Foundations - Servants of a Generous God

My former pastor used to tell us, “You can’t out-give God!” Some people would take that to mean, “If you give to God, He will give you more back.” But the pastor didn’t intend it that way. That’s a really whacked view of God. It’s not that He needs money and we are the lenders He comes to, paying us back with interest. Even worse, some people see Him as a heavenly slot machine, one set to always pay out big.

What my pastor really meant, even if he didn’t communicate it very clearly, is that you can’t possibly give more than God gives since everything is His! David wrote in Psalm 24, “The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it.” It’s not that you give to get. Rather, it’s that everything you have been given belongs to Someone else and you are entrusted with it for His sake and no one else’s.

Shortly after coming to Grace Church, I had the opportunity to meet with a couple in the church who wanted to share their disappointment in me. They told me, “We were in favor of you coming to Grace because you haven’t been a pastor all your life. You know what it’s like in the real world. We thought you’d be different than the other pastors!”

You see, I had asked them to consider their life in light of Jesus’ statement in the Sermon on the Mount, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?” (Matthew 5:46-47). I was hoping to help them realize that everything that everyone has is a grace from God, both to the believer and to the unbeliever. The difference is not in the gift, but in how it is used. The unbeliever (Ed would have me call him “pre-believer” – that’s one reason I love having Ed in my CONNECT group), believing the gift is his, lives for himself, a life that serves his own personal advancement and comfort. The Christ-follower understands that everything is the Lord’s. That which is entrusted to him is a stewardship and the Master will hold the steward accountable for what he has done for the sake of the Master (Matthew 25:14-29).

Does this apply to money? Of course. How about my SHAPE for ministry? That’s why it was given to you! It’s one reason we don’t just talk about spiritual gifts when we discuss serving at Grace. God made us to be servants of Him. That includes our unique passions and our personalities. Even the awful events of our life are important to how God intends to use us to serve His Kingdom purposes. And if that’s true, it means that even our time is His. And this is why that couple is frustrated with their pastors, because they still don’t understand that they belong to the Lord. Maybe it’s that we don’t communicate it clearly enough or come across as self-serving. Maybe it’s because they still want to be the rulers of “their” lives.

The reason Giving and Serving were lumped together during Foundations Month is because it’s all about Stewardship. That is why I have committed both spring and fall to helping the members of our groups understand why Service is vitally important to their Christian journey. Your see, our lives are not about having all the right answers on a Bible quiz. They are about being faithful to our Lord. Bible content is incredibly important since it’s in Scripture that we understand who and how we are to be. But it’s in the implementation of that information that God brings about transformation in our lives. And it’s thru that implementation that He changes the lives of others. Consider the worldview of Paul in the following passage. Look at how he decided how to live his life in light of the stewardship given to him. And this doesn’t just apply to him; it’s part of his instruction to the Corinthian church on how they are to live in light of the Gospel:

“Everything is permissible”-- but not everything is beneficial. “Everything is permissible”-- but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others. Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, for, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it.” If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. But if anyone says to you, “This has been offered in sacrifice,” then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience’ sake-- the other man’s conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another’s conscience? If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for? So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God-- even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved. 1 Corinthians 10:23-33

Our God is a generous God. We are to be like Him. And He is our Lord. We were saved to serve Him.