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(It is suggested that this longer lesson be read at two different times, the second beginning from the section on “The Use” on page 103.)
From the time that man developed a problem with God because of the fall and left the position where he took God as everything, material riches have become a critical matter in the life of fallen man. In his fallen condition, man fell into the darkness of acknowledging only material riches and not God, of trusting only in material riches and not in God, and even of serving material riches, taking material riches as God, and allowing material riches to replace God. God’s enemy, Satan the Devil, exploited the fallen condition of men to come in and deceive men to worship idols, such as the god of wealth, for riches and gain. By being behind these idols, he supplants men’s worship and service that are due God. For this reason, the Lord Jesus told us that one “cannot serve God and mammon” (Matt. 6:24). In the original language, the service mentioned by the Lord here refers to the service of a slave, as we have seen in the previous lesson. This tells us that Satan utilizes material riches to seduce people to worship him on the one hand, and enslaves people in material riches, as misers, on the other hand. However, we have received God’s mercy and the Lord’s salvation, which delivered us from the authority of Satan and turned us to God (Acts 26:18). After we have received God’s salvation in this way, we are confronted with an issue in our practical living, that is, what we should do with material riches that Satan used in time past to delude us and all the world. What should our intention and attitude be toward material riches? How, in particular, should we treat these material riches? Should we be the same as we were in the old manner of living before we were saved? Or should we have a change regarding our material riches according to the salvation which delivered us from the authority of Satan and turned us to God? There are clear instructions concerning this matter in God’s word in the Bible. In the last twenty-three lessons we covered seventeen subjects concerning the various crucial matters between us and God. Now we shall consider the matter of the offering of material riches.
1)“Nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who affords us all things richly for our enjoyment” (1 Tim. 6:17). This word exposes Satan’s plot to delude men, showing us that all the material things and enjoyment in our living apparently come from the uncertain riches, but they actually come from God’s giving. They are supplied to us from God’s rich giving. Hence, we must not set our hope on deceitful and uncertain material riches, but on the very God who gives us all things for our enjoyment.
2)“Beloved, concerning all things I wish that you may prosper” (3 John 2). The prosperity here refers to material abundance and prosperity, pointing out that the material enjoyment of those who are saved and belong to God comes from God as a result of His prospering our material things. We ought to endeavor in our businesses. The Bible also requires that we learn to maintain good works for necessary needs (8, Titus 3:14). Yet without God’s blessing, all our labors, endeavorings, and painstaking enterprises will yield little. Therefore, in this matter of material supply, unlike the worldly people who trust only in their own abilities, we have to learn to set our hope in God.
3)“Now He who bountifully supplies seed to the sower…” (2 Cor. 9:10). The Bible regards the offering of material riches as sowing. The seed is supplied by God and comes from God. This reveals that the material riches which the believers offer to God come originally from God and are given by God. We are thus offering to God what He has given to us.
1)“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on the earth…but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matt. 6:19-20). We need to look at this word of the Lord from the viewpoint of laying up material riches. To lay up material riches is to save what is left of a man’s gain after the needs of his living have been met. Here, the Lord charges us not to lay up these surplus riches on the earth, but to lay them up in heaven, that is, to spend them on the heavenly Father, doing such things as helping those in need, thus making friends with them (Luke 16:9) and advancing His gospel (Phil. 1:5).
2)“Charge those who are rich in the present age not to be high-minded, nor to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God who affords us all things richly for our enjoyment; to do good, to be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate, laying away for themselves as a treasure a good foundation for the future, that they may lay hold on that which is really life” (1 Tim. 6:17-19). This is the apostle’s charge, which is simply the Lord’s charge to us. The rich refers to those who have excess from their gain after the needs of their living have been met. To do good and to be rich in good works refer to distributing the surplus from one’s living to the needy ones. To be rich in doing good and good works is to be ready to distribute and willing to communicate. This is also to lay up treasure in heaven, to lay up as a treasure a good foundation for the future. Doing this will enable one to lay hold on, that is, to possess, to use, and to enjoy, that which is really life, the eternal life of God. To save up the surplus riches from our living on the earth is to lay hold on and make use of our natural life; while to save up the same in heaven, spending it on God, is to lay hold on and employ the eternal life of God.
