“A Great Harvest of Generosity”
2 Corinthians 9:1-12 – esp. v. 10 (NLT)
By John Gill ~ November 19, 2023
Today, of course, is the Sunday before Thanksgiving, and also Commitment Sunday – the day we express our gratitude to God for all his blessings in our lives by committing to give generously to advance the kingdom of God through this congregation. Therefore, it is appropriate that our message this particular morning focuses on “Generosity.”
The theme of generosity is often a difficult topic for many of us because we suspect that this word is really just code-words that the church came up with to give preachers an excuse to talk about money. And if that is what you think, then you are absolutely . . . right. Talking about extravagant generosity DOES mean that we’ll be talking about money . . . but it means a whole lot more, too.”1 It describes the satisfaction we feel when we know God has used us and our resources to make a real difference in the lives of others. It describes the joy we discover when we put God and God’s kingdom first in our lives. It describes the spiritual freedom we have in Christ when we learn to place all our trust in God’s provision, rather than clinging to money or things as if they were the ultimate reality of life. When you get right down to it, the word, “Generosity,” isn’t really a “code-word” for money at all – Generosity is a code-word for faith!
Even with that said, the most basic way we live out the call to Generosity is through the money we give. We are the church. And so, if the church is to thrive financially, it requires that each of us put our money where our faith is. After all, when we stood before God and the congregation on the day we professed our faith an joined the church (if you have done that), we promised to live out our faith through our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness. Giving is an essential part of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Followers of Jesus are expected to give a proportion of their income to the work of God in the world – a percentage that God places on our hearts, with the ultimate goal of reaching the Biblical “tithe” of 10%. That is how God provides for the work of his church in the world. God expects his people to present tithes and offerings to him. It is not optional – if we are serious about following Jesus.
Yes, we all have the obligation to give a portion of our income, and God promises that we will be blessed if we do. That is the least we should do. But as we will see this morning, God challenges each of us to do more than is required – to “Raise the Bar” – so that even more blessings may abound. God calls us to an extravagant Generosity.
In one of his books, Bishop Robert Schnase describes the difference between the kind of obligatory generosity that is the base-line for Christians, and Extravagant Generosity – the kind of generosity that God wants to bless:
“The practice of generosity describes the Christian’s unselfish willingness to give in order to make a positive difference for the purposes of Christ. Extravagant Generosity describes practices of sharing and giving that exceed all expectations and extend to unexpected measures. It describes lavish sharing, sacrifice, and giving in service to God and neighbor. Vibrant, fruitful, growing congregations thrive because of the extraordinary sharing, willing service, and joyous giving of their members out of love for God and neighbor.” 2
In Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians (chapter 9), the text we read a few moments ago, we have one of the most wonderful passages about the blessings of generosity that we find anywhere in scripture. From this text, we can learn a lot about the great harvest of generosity that results when we are touched by God’s Spirit to give extravagantly.
Just to set the stage a little: As you know, Paul was the great evangelist and church-planter. He traveled far and wide through Gentile lands preaching the Gospel. And in many places where people responded and gave their lives to Christ, new churches would form. From time to time, he would visit or correspond with these congregations, giving them further teaching, addressing their questions, correcting them, or offering them advice.
At the time of this writing, the mother church in Jerusalem, made up primarily of Jewish followers of Jesus, was suffering great financial hardship as they faced discrimination and persecution. So Paul took it upon himself to invite the Gentile believers in the churches he had established to take up an offering to send back to Jerusalem to help and encourage the believers there. In the portion of the letter we read a few moments ago, Paul is challenging the Corinthian Church to go beyond the basic generosity that grows out of a sense of obligation and duty. Instead, he calls them to a new level of extravagant generosity that will testify to their strong faith, and bring blessings to both those who receive, and those who give with a generous heart.
This passage is just bursting with lessons we can learn. What does this scripture tell us about this kind of Generosity that produces a harvest of good for the Kingdom? In the interest of time, let me mention only four:
The first thing Paul teaches us is that God is the source of all we have, and that the purpose of our material blessings is so that we are able to be a blessing to others. Paul writes to the Corinthians, “For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous.” (vs. 10-11a)
John Wesley instructed his Methodist followers that our blessings have a divine purpose: They are to be used to bless others. He told them 1) earn all you can; 2) save all you can; and finally, 3) give all you can. And Wesley practiced what he preached. As I mentioned in passing in last Sunday’s message, throughout his long ministry, John Wesley lived on the same modest amount of money every year. Even as his income increased exponentially, he continued to live on the same amount, and gave all the rest away to the poor. In his first year in ministry, he gave 7%; in the second year, 53%; in the third 69%, in the fourth 77%. By the end of his ministry he was giving away 98% of his income! 3 Wesley understood that God will always provide enough to meet our basic necessities, plus more than enough money to share with others.
