Post by JEM on Feb 5, 2007 5:10:21 GMT
BOUNTIFULLY GENEROUS
That is what God has been towards you and me.
From my first floor flat I look East over flowering trees, white, yellow, pink, passed Caucasian pines, traditional English trees to a distant Monkey Puzzle tree, Tree remind me of the diversity of nature, the strength of wood,
the colours of God’s creation , That in turn reminds me of the whole of Creation Planet earth the blue planet, unique in our solar system. Millions of species of plants, animals, fish, reptiles, birds, insects, and 6.3 billion people and not one identically the same.
Such generosity. And looking wider I see the glowing fireball that is Sol. The Sun, our local home base star, and our silvery moon, and the other planets, asteroids, satellites, our immediate neighbours in Space.
Then we are but a tiny place in a galaxy of over a billion star systems, and a universe of billions of galaxies all like glittering collections of jewels.
And surrounding me I have so much to meet my every need.
Yet I know that hunger stalks our planet, that there are also deserts, refugees, famines and many great needs.
What’s God’s answer to these needs? You and me.
As He has been generous to us so He expects us to be generous to others.
So what can the New Testament teach us about helping those on this planet who God wants to help.
Paul, the pioneer missionary of the early Christian Church in all his journeying away from home was concerned about the poverty of the Christians back home, in Jerusalem, and his passion to help them, is God’s message to us of how to give, to share, to invest in and to help other people in need.
Remembering the Poor
1 Corinthians 16:1
Paul's deep concern for the poor in Jerusalem comes up often in the New Testament. He mentions taking a collection here, as well as in Romans and 2 Corinthians. He knew that widespread concern for the mother church in Jerusalem would do much to further unity between Jewish and Gentile Christians.
READ 1 Corinthians 16 v 1-4
161Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.
This collection was a SPECIAL ONE
In those days amongst the Greeks it was customary if someone fell ill for his friends to get together and raise an interest free loan
Also amongst the Jews each synagogue congregation appointed someone to collect from the congregation to share with those members who were in need of help
Quite frequently Jews who had gone abroad to work sent back an envoy with a money gift for the Temple as an act of worship or to help the poor
Paul did not want the Christians to be stingy when compared with these other practices
Paul had another idea too, he wanted to teach scattered Christians and scattered congregations that they were partners in something bigger than their own locality
they were part of The Church, the People of God
the centre of which then was in Jerusalem
It has been pointed out by scholars that Paul refers to this collection for the poor persecuted Christian in Jerusalem in various letters and describes it using 9 Greek words
LOGIA
######
meaning an extra collection and the opposite to a tax which people had to pay, a free will gift
As Jesus said in Matthew 5 v 47 “WHAT DO YOU DO MORE THAN OTHER PEOPLE
CHARIS
#######
a free gift freely given from the heart, with no forcing - small or large doesn’t matter
KOINONIA
##########
which means fellowship, sharing, the principle of not what can I keep to myself but what can I share
Strangely too this is where we get the word coin from
DIAKONIA
#########
standing for practical service to someone else from this we get the tern deacon, one who serves. It may be that we cannot serve someone in a practical way but a money gift is a good substitute.
HADROTES
###########
meaning giving from your abundance, Inevitably if a person gets a lot of money he thinks what extra he can do for himself rather than sharing. . So we get millionaires.
EULOGIA
#########
meaning bounty. There is giving that us not bountiness but is a duty given grudgingly in true giving there is a feeling of gladness
LEITOURGIA
############
Originally this meant a service to the state voluntarily given unlike a duty or tax.. Wealthy citizens of Athens underwrote the cost of ventures to help their fellow citizens, it might be
paying for some entertainment in the theatre,
or sponsoring a sports event
or to provide a new aqueduct.
Something that a lot of people will benefit from
willingly
These days if something needs doing there is a great tendency to say the Council must do it or the Government rather than we will pay, or I will pay, although in the end the citizens will have to pay in taxation.
Christian giving should be something that is volunteered rather than demanded of us
ELEEMOSUNE
##############
meaning alms giving.
To the Jew and to Muslims that was regarded as an act of righteousness, that could be a payment for forgiveness of sin, a fine
The Jews would say “How can a man show that he is a good man unless he is generous”
PROSPHORA
#############
which means a sacrifice
so that what is given to a person in need amounts to a sacrifice to God
The best of all sacrifices to God after the sacrifice of a penitent heart is kindness shown to one of his children who is in trouble or in need.
