No Rain, No Hope
In the early 1930s, severe dust storms ravaged the Great Plains. Texas and Oklahoma were among some of the states that were affected the most. Between a severe drought, poor farming practices, and strong winds people didn’t stand a chance.
The top soil was literally being blown away and there was nothing anyone could do at the time to stop it. The worst years were from 1934 to 1939. People were suffering, starving, and dying.
Some people moved on in search of a better place to live. Others tried to stay and make a go of it. Whenever a dust storm would come up people would run for cover. You had to take whatever cloth or material you had and stuff it into every crack around the windows and doors in order to keep the dust out.
People were praying for rain. Farmers were begging God for rain. They would muster the faith to sow their seed and plant their crop only to have it blown away again and again. To miss the income from one growing season was hard enough, but now it’s been years. The ground is void of nutrients. It’s hardened and cracked. And without any rain in sight, there was little to no hope.
So can you imagine that day in 1939 what you would have felt when you saw another dark cloud rolling in. Your assumption is, here comes another dust storm.
But then, you feel something you haven’t felt in a long time. A drop of RAIN!
If all you felt was one drop of rain, it would have been a welcome sight, but it would not make much difference.
Thankfully, before you knew it, one drop turned into two. And three, and four. And before you knew it, it was raining. Your getting soaking wet but you just don’t care. You haven’t seen or felt this kind of rain in more that 5 years. Your family comes outside and joins you in the rain. The neighbors come out and they’re dancing in the rain. Everyone is celebrating and singing and filled with hope because the rain has come.
And the RAIN CHANGES EVERYTHING.
One drop of rain might seem insignificant. Like it’s too small to make a difference. But what happens when it’s NOT just one drop? What happens when the whole sky opens up and it begins to rain!?
What If Everyone Gave?
Sometimes, you might be tempted to think that when you give whatever you give, it’s not going to make much of a difference. But here’s the question I want us to consider today…
What if everyone gave?
And here’s why I want us to consider this question, because we’re living in a dry and thirsty world!
We’re living in a world that’s desperate for the love of Jesus, desperate for the hope we have in Christ, desperate for family, for community, for relationship, desperate for a different kind of life.
They may not know it, but we know the ONE who can lead them to the rich and satisfying LIFE.
This is exactly what the Apostle Paul wanted for his friends in the ancient city of Corinth some 2000 years ago. He wanted them to have the opportunity to participate in the grace of giving NOT because of anything he wanted FROM them, but because of what God could do IN them!
2 Corinthians is a letter that Paul is writing to a church in Greece about the needs of Christians who are living in Jerusalem. At the time, these brothers and sisters in Christ where going through a very difficult time. There is a famine in the land making food and water hard to come by. (Acts 11:28-30). They’re living in their own version of the Dust Bowl era.
The Costs of First Century Discipleship
Any time you go through any kind of famine, people suffer and the economy suffers. In a society largely dependent on agriculture, no rain means no money! And that creates more problems because guess what, Rome still expects to get paid. They still want their taxes!
But you also have to remember that being a Christian in the first century came with it’s own set of costs. Christians in Jerusalem were being persecuted by both the Roman authorities and the Jewish leadership.
To become a Christian might mean being ostracized from your family and your community. It could also mean losing your employment. There was a literal, tangible cost of discipleship in the first century that to be honest, many of us have never had to face in the same way.
So you can just imagine the stress and the hardship these brothers and sisters in Christ are up under at this time. If we could, we would take up an offering right now and send it back in time to help them!
This is the situation they’re facing. It’s not just hard, it’s almost unimaginable.
So Paul writes to the Christians living in Corinth. And this is an important note… these are not Jewish Christians like the ones who were living in Jerusalem. These are Gentile Christians. Paul is reaching across racial borders, he’s reaching across cultural borders, he’s calling on our unity in Christ, our oneness in Christ, as the foundation for the ask he’s about to make.
Uncommon Generosity
Listen to what Paul writes…
2 Corinthians 8.1-12
1 Now I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, what God in his kindness has done through the churches in Macedonia. 2 They are being tested by many troubles, and they are very poor. But they are also filled with abundant joy, which has overflowed in rich generosity.
3 For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. 4 They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem. 5 They even did more than we had hoped, for their first action was to give themselves to the Lord and to us, just as God wanted them to do.
Paul begins by saying… “Hey, let me catch you up on what one of our sister churches has done. And by the way, you’re not going to believe it. Our fellow Christians in Macedonia are poor. Not just poor, they’re dirt poor. But listen to this…”
“…they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem.”
Right here, Paul is setting up a principle we see all throughout scripture.
You can give what you’re able.
You can give beyond what you’re able.
But you cannot out give God!
And when you give generously, you are filled with joy abundantly!
Now that’s a counter cultural message.
Culture says: When you GET excessively you are filled with abundant joy.
It’s a LIE. But we buy that lie all the time.
The truth is that when you GIVE generously you are filled with abundant joy.
