Participants:
Series Code: IIWSS
Program Code: IIWSS023004S
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00:12 (music ends) 00:15 >>Welcome to "Sabbath School," 00:16 brought to you by It Is Written. 00:18 We're delighted that you could join us again this week 00:20 as we continue our journey through "Managing for the Master 00:24 Till He Comes," an exciting quarter. 00:27 We are now, well, 00:29 a third of the way through with this lesson. 00:31 This is lesson number four. 00:32 We're talking about "Offerings for Jesus." 00:35 Last week we took a look at tithe 00:37 and the importance and the significance of that. 00:39 This week we look at offerings: 00:41 How are they similar, how are they distinct, 00:44 and what's the purpose of them? 00:46 Our guest this week once again is Ed Reid, 00:48 he is the author of this quarter's Sabbath school lesson. 00:51 He's also an ordained minister and a licensed attorney, 00:55 and we're delighted to have him here with us again. 00:57 Before we dive in and start looking at this 00:59 very fascinating subject, let's pray. 01:02 Father, we thank You for bringing us together again today 01:05 to continue our study of Your Word and to better understand 01:09 finances and how they play a role in our spiritual lives. 01:13 We ask that You'll bless our time together, 01:14 and we thank You in advance for it, in Jesus' name, amen. 01:18 Ed, welcome, good to have you with us again. 01:20 >>Well, thank you, Eric, it's good to be here. 01:22 >>So, let's talk for a moment about, actually, 01:25 for about a half an hour, about offerings for Jesus. 01:29 I wanna read the memory text to get us started today. 01:32 It comes from Psalm 116, verses 12-14. 01:36 It says, "What shall I render to the Lord 01:38 "for all His benefits toward me? 01:41 "I will take up the cup of salvation, 01:43 "and call upon the name of the Lord. 01:45 "I will pay my vows to the Lord now 01:48 in the presence of all His people." 01:51 So what role do offerings play in the life of God's people? 01:55 What's the purpose of offerings? 01:58 >>Well, the purpose of offerings 01:59 is basically to show our thanks to God 02:01 for His blessings to us. And interestingly enough, 02:04 it's also very much a definite part 02:06 of our worship experience. 02:08 We'll look at some of the passages in the Bible 02:10 that talk about God says, 02:12 "Don't appear before me empty-handed." 02:13 In other words, bring a gift. 02:15 There's an experience when young Saul 02:17 was going to find his father's donkeys, you remember. 02:20 And they were way down at Dothan and they couldn't find 'em, 02:22 they heard that Samuel was there, 02:23 and they said, "Well, let's go ask Samuel." 02:25 And then--you know what they ask next. 02:27 And that is, "What shall we do? We can't go; 02:30 we have to get an offering together." 02:32 They wouldn't go even to see the minister 02:34 without an offering. 02:35 And the interesting part is 02:37 the Lord tells us not to appear before Him 02:39 empty-handed as well. So what we're wanting to do is to 02:42 follow the counsel of Scripture. 02:44 And there are many different offerings in the Old Testament. 02:46 There were, for example, 02:48 the sin offerings that people give in response 02:50 to their God's grace and forgiveness, 02:53 taking the guilt away from their lives. 02:55 There were thank offerings given in response to 02:58 God's blessings to them of health and prosperity 03:02 and sustaining power. 03:03 There were also offerings for the poor, 03:05 and we'll talk about that later in the quarter. 03:07 But then also to maintain the house of worship-- 03:10 these are all coming from our 90% that's left 03:13 after we've given our tithe. 03:14 These are discretionary offerings, 03:16 so it's up to the individual to decide how much it is. 03:19 >>So there's some choice in the matter. 03:21 Some people may give more; some people may give less. 03:23 Like you said, it's not the same thing as the tithe; 03:25 that's defined as a tenth. 03:27 But I wanna read a statement here now 03:30 from a book called "Counsels on Stewardship," 03:32 page number 18, and then give you an opportunity 03:35 to make some comments on this. 03:37 Here's what it says: "The Lord does not need our offerings. 03:42 "We cannot enrich Him by our gifts. 03:44 "Says the psalmist: 'All things come of Thee, 03:47 "and of Thine own have we given Thee.' 03:49 "Yet God permits us to show our appreciation of His mercies 03:53 "by self-sacrificing efforts to extend the same to others. 