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Scripture Reading: Luke 6:38; 1 Tim. 6:7-10, 17-19; 2 Cor. 9:6; Mal. 3:10; Prov. 11:24; Phil. 4:15-19
In this chapter we will cover monetary offering and giving. After a person has sold everything, he will still receive income; money will still find its way back to his hand. How should he manage his money? Even after a person has offered up all of his money, we should not think that money will no longer have an influence on him. Some people can give away their money all at once, but money can gradually regain its power over them. Eventually, they will consider their money to be their own once again. Therefore, a believer must learn to continually let go of his money.
The Christian way of managing wealth is completely different from that of an unbeliever. The Christian way of financial management is the way of giving. The unbeliever’s way is the way of accumulating. Today we are concerned with how a Christian should live in order to be free from want. God has promised us that we will have no lack on earth. The birds of the air have no lack of food, and the flowers of the field have no lack of clothing. Even so God’s children should have no lack of clothing and food. If they have any lack, there must be a reason or cause for it. If a brother is financially hard-pressed, he is not managing his wealth according to God’s principle.
After you have forsaken all of your possessions to follow the Lord, you should walk according to God’s principle. If you do not follow God’s principle, you will eventually end up in poverty. There is a great need for many of God’s children to learn to manage their wealth. If they do not learn to manage their wealth, they should expect nothing except hardship in the way ahead of them. Today we want to consider the way to attain God’s prosperity.
As believers we have to look to the Lord for our food, clothing, and other needs while we live on earth today. Without God’s mercy, we cannot pass through our days on earth. This is true even for the rich ones; they have to look to the Lord also. During World War II, we saw many rich people stripped of clothing and food. One day many people will be in remorse over their wealth. Paul warned us not to depend on unpredictable riches. A greedy person is always an anxious person. Those who trust in the Lord may not have much in the way of savings, but the Lord will not leave them in difficulties. He can supply all their needs. However, we must also realize that God’s supply is with conditions.
If God can feed the birds in the air, He can keep us alive. In reality, no one can feed all the birds or supply enough fertilizer to grow all the lilies of the field. But God has enough riches to keep the birds of the air and the lilies of the field alive. He also has enough riches to keep His children alive. God does not want to see us come short in anything. He does not want our living to be deprived in any way. Everyone who falls into deprivation falls because he has a problem in himself; he has not managed his wealth according to God’s way. If we manage our money according to God’s law, we will not be in poverty.
Let us read Luke 6:38. This portion of the Word describes the type of person God will supply. God is always willing to supply. When He supplies us, the supply can come in such abundance that it comes out of our mouth and even becomes loathsome to us, as described in Exodus. God has no problem in doing such a thing. We should never think that God is poor. The cattle upon a thousand hills are His, and the goats upon ten thousand hills are His. If everything belongs to Him, why are God’s children poor? Why do His children experience lack? It is not because God cannot supply. Rather, we need to meet His requirements before we can receive His supply. We need to meet certain conditions before our prayers can be answered. Even our salvation had certain requirements to it — we had to believe. Every promise has conditions, and we must fulfill these conditions before we can receive the promise. Likewise, we need to fulfill God’s requirements before we can receive His supply. His requirement is to give. The Lord says, “Give, and it will be given to you.”
I have seen a few brothers and sisters who fell into dire need because they were unfaithful in the matter of giving. They were not actually lacking in income. The Bible shows us a fundamental principle — one must give to become rich and one becomes poor by accumulating riches. Whoever cares only for himself is destined to be in poverty. Whoever learns to give is destined to have riches. God’s Word says it, and it is true. If we want to escape poverty, we have to give again and again. The more we give, the more God will give to us. Since we are willing to share our surplus with others, others will also be happy to share their surplus with us in the future. If we give one-twentieth to others, others will also give one-twentieth to us. If we give one-thousandth to others, others will also give one-thousandth to us.
With what measure we measure to others, with the same measure others will measure to us. In what capacity we treat our brothers and sisters, with the same capacity God will treat us. If we are willing to sacrifice our livelihood, others will also sacrifice their livelihood for us. If we only give others that which is totally useless, things which we never use, others will certainly give us totally useless and unusable things. Many people have problems with their income because they have problems with their giving. If a person has no problem with his giving, it is hard to imagine that he will have problems with his income. God’s Word is quite clear. If we give to others, the Lord will give to us. If we do not give to others, the Lord will not give to us. Most people only exercise faith when they ask God for money; they do not exercise faith in giving money. It is no wonder that they have no faith to receive anything from God.
