reflects Christ and advances the kingdom mission we have been given. This morning marriage is neither absolute nor eternal. What is absolute and eternal is that we are to live a life that is engaged in a relationship with Jesus Christ and the mission that He has given us.

And fifth, unlike repressed Rita, the Bible does not teach that women are second class citizens when it comes to exercising their spiritual gifts talents and abilities in the church. As a matter of fact, what the Bible teaches is that there is only one thing that a woman cannot do when it comes to serving in a local church. The one thing that a woman cannot do is be in the leadership position of an Elder or any position that requires the qualifications of an Elder. The pages of the Bible is filled with examples of woman who invested their time, talents, and treasure into God’s kingdom mission in a way that resulted in God’s glory and in the spiritual good and growth of others.

This first area of confusion that surrounds the stereotypes of women is compounded by a second area of confusion that can often arise when we talk about leadership and authority within a marriage relationship. We will look at that area of confusion tomorrow.

So, is there a stereotype that you have tended to buy into when it comes to what our culture believes that the Bible teaches about the role of women in a marriage relationship? Which one is it?

What Now?

An age and stage of life that can bring us to a place of dazed confusion and conflict in family relationships involves students who are graduating High School and entering into the next chapter of their lives. You see, as student’s transition from High School and to this next chapter of their lives, they can find themselves in a daze of fear and uncertainty. And that place of dazed confusion can often be summarized by a simple, yet tension-filled question. And that question is this: “What now? What am I supposed to do now?”

The significance of this question can not be overlooked or brushed aside, because this question often reflects a much deeper longing that all of us have. This longing is one of purpose, and is reflected by the question “What on earth am I here for?” And regardless of what age and stage of life you find yourself at here this morning, this question of purpose is one of three fundamental questions that all of us must answer during our lifetime. The answer to this question of purpose will profoundly shape our view of the world and how we live life here on earth. And the answer to this question will have a profound affect the level of clarity or confusion we will experience as we live life.

So I would like for us to answer the question “What now?” And regardless of your age or stage in life, my prayer is that we would be challenged to look afresh at this question and at how our lives reveal the reality of our answer to this question. You see, in my journey as a follower of Jesus, I have found this question of purpose to be the easiest to answer, yet one of the hardest to live out. We find the answer to the question “What now” in a letter that the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians. In the third chapter of the Book of Colossians, the Apostle Paul has been challenging the members of this first century church of the need to practically live out in our daily life the realities of their new life in Jesus Christ.

In Colossians 3:5-7, Paul reveals how our actions should reflect the new reality of being a follower of Jesus. In Colossians 3:8-11, Paul reveals how our words should reflect the new reality of being a follower of Jesus. In Colossians 3:12-16, Paul reveals how our hearts should reflect the new reality of being a follower of Jesus. Paul then provides a summary statement in verse 17 of Colossians 3 that reveals the timeless answer to the question “What now”? And it is in this summary statement that we also discover a timeless truth when it comes to our relationships. So let’s look at this summary statement together:

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

In this summary statement by the Apostle Paul, we find the answer to the question “What now”. The first thing that we notice about the answer to this question is it’s scope. We are told that whatever we do, whether in word or deed; in other words whatever we are talking about or whatever we are doing with our hands, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus. I don’t know about you, but isn’t that freeing? So often we find ourselves saying “What am I supposed to do with my life”; so often we can find ourselves struggling and comparing ourselves to others to find the right answer.

The answer is whatever you do. Some of you, God has given a passion for creativity and design. Go for it. Some of you have a passion to engage in political and social issues. Go for it. Some of you want to help others in a way that they are healed physically or emotionally. Awesome. Whatever you do. Now some of you might be saying, “Well Dave I don’t know. I want to do something significant, something meaningful. I mean God would want me to do something important and spiritual, like be a Pastor or a missionary. But I love to engage in conversations about policy and debate people; I love to design things”. God is telling you to go for it. Whatever you do. That is comprehensive.

You see, God does not make a distinction between the sacred and the secular. God has wired each one of us with a distinct personality, passions, and gifts. As followers of Jesus, God places us as individuals and as a church in a distinctive environment to be distinctively different. God desires to use us as individuals and as a church to be the vehicle that He uses to reveal His Son Jesus to the world. Look, somebody is going to be debating about important political and social issues; someone is going to be designing buildings; someone is going to be in a position to offer physical and emotional help and healing. Why not have the person who is engaged in those activities doing them in the name of the Lord Jesus?

But what does Paul mean when he says to do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus? Does he mean that we should be going around saying “I am designing this building in the name of the Lord Jesus; I am providing this treatment for your injury in the name of the Lord Jesus.” While you may want to do that, I don’t think that is what Paul is talking about here. The idea that is being conveyed to us by this phrase is the sense that we are Jesus representative acting with His approval. Now there are some things that we can not do in Jesus name; there are some things that if we did them, would not meet with His approval. We should not be doing those things. What Paul is saying is that whatever we do, in word or deed should shine a light on Jesus as His representative. Whatever we are talking about and whatever we are doing should be done with a different spirit. Whatever we say and do should have a different focus than that of the world.

And it is in the answer to this question that we see Paul reveal for us a timeless truth that should govern our lives as followers of Jesus. And that timeless truth is that our relationships should enhance God’s reputation. That person who had a debate on a policy or social issue should walk away saying “I have never engaged in a conversation with someone I so disagreed with philosophically or politically and yet I respect so much as a person; I have never had someone work on a design for a project was more conscientious, or treated me with more respect, than you have”. Or, “I have been coming to this casino for a long time, but I have never been treated as well as you have. What makes you work so hard with such a great attitude?” And it is in that moment that you have the opportunity to introduce them to Jesus, who they have just met through you being the vehicle that Jesus uses to reveal Himself to the world. And when that happens, when we embrace our purpose, we walk away giving thanks to God the Father for not only the reality of our rescue from our selfishness and sin through Christ, but also for the fact that we can play a small role in His huge story of rescue and redemption.

So, where does God have you right now? Are you in school? Do your school work as Jesus representative. Are you a stay at home mom? Be a representative of Jesus to your husband and your children. Are you in management at work? Be a servant-leader to your employees that reflects Christ. Whatever age and stage of life you are in now; whatever you do, do it all in a way that glorifies God and reveals Him to the world. And in the relationships that God places you in, live your life in a way that enhances God’s reputation.