03:58 "This is the only way in which it is possible 04:00 "for us to manifest our gratitude and love to God. 04:04 He has provided no other." 04:07 So how is it that our offerings can show our thanks to God? 04:12 >>Well, one thing here is that 04:13 there's not a percentage given in the Bible. 04:15 It's up to us to demonstrate 04:16 what we're really thinking in our hearts 04:18 and whether or not we've been transformed 04:20 from selfishness to loving. 04:22 So the idea is if we wanna show God we're thankful, 04:25 then we should be part of this team. 04:26 You remember, for example, that 04:29 the story of the prodigal son in the book of Luke, 04:31 went in and came back, the father forgave him 04:34 and gave him the ring--the son--the checks again. 04:37 And it's really interesting that we're part of God's family; 04:40 that's what the whole lesson is about, that, 04:42 how do we respond to the Master? 04:44 And so we respond by managing His affairs, 04:48 Christianly, biblically, 04:50 and showing, demonstrating this with our offerings. 04:54 >>So you might say, to a greater or lesser extent, 04:58 our offerings or lack thereof are an indicator 05:02 of our spiritual position or condition. 05:05 >>That's true, and the matter of fact, it's interesting that 05:08 the Bible talks a lot about money, 05:10 and especially in the New Testament, Jesus, 05:12 about one out of every six verses 05:14 in the New Testament talk about money management 05:16 and our attitude toward money. And the bottom line is 05:20 the Lord wants us to prosper and be in health, 05:22 but He doesn't want us to become selfish. 05:24 In fact, we're told in some places 05:25 that the Lord would've blessed people more, 05:28 but they, it would've hurt them. So, in other words, 05:31 they would've caused 'em to be selfish and to hoard things. 05:34 And I actually believe that God has given us 05:37 the opportunity to demonstrate how we feel 05:39 about His gifts to us, 05:41 and that's the way we do so, with our offerings. 05:44 >>I've heard it said--and this was a few years ago-- 05:46 that if you wanna know where someone's priorities are, 05:49 take a look at their checkbook. 05:51 Now, we don't so much have checkbooks today. 05:53 Well, of course they still exist, 05:54 but they're not used quite as much. 05:56 But if you look at someone's bank account 05:57 and where money goes, that's a pretty good indicator 06:01 of where their priorities are. 06:02 >>That's checking their credit card statement, for example. 06:05 Yes. 06:06 >>Yep, so that credit card statement will give you 06:07 a pretty good idea of where you are spiritually 06:11 with some things. 06:12 Now, the next question comes, and we know for tithe, 06:15 that tithe is 10%; that's defined as 10%. 06:20 But the offerings, as you mentioned a moment ago, 06:22 there's a discretionary element 06:26 woven into these offerings. 06:28 Are there any guidelines that we might have 06:30 to give us at least some idea of how much, 06:35 or where it should go? 06:36 What kind of guidelines do we have for that? 06:39 >>Well, as you mentioned, the tithe is basic, 06:41 and God has told us that is a tenth of our increase 06:43 and so on. But for the offerings, that's discretionary, 06:45 and it's based on several things. 06:48 One is--we just read in the memory verse, Psalm 116, 06:50 "What shall I render to the Lord 06:52 for all of His benefits toward me?" 06:53 In other words, how thankful are you 06:55 that you don't have the guilt of sin anymore 06:57 and you have the hope of eternal life? 06:59 Another one is from Deuteronomy 16, verse 17: 07:03 "Every man shall give as he is able, 07:06 according to the blessing of the Lord your God 07:08 which He has given you." 07:09 So it's based on the ability. 07:11 It's hard for some people to believe, but I actually think, 07:16 and I practice this in many ways, 07:19 that our offerings should be bigger than our tithe. 07:22 Especially when you get to be my age, 07:24 and you're debt free and so on, 07:25 and your income is sufficient, 07:26 that you can make larger contributions than your tithe. 07:29 In other words, tithe is only the beginning point, Eric, 07:32 and our offerings come after that, 07:34 and that's how we demonstrate our love 07:35 and our concern for others. 07:37 >>So, tithe is a starting point; 07:39 tithe is a minimum, if you will. 07:42 And God says if we don't return that tithe to Him, 07:44 we're actually robbing Him, 07:46 which, of course none of us wanna be guilty of robbing God. 07:48 So we start with that, and we do that in faith. 07:50 And from there we build the offerings 07:54 or we give the offerings. 