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Colin Smith: In a world of betrayed trust, there is one who will never, never, never let you down. You can trust this Jesus Christ with your life, your death, your eternity pulses. Those who trust in him will never be put to shame.

Steve Hiller: You're listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and Colin, all of us have had our trust betrayed at one point in time. And sometimes that even can kind of seep into the church. We look at ways that maybe we've been hurt in the church or we've seen mismanagement or something there. Um great to know that ultimately the head of the church will never, never, never let us down.

Colin Smith: That really is and that's the place to find a firm footing for every time that we've been disappointed. We're really on an important issue today, Steve. I've met over the years a few people who have felt that they were really hurt and wounded by having given generously to some church or religious institution or organization and then found that money was not well used or that it was squandered and not properly accounted for and and so forth and so on and it really hurt them. And it's a great thing to know that the Bible itself actually addresses these issues.

It does more than call us to generosity. We've looked at that in the scriptures, but it lays out principles for the church of Jesus Christ, the body of Christ to handle finances that are given with integrity and with transparency and with accountability. That's actually in the Bible. And I think it's a great encouragement to know that the head of the church, our Lord Jesus Christ, practically addresses these things. And we're going to look at that together today. It's actually a very great importance.

Steve Hiller: And we're going to look at that in 2 Corinthians chapter 8 starting in verse 10. Hope you'll open your Bible and join us there as we continue a message, a generous church. Here's Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: How is Paul going to help these reluctant givers in Corinth to become more like the generous givers in Macedonia? How's he going to help people who really live in a world of saying how much do I have to give? How much can I afford to give? If that's where you are, how could you move in the direction of a more generous life? Give proportionately. If we're to reflect and move in the direction of the Macedonians, notice what Paul says now to the Corinthians in verses 10 to 12. He says finish the work so that your eager willingness to do it may be matched by your completion of it according to your means.

For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what one does not have. Now here's the principle. You give out of what you have. You give, in other words, in proportion to what the Lord has trusted into your hands, what he has given you, not what he has not given you and not what you hope one day he might give to you. According to what you have. If you hear an evangelist who says give a thousand dollars and even if you don't have it, you know, 10 times will be returned to you, you know, within the year.

Switch off the television program and don't ever watch it again. Because that breaks the fundamental principle of great integrity that the apostle lays out here. That our giving is to be a proportion of what we have, not a proportion of what we do not have and not a proportion of what we hope to have. That means that those who have more will give more. Those who have less will give less. The principle that our Lord Jesus spelled out in Luke chapter 12 from the one to whom much is given, much will be expected. The more you have, the greater the challenge it really is in many ways to be truly generous.

Give proportionately. Here's something else very important. This is very practical. Give purposefully. Look at what Paul says in verse 13. Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. Now you see what Paul's saying here. He's saying that what's giving for? Christian giving is not so that some who do the giving will end up hard pressed while others who benefit from the giving end up living in the lap of luxury. And what I'm saying here is if you see a Christian ministry that has ended up promoting the head of that ministry into a luxurious and in ordinate lifestyle, don't give to that ministry.

Don't do it. Because the purpose of Christian ministry is not to make multi-millionaires out of Christian leaders. That's what he's saying right here. And if that has offended you, I just want to say that would offend the apostle Paul and the Lord Jesus Christ and it will be part of what he deals with on the last day. What is the purpose of Christian giving? Not that some should give so that others should be living in the lap of luxury. What is the purpose of Christian giving? There are three primary purposes in the New Testament for Christian giving.

Let's have them clear in our mind and I tell you I thank God that they're clearly reflected in our church use of the money that is trusted to this church. Number one. Christian giving should be to relieve the needs of the poor. That is why Paul was giving my and rather raising money here. The Christians in Jerusalem were facing grinding poverty and so other churches, believers from other churches contributed to the relief of the needs of the poor. You find this all over the New Testament. Galatians chapter 2 and verse 10. You find the apostles saying to Paul, you go on this mission to the Gentiles, but don't forget the needs of the poor.

And Paul says that's exactly what I was eager to do. Galatians 6 and verse 10. Whenever we have opportunity to do good to all people, let's grasp it, Paul says, especially towards those who are in the family of believers. So there's a priority. If there are brothers and sisters in particular physical financial need, we have a responsibility in that regard and Christians are to give towards the needs of the poor. Second. Christians are to give to support the ministries of those we send. See we are trusted with the gospel. And as the church of Jesus Christ, we're one church among many, but the churches of Jesus Christ are commanded to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.

That means we must send missionaries. And if we send missionaries around the world, we must support those who we send. 1 Corinthians chapter 9. The apostle Paul talks about missionaries who are advancing the gospel. And he says who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Send out a soldier. It's not at his own expense. Verse 14 of 1 Corinthians 9. The Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. He's talking in this situation about missionaries who are sent and commissioned by the church. So we are to give money and we are to use money for the relief of the needs of the poor, for the support of ministries of those we send.