How were the Corinthians to know how much to give
What attitudes and actions of these early Christians should we imitate. ?
Compassion, Sharing. Regularity of care. Sensitivity, Sympathy, Generosity
READ 2nd Corinthians 8 v 1-14
#########################
81And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.
5And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. 6So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
8I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 10And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
13Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality,
Paul makes 5 arguments to encourage the Christians at Corinth to give, & us too
#########################################
1. He cites the example of other people
At the Jewish feast of Purim there is a regulation that says however poor a man is he should find someone poorer than himself and give him a gift.
It is not always those who are wealthy that are the most generous
There is a common saying “It is the poor who help the poor for they have been poor themselves.”
2)He cites the example of Jesus Christ whose sacrifice did not begin at the Cross, or at his birth but in Heaven when he consented to come here
3) He cites their own past record, from the history of their church. They have been foremost, so dare they now lag behind
4) He stresses the necessity of putting fine feeling into fine action, making good intentions a reality.
a feeling that remains only a feeling
a purity that remains only pity is not good enough
5) He reminds them that life has a strange way of evening things up, that if they give generously now, they may be in great need some day and someone else will help them and he reminded them that first before any gift they had to give themselves
and two of them did
ARISTARCHUS of Thessalonica gave himself to be Paul’s slave on the way to Rome when Paul was a prisoner, just like the faithful Doctor Luke, they accompanied their gifts, serving Paul
and EPAPHRODITUS of PHILLIPI came to bring a gift to Paul when Paul was in prison and serve Paul there, and became ill in doing so and nearly died, but gave at no thought to his own well being.
Don't Forget the Poor
A fund-raising letter from Paul himself
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7
Every day in millions of mailboxes across the United States, letters with special "non-profit" postage stamps appear, stuffed among catalogs, magazines, and flyers from retail stores. Fund-raising through the mail is big business, for Jews, Catholics, Protestants, and a passel of charitable organizations.
The apostle Paul assuredly never engineered a million-piece charity appeal--the empire's postal service and the cost of papyrus made such an idea unthinkable. But 2 Corinthians does present a direct appeal for funds (chapters 8-9). Jewish Christians near Jerusalem were reportedly on the edge of starvation. Paul seized on the crisis as a perfect chance for Gentile Christians to reach out in compassion and demonstrate their spiritual unity with Jewish Christians.
Practicing What He Preached
In these two chapters, Paul outlines a philosophy of Christian giving, holding up Jesus Christ as a model. He explains the goal of such giving and the proper attitude of the givers. He even applies a little pressure by citing examples of Christians less well-heeled than the Corinthians (8:1-6; 9:1-5).
This brief passage on giving shows Paul's holistic concerns. While still recuperating from personal trauma, he had agreed to head up a major fund-raising drive on behalf of the needy in Jerusalem. Later, working on that very project, he paused to write the profoundly theological book of Romans (Romans 15:25-26). His scholarship didn't dampen a zeal for practical Christian love; his concern for souls didn't crowd out concern for their hungry bodies. Life Questions: Compare Paul's appeal for funds with those you see in the mail and in the media. Is there a different emphasis?
So what attitude did the Macedonians have 8 v 3-4 ?
###########################################
Have our views of giving changed over the years.
As a teenager I learnt, not in the Church but from reading Christian books to tithe. To set apart 10% of my income for the LORD’s work and regard that as a minimum Some people would also say that was His by right and our giving does not start until we give more than 10%.
Tithing is an Old Testament idea from a time before taxes, and eventually came to be used was to help share the upkeep of the Church fabric, the canvass tabernacle, used by the nomadic Jews between their escape from Egypt and the settlement of Canaan, and for a long time after that and then later the various great stone Temples at Jerusalem, and the synagogue in each community of 12 or more Jewish families. There was also money needed for the priests of the places of worship. The ancient Jews were also to provide alms in kind or in
coin to help the poorer people in their community, and provide hospitality for visitors.
Whether we regard tithing as a MUST or not it is a useful bench mark to aim at to start our giving, but it does not all have to go to the local Church, but to missions. ministries, charities, and poor people we know.
However the scale of giving is to be gauged by how much we have left, and how much we have left after paying all our essentials. We should give serious thought to the 90% left after we’ve tithed. Do we really need all the things we have acquired, and how can we share them with other people.
