Why Give ?

 

This message was preached by Colin DCruz via zoom at Word Of Grace Church on  January 10th 2021. for the audio please click here.  TO listen to the worship please click here

We go through different seasons in the church, Easter, Christmas etc. One such thing is Gift Day Offering. Jesus is the only hope for India. We look at countries like America and the UK and millions say they want to go there. Why do they do that? Because of the order and prosperity. It was the gospel that changed things in those nations. 

We want to give towards Regions Beyond, church planting across the nation and meet the needs of the poor. Word of Grace is a giving church and that is commendable. 50% of the Bible speaks about money and possessions. Jesus said, where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed by the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind”. We need to change our mind-set to a mind-set based on the word of God.

Why do we give?

1.      Because of our Salvation: At salvation, our hearts are transformed. Zacchaeus was a tax collector, hated by all Jews and considered a sinner. Jesus just said I must stay at your house today. In that brief transaction, Zacchaeus was saved. How do we know this? Luke 19:8 “And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.”” Jesus said to him, today Salvation has come to your house. When we know what it is to be saved, it is easy to part with our wealth because we know what God has done for us. We have a great salvation. On the other hand, what do we have if we gain the whole world and lose your own soul?

 

2 Cor 8:9 “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 by his poverty might become rich” Do you know for certain that you are saved? When we put our faith in Jesus, we are saved. And the evidence of this is in our transformed heart and the way we deal with our riches.

 

2.      Because of our Evaluation: Luke 21 1-3 “Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, 2 and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins.3 And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. 4 For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”” Jesus is watching and evaluating.

 

3.      Because of Heaven: Matt 6:19-20 ““Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” How do we store our treasure in heaven? 1 Timothy 6:18-19 “They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, 19 thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

4.      Because of the harvest: 2 Corinthians 9:6 “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully”. Another way for us to give is to not give reluctantly or under compulsion. 2 Corinthians 9:11 “You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” These are promises from God. We cannot out-give God because He is a giver.

 

How to give:

1.      Give Proportionately: One person gives 5000 and the second one gives 50,000. Who gave more? The amount doesn’t matter, it’s the proportion. Luke 21: 1-3 Jesus says that the woman gave more because she gave everything she had. 1 Corinthians 16:2 “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper so that there will be no collecting when I come.”

2.      Give Generously: John 12:3 “Mary therefore took a pound[a] of expensive ointment made from pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume”. The Bible tells us in verse 5 that the perfume was worth a year’s wages. How did Jesus evaluate this giving? He says in John 12: 7-8 “Leave her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of my burial. 8 For the poor you always have with you, but you do not always have me”. Many people came to anoint and embalm his body, but He was no longer there, he was alive. Only Mary got to anoint him. Elsewhere, Jesus says, she has done a beautiful thing and said that her story will be told every time the gospel is preached.

3.      Give Sacrificially: 2 Sam 24:24 “But the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will buy it from you for a price. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” We can give money where it doesn’t pinch us much, but God is looking for a fragrant sacrifice. Sacrifice is always costly. 1 Corinthians 8: 2 – 5 “for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.  For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 4 begging us earnestly for the favour of taking part in the relief of the saints— 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.” They gave even beyond their ability. What are you sacrificing in order to give for gift day?

As we give, God is going to bless us! Let’s pray!

  Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

 

A Beautiful Thing Part 1 | Colin DCruz

This message was preached by Colin D at Word of Grace Church on  February 17th, 2019. To listen/download the audio please click here. To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here

Money!

When it comes to money, most of us get embarrassed. We get embarrassed to reveal our salary or sometimes, even to pay the bill at a restaurant. We must have heard people say that it’s not right to talk about money during a church meeting.

But we see in the Bible that Jesus talked about money. In fact, out of whatever Jesus spoke in the Bible, 13% of it is about money. He spoke more about money when compared to heaven, hell, and discipleship. So, do you think money is important? Yes! There is something significant about money.