And thirdly, for the ministries of those we call. The church clearly has a responsibility there and you would find that in 1 Timothy chapter 5 where Paul speaks about the elders or the pastors who serve the local church. And he says this, the elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching. For the scripture says do not muzzle the ox while it is treading the grain and the worker deserves his wages. I said to my wife I'm not really sure how I would feel about being described as the ox who treads the grain and not being muzzled.

But the principle that Paul is laying out here is that alongside relief of the needs of the poor and the support of the ministries, those we send, Christian giving is to be used for the support of the ministries of those we call. These are the three things.

Steve Hiller: You're listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called a generous church, part of a larger series a generous life. And if you miss any broadcast in the series or you want to go back and listen again, you can do that by coming to our website open thebible.org. While you're there, hope you'll check out some of the other things. A lot of tools to help you grow in your knowledge of the Bible and your relationship with Jesus. Again our website address open thebible.org. If you joined us a little bit late, we're in the book of 2 Corinthians chapter 8.

So grab a Bible and meet us there as we get back to our message. Again here's Pastor Colin.

Colin Smith: Now that's most of our time on this first and very important theme. We're talking about what a church looks like if it reflects the character of our Lord Jesus Christ. And the first distinguishing mark here will be generosity in the giving of money. In these last few minutes, I want to draw your attention to a second thing that is also very important and that is this whole matter of integrity in relation to the handling of money. And you know, from time to time it comes across our television screens that there is some investigation going on into some Christian ministry or ministries that are alleged to have engaged in impropriety in the way that money is handled.

That does such damage to the cause of Christ. And so this whole matter of integrity in the way that money is handled is critical to the advance of the gospel. Let me show you what the apostle Paul says here. Verse 20. We want to avoid any criticism of the way that we administer this liberal gift. He's raising money. He says we got to be real careful how we handle the money. For we are taking pains, he says, verse 21 to do what is right not only in the eyes of God, but also in the eyes of men.

Very important. Not just enough that Paul's conscience is clear before the Lord that he's done right. It needs to be obvious to all who are observing that the way that the money is handled is marked by integrity and is utterly free of any impropriety. And a church that reflects the character of God will be marked not only by generosity in giving money, but integrity in handling money. The money that is given to the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is sacred. It has been given by God's people and it is to be used for God's work.

It must be administered with the highest care and integrity. It must be used very carefully with wisdom and with restraint and always for the purpose for which it was given. I found writing 400 years ago. Now think about this. 400 years ago, over 400, John Calvin said, and I quote, there is nothing which is more apt to lay one open to sinister imputations than the handling of public money. Now Calvin said over 400 years ago, it's a real sensitive issue. And guess what? It's a real sensitive issue today because it is always and in every culture a really sensitive issue.

So financial accountability is essential to the health and the testimony of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now I want you to notice Paul's example of accountability. Very practical. Here's accountability that honors our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Notice verse 19. He says that he wants this offering which we administer to be handled in a way that brings honor to the Lord Jesus Christ. That's big for a local church. How did he do it? Number one. Paul did not handle the money himself. Since he received money from the churches that supported his ministry, it was very important that he himself did not handle the money that was trusted to others.

I think of Dr. Billy Graham and what a marvelous model he is and all that his marvelous model had been consistently followed. When he began with his crusades, refusing to take independent love offerings, placing himself on a salary, refusing directly to handle the finances of his own organization and publishing audited accounts after every crusade that the Billy Graham organization conducted. That that is a model of integrity which reflects Christ-like character. Paul did not handle the money himself. Second, the church elected a person to oversee the money. Do you notice that in verse 19? There was a brother chosen by the churches who accompanied the gift in being physically carried from Corinth all the way to Jerusalem.

And we can thank God for a similar arrangement in which the treasurer of this church is elected by the congregation so that openly and on a continuing basis there might be engagement and that there might be the building of trust. Number three. The money was in administered not by anyone individual, but by a team. Notice verse 17. Paul tells them that Titus was coming and that Titus was someone who was already known by the church because he had been there in Corinth before. Verse 18 along with Corinth um we are sending the brother who is praised in all the churches, verse 18, for his service to the gospel.

So there's two. And verse 22 in addition, we are sending with them the brother who has often proved to us in many ways that he is zealous. So there's a team. There's plurality. There's a number of eyes on this so that not only is it right before God, but it is quite evident and beyond reproach in the eyes of the people. Fourthly, the team were people of known character and integrity. Notice this constant emphasis, verse 18. The brother who's praised in all the churches. He's respected, he's known. Then this other brother, verse 19, who was chosen by the churches.

So obviously they had confidence in him. Verse 22, the brother who has proved in many ways that he is zealous. So the handling of money is trusted to people who are known and have demonstrated over a period of time in the local church. Integrity and trustworthiness that is evident to all. Now I tell you as I've pondered this theme over these last days, these scriptures have caused me and I hope they cause you also this weekend to thank God in a fresh way for the ministry of all those who serve the church, serve us and serve the Lord by making sure that the offerings that are given in this place are administered in a way that honors Jesus Christ.

