Acts 4:36-5:11

Acts 4:36-5:11

Money–Ungodly Ways of Giving It

Please turn with me to the book of Acts 4 and let’s read together the Word of the Lord, beginning in verse 36. 

         Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.

         Now a man named Ananias, together with his wife Sapphira, also sold a piece of property.  With his wife’s full knowledge he kept back part of the money for himself, but brought the rest and put it at the apostles’ feet.  Then Peter said, “Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?  Didn’t it belong to you before it was sold? And after it was sold, wasn’t the money at your disposal? What made you think of doing such a thing? You have not lied to men but to God.” 

         When Ananias heard this, he fell down and died. And great fear seized all who heard what had happened.  Then the young men came forward, wrapped up his body, and carried him out and buried him.  About three hours later his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.  Peter asked her, “Tell me, is this the price you and Ananias got for the land?” 

         “Yes,” she said, “that is the price.”

         Peter said to her, “How could you agree to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look! The feet of the men who buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out also.”

         At that moment she fell down at his feet and died. Then the young men came in and, finding her dead, carried her out and buried her beside her husband.  Great fear seized the whole church and all who heard about these events.  (Acts 4 :36-5:11)

Today we begin to examine the last of the four things one can do with money–give it.  As we have already intimated, if the first three–getting, spending, and saving–are handled in line with God’s principles, the fourth will be a whole lot easier.  I have the conviction that most Christian people really want to be generous in their giving, and the main reason they are not is that can’t, because they don’t have their financial houses in order.  Therefore, my goal in this entire series is this:  to help Christian people become financially faithful in order to enhance their spiritual, emotional, and family health and to serve Christ more freely. 

The usual stewardship sermon tends to focus on why we should give, how much we should give, and perhaps where we should give.  But I want to take a different approach this morning.  I want to speak on “How Not to Give.”  You see, the Bible is not unequivocally positive in its attitude toward giving.  As a matter of fact, there are quite a number of passages that warn us about the dangers of giving (i.e., if we don’t do it God’s way). 

It is wrong to give in order to receive man’s recognition.

This can be done either by lying about our generosity or by publicizing our generosity. 

By lying about our generosity (Acts 5:1-11).   A few moments ago we read the tragic account of Ananias and Sapphira, the first professing Christians disciplined by the Lord after the establishment of the church on the Day of Pentecost.

The last point made in Acts 4 is that Barnabas sold a piece of land and brought the proceeds and laid them at the Apostles’ feet.  Then immediately we are told that Ananias and Sapphira also sold a piece of property.  There’s a clearly implied relationship between these two actions.  Ananias and Sapphira are copying Baranabas’ behavior and pretending to share his spirit.  But their hearts are far from where Barnabas’ heart is.  Why are they tempted to do this?  I suspect the Apostles may have affirmed Barnabas in his concern for the poor, and Ananias and Sapphira desire similar affirmation. They clearly do not give their gift because of their love for the Lord or because of the needs of the Body; they give because someone else gave.  

Now please be aware that it was not a sin for Ananias and Sapphira to keep a portion of the proceeds for themselves.  Peter makes it clear that the land is theirs; they don’t have to sell it; nor do they have to give the proceeds after they decide to sell it.  Their sin is pretending that they are giving all when they are only giving some.  They are guilty of hypocrisy in that they try to appear more generous than they really are. 

God takes a very dim view of pretense or hypocrisy.  By the way, the very word “hypocrisy” is a picturesque word which helps us understand what is going on when a person pretends to be one thing while he is really something else.  The word comes from two Greek words that together mean literally, “to speak from down under.”  It was a term that came from the Greek theater.  In ancient times actors wore masks to portray the character they were playing, so they had to speak from down under their masks.  Isn’t that a profound metaphor for hypocrisy?  Speaking from under a mask. Annanias and Sapphira were wearing a mask of generosity, claiming to be something they were not, and God judged them severely for it.