Every year, in the month of November, we take a gift offering from all the churches under Regions Beyond across the globe. I am very blessed through Word of Grace church because of their generous giving every year towards Gift Day offering. The money that we receive towards gift day offering is used for different purposes. We send a part of this money to other Regions Beyond churches, we use a part of this money for the poor and the other part of the money is used to develop the infrastructure of our church. Well done church!

When we do not understand how to handle money according to the Bible, it can get very legalistic. We are going to look at Mark 14, which tells us about a woman called Mary, who breaks open the alabaster jar and anoints Jesus. However, before going through that, let us understand the relationship that Mary and her siblings share with Jesus.

John 11:5 - Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus

Jesus loved Martha, her sister, Mary and her brother Lazarus.

John 11:1-7

Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 (This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair.) 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.”

4 When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”5 Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. 6 So when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days,7 and then he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.”

When Lazarus fell sick, his sister, Martha, and Mary sent a word to Jesus about Lazarus. Jesus, by Spirit, knew that this will not end in death. Jesus stayed for two more days and then decided to return to Judea.

John 11:17 - 17 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days.

By the time Jesus reached the village, it has been 4 days since Lazarus was dead and buried.

Jesus, after seeing Martha and Mary run to him and cry out saying, “If you had been here, my brother wouldn’t have died”, Jesus wept too and was deeply moved by the Spirit.

John 11:38-40

38 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 “Take away the stone,” he said.

“But, Lord,” said Martha, the sister of the dead man, “by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days.”

40 Then Jesus said, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?”

43 When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face.

Jesus said to them, “Take off the grave clothes and let him go.”

Imagine any one of our family members in place of Lazarus. How would we feel? Wow!!! We would not stop praising and thanking Jesus. Jesus has rule over life and death. For those who put their faith in Jesus will rise up when he returns and go with him.

In Mark 14, we see that Jesus was visiting Bethany again. How was he welcomed?

Mark 14:3 – While He was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon, the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

John 12:2 – Here, a dinner was given in Jesus’s honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him.

Where was the dinner? Simon, the Leper’s house. The dinner was given in Jesus’s honor. Why was Simon called “Simon, the Leper”? If he were a leper, he would not have been living with the community. Therefore, what we understand is that Simon who was a leper who got healed by Jesus.

At Simon’s home, what did Mary do? She did not put perfume on Jesus with her finger. She broke the jar of alabaster and poured the whole perfume on his head. What is so special about it? That perfume costs a year’s wages.

What devotion! The disciples felt,” What a waste!” They rebuked her. The disciples were calculating in their heads. However, Mary was doing with her heart. Jesus raised her brother, Lazarus to life. Breaking the jar of alabaster was the response to what Jesus did for her brother.

When the disciples rebuked her harshly, Mary did not say anything. However, Jesus said, “Leave her alone”. The King of Kings, Greatest of all said that.

Mark 14:9 – truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.

Wow! What a privilege!

We see three things –

1.      Jesus says, “It is a beautiful thing to me”.

Mark 14:6 – “Leave her alone”, said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She had done a beautiful thing to me.

End of the day, whatever we do, what does Jesus think about it?

2.      Mary’s giving was timely.

Mark 14:7-8 – the poor you will always have with you, and you came help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.

Can you imagine? The perfume that was poured on Jesus was so much that the fragrance would not have left him until he was buried and stayed inside the tomb for three days.

 Luke 24:1-2 – on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb.

The spices here are not to make a curry, but to embalm Jesus. But the women found that the stone was rolled away. The women didn’t get a chance to embalm him but Mary did it even before he died.

What Mary did was prophetic and timely. It would have been too late 4 days later. Sometimes God prompts us to do things and we need to do it immediately. Her giving has been immortalized in scripture for all to read. That is how impactful her giving was.

3.      How to give?

Mary, after pouring the perfume kissed the feet of Jesus. If we read the new testament there was someone else who kissed Jesus, i.e., Judas. However, what is the difference? One was a kiss of love and the other was a kiss of betrayal.

