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The Joy of Generosity: Exploring the Gift of Giving
The focus of this week's podcast is on the spiritual gift of giving, as explored by Pastor Josh Massaro. He emphasizes that giving goes beyond just financial contributions; it embodies a spirit of generosity and joy in meeting the needs of others. Drawing from Romans chapter 12 and Second Corinthians chapters 8 and 9, Pastor Josh illustrates that true giving is driven by love and faith, not obligation or pride. He encourages listeners to recognize the difference between wants and needs, and to develop discernment in their giving practices. Join us as we delve into how this gift can be a powerful tool for serving God and advancing the message of Jesus Christ in our communities.
Exploring the intricacies of spiritual gifts, this episode of the Word of the Week features Pastor Josh Massaro as he highlights the significant role of the gift of giving within the Christian faith. He begins by establishing a biblical framework, referencing Romans 12 and 2 Corinthians 8-9, to illustrate how giving is not merely a financial transaction but an expression of God’s grace and love. This episode encourages listeners to view their resources as tools for building community and serving others, pushing beyond the confines of traditional giving to encompass a more holistic approach to generosity.
Pastor Josh paints a vivid picture of a cheerful giver, explaining that this gift is characterized by joy, a sense of fulfillment, and a desire to uplift others. He meaningfully contrasts the spiritual motivation behind giving with the potential pitfalls of pride and selfishness that can corrupt one’s intentions. By sharing relatable scriptural examples, he reinforces the idea that true giving comes from a place of humility and understanding, where the giver recognizes their role in God's greater plan. He emphasizes the importance of assessing needs accurately and responding with generosity that reflects the heart of Christ.
The episode concludes with a look ahead to the next installment, where Pastor Josh will discuss the gift of administration, further expanding the conversation around spiritual gifts and their collective purpose in the church. He calls on all believers to embrace the call to give, regardless of their perceived gifting, and to cultivate a spirit of generosity in all aspects of their lives. Through this engaging dialogue, listeners are left with a renewed understanding of how their contributions—big or small—can significantly impact the mission of sharing the gospel and supporting their community.
Takeaways:
- The spiritual gift of giving encompasses more than just financial contributions; it's about generosity.
- Every believer is called to grow in their understanding and practice of giving.
- God loves a cheerful giver, and giving should come from a place of joy.
- The Macedonian church exemplified sacrificial giving, even amidst their own hardships.
- It's essential to distinguish between wants and needs when practicing the gift of giving.
- The gift of giving should be motivated by the Spirit, not by pride or obligation.
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This podcast is produced by Ralph Estep, Jr., host of the Ask Ralph Podcast, a daily podcast on Christian Finance you can find it at https://www.askralphpodcast.com/
Transcript
Hello and welcome to the Middletown Baptist Church podcast, where we are proclaiming the truth to the world.
Host:In this podcast series, we're going to be looking into biblical words that have great significance to our faith.
Host:The name of this series is called the Word of the Week, where once a week we will dive deeper into these words that we are familiar with in Scripture.
Host:So come along with me.
Pastor Josh:Let's study the Word of the week.
Pastor Josh:Pastor Josh here.
Pastor Josh:The word of the week is gifts.
Pastor Josh:Again, we're looking at the spiritual gifts listed in Romans chapter 12.
Pastor Josh:We've been going through these for several weeks now, and I believe that this is a wonderful study for all believers to look into to see where God has supernaturally gifted us to serve Him.
Pastor Josh:And the Bible tells us in the book of First Peter, chapter four, that these are given to us with the manifold, the various grace of God.
Pastor Josh:And we're thankful for how God has gifted us with these wonderful ways that we can serve him for the purpose of service, for the purpose of proclaiming his name, for the purpose of giving him the glory.
Pastor Josh:So last week we looked at the gift of exhortation.
Pastor Josh:And just by way of review, that gift of exhortation is the gift of encouraging, challenging others, coming alongside of them and helping them apply or live out the truths that are taught and preached within the church from Scripture.
Pastor Josh:So this week we are looking at our next gift, and that is the gift of giving.
Pastor Josh:There In Romans chapter 12, we see that list.
