1 Timothy 5:17-18 (NKJV) Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The labourer is worthy of his wages.”
The church is the body of Christ, and a channel of His blessings. God wants us to give to ministry projects and bless His servants. We can open up our home to house the ministers of God, whether they are pastors, evangelists, or missionaries. We can offer them usage of our cars, frequent flyer points for booking air tickets, or even timeshares in resorts so they can relax after being in the field. These are all forms of freewill offering, and examples of being a steward of everything that the Lord has blessed us with. Freely give and share whatever the Lord has blessed you with, and you will share in the prophet, pastor, and evangelist rewards for what they have done for the Lord (Matthew 10:41). That is the only way that God has indicated we can receive rewards besides serving God.
2 Corinthians 9:7 (NKJV). So, let each one gives as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
We are to be cheerful givers. The Greek word for “cheerful” in this Scripture equates to hilarious. Therefore we should be excited and hilarious about the opportunity to give. Giving helps us to experience God and His faithfulness. It is also an avenue that God has given us to partner with Him in ministry. We should also be thankful that He has chosen to entrust us with abundance so that we can excel in every good work and increase the fruit of our righteousness. It is an act of righteousness whenever we give to a good cause, whether it is to bless the poor, support missionaries, or other worthy causes that God has placed in our paths. When we talk about being an imitator of Christ, we should also excel in the area of giving because Christ gave us His life in exchange for our souls. Because giving is very much a part of God’s nature, we should be cheerful whenever we are given an opportunity to give because it helps us to express the nature of God in us.
Practise the biblical financial principles of tithing and freewill offering of sowing and reaping, and experience God’s grace of the provision in your life. It is the first step for us to trust and declare that God is the source of all our blessings. There are supernatural favours and promotions for corporate people and businessmen. This will help us to anchor our faith in God and separate us from the ways of the world, and be developed into rock-solid Christians in good and bad economic times. We will not panic when we lose our jobs or when business is slowing because we have experienced God and we operate in God’s financial principles and not the world’s.
Sermon Series: Freely Received and Freely Give
祝福祂的仆人
提摩太前书 5:17-18 那善于管理教会的长老，当以为配受加倍的敬奉，那劳苦传道教导人的更当如此。因为经上说：“牛在场上踹谷的时候，不可笼住它的嘴。”又说：“工人得工价是应当的。”
教会是基督的身体，是祂祝福的渠道。神要我们奉献给事工，祝福祂的仆人。我们可以打开我们的家，让神的仆人住在家里，不管他们是牧师、传福音的人，还是传教士。我们可以让他们使用我们的汽车，提供常旅客飞行积分为他们预订机票，甚至是度假胜地的分时度假，这样他们就可以在禾场中工作之余放松一下。这些都是自愿奉献的形式，作为主赐予我们的一切的管家的职责。凡主所赐给你的，你都要自由地奉献和分享，这样你就在先知、牧师和传福音的人为主所做的事而得到的奖赏中有份了 (马太福音10:41)。这是神指示我们除了服事神之外，还能得赏赐的唯一方法。
哥林多后书 9:7 各人要随本心所酌定的，不要作难，不要勉强，因为捐得乐意的人是神所喜爱的。
我们要欢喜地给予。在这段经文中，希腊文的“欢喜”一词等同于欢闹、喜不自禁。因此，我们应该对奉献的机会感到兴奋和欢乐。奉献帮助我们体验神和祂的信实。这也是神赐给我们在事奉上与祂合作的途径。我们也应该感谢他选择把丰盛托付给我们，这样我们就可以在每一件善工上都出类拔萃，并且增加我们公义的果实。无论什么时候，我们做善事，无论是祝福穷人，支持传教士，还是神安排在我们道路上的其他有价值的事情，都是一种公义的行为。当我们说要效法基督的时候，我们也应该在奉献方面表现出色，因为基督把祂的生命给了我们，以换取我们的灵魂。因为给予是神本性的一部分，每当我们有机会给予时，我们应该高兴，因为这有助于我们表达在我们里面神的本性。
实践圣经中的财务原则 – 十一奉献和自愿奉献的播种和收获，并在你的生活中体验神的恩典。这是我们相信并宣告神是我们所有祝福的源头的第一步。职场人士和商人得到超自然的恩惠和晋升。这将帮助我们锚定我们对神的信心，使我们与世俗的方式分离，无论经济好坏都能发展成为坚如磐石的基督徒。当我们失去工作或生意不景气时，我们不会惊慌失措，因为我们经历过神，我们按照神的财务原则运作，而不是世界的。
讲章系列: 白白的得来，白白的舍去
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