Articles

THE HANDS THAT GIVETH PART ONE

“Like hands dipped in butter”

“You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus himself said: It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:34-35, NIV)

In 1987, South African exceptional reggae singer Lucky Dube wrote a song, a super duper single titled ‘The Hand That Giveth’. This song was released and it’s a track of his album titled ‘Slave’. The song went in part: “Who doesn't care about the helpless people? There you read it in the Bible But don't understand what it says. It says blessed is the hand that giveth than the one that taketh.” Would Jesus Christ wear a Rolex or drive a Bugatti while the poor went hungry and unsupported if he were to have an Earthly ministry again?

The Church of Jesus Christ must not depend on unbelievers for her needs

Giving is a ministry, privilege and responsibility for those who have received from God the gift of eternal life however, it is wrong for churches or Christian ministries to appeal to unbelievers for funds. The book of Third John 7 mentions Christian workers who “went out for the sake of the Name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles.” It is wrong to give an unbeliever any basis for thinking that he can gain merit before God by giving or any other good deed.

Unbelievers and Christians who don’t understand the importance of giving frequently gripe that the church is always after their money. They are right in one sense: God is after their money, because their hearts are bound up with their treasure, and God wants their hearts to be devoted to Him. The fact that they resent giving shows the condition of their hearts. (Matthew 6:21)

Jesus Christ commands all believers, essentially the Church of Jesus Christ to give

Jesus Christ has commanded all believers to give freely, quickly, with understanding and within our means. (Matthew 25:31-46, 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, Exodus 22:29). In our modern world battered by economics hardships, people tend to be reluctant in giving. Christ commands that we should believe in Him and He would give us all things despite the financial stresses we face. (John 14:2-3) We as Christians, the Body of Christ without exemption are to give rich and poor alike to facilitate the gospel and spread the love of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 8:2; Luke 21:1-4). It is a blessing unto us to cater for the needs of destitute family members, spiritual ministries, poor and needy in the Church and in society. (Luke 3:10-11, 1 Timothy 5:8, 2 Thessalonians 3:10-15, Acts 2:44-47, Romans 12:13, 1 John 3:17-18, Romans 15:26-33, Galatians 6:6-11, 1 Corinthians 9:11-18, 1 Timothy 5:17-18, Hebrews 13:16, 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, Matthew 5:38-48, James 1:27; James 2 NIV) Notice that there is an order of priority here. The bible doesn’t command us to give to the rich, at least when it comes to money however we can give to the rich to honour them (Luke 14:12-24, 1 Timothy 6:17-18) nevertheless there is no scriptural basis to give to the rich. We are to give from our substance to bless others and to glorify God. We give back to God what is God’s so that through our gifts the love of God can become a tangible reality in the world.

The Spirit of Giving

I believe strongly that the spirit and action of giving is one of the most important spiritual practices a disciple of Jesus can claim. I also believe that the attitude we have toward our money and finances directly influences the condition of our relationship with Jesus. How we feel about cash tithes, offerings, and first fruits, alms giving and sharing our finances can also reflect the level of giving in other areas of our lives. Generosity is contagious, as it spreads from our money to our time, prayer and fasting (intercession), gifts, our talents, our abilities, our strength/energy, and our zeal and presence. Our devotion to God’s house and the chosen place where He expresses His love must burn in us like fire. We tend to be very possessive of our hard-earned money. The starting point in a believer’s understanding of giving is the recognition that everything that we have comes from God. Psalm 24:1; James 1:17 NIV echoes this important Truth.

It is important that the church of Jesus Christ to give and contribute towards her own needs. We should not give because we think God needs our gifts in order to be God, or that the church needs our money to be the church. The people of God—you and me—give to the church and to God because of our gratitude to him.

Giving back to the One who first gave

Religious scammers and church hucksters have given a bad name to Christian giving. They speak like the direct descendants of Jesus Christ but represent the continuation of hell on Earth. In their greed, they prey on the innocent and are very unsavoury. Because of such abuse, pastors may be weary to deal with this important subject. But we need to be clear on what scripture teaches about giving.

Do we not find it interesting and sensitive that Jesus Christ taught believers to give and how this subject should be of relevance to the Church of Jesus Christ? God wants us to give generously as He has prospered us. This is of necessity of any real work must be done in the Kingdom of God here on Earth.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, NIV)

In John 3:16, we find that love is the reason or motivation for giving and forgiving. Christ was in God’s possession; and God gave Himself in the person of Jesus in response to our need of forgiveness. When we emulate this in our daily lives as believers we will realize that giving God’s way is wrapped up in love. Giving therefore is the act of providing love or care and God first demonstrated this in other that all believers may also truly follow in His example. Love is the reason for God’s Mercy. The Apostle Paul writes, “If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.” (1 Corinthians 13:3, NIV)

Jesus Christ views giving not by the beauty and quantity of our gifts, but by the condition of our hearts from which we give. When we give to others, we give back to God and this is an act of worship and it pleases God. For Jesus and for us, love is everything when it comes to giving.

Article By Apostle Chritian Owusu Ansah