INTRODUCTION
An elderly man won $1,000,00 in a lottery. His family was worried about him because he had a bad heart. They were afraid that when they told him he’d won the $1,000,000 he might drop dead of shock. So they went to their minister hoping that he would find the best way to break the news. The minister called on his old friend and they talked for awhile as old friends do until, finally, the minister said, “What would you do if I told you you’d won $1,000,000 in the lottery?” The man said immediately, “Why I’d give half to the church.” At that the minister dropped dead.
Sort of good news, bad news. Good news is that the man wanted to give to the work of the Lord. Bad news is it killed the minister.
The Christian Church of Clarendon Hills is in the midst of an expansion project. God is growing his church and expanding our ministry territory to share the message of a new life in Jesus Christ. With any expansion project there is good news and bad news.
First the bad news – expansion costs money
Economy has been slumping
People don’t always like to be asked to give
People aren’t always willing to part with money
So, that’s the bad news…expansion costs money
Now the good news – expansion costs money
Why is that good news?
All the wealth in the world is God’s anyway (Ps. 24:1)
God wants to teach us
That means if He wants this done, He’ll get it done. Only our lack of faith and obedience can make it fail
Our wealth in God’s hands can do wonders.
A person with only one cent still has a pocket filled with potential. Potential for treasure in heaven.
In the book of 2 Corinthians we find that the Apostle Paul was collecting an offering for needy Christians in Jerusalem. The Corinthians had been the ones to suggest this idea.
But now some of Paul’s adversaries were saying he couldn’t be trusted. They were saying he wasn’t a genuine apostle, and that he was putting into his own pocket the money they had collected for these poverty-stricken believers.
He uses part of this letter to ask the Corinthian Christians to consider how honorable his personal life had been – and how he had demonstrated trustworthiness among them.
And then in the 8th chapter of 2 Corinthians he urges them to prepare for his coming visit by completing the collection they had started a year previously. Exactly one year into our Faithful-Now and Forever commitments, we can learn from Paul’s advice too.
READ 2 CORINTHIANS 8:10-12
Things can change after a year. At the time a pledge sounds great, but later the enthusiasm may lessen. Other wants and needs creep in, and the original cause is no longer forefront in our minds.
A lot can change in a year. However what doesn’t change is that our gifts have the potential to impact eternity. So Paul unapologetically says, “Finish the work.” And then he tells us how to do it.
TRANSITION: First of all he says…
I. FINISH LIKE YOU STARTED
By that he means finish…
With the same enthusiasm (v. 10)
Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. (v. 10)
The Corinthians had a great deal of enthusiasm when the need of the Christians in Jerusalem came to their attention. “Let’s take up a collection and said it back with you, Paul.” They came up with the idea and they were the first to give. But now, it was a year later. And they hadn’t followed through with their commitment.
Perhaps you are someone who made a commitment to Faithful-Now and Forever last year on November 19. You enthusiastically thought of some things you could sacrifice in order to make a greater pledge. But now find your enthusiasm isn’t at the level it was a year ago.
One of the things Kim and I decided we would sacrifice was costly entertainment – namely concerts. Many of you know I’m a big U2 fan. U2 came to Chicago for 4 concerts in May. I didn’t make much of a fuss, b/c I knew Kim and I had sacrificed things like this. Then I read how Bono was turning the concerts into a worship experience, etc. And they were coming back to Chicago for two more shows on October 15-16. Praise God. Surely this is a sign from the Father that it is my destiny to see this tour. I knew I had weak case, but I thought I’d test the waters with Kim. So I told her one morning, “U2 is coming back to Chicago, and I think I need to be there.” You all think she’s kind and sweet. Let me tell you something – she is kind and sweet. Underneath that exterior is a tough woman. I tell her I need to be at the U2 concert, she looks at me and says, “Hello! Do the words Faithful-Now and Forever mean anything to you?”
In our home we take our pledge very seriously. Even if that means not seeing U2.
But, over time the enthusiasm can drift away. A compromise here and there, and the next we know we’re not sacrificing at the level we said we would. Remember, we made these pledges out of prayer and discovering from God what He would have us give. We can’t take that lightly.
Maybe some have even been withholding your pledge. Thinking, “We haven’t built anything yet. I want to see some progress!” Again our pledges were made in response to prayer based on asking God what He wants to do through us to accomplish His will in this church. The commitment was made to Him, not to an institution.
Paul would say, “Finish like you started – with the same enthusisam.” He’d also say, “Finish…
With the same willingness (v. 11)
Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it… (v. 11)
And if you look in the 5th verse of the next chapter (9:5) he says the gift should be a generous gift, not one grudgingly given.
After just one year, the Corinthians had lost some of their willingness to give. It can happen. Things change in a year.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Some people actually receive reminders from God that help to maintain their willingness to give over the long haul. One such person is our very own Lynn Zastrow.