That’s it. That’s the end of the sermon on purpose. But, as I said earlier, while this question is one of the easiest to answer, it can be one of the hardest to live out. And how we choose to embrace or reject this answer will have a profound effect as we look back on our lives. So at the end of our life, when we look in the rear-view mirror of our life, what do we want to see? Do we want to see a life filled with regret over not leaning into and leveraging our lives into the lives of purpose that God has given us? Or do we want to be able to rejoice over the opportunities that God has given us to be distinctively different in the distinctive role we played in God’s story? How has God’s reputation fared as a result of your relationships? Do your relationships enhance God’s reputation?

Two Additional Evidences of What Influences our Relationships...

This week we are looking at a foundational and timeless principle that impacts our relationships in that our relationships are influenced by what influences us. The timeless reality is that the level of health in our relationships is directly impacted by what influences or controls us. Relationships do not occur in a vacuum; in every relationship there are external and internal forces at work in your life that influence the health of the relationships in your life. And In Ephesians 5:15-21, we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us the reality that to have the relationships that God desires and designed for us, especially when it comes to family relationships, require that we live a life that is influenced and controlled by the Spirit of God.

Now a question that arises here is “what does a relationship that is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit look like? And how do I know if my relationships are influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit?” In these verses we see Paul unpack four specific evidences that appear in relationships that are influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit. Yesterday, we looked at the first two evidence. Today, we see Paul reveal two additional evidences that reveal the influence and control of the Holy Spirit in our relationships in verse 20:

always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;

Here we see that relationships that are influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit are marked by an attitude of gratitude. When Paul uses the phrase always giving thanks in all things, this phrase conveys the sense of expressing our appreciation for the benefits and blessings that we have received from God. When Paul states that we are to express our appreciation in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, he is reminding followers of Jesus throughout history that the blessings of receiving the forgiveness of our selfishness and sin and the relationship with God that we were created for are the result of Jesus life, death, and resurrection. As a result of Jesus willingness to enter into humanity and allow Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful life so God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life, we are to respond with an attitude of gratitude that influences our relationships.

You see, all of humanity was created for relationships; we were all created for a relationship with God and for relationships with one another. And God desires that all humanity experience relationships as He designed them. Yet, so often we can often find ourselves expressing an attitude for gratitude for His material and physical blessings that He has given us, but not expressing that same attitude of gratitude for the relational blessings He has given us. And relationships that are influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit are marked by an attitude of gratitude. So this morning, are you thankful for your family relationships? And just as importantly are you consistently expressing thankfulness to God for your family relationships? Because our relationships, especially our family relationships are influenced by our attitude toward those relationships.

Now at about this point, some of you may have a person in mind who needs to read this. You might be thinking “I should really sent this to him or her”. But here is the thing: this is one of those principles that is so easy to see in someone else’s life, but so difficult to see in the mirror. And the person you are thinking about would probably send this to you.

Or maybe you are here this morning and you are thinking “so Dave, let me get this straight. Because I am a follower of Jesus, my relationships, including my family relationships should be marked be conversations that encourage one another and bring glory to God. You say that my relationships should be marked by an attitude of worship toward God. And you say that my relationships should be marked with an attitude of gratitude toward those relationships. Dave, have you seen my family? You don’t understand my parents; you don’t understand my wife; you don’t understand my husband.” Do you know what you are asking is almost impossible”.

Well, if you think what Paul is commanding seems to be impossible, just look at what Paul says next, in Ephesians 5:21: “Make sure that the other person takes care of all of your needs”. No that is not what it says. “Invest in relationships that provide the best benefit for you”. No, that is not what it says. Make sure that every relationship recognizes and respects you”. No that is not what it says. Here is what it says:

and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.

And right about now, every person reading this has a mental picture of what the first three words of this verse means. In your minds the words “and be subject” have conjured up an image: an image painted by a red faced pastor beating on a pulpit; an image painted by an abusive husband or father; an image painted by our culture that is based on what these three words mean today. However, what these words mean today is irrelevant and the image in your mind may not be accurate. So what I am going to ask you to do is to clear your mind of that image and let’s look at what Paul meant when he wrote these three words. Can we do that? Great.

The phrase “be subject”, in the language that this letter was originally written in, literally means to place oneself in a submissive role in a relationship where appropriate respect is shown to someone based on the role that they have within an ordered structure. In other words, we are to willingly place ourselves under others by placing others first based on one’s role in the relationship. For example, the catcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks places himself under the manager of the Diamondbacks. Because the manager has been give the role of leading the team, for the team to be successful, the catcher is demonstrate the appropriate respect for the manager and place himself under his leadership. The manager has a role and responsibility and the catcher has a role and responsibility as part of the team. Conflict within the team can occur when either the player or the manager do not function within their roles on the team.

Now notice who Paul says we are to be subject to: we are to be subject to one another. In other words, we are to place ourselves under others by placing others first that demonstrates respect toward one another based on the nature of our relationship. Paul then explains that the reason why we are to place ourselves under others by placing others first that demonstrates respect toward one another is out of the fear of Christ. Now when Paul uses the word fear here, he is not referring to the fear that we experience while watching a horror movie. This fear refers to having a reverent respect that results in submission and obedience to someone. You see, when we willingly place ourselves under others by placing others first when it comes to our relationships, we are demonstrating a reverent respect for God’s desire and design for our relationships. God has a design for relationships. God has designed specific roles within relationships and God has designed specific goals that those relationships are to accomplish.

And this is why this timeless principle that we are looking at is so important. Because our relationships are influenced by what influences us, for us to experience relationships as God designed them to be experienced requires that we be influenced by God’s Spirit. You see, the reason that the phrase be subject can cause such resistance and push back is because, for many of us, we have either experienced this principle abused in past relationships or we selfishly do not want to place ourselves under others by placing others first.

Apart from Jesus work on the cross and the Holy Spirit’s activity in our lives, our hearts do not naturally lean in this direction, do they? Do we wake up every morning focused on having relationships marked by conversations that encourage one another and bring glory to God? Do we wake up every morning focused on having relationships marked with an attitude of gratitude toward those relationships? Do we wake up every morning focused on having relationships where we place ourselves under others by placing others first? You see it is only through the influence and control of the Holy Spirit that we can experience the relationships that we were created for. Because our relationships are influenced by what influences us.

