#42.

We are Commanded to Give to, and Share with, One Another in

Fellowship

Hebrews 13:16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God
is pleased.

Romans 15:26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make a contribution for
the poor among the saints in Jerusalem.

2 Corinthians 8:34 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability,
they gave of their own accord, 4 begging us with much urging for the favor of participation
in the support of the saints,

We saw Paul refer to giving as a gift in Romans 12:8, where he says that those having this
gift should give with liberality to their brothers and sisters in the church. Later in the same
passage (Romans 12:13) he makes contributing to the needs of the saints an imperative in
the church.

In the passages above, the writer to the Hebrews first reminds us that fellowship means
sharing with each other, and that doing good and enjoying fellowship entails a sacrifice that
is pleasing to God.

The other passages shed more light on the manner in which this gift is to be exercised. The
believers at Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to be able to make a contribution for the
poor, Paul writes to the Romans. When writing to the Corinthians, he again uses the giving
of the Macedonians as an example, indicating that although they were in great poverty,
they had given with liberality, even beyond their ability, begging earnestly to be allowed to
participate in the offering that Paul was taking up. Paul boasts about this liberal giving,
because it was a clear outworking of the gift - the Macedonians having first given
themselves to the Lord and to His workers. He challenges the Corinthians to adopt the
same approach.

When was the last time we saw members in our churches begging to be able to give to
support the work of the Lord, giving according to and even beyond their ability, and giving
even when they found themselves in a situation of poverty? We can almost picture an usher
being tackled like a football player in possession of the ball, by a congregation determined
to take the offering bag from his hands as soon as possible and fill it with their money.

When was the last time that we took pleasure in being able to give as the offering plate or
bag was passed around in our church? Isn't it more likely to be the case that this part of our
services is a routine, a mere punctuation mark in the worship service that gives us time for
a quick, whispered chat with our neighbor about lunch, or an opportunity to drift off into a
daydream before the pastor reclaims our attention when the offering is complete?

Paul is commanding a kind of giving that is only possible through a gift of God. A sacrificial
giving (that really costs us) done under a Divine compulsion but with deep joy. This giving
is done in a spirit that recognizes how transient is our earthly life and all our possessions,
that we have better and lasting treasure in heaven. This is the spirit that discovers the
truth of Jesus' teaching that it is more blessed to give than to receive.

The thought of being among a people who possess this gift and this spirit should be a great
encouragement to us to enter into deep and true fellowship with our brothers and sisters in
Christ.

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