Church Life 19 – Finance

[00:00:00] From verse one of Philippians, chapter two I'm reading in the new American Standard Bible. [00:00:06] If, therefore, there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind. Let each of you regard one another as more important than himself. Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a bond servant, and being made in the likeness of men and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore, also God highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. Do all things without grumbling or disputing that you may prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life. So that in the day of Christ I may have caused glory, because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain. [00:03:19] The treasury downstairs, you will all see, is divided into three divisions. Divided into three. There is the general, there is the rebuilding, and there is the fellowship. Now, the general is obviously what it means. Out of that comes all the money for all the matters, which are the general matters, routine matters, as well as other things, too, sort of all the routine life of the church. Electricity, fuel, gas, etcetera, etcetera. That's all in the general. [00:04:00] Rebuilding is exactly what it means. It is rebuilding. And therefore everything to do with the actual rebuilding, reconstruction and so on of the house has all come out of the number two is the technical name for it, but it's. We call it rebuilding downstairs and the last is the fellowship. That's the only one we have often wished we could rename in one way, because people think it is the fellowship, and that does sometimes give rise to some misunderstanding. But it is a description, it's not a title, just as christian fellowship is a description and not a title. [00:04:42] And fellowship means sharing with others. Now, anything that goes into the fellowship account, therefore, does not go on the literature, electricity or fuel or material things. It doesn't go on rebuilding. It goes to people who are actually in need, believers or others who we happen to know are in need. And we feel a responsibility toward it's fellowship in that sense, generally speaking, because it's toward believers. [00:05:15] Now, our attitude towards finance has always been a that in giving we are worshiping, and therefore we put the treasury in, we trust, a not too prominent position, but in a position where people have to go deliberately to give. If they wish to forget, they can very easily do so. We do that deliberately because we believe that believers who forget to give God doesn't really want their money. [00:05:52] Giving, in other words, is a deliberate act of worship, and to go deliberately and consistently and regularly to the treasury and give is an act of worship which God knows. Just like Jesus, the Lord Jesus once sat over against the treasury and watched how the people were giving. [00:06:13] The second thing is that we believe that in giving there should be freedom. [00:06:19] In other words, we feel that rather than just putting everything into a plate and certain bodies or people deciding where it all ought to go, we feel there should be a freedom in giving. So you can give as you feel led. There's no compulsion in it, as in perhaps a collection, and there is no compulsion as to where your money goes. If, for instance, you don't wish, you're one of these Mary type people who wish to give only to people who have no time for cooking or fuel or electricity consumption, or all the many things which are vitally necessary to life. But you feel that you don't want money to go on, that you want it to go on. People in need and not to be misspent. Well, you've got perfect freedom. You can give every penny you ever give into the fellowship, and you will know that not one single pence, one penny of that will go to anything other than people in need. There's freedom. In other words, if you don't wish to help in the rebuilding, but you do want to help in general things, you feel some responsibility for the electricity you use and the general furniture you wear out and all the other things, the very necessary things in the life of the church. Well, then you give to generals. But you may feel to have some question about rebuilding. You don't wish to give. So there's freedom, you see, in this matter. [00:08:09] Three sections, then, general rebuilding fellowship. Sometimes people have problems as to how they should apportion their giving. [00:08:19] They feel that they wish to give. They wish to give regularly and they give a certain amount which they've settled in their heart before the Lord, but they're not sure how to give or where to give. [00:08:31] Well, now, we can't help you on that matter, really, all I can do is to tell you the three sections, and really it's up to you to pray as to how you apportion your giving. Should you give, for instance, to one matter? This is not wrong. Sometimes some people may ask the Lord what they should do and he may say, yes, I want you to give to such and such a matter. You make yourself more responsible for that particular item and you give. On the other hand, you can do what some people do. They put it in an envelope and they put to the greatest need and they put it in the treasury. And this means that you have actually given the responsibility to the brethren in charge of the treasury. They know what is the pressing need. And we have many such gifts that are said to the greatest need at present. And those gifts are put. For instance, if there's a pressing electricity bill or a pressing fuel bill or something else, then it would go