The Overflow Principle of Stewardship
INTRODUCTION: With all the planning we've been doing for the congregation, I thought I'd share with you another plan I found on the INTERNET...It's a plan to cause "EXPLOSIVE GIVING" to a church. [Tongue in cheek]....
The Lord's Lottery
(A sure fire stewardship program designed and developed by Dale Vitalis)
THEOLOGICAL BASIS
"As a man winneth so will he giveth." Hez. 6:15
PURPOSE
The "BLT" (bottom line theory) is to get more money to find its way into the offering plates on Sunday mornings.
PLAN
Three simple steps to explosive giving:
When the ushers bring the offering plates forward, the pastor will place all the offering envelopes in a big round tumbler on the altar.
One of the ushers will step forward and draw out one of the offering envelopes from the big round tumbler on the altar.
The "WINNER" (person or family whose offering envelope is drawn)will receive DOUBLE THEIR MONEY BACK!!
BENEFITS
Listed below are some of the outstanding benefits (Blessings if you serve a "spiritual" congregation) from the LORD'S LOTTERY SURE FIRE STEWARDSHIP PROGRAM:
Fee Nominal!
More and more members will begin using offering envelopes.
When you make the offering envelopes available only to members, you will be astounded at how your membership will grow.
Members will naturally put in more money
because they know that if their envelope is drawn they will get more
back. (Never underestimate the intelligence of your members)
Your worship service will reach new heights of excitement. You can imagine the excitement and drama each Sunday as the winning envelope is drawn.
You will have no trouble lining up acolytes because of the excitement,honor and prestige that comes with the job.
Your finance committee will never again have to worry about buying those expensive offering envelope boxes. When this new program catches on, members will be more than willing to buy their own. You will also discover that many will buy more than one set of envelopes. I call this the "bingo syndrome" ...
Pastors will no longer have to work quite so hard on their sermons, as that will no longer be the "main event."
WARNING! Remember Jim and Tammy
Let's TALK about this plan for a minute....How many are in favor of it? What's the bottom line objection to this type of "stewardship" plan??? What kind of HEART is involved this approach????
S.P.S.: The Apostle Paul had his own plan for stewardship...I call it the OVERFLOW PRINCIPLE of STEWARDSHIP.....But it was a plan that dealt not only with GIVING money but with the HEART ISSUE of why and how and for what purpose a Christian gives money. Today we'll explore 2 Corinthians 9:6-15 and see that while God is interested in Christians supporting the Work of the Church, it seems he's even MORE INTERESTED in the HEARTS of those who give. GOD WANTS US OUR GIVING TO COME FROM THE OVERFLOW OF OUR HEARTS....
I. God's UNIVERSAL LAW of the HARVEST....
2CO 9:6 NIV Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
The UNIVERSAL LAW OF THE HARVEST....
GAL 6:6 NIV Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor. {7} Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. {8} The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. {9} Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. {10} Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. {7} Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
This verse in 2 Corinthians indicates that there should be some thought given to giving...SOUL-SEARCHING....
Giving is a matter of the HEART....Giving is the FRUIT of what is inside the heart....
MAT 12:33 NIV "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. {34} You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. {35} The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.
PRO 4:23 NIV Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
There are times when we think we can't give another cent towards God's Work or toward the poor...but then we forget about the times we "blow" money at McDonalds or on things that will have no eternal consequence....
We're all guilty of that from time to time....
There are times when some of us take on the attitude, "I did this or that for the church and now I'm going to take care of me."
Did you do it unto the Church, or did you do it unto JESUS CHRIST? Did you do it unto a physical organization, or did you do it to JESUS CHRIST? Did you do it unto PEOPLE or did you do it to JESUS CHRIST....
If you did it to Jesus, you need to not get weary in well-doing...
If you did it unto men, or an organization, then you now need to do it unto Jesus....
We need to ask God to ENRICH our IMPOVERISHED HEARTS....to enable us to not get weary in well-doing...
Whatever we give it must be done CHEERFULLY....GOD IS CONCERNED WITH THE STATE OF OUR HEARTS WHEN WE GIVE . . .
II. God's ASTOUNDING, ABOUNDING ABILITY: All things, All times, All you need.
{8} And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
a-bound (uh bound') v.i. <a-bound-ed, a-bound-ing>
1. to occur or exist in great quantities or
numbers: a stream in which trout abound.
2. to be rich or well supplied (usu. fol. by
in): The region abounds in coal.
3. to be filled; teem (usu. fol. by with):
The ship abounds with rats.
[1325-75; ME < L abundare to overflow = ab- AB - +
undare to move in waves; see UNDULATE]
REPEAT THIS: IN ALL THINGS, AT ALL TIMES, ALL YOU NEED....
God's ability towards you...
To make grace abound...
SO you have ALL YOU NEED...
HOW? In ALL THINGS...
WHEN? ALL the time...