As Paul writes, “And God will generously provide all your needs. Then you will always have everything you need, and plenty left over to share with others.” (v. 8) If you or I were to hoard what God has given to us, we would be poor stewards of his blessings. We are blessed by God to be a blessing to others.
The second thing Paul insists on is that giving must be intentional. We have to consciously decide the level of our giving, and then give it faithfully. In our scripture we read, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give.” (v. 7)
In a few moments, we will be turning in our commitment cards for 2024. There are always folks in every church that resist the idea of making a pledge. They want to give as the Spirit guides them. They wouldn’t say it, but what they usually mean by that is that they will only give whenever they come to church, or whenever they feel like it. They may even have good intentions to give generously, but they just don’t get around to it, or they make excuses as to why they can’t give.
But Paul said, “You must each decide in your heart how much to give.” In other words, we don’t wait till we “feel” like giving, or give on a whim, or only when we feel coerced by the preacher. We must prayerfully and thoughtfully make a decision what we intend to give, and commit ourselves to follow through. (By the way, we offer electronic giving options that you can set up so that your tithe is automatic – providing your contribution on a consistent basis, even when you are not able to be physically in worship. Information is available in the narthex and on our church website.)
In our text, Paul was concerned that the enthusiasm the members of the Corinthian Church expressed about their willingness to give to the offering was a flash in the pan – in the passion of the moment when Paul had been with them, they had made a big pledge, but now was the time for follow-through, and Paul was concerned that, despite their good intentions, they might not meet their commitment. So Paul sends this letter along with some “advance men” to encourage the church members to make good on their word.
This morning, it is our turn. In a few moments, we will present our cards. You may already have completed your card. But as you pray about your level of giving, you may feel led to open your envelope and adjust the amount. If so, please feel free to do so. Scripture makes it clear that each of us must “decide in [our] heart how much to give.” Will we give as little as we can get away with, or will we practice “a harvest of generosity? Extravagant Generosity means being lavish in our intentions to give, AND faithful in our follow-through.
A third thing which is clear from this passage is that there is a benefit that comes to us as we give: God promises that, as we give extravagantly to others, he will give extravagantly to us.
Whenever we think of giving, we are very aware that through our generosity, God blesses others. We see the need, and out of our love and compassion, we give to meet that need. Those receiving our gift benefit and are blessed. But Paul insists that, as we are lavish in our giving, you and I are blessed, as well – he even maintains that we are blessed in proportion to our level of giving.
Simply put, when we give extravagantly, God multiplies blessings. The more we are willing to bless others, the more blessings flow from God – blessings not only showered on those to whom we give – but also onto us. Paul put it this way: “Remember this – a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.” (v. 6)
Now, there are those of us who are more than a little uncomfortable with this biblical principle because it smacks of “Prosperity Gospel,” – that kind of “seed-sowing” preaching we hear on Christian TV – you know, the way some TV preachers prey on poor widows and those down on their luck, promising that if they will just send them a “seed-gift,” God will begin showering them with money, like a divine slot-machine in the sky – just put in your quarters, and watch for that big pay-off! That’s not what Paul was saying to the Corinthians.
He was telling them (and us) that when we open our hearts and wallets, something miraculous begins to happen IN US. WE ARE CHANGED. Yes, sometimes those blessings that come back to us may be material. If so, that’s great. But that’s not why we give. When we give extravagantly, the result will be that we will experience the growth of our faith, the deepening of our spiritual life, and an increasing level of love and joy – The blessings that really count. As the old saying reminds us: It’s impossible to out-give God!
Which brings us to the final thing this passage emphasizes: The attitude with which we give makes all the difference in whether or not we will experience a great harvest of generosity.
We shouldn’t be like the little girl I read about recently: A mother wanted to teach her daughter a moral lesson. She gave the little girl a quarter and a dollar for church. “Put whichever one you want in the collection plate and keep the other for yourself,” she told the girl. When they were coming out of church, the mother asked her daughter which amount she had given. “Well,” said the little girl, “I was going to give the dollar, but just before the collection the man in the pulpit said that we should all be cheerful givers. I knew I’d be a lot more cheerful if I gave the quarter, so I did.” 4
As Paul says it plainly, “Don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.’” (v. 7b)
That, my friends, is the hallmark of a harvest of generosity – cheerful giving. It is only when we give with a cheerful heart that we begin to discover the depth and breadth and height of the Christian life. In his first letter to Timothy, this is what Paul wrote: We are “to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share, thus storing up for (ourselves) the treasure of a good foundation for the future SO THAT (we) may take hold of life that really is life.” (1 Tim. 6:18-19)
Or as Paul wrote in our scripture for this morning: “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others… For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous.”
My friends, if you want to discover the “life that really is life,” – that “harvest of generosity in you,” begin to practice Extravagant Generosity. Your giving will make a real difference in the lives of others – and it just might transform your life, as well!