There had been some trouble in the Zastrow’s neighborhood making it not so inviting for children. Prior to that her children pretty much had freedom to play on all the neighborhood swing sets. That had changed, and now her kids felt trapped in their own back yard. Had never wanted their own swing set, but now her kids didn’t have access to one.
One morning Lynn was having her quiet time and as she says, she was whining to God. We need a swing set. But I don’t want to buy one. I don’t want Todd to have to spend a whole Saturday putting one up. Never did ask for a swing set. Just whined.
Went to a garage sale. Was looking for boys clothes. On her way back to the car, a lady stopped her in the street. If you want boys clothes, go over to the garage sale on Grant Street. So she did.
Pulled in driveway, and man said, “Back up here, back up. Which do you want, the piano or the swing set? You should buy one. You have a van.”
There in the front yard, was a disassembled swing set. She wouldn’t have seen it. Man said, “I take it down every winter. It’s for the grand kids, but I’m ready to sell it. $30. If you don’t talk me down on the price, I explain how to set the whole thing up.”
She called Todd. They hadn’t talked about a swing set. He said, “Buy it.”
Paid for it. Opened van. Man said, “Let’s not mess up your van. I’ll bring it over.” A little later that morning, he was at her house with the swing set. “While my son and I are here, we’ll just set it up for you. Where do you want it?”
Set it all up, but one piece was missing for the slide. Explained to her what it was, and where she could buy it. Then a little later he came back again. He had found the piece, and came back to complete the job.
By the time Todd came home from work that day they had a fully assembled swing set in their back yard.
This happened in September 2000, just prior to the Zastrows making their FNF pledge.
She learned that the things that concern her actually concern God too. Now has a new way of looking at things. When approaching FNF she wasn’t worried about how long the commitment would be, what they’d give up or have to do without. None of that bothered her because she had seen firsthand that God can do anything. She wouldn’t worry at all about how He would provide. Lynn says, “God was saying, ‘I have this all under control.
Don’t worry about it.’”
Lynn began her pledge with a willingness that hasn’t wavered. Has your willingness stayed true?
When you fill out that line on your offering envelope is it done begrudgingly, or willingly? Paul’s advice for the Corinthians is for us too. Finish in the same way you started.
TRANSITION: A second way to finish…
II. FINISH LIKE A TEAM
Verses 11-12 say…
Finish the work…according to your means. For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
Paul reminds them that it’s not the amount that God cares about. Some people can give a lot because they have a lot. Others might give a smaller amount, but it is no less significant because they gave according to what they had. This is the Biblical model of giving. All gifts are significant when they are given sacrificially.
During the Faithful-Now and Forever campaign we repeatedly used the phrase…
Not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice (v. 11-12)
Sacrifice for one person might not be sacrifice for someone else. Define what God is saying sacrifice means in your life. In this way it is a team effort, not the work of an individual here and there. Collectively, as a church, as a team… we entered into a time of sacrifice.
When Kim and I prayed about what God was leading us to consider as a sacrifice we agreed together that we would wait around three years to start a family. Believed God was saying that was what to do. Not that having a baby is a huge expense, but in order to pledge all we could, we’d need both of our incomes during the duration of the pledge period. Shortly after we made our pledge.
Kim was really hit hard with the baby bug. As she puts it, “Satan was really after me to get bitter about having pledged that.”
To make matters more difficult, right after FNF, her little brother and his wife announced they were expecting. Kim had always assumed she’d have the first grandbaby.
This past spring my sister found out she may only have a year and a half to live. Asked us if she was going to live long enough to see a new niece or nephew.
These are tough decisions. Do we go ahead and start a family, and trust God to provide the rest of our pledge? We haven’t heard that from him yet. What we do know is what we heard in prayer last year – and so far God is being faithful.
A few examples….
Kim received clothes from a friend – like she just went on a shopping spree
I’ve had an article published by Standard – they’ve asked me to do another – IVP asked me to do some writing for a column on their website – I’m under contract and everything! Who knows where that might lead?
Last fall Marilyn Bourn needed someone to do some set up work for the Children’s Center. Earned a few hundred dollars doing that. God is being faithful in my getting requests to do weddings. A few hundred dollars from that. Kim has gotten some speaking engagements.
I sold some cds I couldn’t give away for $200 on the Internet. You know what they say about one man’s trash…
God is too funny.
We figure if God is faithful in these ways, he’ll be faithful with a family too.
A family in the church gave me their story of sacrifice and said I could read it to you…
“Prior to our commitment Sunday last year, we prepared a cash flow budget in order to determine what our actual expenses were in running our household on an annual basis. After we prepared our budget we then had a general idea as to where a starting point would be for us to consider a preliminary commitment to Faithful-Now and Forever. We then made certain decisions on what we would not be doing the coming year; namely postpone buying a new car and do the best to keep our two old cars running. In addition, we decided to postpone any new improvements or major purchases for our home.