07:56 Sometimes I've heard people say that they give 07:58 another tithe in offerings, 08:01 or another tenth of their income in offerings. 08:03 Some people can do that; some people are able to do less. 08:06 And as you mentioned, some are able to do more, 08:08 depending on where they happen to be. 08:10 When we talk about offerings, a lot of times we think about, 08:14 well, that's part of church. 08:16 You know, they send the plate around, 08:18 or we put the envelope in the box, 08:20 or some churches have a little kiosk in the entryway, 08:24 where you swipe a debit card or a credit card, 08:27 or something like that, or tap these days. 08:31 Is offerings, the giving of offerings, 08:35 is that really a part of worship? 08:38 >>Well, that's a good question, 08:39 and I wanna do two more short verses 08:41 before I get to that one. 08:43 In Luke, when Jesus sent--Luke, the 12th chapter-- 08:46 Jesus sent out the disciples to be missionaries for Him. 08:49 He said, "Freely you have received, freely give." 08:52 In other words, be as generous as God is for you. 08:54 And then also it's interesting 08:57 that we're told, "To whom much is given, 08:59 ...much [shall] be required." 09:01 So, if you don't have much, you're not gonna give much. 09:04 But what if God has blessed you sufficiently 09:06 to give large offerings, then that's certainly appropriate. 09:09 So if you ask about worship--and I'll just tell you this; 09:12 it's kind of interesting. 09:13 The Bible does not give what we call an order of service, 09:16 like, you have the scripture reading, and prayer, 09:17 and special music and the sermon 09:18 and closing prayer and all of that. 09:20 We've come up with that just to be orderly. 09:22 But when you read the Bible 09:23 and you look at worship services, 09:25 several things are always present in a worship service. 09:29 And we're talking about at least four things. 09:33 And that is study or preaching, 09:35 like we do with our Sabbath school lessons, for example. 09:39 Prayer is always part of it. 09:42 There's someone--there's a place in worship 09:44 for private prayer, individuals praying, 09:47 study groups, for example, 09:48 corporate prayer where somebody will 09:50 have the congregational prayer, 09:52 and the others will pray in their hearts. 09:54 And then, of course, music has always been a part of it. 09:57 In fact, the Levites were responsible for the music, 10:00 you know, there was a Levitical choir, 10:01 and it's interesting that music, 10:03 good music, is always part of worship--to me. 10:06 And then the fourth one-- 10:09 and I only mention it as fourth position because 10:11 that's what we're moving toward-- 10:14 is our tithes and offerings. 10:16 And that's why Moses reminded the children of Israel 10:18 not to come before the Lord empty-handed. 10:19 In other words, you bring your offerings 10:21 as part of your worship experience. 10:23 So, it's not like, "Let's take the offering; 10:26 then we'll get down to church." Offering is part of church. 10:30 >>Okay, so offering is a part of church, 10:32 which brings me to another question: 10:33 How frequently should a person give offering? 10:37 Again, we're kind of getting down to practical things here. 10:41 If a person is paid twice a month or biweekly, 10:47 how frequently should they give an offering or tithe? 10:51 Should it coincide with their paychecks? 10:54 Or should it be once a month? 10:56 Or--what's any guidance on that? 11:00 >>Well, it's interesting you asked that question because 11:02 the Apostle Paul was collecting money to go to Jerusalem 11:04 to help the poor, you know. 11:05 And he says, "On the first day of the week, 11:07 "set aside what you can do for this 11:08 so that when I come, we don't have to collect the offering." 11:11 So that might be some kind of a model. 11:12 I would suggest that when people look at their income, 11:15 that they try to do something on a regular basis. 11:18 Now, we get our income monthly in retirement. 11:21 And this is interesting--so we actually have, 11:24 our largest offering is at the last Sabbath of the month. 11:27 Every month it's that way; the treasurer can count on it; 11:29 God can count on it. 11:31 But I think, I like to believe that I'm giving an example 11:34 to others, young people and others. 