1)“Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, they will give into your bosom” (Luke 6:38). This is a promise spoken from the Lord’s own mouth. If we are willing to distribute our material wealth to the needy for God’s sake, He will surely give into our bosom that which is rich and plenteous, a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over. He will not give into our hands that which is scanty and limited. What a profitable deal this is!
2)“Remember the words of the Lord Jesus which He Himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Concerning material riches, human beings, who are deceived by Satan, will only receive and not give. To want to receive and not give is Satan’s ploy, which causes man to lose God’s blessing. The best way to be blessed by God in material riches is to give, not to receive, just as the Lord Himself did for us. Thus, the Lord Himself promised us that it is more blessed to give than to receive. Myriads of believers throughout the ages who have believed in the Lord’s word and who have practiced accordingly confirm the trustworthiness of this promise from their experience.
3)“He who sows sparingly, sparingly also shall reap; and he who sows with blessings, with blessings also shall reap” (2 Cor. 9:6). This is a natural law established by the Lord in the biological realm. This law contains His promise. Offering material riches is like sowing. Since sowing eventually brings in reaping, he who sows sparingly shall reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully shall reap bountifully. In man’s eyes, the offering of material riches is to give away their riches. However, in God’s eyes, such offering is a kind of sowing which will result in reaping. He who offers little shall reap little, and he who offers much shall reap much. We ought to believe in the Lord’s promise in this law.
4)“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Mal. 3:10). The “tithes” are the legal amount of offering which God required from the harvest of the Israelites in the Old Testament. The “storehouse” refers to the place in the Old Testament temple where all the offerings to God from His people were stored. My “house” refers to God’s temple in the Old Testament. This word superabundantly displays the infinitely rich promise of God. Although it was spoken to the Israelites in the Old Testament, in principle it applies also to the New Testament believers. If we will fully offer to God what belongs to Him that the church may be richly supplied, God will open the windows of heaven for us and pour out a blessing to us, which there will not be enough room to contain. This is a solemn promise of the Lord of hosts. We can offer to Him according to His promise to prove Him.
1)For the need of the church — In the Old Testament, God wanted each of His people, the Israelites, to offer to Him a ransom for his soul. This offering was for the use of God’s dwelling place, that is, the tabernacle and the temple (Exo. 30:11-16). The church today is God’s real tabernacle (dwelling place — Eph. 2:22) and real temple (1 Cor. 3:16-17). We, all the New Testament believers, also should offer to God to meet the needs of the different expenses in the church where we are.
2)For the advancement of the gospel — “For your fellowship unto the gospel from the first day until now” (Phil. 1:5). Fellowship in this verse refers to participation and enjoyment. From the first day when they were saved to the time when Paul wrote this epistle to them, the Philippian believers continuously supplied the needs of Paul with material riches in his gospel preaching for the advancement of the gospel. Thus they participated and enjoyed with Paul in the advancement of the gospel. This tells us that once we are saved, we should offer to God the rich surplus from our material riches, which He gives us for the advancement of His gospel.
3)Supplying the Lord’s servants — “Philippians… you sent both once and again to my [the Apostle Paul’s] need” (Phil. 4:15-16). Those who serve the Lord with their full time have no time to make a living by a profession. Thus, there is a need for the believers to supply them with the material riches they offer to the Lord. First Timothy 5:17 tells us that the believers ought to supply material riches to the elders who take the lead well and those who labor in God’s word and teaching (the local elders).
4)Supplying the needy saints:
1.“Communicating to the needs of the saints” (Rom. 12:13). This verse shows that we should supply the lacking or needy saints with material riches. This is also one of the uses of our offering of material riches.
2.“Only that we should remember the poor” (Gal. 2:10). We should also remember the poor (with the stress on the poor among the believers), supplying them with the material riches we have received from God.
1)“…according as any one of them was prospered, determined each one of them to send things for dispensing” (Acts 11:29); “Let each one of you lay aside by himself, storing up as he may be prospered…” (1 Cor. 16:2). We have seen previously that, according to 3 John 2, prosperity is God’s blessing to prosper us. We should determine the amount of our offering to God based upon the condition of our being prospered due to His blessing. Each person should determine his own amount according to whatever he has, not according to what he does not have (2 Cor. 8:12).
2)“He who sows sparingly, sparingly also shall reap; and he who sows with blessings, with blessings also shall reap; each one as he has purposed in his heart, not out of sorrow or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:6-7). In our offering of material riches, we will reap little if we sow little, and we will reap much if we sow much. Each person should purpose in his own heart how much he should offer without sorrow or necessity, since God loves him who is a cheerful giver.