Brothers, as soon as we become Christians, we have to learn the basic lesson of financial stewardship. Christians have a unique way of managing their wealth: What we receive depends on what we give. In other words, the Christian way of financial stewardship is to receive according to what we give. Worldly people give according to what they have received, but we receive according to what we give. Our inflow depends on our outflow. Those who crave money and cling to it can never receive God’s money; they will never receive any supply from God.
We should all look to the Lord for our needs, but God will supply the needs of only one type of people — those who give. The words good measure, which the Lord uses in Luke 6:38, are wonderful words. When God gives to man, He is never stingy. He is ever generous and overflowing. Our God is always generous. Our God’s cup is always running over. God is never petty. When He gives, He says that it will be a good measure, pressed down, and shaken together. Consider the way in which we buy rice. Most rice merchants will not let us shake the measure. They do not allow the rice to settle before pouring it out. But the Lord said, “Pressed down, shaken together.” Not only so, it is “running over.” Our God is such a generous God. He gives by pressing down, shaking together, heaping up, and running over. However, He also says that with what measure we measure to others, it will be measured to us in return. If we are shrewd and exact in giving to others, God will only touch others to give to us in a shrewd and exact way.
We must give first to others, before others will give to us. Most people never learn to give. They always want God to answer their prayers. We have to give first before we can receive. If we have not received anything recently, it means that we have a problem in giving. I have been a Christian for more than twenty years, and I can surely bear witness to this principle. Whenever a person has a problem with his giving, he will experience a lack.
Handley C. G. Moule of England was the chief editor of the magazine Life and Faith. He was a great man before the Lord in many ways. One of his outstanding achievements was his knowledge of the Bible. He trusted in the Lord for his living. Throughout his life, he experienced wants and trials many times, but because he knew Luke 6:38, he would tell his wife whenever he was in need, “There must be something wrong with our giving lately.” He did not speak of the need in his house. Instead, his thoughts were on his giving.
Once his house was almost empty of everything. He did not even have flour, the main staple of the English diet. He waited for two days, but no one brought him anything. He then told his wife, “There must be something in our house that we do not need.” He did not ask the Lord for flour. Instead he said, “There must be something excessive in our house. This is why the Lord does not give.” They knelt and prayed and asked the Lord to show them any excess they had in the house. After praying, they looked through every item. They began with the attic, checking to see whether or not a particular item was redundant. They even went through their children’s belongings and found that they had just enough of what they needed. Mr. Moule then told the Lord, “There is truly nothing excessive in this house. Lord, You have made a mistake in not supplying us with what we need.” After a brief pause, he told his wife, “The Lord never makes mistakes. There has to be some excess in our house.” They checked again. When they came to the cellar, they saw a carton of butter, which had been given to them many days earlier. Mr. Moule was happy when he saw the carton. He told his wife, “This must be the excess.”
Both of them were rather elderly. They had for many years learned the lesson of giving. They knew the Lord’s words: “Give, and it will be given to you.” They were anxious to give away the carton of butter. But who should they give it to? Mr. Moule was a responsible brother in his church. After looking down the list of brothers and sisters who were poor, he decided to give every one of them a piece. The old couple cut the carton of butter into small pieces, wrapped them up, and sent them to these brothers and sisters. After sending out all the packets, he told his wife, “Now, we have cleared up this matter.” They then knelt down and prayed, “Lord, may we remind You of what You have said: ‘Give, and it will be given to you.’ Please remember that we have no more flour.”
That was perhaps a Saturday. Among those who had received the butter, there was a very poor sister who had been paralyzed and bed-ridden for years. For days, she had been eating her bread without butter and had been praying, “Lord, have mercy on me. Give me a little butter.” Soon after this prayer, Mr. Moule came with the butter. She immediately thanked the Lord for this. A while later, she lifted up her head and prayed again, “Lord, although Brother Moule lacks nothing and has given me this butter, hear his prayer if he has any lack.” Brother Moule had not told anyone about his lack, and no one knew about it. Some even rumored that Moule was a very rich brother, that he always gave things away, and that he had bought all that butter purposely to distribute to others. But this sister prayed, “If he has any lack, please answer his prayer.” On that same day, probably within two or three hours, Mr. Moule received two sacks of flour. His problem was solved.