Fortunately for us, God doesn’t generally discipline the same way or as quickly today as He did during the formative years of the church, but I don’t think we should assume that hypocrisy is any more acceptable in His sight today than it was then.  Anytime we seek to appear more generous than we are, we are involved in serious sin.  Do we respond to special appeals, not by extra giving but merely by taking the money out of our normal giving?  We may look like we’re being very generous, but we’re really only robbing Peter to pay Paul, so to speak.  

Now it’s wrong to give in order to receive recognition not only when we lie about our generosity.  The Bible indicates that even if we’re honest about our giving, it’s wrong to publicize our generosity.  Turn to Matthew 6 for some instruction from Jesus on this point.

By publicizing our generosity (Matt. 6:1-4)  

         “Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men, to be seen by them.  If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.  So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”  

Now frankly, friends, this goes completely against our grain.  We want to be recognized for our giving.  We want to be rewarded with a reputation for generosity.  But Jesus warns strongly against it because He knows that the desire for public recognition is a terribly corrupting influence.  If human recognition is our motive, then we will generally give where we get the most recognition, rather than giving where it will provide the most benefit.  

But publicizing our generosity not only corrupts the giver; it can also corrupt the recipient, for it tempts the recipient to heap praise on the donor, with the hope that the praise will generate even more giving.  Another result is that often those who have the capacity to give are elevated in the church above those who may “only” have the capacity to teach or to pray.  It’s very difficult for church leaders to resist giving special treatment to certain people in the church if they know the level of everyone’s giving.  It’s just human nature to give deference to those we feel can do something for us. 

Jesus says if you give in order to get recognition, you have been paid in full.  That’s all the reward you will get.  But if you give secretly, then your heavenly Father will reward you.  Now some have concluded from the instruction about the left hand not letting let the right hand know what it is doing that a person shouldn’t even keep track of his own giving or that churches should keep no records of giving.  Frankly, I think that misses Jesus’ point.  He is speaking in hyperbole to impress upon us that our giving should be private.  To fail to keep track of it personally would preclude taking advantage of the substantial tax savings that are offered,1 which in turn enables us to give more than we could otherwise.  To fail to keep track of it corporately compromises the accountability of those handling the money.

Now is seeking recognition by publicizing our generosity an issue today, as it was in the first century?  You bet it is.  Every major charity knows that the more recognition they give to donors, the larger their contributions will be.  That’s why telethons show the names and amounts of their contributors and even parade the biggest donors before the TV cameras.  That’s why buildings bear the name of their donors and why plaques are found everywhere in charitable facilities.   How many of those donations would have been made if no recognition were given to the givers?  Sadly, probably relatively few of the large ones.  Unfortunately, many churches have bought into the system.  The educational building has a name on it, the organ has a name of it, the hymnbooks all have names in them.  Why?  Because it works.  But that doesn’t make it right.

I’m not suggesting, by the way, that church buildings or equipment should never have plaques with names, but I question whether the plaques should bear the name of the donor.  How much better to name the building or the organ in honor of a faithful prayer warrior in the church or a long-time missionary. 

Friends, there is another reason why giving recognition for large gifts is such a danger in the church, and that is that we don’t even know how to judge what large is.  We generally judge “large” by the number of zeros at the end of a figure, but God doesn’t.  Mark 12:41 says that one day . . .                               

         “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury.  Many rich people threw in large amounts.”  (Apparently this was done with plenty of fanfare.  The word “threw in” intimates that they did it with considerable ostentation),  “But,” it continues, “a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny.  Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything–all she had to live on.”  

Jesus says that in terms of heaven’s accounting system, this widow gave more than all the rich.  In fact, if taken literally, the Greek in verse 3 means, “more than all of them put together.”  He is not commending the smallness of her gift but rather the largeness of her heart.  By human calculation what this widow gave was insignificant.  Measured by divine standards, however, her contribution was priceless.  

