Giving To God
In preparing for a lecture on giving, which will be delivered at the Florida College lectureship in February, I read a tract by the above title which was written by G. Christian Weiss. The tract was published by the “Back to the Bible Broadcast” which is a program of the Baptist Church. Mr. Weiss is Director of Missions for that program.
These quotations are taken from the chapter on “Giving is to be a matter of regularity.” In addition to his comments on giving, his comments on the Lord’s supper are interesting.
“I want to emphasize the fact that Christian giving is to be a matter of regularity. The verse we have been dwelling upon reads, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay be him in store, as God hath prospered him.” Now that expression “Upon the first day of the week” is a significant one. It was on the first day of the week that the early Christians met together for Christian fellowship and for united worship. This is clear from Acts 20:7: “Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow.” The believers “broke bread” on the first day of the week, indicating that they assembled together on that day each week for fellowship and worship. Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week, this became the regular custom of the Christians.
It was for this reason that Paul said, “Upon the first day of the week, let every man lay by him in store.” They were to give their substance to God on the first day of the week, i.e. take up their collections at that time. As they assembled regularly for worship they were also to give in the same regularity to the work of God.
The point, of course, is that their giving should be regular, systematic and constant, not just a hit-and-miss affair. Many people give just this way, without regularity or constancy…
Anything in the Christian’s life that is done on a hit-and-miss basis will be generally ineffective and unsatisfying...Sad to say, there are many Christians trying to live the Christian life on that kind of basis. Their church attendance is “hit and miss.” They go to prayer meeting on a “hit and miss” basis. Their own prayer life is the same way. They read the Bible that way...And all too often Christians give that way. Sometimes they give, other times they don’t. They give when they “feel like it”; and much of the time they don’t feel like it!...
We cannot say to the Government, “I am not in the mood to pay taxes this year.” Why should we deal with God on a lesser basis? Why act to serve God only when we feel like it? The Apostle Paul knew human weakness, and that was the reason he gave this exhortation. He did not say, “As you feel like it,” or “whenever you are so disposed lay aside something for the work of God.” No! He said, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God has prospered him.” This is the way we are to give. Not merely when it is convenient, or when we happen to have a special streak of prosperity, or when we have some “extra” money on hand. It is fine to give extra gifts to the Lord’s work when you have a time of special prosperity, but giving must also be on a regular basis. It is to be a matter of regularity and constancy.”
The author concluded with these comments. He said that he knew a preacher (of course, he called him “pastor”) who made two significant statements, which were: “I have never known a man who was not faithful to God in his stewardship who was faithful in any other area of his Christian life,” and “The great struggle in the human heart is between God and gold.”
There are two things that are peculiar to the first day of the week—the Lord’s supper and giving. Some churches will take a collection any day of the week and they neglect partaking of the Lord’s supper, except one week of the month, or quarter or year. The same Bible that teaches us to give on the first day of every week, teaches us to observe the Lord’s supper on the first day of every week.
These quotations are taken from the chapter on “Giving is to be a matter of regularity.” In addition to his comments on giving, his comments on the Lord’s supper are interesting.
“I want to emphasize the fact that Christian giving is to be a matter of regularity. The verse we have been dwelling upon reads, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay be him in store, as God hath prospered him.” Now that expression “Upon the first day of the week” is a significant one. It was on the first day of the week that the early Christians met together for Christian fellowship and for united worship. This is clear from Acts 20:7: “Upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow.” The believers “broke bread” on the first day of the week, indicating that they assembled together on that day each week for fellowship and worship. Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week, this became the regular custom of the Christians.
It was for this reason that Paul said, “Upon the first day of the week, let every man lay by him in store.” They were to give their substance to God on the first day of the week, i.e. take up their collections at that time. As they assembled regularly for worship they were also to give in the same regularity to the work of God.
The point, of course, is that their giving should be regular, systematic and constant, not just a hit-and-miss affair. Many people give just this way, without regularity or constancy…
Anything in the Christian’s life that is done on a hit-and-miss basis will be generally ineffective and unsatisfying...Sad to say, there are many Christians trying to live the Christian life on that kind of basis. Their church attendance is “hit and miss.” They go to prayer meeting on a “hit and miss” basis. Their own prayer life is the same way. They read the Bible that way...And all too often Christians give that way. Sometimes they give, other times they don’t. They give when they “feel like it”; and much of the time they don’t feel like it!...
We cannot say to the Government, “I am not in the mood to pay taxes this year.” Why should we deal with God on a lesser basis? Why act to serve God only when we feel like it? The Apostle Paul knew human weakness, and that was the reason he gave this exhortation. He did not say, “As you feel like it,” or “whenever you are so disposed lay aside something for the work of God.” No! He said, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store as God has prospered him.” This is the way we are to give. Not merely when it is convenient, or when we happen to have a special streak of prosperity, or when we have some “extra” money on hand. It is fine to give extra gifts to the Lord’s work when you have a time of special prosperity, but giving must also be on a regular basis. It is to be a matter of regularity and constancy.”
The author concluded with these comments. He said that he knew a preacher (of course, he called him “pastor”) who made two significant statements, which were: “I have never known a man who was not faithful to God in his stewardship who was faithful in any other area of his Christian life,” and “The great struggle in the human heart is between God and gold.”
There are two things that are peculiar to the first day of the week—the Lord’s supper and giving. Some churches will take a collection any day of the week and they neglect partaking of the Lord’s supper, except one week of the month, or quarter or year. The same Bible that teaches us to give on the first day of every week, teaches us to observe the Lord’s supper on the first day of every week.