Loving to Give - Darin Mirante

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When you look at the history of Christianity, it’s remarkable that Christianity has survived now for over 2,000 years.

First-century Christians weren’t organized, they didn’t have any buildings, they weren’t recognized by the government. 

For nearly three centuries, they remained utterly powerless—ostracized socially, persecuted politically, and tortured physically.

And yet somehow the movement grew. How?

Well, its appeal and influence can be traced to an unexpected source: generosity

What made first-century Christians way of life so compelling was not their wealth, because they had none. It was not their theology, because their beliefs were so odd and counter-cultural that religious people couldn’t understand them.

 We have to understand how significant of a shift this would have been for the people of Jesus’ time. Throughout the Greek and Roman eras, the guiding principle for how to treat other people was very different from today.

Back then, the common way was that you give IN ORDER to get something in return. That was how the system worked. You scratch my back, I scratch yours.

So, naturally there wasn’t much use for someone who couldn’t pay you back.

The whole idea of generosity at that time was to find someone who can do something for you and do something for him first. 

Because then he’ll owe you. 

So, generosity was all about doing for others SO THAT they can do for you.

The problem with this was that the people who had the most also received the most. And the people who had nothing got nothing.

Then along came Jesus announcing that His kingdom would be different.

            In Jesus’ kindness economy, people would give and not expect to be repaid.

                        His followers would do for others what they couldn’t do in return.

 You and I are here today because of the legacy of generosity that preceded us.

There were multiple times when plagues ripped through cities and people would flee the country to escape death.

            The sick were then left with no one to care for them.

 However, the Christians didn’t flee. They risked their own health to stay and meet the needs of the ones who couldn’t help themselves.

Naturally this left quite an impression on the sick who weren’t followers of Jesus! Many of them turned to Christianity, not because of theology or even a miracle, but because of the generosity and compassion of the Christians in their communities. 

This reshaped the Roman Empire! At one point, Emperor Julius made a push to bring back paganism.

But the generosity of Christians was too great a force to overcome. He wrote, “The impious Galileans (followers of Jesus) support not only their own poor but ours as well.”

Those annoying Christians just kept on doing more for the pagans than the pagan leaders did…           

Generosity is the legacy of the way of Jesus. 

            Living to give vs. living to get.

Matthew 5:40-42 (NIV) – 40 "And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."

As we break this down, it’s important to know that this is a principle, NOT a law.

The point is to…

    v40 if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 

 In Jesus’ day, the poor were often at the mercy of the rich as many people were so poor that they had nothing but their clothing.

So, their clothing would become collateral with the rich if they borrowed any money. 

The lender then could ask for the money back at any time, and if they couldn’t pay, then the lender would keep the coat (tunic).

So, Jesus then offers a stunning solution: offer your cloak (outer coat) as well. This would be totally unnecessary, but the guiding principle of the kingdom of God is love.

            To love is to go “above and beyond.”

                        “Oh, you need a shirt? Take my coat as well.”

 Again, a reminder that this is a principle, not a law. This is about your attitude and your capacity for love…this is not a commandment to follow.

The practical assessment of this is that the more we cling to our things the less we understand that all we have is God’s and that He intends for us to live with open hands.

The goal is to not be possessed by your possessions. 

Matthew 6:19-21 (NIV) – 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

So, if you are putting your best energy into the accumulation of stuff, status, and wealth, you are going to be exhausted running on that treadmill.

Proverbs 23:4,5 (NIV) – "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; do not trust your own cleverness. 5 Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle."

Some things that God gives us in life are for us. Some of us may accidentally dishonor God’s generosity by not receiving the gifts he wants to give us. 

If a father gives a bike to his son for Christmas, he’d be a bit dismayed to see him pawning it, misusing it, or even giving it away. 

The problem is that most of us just assume that whatever we have is for our consumption. The key question of formation that we must learn to ask is: “God, what’s for me to enjoy? And what’s for me to share?”

Ecclesiastes 5:10 (NIV) – "Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income."

 Ecclesiastes 5:18-20 (NIV) – 18 "This is what I have observed to be good: that it is appropriate for a person to eat, to drink and to find satisfaction in their toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given them—for this is their lot. 19 Moreover, when God gives someone wealth and possessions, and the ability to enjoy them, to accept their lot and be happy in their toil—this is a gift of God. 20 They seldom reflect on the days of their life, because God keeps them occupied with gladness of heart."

 It's difficult to enjoy the stuff we already have when we are always occupied with getting more stuff…

God did not create us to experience lasting contentment through the acquisition of stuff.

More stuff does not equate to more fulfillment

            v.41 – "If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles."

 In Jesus’ day, if a Roman soldier asked a Jew to carry his luggage, the Jew would have to carry that luggage up to one mile. (There was even a law put into place that the Jew would not be required to carry the luggage indefinitely).

            So, Jesus is asking his followers to do the unthinkable: go two miles.

Why? Because the guiding principle in the kingdom of God is love and love SEEKS the good of the other.

If I lack a heart that looks to give, I’m stopping as soon as I hit one mile. 

However, the Kingdom of God way asks, “How can I help you?” “Do you need me to carry this further?”