And that is especially the case when it comes to family relationships. Because it is in our family relationships where what is truly inside us is revealed and exposed, isn’t it? Now a natural question that may arise here is “well Dave I hear you talking about God’s design for family relationships, but I am not really sure what God’s design is or how that is supposed to practically play out in my life?” That is a great question. And during this series we are going to answer that question by looking at the various roles that God has designed within families and the goals that God has for those roles. And as we will see in this series, conflict most often occurs within family relationships when we become confused over our roles and our goals.

So what influences your relationships? Who are the people and what information and ideas are informing and influencing how you view your relationships?

Our Relationships are Influenced by What Influences Us...

Yesterday we began engaging the subject of family relationship by looking at a section of a letter that a man named Paul wrote to an early church, called the Book of Ephesians. And it is in this letter that we see Paul explain to this church and to us here today, God’s desire and design for family relationships. God has a desire for how we are to live in our family relationships. And the Bible clearly provides for us God’s desire and design for families and for family relationships. But before revealing God’s desire and design for family relationships, Paul makes a statement that reveals for us a timeless principle about relationships. So let’s look at that statement together, which is found in Ephesians 5:18:

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,

In this verse, we see the Apostle Paul paint for us a timeless word picture that reveals a timeless truth about relationships: “Do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit”. To help us wrap our minds around what Paul is communicating here, let me share a story that vividly illustrates this word picture. My freshman year in college, after a home football game, I gave a teammate a ride back to Indianapolis so that he could visit his family. Now by the time we left campus and made it to Indianapolis, it was already past midnight. My teammate lived in one of the tougher sections of the city. After dropping him off, as I waited at an intersection on my way back to the freeway, I watched as a very large and very drunk man stumbled to my car. As the man approached, I noticed that the front of his pants were soaked with urine. The man then reached my car, leaned across the hood, and proceeded to throw up all over the windshield and front of the car. After throwing up all over my car, the man then mumbled something and finished stumbling across the intersection and down the street.

Now if the Apostle Paul was riding shotgun with my on the trip, he would have called that man’s behavior dissipation. This word means to live a life that is of reckless abandon that is a waste. Instead of living according to God’s design and desire, this man’s reckless abandon resulted in a life that was wasting away toward destruction. Paul then contrasts the life of reckless abandon of a drunken man with someone who is filled with the Spirit. The Spirit here refers to the Holy Spirit. Paul’s point here is that we are to carefully consider our lives when it comes to what controls and influences their lives. Instead of being controlled by something that results in a life marked by reckless abandon and that wastes opportunities to live wisely in relationship with God and others, we are to live a life that is controlled and influenced by the Holy Spirit.

And it is in this word picture that we see the Apostle Paul reveal a foundational and timeless principle that impacts our relationships. And that timeless principle is that our relationships are influenced by what influences us. This morning, the timeless reality is that the level of health in our relationships is directly impacted by what influences or controls us. Whether you are a follower of Jesus or whether you are not sure you buy into Jesus and Christianity, your relationships are influenced by what influences you. Relationships do not occur in a vacuum; in every relationship there are external and internal forces at work in your life that influence the health of the relationships in your life. And here we see the Apostle Paul reveal for us the reality that to have the relationships that God desires and designed for us, especially when it comes to family relationships, require that we live a life that is influenced and controlled by the Spirit of God.

Now as you read that last statement, a natural push back that some of you may be feeling may be “well Dave, are you saying that only Christians can have healthy relationships? Because I know many Christians that have messed up family relationships and I know many people who are not Christians that have good relationships.” And I would respond by saying you are exactly right. There are followers of Jesus whose family and other relationships are marked by unhealthy tension and conflict. And there are those who reject the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel that have what would be described as good relationships.

My response to this reality is that we can have good relationships and still not experience that relationship as God desires and designs it to be. And in many cases there are relationships that are influenced by good things, yet those relationships are not influenced by God things. And this reality reinforces the timeless truth that our relationships are influenced by what influences us.

Now a second question that arises here is “what does a relationship that is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit look like? And how do I know if my relationships are influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit?” That is a great question. And regardless of whether you are a Christian or not, a person can look at their relationships and the relationships of those around them and begin to recognize what influences and controls our relationships. And in the verses that follow, we see Paul begin to unpack four specific evidences that appear in relationships that are influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit. So let’s begin to look at them together, beginning in Ephesians 5:19:

speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;

In verse 19, we see Paul identify the first two evidences of a life that is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit. First, we see that the relationships of a person who is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit will be marked by conversations that are engaged in the encouraging of others and bringing glory to God. The phrase “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” here reveals for us the reality that during the days of the early church, followers of Jesus would not only sing songs, but would also recite creeds that informed and reinforced basic truths about God. In addition, early church services would have included the reading of a letter, like this letter that would have been written by an early church leader to encourage and teach the church.

And in the same way today, relationships that are influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit will be marked with conversations that encourage others and shine a light on God. So this morning, what influences the conversations that occur in your relationships? Because our relationships, especially our family relationships are influenced by what influences our conversations.

Second, we see that the relationships of a person who is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit will be marked by a life that is lived with an attitude of worship of God. The phrase “singing songs and making melody with your heart to the Lord” can refer to singing or playing a musical instrument. The word heart is used to describe the center and source of a person’s being. Paul’s point here is that a person who is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit will, from the core of their being, live a life that is a response of worship to God. Their life will be a response of worship that influences and controls how they approach their relationships.

When a person is influenced by the Holy Spirit in this way, how easy do you think it would to be manipulative; to be codependent; to be passive aggressive or passive resistant? Do you think it would be possible to have family relationships that used one another if we lived a life that leaned into loving God with our total being and loving our neighbor as ourselves? So what do you worship? Because our relationships, especially our family relationships are influenced by what influences our worship.

Tomorrow, we will look at two more evidences that appear in a life that is influenced and controlled by the Holy Spirit. What are some influences that are active and at work in your relationships?

Family Daze...

Last week, we spent our time together as a culture celebrating the influence and impact that our mothers have in our lives through mother’s day. And as we move into the middle of May, our culture tends to lean towards family celebrations. There is mother’s day. There are the graduation ceremonies of our children. Then there is Memorial Day, which tends in many ways to mark the beginning of summer family activities. And there is Father’s Day.

Yet so often, when we think about families, when we think about family relationships, we can find ourselves thinking of our family days as family d.a.z.e. As parents, we can feel like we are walking through life dazed and confused by the actions of our children. As students transition to a new grade, to a new school, or to a new chapter of their lives, they can find themselves in a daze of fear and uncertainty. And as married couples, we can feel like we are walking though life dazed and confused as a result of unresolved conflict and unmet expectations in our relationships.