11:35 So we try to have some kind of an offering every Sabbath, 11:39 it's not nearly the size of the one we give 11:40 on the last of the month, but special projects-- 11:43 our church has a little thing 11:46 where they have the children go around 11:48 after the deacons collect a regular offering and collect 11:50 the lamb's offering, if you please, 11:52 and the little kids enjoy this, 11:53 and the people enjoy it, watching them do it and so on. 11:56 And their eyes light up when you hold out a dollar 11:58 to put in their gift. 11:59 So I always wanna make sure that I collect, 12:01 have some dollars to give out. 12:02 Some people give more than that, 12:04 but it's important that we set an example, 12:06 that we don't just say, "I don't have anything today." 12:09 >>So make sure that you've got something in your pocket, 12:11 something in your purse, something in your wallet 12:14 every time to set that good example. 12:17 But depending on when you actually receive paychecks, 12:20 whether they're regular paychecks 12:21 or if you sell homes for a living, 12:24 it comes when you get a sale, or you sell cars, 12:26 but return that tithe and give that offering 12:31 on a very regular basis 12:33 in conjunction with when you get the income. 12:37 'Cause I imagine sometimes 12:38 if you just take care of yourself first and you plan to do, 12:41 give the offerings and so forth at the end of the month, 12:44 you may find at the end of the month you don't have 12:46 what you had expected to have. Very good advice, Ed. 12:50 If you're enjoying this quarter 12:51 and you wanna get more out of it, 12:53 I wanna encourage you to pick up the companion book 12:54 to this quarter's Sabbath school lesson. 12:56 It is "Managing for the Master." 12:59 You can find this book at itiswritten.shop. 13:02 Again, that's itiswritten.shop. 13:04 It's the companion book 13:05 to this quarter's Sabbath School lesson 13:06 and gives you additional insight, 13:09 some incredible stories, 13:10 some wonderful guidance on how to get 13:13 more out of this subject so that you can be blessed by it 13:16 and others can be blessed by it as well. 13:20 In just a moment, we're going to come back 13:21 with part two of our look at offerings. 13:24 We'll be right back. 13:26 (upbeat, inspirational theme music swells and ends) 13:30 >>[John Bradshaw] Thank you for remembering 13:31 that It Is Written exists because of the kindness of people 13:34 just like you. 13:35 To support this international life-changing ministry, 13:38 please call us now at 800-253-3000. 13:43 You can send your tax-deductible gift 13:44 to the address on your screen, 13:46 or you can visit us online at itiswritten.com. 13:50 Thank you for your prayers and for your financial support. 13:53 Our number again is 800-253-3000. 13:57 Or you could visit us online at itiswritten.com. 14:01 (upbeat music) 14:03 >>[Announcer] Planning for your financial future 14:05 is a vital aspect of Christian stewardship. 14:09 For this reason, It Is Written is pleased 14:11 to offer free planned giving and estate services. 14:15 For information on how we can help you, 14:17 please call 800-992-2219. 14:22 Call today or visit our website: hislegacy.com. 14:26 Call 800-992-2219. 14:32 (upbeat, inspirational theme music) 14:36 >>[Eric] Welcome back to "Sabbath School," 14:38 brought to you by It Is Written. 14:40 We're taking a look today at "Offerings for Jesus." 14:43 What role do offerings play in our worship experience? 14:48 And on Wednesday's lesson, Wednesday is entitled, 14:50 "God Takes Note of our Offerings." 14:53 Now, somebody might be wondering, 14:55 you know, is God sitting up there with a legal pad, saying, 14:59 "Eric gave this much, but he had this much, and"-- 15:02 as if God is an accountant. 15:06 Is that what it means--God takes note of our offerings-- 15:09 does He really take note of our offerings, 15:11 and what does that look like? 15:12 >>The answer is yes. 15:14 And we know that from two stories in the Bible. 15:16 One of them is Jesus intentionally took His disciples 15:19 to the courtyard of the temple 15:20 where the treasure chests were, had them all sit down 15:22 and watch the people giving their offerings. 15:25 We learn that from the book of Mark, 15:26 chapter 12, verses 41-44. 15:30 And they saw these rich people coming 15:32 and dumping in large coins, a big commotion, 15:35 into the offering plate or offering container, 15:38 like--offering chest actually what they had out there. 15:41 And then this poor widow lady came, 15:43 and she just dropped in two copper coins. 15:45 Now, Jesus was close enough to her to observe that 15:47 there was two copper coins. 