The income of some people maybe so low that along with the essentials of living
accommodation, heating, shelter, clothes, food, transport, they may have little they can spare They may not be able to tithe 10% but they should be able to give something or share what they have, and maybe give much in time, caring, serving, praying, loving.
Jesus told a story of a wealthy man pouring huge sums into the temple treasury. He could well afford it and had plenty left.
Then came a poor widow who put in 2 coins, all that she had,
We should not assume that that made her bankrupt. As a poor widow she would have received alms from the synagogue officer each day, so she could expect more help on the next day, but she gave what she had, and she may have cut back on her food to do that.
In the 60’s I went to preach at a village church and a lady deacon provided me hospitality. All we had for lunch was sliced beef and gravy, No potatoes, no other vegetables, just meat and gravy. She was sharing with me from the little that she had on her widows pension, so it was like a feast, and maybe she did not usually afford beef.
My Mum taught me generosity in several ways, but particularly when it seemed possible that I might have been going to college to train to become a Baptist Minister. I did not feel particularly called to be a minister ,but the minister of our church at that time who had been at BMS Summer School at Seaford where I was also, on our return to Walden asked me whether I thought that at Summer School God was calling me to become a minister.
I did not think so but agreed to put it to the test. It passed the Deacons Meeting, the Church Meeting. the County Baptist Churches Association Recognition Committee but faltered before the College Committee. The College Principal interviewed me and his message was “go back to your church, continue your lay preaching, and continue to develop your literature ministry. We have no courses here that can help you with that. Follow it see where God leads you and so I returned.
Some people in the Church could not cope with this apparent let down or failure. Some people would cross the street to avoid talking to me and I left the church for about 6 months and worshipped with the Pentecostalists and continued my lay preaching away from my home church.
About this time my Mum said she had something to give me and if I recall it aright she went to basket on a hook at the top of the cellar stairs beneath the bedroom staircase and took out a roll of money in £1 and 10 shilling bank notes and she had out of the very little she got in the way of housekeeping money from Dad, saved, £50 and gave it to me. . She had saved that as a gift towards my ministerial training,
I invested it and added to it, and from 1961 to 2006 it served as the Sydney & Alice Maddams Memorial Fund, and has paid out hundreds of grants amounting to thousands of pounds to students, pastors, prisoners, for training grants, books equipment, accommodation, etc, etc. including in the early days with her additional help, grants to my 3 nephews when they were training at the beginning of their careers. Although officially closed in 2006, it is in fact still being activated through income from me and other friends.
When Mum supported Church Sale of Work stalls and had one herself she found a person running a stall who had given nothing to it nor considered that she should, but went to shop-keepers begging for goods to sell.
When I became Church Treasurer in 1976 I got a shock, I was giving more each week than anyone else. 100% more than the next 2 nearest, a Company Managing Director and a wealthy farmer. Most people were giving the same as 20 years earlier, and that despite 3 years of double digit inflation.
So I had to set to with producing posters, leaflets, reports and sermons to teach people how to increase their giving.
When Revd Dennis Horwood retired the Church asked me to organise secretly an appeal to raise money to provide him with an annuity fund.
I sent out letters and envelopes to all Church Members and many people in the Community in organisations I knew he had supported. But I went one stage further and monitored the response and numbered all the envelopes and listed them. Many Church Members including some Deacons gave absolutely nothing, whereas from the wider community there was generous support.
Going back to my teenage years when we began in 1956 Saffron Walden District Youth for Christ, our first committee meeting was held in a home in Mount Pleasant Road, and present was Dr W E Shewell Cooper who had an estate near Thaxted and was a notable horticulturist and evangelist, and talking about funding things by faith. he made this point.
That “embarking on any great scheme in faith meant that God would provide, but if he didn’t supply then you put your hand in your own pocket and pay.” In other words God would use you to answer your prayers.
What makes a gift to the LORD acceptable ? 2nd Corinthians 8 v 12
#########################################
“For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
That gift is given out of real sincerity
What prevents people giving a fair portion of their money to the LORD for his work
#########################################
For people who are well off it is the fear of running out and becoming poor and having to rely on other people to bail you out.
In what ways beside giving money can we be generous to others in the name of Christ
Maybe by giving a meal, a book, a service, helping hand, encouragement, smiling, saying thank you, passing on a tract leaflet, gospel booklet or scriptures,. and though unknown to people, praying for them
That is what God has been towards you and me.
