The Acts of the Apostles
by Ellen G. White
Chapter 32: A Liberal Church
See 2 Corinthians 8:1-12; 9:6-11
In his first letter to the church at Corinth, Paul gave the
believers instruction regarding the general principles underlying the support
of God's work in the earth. Writing of his apostolic labors in their behalf, he
inquired: {AA 335.1}
"Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who
planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a
flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? Say I these things as a man? or
saith not the law the same also? For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou
shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take
care for oxen? or saith He it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no
doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he
that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. {AA 335.2}
"If we have sown unto you spiritual things," the
apostle further inquired, "is it a great thing if we shall reap your [336]
carnal things? If others be partakers of this power over you, are not we
rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest
we should hinder the gospel of Christ. Do ye not know that they which minister
about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the
altar are partakers with the altar? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they
which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." 1 Corinthians 9:7-14. {AA 335.3}
The apostle here referred to the Lord's plan for the
maintenance of the priests who ministered in the temple. Those who were set
apart to this holy office were supported by their brethren, to whom they
ministered spiritual blessings. "Verily they that are of the sons of Levi,
who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of
the people according to the law." Hebrews 7:5. The tribe of Levi was
chosen by the Lord for the sacred offices pertaining to the temple and the
priesthood. Of the priest it was said, "The Lord thy God hath chosen him
. . . to stand to minister in the name of the Lord."
(Deuteronomy 18:5.) One tenth of all the increase was claimed by the Lord as
His own, and to withhold the tithe was regarded by Him as robbery. {AA 336.1}
It was to this plan for the support of the ministry that
Paul referred when he said, "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they
which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." And later, in writing
to Timothy, the apostle said, "The laborer is worthy of his reward."
1 Timothy 5:18. {AA 336.2}
The payment of the tithe was but a part of God's plan for [337]
the support of His service. Numerous gifts and offerings were divinely
specified. Under the Jewish system the people were taught to cherish a spirit
of liberality both in sustaining the cause of God and in supplying the wants of
the needy. For special occasions there were freewill offerings. At the harvest
and the vintage, the first fruits of the field—corn, wine, and oil—were
consecrated as an offering to the Lord. The gleanings and the corners of the
field were reserved for the poor. The first fruits of the wool when the sheep
were shorn, of the grain when the wheat was threshed, were set apart for God.
So also were the first-born of all animals, and a redemption price was paid for
the first-born son. The first fruits were to be presented before the Lord at
the sanctuary and were then devoted to the use of the priests. {AA 336.3}
By this system of benevolence the Lord sought to teach
Israel that in everything He must be first. Thus they were reminded that God
was the proprietor of their fields, their flocks, and their herds; that it was
He who sent them the sunshine and the rain that developed and ripened the harvest.
Everything that they possessed was His; they were but the stewards of His
goods. {AA 337.1}
It is not God's purpose that Christians, whose privileges
far exceed those of the Jewish nation, shall give less freely than they gave.
"Unto whomsoever much is given," the Saviour declared, "of him
shall be much required." Luke 12:48. The liberality required of the
Hebrews was largely to benefit their own nation; today the work of God extends [338]
over all the earth. In the hands of His followers, Christ has placed the
treasures of the gospel, and upon them He has laid the responsibility of giving
the glad tidings of salvation to the world. Surely our obligations are much
greater than were those of ancient Israel. {AA 337.2}
As God's work extends, calls for help will come more and
more frequently. That these calls may be answered, Christians should heed the
command, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be
meat in Mine house." Malachi 3:10. If professing Christians would
faithfully bring to God their tithes and offerings, His treasury would be full.