15:49 You know, this is--we hardly ever carry change anymore, 15:52 and I never have any pennies in my pocket, but she did. 15:55 Now, this is interesting because Jesus took note of that, 15:58 and He said that her offering would be commended 16:00 because she gave more than the others, 16:01 because she gave from her poverty, 16:03 and they gave from their riches. So she made a contribution; 16:06 she had given everything she had to do that. 16:09 And it's also interesting that this is the only offering 16:11 that Jesus ever commended, not because of its amount, 16:14 but because of the spirit that she gave it in. 16:16 And it's also interesting 16:18 I have people talk to me once in a while: 16:20 "Well, I don't know that I wanna support the church 16:21 'cause the conference was doing this," 16:23 or, "They spent money on the youth camp, 16:24 and I didn't think that was appropriate," or whatever it is. 16:27 But the only offering Jesus ever commended 16:29 was when the widow lady gave her last two cents 16:31 to the church that was so corrupt 16:32 that they were just about to kill Him. 16:34 So if you believe this is God's remnant church, 16:37 this is a place to support, 16:39 and let the others give account to God for their actions. 16:42 >>So it sounds like what you're saying is 16:43 we're either blessed or not blessed 16:45 based on the fact that we give, 16:47 not on what ends up happening with that money. 16:49 >>Exactly right, yes. 16:51 >>All right, very good. I wanna read a quote here from book 16:54 "Counsels on Stewardship." This one comes from page 175. 16:58 It says, "But Jesus understood her motive. 17:01 "She believed the service of the temple 17:03 "to be of God's appointment, 17:04 "and she was anxious to do her utmost to sustain it. 17:08 "She did what she could, and her act was to be a monument 17:12 "to her memory through all time, 17:14 "and her joy in eternity. 17:16 "Her heart went with her gift; 17:18 "its value was estimated, not by the worth of the coin, 17:22 "but by the love to God and the interest in His work 17:27 that had prompted the deed." 17:29 So that's an insight into where she was giving from, 17:32 it sounds like. 17:33 >>Yes indeed, that's an amazing statement. 17:36 >>Now, there's another story that 17:39 I want you to comment on here. 17:43 This Cornelius, 17:45 talk to us about Cornelius and what happened there. 17:48 >>In the early church, 17:49 there were several things that were happening. 17:51 One is that God was wanting the gospel 17:53 to go to the whole world, and people need to recognize 17:57 that it wasn't just the Jewish people 17:58 that needed to hear the message. 18:00 So, but they weren't speaking to the Gentiles too much, 18:02 but the Gentiles were spontaneously helping the cause. 18:06 And one of those people was named Cornelius, 18:09 he was the centurion of the band of the Italian group, 18:11 and Acts, the 10th chapter, 18:14 the book of Acts, the 10th chapter, it talks about it 18:16 in the first four verses: 18:17 "[He was]...a devout man, and one that feared God 18:20 "with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, 18:23 and prayed to God always." 18:25 Now, that's the kind of guy he was. 18:26 He was giving offerings to help people, and he prayed a lot. 18:30 Now, we know that if we pray, God hears, right? 18:34 What if we give? Does God notice? 18:35 Apparently He does because God sent an angel 18:38 down to his house, incredible as it may seem, 18:41 in the vision he had about the ninth hour. You know, 18:45 I like this situation because in the Jewish calendar system 18:49 or the keeping of time they had, 18:52 they divided the daylight hours into 12 segments. 18:54 So six o'clock is halfway through; 18:57 that's always noon when the earth's--sun's up at its zenith. 19:02 So the ninth hour would be the mid-afternoon. 19:05 So he's praying then, mid-afternoon, 19:07 not just his morning devotions, 19:08 but he took, chose the middle afternoon to pray, 19:11 and an angel came to him. This, to me, is amazing, 19:15 because he said, "Cornelius." 19:17 "And when he looked up, ...he was afraid, and said, 19:18 "'What is it, Lord?' 19:20 "And he said unto him, '[Your] prayers and [your] alms 19:22 [have] come up [as] a memorial before God." 19:25 Heaven is taking notice of your prayers and your giving. 19:28 And as a result of that, he told him in that interview, 19:32 send men to Joppa to get one called Simon Peter, 19:34 and he'll come back and give you the gospel. 19:36 But this all started with his faithfulness in giving alms, 19:39 a big story, really, really. 19:41 >>You know, in Matthew 6, verse 21, 19:45 speaking of Cornelius, it says, 19:46 "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." 