THE MINISTRY OF GIVING

TEXT: 2 CORINTHIANS 9:6-13(NLT)
Memory verse: “Honour the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.”(Proverbs 3:9-10 NLT)

AIMS:
⇒ To reveal that giving is a ministry all must be involved.
⇒ To eradicate the act of not giving.

INTRODUCTION:
Taking our bearing from the book of 2 Corinthians 9:6-13, we noticed that the act of giving is a ministry. A giver as it were is a minister of God, because through such ministry many lives will be touched, and God’s Kingdom will be established and evident on earth. In order to affirm this truth, it is important that we give an illustration. Meeting the needs of the poor and taking the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the unreached require that we have men who will support the work of the Lord by the reason of their generous giving.

The financial aspect of God’s work must be appropriate, if limitations will not befall us. Will angels support the work of ministry monetary and material wise? We are the ones to do it, because this is one the major instruments needed to continually set the work of the Lord on motion. As it were, many of us have sacrificed tremendously for the work of the gospel, and have risked our lives not minding to loose it. The Lord will surely not forget our labour of love and how much we have risked our lives for Him. However, there remains another important part to play, and that is worshipping Him with our financial life.

In 2 Samuel 24:24, King David needed to build an altar to the Lord according to His instruction through God. He had to do that in order to stop the plague and death in the land. In like manner, we have been called and saddled with the responsibility of raising altars for the Lord through the lives of men where individual will begin to lay his or her life as a living sacrifice to the Lord. Also, we are instrument in the hands of Jehovah El-Nursing to stop the death and plague in the lives of men, but we need to pay despite the anointing we carry in order to raise this altar. David replied Araunah, “No, I insist on paying you for it, I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offering that cost me nothing. So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels of silver for them. David built an altar to the Lord there....”

In Matthew 26:7-12, there was this woman with an alabaster box filled with expensive perfume. In fact, the scripture noted with us how expensive that perfume was, the substance was equivalent to a year wages. That was the worth of that perfume and the scripture is true. It is worthy of note that the ministry of the Lord Jesus on earth required that He died for our sins and resurrect the third for our justification. That woman paid so much to partake in preparing for the burial of the Lord Jesus. She ministered to the Lord with her substance and wherever the gospel get to her name cannot but be remembered.

The Lord is in need of men who will break the box of their financial treasure for the sake of the gospel of our Lord Jesus. Men, may rebuke us for doing that and may say to us, “why this waste?” The Lord didn’t see it as a waste, because its is a act of worship unto Him.

We are trusting the Lord to help us understand the effect of the ministry of giving on the work in His Vineyard. We as the gathering of Saints called His church must save the world, enforce righteousness and care for the poor and needy. May the Lord open our eyes of understanding as we break the bread of His word. Amen!!!

A.  IMPLICATIONS OF GIVING ON THE LIFE OF A GIVER
1.You can’t be a genuine giver and yet be a beggar: (Luke 6:38)

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full-pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (NLT)

Poverty is not the will of God for a man who is in Christ Jesus. Experiencing lack and fire of poverty has consumed many lives despite their identity of being part of God’s family, because we have not mastered the act of giving. Jesus says, “My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.” The Lord Jesus can’t be more serious than that when He says that to us believers. He meant that word.

Therefore, living in lack, becoming a pest to other believers and living as a beggar is a choice and not the will of God for us. So, becoming a beggar is a choice. Anyone, can choose to become like that, despite all that is available in Christ Jesus. The scripture to be considered which is Luke 6:38 is a Kingdom principle we must master. The principle that unlocks the gate of abundance demands that we should give. Give to the poor and needy. Give to support the work of ministry and proclaiming the gospel. Give, so that the kingdom project will be executed. Give, and you will receive in abundance, full-pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap.