Pastor Josh:And I think that so many times we think about the gift of giving when it comes to finances, and that certainly does apply to that realm when it comes to giving, giving gifts to the Lord through the way of finances.
Pastor Josh:But it means so much more than that.
Pastor Josh:You look at Romans chapter 12, it says in verse number eight, he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity.
Pastor Josh:That that means to.
Pastor Josh:To give in a way that is focused.
Pastor Josh:The one who is going to give needs to give with broadness or generosity.
Pastor Josh:So, so it's not just giving, but giving with the spirit of generosity.
Pastor Josh:And there's a whole passage of Scripture in Second Corinthians, chapter 8, 9, about giving and what it means to be a grace giver.
Pastor Josh:And the Bible does say in Second Corinthians, chapter nine, believe it is verse seven, it says that God loves a cheerful giver.
Pastor Josh:So with our giving, with our gift of giving, comes joy, comes generosity.
Pastor Josh:And so I think that that's important to notice because someone that has been given the gift of giving from the Lord enjoys doing it.
Pastor Josh:All of us are called to give, whether we really enjoy it or not.
Pastor Josh:But the goal for us, like all the spiritual gifts, is to grow in these capacities to appreciate what God has given us.
Pastor Josh:And the responsibility then becomes a privilege.
Pastor Josh:And so the gift of giving is the Spirit given grace, desire and motivation to serve God in the body by giving material financial needs to people around, having wisdom in distributing those needs, maybe godly wisdom and advice on how to distribute those needs to those around them.
Pastor Josh:In many cases, the resources, well, I guess in all cases, the resources for this gift are given to that person who's been gifted with the gift of giving.
Pastor Josh:Right?
Pastor Josh:If God expects us to give, he's going to give us the necessary resources to do that giving.
Pastor Josh:And so it's a serving gift focused on meeting financial or material needs within the body.
Pastor Josh:Doesn't always have to deal with financial needs, but in many cases it does.
Pastor Josh:But it could be a material need that somebody has in their life.
Pastor Josh:And so the person who's motivated by the gift of giving, spirit led, is someone who is encouraged, encourages others to give as well, encourages others to manage and give effectively.
Pastor Josh:And you can see some folks in scripture that have this gift.
Pastor Josh:One that comes to mind to me is Abraham.
Pastor Josh:For the sake of time, we won't dive into that.
Pastor Josh:But you can do character studies on individuals in scripture and definitely see examples of these gifts lived out specifically with Abraham.
Pastor Josh:Just his desire to help in the financial means to do so.
Pastor Josh:And so there's, there's a strong desire for an individual that has this gift to identify resources and needs that maybe even brings in some level of creativity in this gives, gives them a strong desire to save or invest wisely to.
Pastor Josh:So we can lump in the idea of stewardship with this.
Pastor Josh:God gives the gift of stewardship as he gives the gift of, of giving.
Pastor Josh:So someone who is guided by the Spirit in this gift will be someone who uses giving as a tool for the gospel, gospel focused giving, giving towards works that are going to promote the gospel.
Pastor Josh:And so as I mentioned before, all of these spiritual gifts are areas that all believers need to grow in.
Pastor Josh:And so you, you might say that you are not naturally or supernaturally gifted in the area of giving.
Pastor Josh:And that might be the case.
Pastor Josh:But all of us are called to grow in these areas.
Pastor Josh:And so when we look at the idea of mercy, when we look at the idea of exhortation, just because we are not gifted in that, when it comes to being spirit filled, it does, it doesn't mean that we just neglect that.
Pastor Josh:So, oh well, I'm not an Exhorter.
Pastor Josh:So I can't exhort?
Pastor Josh:No, you should still exhort.
Pastor Josh:And that comes with the area of giving, right?
Pastor Josh:And so just because we might not necessarily be gifted in the area of giving, we should grow in that understanding of what it means to be someone who is biblically giving.
Pastor Josh:And coming from a spirit of giving.
Pastor Josh:God's given us so much, right?
Pastor Josh:We know that in the book of James, chapter one, verse 17, it speaks to the idea of every good gift comes down from God.
Pastor Josh:And so as God gifts us, so we should then see that character trait in him.
Pastor Josh:He's the great gift giver.
