The 'Love Offering' Romans 15:23-33

Text: “Whensoever I take my journey...I will come to you; for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward BY YOU..."

Romans 15:24.

          “Every man according as he/she purposeth in his/her heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity; for the Lord loveth a cheerful giver.”

2 Corinthians 9:7.

Good morning, generous Christian!   Having been taught the Scriptural concept on giving to the work of the Lord Jesus, you have sought to be a ‘...willing giver...’, and as a direct result, been blessed of God without measure.  But, all who name the Name of Christ have not yet discovered this sound Scriptural doctrine and, therefore, not all Christians prosper according to the will of God.  Here then, for all who will take time to hear and heed, is the will of God in the matter of cheerful Christian giving. 

“Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom.  For with the same measure that ye mete (give) it shall be measured (given) unto you again.”  (Luke 6:38)

Simple, isn’t it?  The Lord Jesus is here teaching us that, if we are willing to give generously to His servants, He will generously give all the more unto us.  Self takes a knock; greed is curtailed; the giving heart and hand is enlarged bountifully by the Hand of God Almighty.  Hallelujah!  What a Saviour!  (Proverbs 19:17)

It’s a Spiritual mystery, but the Word teaches us clearly: “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty.  The liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”  (Proverbs 11:24-25)

The writer is a travelling Evangelist and Bible Expositor - I am led of the Lord God, by vocation and by necessity of social circumstances of ever-present dangers at home, to travel and to preach/teach the wondrous things of God’s Word that the Holy Spirit has taught me over a period of thirty-nine years.  “Here am I, Lord, send me...and He said, ‘Go...’”.  (Isaiah 6:1-8)

Now, it might surprise some of my readers that, during my years of foreign travel and preaching the Word, in so many many different places - I have actually encountered some church denominations who know absolutely NOTHING about Christian giving to travelling evangelists and Bible teachers!  Startling fact, but believe me, it is true.  (Psalm 119:105)

Some church groups can actually get it into their heads that to ‘allow’ a travelling evangelist or Bible teacher to minister from their pulpit is to do the traveller a big favour!  Isn’t that pathetic?  Such genuine Christian groups can deprive themselves, and their congregations, of so much that the Lord God would otherwise give them, for in the giving, the Lord ordains His ‘receiving’.

By their ignorance of this doctrine of Christian giving, they go on week by week, month by month; year by year; forfeiting the larger blessings that God wants to give them.  They are coming year after year to the Lord with a bucket seeking His blessing; when the Almighty is waiting ever so patiently to pour them out an ocean of His best blessings!  What a sad fact, but true! 

God says: “Bring ye ALL the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine House (the universal Church), and prove (or test) Me now herewith (in this manner),...if I will not open you the windows of Heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”  (Malachi 3:10)  Thus saith the Word of God.  Amen!

In our Bible reading for today from Romans, Paul the apostle is teaching us how to treat the travelling evangelist and those who labour long in the study of God’s Word that they might bless the universal Church of Christ with the Spiritual treasures they labour to find. 

Paul declared that he was, “...Sure that, when I come unto you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the Gospel of Christ.”(V.29)

Oh that the present day evangelist, Bible teacher, or missionary could be as certain as the apostle was of this fact!  What anxieties, and pressures would be lifted off the minds of today’s travelling evangelists.  Praise God for His grace.  Our needs shall be met by God’s unselfish servants - or the Lord God will open His great purse and provide for us Himself. (Matthew 7:7-12) (Philippians 4:19)  Thanks be to God for His grace!

Thought:  What measure of a cheerful Christian GIVER are YOU and I?