Core Value: Generosity

This month’s core value is generosity. As part of the culture of our church family, we want to foster a community of generous, Christ-like givers! While I use an exclamation mark to note my excitement about this core value, many of you upon reading that may have said to yourselves, “Oh man, here we go again, talking about giving... How can God expect me to keep giving with the economy the way it is?” Like you, I too feel the inflation. I too wince at the gas pump and the grocery store. I too try to buy what’s on sale and make wise purchases. The Bible talks profusely about handling money wisely and being good stewards of God’s resources. If you’re doing that, that’s great! It will help you get through tough economic times. But don't forget that the Bible also talks about being crazy generous with our money too—even when times are tough!

A good example of this is the poor widow in Luke 21:1-4 who, rather than giving off the top, put in all she owned! Even though she could only give two mites (less than a cent in today’s money), Jesus said she put in more than everyone else because she gave “out of her poverty.” Another model of generosity is the churches of Macedonia, of whom Paul said gave “beyond their ability” and “of their own accord.” Even though they were experiencing a “great ordeal of affliction,” they begged(!) Paul to allow them to participate in giving towards the Lord’s work (2 Corinthians 8:1-5). Because of their generosity, Paul said they were filled with joy and that their generosity was a clear sign that the grace of God was with them. They embraced Jesus’ words of wisdom: “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

Right now, in this time of economic inflation and uncertainty, I think the Lord would have us lean into generosity even more. Let me share why. In their book, Contagious Generosity, Chris Willard and Jim Sheppard describe how in the 2008 recession, churches typically responded in 3 ways:

• Deny: Many churches lived in denial of what was taking place. The church leaders didn’t talk about financial straits except behind closed doors, leaving the people in the pew confused, and the end result was financial decline.
• Survive: Many churches followed their natural response and went into survival mode. They played it safe. Fearfully, they locked up their finances and adopted a storehouse mentality. With the church tightening their giving, so did the individuals in the church. These churches seemed to plateau.
• Thrive: Some churches, however, faced it head on and thrived in it. They saw the needs of the people hurting around them and they became even more generous, living by faith and trusting that God isn’t hindered by the recession. Some of these churches even gave away rainy day funds to meet the desperate needs. These churches grew, and the giving increased! The generosity was contagious! And the people became more like Christ in the process.

At the end of the day, that’s what I think God wants to accomplish in our lives in this season. It’s not about the church budget, building, or programs (though the needs are there). This is not about fundraising. This is about God cultivating in us a lifestyle of generosity—demonstrating God’s love and grace in action to others. This is about taking part in what God is doing. It's about making disciples through generosity and becoming more mature disciples ourselves.

Rather than denying the difficult economic times or allowing the natural tendency of survival mode to take over, let’s seek to become sacrificially generous! If the Lord leads you, challenge yourself to give beyond your ability. It’s not the easiest season to be in, no doubt. But in this season, we have the opportunity to increase our giving, our faith, and our Christlikeness at the same time. We have the opportunity to share Jesus through our generosity! Isn’t that exciting?! Nothing says, “Jesus has changed my life” like generosity!