Pastor Josh:And we model that character to those around us.
Pastor Josh:And so there, there, there is a difference between wants and needs.
Pastor Josh:And someone that has been given the gift of giving is going to have that discernment to know the difference between a want and a needle.
Pastor Josh:There's going to be an encouragement to others by way of example and giving.
Pastor Josh:They want to make sure that the needs are met.
Pastor Josh:But you know, obviously that other people can catch that same spirit as well.
Pastor Josh:Someone who has the gift of giving is going to notice and see the needs in other people.
Pastor Josh:So there takes a sense of humility in this.
Pastor Josh:And the other side of things with this is that as we know that a person can be supernaturally gifted with a gift, but then be working in the flesh.
Pastor Josh:And so there is a temptation with all of these gifts is to use an element of pride and selfishness in this.
Pastor Josh:And so, look, I've been given so much now I'm going to give somebody something, but it's going to be tied to maybe a stipulation or maybe I'm going to use my financial blessing to, yes, bless others, but use it for my good, right?
Pastor Josh:I'm going to bless those that are going to bless me.
Pastor Josh:And that's not tied to this, right?
Pastor Josh:No ulterior motives.
Pastor Josh:So like, if I'm going to give with that agape, right?
Pastor Josh:If I'm going to give with that sacrificial love, it's going to be just that, like, I'm not expecting anything in return.
Pastor Josh:So just as we're called to love with nothing in return, so we are to give with really nothing in return.
Pastor Josh:But, but a carnal or fleshly giver can become so focused on the actual material that they're giving that they might forget about the spiritual connection to this.
Pastor Josh:There could be some manipulation, there could be a focus on the financial over the spiritual.
Pastor Josh:There can be distractions to leave some kind of legacy.
Pastor Josh:There could be pride tied to projects instead of people.
Pastor Josh:Right.
Pastor Josh:So we're focused on projects, and we miss out on the people that are there in front of us.
Pastor Josh:And there could be some unpredictability with that.
Pastor Josh:Right.
Pastor Josh:Just kind of all over the place in my giving.
Pastor Josh:And so.
Pastor Josh:And I would even say with a lot of these gifts, the gift of giving could also be used as a justification to not do anything else.
Pastor Josh:Right.
Pastor Josh:Well, I give here, so I don't need to do this over here.
Pastor Josh:And we know that would be a fleshly way to see these things.
Pastor Josh:And so the Bible speaks so much about the area of giving.
Pastor Josh:And again, it's not necessarily a gift given to everybody, but it's an area of capacity that all of us should grow in.
Pastor Josh:And so we go back to second Corinthians, chapter eight.
Pastor Josh:Second Corinthians, chapter eight gives us the example of the Macedonian church and what they did in their giving.
Pastor Josh:And it says that they gave not out of great abundance, but verse 2 of 2 Corinthians, chapter 8, how that in a great trial of affliction, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality, meaning they were having.
Pastor Josh:They were having a difficult time.
Pastor Josh:They were lacking.
Pastor Josh:It says verse 3.
Pastor Josh:For to their power I bear record, yea.
Pastor Josh:And beyond their power, they were willing of themselves.
Pastor Josh:And so the Bible speaks of this fact that they went above and beyond.
Pastor Josh:They gave out of difficulty, they gave out of poverty, they gave out of affliction, but they did it with joy.
Pastor Josh:And that goes back to that connection between God loves a cheerful giver.
Pastor Josh:And so Paul was talking to the church there at Corinth, and he was using the Macedonian church as an example of how they gave.
Pastor Josh:And they did it with love, they did it with joy.
Pastor Josh:They did it not necessarily knowing where the needs would be filled, but they did it in faith.
Pastor Josh:And so there's an element of faith to giving, right?
Pastor Josh:I don't only give where it makes sense, but I give where God leads.
Pastor Josh:I don't give because I can afford to give, but I give because I.
Pastor Josh:I can't afford not to give.
Pastor Josh:Right?
Pastor Josh:And that's.
Pastor Josh:I know it's a double negative, but you know what I mean by that.
Pastor Josh:There's this idea that even though it might hurt me or I might not be able to get all the things that I want, I'm still able to extend this gift because God has placed this on my heart.
