THREE TIMES IN A YEAR
"Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the LORD your God in the place which He shall choose; in the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and in the Feast of Weeks, and in the Feast of Tabernacles: and they shall not appear before the LORD empty: Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God which He has given you" (Deut 16:16-17).
It is not news to any of us that we are experiencing very tough economic times. It probably doesn't surprise you that in response, church members are pulling back financially under the banner of good stewardship.
Many are convincing themselves that it is OK to balance their personal accounts by giving less to God. But we know our God calls on His church to execute good stewardship. But we cross the line from good stewardship, to disobedience, when we fail to answer God's call for our responsibility to give tithes and offerings. Members seeking to balance their personal budgets find themselves under-funding the churches needed support. We are reminded of an account in Haggai, where the remnant of Israel was returning from exile, choose to give priority to their personal financial affairs, rather than restoring the temples financial affairs. "Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, while this house [God's house] lies in ruins? Now, therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: consider your ways. You have sown much, and harvest little. You eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill. You clothe yourselves, but no one is warm. And he who earns wages does so to put them into a bag with holes. Thus says the Lord of hosts: consider your ways" (Haggai 1: 4-6).
This warning seems so appropriate today! Even those who have retained their jobs in this economy are feeling strained, frustrated and dissatisfied. Many of us have seen our home values and savings diminish over night; as if we were putting money in bags with holes.
It is clear we are at a critical juncture at this end time of hardship, as God's church we need to try and do more - not less. It is in this end time frame, the world needs to learn of God's soon coming kingdom and the truth of obeying His laws that bring eternal salvation.
Keep in mind the subject of this message is offertory giving. We have never considered the purpose of the Church of God, In Truth to be a fund raiser. Our purpose knowing we cannot serve two masters.
Christ has taught, "Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matt 6:19-21). Verse 24, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon [money]."
Our giving to God is a mirror of our relationship with Him. It let's us see on whom we depend. It let's us see whom we love. It let's us see whom we serve. That message battles for attention.
Understanding God's purposes and plans for our giving is important. Some wonder what makes offerings acceptable to God? For ease of reference, that acceptable offerings are characterized by "3 W's." Willingness, Worship and Worth.
The first "W" is Willingness
God seeks a voluntary yielding of our gifts even when it is commanded, like we are told in Deut 16:10, "You shalt keep the Feast of Weeks [Pentecost] unto the Lord your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which you shalt give unto the Lord your God, according as the Lord your God has blessed you."
Now to the New Testament, where Paul is addressing the Corinthians. Paul states that our offerings can be accepted if there is first a willing mind. "For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man has, and not according to that he has not" (2 Cor 8:12). Willingness is our inward desire to give or simply our desire to obey God's written laws. For us to give, represents a willingness to honor God and in return be honored by Him.
The second "W" is Worship.
Sacrificial giving was intended as a part of our worship, not as a separate act. Matthew 2:10-11 illustrates it best. There we are going to find the wise men came to worship the Christ Jesus and as a part of doing so they opened their treasures to the Lord. "When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy and when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary His mother, and fell down, and worshipped Him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto Him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh" (Matt 2:10-11). Their action was intended as both a place of worship and sacrifice.
The third "W" is Worth.
For our offering to matter to God it must first matter to us. Notice 1 Chronicles 21:24, what king David declares, "And king David said to Ornan, nay; but I will verily buy it for the full price: for I will not take that which is yours for the Lord, nor offer burnt offerings without cost." David is saying, "I will not sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing."
The Old Testament traditions of temple sacrifice required that the animal offered be a animal that the giver owned rather than a wild animal. The term sacrifice symbolized that the offerer gave up something, "sacrificed" something of worth to them. That is our offering obligation today as well!
James Russell
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