We have to believe in every word of the Lord. Most people have difficulty taking God’s Word as God’s word. Mr. Moule believed God’s Word to be God’s word. If you do not give, you definitely will not receive. If you give to others, others will surely give to you. This is why we need to learn to give. Giving is not the end; it enables God to give to us. This is the principle of Christian financial stewardship. Do not expect God to supply you with anything if there is excess in your house.
A co-worker once told me, “During the past twenty years, every time money has remained in my hand, there has always been a problem.” If there is a problem in giving, there will be a problem in receiving. The more you want to keep, the less you will have. The more you want to give, the more you will have. Most people hold on tightly to all that they have, and so God lets them hold on to that little amount. They have not learned to give. If the grace of giving is not in you, the grace of God will not be upon you. If you do not have grace for others, you will have little of God’s grace for yourself.
I can give you many testimonies concerning giving. But I do not wish to do so. I will just speak about my first lesson in this matter. In 1923 Brother Weigh Kwang-hsi invited me to his place, Kien-ou, which was about one hundred fifty miles from Foochow. I was a student, and Brother Weigh was my classmate. When I was about to leave for Kien-ou, I asked Brother Weigh, “How much is the fare?” He said, “The fare by boat is several dozen dollars.” I then said, “Let me pray about this. If the Lord wants me to go, I will go.”
At that time I did not have any money in my hand. I prayed, “If You want me to go, You must provide me the money.” After praying this way, the Lord gave me between ten and twenty dollars. In addition, I had more than a hundred silver dimes. But the total amount still fell short of the fare by more than half. Not long after this, Brother Weigh wrote me a letter and told me that everything was ready. I sent him a telegram and told him that I would go. I decided to leave on Friday. On Thursday I rose up early, and the word came to me: “Give, and it will be given to you.” I was unsure within. If I gave my money to others and the Lord did not give any back, I would then not be able to go. I was quite troubled.
However, my feeling within grew stronger and stronger. I felt that I should give the dollars and keep the coins. Therefore, I thought about who should be given the money. Eventually, I had the thought of giving the dollars to a certain brother who had a family. I dared not tell the Lord that I would obey, and I dared not tell the Lord that I would disobey either. I just said, “Lord, I am here. If You want me to give to this brother, please let me meet him on my way.” I rose up and walked out of the house. Along the way I met the brother. As soon as I saw him, my heart sank. But I was prepared. I went over to him and said, “Brother, the Lord has told me to place this in your hands.” After I said this, I turned around and left. When I was two steps away from him, my tears began to roll down. I said, “I have sent a telegram to Brother Weigh that I would go. Now the money is gone. How can I go?” But I also felt very happy within because the Lord said, “Give, and it will be given to you.”
On my way home I said to the Lord, “Lord, You need to give to me. The time is short, and the boat is leaving tomorrow.” No money came on Thursday. On Friday when I was about to leave, there was still no money. A brother came to send me off. But there was still no money. The brother took me aboard the boat. As soon as I stepped aboard the boat, I thought to myself, “I cannot go. I will never make it. I have never left Foochow before, and I have never gone inland. I do not know a single person west of Foochow.” I had been praying since I left home that day. When I went aboard the boat I was still praying. I prayed until the brother left, and even until I laid down to sleep. I said, “Lord, I have given to others. Yet You have not given to me in return. It is now Your business.” That day the boat took me to Hung-Shan Bridge, where I changed boats to Shui-Kou. While on board, I paced back and forth from the upper deck to the lower deck several times, thinking to myself, “In order for God to provide for me, I should make it easier for Him by walking around a few more times to see if He has arranged for me to meet someone.” But this did not work out, and I did not find anyone whom I knew on the boat. Nevertheless, I repeated to myself, “Give, and it will be given to you.”