So during the next few weeks, we are going to spend our time together looking at family relationships. Our hope and our prayer is that we would be able to move our families from a place of dazed conflict and confusion to a place where every member would experience the family relationships during their days on earth that God has created and called us to experience. So during these weeks, we are going to spend most of our time together looking at a section of a letter that a man named Paul wrote to an early church, called the Book of Ephesians. And it is in this letter that we see Paul explain to this church and to us here today, God’s desire and design for family relationships.

Before we look at this section of this letter that Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, we first need to understand the context in which Paul’s wrote these comments. The first three chapters of the book of Ephesians describe all that God has done in order to bring us into the relationship with Him that we were created for. God the Father chose us and adopted us as His children; Jesus Christ rescued and redeemed us from our selfish rebellion and sin so that we could receive the forgiveness of our sin and enter into the relationship with God that we were created for. And as followers of Jesus, God gives us the Holy Spirit as a down payment and a seal that reveals the security that we have for all eternity.

Paul then begins Ephesians chapter four by imploring us, in light of all that God has done for us, to walk in a manner worthy of our calling. Paul then unpacks this statement throughout the remainder of his letter to this church about how our relationship with Christ should influence and impact our relationships with others. And it is in this context that we read the following in Ephesians 5:15:

Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Paul begins this section of his letter by commanding the members of the church at Ephesus, and us here today to “be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise”. If Paul was here this morning and was to give this command to us in the language and culture we use today, this command would sound something like this: “carefully consider and take note about how you are conducting your life. Carefully consider how you are living your life”. Paul then makes a contrast between someone who conducts their life in an unwise manner as opposed to someone who conducts their life in a wise manner. An unwise person here is the person who does not exercise the proper discernment or wisdom when it comes to how they live their lives. The wise person here refers to someone who lives their life applying the understanding and wisdom that comes from God. Paul’s point here is that there is divine wisdom and understanding that is available to you, so make sure that you are living your life in a way that is exercising that divine wisdom and discernment.

Paul then provides the reason why we are to access and exercise this divine wisdom in verse 16. The phrase making the most of your time literally means to gain an advantage or opportunity. In other words, followers of Jesus are to take every advantage and opportunity to avoid what would be unwise. We are to take advantage of every opportunity to live wisely because the days are evil. The harsh reality is that life on earth is filled with plenty of activities and relationships that are morally and socially damaging and destructive. I mean, it is not hard to get involved in relationships or activities that are unwise, is it? And as parents is that not one of our greatest fears when it comes to our children? And students, is that not one of your greatest fears when it comes to the relationships that you have with your friends?

So, in verse 17, because of the timeless danger of relationships and activities that are damaging and destructive, Paul commands the members of the church at Ephesus and us here today to “do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” When Paul uses the word fool here, it refers to someone who lacks good judgment. This word also conveys the sense of disregarding reality. In the Bible, a fool is a person who knows something is true, yet proceeds to live life as though it is not true. A fool is a person who says “I know the law of gravity is true” then proceeds to step off a ten story building.

Instead of living life in a way that consistently disregards reality, Paul states that we are to understand what the will of the Lord is. When you see the word will in our Bibles, most often this word refers to God’s desires for our lives. This morning, God has a desire for how he would like me to live my life in relationship with Him and one another. And God has a desire for how he would like you to live your life in relationship with Him and one another. And as we will see in the upcoming weeks, God has a desire for how we are to live in our family relationships. The Bible clearly provides for us God’s desire and design for families and for family relationships.

But before revealing God’s desire and design for family relationships, Paul makes a statement that reveals for us a timeless principle about relationships. Tomorrow, we discover this timeless principle.

So, do you carefully consider how you are living your life? Do you live your life in a way that disregards reality, or that leans into the wisdom and discernment that God provides.

When the Level of our Generosity Reflects the Generosity of Jesus...

Yesterday, we continued to unpack the timeless principle that the level of our generosity is reflected by the results. We discovered that the more generous we are in investing in God’s kingdom mission, the more generous He will be in providing us resources to further invest in God’s kingdom mission. When we reflect are generous we fulfil the divine expectation that we have to reflect Christ’s generosity by our generosity. And in the same way today, our heartfelt and joyous response of generosity reveals the reality of our relationship with Christ as we reflect Christ through our generosity. This is the case because the depth of our relationship with Christ and the level of our generosity is reflected in the results. Paul then reveals for us a timeless result that occurs when our generosity is reflected in the results, beginning in 2 Corinthians 9:11. Let’s look at it together:

you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

In these verses, we see Paul explain to the members to the church at Corinth a second reason why God graciously provides for us in a way that all of our needs are adequately met. The phrase all liberality, which we looked at last week, literally means a “no strings attached” attitude toward generosity. Paul’s point here is that God generously provides for us so that we can reflect His generosity by investing our treasure with “no strings attached”, with no expectation for reciprocation. And when we reflect God’s generosity in such a way, the result is a response of thanksgiving, or an attitude of gratitude from others. Paul then explains that this attitude of gratitude flows from a response of those in need having their pressing and profound needs met by those who reflect God’s generosity by generously investing in order to meet those needs. The generosity of the churches when it came to the famine relief fund for Jerusalem was causing all involved to consistently and repeatedly express an attitude of gratitude toward God.

And it was this attitude of gratitude by all involved that revealed the second result that occurs when our generosity reflects Christ's generosity: they will glorify God. Now when Paul uses the word glory here, this word literally means to influence one’s opinion so as to enhance one’s reputation. As a result of the generosity of the early church when it came to the Jerusalem famine relief fund, people’s opinions were influenced in a way that resulted in God’s reputation being enhanced. In verses 13-14, we see three ways that the early churches generosity resulted in God’s reputation being enhanced.

First, God’s reputation was enhanced as a result of the early churches obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ. In other words, God’s reputation was enhanced because the early churches generosity served as an expression of their allegiance to following Christ. They did not just talk the talk when it came to being a follower of Jesus; they walked the walk. They actually took following Jesus seriously enough that they reflected His character and His conduct through their generosity.

Second, God’s reputation was enhanced as a result of the early churches liberality, or “no strings attached” attitude when it came to their generosity to meet the needs of the church at Jerusalem. There was no expectation for reciprocation; the early church simply loved and served their needs through their generosity. And in the same way today, God’s reputation is enhanced when we generously invest our treasure in God’s kingdom mission in a way that demonstrates our allegiance to Christ and His mission that is genuine, authentic, and without strings attached.