Paul wrote to the Corinthians that “if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.”  We are unable to judge how large a gift is because we are unable to judge the level of sacrifice the giver has made or his motive.  And since such knowledge is beyond our finite understanding, Jesus urges us to just keep our giving secret.  

Now the second major way in which giving can become ungodly is when we give in order to receive material rewards.

It is wrong to give in order to receive material rewards.  

I’m talking here about giving that is motivated by greed.  You say, “That sounds strange; I understand how getting can be motivated by greed and how saving can be motivated by greed.  But how can giving be motivated by greed?”  The fact is that there is an entire theology that has become popular in the past several decades that is the basis for this kind of giving. It is called prosperity theology.  It is the viewpoint is that God wants His children healthy and wealthy and if you’re not it’s because you are not naming and claiming your inheritance.  One of the slogans of the prosperity preachers is that we should “live like king’s kids.”  And they practice what they preach.  Rolls Royces, Rolexes and Riviera vacations are standard fare, while poverty and simplicity are debunked as ungodly.

One of the key doctrines of prosperity theology is that the more you give, the more you will get back in material rewards.  You send in so much “seed money” to one of these preachers and you are virtually promised a handsome financial return.  The problems with this theology are many.  Let me point out just two.

Prosperity theology contradicts the experience of Jesus and the Apostles.  (Matt. 8:20; 2 Cor. 11:23-28; 12:7-10) Listen to Matt. 8:20:  “Jesus replied, ‘Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.'”  Had Jesus forgotten to name it and claim it?  And how about Paul?  Few would question his faith, but how much material prosperity did his remarkable faith bring him?  In 2 Cor. 11, beginning in verse 22 the Apostle challenges some of his enemies who are preaching prosperity theology, which he calls a different gospel.  He asks, 

         “Are they Hebrews?  So am I.  Are they Israelites?  So am I.  Are they Abraham’s descendants?  So am I.  Are they servants of Christ?  (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more.  I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.  Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move.  I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.  I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” 

That doesn’t sound like prosperity theology to me; if anything it sounds like adversity theology.  Instead of a health/wealth gospel, this sounds like a sickness/poverty gospel.  The NT makes it clear that adversity, not prosperity, is the normal experience of true disciples of Jesus Christ.  I don’t think most of us realize that the level of prosperity we American Christians enjoy today is almost unique in the history of God’s people.  Never before have so many been so free of persecution and so blessed with material things.  Please understand I’m not complaining about that (in fact, I’m very grateful for it), but we must realize that our situation is unusual, not normal, and we had best ask ourselves, “What does God require of us in light of such blessings.”  After all, Jesus said, “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.” 

I feel led to read to you a couple of paragraphs from Randy Alcorn’s great book, Money, Possessions, and Eternity:

         In California, a sharp-looking businessman stands up at a luncheon to give his testimony: “Before I knew Christ, I had nothing.  My business was in bankruptcy, my health was ruined, I’d lost the respect of the community, and I’d almost lost my family.  Then I accepted Christ as my Savior and Lord.  He took me out of bankruptcy and now my business has tripled its profits in the last three years.  My blood pressure has dropped to normal, and I feel better than I’ve felt in years.  And, best of all, my wife and children have come back, and we’re a family again.  God is good–Praise the Lord!”

         In China, an old and disheveled former university professor gives his testimony: “Before I met Christ, I had everything.  I made a large salary, lived in a nice house, enjoyed good health, was highly respected for my credentials and profession, and had a good marriage and beautiful children.  Then I accepted Christ as my Savior and Lord.  As a result, I lost my post at the university, lost my beautiful house and car, and spent five years in prison.  Now I word for a subsistence wage at a factory, and I live in pain from my neck that was broken in prison.  My wife rejected me because of my conversion.  She took my children away and I haven’t seen her or them for ten years.  But God is good, and I praise him for his faithfulness.”

         Both men are sincere Christians.  One gives thanks because of what he has gained.  The other gives thanks in spite of what he has lost.