Pastor Josh:And you will see in other passages of Scripture that God doesn't expect everyone to give the same amount.
Pastor Josh:No Doubt there are people that are going to have different abilities to give.
Pastor Josh:And so we see that there's going to be some people that have been gifted a lot financially, and they're going to have predominantly more of an ability to give.
Pastor Josh:But I think it's proportional, right?
Pastor Josh:And there's an apportion.
Pastor Josh:There's a.
Pastor Josh:There's a proportional element to this.
Pastor Josh:And so if God gives someone immensely, right?
Pastor Josh:He's.
Pastor Josh:He's looking for us to give immensely.
Pastor Josh:But no doubt in my mind, God isn't expecting somebody to give everything that they have, and they're not able to take care of other necessary elements within their life.
Pastor Josh:And I think the Bible speaks to that with the story of the widow, two mites, right?
Pastor Josh:I mean, the story sometimes is seen as the widow with two mites is giving everything, and God wants us to give everything, which is.
Pastor Josh:Is a.
Pastor Josh:Is a great show of sacrifice in the life of.
Pastor Josh:Of the widow.
Pastor Josh:But I do believe that that passage of scripture is speaking to the religious leaders of the day that were abusing the widows and lying to them and telling them that the more that they would give, the more attention they.
Pastor Josh:That they would receive from God.
Pastor Josh:And so I think Second Corinthians, chapter eight and nine, give us a great example of what it means to have that spirit of grace as we give.
Pastor Josh:I think in Second Corinthians, chapter 9, verse 7, it says, Every man, according as he purposes in his heart, meaning, this is something between you and God.
Pastor Josh:This is something between how God is leading you and not how other people are trying to twist your arm to give.
Pastor Josh:And so it's how you decide in your heart, not as it says here, not grudgingly or reluctantly, nor out of necessity.
Pastor Josh:Meaning, like, I've got to give, man, I have got to give.
Pastor Josh:That's the wrong spirit.
Pastor Josh:That's the wrong Spirit.
Pastor Josh:Why?
Pastor Josh:Because it says God loves a cheerful giver.
Pastor Josh:And God is able to make all grace, verse 8, abound toward you that ye always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work, meaning God's going to give you what you need, and he's sufficient.
Pastor Josh:And so don't be afraid of missing out if God calls you to give.
Pastor Josh:And so God's pressing in your heart to grow in that area of giving, whether it be within the church or helping others around you.
Pastor Josh:I would encourage you to follow that in obedience and be generous and be loving and do it with joy, as we see in Scripture.
Pastor Josh:So that is the gift of giving.
Pastor Josh:Next week we will come back with another gift.
Pastor Josh:We're going to come back with the gift of administration.
Pastor Josh:And sometimes not a gift that's always celebrated, but it's needed.
Pastor Josh:I mean, we need administration, we need direction, we need delegation.
Pastor Josh:And so we're going to look at that gift the next week when we come back.
Pastor Josh:Well, thank you so much for following along in this series.
Pastor Josh:I hope that has been beneficial to you as we've been studying these spiritual gifts listed in Romans chapter 12.
Pastor Josh:As we get done with this, we will definitely move on to a new series of words.
Pastor Josh:But I think that this has been at least helpful for me to understand how God gifts differently in different ways, but for the same purpose of growing and sharing the message of Jesus Christ to a world that needs his truth.
Pastor Josh:And so thank you again for, for following along.
Pastor Josh:We look forward to seeing you next week or hearing from you at some point and make sure that you are sharing this if you can.
Pastor Josh:Well, God bless you.
Pastor Josh:You have a wonderful week.
Pastor Josh:We will talk.
Pastor Josh:Talk to you soon.
Host:Hey, I really appreciate that you listen to the Word of the Week podcast.
Host:If you have any questions about the podcast or about our church, Middletown Baptist Church, you can find more information about us on Facebook or YouTube or you can find the podcast on NBCPodcast.org you can contact me directly at Josh Massaro at middletownbaptistchurch.org stay tuned for future Word of the Week episodes where we dive deeper into words that impact our life according to scripture.
Host:Thank you so much.
Host:God bless.
Host:We'll talk to you soon.