19:51 His heart was where his money was going, 19:54 and God took notice of that, you said. 19:56 >>That's amazing, isn't it? 19:58 You can almost say it the other way too: 20:01 Where your heart is, your treasure will be. 20:03 "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." 20:06 So if you want a cause for the ministry, 20:08 contribute to the cause, and your heart will be there also. 20:11 >>Let's take a look at Thursday now. 20:13 Thursday is--some people may not quite be 20:18 at Thursday, but some people could be and should be, 20:21 and certainly some people are. Thursday is called 20:23 "Special Projects: [Or] 'Big Jar' Giving." 20:27 You mentioned a few moments ago about special projects 20:31 or special gifts that you can give. 20:33 Is there a place for large or special gifts and offering, 20:37 not just your average everyday giving that you regularly do 20:41 or that you do on a regular basis, 20:43 but some big project that maybe you're passionate about? 20:45 How does that fit into the grand scheme of things? 20:48 >>This is a good question. I have a practical illustration 20:51 to give you an answer for that. Assume for a moment that we 20:55 just check on how people give offerings. 20:57 Most people give their offerings 20:58 with what is called discretionary income--liquid assets, 21:00 like cash or whatever they have in their wallet 21:03 or in their checking account 21:04 or their savings book or whatever it is, 21:06 money market accounts. 21:07 And studies show that's about 9% of our assets. 21:11 And the rest of it is 91%, 21:15 is in non-liquid assets, invested, for example, in your home 21:19 and in your assets like livestock or property, 21:23 in other ways. 21:24 So if we take each percentage and give it 10 pennies, 21:29 that would use up a thousand pennies. 21:31 So, 99% for the liquid asset gifts, 21:36 that's what most people give their offerings from, 21:38 their liquid assets. 21:39 That would be 90 pennies, and put that in a little jar. 21:42 Then if you take the 91% and give 10%, 21:46 10 pennies for each percent, 21:47 you have 910 pennies, and that'd have to fit in a quart jar. 21:50 So you have most people giving from the little jar, 21:53 and big gifts come from the big jar. 21:55 Does that make sense? >>It does. 21:57 Yep. >>Okay, here's what we do. 21:59 We look at this and see something very, very interesting. 22:02 In the story of the alabaster box that Mary broke 22:05 with the spikenard inside at Simon's feast, 22:08 you remember that story, which is very interesting one. 22:11 Something else interesting happened. 22:14 Mary's alabaster box with the spikenard in it 22:17 cost her 300 denarii, which is an entire year's wages. 22:22 So would that be a big gift or a little gift? 22:24 >>That's gonna be a big gift. 22:25 >>It's a "big jar" gift, for sure, no question about it, 22:27 wasn't just discretionary income, 22:28 whatever she may have had in her pocket or purse. 22:31 The interesting thing is that Mary's gift of denarii 22:33 was a big gift, but it also recognized something unusual, 22:38 that Judas, then, because of that, betrayed Jesus 22:41 for a small jar gift of only 30 pieces of silver, 22:44 which is incredible when you think about it. 22:47 I'll tell you another one 22:48 that's interesting, another story. 22:50 The story is about Barnabas. 22:52 This is kind of interesting because 22:55 Barnabas is mentioned 28 times in the New Testament. 22:58 The first time he is mentioned, though, 23:00 is something very interesting, 23:02 and that's Acts, the fourth chapter, verses 36 and 37. 23:05 We say that Barnabas-- 23:06 you know, we know him because he was a companion of Paul 23:09 in his missionary journeys. 23:10 But how he started out was, 23:13 well, it says in that passage I just quoted 23:16 that he decided that--he had, 23:18 he sold land and brought the money to the apostles. 23:21 So if you sell a big piece of your investments, 23:23 is that a "big jar" gift? >>That's big. 23:25 >>And what happened as a result of that, 23:27 his heart followed his treasure, 23:29 and he jumped in, all-in for good, to serve with Paul. 23:32 To me, this is amazing stuff. 23:34 And it demonstrates what Jesus said: 23:36 "Where your treasure is, ...your heart will be also." 23:38 If he hadn't done that big gift, 23:41 it's very likely that he probably would not have 23:43 been involved in the ministry as he was. 23:46 >>So his heart followed that gift, 23:49 or they were at least intertwined, 23:51 I think is very safe to say. 23:53 Incredible to see how a gift like that 23:56 then inspired or motivated him 23:58 to be more fully committed to it. 24:01 >>Another interesting point there, 24:02 if you don't mind me interrupting here, 24:04 this is amazing to me. 24:05 The fourth chapter of Acts 24:06 also contains the story of Ananias and Sapphira. 