I'm thinking of the teams, always a team. The teams who count money, those who oversee our accounts, those who serve on our finance committee, our business administrator, our financial secretary, our treasurer, the church board, our independent and external auditors who do a marvelous job. All together serving us, the congregation, so that the offering of God's people in this place might be administered. That's Paul's word in a way that honors the Lord. Now here's the very last thing. A church that reflects the character of God will be marked by generosity in giving money and integrity in handling money.

Generosity matters because it reflects the wonderful truth that God is kind. And integrity matters because it reflects the wonderful truth that God can be trusted. So a church that is marked by generosity and integrity truly reflects the character of God in ways that are critical to our witness to his grace in this world. And think about how important this is because we live at a time where there are many people who are utterly wrapped up in self-interest. And there are many, many people who have betrayed trust. The sense of betrayed trust in our culture right now in relation to money is everywhere.

The sense of consuming self-interest has been everywhere. It it has exasperated the citizens of this country. And where are we to look for hope when the people feel oppressed by a culture of self-interest and the abuse of public trust? And maybe more privately, right here there are probably a dozen people who know deeply this experience. You you thought someone cared about you and then you found out to your horror and your pain they were really only interested in themselves. You trusted someone and then you found out to your shock and your horror that that trust that was so great was smashed and you began to feel you could never, never, never trust anybody again.

Living in a world of self-interest and betrayed trust makes thousands cynical, jaded, tired. And if that's your story today, I want to point you in this last moment to Jesus Christ. There is in this culture of self-interest, in this world of self-interest one who really, truly, holy and completely loves you. He who was rich for your sake became poor so that through his poverty you might become rich. And in a world of betrayed trust, there is one who will never, never, never let you down. You can trust this Jesus Christ with your life, your death, your eternity pulses.

Those who trust in him will never be put to shame. If this climate in which we live is making you say where can I put my trust? Let me point you to Jesus Christ tonight. You know, at the end of his life, the apostle Paul who had embraced Christ as Savior and Lord of every sphere of his life, he said this I know whom I have believed. And I'm persuaded that he is able to keep what I've entrusted to him against that day. When you know the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, when he becomes truly the Lord and Savior of your life, when he begins to take control of your life and to give it new direction, you will find one who truly loves you and one in whom you can trust for life and death and eternity.

And as you walk with him, he will make you increasingly one who is generous. And he will make of you one who increasingly can be trusted. You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's what he does.

Steve Hiller: What a good reminder today from Pastor Colin that a church that reflects the character of God will be generous in the way in which they give money and have integrity in the way in which they handle money. You're listening to Open the Bible with Pastor Colin Smith and a message called a generous church. It's part of a larger series called The Generous Life. And if you missed any of the programs in the series, you can listen online at openthebible.org. You can also order a copy of the entire series on CD. Ask about A Generous Life when you call us at 1 877 open 365.

That's 1 877 673 6365 or you'll find ordering information online at openthebible.org. Open the Bible is a listener supported program. It's your generosity that allows us to bring you Pastor Colin's teaching each day. And as you give a gift of any amount this month, we want to send you a copy of Tim Keller's book called What is Wrong with the World? And Colin, tell us about this book.

Colin Smith: Well I think everybody's heard the phrase that a picture is worth a thousand words. And the Bible answers the question what is wrong with the world with the age-old answer, the unchanging answer that it is sin that's got into the human bloodstream. But you see what God has done so wonderfully is he speaks to us in language that we can understand. He uses pictures. And what Tim Keller has done so wonderfully here is he's drawn out the pictures that God has used in scripture to explain what's wrong with the world, to tell us what sin is and what it's like.

So for example, it's like a predator, like an animal in the story of Cain and Abel. God says sin is crouching at the door as if it was ready to attack and to destroy. Or it's like leprosy which we have in the story of Naaman. This goes through and it gets at the question, what is it that's wrong with the world? That's a question that any thinking person really needs to grapple with. And it enables us to grapple with it in a way that we are able to understand. It's beautifully written. It's an easy read and it answers one of the most important questions we can ever face.

Steve Hiller: Well we would love to send you a copy of this book. Again it's called What is Wrong with the World? As our thank you for your financial support this month. You can give online at openthebible.org or when you call 1 877 open 365. That's 1 877 673 6365 or openthebible.org. For Pastor Colin Smith, I'm Steve Hiller. Thanks for listening and I hope you'll join us next time. This program is a listener supported production of Open the Bible.

Colin Smith: This is Pastor Colin and I want you to know about a resource that will help you in your devotional life. It's called Open the Bible Daily. My colleague Pastor Tim Augustine takes what you hear on Open the Bible and he edits it into daily bite-sized chunks that you can read in your devotional time in less than three minutes. Every day you'll find a verse of scripture, a short teaching from God's word and an application that you can carry with you through the day. People who use this tell us that they read it every day. And I think that if you try it, you'll love it too.

For more information, visit openthebible.org/daily. That's openthebible.org/daily.