To Be a Good Christian about Money - summary of this Sunday's sermon from a friend in MA
Ananias and Sephira show up at the beginning of Acts. There was a very giving man who decided to sell his house and land and give the money to the church so that they could care for the Christians. He got so much praise from the apostles that other people were encouraged to do the same thing. Soon, however, a married couple, Ananias and Sephira, sold their property, but only brought part of the money. When Ananias came in, Peter asked him if that was everything. Ananias saidit was. Peter said that it was very evil, because nobody forced him to sellthe land, and nobody forced him to bring the money, and he could have brought half, or a quarter, or any amount he wanted. but lying about it was stealing from God. So, God killed him right there. The wife came in three hours later and repeated the lies, and also was killed. This discouraged church attendance for a while.
It can be discussed for many reasons, but one is that the couple was acting together with their money. It is important for couples to act as a unit in such matters... the sermon included this idea: to be a good Christian about money, make as much as you can reasonably without doing evil or damaging your health; second, save as much as you can reasonably, without doing evil or damaging your health, and invest it wisely; third, give freely out of love from what you have saved and don't use it as a method of control or a weapon or to impress people, because that is really buying things, not giving things.
In particular, the pastor also discussed the tithe (giving one tenth), and why so much of the offering was burnt on the alter rather than used for the temple... it was because God didn't need the offering to do good work, or to do anything... the church doesn't need the money, it isn't about using it efficiently (from the giver's point of view - the receiver should be worried about using it well)- it is about it being a sweet aroma to the Lord that we don't worship the money, and instead worship Him.
posted by Amelia @ 8:21 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
The Lord does NOT NEED anything from us. He has everything and every means. It's all so simple to Him. His requests on us is just His ways of teaching us.
My personal shameful experience - when I was low in faith, I doubted whether God cares about me. Then if He doesn't care about me, why should I care about Him, about other people? So one day I was in traffic court - don't ask, a miserable story anyways - and I saw an old lady got in late, struggled her way through the crowded court to get closer to the front so she could hear clearly. She finally found a spot near where I was sitting and stood there.
Normally I would for sure give her my seat. But that day I was in such a bad mood that since I was miserable and God didn't care about me, I decided not to care about others either. So it's not that the idea of giving her my seat didnot come up, it did. But I forced it away, I thought I'd let someone else do it and I'd be one of the rest then. But, no one gave her a seat. I was troubled, but hardened my heart not to do it.
I was thinking like a rebelious child - "I know you (God) want me to do it (because in my heart I was told by conscience to do it), but I just won't do what you need me to do!" All of a sudden, the man who sat beside me stood up - the judge called his name. As he went forward to the judge, the old lady sat beside me with a smile. I was shocked as well as relieved (she finally got a seat,) and the same time realized - this is God's way to say to me: "you are such a silly child, look, I really don't NEED anything from you - I GIVE opportunities for you to do things for me." Then all of a sudden the uneasiness filled my heart, it felt like I lost or missed something wonderful. At that moment, I realized how unfathomable His wisdom is and how patient He is in His love and teaching.
Thus I agree with Song, whenever we have the chance of giving, we should consider it a blessing on us.
More thinking: To the benefit of the one who offers, a $20 bill(or the best animal of the herd, in old times) burnt as a sacrifice to God is no less than a $20 to salvation army (or the best animal to feed the hungry). Up in smokes probably gives the giver more sense of "money (my best animal) does not matter, does not have any power, God matters and is the only one has power." When people can see their donated money does good to society, the power of money, though in a good sense, is still somehow in mind, together with the power of God. Maybe this can be viewed as why in old testament offerings had to be burnt to God. To teach them to worship God, instead of worshiping one's possession and what one's possession can do..............
http://www.cc1w.net/sjjwflhz/5/chapter19.html
This link lists money related scriputure verses. Sorry, it is in Chinese.
I agree wholly with aimee's second post, that donations, when one sees their power, become mystical and a way to stretch out one's own hand - to become the source of power. A source of control. It is difficult to be freed, oneself, from that.
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