There would then be no occasion to resort to fairs, lotteries, or parties of
pleasure to secure funds for the support of the gospel. {AA 338.1}
Men are tempted to use their means in self-indulgence, in
the gratification of appetite, in personal adornment, or in the embellishment
of their homes. For these objects many church members do not hesitate to spend
freely and even extravagantly. But when asked to give to the Lord's treasury,
to carry forward His work in the earth, they demur. Perhaps, feeling that they
cannot well do otherwise, they dole out a sum far smaller than they often spend
for needless indulgence. They manifest no real love for Christ's service, no
earnest interest in the salvation of souls. What marvel that the Christian life
of such ones is but a dwarfed, sickly existence! {AA 338.2}
He whose heart is aglow with the love of Christ will regard
it as not only a duty, but a pleasure, to aid in the [339]
advancement of the highest, holiest work committed to man—the work of
presenting to the world the riches of goodness, mercy, and truth. {AA 338.3}
It is the spirit of covetousness which leads men to keep for
gratification of self means that rightfully belong to God, and this spirit is
as abhorrent to Him now as when through His prophet He sternly rebuked His
people, saying, "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say,
Wherein have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a
curse: for ye have robbed Me, even this whole nation." Malachi 3:8, 9. {AA 339.1}
The spirit of liberality is the spirit of heaven. This
spirit finds its highest manifestation in Christ's sacrifice on the cross. In
our behalf the Father gave His only-begotten Son; and Christ, having given up
all that He had, then gave Himself, that man might be saved. The cross of
Calvary should appeal to the benevolence of every follower of the Saviour. The
principle there illustrated is to give, give. "He that saith he abideth in
Him ought himself also so to walk, even as He walked." 1 John 2:6. {AA 339.2}
On the other hand, the spirit of selfishness is the spirit
of Satan. The principle illustrated in the lives of worldlings is to get, get.
Thus they hope to secure happiness and ease, but the fruit of their sowing is
misery and death. {AA
339.3}
Not until God ceases to bless His children will they cease
to be under bonds to return to Him the portion that He claims. Not only should
they render the Lord the portion that belongs to Him, but they should bring
also to His [340] treasury, as a gratitude
offering, a liberal tribute. With joyful hearts they should dedicate to the
Creator the first fruits of their bounties—their choicest
possessions, their best and holiest service. Thus they will gain rich blessings.
God Himself will make their souls like a watered garden whose waters fail not.
And when the last great harvest is gathered in, the sheaves that they are
enabled to bring to the Master will be the recompense of their unselfish use of
the talents lent them. {AA
339.4}
God's chosen messengers, who are engaged in aggressive
labor, should never be compelled to go a warfare at their own charges, unaided
by the sympathetic and hearty support of their brethren. It is the part of
church members to deal liberally with those who lay aside their secular
employment that they may give themselves to the ministry. When God's ministers
are encouraged, His cause is greatly advanced. But when, through the
selfishness of men, their rightful support is withheld, their hands are
weakened, and often their usefulness is seriously crippled. {AA 340.1}
The displeasure of God is kindled against those who claim to
be His followers, yet allow consecrated workers to suffer for the necessities
of life while engaged in active ministry. These selfish ones will be called to
render an account, not only for the misuse of their Lord's money, but for the
depression and heartache which their course has brought upon His faithful
servants. Those who are called to the work of the ministry, and at the call of
duty give up all to engage in God's service, should receive for their
self-sacrificing [341] efforts wages sufficient to
support themselves and their families. {AA 340.2}
In the various departments of secular labor, mental and
physical, faithful workmen can earn good wages. Is not the work of
disseminating truth, and leading souls to Christ, of more importance than any
ordinary business? And are not those who faithfully engage in this work justly
entitled to ample remuneration? By our estimate of the relative value of labor
for moral and for physical good, we show our appreciation of the heavenly in
contrast with the earthly. {AA
341.1}
That there may be funds in the treasury for the support of
the ministry, and to meet the calls for assistance in missionary enterprises,
it is necessary that the people of God give cheerfully and liberally. A solemn
responsibility rests upon ministers to keep before the churches the needs of
the cause of God and to educate them to be liberal. When this is neglected, and
the churches fail to give for the necessities of others, not only does the work
of the Lord suffer, but the blessing that should come to believers is withheld.