This went on until the next day. At about four or five o’clock, the boat was about to reach Shui-Kou. After Shui-Kou, I had to change transportation again for a more expensive ship. After I paid the boat fare, I found out that I had only a little more than seventy dimes left. I was troubled, and I prayed, “Lord, I am now in Shui-Kou. Should I buy a ticket to return to Foochow?” Right then I resolved in my mind to simply go to Kien-ou and leave the rest to the Lord. I said, “Lord, I will not ask for money as long as You will take me to Kien-ou.” After praying this way, I felt peaceful.
I was standing on the bow of the boat, and before the boat reached Shui-Kou, a little boat approached and the boatman asked me, “Sir, are you going to Nan-Ping or Kien-ou?” I said, “To Kien-ou.” He said, “I will take you there.” I asked him how much it would cost, and he said, “Seventy dimes.” When I heard that, I knew the Lord had prepared the way for me. I agreed to go with him. He carried my luggage to his boat. The regular fare to Kien-ou was seventy or eighty dollars. I asked him, “Why are you letting me go so cheaply?” He replied, “The fare is so cheap because this boat has been chartered by a county officer. He is in the front cabin of the boat, and he has given me permission to carry another passenger so that I can earn some money to supplement my food.” I clearly remember that day; I bought some vegetables and meat with the little money that was left and arrived at Kien-ou safely.
As the time for my return from Kien-ou grew near, I was once again in a quandary. I had only twelve dimes left. After spending about a dollar on shopping, I had only twenty cents left. I kept praying as the conference was coming to an end. One day Mr. Philips, one of the famous Cambridge Seven, invited me for a meal. He said, “Mr. Nee, we have been greatly helped by your visit. Is it all right for me to take care of the traveling expenses of your return trip?” When I heard this, I was overjoyed. But I felt it was not proper for me to accept the offer. I said, “Someone has already taken care of it.” When he heard this, he said, “I am sorry to hear that,” and did not mention the matter again. When I returned home, I regretted very much turning down the offer. But when I prayed I had peace within.
I waited for another day. On the third day, as I was getting ready to leave, I only had twenty cents in my pocket. This was not enough for the ticket. I was really in a dilemma. Brother Weigh’s father and family all came to see me off. My luggage had already been taken away by the porter, and Brother Weigh was walking with me. I prayed, “Lord, You have brought me to Kien-ou. You have to bring me back home. It is Your responsibility and You cannot leave it to others. If I have committed any mistake, I am willing to confess it. But I do not believe that I have done anything wrong.” I kept saying, “This is Your responsibility because You have said, ‘Give, and it will be given to you.’” Halfway to the pier, Mr. Philips sent someone to me with a letter. I opened the letter, and it said, “I know someone is responsible for your fare. But God has impressed upon me that I should share your expenses. Please allow an elderly brother to have a little share in this and accept this small sum.” I took the money and said to the Lord, “God, this has come right on time.” I paid the fare with the money, and I still remember that there was enough money to print another issue of The Present Testimony when I returned home.
Upon my return I looked up my co-worker. As soon as I entered his house, his wife said, “Mr. Nee, when you left Foochow, why did you give my husband twenty dollars? Why did you walk away immediately after handing him the money?” I said, “There was only one reason: I had prayed for a whole day, and the Lord told me to give it to him. When I left my house and met him on the way, I simply gave him the money.” She said, “That night we only had enough for one last meal. When your money came, we bought a load of rice and many pounds of firewood. The Lord did not supply us any more money until a few days ago. We had prayed and waited for three days on that occasion.” I left without telling her my story. As I was walking down the hill, I said within myself, “It was good that I did not keep the twenty dollars for myself. The money would have died if I had kept it in my pocket. But now that it has been given away, it has become useful.” I lifted up my head then and told the Lord, “This is the first time I have understood Luke 6:38.” I consecrated myself to the Lord once again and said, “From this day forward, I will give. I will not let a single cent remain idle in my hand.”
I only wish I could give more money so that it would work more miracles for the Lord. I would give money so that the prayers of others may be answered. I do not wish to hold on to my money, letting it remain idle and useless. I dare not brag about my experience in giving. Perhaps I have given a little more than others. Perhaps I have also received a little more than others. But this I can say: In the whole of China, it is hard to find another person who has received as much and given away as much as I have. You may take this as a word from “a fool” (2 Cor. 11:23, KJV). I would rather let my money work miracles and let it become answers to prayers, than see it remain idle and become useless. If I have no use for it today, I will give it away. When I have a need, it will come back, and when it comes back, it will come back more than what I gave.