Third, God’s reputation was enhanced as the members of the church at Jerusalem expressed their strong desire for God to continue to be active and at work in the lives of these early churches through prayer. They yearned; they had a strong desire to partner with these churches as a result of their generous investment in their lives. And as Paul wrote this letter, he could not help but stop to express thanks for God’s gracious activity that he had the privilege to experience and witness. Because when our level of generosity is such that it results in the reflection of God’s generosity, God’s reputation is enhanced and God’s kingdom mission is advanced.

So what do the results of your life say about the level of your generosity? Does the level of your generosity result in God continuing to provide us the resources to further invest in God’s kingdom mission? What does your level of generosity reveal when it comes to the depth of your relationship with Christ? Does the level of your generosity result in the opinions of others being influenced in a way that God’s reputation is enhanced and God’s kingdom mission is advanced?

Are Christians required to tithe?

Yesterday, we saw Paul introduces the members of the church at Corinth, and us as well, to a timeless and true principle when it comes to generosity by way of a farming metaphor: “he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully”. And it is in this metaphor that we see Paul reveal for us a timeless principle when it comes to generosity. And that timeless principle is that the level of our generosity is reflected by the results. Paul then explains to the members of the church at Corinth that, in light of this principle, that each one must do just as he purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

We then looked at how many Christians use this verse used as a justification why they are not required to tithe. So, are Christians still required to tithe? My response to this question for those of us that would consider ourselves “new covenant Christians”(which we all are if you have a personal relationship with Jesus by the way)and justify that as a reason as to why you are not bound by the “10 percent rule”, here is a question to ponder: In light of all that God has generously done to rescue you from your selfishness and sin, what percentage do you think would reflect the heartfelt joy that you feel in response to His generosity?

Is the heartfelt joy that you feel as a result of what Jesus has done for you the same as the joy you feel when your waitress brings your meal to you at the restaurant? Because most people give that waitress 10%; I mean that is the cultural standard isn’t it? So, why are we so put off at the idea of giving God at least a tip when he comes to responding to His activity in our lives but we give almost no thought to giving a waitress a tip? You see, the level of our generosity is reflected by the results.

Now, you might find yourself pushing back against and objecting to everything you are reading here. For example, you may be thinking “well this is easy for you to say, Dave. How am I supposed to give like that and still be able to meet my needs and the needs of my family? You don’t understand my situation.” If I have described you, I just want to let you know that I am not surprised that you are pushing back against this. And I am not surprised that you may have objections to what I am saying. I am not surprised because I once sat in that same chair, so to speak, and pushed backed and had many of the same thoughts and objections that you are having.

And what is so great is that the objections and push back that I once had to this; the objections and push back that you may be having to this are not new: they have existed for thousands of years. And in the rest of this section of this letter, we see the Apostle Paul respond to the push back and objections that we can find ourselves having when it comes to the fact that the level of our generosity is reflected in the results. So let’s look at the first objection, which is found in 2 Corinthians 9:8-10:

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; as it is written, "HE SCATTERED ABROAD, HE GAVE TO THE POOR, HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS ENDURES FOREVER." Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness;

In these verses, we see Paul respond to the push back and objection that “If I invest generously like you are calling me to, then I will not have enough to take care of my needs and the needs of my family”. The Apostle, anticipating this push back, replies by stating that God is able to make all grace abound to you. When Paul uses the phrase “all grace abound to you” here, he is referring to the exceptional effect that God’s generosity and activity can have in our lives. Paul then explains that God’s gracious activity in the lives of those who reflect God’s generosity by being generous results in them always having all sufficiency in everything. In other words, God is able to respond to our generosity by graciously providing for us in a way that all of our needs are adequately met.

But notice why God graciously and generously provides for us in a way that all of our needs are adequately met: “so that you may have an abundance for every good deed”. You see, God’s gracious generosity is not for our prosperity, as those in the prosperity gospel movement maintain. And God is not generous so that we can meet all of our wants and desires. Here we see Paul reveal for us the reality that God’s gracious generosity that provides to adequately meet our needs is divinely designed to enable us to reflect His generosity by meeting the needs of others. Paul’s point here is that as we reflect God’s generosity by generously investing our treasure in His kingdom mission to minister to others, God will graciously and generously provide so that we will always have what is adequate in all things. And as we always have what is adequate in all things, we are able to continue to reflect God’s generosity by being generous.

Paul then reinforces this reality in verse 9 by quoting from another letter in our Bibles, called the book of Psalms. In Psalm 112:9, we see the Psalmist explain that the person who is in a growing and maturing relationship with Jesus Christ will reveal that reality through their generosity. Paul then applies this Old Testament verse to the situation at the church at Corinth, and for us here today, by explaining that God will continue to graciously and generously provide for us the resources to invest in His Kingdom mission to minister and meet the needs of others as we continue to reflect His generosity. When Paul states that God will supply and multiply your seed, this phrase literally means to defray the expense of something, in this case the cost of being generous, by providing more.

You see, the more generous we are in investing in God’s kingdom mission, the more generous He will be in providing us resources to further invest in God’s kingdom mission. The harvest of righteousness here refers to followers of Jesus fulfilling the divine expectation that we have to reflect Christ’s generosity in our generosity. And in the same way today, our heartfelt and joyous response of generosity reveals the reality of our relationship with Christ as we reflect Christ through our generosity. This is the case because the depth of our relationship with Christ and the level of our generosity is reflected in the results.

As Paul concludes this section of this letter, he reveals for us some timeless results that occur when our generosity rises to the level of Jesus generosity and is reflected in the results. We will look at those results tomorrow.

What is your opinion when it comes to the subject of tithing? Should we still tithe? What would be a good reflection of our response to the generosity of Jesus?

The Level of our Generosity is Reflected by the Results...

For the past two weeks, we have been discussing the subject of money and giving at the church where I serve. And this week I would like to continue talking about the subject of money and generosity by looking at another section of a letter that was written to this church that was located in Corinth, Greece. And in this section of this letter, we will see Paul reveal for us a timeless principle about generosity that many of us have heard, but may not have realized came from the Bible. So let’s look at it together, beginning in 2 Corinthians 9:6:

Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Paul introduces the members of the church at Corinth, and us as well, to a timeless and true principle when it comes to generosity by way of a farming metaphor: “he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will reap bountifully”. And even today, this metaphor is still used in our culture. However, we tend to say it this way: “you reap what you sow”. This principle is also referred to as the Law of the Harvest. Now when Paul uses the word sparingly, he is referring to one who is meager when it comes to giving. The word bountifully, on the other hand, literally means generously.