{AA 341.2}
Even the very poor should bring their offerings to God. They
are to be sharers of the grace of Christ by denying self to help those whose
need is more pressing than their own. The poor man's gift, the fruit of
self-denial, comes up before God as fragrant incense. And every act of
self-sacrifice strengthens the spirit of beneficence in the giver's heart,
allying him more closely to the One who was rich, yet for our sakes became
poor, that we through His poverty might be rich. [342] {AA 341.3}
The act of the widow who cast two mites—all that
she had—into the treasury, is placed on record for the encouragement
of those who, struggling with poverty, still desire by their gifts to aid the
cause of God. Christ called the attention of the disciples to this woman, who
had given "all her living." Mark 12:44. He esteemed her gift of more
value than the large offerings of those whose alms did not call for
self-denial. From their abundance they had given a small portion. To make her
offering, the widow had deprived herself of even the necessities of life,
trusting God to supply her needs for the morrow. Of her the Saviour declared,
"Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all
they which have cast into the treasury." Verse 43. Thus He taught that the
value of the gift is estimated not by the amount, but by the proportion that is
given and the motive that actuates the giver. {AA 342.1}
The apostle Paul in his ministry among the churches was
untiring in his efforts to inspire in the hearts of the new converts a desire
to do large things for the cause of God. Often he exhorted them to the exercise
of liberality. In speaking to the elders of Ephesus of his former labors among
them, he said, "I have showed you all things, how that so laboring ye
ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He
said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." "He which soweth
sparingly," he wrote to the Corinthians, "shall reap also sparingly;
and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man
according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; [343] not
grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." Acts 20:35;
2 Corinthians 9:6, 7. {AA
342.2}
Nearly all the Macedonian believers were poor in this
world's goods, but their hearts were overflowing with love for God and His
truth, and they gladly gave for the support of the gospel. When general
collections were taken up in the Gentile churches for the relief of the Jewish
believers, the liberality of the converts in Macedonia was held up as an
example to other churches. Writing to the Corinthian believers, the apostle
called their attention to "the grace of God bestowed on the churches of
Macedonia; how that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy
and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to
their power, . . . yea, and beyond their power they were willing of
themselves; praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and
take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints." 2 Corinthians
8:1-4. {AA 343.1}
The willingness to sacrifice on the part of the Macedonian
believers came as a result of wholehearted consecration. Moved by the Spirit of
God, they "first gave their own selves to the Lord" (2 Corinthians
8:5), then they were willing to give freely of their means for the support of
the gospel. It was not necessary to urge them to give; rather, they rejoiced in
the privilege of denying themselves even of necessary things in order to supply
the needs of others. When the apostle would have restrained them, they
importuned him to accept their offering. In their simplicity and integrity, [344]
and in their love for the brethren, they gladly denied self, and thus abounded
in the fruit of benevolence. {AA
343.2}
When Paul sent Titus to Corinth to strengthen the believers
there, he instructed him to build up that church in the grace of giving, and in
a personal letter to the believers he also added his own appeal. "As ye
abound in everything," he pleaded, "in faith, and utterance, and knowledge,
and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace
also," "Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a
readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye
have. For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a
man hath, and not according to that he hath not." "And God is able to
make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all
things, may abound to every good work: . . . being enriched in
everything to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to
God." 2 Corinthians 8:7, 11, 12; 9:8-11. {AA 344.1}
Unselfish liberality threw the early church into a transport
of joy; for the believers knew that their efforts were helping to send the gospel
message to those in darkness. Their benevolence testified that they had not
received the grace of God in vain. What could produce such liberality but the
sanctification of the Spirit? In the eyes of believers and unbelievers it was a
miracle of grace. {AA
344.2}
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Spiritual prosperity is closely bound up with Christian
liberality. The followers of Christ should rejoice in the privilege of
revealing in their lives the beneficence of their [345]
Redeemer. As they give to the Lord they have the assurance that their treasure
is going before them to the heavenly courts. Would men make their property
secure? Let them place it in the hands that bear the marks of the crucifixion.
Would they enjoy their substance? Let them use it to bless the needy and
suffering. Would they increase their possessions? Let them heed the divine
injunction, "Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits
of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy
presses shall burst out with new wine." Proverbs 3:9, 10. Let them seek to
retain their possessions for selfish purposes, and it will be to their eternal
loss. But let their treasure be given to God, and from that moment it bears His
inscription. It is sealed with His immutability. {AA 344.3}
God declares, "Blessed are ye that sow beside all
waters." Isaiah 32:20. A continual imparting of God's gifts wherever the
cause of God or the needs of humanity demand our aid, does not tend to poverty.
"There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that
withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty." Proverbs 11:24.
The sower multiplies his seed by casting it away. So it is with those who are
faithful in distributing God's gifts. By imparting they increase their
blessings. "Give, and it shall be given unto you," God has promised;
"good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall
men give into your bosom." Luke 6:38. {AA 345.1}
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"Laboring Under Difficulties"
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