From my first floor flat I look East over flowering trees, white, yellow, pink, passed Caucasian pines, traditional English trees to a distant Monkey Puzzle tree, Tree remind me of the diversity of nature, the strength of wood,
the colours of God’s creation , That in turn reminds me of the whole of Creation Planet earth the blue planet, unique in our solar system. Millions of species of plants, animals, fish, reptiles, birds, insects, and 6.3 billion people and not one identically the same.
Such generosity. And looking wider I see the glowing fireball that is Sol. The Sun, our local home base star, and our silvery moon, and the other planets, asteroids, satellites, our immediate neighbours in Space.
Then we are but a tiny place in a galaxy of over a billion star systems, and a universe of billions of galaxies all like glittering collections of jewels.
And surrounding me I have so much to meet my every need.
Yet I know that hunger stalks our planet, that there are also deserts, refugees, famines and many great needs.
What’s God’s answer to these needs? You and me.
As He has been generous to us so He expects us to be generous to others.
So what can the New Testament teach us about helping those on this planet who God wants to help.
Paul, the pioneer missionary of the early Christian Church in all his journeying away from home was concerned about the poverty of the Christians back home, in Jerusalem, and his passion to help them, is God’s message to us of how to give, to share, to invest in and to help other people in need.
Remembering the Poor
1 Corinthians 16:1
Paul's deep concern for the poor in Jerusalem comes up often in the New Testament. He mentions taking a collection here, as well as in Romans and 2 Corinthians. He knew that widespread concern for the mother church in Jerusalem would do much to further unity between Jewish and Gentile Christians.
READ 1 Corinthians 16 v 1-4
161Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.
This collection was a SPECIAL ONE
In those days amongst the Greeks it was customary if someone fell ill for his friends to get together and raise an interest free loan
Also amongst the Jews each synagogue congregation appointed someone to collect from the congregation to share with those members who were in need of help
Quite frequently Jews who had gone abroad to work sent back an envoy with a money gift for the Temple as an act of worship or to help the poor
Paul did not want the Christians to be stingy when compared with these other practices
Paul had another idea too, he wanted to teach scattered Christians and scattered congregations that they were partners in something bigger than their own locality
they were part of The Church, the People of God
the centre of which then was in Jerusalem
It has been pointed out by scholars that Paul refers to this collection for the poor persecuted Christian in Jerusalem in various letters and describes it using 9 Greek words
LOGIA
######
meaning an extra collection and the opposite to a tax which people had to pay, a free will gift
As Jesus said in Matthew 5 v 47 “WHAT DO YOU DO MORE THAN OTHER PEOPLE
CHARIS
#######
a free gift freely given from the heart, with no forcing - small or large doesn’t matter
KOINONIA
##########
which means fellowship, sharing, the principle of not what can I keep to myself but what can I share
Strangely too this is where we get the word coin from
DIAKONIA
#########
standing for practical service to someone else from this we get the tern deacon, one who serves. It may be that we cannot serve someone in a practical way but a money gift is a good substitute.
HADROTES
###########
meaning giving from your abundance, Inevitably if a person gets a lot of money he thinks what extra he can do for himself rather than sharing. . So we get millionaires.
EULOGIA
#########
meaning bounty. There is giving that us not bountiness but is a duty given grudgingly in true giving there is a feeling of gladness
LEITOURGIA
############
Originally this meant a service to the state voluntarily given unlike a duty or tax.. Wealthy citizens of Athens underwrote the cost of ventures to help their fellow citizens, it might be
paying for some entertainment in the theatre,
or sponsoring a sports event
or to provide a new aqueduct.
Something that a lot of people will benefit from
willingly
These days if something needs doing there is a great tendency to say the Council must do it or the Government rather than we will pay, or I will pay, although in the end the citizens will have to pay in taxation.
Christian giving should be something that is volunteered rather than demanded of us
ELEEMOSUNE
##############
meaning alms giving.
To the Jew and to Muslims that was regarded as an act of righteousness, that could be a payment for forgiveness of sin, a fine
The Jews would say “How can a man show that he is a good man unless he is generous”
PROSPHORA
#############
which means a sacrifice
so that what is given to a person in need amounts to a sacrifice to God
The best of all sacrifices to God after the sacrifice of a penitent heart is kindness shown to one of his children who is in trouble or in need.
How were the Corinthians to know how much to give
What attitudes and actions of these early Christians should we imitate. ?
