Wise Stewardship: Faithful Giving and Financial Responsibility

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In Acts chapter 4 is a time when they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, they really loved one another and they wanted to help because many of them in that church were poor. So what did they do? It says in verse 34, Acts 4:34, there was not a needy person among them but all who were owners of lands or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. [00:02:01]

Many years later, 15 years later, they became rock bottom poor. They couldn't survive, these Christians, and Paul had to tell the Christians in Corinth, please send some money for those poor people in Jerusalem and to the Philippians he says please send money to send some money to the poor people in Jerusalem. Okay and they got other Christians provided for them, that's okay. [00:03:05]

Some people are foolish like that they say I'm going to trust God and they go give everything away and afterwards they become helplessly dependent on waiting, they're always waiting for a handout from somebody else. No, so I'm not saying you should do that, but I see one thing, that there was a goodness, you know, sometimes in our zeal, we can do something with a good heart but it's pretty foolish. [00:03:56]

It's like these people who say I'm going to trust God, I'm sick but I won't take medicines, I don't trust in doctors, I don't trust medicine and they die, that's foolishness. God has also given us common sense, common sense didn't come from the devil by the way in case you didn't know, it's God who's given us common sense. [00:04:24]

When you want when they wanted to give to the poor, what did they do? They said we don't know who the really poor people are. Listen to this, one person who's poor who is a bit of a crook, may and man convince me in a very subtle way in a spiritual way that he's needy, but he's convinced 25 others also that he's needy, and he gets money because he's a very smart guy. [00:06:39]

The only solution is you the rich man, the rich philanthropist, the rich benefactor who wants to help people and get a name that you are a helper of people, let me give you a little advice, please humble yourself and say I may be rich but I'm stupid, Lord please help me to humble myself and let me give it in a godly way. [00:08:37]

They gave it to the elders they were humble enough to say, we are rich but we are foolish, we give it to you elders you decide who are the really needy people, so that some crooked fellow does not collect from 25 people and some needy person starves we don't want that. What wisdom these believers are not as smart as some of us but they had more common sense. [00:09:00]

Put that money in an envelope market for the poor, and let the elders distribute it don't put somebody's name on it, and put in the offering box it will not be given to that person, because we don't do that we are not a distributing agency, no that we are not courier service with that you got to go to the courier service we are not courier services distributing envelopes. [00:09:43]

We investigate who is the needy one what their fees are, what is the expense they have and according to the needs so that there's a wise utilization of God's money, this is just being righteous we are still in school righteousness with money so I want to encourage you to do that in future so that we are a church that cares and that we care for all equally. [00:11:18]

Faithfulness means even after I've finished with righteousness I've paid back my debts I'm not in debt, I've stopped cheating everybody I'm paying everything correctly, then I recognize at that point even what I have is not my own and I say Lord this is yours tell me how to use it, tell me how to use the money you've given me. [00:12:28]

We are a church that cares and that we care for all equally, otherwise if you're a father and you find that one say your children are all left home and they are all needy, oh no say one or two are needy and some are doing well, won't you have a concern that the one who's needy should be helped more this guy's earning a fantastic salary let me help that one who's more needy. [00:11:39]

Elders are like spiritual parents who want to help those who are needy in the church so brothers and sisters I want to encourage you to please be faithful in this area, begin by being righteous and then faithfulness let me give you one sentence about faithfulness and that is faithfulness means even after I've finished with righteousness. [00:12:08]

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