After praying for God’s will to be done in our decision to make a commitment, we then agreed upon what our commitment would be. As we approached commitment Sunday… we decided to add… based on God providing… an additional $2000 at the end of the year.
We are so thankful that we have a loving God. We are also thankful to report that God has blessed our family this year and has provided the additional financial resources so that we are able to make the additional $2000 contribution to Faithful-Now and Forever. This was accomplished through an unexpected pay raise and additional benefits from our health insurance provider.
As a side note, after God provided the additional financial resources, one of our cars needed major repair work. We were able to sell it and make a down payment on a new car with zero percent financing available.”
Not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice. Different parts of the Body of Christ doing their part. Working as a team. Paul would commend this. Another reason he encourages us to finish as a team is because there is…
Greater impact through greater giving (v. 14)
Read v. 13-14
He reminds them that what they are doing together is far greater than they could do separately. Because of the participation of many, the overall gift itself will be larger.
As a church, we pledged $1.36 million to Faithful-Now and Forever. A lot of money. But that’s not the effort of just one person. It is the effort of a team. The effort of the Body. As each member does his or her part. Let me read you another letter. This one is from Matt and Jennifer Gerdes.
“Long before the FNF campaign kicked off, Jennifer and I purchased a number of shares of my company’s stock through an employee stock purchase program. The program allowed me to purchase shares at a 15% discount to the going market price. During the period of time when I was buying the shares, our
stock price was very depressed as other companies in our industry were having problems. As a result, I was purchasing my shares at a very low price. My company was performing very well, so I looked at it as a can’t lose opportunity. We bought the stock and sat on it, confident that it would grow over the long run.
Jennifer and I had never really earmarked the stock for anything, and after praying about it, God led us to donate all the shares as part of our FNF pledge. After making our pledge, the market for stocks in our industry began to improve and my company continued to perform well. Our stock price began to grow rapidly, and by the middle of this year, had increased about 40% from the time at which we pledged it. This growth was phenomenal given
the losses most people were experiencing in the stock market at the time.
We thought, great, the stock is up 40%, maybe we should transfer ownership to the Church now. Well, we frankly never got around to getting the paperwork filled out (I should say I never got around to it). Thankfully (for the Church), about a month later, there was an announcement that my company was being acquired and that the acquirer would pay a premium of more than 50% for my company’s stock. Effectively, that meant that the stock would now be worth over 100% more than the value at which we pledged it!
Jennifer and I are both thankful that God led us to purchase that stock at such a low price, then donate it as part of our pledge. I’d like to think that it was His plan all along when we had no idea what we would do with the stock.”
Person by person, gift by gift, God is expanding his Kingdom. Our pockets are filled with potential. There is greater impact through greater giving.
TRANSITION: I’ve wanted to show you today that God is telling us to keep going. Finish the work. Finish it like you started and finish it like a team. Many people will be introduced to Jesus Christ and authentic Christian community through this church. So don’t quit now.
WRAP-UP
ILLUS - Legend has it that a man was lost in the desert, just dying for a drink of water. He stumbled upon an old shack – a ramshackled, windowless, roofless, weatherbeaten old shack. He looked about this place and found a little shade from the heat of the desert sun. As he glanced around he saw a pump about fifteen feet away – an old rusty water pump. He stumbled over to it, grabbed the handle, and began to pump up and down, up and down. Nothing came out.
Disappointed, he staggered back. He noticed off to the side an old jug. He looked at it, wiped away the dirt and dust, and read a message that said, “You have to prime the pump with all the water in this jug, my friend. P.S.: Be sure you fill the jug again before you leave.”
He popped the cork out of the jug and sure enough, it was almost full of water! Suddenly, he was faced with a decision. If he drank the water, he could live. Ah, but if he poured all the water in the old rusty pump, maybe it would yield fresh, cool water from down deep in the well, all the water he wanted.
He studied the possibility of both options. What should he do, pout it into the old pump and take a chance on fresh, cool water or drink what was in the old jug and ignore its message? Should he waste all the water on the hopes of those flimsy instructions written, no telling how long ago?
Reluctantly he poured all the water into the pump. Then he grabbed the handle and began to pump, squeak, squeak, squeak. Still nothing, came out! Squeak, squeak, squeak. A little bit began to dribble out, then a small stream, and finally it gushed! To his relief fresh, cool water poured out of the rusty pump. Eagerly, he filled the jug and drank from it. He filled it another time and once again drank its refreshing contents.
Then he filled the jug for the next traveler. He filled it to the top, popped the cork back on, and added this little note: “Believe me, it really works. You have to give it all away before you can get anything back.” (Charles R. Swindoll, Living Above the Level of Mediocrity)
I choose to live like that.
Finish the work. Give to get and give again. In God’s hands our gifts have the potential to impact eternity.