there. On the other hand, if there's a pressing hospitality need, it would go towards hospitality. Or if there's a pressing guest luncheon bill that needs to be paid, it would go toward that. So that is the way, in fact, we do it. The second thing we want to say is that there we take a 10th from the general and the rebuilding. We take one 10th of the whole income of those two sections of the treasury and we channel that into the fellowship. Now, people might say, well, what a strange thing to do. But this comes from some years ago when people said that they felt we were spending too much money on ourselves upon the rebuilding upon the place. And we became very concerned about it, as in actual fact, it wasn't true. But we were very, very sensitive over the whole matter. We felt God had given us a beautiful place. He had marvelously furnished it and everything else, and therefore we wanted to be over careful in this matter. So before the Lord, we decided that we would take a 10th of everything that came into the general and the rebuilding and any earmarked gift which was for material things and we would take a 10th of it and put it into the fellowship so that it went all the time on need. So at least one 10th of our income was going on. People in need. Now, the Lord marvelously answered just that part with a confirming sign. We were, if you remember, next door. We had suddenly the people next door who paid 30 shillings a week for the whole place and let out rooms to different people for four or five pounds a week, suddenly came to us and said that the roof was leaking when we went, had it looked at, it was to cost 400 pounds. And we had 400 pounds to start on the work on this side, on the actual going beyond the room downstairs. And we didn't know what to do. And people said, oh, how ridiculous. Spending money on a roof for them. And they only paid 30 shillings a week. I mean, they know what they're doing, they're making lots of money out of others, including some of our own people who were there, and they want us to put the roof. However, we prayed and we felt it was right. And the most wonderful thing was in that next day a cheque came from Scotland for 450 pounds. Now, the amazing thing was, it was not only 400 pounds. We had said goodbye to our 400 pounds, we got 450 pounds. The 50 went to the fellowship, the fellowship account. Do you understand? So we still had our 400 there the moment we parted with it for next door, because we felt it was a testimony before the world. So God gave us back plus the 10%. Therefore, we felt that the question of the 10th had been confirmed by the Lord. And from that day onward, we went on. Now, this means that if a person gave instance pounds towards the carpet, a carpet. Suppose they felt we needed a carpet somewhere, they give 100 pounds towards a carpet. Ten pounds of that would go immediately into the fellowship account. If someone were to give a 60 pounds for a cooker, six pounds will go immediately to the fellowship account. If someone gave something, anything for material things, do you understand? Then the 10th goes there, earmarked gifts. Now, we are great believers in earmarked gifts, and that simply means that if anyone has a burden on their heart for a particular item or something or other, all they had to do was to put money into an envelope and put on the outside of the envelope, whatever it is. So if you said, as I mentioned, Hoover, you felt, well, they need a new Hoover. It's on my heart. So you put in, say, 30 pounds for a hoover and you write on that new hoover. [00:13:44] Now, that means that three pounds of that goes to the fellowship account. But the other 27 pounds is kept until we have exactly what we need to get a new hoover. [00:14:00] It is not touched or used for anything else. So anything earmarked in this way. And this is, as you know, we have many earmarked gifts for various things that people have on their heart. They feel the Lord. Or you just put it in envelope, earmark it, and so it comes in. Yes. [00:14:18] Can I just ask you to mention, to be clear. [00:14:24] Yes, yes. This is the point. People are not always clear. Sometimes we have not all. It's not a common thing, but we have had, at times, sessions where I've been called in and we've all sat down with a nice pad sort of block on our heads to try and work out someone's ear marking of a gift. I mean, we just have not been able to understand it. So could you please try to remember this? Do be clear. [00:14:58] Do be clear. When you make a gift which you feel towards something, try to be as clear as you possibly can. One of the things we've always felt about the treasury is that it should. All our giving should be anonymous. And this is one of the problems, because when it is anonymous, we can't approach a person generally and say, now, what did you mean by this? You see, Jenny speaking year from. I was just going to say, I trust it is clear to everybody that earmark is. [00:15:29] Oh, yes, yes, we'll come to that in a moment. I'm gradually going through all this. I'm just drawing that first, earmarked gifts are never used for any other purpose than that for which they are earmarked. And just remember that the envelope needs clear markets. Now, on this question of going back to the 10th, 1st, on this question of the 10th and the fellowship account, we have three brethren. We have. First of all, we have two brothers who look after the actual administration of the treasury that is here, David and Allan. These two brothers look after the actual work of banking, counting, and in fact, really virtually administering the money under the eldership. But we