Mathew 26: 48-49 – Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The one I kiss is the man; arrest him.” Going at once to Jesus, Judas said, “Greetings, Rabbi !” and kissed him.

How we give matters. We can give either extravagant like Mary or like Judas without our hearts in it. God does not want that kind of giving.

Sadly, the current younger generation is selfish. It is all about me. We need to change that. We need to teach them to give sacrificially. It should not be like we buy all the things lavishly and give very minimal to God.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION IN THE GYM GROUPS

• How do you view money? Is it something you own or are you a steward of it?
•  Have you ever asked Jesus whether you should spend on something? Have you ever asked him who you should bless?
• Have you ever been challenged to give in faith - share a story from your life?
• Should I give when I don't have? Should I borrow to give? Can I plan my giving?
• What is your biggest take away from this sermon?

 Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit-filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that has people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service.  Word of Grace is a part of a wider international family of Churches called RegionsBeyond.To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org. 

How now shall I give?| Colin D'cruz

This message was preached  Colin D Cruz at Word of Grace Church on the October 11th, 2015.  To listen/download the audio please click here  . To listen to the Sunday's worship and prophetic contributions please click here

It’s not just that we give but how we give. What is the goal and result of our giving? Why does God want to bless us? 

It is so that we can be generous on every occasion and it will result in thanksgiving to God on the part of the recipient.

So how should we give? The money we get, we use for different things, to different churches, food packages, sponsoring education, etc.

Our model for giving should be Jesus.

2 Corinthians 8:9- though rich, he became poor. Jesus gave up the beauty of heaven for us.

1.      So we give sacrificially- it should be something that costs us and not from our comfort zone. When Hudson Taylor was preparing to go to China, he started living frugally and gave his money to bless people.

2.      2 Corinthians 9:2- with Eagerness- they were ready and enthusiastic. They were full of joy.

a.      So we make arrangement and we prepare in advance

b.      Verse 6 gives a promise and a condition. We have choice of how we give- sparingly or generously.

c.      To give from the heart and not the mind. Often the heart and mind can be in conflict. We need to give from the heart and not in a calculated manner. The lady with the alabaster jar gave with her heart. The disciples calculated with their minds and called it a waste.

d.      Don’t give reluctantly or under compulsion. God loves cheerful/ hilarious giving.

3.      Every time there are instructions about giving, God gives faith promises to enable us to give. As you give God will increase you seed so you sow more, to reap more and give more.

It starts with Jesus who became poor. As we give God gets the glory. Our giving is a sacrifice.

2 Corinthians 9:14- “And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.”

Which area are you lacking in? Is sacrificial giving tough? Or is it cheerful giving or lack of faith? Let’s enter the adventure with God and ask the Holy Spirit to help with this. 

Word of Grace is an Evangelical (Born Again),  Spirit filled (Charismatic), Reformed, English speaking church in Pune that upholds the Bible as God's inspired Word for life. We are a church community that have people from every part of India and parts of the world. We are here to put the Great Command and the Great Commission into practice by equipping and releasing every member into works of service. To know more about us please log onto www.wordofgracechurch.org.

Money Matters - Generous Giving

Money Matters – Generous Giving

Text: 2 Cor. 8:1-15

When we are sick we go to the doctor and get some tests done to check out what’s going on inside our body.  In the same way, how do we check out the spiritual status of our hearts?

Luke gives us the way to have an internal check up of our heart. Luke 12:34 says “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” This according to the Bible is a pretty clear indicator as to where the affections of the heart lie.

Does the bible forbid the acquisition of wealth? No. Duet 8:18 – It is he who gives us the ability to produce wealth. This is his grace upon our lives. Are we thankful for the jobs we have? Do we recognize it as the grace of God and not your efforts?

God richly supplies us with many things to enjoy. 1Tim6:17. There are some streams of Christianity that  promote the idea that poverty is next to godliness and some that promote prosperity as a sign of godliness.  In the Bible we see people like Abraham, Isaac, David, Job and Solomon were very, very wealthy.  And you have the poor widow, the apostles etc who were not well off. We are promised spiritual and material blessing.