And it is in this metaphor that we see Paul reveal for us a timeless principle when it comes to generosity. And that timeless principle is that the level of our generosity is reflected by the results. Paul’s point here is that the person who is meager or miserly when it comes to investing their treasure in God’s kingdom mission and to meet the needs of others will produce little or no benefit. By contrast, the person who generously invests their treasure in God’s kingdom mission and to meet the needs of others will see their generosity reflected in the benefits that are produced and flow from their generosity.

Now the important thing to understand is that this principle is neither good nor bad; this principle simply is. And while you can push back against or resist this principle, the principle is active and at work in my life and in your life. Regardless of whether you like this principle or don’t like this principle, you cannot avoid this principle: our level of generosity is reflected by the results.
Paul then explains to the members of the church at Corinth that, in light of this principle, that each one must do just as he purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And so often, in my experience as a pastor, I have seen this verse used as a justification why Christians are not required to tithe. The conversation usually goes something like this: “Well Dave, I am a new covenant Christian; I am not under the Law. And since God loves a cheerful giver, I am not bound by any percentage when it comes to giving. And since God does not want me to give if I am not cheerful then I only have to give what would make me cheerful. And what makes me cheerful is to simply give God my spare change”. They usually don’t say that part; that is my editorial comment.

But to understand what Paul is trying to communicate here, we first need to understand the meaning of several words and phrases. First, the phrase purposed in his heart literally means to make a decision beforehand. In other words, you should not be deciding how generous you are going to be when it comes to your giving as the offering basket is making its way down the row. If Paul was writing this today, he might say it this way: “You should have already decided what you are going to give and the check should already be written before the worship service starts. Paul then provides three reasons why we are to decide beforehand how generous we are going to be when it comes to investing our treasure in God’s kingdom mission through giving.

First, when we fail to decide beforehand we can find ourselves investing with an attitude of painful reluctance instead of gratitude. The phrase “grudgingly” literally means to be in pain of mind or spirit”. And for some of us, if we could paint the true picture of what is going on inside of us when we give during the offering, it might look like this: “here you go; this is so painfully hard, oh what I could do with this if I didn’t have to give it to God”. Now here’s the tough question: does that seem like an act of worship to you? Instead of investing our treasure with an attitude that giving is a delightful response to God’s generosity, giving becomes a duty that must be painfully endured.

Second, when we fail to decide beforehand we can find ourselves investing from pressure instead of pleasure. The phrase “under compulsion” literally means under pressure. “Oh no, here comes the basket, what should I give? I don’t know, I don’t know? What are those around me going to think if they see what I’m giving? Oh I’ll just throw in what’s in my hand” or “I’ll just put this number down on the check”. Now does that seem like an act of worship to you? Instead of investing our treasure in a heartfelt, joyful response of worship that reflects God’s generosity, we are hurriedly focused on the pressure that comes from beating the deadline of the basket and the pressure to impress the opinions of others.

Third, Paul explains that when we take the time to prayerfully decide beforehand how generous we are going to be when it comes to investing our treasure in God’s kingdom mission through giving, we are able give with an attitude of gratitude that reflects God’s generosity as a response of joyful worship. And it is this attitude of gratitude; it is this response of joyful worship that God loves. The investment of the treasure that God has given us through giving is an act of worship that is to be done out of a heartfelt and joyous recognition that God is our provider who owns everything and allows us to be stewards of all that He has given us.

So, if you consider yourself a “new covenant Christians” which you are if you have a personal relationship with Jesus by the way, and justify that as a reason as to why you are not bound by the “10 percent rule”, here is a question to consider: In light of all that God has generously done to rescue you from your selfishness and sin, what percentage do you think would reflect the heartfelt joy that you feel in response to His generosity? Tomorrow we will consider that question in greater detail.

Are you Generous?

This week we have been talking about the subject of generosity. And in a section of a letter written in our Bibles we discovered that Christ’s generous willingness to leave the riches of the glory of Heaven to live a beggar’s life and die an excruciating death should drive us to live a life that is motivated by love and that reveals and reflects Christ’s generosity. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be generous because Jesus Christ is generous. Paul then concludes this section of the letter by challenging the church at Corinth to respond to this reality in the midst of the present situation at the church in Jerusalem, beginning in verse 10:

I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. But now finish doing it also, so that just as there was the readiness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality-- at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need, so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality; as it is written, "HE WHO gathered MUCH DID NOT HAVE TOO MUCH, AND HE WHO gathered LITTLE HAD NO LACK."

Paul explains to the church at Corinth that the reason for his point of view on generosity is not only theological in nature. In addition, Paul tells the church that their generosity is beneficial for them as well. The church at Corinth had a noble desire that they needed to actively follow through on and finish. However, the church was struggling with following through on the commitment that they had made over a year earlier. Paul wanted the church to be careful that their motivation behind the giving was proper and pleasing to God.

You see, there would be a temptation toward competition that could arise between the churches. The church at Corinth could become motivated to give sacrificially simply to show that they were as spiritual as the churches of northern Greece. Thus, their generosity would not flow from being exceptionally interested in reflecting Christ’s generosity through loving and serving others. This motivation would not flow out of the same ‘no strings attached” willing desire to invest their treasure to meet the needs of the church at Jerusalem. In verse 12, Paul addresses this possible temptation by explaining that what God finds pleasing and acceptable in terms of their generosity in giving will be based solely on a motive of reflecting Christ’s generosity through loving and serving others. And in the same way today, God is far more concerned with the heart attitude behind our actions. Our generosity is to be driven by our love for Christ and what He has done for us and motivated by a desire to reveal and reflect Christ’s generosity to others.

In verse 13, Paul responds to an addition exception that might be raised by the church. Paul explains that the purpose of the Jerusalem famine relief fund was not so the members of the church could get a new house, camel, or a new and improved affluent lifestyle. Instead, Paul explains that the purpose of the famine relief fund was to bring equality. Now it is important to understand that Paul here is not promoting socialism or income redistribution. The word equality here literally refers to a state or situation being held in proper balance. Paul then unpacks the application of equality in verse 14. At the time of the writing of this letter, the churches that were located in Greece had a surplus of resources. And by reflecting Christ’s generosity through the famine relief fund, they would be able to meet the pressing needs of the church at Jerusalem. In the future, Jerusalem may benefit from the blessings of a surplus of resources, while at the same time Greece may suffer from a famine. At that time, the church at Jerusalem would be in a position where they could reflect Christ’s generosity in a way that would meet their needs when it came to meeting pressing needs.