have for the number three account, as we call it, the fellowship account, three brethren. Now, these three brothers are Ken Douglas, brother Shaw and Eric Lark, who were appointed by the company years ago. We felt they must be absolutely above board, no question about their respectability, absolutely honest. And we wanted to say, now, this fund is in your hand. Now, why this? Because this is not audited. [00:17:05] This money, which is going to people in need. We wanted these three brothers to be absolutely responsible for, because we didn't. That people in the company should feel that they're recipients of charity. [00:17:19] And that the whole company would read in there, such and such, a gift to mister so and so, such and such, a gift to miss so and so, such and such a gift to somebody else. We thought, no, we don't like that. We don't want it. We would rather have three brethren who are absolutely one. Now, the point of having the three brothers is that anyone in this company can go to those three brothers and say, I happen to know that so and so is in need. Now, this doesn't mean that that need will be met but it does mean that these three brothers will get together and pray. [00:17:53] If they are unanimous, they will make a gift. If they are not unanimous, they will wait. [00:18:00] So the idea here is that they should be together in any gift that is made. All right, I hope that's quite clear here to everybody. [00:18:13] So also. Now that has gone further than that. We now have not only a number three account, we have a number four account. This includes the leper rehabilitation, the outward bound and the logos ship. And they are also responsible for seeing that those monies get to the right sources. [00:18:36] Now. [00:18:47] Yes, they are. And that has been one of our problems because sometimes when we have many brothers coming to us and so on and we feel we ought to help them and so on then sometimes we felt that we may not have much in the fund when perhaps someone was in need. That is right, isn't it? One of the concerns that has been over this fund actually it has worked absolutely wonderfully so far in the meeting of various needs amongst us now. Yes. Is someone asking something? [00:19:32] The last point I wish to make is this, that the upkeep of those in the work such as myself, Bob, Margaret, Paul, Doug and so on, folks that are actually helping in the work and write for time in the work nothing is given to them from the treasury whatsoever. They even pay for their lunches. [00:20:01] They receive nothing out of the treasury at all. Now, we must make this clear because in spite of the fact that every time we have one of these times of fellowship on the accounts people still believe that in some way or another those who actually work here and so on are paid out of the treasury. And still people believe that the fellowship account pays for the ministry, as they call it. [00:20:30] There's not a single penny that comes to anybody actually out of the treasury. And it all comes by ear marked gifts. [00:20:43] That is that if you wish to support anyone who is in the work you feel you should before the Lord. Then you had to put something in an envelope and you have to market that envelope with their name. Now, when a gift is earmarked either, for instance, to myself or one of the others, that does not go through the books, it goes directly to that person. In the same way any earmarked gift, which is to the leper fund, to the missionary ship logos ship, to the outward bound, that is not earmarked, obviously, because it's already going into the fellowship account, you understand? So there is no. We only take attempts from all those things which are for material matters. [00:21:38] It must be earmarked if it's to go to a person. In other words, the mothers don't sort of say, well, now we'll give you this and this and this and this. It must have the person's name on it. Now and again, there are those who do put some money in an envelope and mark it for all those living by faith or some such title, those who are christian workers or something like that. And then that is divided amongst all who are in the work. [00:22:13] Let you say that the envelopes here mark the persons are not opened by Alan and myself. No, the envelope itself is passed directly to Lance or to wherever else it is. Is that clear? [00:22:26] That, in other words, there's no money received by those who are, are in the actual work from the treasury. It goes direct to such people. Now, are there one or two things that we can very briefly say about this whole matter of finance and giving? Now, any of you who have not got a copy of these notes, do please take one. If you've got one, don't take them. But if you have not got a copy, please do take a copy of these notes entitled the Ministry of Giving. [00:23:13] In this we have in some year or so ago, covered all the different aspects of finance and money in the work of God. [00:23:27] And you'll have all the scriptures there, and I think you'll find it very helpful. So please do take that. I can only touch on a few matters because we have so little time. The first thing I'd just like to touch on is the principle of giving. The principle of giving. [00:23:46] What is the principle of giving? Well, we find it in Luke and chapter six and verse 38. [00:23:57] Luke six and verse 38. Give, and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over shall they give into your bosom, for with what measure ye meet, it shall be measured to you again. Now, this is the principle of gift. Anyone who does not give will not receive. [00:24:25] The principle of giving