24:09 They were also at that second time 24:11 the Holy Spirit was poured out 24:12 and gave the apostles boldness and so on. 24:14 But their covetousness cost them their lives, 24:16 and Barnabas' generosity gave him eternal life. 24:20 It's just incredible. 24:21 >>Day-to-day normal giving, appropriate 24:24 and encouraged and so forth. 24:26 But from time to time some of these big gifts 24:29 can have an eternal consequence, 24:30 either for the good or not for the good, 24:33 depending on what we do with that. That's incredible. 24:36 Let me read a statement here as we kind of tie things up. 24:41 This is from "Testimonies for the Church," 24:43 volume 2, page 518. 24:46 It says, "The recording angel makes a faithful record 24:49 "of every offering dedicated to God 24:51 "and put into the treasury, 24:53 "and also of the final result of the means thus bestowed. 24:57 "The eye of God takes cognizance of every farthing 25:00 "devoted to His cause, and of the willingness 25:03 "or reluctance of the giver. 25:05 "The motive in giving is also chronicled. 25:08 "Those self-sacrificing, consecrated ones 25:11 "who render back to God the things that are His, 25:13 "as He requires of them, 25:15 "will be rewarded according to their works. 25:17 "Even though the means thus consecrated be misapplied, 25:21 "so that it does not accomplish the object 25:23 "which the donor had in view,-- 25:25 "the glory of God and the salvation of souls,-- 25:28 "those who made the sacrifice in sincerity of soul, 25:31 "with an eye single to the glory of God, 25:34 will not lose their reward." 25:36 So if the offering, if the gift is given in good faith, 25:41 and the heart is right, that makes that gift, 25:43 even if it doesn't end up going in the right direction, 25:45 they still receive a blessing from it. 25:47 >>That's an amazing, isn't it, amazing concept, really. 25:50 So that goes right along with the widow's mites. 25:53 She had a heart that was right to serve God, 25:56 thinking that this was God's church and so on. 25:58 But even if the leaders of the church 26:01 didn't do appropriate things with it, 26:03 they may have even used part of that money to pay Judas, 26:06 so, who knows? But she did the right thing 26:08 because her heart was in the right spot, 26:10 and the recording angel made note of it in heaven. 26:12 >>So we can hope and expect and anticipate 26:15 that ultimately if we do give gifts, 26:17 they are going to go in the right direction, 26:19 they are going to head to the right place, 26:22 and, of course, there are counting procedures 26:24 set up to make sure that that does indeed happen. 26:27 But even if it doesn't, 26:28 then we can still expect to receive a blessing from that. 26:32 Any final thoughts on offerings 26:34 as we tie this week's session up? 26:36 >>Yes, I would just second what you just said. 26:38 Most of the time, for sure, 26:40 the offering goes where we intended 26:41 because we do have auditors, 26:43 and if there's an offering taken for a certain thing, 26:44 that's where it goes and so on. 26:46 I can just tell you that 26:49 Kathy and I have experienced 26:50 that it's "more blessed to give than to receive." 26:52 We've made a number of gifts this year that are 26:54 what I would consider "big jar" gifts, 26:56 and it made us feel good 26:57 that we were able to make the work go forward 26:58 as we've made those gifts. 27:00 And I can tell you that throughout your life as you give, 27:03 God blesses you; there's no question about it. 27:06 You want Him to be--you wanna manage for the Master 27:08 in a way that can give Him glory and honor Him as well. 27:11 So we thank God that there is an offering appeal 27:14 from time to time 27:15 and that we know the work is going forward. 27:16 >>So, one more way that you could receive 27:19 a blessing from God: when you give, 27:21 you also do indeed receive. 27:24 This has been an exciting lesson this week 27:26 looking at offering; last week we looked at tithe. 27:28 We still have a little ways to go through this quarter 27:31 of 12 lessons, and we're encouraged to have you with us 27:34 as we make this journey. 27:35 Until next week, God bless you, have a wonderful week, 27:38 and we'll see you again next week on "Sabbath School," 27:41 brought to you by It Is Written. 27:43 (upbeat, inspirational theme music) 28:26 (music ends) |
Revised 2023-01-19