Loose Change

We have to make sure that we are properly listening to the direction of the Holy Spirit and that we are properly placed in order to accomplish God's purposes.  He calls on us to take what He has given us, whether it be spiritual or natural abilities, or even financial resources, in order to help others.  In Acts 16 (ESV), we can read about a plea from a certain group of people:
6 And they went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia.
7 And when they had come up to Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them.
8 So, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas.
9 And a vision appeared to Paul in the night: a man of Macedonia was standing there, urging him and saying, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”
10 And when Paul had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go on into Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.  

According to the "Reach the Nations" blog from ABWE, "When the apostle Paul responded to this vision from the Holy Spirit (the “Macedonian call”) in God’s providence, a church was successfully planted, and the gospel spread."  The post added, "However, this famous call was not the last plea Paul received from Macedonia."  It quoted from 2nd Corinthians chapter 8, which says:
1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia,
2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord,
4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints—
5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.

Blog post author Lee Jantzen wrote, "The first call Paul received was for help, the second call was a plea to allow them to help others by including them in the offering Paul was collecting for the church in Jerusalem."  He asks, "When was the last time you or I 'begged earnestly' for the chance to give to the Lord’s work?"

There are number of factors that contribute to the progress of the work of God and the spread of the Word of God.  And, finances are a key part - the Macedonians, even though they were not people of "means," they were generous out of their means.

Cheryl Chumley of The Washington Times, who has been a Meeting House guest in the past, wrote this recently:

The New York Times just reported that the once-ballyhooed Giving Pledge that saw dozens of billionaires publicly promise to distribute half their fortunes to charities has fallen out of favor and now there’s a sort of backlash taking place — indeed, a sort of backtracking, where the promised distributions aren’t happening and the signatories themselves are removing their names.

Cheryl shared, "The Giving Pledge is a philanthropic endeavor founded in 2010 by Warren Buffett and Bill and Melinda Gates to encourage fellow billionaires to give at least half of their money and possessions to various charities..."  She writes that the Times stated: “It was unmistakably fashionable [in 2010] to sign the Giving Pledge, which launched with [Charlie] Rose’s gauzy TV interview and a Fortune cover story. The project was born in an era when people like Mr. Gates epitomized a humanitarian culture that espoused both big capitalism and big philanthropy. Being seen as a good billionaire who gave back was important. … Now it’s stylish, in a Silicon Valley contrarian sort of way, to bash the Giving Pledge.”

Why has the pledge diminished?  Chumley contends, "That’s because to the joiners, the actual act of giving was always secondary."  

In the op-ed piece, she offers a Biblical viewpoint on charity, "True givers give in secret, expecting nothing in return, and even denying their giving in some instances. This type of giving — of giver — is once again biblical."

She also comments on a story from the Scriptures "...of the woman who was so touched by Jesus that she gave her last coins to the temple, and in so doing, traded her material poverty for spiritual and heavenly riches. Jesus said she gave more than the wealthy because she gave all and from her heart."

Kinda like the Macedonians, heh?

When giving is self-serving, it brings attention to the seemingly charitable or the philanthropic.  When it's from the heart, something - or Someone - is at work.

It takes money to do ministry, no doubt about it.  When a ministry - Faith Radio - is greeted with a challenge to raise $350,000 to replace aging equipment, we become aware of what it takes to reach the world.  We're thankful for people who have already become one of the 350 people to give $1000 to the cause.

But, also consider the resources held by the body of Christ in the world today.  You have wealthy people who are funding all sorts of unbiblical causes.  But, imagine if the Church not only tithed to their local church, but considered how God could use them to further the work of the Kingdom, what a different world it would be.  You might think a dollar or two can't change a heart, but think about how people's hearts have been changed in pursuing what is called the "Almighty Dollar."  

The Macedonians didn't seem to be millionaires, but they did want to be in on the work of spreading the gospel.  Earnestly.  They wanted to use what might be considered "loose change" for a billionaire and participate in God's plan.  When we operate from a Kingdom mindset, we can recognize that God takes all sorts of resources, including the financial resources to change lives.  We can ask the Lord how He would have us use what He has given to us in order to help ignite spiritual awakening around the globe.