is always the same, that if you give, you receive, you receive. And I have always noted that the people God provides for are all great givers, all of them. [00:24:44] The Lord never lets anybody down on this point. He has never ever let anybody down. It is absolute truth. If a person gives, they always get back more than they give. [00:24:59] Now. This is why it says in proverbs and chapter eleven, proverbs 1124, there is the scattereth and increaseth yet more, and there is that withholdeth more than is meat, but it tendeth only to want. The liberal soul shall be made fat, and he that watereth shall be watered also himself. [00:25:35] He that withholdeth grain, the people shall curse him, but blessing shall be upon the head of him that selleth it. In other words, always with giving there is a return, there is that scattereth and yet increaseth. You have the same thing again in proverbs three and verse nine and ten, where we read these words, honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase, so shall thy bonds be filled with plenty, and thy vats shall overflow with wine. In other words, if we will honor the Lord, and this goes as much for people so called living by faith as for anybody else. If we honor the Lord with the firstfruits of our substance, of our increase and with our substance, then our barns shall be filled with plenty, not just enough, but plenty, and our vat shall overflow with new wine. [00:26:50] So here is the principle. Giving is the surest way into blessing and fullness, both spiritual and material. The promises conditional on our giving are dogmatic, straightforward and quite unequivocal. [00:27:09] In other words, God has committed himself a missing, and he never lies. [00:27:14] Give and you receive. That is the principle. So any Christian who does not give is of necessity a person who knows poverty, a limitation, one way or another. Now, the second thing is, we can only speak about the teaching on giving in the New Testament. In the Old Testament, there were three. [00:27:39] There were, we could say, giving was divided into three. There was the tithe, which is just simply the 10th. And it was the 10th of everything, of everything, not of what was left. [00:27:55] In other words, it was the 10th of all. And not just money, but of every single thing. The 10th. [00:28:05] That's the version that was by law. Every child of God had to give a 10th of their whole income in kind and money. That was the first thing. The second thing was that above and beyond that were the free will offerings. [00:28:25] It is very interesting that the freewill offerings were not required by law. They were free will. So when you gave the 10th youd done your duty, but if you made a free will offering that was beyond what you were required to do. Now, it is very interesting that both the tabernacle and the temple were built not out of the tithe, but out of the free will offering. [00:28:47] Indeed, the interesting thing is that the tithes went to keeping the Levite and the priest, the actual the priest and the Levite lived on the tithes. [00:29:00] The free will offering actually went to the building and upkeep of the temple and tabernacle. Thirdly, there was care for people in need. Now part of the ties went to caring for people in need, the poor of the land. [00:29:18] But there was also this exhortation again and again to care for those strangers and your own kith and kin who were poor. And that was the third section in giving. Now, when we come to the New Testament, it is in fact all the teaching in the New Testament on giving flowers, as it were on the old. [00:29:43] But we now come into a much deeper in many ways, perhaps we should say a much higher level. [00:29:51] What does the New Testament teach? First of all, the Christian and all he possesses belongs completely to Christ. [00:29:59] He is therefore not the owner of anything that is his. He is only the steward. If you have a car, a Christian, you are a Christian. It's not yours. You are a steward of it. If you have a house, it's not yours. You are the steward of it. If you have money, it's not yours. You are the steward of it. Why? Because the scripture says, ye are not your own, ye are bought with a price. [00:30:27] Therefore glorify God in your body. In other words, God, having purchased you, has obviously taken everything else. You are his and you are no longer an owner, but a steward. And thats the first important thing we must understand. The emphasis of the New Testament is that the Christian and all he possesses belongs completely to Christ. Its not a question of giving. A 10th and duty is done. He can then use the rest as he wishes or as he feels. The child of God is but the steward of those material things which God has blessed him with and has got to one day give account of the way he has dealt with them, managed them. [00:31:16] Second thing, the Christian must not be vague and hap hazard in his giving, but regular and consistent. Now, again, one corinthians 16 two. [00:31:28] The apostle Paul said, upon the first day of the week, let each one of you lay by him in store as he may prosper. Each one of you, no exceptions. Each one of you, first day of the week, let each one of you lay aside by him as God as he may prosper. As he may prosper, as in fact, that one has prospered financially. So if a person hasn't got very much income, then it's tied to that. If a person's got a big income, it's tied to that. It's not a fixed sum in that way. Then again, two corinthians chapter nine and verse seven, we have the same thought again. [00:32:21] Let each man do according as he hath purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity. For God loveth a cheerful giver, as he hath purposed in his heart in two corinthians eight and verse twelve. For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according as a man hath not according as he hath not. [00:32:46] Now here is the second thing, the emphasis in the New Testament. The Christian mustnt be vague and haphazard in his giving, but he must be regular and consistent. This idea that I must be led of the spirit. I must be led of the spirit. What it often turns out to be is that youre not led at all. Only when theres some emotional appeal or some story comes up or you see some films and suddenly the oh, dear, I ought to give. This is not right. [00:33:12] The Christian is to be a consistent and regular giver. And the word of God says, as he has purposed in his heart as each week, first day of the week, as he has prospered. I think this is very, very important. He has to put aside deliberately before the Lord. He has put aside regularly a portion of his income. [00:33:42] The Lord may well lead him at times to give. Beyond that regular putting aside, that is sacrificial, that is a free will gift. But he ought before God to be regular, consistent in his or her giving. [00:34:05] Now, strangely enough, it is that kind of giving which the Lord looks upon as spiritually intelligent worship, the kind of thing that's just haphazard from time to time, as the move may take you, does not mean too much to the Lord, unless behind it there is consistency and regular giving, because that is worship. [00:34:31] The third thing is the amount a Christian gives is a matter between him and God. Now there are those who believe that every Christian should tithe. But New Testament does not, in fact, anywhere from Matthew to revelation say that the Christian should tithe. It says that he should give as the Lord has prospered him. [00:34:56] In other words, it's a matter between him and the Lord. It's very interesting the way the revised version puts that in two corinthians nine seven, not of necessity, not of necessity, for the Lord loveth a cheerful giver. Or the new English Bible puts no sense of compulsion. Even more strongly, no sense of compulsion as he purposed in his heart. He has before God purposed in his heart that he shall give this to the Lord. There's no sense of duty. This is my 10th, which I've got to give. It's something between you and the Lord. [00:35:38] There is only one reference to tithing in the New Testament which might have, and that is in Matthew 23 and verse 23. Now, I don't think we can go into it now, but I think what we can say is, if in the Old Testament, under the law, the believer had to give a 10th, dare we as christians in the new covenant, give less? [00:36:06] Is it perhaps not true that if we do not give above the 10th, we're not really giving in one way, something anyway for us to think about. [00:36:20] Every believer should purpose in his heart, as led by God, to give regularly and consistently in proportion to his income. The fourth thing is, it is the attitude of the heart which concerns God far more than the amount we give. The little widow only gave two mites, but it was the attitude of her heart. It wasn't the amount that pleased God. In one sense, what could God do in one sense, humanly speaking, what could be done with two mites? [00:37:02] You could buy a few sparrows, the Lord once said, with such a thing, what else could you do with that? But God doesn't judge like that. The point was, she gave her whole living and she gave it out of her want. [00:37:21] And it says, the others gave out of their superfluity. [00:37:28] So therefore, with God it is not so much the amount we give, but the spirit with which we give, and in many ways, and above all, the heart which lies behind our giving. The acid test of the heart, attitude and motives is whether one can give in secret, known and seen of only by God. Any other giving has already had its reward. [00:38:00] The Lord himself said it. [00:38:04] Fifthly, we must be practical in our recognition of what needs our support financially as well as spiritually. [00:38:13] We all need to recognize the simple law that we should contribute towards the cost of God's work. [00:38:20] Quite simple, quite practical. This matter. [00:38:25] We must never be numbered amongst those who receive all and give note. [00:38:32] Every single child of God has got to be practical in the simple matter of giving to the work of God. And this, it seems to me, comes into four categories, is what should we support? [00:38:49] Firstly, we should support the work of God in general. [00:38:54] Not in a narrow sense, but the work of God in general. Now we can't support the whole work of God all over the world. But we can have the world on our hearts before the Lord and we can look to the Lord to burden us with particular things. It's marvellous the way some folks in this company give, for instance, to the ship, to the leper work outward bound or to others. It may be that it's something to do with Jenny Hepburn or Diane Poole or one of the others in far flung parts of the earth. But you're supporting the work of God in general. You're being practical about it. You're not just sort of saying, oh, well, I think it's wonderful how God is moving all over the earth. [00:39:39] I mean, we've actually given towards that in a practical way. Secondly, we should support the work of the local church. That's obvious. That is our responsibility. No one else is going to our responsibility to support the work of the local church. And remember that there are many routine things which are