The bible however gives us principles on how to handle wealth. Wealth is neutral, how we handle it is what matters.

The warning about money is this – those who chase after it will find trouble. Eg). Achaan – loved money and fell in to sin. Balaam decided to curse God for money. Delilah sold her lover for money. Judas betrayed Jesus for money.

So how do we handle money rightly? Money has power – that is why we are warned. We cannot serve both God and money. Mammon is powerful.

2 Cor 8:1-5

Verse1 – The church in Jerusalem were very poor. The Corinthian were rich and affluent. As Christians and as churches we have an obligation to help the poor. Paul tells us that the Macedonian Church i.e Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea were very generous. He was citing them as an example to provoke the rich Corinthians to give.

What does giving involve? Giving involves money, but much more. We can give a meal,  our home for someone to enjoy a holiday while we are away, bicycle, sewing machine or any possession. I may give someone a car, or I may freely loan it to others.

There’s a great deal of giving that can take place even when I retain ownership – as long as I remind myself that God is the true owner, and I’m a steward of what He has given me.

We must be careful that our ownership doesn’t involve possessiveness. Instead of buying stuff we rarely use, why not borrow it and give the money towards God’s purposes.

How can we give in a way that glorifies God?

1. Verse1 – Our giving should be motivated by grace. Giving can be an act of the flesh or a spiritual act. There is also a gift of giving but we are not talking about that. So if I don’t have the gift to give should I give? V.7 – we are commanded to give. We also need God’s grace to give and God’s grace is given to us freely without measure.
2. Verse2a- the Macedonians were not rich – out of severe trial, they gave. They were severely persecuted and yet they gave. You may have difficult circumstances – illness, financial trouble etc , whatever it is – give.
3. V2b – They gave out of overflowing joy. As you give you will experience much joy. So we give with faith.
4. V2c-extreme poverty – that did not stop them. So nobody is excused. God will stretch your resources when we honor  him
5. V2d –they did not just give but they Bible records it as “rich generosity” – it’s not the quantity but the heart with which they gave
6. V3. Proportionate – as much as they were able
7. V3b – Is it sacrificial – they gave beyond their ability. When we give does it cost us, does it pinch us? Sacrificial giving is an integral part of a healthy church. Giving affirms Christ’s Lordship. It breaks the chains of Mammon that would enslave me and transfers my center of gravity to heaven.
    V3c - Voluntary – entirely on their own – of their own free will. It is always between you and God. Do it in secret.
8. V4. Giving was a privilege and not an obligation or compulsion. In fact they pleaded to participate.
9. V5. It was an act of love – they gave more than expected. Jesus who was rich became poor for our sakes so that we may become rich in every way. Jesus laid aside his majesty and died on the cross so that we could have the free gift of salvation and make us rich in every way. This would evoke a response from us that is full of gratitude.

 

Grace and gratitude belong together like heaven and earth. Grace evokes gratitude like the voice an echo. Gratitude follows grace as thunder follows lightning.  Karl Barth

ON GIVING AND BEING GENEROUS

At the Youth Meeting at Word Of Grace last week, we continued our discussion on the topic of Finance. The focus of the discussion revolves around “Generosity and Giving”. We were provoked to think beyond ourselves, our wants and greed. As young people who have been working a few years, we now have the experience of earning their own money. One has also developed certain spending habits and an attitude toward money which are not necessarily biblical. 

 As Christians every aspect of our lives needs to be under the Lordship of Jesus which means we seek to only do His will no matter which area of our life it is. It is amazing how slow we are to surrender the purse strings to Jesus, the One who sustains all things by His powerful Word and that includes our jobs, and our very lives. Will we allow Him to challenge our spending habits? Will we allow Him to challenge our giving?