And we extend this invitation EVEN to those who have offended us…

NOT because they are deserving (they aren’t), but because we serve a higher authority…and we know what that authority cares most about: the state of our heart. 

v.42 – 42 "Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." 

In Jesus’ culture, the dominant teaching, according to the law, was that giving should be for people in our community and only to meet what is needed.

Jesus, however, removes those restrictions saying our giving should NOT be limited to just those we know…AND he puts no limit on giving.

 How this is reflected in our church following Jesus’ command to make disciples of all nations is our emphasis on missions.

            We give 14% of our giving each year to missions (global and local). 
            Last year that amount was almost $577,000.

 Now, this decision begins with the proper understanding of WHY the church exists? For the sake of the world.

            The church is the only organization that exists primarily for its nonmembers.

 Transparency is always important…especially if we call ourselves a church FAMILY.

So, wanted to give you a giving update, which by the way, this information can always be found on the church center app (under the fc|news tab) or print versions are available at connection point.

Whenever we talk about giving, I always try to be very sensitive to the realities we are all navigating, specifically inflation and the cost of nearly everything being higher, without an increase in income. 

 As a church, we are in a place where we are firing on all cylinders, except giving is lagging behind where it was last year at this time.

2024 YTD giving: $2,626,322.28 ($324,439 behind budget need)

2023 giving through Aug 31- $2,950,761.12

It is worth mentioning that last year was the highest year of giving in the 60-year history of the church.

 So, what this reflects to me is the unfortunate reality of nearly all of us being squeezed by the cost of pretty much everything.

I would be more concerned if it weren’t for the fact that we are having banner years in literally every other area of church.

 Baptisms YTD- 71 (surpassed 2023 and projected highest since 2019)

New members YTD- 86 (surpassed last two years combined)

Guests YTD- 350 (already surpassed last year)

YTD weekly attendance average – over 200 more people coming each week compared to last year

Fortunately, because of the wise stewardship of our staff, we are only 44k behind expenses.

Again, talking about money at church is not a popular thing. However, we must have absolute clarity about God’s 

To become the kind of generous people God has in mind, we must: 

 Establish a “lifestyle cap”…a standard of living you do not go above.

This enables, and even excites you, to give whatever “extra” comes your way away.

Randy Alcorn – “God blesses us to raise our standard of giving, not our standard of living.”

To have an “abundance mindset” is to understand that not everything that comes my way is for me…

 If you have your basic needs met, set a “cap” on your lifestyle. 

Having a budget helps you to define what “enough” is by forcing you to decide what you are going to sacrifice.

People who just continue to go deeper into debt often operate with the mentality and desire to “have it all”…never content.

 I Timothy 6:6-10 (NIV) – 6 "…godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs."

The remedy is generosity.

We all actually already get this, because God created us to experience deeper and longer-lasting joy through giving more than through receiving.

 IF the ultimate goal is generosity, what should my life look like?

 It doesn’t mean you should sell everything and live in poverty. The goal is to HAVE something to share.

It doesn’t mean you should cut out everything you enjoy. God created us to enjoy Him through enjoying life (hobbies, food, seeing His creation). 

It DOES mean you must prioritize your desires in life SO THAT money doesn’t drive your life. Generosity SHOULD require sacrifice, because joyful sacrifice reflects contentment with the life God has given me along with a trust in Him that believes the purpose of life is bigger than just my personal needs, wants, and desires being met.

To live a life of simplicity for the sake of generosity means to have the freedom to limit or let go of anything that distracts us from joyfully giving more of ourselves to Jesus and His kingdom.

The desire to “have it all” doesn’t leave you with much at all, because while you are sitting on your pile of stuff, the desire for even more blocks your capacity to enjoy what you already have. 

Never fulfilled. Never content. 

God gave us the capacity to be content, but we must pre-decide what “enough” is: how much do I NEED to be fulfilled, SO THAT any “more” that comes my way, I understand AND am even excited about giving it away to meet an ACTUAL need.

Clarifying tithing/giving to God through the local church:
Malachi 3:10 (NIV) – 10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."
(10% is a guide…most of us feel really stretched at that point, but not all of us).

If you make 200k/year and give 20k to God, that’s a TON of money, but you probably don’t feel it like someone who is making 40k and gives 4k to God every year. Depending on your living situation, that is probably some serious sacrificial giving.

Our level of generosity reflects our level of trust in God

Be wise. Don’t be reckless. But, we should ALL have stories of regular (budgeted/planned generosity and even spontaneous (am I willing to sacrifice/give up eating out this week so that I can help someone) generosity

I want to encourage you to perform a spontaneous act of generosity this week. Maybe set aside a specific amount of money, a little or a lot. 

            Then, ask God to give you an opportunity to bless someone. 

                        And then, just keep your eyes open.

Could be as simple as buying someone lunch, paying for the person’s coffee behind you, dropping off groceries to someone who is sick.

 If it’s not money, maybe it’s something of value that you don’t need and you pray that God directs you to someone who has that need.

An extra appliance, tools, that one year-old gift card in your drawer, something else currently collecting dust…

And we are reflecting Him to a world in desperate need of joy and peace as well.