all part and parcel of the life of the local church. It's our responsibility to support that. We should thirdly, care for the needy amongst us and around us. [00:40:17] That is another thing that should be much on our hearts. We should be practical in this matter. [00:40:23] Be careful of just giving in a silly and sentimental way. Sometimes there are people who don't shout to about their needs but are in real need. And we should be careful before God that we help those who are in need amongst us and have perhaps no other means of income, especially in these days. [00:40:47] Fourthly, we should support those who are given wholly to the Lord's work. Now I can't give you all the scriptures to be here all the evening. But I think that in those four connections we can be helped in being practical in our support of the Lord's work. May I make one other point in this connection? In this matter of being right down to work we must also be careful that giving to the Lord never be made the excuse for not supporting or caring for our own family. [00:41:28] Now, what do we mean there simply this, that there are people we have known who have taken a whole 20 pounds and given it away and said they were going to trust the Lord with four children, five children. [00:41:46] What has had to happen? Of course, this is years ago. I'm thinking of a particular instance. Well, we had to step in as the church and do something. [00:41:54] But could we get that, Father, to see that it wasn't the spirit of God? [00:41:59] The fact that the church stepped in and cared for the family was taken as well. This is it, you see. This is the Lord it's utterly wrong. It says in one Timothy five eight that you're worse than an unbeliever if you don't care for your own family. [00:42:16] So we should of course, give to the Lord regularly and consistently. But we should be always careful that we don't make the excuse of giving. [00:42:27] Make the excuse that in giving to the law, we can't care for our own family. [00:42:32] May I just make a very simple point about the support of the Lord's servants? [00:42:38] The word of God commands us to support those who are engaged completely in the work of God and have no normal means of income. [00:42:46] For instance, we have one Timothy five, verse 17 and 18. [00:42:54] One Timothy 517. Let the elders that fool well be counted worthy of double honour. Now that word double honor means, as you can see in some of your modern versions, double wages, especially those who labour in the word and in teaching. For the scripture said, thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn. That's a very down to earth little word. [00:43:14] Then there is Galatians chapter six and verse six. But let him that is taught in the word, communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. If everyone took that literally, I'd be a millionaire after this week or two. Let him that is taught in the word, communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things. Now this word communicate is not just a kind of lovely word that has something to do with talking to one another. Communicate means letting go of your money, sharing your money. Communicate just simply means let him that is taught in the word, communicate unto him in the teacher in all good things. And then again you have in one corinthians and chapter nine, one corinthians, chapter nine, one corinthians, chapter nine, not two. And verse 14. [00:44:22] Even so did the Lord ordain that they that proclaim the gospel should live of the gospel. Verse 18. What then is my reward? That when I preach the gospel I may make the gospel without charge, so as not to use the full right in the gospel? Now, there are two levels upon which servants of the Lord can live. Both of them are right. The first is they can exercise their right and take wages from the church. [00:44:49] They can exercise their right and take wages from the church. And there is nothing wrong in receiving wages. [00:44:56] And any servant of the Lord has the right, because the scripture says, thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. To say, I wish to be paid decent, honorable wages. [00:45:12] That's the first thing. Now this is much better than living by faith with hints I remember one place, I think some of you know the story. I went once and was ministering and there abroad. And the lad, the son of the pastor, spoke with me and said, do you really. [00:45:37] Aren't you paid anything? No, I said, but he said, you look so well dressed. Oh. I said, well, the Lord's very good. I said, if you trust him, the Lord will provide for you. Oh. He said, my father doesn't. [00:45:54] Well. I said, well, what do you mean? So he said, my father, when my mother says to my father he should get his shoes mended, he says, oh, no, he wouldn't dream of doing that, because he thinks that people will not give. [00:46:11] In other words, he hoped that people spotted that he was down at the heel, or when he prayed, which he did, by the way, always I noticed, I was very struck with those that when we had a meeting, he always. And the front knelt, and of course, you could see these souls with a little hole in them. Well, a quickie son gave the game away. I was absolutely horrified. But this is the kind of thing you have again and again. I think it's much more honorable to take wages than to live by him and call it face. [00:46:48] Take decent wages. Nothing wrong with that. Be absolutely bald and blatant about it. That's the first thing. However, the second level is you can refuse to exercise this right and make no charge, receiving no wages. Now, the accent