 We live in a world that focuses on self gratification as being one of the highest priorities an teaches us to spend an indulge the flesh, to be self absorbed and self focused. Little thought is given to charity, generosity, helping those in need, giving to God beyond the regular tithe. As Christians we need to excel in giving in every way – be it our money, time, talent, resources, processions, our very selves. The best example is found in our Lord Jesus who gave his very life for us.

We need to remind ourselves that we are to be good stewards of what God has given us and that one day we will have to give the Lord a full account of every area of our lives.

One of the quotes read out: “I hate to say it, but single people are some of the most selfish people on the planet. We’re all selfish, I get that. But singles excel in this vice (I know I did). You’re in a season of your life in which you have a lot of time and (often) excess money to manage. What you do set the course for the next twenty years.” (Jamie Munson- Money: Gift or God. pg89)

Some questions to ask ourselves to check our Generosity Quotient and attitude toward money:

• 1.      How generous am I toward God – do I only give the bare minim Tithe or do I seek to increase that amount as an act of faith? Am I generous with the offerings(which apart from the tithe) I put into the church?

• 2.      When was the last time I blessed someone who is unable to reciprocate in a similar manner?

• 3.      Am I mindful of the needy in my family and my church? Have I done anything to improve their situation apart from pray?

• 4.      When I go out with friends, do I wait for someone else to pay the bill or am I quick to offer to pay. (An indication is how quickly or slowly your hand reaches for your purse). While friends may go “Dutch”, are there occasions when I want to bless my friends and I am willing to foot the Bill?

• 5.      How quick am I to make my contributions towards costs that are being split between friends or am I hoping they forget about me eg) Splitting the bill for a meal, a contribution towards a gift etc.

• 6.      When there is a call for a special offering at church for a cause, a project, do I give the least possible amount that I can get away with or do I ask the Lord to help me be generous and give with a large heart?

• 7.      What about the domestic help we employ – are we aware of their special needs like sickness, school fees etc (they do not get medical cover like some of us do). Do we seek to help them beyond the meager pay they get for cleaning our homes?

• 8.      Am I in debt? Do I spend more than I earn? Am I in the habit of borrowing money from others and then am either slow in paying it back or not at all by conveniently forgetting about it? Am I in the habit of “bumming” things off others?

• 9.      When in a group, do I just buy refreshments for myself or do I offer to buy some of the others as well?

These are a few pointers.  Allow the Holy Spirit to search and instruct your heart. Be ruthlessly honest with yourself and then obey the prompting of the Lord. Your life will be greatly blessed and enrichened by it.

Remember the Lord Jesus is committed to making us more like him in every area of our lives. We are being changed from one degree of glory to another and His grace will see us through. We don’t struggle on our own. His power is made perfect in our weaknesses.

      

Make giving and generosity a life style and not something you do once in a while.

 Here are some quotes from the Bible and elsewhere to help you ponder on this topic

• ·          “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you– Luke 6:37-38

• ·         One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. ” – Prov. 11:24

• ·          ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’- Acts 20:35

• ·         God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 Corinthians 9:7

• ·         Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD, and he will reward them for what they have done-- Proverbs 19:17

Quotable Quotes

• ·         The smallest good deed is worth a thousand grand intentions

• ·         He, who waits to do a great deal of good at once, will never do anything.Samuel Johnson

• ·         There are three kinds of givers -- the flint, the sponge and the honeycomb. To get anything out of a flint you must hammer it. And then you get only chips and sparks. To get water out of a sponge you must squeeze it, and the more you use pressure, the more you will get. But the honeycomb just overflows with its own sweetness. Which kind of giver are you?

• ·         Giving with glad and generous hearts has a way of routing out the tough old miser within us. Even the poor need to know that they can give. Just the very act of letting go of money, or some other treasure, does something within us. It destroys the demon greed. -- Richard J. Foster, Money, Sex & Power.

• ·         Giving is the highest expression of potency. --Erich Fromm

• ·         If you haven't got any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble. --Bob Hope

• ·         “No man was ever honored for what he received. Honor is the reward for what he gave.

• ·         You can give without loving, but you can't love without giving.

Let’s aim to be the best givers we can possibly be.