And that’s exactly what happened for the Christians in Macedonia. They gave beyond what they were able to give trusting God to provide for them as they leveraged their resources to provide for others.
And guess what happened, God did! God provided for them, and God blessed them with abundant joy that is only experienced when we give sacrificially and fully rely on Him!
What is Grace?
Paul says…
6 So we have urged Titus, who encouraged your giving in the first place, to return to you and encourage you to finish this ministry of giving. 7 Since you excel in so many ways—in your faith, your gifted speakers, your knowledge, your enthusiasm, and your love from us—I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving.
8 I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches.
Paul wants these Christians in Corinth to grow in the GRACE of Giving. So when we give, whatever we give, it is an act of GRACE.
What is grace?
In the simplest of terms, it is undeserved kindness.
When you receive the grace of God, you don’t deserve it. It’s not conditional. It’s not about what you deserve or don’t deserve. God gives it to you freely and abundantly.
Paul says our giving is an act of grace. We don’t give to those who deserve it. To those who have earned it. Our giving is an act of grace. When we give what we give, it is a grace. It’s without condition. And Paul emphasizes this grace of giving by going on to say that it’s not even a command.
You may have heard that under the Law of Moses the people of God were commanded to tithe. To give 10% of their income off the top to God. We don’t live under that law, although that is still a worthy goal and a helpful guide. Just as a reminder, God can do more with your 90% than you can do with your 100%.
Maybe you give 1% of your income, or 5%, or 10%. You might even give 20%. It’s not about a percentage, it’s about participating in the grace of giving and Paul seems to say that our giving is proof of our genuine love and trust in God!
Paul isn’t commanding anyone to give any certain amount or percentage. That’s because God doesn’t want anything FROM us, God wants something FOR us. What does he want to happen IN US? He wants us to become like Jesus.
Redefining Rich
9 You know the generous grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty he could make you rich.
What happens when we give sacrificially? We become a little bit more like Christ who sacrificially gave His life so we could live!
12 Whatever you give is acceptable if you give it eagerly. And give according to what you have, not what you don’t have.
Paul redefines what it means to be rich. In God’s economy a rich and satisfying life comes to us through the grace of giving.
It’s counter intuitive. It’s counter cultural. But, if you really want to have and experience a rich and satisfying life, this happens when we follow the example of Christ and live a life of self sacrifice.
Why did Paul want the Corinthians to participate in giving? It wasn’t about what he wanted FROM them. It’s what he wanted FOR them.
He wants them to be able to REAP Generosity.
Turn the page to 2 Corinthians 9.6-8 and listen to what Paul says next…
2 Corinthians 9.6-8
6 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. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
Paul knows God loves a cheerful giver and he wants them to know and experience God’s love more fully.
And he knows God’s grace abounds to those who live generous lives and wants God’s grace to abound in their lives.
But you reap what you sow.
If you only plant a few seeds, you only have a small crop.
But if you sow generously, you reap abundantly!
What Happens When You Give?
What if everyone gave? What if you gave?
All of a sudden the church becomes a fertile field full of resources and provisions to meet the needs of people around us, all of a sudden we’re able to extend compassion in tangible ways, spread the gospel to people near and far, fully fund ministries, and be a part of a church that is growing and thriving and flourishing and giving.
You may think, my gift won’t make a difference.
An individual rain drop might say the same thing. But what if everyone gave? What could our collective impact be?
This isn’t about guilting anyone into giving. This is about dreaming together and imagining together what God could do if everyone gave!
And not just what God could do through us FOR others, but what God could do IN us as we put our trust in Him and learn to fully rely on HIM for everything we need!
The Apostle Paul would go on to say in 2 Corinthians 9.10-13
10 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.
11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. 12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.
13 As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God.
What if you gave?
“[God] 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. “
When you give you bless others and God in turn blesses you! This is how life works in God’s economy!
God’s grace abounds to those who live generous lives.
So what I’m about to challenge you to think about is NOT about some agenda, it’s NOT about anything anyone wants FROM you, it really is about what God wants FOR YOU, FOR ME. It’s about what GOD wants to do IN you and IN me.
If you’re not giving to God’s church, I want to encourage you to start giving. Do your own tithing challenge. Even if you don’t start at 10%, just start giving something and see what God does.
If you are giving to God’s church, I want to encourage you to do a little bit more. Like Paul, I want to encourage you to GROW in the grace of giving. If you’re an online giver, it’s easy to never change that amount year after year and to let it stay the same. When was the last time you uped your giving? Why not consider giving a little more and strive to grow in the grace of giving and just see what God does.
If you’re someone who has been giving 10%, could I encourage you to think about going beyond that and giving a little bit more. Some of the stories that inspire me most are those stories of people who give 20%, 30%, 50%, and realize that they just can’t out give God. Some people even reverse tithe and give 90% and live on 10%!
Today, let’s move away from percentage giving and give from the heart.
Because, at the end of the day, it’s all about your heart.
You reap what you sow.
When you sow generously and sacrificially, you can’t help but become a little more like Jesus.