So by willingly reflecting Christ’s generosity, their generosity would result four positive results. First, reflecting Christ’s generosity would result in pressing and practical needs could be met. Second, reflecting Christ’s generosity would result in the unity and community of the different churches being revealed for the whole world to see. Third, reflecting Christ’s generosity would result in God’s kingdom mission being advanced. And fourth, reflecting God’s generosity would be result in something that could be reciprocated in the future, if the need arose.

And to reinforce his position, Paul quotes a section of the Old Testament found in Exodus 16:18. As the Jewish people were being led out of slavery in Egypt and into the Promised Land, God provided manna in the desert for the Jewish people to eat. Every morning, the Jewish people would go out and gather the manna from the dessert. Some gathered a great deal of manna, while others were not able to gather as much. However, when the manna was distributed, each Jewish person received enough manna to meet their needs. The Jewish people willing gathered according to their ability and willingly shared with those who did not have the same ability. Paul’s point here is that the members of the church at Corinth, and us here today, are to respond to God’s activity in the world with an attitude of loving gratitude that reflects God’s generosity to others. Because we are to be generous because Jesus is generous.

So what does your generosity, or lack of generosity, say about your relationship with God? And what motivates you to be generous? Do you believe that Jesus is generous? And do you believe that you are to be generous because Jesus is generous? Does your generosity flow from an attitude of loving gratitude in response to Jesus is and what Jesus has done?

Reflecting and Revealing the Generosity of Jesus...

For the next two weeks, we will be talking about the subject of generosity. Yesterday we discovered that while a wealthy church located in southern Greece were dragging their feet when it came to following through on a commitment that they had made to another church, the persecuted and poor churches of northern Greece dove in head first in order to be a part of God’s activity in the world. And as a result of his experience with these poor churches in Northern Greece, Paul was provoked to respond to what was happening at the church in southern Greece. We see his response revealed for us in verses 6-7:

So we urged Titus that as he had previously made a beginning, so he would also complete in you this gracious work as well. But just as you abound in everything, in faith and utterance and knowledge and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you abound in this gracious work also.

After experiencing God’s activity in the lives of these northern churches, Paul responded by sending Titus, who was partner of Paul’s who also planted a church on the island of Crete to Corinth in order to encourage the church to finish and follow through on the commitment that they had previously made when it came to participating in the famine relief fund for the church at Jerusalem. Paul explains to the church that just as they have excelled in their confident trust in God; just as they excelled in what they comprehended and grasped about the claims of Christ and the message of the gospel; just as they excelled in what they said when it came to doctrine and theology; they were to excel when it came to being a part of God’s activity through this famine relief fund.

You see, while the church at Corinth seemed to have their head, their mouth, and their heart engaged when it came to following Jesus, their hands were disengaged. While they excelled in many areas of what it means to follow Jesus, they were not excelling when it came to their generosity. Now a natural question that may arise for some of you is “why is generosity important when it comes to following Jesus? And does God really expect us to be generous? I mean, so I do not normally give; does that really matter? And why should I be generous and give when it comes to the church? I mean, this is why I feel like churches are just interested in my money.” If these are questions or objections that you have of have heard others have when it comes to the subject and generosity, I just want to let you know that these are fair questions to be asking. And as Paul continues in this letter, we see Paul answer these questions and reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to generosity and giving, beginning in 2 Corinthians 8:8:

I am not speaking this as a command, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also. 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.

Paul explains to the church at Corinth the he is not commanding the church to finish and follow through on the commitment that they had previously made when it came to participating in the famine relief fund for the church at Jerusalem. Instead of giving an authoritative directive, Paul explains that their response to his call for them to finish what they started would be “proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity of your love also.” But what does that mean? When Paul uses the word prove here, he is explaining that he will draw a conclusion based on their response to Titus’ encouragement to finish what they started. The conclusion that Paul will draw will be in regard to the churches earnest and diligent commitment when it came to their relationship with Christ and His people who form the church.

In other words, Paul had seen the diligent commitment that the northern churches of Greece demonstrated when it came to following Christ and being a part of God’s kingdom mission in the world. Paul had seen their sincerity or their genuine and authentic love for God that drives and motivates their attitude of gratitude and actions of generosity. Paul had seen that the churches of Philippi and Thessalonica reveal and reflect Christ by how they loved and served those both near and far. Now, Paul will be able to draw a conclusion as to how committed the church at Corinth is when it comes to following Jesus and being a part of His activity in the world. Paul will see what genuinely drives their relationship with God and His church. Is it gratitude and generosity, or is it something else? Now a natural push back that many people experience at this point is “what does my generosity have to do with the genuineness or depth of my relationship with Christ”?

Paul provides the reason why our generosity, or lack of generosity, is a barometer as to the depth and sincerity of our relationship with Christ in verse 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.” And it is here we see Paul reveal for us a timeless truth when it comes to generosity. And that timeless truth is this: We are to be generous because Jesus Christ is generous.

This morning, Jesus Christ was and is rich. He is the hands of creation. He owns everything. Jesus Christ is rich spiritually, relationally, and materially. And Jesus is generous. Paul explains that Jesus is so generous that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor. Now when Paul uses the word poor here, this word literally means to become poor as a beggar. Jesus entered into humanity and grew up in a blue collar home of a carpenter. During Jesus ministry He was homeless, relying on the support of others for food and shelter. Jesus left the riches of the glory and majesty of Heaven to live the life of a beggar on earth.

Paul then explains that the reason that Jesus left the riches of Heaven for the life of a beggar on earth was so that you through His poverty we might become rich. Jesus entered into humanity to live as a beggar and allowed Himself to be treated as though He lived our selfish and sinful lives by dying the worst death possible by crucifixion so that God the Father could treat us as though we lived Jesus perfect life and bless us with the riches that come from the forgiveness of sin and the relationship with God that we were created for in Heaven. And Jesus generosity had “no strings attached”; Jesus willingly became poor in order to provide us the opportunity to experience the riches of the life that we were created and called to live. I mean what did Jesus get out of the crucifixion? How did Jesus entry into humanity benefit Him?