A new believer must learn to manage his finances from the very beginning. I do not like to tell many stories about myself. However, I must testify that since 1923, I am behind no one in China with respect to using my last dollar. The Lord said, “Give, and it will be given to you.” I am learning this constantly. As I give to others, the Lord meets my needs. I am convinced that a man will only receive when he gives. Time and again, I find that when I give liberally, the Lord liberally gives to me. I do not mind having the reputation of being rich. It is true; I am rich, because I always give. I always let my money go. It never stops, and when it returns to me, it is always multiplied many times. Our God is never stingy.
The Christian way of managing money is not to hold on to money. The tighter you hold on to your money, the more it dies. The more you grasp it, the more it disappears; it will evaporate like vapor. But the more you give away, the more you will have. If God’s children would learn to give more, God would have many ways to work out His miracles. Keeping back money only makes God’s children poor. God will not entrust Himself to those who hold on to their money and who will not give. The more you give, the more God will give to you.
Please read 2 Corinthians 9:6, which says, “He who sows sparingly shall also sparingly reap; and he who sows with blessings shall also with blessings reap.” This is also a scriptural principle of financial management. When Christians give, they are not throwing their money away; they are sowing. The Word does not say, “He who throws away his money sparingly shall also sparingly reap; and he who throws away his money with blessings shall also with blessings reap.” It says, “He who sows sparingly shall also sparingly reap; and he who sows with blessings shall also with blessings reap.” When you give, you are sowing. Do you want your money to grow? If you do, you need to sow. When you give your money away, it grows. When you do not give it away, it does not grow.
Brothers and sisters, can anyone be so foolish as to expect a harvest without sowing? How many times has God not answered your prayer for your needs? You are a “hard man,” trying to reap where you have not sown and gather where you have not winnowed. This is impossible. Why do you not sow some of your money? There are many brothers and sisters who are in difficulty. Why do you not sow money upon them so that you may reap when the reaping time comes? The more a person holds on to his money, the less he will have. In the above portion of the Word, we see a very beautiful picture. The Corinthians gave to those in Jerusalem, remembering their needs, and Paul said that it was a kind of sowing, not a kind of throwing away. Please remember that money can be our seeds. If you see a brother or sister in difficulty, and you remember him or her, God will cause that money to grow and harvest thirtyfold, sixtyfold, and even a hundredfold. I hope that more of your money will be sown.
A new believer should learn to sow, so that when he has needs, he can reap what he has sown. You cannot reap what you have not sown. There are many brothers who are getting poorer and poorer. If you eat what you have, of course, there will not be anything left. But if you keep half of your seed for sowing, you will have a harvest next year. If next year you also keep half for planting, you will have another harvest the following year. If you want to sow anything, you must not eat all that you have. Some people always eat and never sow. They also never receive anything when they are in need. Suppose some young brothers sow some money upon other brothers, praying as they sow, “O God, I have sown upon the brothers. When I have needs, I want to harvest.” If they do this, God will honor His own words.
This is not all. In the Old Testament, God said to the Israelites, “Bring the whole tithe to the storehouse that there may be food in My house; and prove Me, if you will, by this, says Jehovah of hosts, whether I will open to you the windows of heaven and pour out blessing for you until there is no room for it” (Mal. 3:10). Here we see the same principle.
At that time, the Israelites were in great poverty and difficulty. How could they carry out the words of Malachi 3:10? The Israelites might have asked, “If we cannot get by with ten loads of rice, how can we get by with nine? If ten bags of flour are insufficient, how can nine bags be sufficient?” These are words out of a carnal and foolish mouth. God reproached the people and told them that what is impossible with man is possible with God. He seemed to be saying, “Bring to My storehouse, and test Me if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing that there shall not be enough room to receive it.”
Ten loads are the reason for poverty, while nine loads are the cause for abundance. Man thinks that the more he has in his hand, the better off he will be. However, keeping things in one’s hand is the very cause for poverty, while offering things to God is the very cause for blessing. If I have an additional load in my hands, it will become my curse. But if it is put in God’s storehouse, it becomes my blessing. The principle with the Israelites was poverty for those who tried to hold back what was due to God. When you hold something back, you end up in poverty.