1)“With much entreaty beseeching of us the grace and the fellowship of the ministry to the saints; and… they gave themselves first to the Lord, and to us through the will of God” (2 Cor. 8:4-5). The churches in Macedonia supplied their material riches to the needy saints in Judea, on the one hand, by beseeching the apostles for a share in the grace and the fellowship of such ministry, and on the other hand, by giving themselves first to the Lord and then to the apostles through the will of God. This shows us that the offering of material riches which is most acceptable to the Lord is the offering of ourselves first to the Lord and then to the apostles, who are concerned for us, eventually asking them for a share in such grace and fellowship.
2)“But take heed not to do your righteousness [giving alms] before men to be gazed at by them; otherwise, you surely have no reward with your Father who is in the heavens. When therefore you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets that they may be glorified by men. Truly I say to you, They have their reward. But you, when you give alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret shall repay you” (Matt. 6:1-4). For whatever use we offer our material riches, we must not do it intentionally for others to see in order that we may be glorified and rewarded by men; otherwise, we will not be rewarded by the Father, who is in the heavens. Therefore, we should not let our left hand know what our right hand is doing. We should offer in secret that the heavenly Father, who sees what we do, may repay us, recompensing and rewarding us according to His promises to us mentioned earlier.
According to the Lord’s charge in these words, we should do our best not to let others know of our offering of material riches. Either named donations or open contributions must be avoided. For this reason, we have set up offering boxes in the meeting places in order to allow the saints to drop their offering into these boxes in a secret way. This matches the way God’s people in the Old Testament put their money into the chest (2 Kings 12:9).
1)Fellowship with the receiver — “the fellowship of the ministry to the saints” (2 Cor. 8:4). Supplying the saints with material riches is a fellowship which brings mutual grace to both the giver and the receiver.
2)Righteousness toward men before God — “He gave to the poor, his righteousness abides forever” (2 Cor. 9:9). Giving material riches to the poor is righteousness toward men before God. God cares for the poor and wants His people also to care for them (Deut. 15:7-8). “He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord” (Prov. 19:17). This is a law established by God which regulates the relationship between human beings. Thus, if we practice according to this law of God, our righteousness toward men before God will abide forever. In the constitution of the kingdom, the Lord Jesus also considered our giving of alms as righteousness (Matt. 6:1-4). If we who live in the Lord’s kingdom of the heavens do not give alms and do not give our material riches for God’s use, we are breaking the highest law of the kingdom. Giving to the poor the material riches that God has given to us is not only goodness (Heb. 13:16) but also righteousness. We may or may not do good, but it is imperative that we do righteousness since it is our duty. If we fail to do righteousness, we are unrighteous toward men before God.
3)A sacrifice well-pleasing to God — “But do not be forgetful doing good and sharing with others, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased” (Heb. 13:16); “Receiving…the things from you, a fragrant odor, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God” (Phil. 4:18). Here doing good refers to the distribution of material riches to others, which before God is a well-pleasing sacrifice to God. Our offering of material things to God’s servants is also an acceptable sacrifice which is well-pleasing to God.
4)A fragrant odor well-pleasing to God — “Receiving…the things from you, a fragrant odor, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God” (Phil. 4:18). The fragrant odor here refers to the sweet savor of the burnt offering (Gen. 8:20-21; Lev. 1:9). The offering we give to God’s servants is not only a sacrifice to God, but also a fragrant odor of a burnt offering that is well-pleasing to God. This reveals that the sacrifice here is like a burnt offering that is satisfying and well-pleasing to God.
The four significances of the offering of material riches mentioned above should show us the importance and value of such offering. By being offered to God for God’s use by us who are of God, what was considered by God as “mammon of unrighteousness” (Luke 16:9), that is, as deceitful riches (Matt. 13:22) and uncertain riches (1 Tim. 6:17) which will “fail” (Luke 16:9), can actually become our “fellowship” with the saints, our “righteousness” toward men before God, an acceptable “sacrifice” to God, and a well-pleasing “fragrant odor” to Him. Riches that deceive men, corrupt men, and destroy men can actually become such transcendent blessings that we have before God! This is all a result of our offering of material riches.