Compassion, Sharing. Regularity of care. Sensitivity, Sympathy, Generosity
READ 2nd Corinthians 8 v 1-14
#########################
81And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.
5And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. 6So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. 7But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
8I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. 9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich. 10And here is my advice about what is best for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give but also to have the desire to do so. 11Now finish the work, so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it, according to your means. 12For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
13Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. 14At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality,
Paul makes 5 arguments to encourage the Christians at Corinth to give, & us too
#########################################
1. He cites the example of other people
At the Jewish feast of Purim there is a regulation that says however poor a man is he should find someone poorer than himself and give him a gift.
It is not always those who are wealthy that are the most generous
There is a common saying “It is the poor who help the poor for they have been poor themselves.”
2)He cites the example of Jesus Christ whose sacrifice did not begin at the Cross, or at his birth but in Heaven when he consented to come here
3) He cites their own past record, from the history of their church. They have been foremost, so dare they now lag behind
4) He stresses the necessity of putting fine feeling into fine action, making good intentions a reality.
a feeling that remains only a feeling
a purity that remains only pity is not good enough
5) He reminds them that life has a strange way of evening things up, that if they give generously now, they may be in great need some day and someone else will help them and he reminded them that first before any gift they had to give themselves
and two of them did
ARISTARCHUS of Thessalonica gave himself to be Paul’s slave on the way to Rome when Paul was a prisoner, just like the faithful Doctor Luke, they accompanied their gifts, serving Paul
and EPAPHRODITUS of PHILLIPI came to bring a gift to Paul when Paul was in prison and serve Paul there, and became ill in doing so and nearly died, but gave at no thought to his own well being.
Don't Forget the Poor
A fund-raising letter from Paul himself
Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7
Every day in millions of mailboxes across the United States, letters with special "non-profit" postage stamps appear, stuffed among catalogs, magazines, and flyers from retail stores. Fund-raising through the mail is big business, for Jews, Catholics, Protestants, and a passel of charitable organizations.
The apostle Paul assuredly never engineered a million-piece charity appeal--the empire's postal service and the cost of papyrus made such an idea unthinkable. But 2 Corinthians does present a direct appeal for funds (chapters 8-9). Jewish Christians near Jerusalem were reportedly on the edge of starvation. Paul seized on the crisis as a perfect chance for Gentile Christians to reach out in compassion and demonstrate their spiritual unity with Jewish Christians.
Practicing What He Preached
In these two chapters, Paul outlines a philosophy of Christian giving, holding up Jesus Christ as a model. He explains the goal of such giving and the proper attitude of the givers. He even applies a little pressure by citing examples of Christians less well-heeled than the Corinthians (8:1-6; 9:1-5).
This brief passage on giving shows Paul's holistic concerns. While still recuperating from personal trauma, he had agreed to head up a major fund-raising drive on behalf of the needy in Jerusalem. Later, working on that very project, he paused to write the profoundly theological book of Romans (Romans 15:25-26). His scholarship didn't dampen a zeal for practical Christian love; his concern for souls didn't crowd out concern for their hungry bodies. Life Questions: Compare Paul's appeal for funds with those you see in the mail and in the media. Is there a different emphasis?
So what attitude did the Macedonians have 8 v 3-4 ?
###########################################
Have our views of giving changed over the years.
As a teenager I learnt, not in the Church but from reading Christian books to tithe. To set apart 10% of my income for the LORD’s work and regard that as a minimum Some people would also say that was His by right and our giving does not start until we give more than 10%.
Tithing is an Old Testament idea from a time before taxes, and eventually came to be used was to help share the upkeep of the Church fabric, the canvass tabernacle, used by the nomadic Jews between their escape from Egypt and the settlement of Canaan, and for a long time after that and then later the various great stone Temples at Jerusalem, and the synagogue in each community of 12 or more Jewish families. There was also money needed for the priests of the places of worship. The ancient Jews were also to provide alms in kind or in
coin to help the poorer people in their community, and provide hospitality for visitors.
Whether we regard tithing as a MUST or not it is a useful bench mark to aim at to start our giving, but it does not all have to go to the local Church, but to missions. ministries, charities, and poor people we know.
However the scale of giving is to be gauged by how much we have left, and how much we have left after paying all our essentials. We should give serious thought to the 90% left after we’ve tithed. Do we really need all the things we have acquired, and how can we share them with other people.