Now read Proverbs 11:24: “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; / and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.” Many people have not scattered, and they are left with nothing. Many people have scattered, and they become prosperous. This is what God’s Word shows us. This is the Christian principle of managing finances.
Consider another wonderful portion of the Word — Elijah’s prayer for rain on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18). There was a drought, and it was so dry that even the king and his chamberlains had to go out to search for water. Elijah was repairing the altar on the mountain. He wanted to offer a sacrifice, and he asked men to pour water on the altar and the sacrifice.
How precious was water at that time! Even the king had to go out to look for water. But Elijah told the men to pour out the water. He told them to pour it three times until the water ran round about the altar like a river. Was it not a waste to pour out so much water before any rain came? Would it not have been a pity if no rain came after they poured out so much water? But Elijah told them to bring jars of water and pour them out. Next he knelt down and asked God to send fire to burn the sacrifice. God heard his prayer, received the sacrifice by fire, and sent the rain. We must first pour the water out before rain will come. The rain will not come if we are reluctant to pour out the water.
The problem of many people is that they hold on tightly to what they have and yet expect God to answer their prayers. Although God wanted to dispel the drought, man had to pour out the water first. The human thought is always to have some backup. If no rain came, at least there would be some jars of water. But those who count the jars of water on hand will never see rain. To see the rain, one must be like Elijah, willing to part with the water that is on hand. Everything has to go. If new believers are not delivered from the power and grip of money, the church will never be able to run a straight course. I hope that you will be a consecrated person and will offer up everything you have for God.
Philippians 4:19 is a very special verse. The Corinthians were parsimonious in giving, while the Philippians were very generous. Paul received from the Philippians time and again. He told the Philippians, “My God will fill your every need according to His riches, in glory, in Christ Jesus.” Do you see something special in Philippians 4? Paul emphasized, “My God will fill your every need.” The God who receives the money and the gifts will supply the needs of the givers.
This is very clear. The Philippians had been caring for Paul again and again, and Paul’s God supplied their needs. God will never supply those who do not give. Today many people hold on to Philippians 4:19, but they do not really understand it, because God does not supply those who ask, but those who give. Only those who give can claim Philippians 4:19. Those who do not give cannot claim this promise. You must give before you can say, “O God, today supply all my needs according to Your riches in Christ Jesus.” God supplied all the needs for only the Philippians. God will only supply the needs of those who are practicing the principle of giving.
When your vessel is empty of flour and when your bottle is empty of oil, please remember that you must first make bread for Elijah with what little you have left. You must first feed God’s servant. Take the little oil and flour and make bread for the prophet first. After a while, this little flour and oil will feed you for three and a half years. Who has ever heard of a bottle of oil feeding a person for three and a half years? But let me tell you, if you take your little flour and oil and make bread for the prophet, you will find the bottle of oil feeding you for three and a half years (cf. Luke 4:25-26; 1 Kings 17:8-16). What one has may not be enough to feed him even once. But when it is given away, it becomes the means of one’s livelihood. This is the Christian way of financial management.
Both the New Testament and the Old Testament teach us the same thing. The Christian way should not be the way of poverty. God does not want us to be poor. If there is poverty or want among us, it is because some people are holding back their money. The more you love yourself, the more you will go hungry. The more importance you attach to money, the poorer you will become. I may not be able to testify of other things, but I can surely testify of this one thing. The more one holds back his money, the more miserable and depleted he becomes. This is a sure principle. During the past twenty years, I have seen many such cases. I only wish that we could release our money and allow it to circulate around the earth, to work, and to become part of God’s miracles and answers to prayers. Then when we have needs, God will supply us.
Not only are we in God’s hands, but Satan is also in His hands. The cattle on a thousand hills and the sheep on ten thousand hills are His. Only foolish ones think that they have earned their own money. A new believer must see that tithing is our duty. We should give what we earn to take care of the poor saints. Do not be so foolish as to always receive. Do not try to save up your money or hide it away. The Christian way is the way of giving. Always give what you have, and you will find money becoming something living in the church. When you have any need, the birds in the air will work for you, and God will perform miracles for you.
Cast yourself upon the Word of God. Otherwise, God cannot carry out His word in you. First give yourself to God, and then give your money again and again. If you do this, God will have the opportunity to give to you.