Material blessings and restored families are definitely worth being thankful for, and the brother in China would be grateful to have them again (indeed, he gives heartfelt thanks each day for the little he has).  And while the brother in California is certainly right to give thanks, he and the rest of us must be careful to sort out how much of what he has experienced is part of the gospel and how much is not.  For any gospel that is more true in California than in China is not the true gospel.  

There’s little doubt, even with the few Scripture passages I have referred to here (and there are many, many more) that prosperity theology contradicts the experience of Jesus and the Apostles.  (It also contradicts the experience of most believers in the world today). 

Prosperity theology contradicts the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles.  (Matt. 19:23-26; Mark 10:42-45; Heb. 10:32-34) 

Let’s go back to the 19th chapter of Matthew, where we find the story of the rich young ruler, who wanted salvation but went away sad when Jesus revealed that his real god was money.  I begin reading in verse 23:

         “Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.’  When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, ‘Who then can be saved?’  Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'”  

The disciples were astonished because they had been brought up on prosperity theology.  The Pharisees had always taught, “Whom the Lord loveth He maketh rich,” and it was assumed that prosperity was a sign of godliness while poverty was a sign of ungodliness.  But Jesus says it isn’t true.  As a matter of fact, He indicates that wealth is not only not a sign of godliness; it can actually be a great hindrance to godliness.

Let me mention another passage, Heb. 10:32-34.  The author is trying to encourage those who are about to throw in the towel due to suffering and persecution.  They have seen no material prosperity despite the exercise of great faith.  He says, 

         “Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering.  Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated.  You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions.  So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.”  

But the point is clear in the context that the rewards may not be material rewards and they may not come in this life.  Which reminds us of a very important fact.  The Bible really does teach prosperity theology, but the prosperity is not necessarily measured in dollars, nor is it necessarily now. 

But aren’t there passages that promise financial prosperity to those who give?  Mark 10 is one of the health-wealth preachers’ favorite passages.  Verse 29 reads, 

         “I tell you the truth,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age (homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields–and with them, persecutions) and in the age to come, eternal life.”  

Prosperity theologians love this verse, particularly when they are raising money, but they quote it very selectively.  “If you give sacrificially,” their letters read, “God promises to return to you 100-fold what you have given.”  But if the passage is read carefully, it’s not talking about giving but rather giving up.  How many of those preachers or their listeners have fulfilled the requirement of giving up everything for Christ’s sake? 

Furthermore, the return promised is not principally in material goods, but in relationships.  It’s obvious to me that what Jesus is saying is that if your family forsakes you because of your faith He will give you a new family 100 times as large in the church.  Some of you here this morning have experienced this.  Some of you have been rejected because you have left the religion of your parents and put your faith in Jesus Christ, and your family is now the family of God.  And while you miss your natural family’s support, you wouldn’t trade your new family for anything.  

It is true that homes and fields are also mentioned in this passage, and God honors that promise, too, when we have exercised true sacrifice.  Allow me to mention a case in point from my own experience.  My parents retired 20+ years ago after 45 years in ministry.  My dad was a pastor when pastors were generally poor; my folks had five children; and they lived in a parsonage virtually their entire ministry lives.  So when retirement came there was very little left–not even a house–not because they were careless but because they lived sacrificially.  My brothers and sisters went together with Dad and Mom and bought then a modest home near Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  Every month for four years we split the mortgage six ways.  

Then a great aunt of my dad’s died and out of the clear blue she left half of her estate to my parents.  They were able to pay off the house and provide for their own future–for twenty years now.  My parents weren’t counting on that, and they never did feel God was obligated to do such a thing.  But every once in a while God just does something special for those who walk faithfully with Him.  

One other observation we should make about Mark 10 is that it also promises persecution to those who give sacrificially, something I’ve never seen mentioned in any fundraising letters.  