ILLUSTRATION: God stretches his blessings
In The Peter Principle, Stan Toler writes:
I was a church planter at one time and felt impressed by the Lord to send $50 to some missionaries. When I shared with my wife what had been laid on my heart, we took a look at our checkbook and found $54 in our balance. Not much room for error there. She said, "Honey, I wasn't raised quite like you, but I trust you and have faith in your stewardship commitments. Let's do it." So I wrote the check and sent it to the Carters in Arizona, who were ministering to Native Americans in a small reservation village. Even though I knew it had been the right thing to do, I did begin to wonder how we were going to manage.
The next day I went to the post office, and amazed I picked up a letter from a student at Asbury Theological Seminary who had been one of my roommates at college. The letter read, "I just had you and Linda on my heart and felt impressed to write you. I'm enclosing a check for you, knowing you will probably put it in the offering plate next Sunday, but it is not for your church. It is for you." Fifty bucks!
When the check we sent arrived in Arizona, Doug Carter called immediately. "Stan, your check just arrived. What timing! We had an appointment with the doctor for our daughter, Angie, but we had no money to pay the bill. I was just about to make the dreaded phone call to tell the doctor, but I paused to look at the mail first, and there it was. The Lord was right on schedule, wasn't he?"
How could God touch a poor church planter on the shoulder and say, "Send $50 to missionaries in Arizona," even though he knew the church planter needed it, and at the same time touch a student at Asbury Theological Seminary on the shoulder and say to him, "Send $50 to the Tolers"? A cynical person might ask, "Why didn't God just impress the Asbury student to send his $50 directly to the missionaries in Arizona?"
To the first question I say, that's how God works. To the second I suggest that God wanted to pour out his blessings on three families instead of two.
Source: To Illustrate, Leadership, Fall 1998
III. God's ASTOUNDING, ABOUNDING PURPOSE: You ABOUND in every GOOD WORK....
8} And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
God's purpose for you...
So YOU abound....
HOW? In EVERY good work...
Why does God bless you with what you need? So you can fulfill his purpose for you: EVERY GOOD WORK....
The FOCUS is not OUR ENJOYMENT but GOD'S PURPOSE....
JAM 4:1 NIV What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you? {2} You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. {3} When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get n your pleasures.
IV. The Psalm 112 Principle: The Virtuous Man...
{9} As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever."
Quoted from Psalm 112...This is a counterpart to Proverbs 31, which talks about a woman that fears the Lord....This Psalm talks about a MAN that fears the Lord...
PSA 112:1 NIV Praise the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who finds great delight in his commands. {2} His children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. {3} Wealth and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever. {4} Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man. {5} Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. {6} Surely he will never be shaken; a righteous man will be remembered forever. {7} He will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord. {8} His heart is secure, he will have no fear; in the end he will look in triumph on his foes. {9} He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor, his righteousness endures forever;' his horn will be lifted high in honor. {10} The wicked man will see and be vexed, he will gnash his teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.
V. God the Supplier of Seed....
{10} Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
God is the SUPPLIER of the seed which you and I can sow....
God is the SUPPLIER of our food...
He promises to supply the seed...
He promises to INCREASE your store of seed...
He promises to ENLARGE the HARVEST of your RIGHTEOUSNESS....
Notice this verse doesn't say the harvest is more MONEY or GOODS, but MORE RIGHTEOUSNESS....
There is a SPIRITUAL ELEMENT involved in the giving of our PHYSICAL GOODS....
1CO 9:11 NIV If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?
MAT 6:21 NIV For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also.
VI. True Riches from God are for God's Purposes!
{11} You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Notice again the reason God blesses us physically:
SO YOU CAN BE GENEROUS ON EVERY OCCASION...
So THANKSGIVING will result to God...
{12} This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
That's obviously important...Our purpose in
life is to GLORIFY GOD....Anytime someone is THANKFUL to God,
that gives GLORY to God...
{13} Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.
Notice that there is a PROVING of one's self involved here...Again, where your treasure is, shows the the CONTENT OF THE HEART....
Fruit is the result of what's in the HEART....
2CO 8:7 NIV But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us --see that you also excel in this grace of giving. {8} I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.
Notice again, PRAISE to God...for OBEDIENCE and for GENEROSITY....
Notice that there is more to CONFESSING the gospel than mere words...OBEDIENCE in this area gives LEGS to the GOSPEL...it gives CREDANCE to the Gospel...
Generosity is a GODLY TRAIT....
2CO 8:9 NIV For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.
{14} And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. {15} Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
Results:
Prayers for you....
Heart-felt relationship develops...
Notice again...it's by GOD'S GRACE....His indescribable gift!
CONCLUSION: I don't personally believe in the so-called "Prosperity Gospel," but I do believe that our GOD is a God of OVERFLOWING GRACE.....He OVERFLOWS--ABOUNDS towards us....In turn, as OUR HEARTS fill up they OVERFLOW and REACH OUT TO OTHERS....When others are reached, they PRAISE GOD and that fulfills OUR PURPOSE FOR EXISTENCE: To glorify God...WEO...Worship, Edification, Outreach.....