The Power of Giving
[Preached by Pastor Kenneth Chin at Acts Church Anniversary Sunday on 26 February 2017]
A few years ago, during Acts Church 17th anniversary, we celebrated our birthday by sowing back into God’s Kingdom. Our partners gave to our various missions efforts by sowing into our annual anniversary giving.
Each year, our children lead the march out to the front, proudly emptying their piggy bank’s worth into the offering bags. This is followed by the giving through Homes, families and individuals.
It was indeed timely when a powerful message on giving was shared. Did you know that finances and money are mentioned more times in the New Testament than faith or even heaven?
Faith is powerful because with faith, you can move mountains. However, faith without works is dead. We can not exercise faith without giving. Others say that love is the most powerful, but we cannot love without giving. John 3:16 tells us that “For God so LOVED the world that He GAVE His only begotten Son”.
The devil tried so hard to keep Jesus from the cross but nothing could stop Jesus from giving His life for our sake. It is through that which God has given, that our lives have been changed. And through our act of giving, lives will be changed.
The three forms of giving that we can have are:
1. Simply giving
Read | 1 Samuel 16:7 , Proverbs 4:23
Giving is powerful because it involves the heart. Drawing from 1 Samuel 16:7 and Proverbs 4:23, we are reminded to guard our hearts and keep them healthy. There is nothing better for our spiritual hearts than giving. That is why it is one of the hardest things to do.
Matthew 4:7 mentions that we must not test the Lord our God. We are allowed to do so only in one thing – through our giving.
Read | Malachi 3:10
2. Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving gets us back on the right track because it involves us remembering what God has done for us. This is also why communion is important. Every time we break bread and drink the cup, we remember the Lord’s death until He comes.
In Luke 15:17-19, the prodigal son returned because he remembered the life he had before he left home and squandered all the money he had inherited.
3. Forgiving
God restores us when we learn to forgive. We may be giving, serving and sowing but we do not receive our blessing because we hold back our forgiveness. We need to seek forgiveness from our brothers and sisters before bringing our gifts to the altar.
Read| Matthew 5:23-24
As we continue to “go deeper” in our walk with Christ, let us get back on the right track through sowing into our giving, thanksgiving and forgiving those who may have wronged us.
Written by: Writer’s Ink
Edited by: Ivy Wambaa & Hailey Chung