Another passage often used to justify prosperity theology is Luke 6:38:  “Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  That is a promise made by Jesus Christ and it is guaranteed, but it says nothing specifically about material rewards; it simply says there will be rewards.  I happen to believe that God often does prosper his children materially when they give generously, but it’s not guaranteed.  What is guaranteed is that God will reward you one way or another, now or later, if your motives are right and your methods are godly.  

Now there is a third and final ungodly way to give, and that is in response to pressure.

It is wrong to give in response to pressure.  (2 Cor. 9:7)

Paul speaks to this issue in 2 Cor. 9:7:  “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  The essential message here is that giving should be planned and voluntary, not a result of overt pressure.  And the best antidote to pressured giving is planned giving, just as the best antidote to compulsive spending is planned spending. 

I don’t know if you are aware of it, but our church practices planned giving.  Rarely do we take up special offerings or love offerings.  We have several benevolent accounts which enable us to meet genuine emergencies, but our response to most appeals that come our way is, “We practice planned giving; our budget is established in the Fall and voted on by the congregation at the Annual Meeting, and we do our best to honor that budget.”  Most of the time when we have guest musicians we pay them an honorarium out of the church budget rather than take up love offerings, which often result in unnecessary pressure upon the listener.

Frankly, I think individual Christians should likewise plan their giving with careful thought and prayer, and they should plan it in advance.  We need to be sensitive to genuine emergencies, but when we have planned our giving it so much easier to say to someone who is seeking money, “I appreciate what you are doing and I would like to help you, but I have already planned and committed my giving for this year.  If you still have needs at the end of the year, I would be willing to talk with my spouse about it when we plan next year’s giving,” or “If I have any unexpected income I would be willing to consider your need.”  

How else are we going to avoid the pressure that comes from modern fundraising techniques, even in Christian organizations?  Let me tell you something.  There is a calculating science behind it all.  The experts can tell almost exactly what the response will be to a certain kind of appeal letter and how much more will come in with a few choice phrases like “we’re in a crisis this week” or “God didn’t bring us this far to close the door, did He?”  They know what the increase will be if the person’s name is inserted in the middle of the computer-generated letter or if a first-class stamp is used instead of bulk mail.  If the letter looks like a telegram more people will open it, and if it appears that there’s a check inside even more will open it.  These Madison Avenue techniques work and millions of dollars from Christian people goes to these organizations–some good but some not so good.

We have refused as a local church to use pressure gimmicks to raise money, and that will not change.  What we are doing, and will continue to do, is to educate our people in respect to God’s financial principles, and one of those is that we should not respond to any pressure other than that of the Holy Spirit.  Plan your giving.  Pray about it.  Discuss it with your family.  Seek godly counsel.  But do not give in response to compulsion or pressure.  

Conclusion:  Ironically, the wrong reasons for giving which we have examined today are all very effective and extremely popular.  Some churches have built unbelievable facilities with these methods.  They work.  But God’s way is different.  And I believe Hudson Taylor was right when he said that God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.  The history of our church proves that to be true.  

I read an interesting statement recently:  “Giving is not God’s way of raising money.  It’s His way of rearing children.”  I like that.  As we learn to give in a godly way rather than ungodly, we grow in grace and maturity.  We become more like Christ who gave the greatest gift of all–His own life–not for recognition nor for material reward nor because of pressure–but freely, sacrificially, and for the glory of His heavenly Father.  Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!

____________

Tags:

Lying

Hypocrisy

Generosity

Greed

Prosperity theology

Giving


1.  I mentioned tax deductions that are allowed for charitable giving.  I have often wondered what would happen if the tax deduction for charitable giving was entirely removed.  Frankly, I think it’s quite possible that it will someday be removed.  The courts are becoming increasingly antagonistic to churches, and there are plenty of plaintiffs that would relish a court challenge to the deduction.  Setting aside the question whether the challenge has legal or moral merit, I want you to think about the effect such a development might have on your giving.  A lot?  Some?  None?  You know, there was no deduction for charitable giving in the first century when the biblical guidelines for giving were laid down.