here is not living by faith, which is what christendom has made it. Evangelicalism of Mavis. There is no such thing in the world. We don't read it anywhere. Paul said, instead, I will not use this right that I may get a reward and I will not be a burden to the churches. So the second thing is that you don't become a burden to the church by insisting on a wait. [00:47:33] If you take that second thing, then you must never talk about that. [00:47:39] You must never appeal for it. You must never let your needs be known. You must never pardon, you must never ask in any way either underhanded or straight out. That is the second. Now, the reason for that is that you don't want a reward. Now, here's the interesting thing. Those who are servants of the Lord and get wages, quite a bit of their work is already rewarded. According to the apostle Paul, they received wages and they did a decent day's job, or should have done for those wages. But those who don't receive wages from the church, they have a reward. [00:48:15] In other words, the Lord is no man's debtor. And if one day some of us may go to heaven, having sort of lived on perhaps a very small income. The Lord will say, now, you know, you're not. You're not in your definition. [00:48:29] Don't you think the true short thing was going to make the whole thing up, you see, in a reward? Now, that is the whole point. If you read in one corinthians nine, you'll see the whole of the apostle Paul's argument in this matter. Read it in a modern version and you'll get the whole gist of his argument on this. Now, very lastly, very swiftly, should we have collections? [00:48:54] Well, I'm glad you should say no, but not everyone knows why we shouldn't have collections. Well, now I'm going to say this. It doesn't in actual fact, say in the scripture, we shouldn't have collection. We can't be dogmatic about this matter. [00:49:06] I must say that I think it's much better to send a plate round and be absolutely bored again about it. I think it's much better to be like the Salvation Army. I actually say, we need the money and we're shoving this under your nose for you to give it to us. We're in great need of money and you ought to give because you're children of God and so on. I think that's much better than to say that we trust the Lord. We trust the Lord. As you know, we always say, you know, letters that come and say, dear prayer partner, do pray for us. Tap tap tap. You know, sort of thing. [00:49:41] We are building our new meeting hall. [00:49:47] It will cost 56,000 pounds. Tap tap tap tap. Please pray about this matter. Tap tap tap. I don't mean that at all. Why don't they come out in the open and say, it's costing 56,000 pounds? Would you please pray about giving? [00:50:02] That's much more honest than to say, well, I face mission and say, please pray for 56,000 pounds. When asked by what we mean is please give. [00:50:12] So I say, no click for is not necessarily wrong, but it does seem that it's not the best way. [00:50:19] For instance, in Matthew chapter six, one four, that seems to rule out any kind of collection. Your left hand should not know what your right hand is doing. It obviously does. In a collection, not only does your left hand know what your right hand is doing, but everyone else knows what it's doing, too. Oh, I used to remember in the good old days, I used to be demon on this matter. I used to watch it, especially people I knew, because I used to see those crisp five pell notes going into the place with a great, great applause. [00:50:50] They went in as well. And of course, well, one asks oneself, there's nothing wrong with the collections, but is it really keeping that law that your left hand should not know what your right hand is doing? Why does the apostle Paul say, no collection when I arrived in one corinthians 16, one, two. Why? Why didn't he say, like many evangelists do, well, have a marvelous thank offering when I come? [00:51:16] And by the way, it wasn't for him, so he couldn't say that. He could have easily said, now, look here, this is the poor angels. We're going to have a mass meeting. We're going to have a few hymns. I'm going to give you a word on laying down your life and giving everything you've got. And then we'll have a collection. [00:51:31] Doctor FB Meyer had a collection like that. And when they counted it up, he wouldn't let them go. He actually had it counted on the platform. As he said, in the end, we are 17 in those days, 17 pounds with a lot of money. We're 17 pounds short. So we're going to sing a hymn and send it round. Because came back next time, and it was still a pound short. He said, we're singing another hymn and sending it back. None of you are going to get out of this place till we've got it. [00:51:55] It was quite bold and honest. [00:51:59] But Paul said, no collecting when I arrived. If, as he said, their giving should be definite, why not have a great thank offering? [00:52:07] I mean, they'd all been putting aside, so I must have a big thank offering. It seems as if you found it distasteful. The third thing is this. If it's wrong to ask or give the opportunity to unbelievers. To aid financially God's work, then we certainly shouldn't have a collection and evangelistic meeting or evangelistic campaign. And probably better not have a collection in any meeting. [00:52:28] The next point I like to make is that collections so often the result of a lack of faith in God to provide for his own work. When we first gave up collections, right at the beginning, a minister, a dear man of God, approached me and said, lance, now you must listen to the council of an older brother. He