There is qualitative and quantitative consideration when it comes to giving. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back. If you sow sparingly, you will reap sparingly. And if you sow bountifully you will reap bountifully. That which is in your hand, pocket or bank account is like seeds, you can decide to eat it and later you will beg for seeds again. Also, you can sow it and become a custodian of seeds. SO, BEGGARS DON’T GIVE AND GIVERS DON’T BEG.

2. When it is a tearful seed, it will bring you a cheerful harvest: (Psalm 126:5-6)

“Those who plant in tears will harvest with shouts of joy. They weep as they go to plant their seed, but they sing as they return with the harvest.” (NLT)

We are trusting the Holy Spirit to give us deep insight and revelation into this matter. God is never silent on any aspect of our lives, not matter the form it is taking. God is also interested in the financial aspect of our lives. The Holy Spirit is saying the truth when He mentioned tearful seed to us. In fact, there are men in the scripture who find themselves in the same shoe. Let us look at that response when they were confronted with the situation.

In 1 Kings 17:8-16, the widow of Zarephath was hooked at a tight corner, and the situation demands her to make her choice. It is either she eats what she has and die or sow it tearfully to the Lord, because that food was all she got. She was in a state of dilemma, but had to hearken to the word of the Lord from prophet Elijah in faith. He gave the last flour and oil in the jar which was to satisfy her family’s present hunger to the Lord, through the life of Elijah. That woman tearfully sow the seed, but harvested with shouts of joy. There was always enough flour and olive oil in her container after giving to the Lord. Her family and Elijah enjoyed abundance.

Friends, we need to obey and do according to the principle to live the life of abundance. There is a demand laid on us to give in obedience. What you have presently might be all that you have. And it is too hard and painful to give out to support the project going on in the house of the Lord. The Lord is not wicked, and would not exploit any man. He knows that you don’t have and you cannot help yourself. He only requires your obedience in order to plunge you in the sea of abundance.

In Genesis 22, the Lord knew that Isaac was all that Abraham got, in spite of that He demanded him to sacrifice the boy to Him. It was such a sorrowful happening, however Abraham went away with the boy to Mount Moriah as he tearful sow the boy to the Lord on the altar. Afterwards, they sing as they return with the harvest. Isaac became a great nation.
Weepful sowing will help you whip the devil off your finances. (Bishop David Oyedepo)

3. When you give freely, you become more wealthy: (Proverbs 11:24)

“Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything.”(NLT)

Nothing can be done to the truth or against the truth. The truth is the truth and cannot be over powered. Abundance of life is tied to giving, and this is a standing principle which cannot be shaken. If any man wants to become rich materially and financially, then such man should start giving freely to men(needy) and God.

The scripture is true when He says, “...be stingy and loose everything. “

In 1 Samuel 25, the scripture noted with us how Nabal despite is wealth became stingy and refused David. He screamed insult at David’s men and stingily held unto what he had. What truth will the Holy Spirit have us hold on to? Just as David and his men became a wall of protection to Nabal’s men in the wilderness. Nothing was stolen from them, and none of their belongings got missing. God has been a wall of protection over our finance and belongings. He even made us rich and lack nothing. Just like David demanded for reward and Nabal refused him. The Lord is demanding for his reward and payback through our support in his work and help to the needy. I hope we won’t refuse the Lord just like Nabal did to David.

It is the Lord who spared your life in order to secure that job. He is the one who granted you favour despite many who applied for the job. Will you not pay Him by honouring  Him with your substance? Don’t hold on to it like Nabal did, else you will loose everything. Do you know that Nabal lost his life to stroke and the Lord struck him dead about 10days later? He lost his life, and he left his wealth behind. In fact, his wife became David’s wife and all the wealth was transferred to Abigail and David.

Friends, let us scatter the seed in our barns that we may have more to eat and store up. Threading the path of stinginess will end up at losing everything. Give freely and become more wealthy.
If you an investor in the kingdom of God, the wisdom of God commands that riches is your heritage. (Bishop David Oyedepo)

Watch out for MINISTRY OF GIVING  (II).

coming soon!!!