The income of some people maybe so low that along with the essentials of living
accommodation, heating, shelter, clothes, food, transport, they may have little they can spare They may not be able to tithe 10% but they should be able to give something or share what they have, and maybe give much in time, caring, serving, praying, loving.
Jesus told a story of a wealthy man pouring huge sums into the temple treasury. He could well afford it and had plenty left.
Then came a poor widow who put in 2 coins, all that she had,
We should not assume that that made her bankrupt. As a poor widow she would have received alms from the synagogue officer each day, so she could expect more help on the next day, but she gave what she had, and she may have cut back on her food to do that.
In the 60’s I went to preach at a village church and a lady deacon provided me hospitality. All we had for lunch was sliced beef and gravy, No potatoes, no other vegetables, just meat and gravy. She was sharing with me from the little that she had on her widows pension, so it was like a feast, and maybe she did not usually afford beef.
My Mum taught me generosity in several ways, but particularly when it seemed possible that I might have been going to college to train to become a Baptist Minister. I did not feel particularly called to be a minister ,but the minister of our church at that time who had been at BMS Summer School at Seaford where I was also, on our return to Walden asked me whether I thought that at Summer School God was calling me to become a minister.
I did not think so but agreed to put it to the test. It passed the Deacons Meeting, the Church Meeting. the County Baptist Churches Association Recognition Committee but faltered before the College Committee. The College Principal interviewed me and his message was “go back to your church, continue your lay preaching, and continue to develop your literature ministry. We have no courses here that can help you with that. Follow it see where God leads you and so I returned.
Some people in the Church could not cope with this apparent let down or failure. Some people would cross the street to avoid talking to me and I left the church for about 6 months and worshipped with the Pentecostalists and continued my lay preaching away from my home church.
About this time my Mum said she had something to give me and if I recall it aright she went to basket on a hook at the top of the cellar stairs beneath the bedroom staircase and took out a roll of money in £1 and 10 shilling bank notes and she had out of the very little she got in the way of housekeeping money from Dad, saved, £50 and gave it to me. . She had saved that as a gift towards my ministerial training,
I invested it and added to it, and from 1961 to 2006 it served as the Sydney & Alice Maddams Memorial Fund, and has paid out hundreds of grants amounting to thousands of pounds to students, pastors, prisoners, for training grants, books equipment, accommodation, etc, etc. including in the early days with her additional help, grants to my 3 nephews when they were training at the beginning of their careers. Although officially closed in 2006, it is in fact still being activated through income from me and other friends.
When Mum supported Church Sale of Work stalls and had one herself she found a person running a stall who had given nothing to it nor considered that she should, but went to shop-keepers begging for goods to sell.
When I became Church Treasurer in 1976 I got a shock, I was giving more each week than anyone else. 100% more than the next 2 nearest, a Company Managing Director and a wealthy farmer. Most people were giving the same as 20 years earlier, and that despite 3 years of double digit inflation.
So I had to set to with producing posters, leaflets, reports and sermons to teach people how to increase their giving.
When Revd Dennis Horwood retired the Church asked me to organise secretly an appeal to raise money to provide him with an annuity fund.
I sent out letters and envelopes to all Church Members and many people in the Community in organisations I knew he had supported. But I went one stage further and monitored the response and numbered all the envelopes and listed them. Many Church Members including some Deacons gave absolutely nothing, whereas from the wider community there was generous support.
Going back to my teenage years when we began in 1956 Saffron Walden District Youth for Christ, our first committee meeting was held in a home in Mount Pleasant Road, and present was Dr W E Shewell Cooper who had an estate near Thaxted and was a notable horticulturist and evangelist, and talking about funding things by faith. he made this point.
That “embarking on any great scheme in faith meant that God would provide, but if he didn’t supply then you put your hand in your own pocket and pay.” In other words God would use you to answer your prayers.
What makes a gift to the LORD acceptable ? 2nd Corinthians 8 v 12
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“For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.
That gift is given out of real sincerity
What prevents people giving a fair portion of their money to the LORD for his work
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For people who are well off it is the fear of running out and becoming poor and having to rely on other people to bail you out.
In what ways beside giving money can we be generous to others in the name of Christ
Maybe by giving a meal, a book, a service, helping hand, encouragement, smiling, saying thank you, passing on a tract leaflet, gospel booklet or scriptures,. and though unknown to people, praying for them