said, if you go this way, which sounds very wonderful and very spiritual, you're going to be in great need. [00:52:50] He said, the people of God are very selfish. And in the matter of money, they do not give ears. [00:52:58] And he said, the collection is a psychological reminder. It's nothing wrong. It's God's way of reminding the people of God, of the needs of the church and of those who are full time in the work and so on. Well, there we are. And of course, we all know it, don't we? Because how many times can you remember in a collection where you sat there and suddenly found you hadn't got the money and you heard the collection was going in and so you said, I used to do this often with my sister. [00:53:29] I never seemed to have money. She always think of it. And I used to have. You got six months. [00:53:36] We were kids with a lot of money to last six months. But I mean, I would. Why, why not let the collection of psychological things, isn't it? You can't. You feel, you see, you feel everyone's watching you, you must. Even if you sort of just put your hand like very close on back and go like that and there's nothing in it. I mean, everyone thinks, everyone thinks you've given. Do you know that idea? But you need the psychological thing in the end. Well, I personally not sure that it's really quite the way to do it. [00:54:10] It fosters carnality, as I see it, to have an oasis box, it seems to me, a treasury placed in a discreet place somewhere where people have to make a special journey, and where it is a real deliberate act of worship, seems to me to be much more in keeping with the general line in the word of God. Well, now, I think we better end. It's 09:30 she's gone on every night. There are many more points, much more fully put in those notes. [00:54:39] You may get. Why should we have appeals? Should we make appeals again? Many christians will say, oh, no, no, no. Shouldn't you know, those who feel they're more deeply taught, but in actual fact, there's nothing wrong in an appeal. It is interesting that the apostle Paul made an appeal, but it was never for himself. We have not got a single record of the apostle making an appeal for his own work, even his evangelistic work and teaching minister. But when it came to the poor in Jerusalem, he wrote to different groups, saying, now, look here, you must dis. [00:55:19] So in one sense, you see, we have to correct our. There's nothing wrong if we know that the need, for instance, you know, we have now and again somewhere, and we've said to you now then, we think we all ought to give to this. Let's really give. [00:55:34] We've wondered once or twice whether we shouldn't have a special weekend, you know, now and again, where we really specifically give to the work of God elsewhere maybe that will come to pass. I don't know. [00:55:51] But the great thing is, in all these things, the great point to remember. Is that money without any shadow of doubt. [00:56:06] Is the hallmark of genuine spirituality. [00:56:11] Now, there's no doubt about that. Brother Mee once said something which I. When I first heard it, I thought was so extreme. But I've come to see that is absolutely right. If a work, a movement, is wrong on man, it goes like a fall right through the whole thing, from the foundation to the roof. [00:56:34] And the same with people, I think it's true. [00:56:40] I've come to see that it's true. And therein lies the man of a financial past. [00:56:50] Which is absolutely honoring to the Lord. [00:56:54] We, of course, have made all the mistakes we can make in this company, I think, on this matter. But I think we have this testimony that with our failings and our mistakes, we have trusted the Lord. And we have found that the Lord has provided, and may he help us all. [00:57:13] Not to think that things just drop out of heaven. But to remember that we have a responsibility toward God. And that when we have done our part, then God does the rest. I remember many occasions when we needed a vast sum far, far beyond anything that we had. [00:57:32] And we used to pray, and we took a step in faith, and we believed God would provide. And there was a hold up. And then suddenly a little gift would come. Sometimes it was just ten pounds. Sometimes it was 15 pounds. Sometimes it was less than ten pounds, sometimes more. And whenever it came, I often said to Margaret, now the rest will come. [00:57:51] And sure enough, within days, week, the whole lot came. It was as if the bigger gift waited on the faithfulness of someone in the company to really let go of something which really was like the widow's mind. It cost me when that happened. The rest ends is the flood gates of heaven. And that's what Malachi says. [00:58:15] Open. He's bringing to my storehouse the tithes and the offering, the free will offerings. [00:58:21] I may, that you may prove me now. But I will not open the windows of heaven and pour you out of blessing that you will not be able to hold it to receive. Well, let's pray, shall we? [00:58:39] Dear Lord, we do want to thank thee for thy faithfulness to us. It is amazing. And, Lord, when we see just how unfaithful we are and faithless, Lord, the opportunity we've given thee to forsake us. It is amazing to us, Lord, that thou hast gone on and that thou has provided in the way that thou hast. [00:59:03] Lord, we can only say who only doeth wondrous things. Lord, we worship thee and we praise thee, and we give back this evening to thee. And we pray that thou teach us on this very practical matter of giving. And may we all learn, Lord. Lord, we ask it in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.