And the churches of Philippi and Thessalonica and northern Greece got this reality. Their generosity flowed from an attitude of gratitude for what Christ had done to rescue them from their selfishness and sin. Their generosity flowed from a response of love and a desire to reflect the love of Christ to the church at Jerusalem and the world. Paul saw this response to who Jesus was and what He had done for these churches as confirmation of the firm commitment that they had to Christ and His kingdom mission.

And in the same way today, Christ’s generous willingness to leave the riches of the glory of Heaven to live a beggar’s life and die an excruciating death should drive us to live a life that is motivated by love and that reveals and reflects Christ’s generosity. As followers of Jesus Christ, we are to be generous because Jesus Christ is generous. Paul then concludes this section of the letter by challenging the church at Corinth to respond to this reality in the midst of the present situation at the church in Jerusalem. We will look at Paul's challenge tomorrow.

So, how does Jesus generosity impact you when it comes to your generosity?

Gratitude and Generosity in the Midst of Persecution and Poverty...

As I have had the opportunity to have conversations with those who have either failed to connect or have disconnected with the church, one of the reasons that I hear for rejecting the church has to do with the subject of money. Some people refuse to connect with the church because they believe that all that the church wants is their money. For this group of people, God seemed to be portrayed as simply someone you believed in so that you could use Him for your financial benefit by a “name it and claim it” pastor on TV who was wearing a gold suit and sitting on a gold chair.

For others, their refusal to connect with the church is based on Christians who they encountered who repeatedly stated that money is the root of evil in the world. Therefore, if you are rich you must love the world too much, but if you are poor, then you really are spiritual. And giving to God was communicated as being driven by a desire to fulfill a command and a duty that must be done. Maybe I have just described encounters that you have had with Christians. Maybe you keep Christianity and the church at arm’s length because you believe that the church is all about the money. Or maybe you are a Christian but you still have many questions about the church and the subject of money and giving.

So, is the church all about the money? And even if you do not believe that the church just wants your money, then why is it we can tend to get so uncomfortable when the issue of money is brought up in church? And why do churches pass the plate and take an offering? Do they take the offering because God needs the money? Or is it just because the pastor needs the money? Why does the church ask Christians to give every week?

For the next two weeks, we are going to ask and answer these and many other questions. And to do that, we are going to be looking at a section of a letter in our Bible that was written to a church that was located in a city and a culture that was remarkably similar to American culture today. And it is in this section of this letter that we will discover that the issue of money and giving is not a new question. The issue of money and how Christians are to interact with money have been around since the church was born. So let’s begin by looking at a section of a letter that a man named Paul wrote to a church that was located in Corinth Greece called 2nd Corinthians. The section that we are going to spend our time in begins in 2 Corinthians 8:1. Let’s look at it together:

Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.

Paul begins this section of his letter to the church in Corinth by sharing with them the evidence of God’s activity in and through several churches that were located in Macedonia. These were churches that Paul had previously planted in the cities of Philippi and Thessalonica, which were located in the northern region of Greece. And in our Bibles today, we have several letters that were written to these churches. The book of Philippians and the books of 1st and 2nd Thessalonians were written to these very churches at around the same time that this letter was written to the church at Corinth.

Paul explains to the church at Corinth, which was located in southern Greece, that in spite of the trouble and distress that these churches were experiencing as a result of persecution and exploitation by the Roman government, these churches were marked by an unexpected joy. In spite of their outward circumstances, these churches demonstrated an attitude and mindset of gratitude and gladness.

But not only did this church demonstrate unexpected joy in the midst of their persecution. Paul also reveals for us the reality that these churches experienced deep poverty. What is so interesting is that this phrase, in the language that this letter was written in, literally means that their poverty was so significant and extreme that is was difficult to measure. The apostle Paul had a hard time wrapping his mind around how poor these followers of Jesus were. Yet, in spite of their extreme poverty and the intense persecution they were facing, these churches were extremely rich when it came to their generosity. The phrase the wealth of their liberality, if communicated in the language of our culture today, would sound something like this: “these churches had a ‘no strings attached’ approach when it came to their goodness and generosity.

You see, Paul was surprised, and even taken aback, by their attitude of gratitude and the actions of generosity that he experienced at these churches that were immersed in a culture of poverty and persecution. And as this letter continues, we see Paul unpack how these churches demonstrated their gratitude and generosity, beginning in verse 3:

For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much urging for the favor of participation in the support of the saints, and this, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

Here we see Paul sharing with the church at Corinth how he experienced the unexpected joyous gratitude and generosity of the churches. Now to fully understand how Paul experienced the gratitude and generosity of these churches, we first need to understand what Paul is referring to with the phrase “participation in the support of the saints”. When Paul talks about the support of the saints, he is referring to churches involvement in a special offering that was being taken for the church of Jerusalem, whose members were suffering as a result of a famine in the region. In a previous letter to this church that is recorded for us in the Bible, called the book of 1 Corinthians, we discover that while other churches were following Paul’s instructions to invest their treasure to meet the needs of the church in Jerusalem, the church at Corinth was failing to follow through on their commitment.

In verse three, Paul explains that, unlike the church at Corinth, these poor and persecuted churches were willingly investing their treasure to meet the needs of the church at Jerusalem. Paul did not have to make a sales pitch or a guilt trip to these churches. Instead, these churches heard of the need and were motivated to respond. As a matter a fact, they were so motivated to respond that they gave beyond their ability. In other words, they gave sacrificially. They responded to the need that they saw by pleading and appealing to Paul to be a part of God’s activity by meeting the pressing and practical needs of the church in Jerusalem. What makes this act by these poor churches so significant as compared to the inaction of the church at Corinth was the difference in the socio-economic condition of these churches. You see, Corinth was a wealthy port city and commercial center and was a key player in the world economy. Unlike the churches of Philippi and Thessalonica, the members of the church at Corinth had the resources that they could easily invest to be a part of what God was doing to help the church at Jerusalem.

So, while the wealthy church at Corinth was dragging their feet when it came to following through on their commitment, the persecuted and poor churches of northern Greece dove in head first in order to be a part of God’s activity in the world. That is why, in verse 5, Paul makes the statement that he did not expect such gratitude and generosity. When Paul uses the phrase “gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God”, he is revealing for us the reality that these churches were first and foremost dedicated to God’s desires for their life and their investment and involvement in what He was doing in the world. And as a result of his experience with these churches in Northern Greece, Paul was provoked to respond. Tomorrow, we will see how Paul responded to what was happening in Corinth.