Money

The Boy Who Is Lord: Give Generously

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Acts 1:1–2

In the first book [Luke], O Theophilus, I have dealt with all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day when he was taken up, after he had given commands through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.

Since Theophilus has a lot at stake, he hired Luke, a fellow Gentile – not a Jew who was looking for the Messiah, predisposed to some biased conclusion, but an educated and articulate man who has access to the apostles and other eyewitnesses. Theophilus commissions Luke to go find the truth and provide a full report about Jesus.

This would have been a very expensive project; Theophilus funded two books of the Bible. Two thousand years later, had it not been for Theophilus’s generosity, we would be lacking the largest contribution to the entire New Testament.

It’s very simple. Theophilus was a man who gave generously thereby enabling Luke to do his ministry. Rich people can love Jesus, and they’re supposed to give generously; and poor people can love Jesus, and they’re supposed to give generously. It’s not about how much you make; it’s about what you do with it. Theophilus decided to pay for Luke’s ministry. And we got two books of the Bible out of it.

And I can assure you of this: Theophilus today, standing before the Lord Jesus, doesn’t regret helping get the news of Jesus out to the world. What else are you planning on doing with your money? What else are you going to do with your intellect? I love that Luke gave his intellect and time and energy, and Theophilus gave his money, and together, to this very day, we are still served by both of these exemplary men. 

Luke set out to find the facts. This is important because Christianity is not a philosophical system, but a historical reality. Christianity is about one man – Jesus Christ, and one event – His resurrection from death. We can dismiss opinions, conjecture, and hearsay, but facts point to truth that cannot be denied. And if you follow the truth wherever it leads, you end up at Jesus.

Luke conducts his research during a historically significant moment when a window of opportunity is closing, about 30 years after Jesus returned to heaven. The eyewitnesses are dying, and if someone doesn’t capture the information soon, like a morning dew, it vanishes forever.

As an aside, it’s incredulous how Christianity is so often cast aside as a religion for the naïve. Luke was intelligent and highly educated, conducting painstaking research for Theophilus who was also almost certainly intelligent and highly educated. No one can honestly dismiss Jesus without doing some homework, like Luke did. And his book is a great place to begin investigating the boy who is Lord.

How can you best use your talents (like Luke) and your money (like Theophilus) to honor Jesus and help others meet Him?

The Boy Who Is Lord: Who Was Theophilus?

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Luke 1:1–4

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.

Luke’s massive investigation that culminated in his Gospel was motivated by his concern for a man named Theophilus and others like him. This friend was possibly not yet a Christian, but wanted to know the truth about Jesus. So, after doing thorough research, Luke wrote the facts about Christ (the Gospel of Luke) and early Christianity (the Book of Acts) for his friend so “that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught” (Luke 1:4). This makes Luke the most prolific New Testament writer. Altogether, his writing accounts for more of the New Testament than any other author, including Paul and John. Luke is also the longest book in the New Testament, with 1,151 verses (586 are Jesus’ very words), whereas Matthew has 1,071 verses, Mark has 678, and John has 869.

The expenses for Luke’s travels had to have been immense. Any researcher can attest to the costs involved with a lengthy project that includes travel, housing, and possibly support staff for weeks or months or more, possibly years. How did Luke pay for all of these costs? Theophilus was the man who underwrote Luke’s investigation and thereby paid for his travel, salary, and expenses. He is mentioned at the beginning of both Luke and Acts, which was commonly done in that day to honor those who funded a project, much like the name of a generous donor often appears on a placard in a building in our day. Theophilus’s title, “most excellent,” was used of nobility and likely indicates that he was a successful business and/or political leader. This title is also used for governors in Acts (for example, Felix and Festus in 23:26, 24:2, 26:25).

The name Theophilus means “lover of God,” an appropriate title because the Book of Luke is for anyone who loves God. Ambrose, the fourth-century church father, says it this way: “So the Gospel was written to Theophilus, that is, to him whom God loves. If you love God, it was written to you.”2 Luke is for all who love God, and it goes out in an effort to encourage others to be lovers of God.

Are you a generous person? Is there a ministry or person that you should be giving toward but you are not?

.2 A. A. Just (Ed.). (2005). Luke (p. 4). (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press).

The Grace of God (Part 16): Provisional Grace

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Provisional grace accounts for any and every good thing in our lives, from people who love us, to good health and material possessions. James 1:17 describes provisional grace: “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.”

Provisional grace transforms our understanding of material possessions so that we see ourselves as stewards of things God has given us. Too many people believe that everything they have is of their own earning, and as a result they tend to not thank God in sincerity for his provision. Yet the Bible is clear that everything belongs to God and that anything we have is his allowing us to borrow and steward his possessions. Furthermore, provisional grace should utterly condemn in us the propensity to covet. After all, if God has given us gifts we do not deserve, we should in no way lament that he gave other gifts to someone else. Instead, we should rejoice in the way that God has been gracious to us all.

One of the ways provisional grace comes to us is in the form of finances and wealth. Paul commends Christians who lived in Macedonia, saying, “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia,” and he goes on to commend their generous financial giving to their church as an act of grace: “But as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.”67

Financial provision is one of the more tangible ways in which we experience God’s grace. Simply, every dollar we have is a gracious gift from God. As 2 Corinthians 8–9 illustrates, understanding financial grace transforms our concept of giving. Once we understand financial grace, we see that God is a giver, and that all things we have received come from God, including our wealth. We are thus graced to be generous and cheerful givers, which means that those who are stingy, greedy, and do not give generously to their church and to other needs have much to learn about provisional grace.

How are you at being a good steward of and generous with the wealth and possessions that God has entrusted to you?

672 Cor. 8:1, 7.

Colossians #11 – Enjoying Your Job

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Critics of the Bible are prone to find controversial issues in complicated Scriptures and use them to discredit and dismiss God’s Word. This includes the occasional New Testament exhortations to “bondservants” which some translations refer to as “slaves.” Rather than editing God’s Word, apologizing for God’s Word, or dismissing God’s Word we should study God’s Word to find God’s wisdom. In these highly debated and controversial Scriptures, we learn how to be in authority like Jesus our Master, and under authority like Jesus our Servant – particularly on the job at work. Subsequently, we will learn together how to worship at work.

You Shall Not Covet (Part 5)

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““You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”” – Exodus 20:17

Q: What is the tenth commandment?
A: You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s wife, or anything that is his.

What does this mean?

Because we worship and love God, we shouldn’t desire to have the things that belong to other people, but instead we should help them protect what is theirs.

Coveting is all about our desires. But are all desires wrong? Can you think of some desires that are good?

It’s good to desire to eat. If we didn’t, we would eventually die. It’s good to desire a place to live. No one wants to be homeless. It’s good to desire clothes to wear. Who wants to run around naked!?!

There are lots of good things to desire but most of all, God wants us to desire him. God is greatly glorified when we desire him over and above all these other things in the world. He wants us to find our greatest satisfaction in him and him alone.

When we covet, it’s like we are saying to God, “I want this thing more than I want you.” God knows that that will make us miserable in the end so he is so loving to tell us to be consumed with him instead. God wants us to desire him. Doesn’t it make sense that we should desire the greatest thing in the universe? Well, what is greater than God?

In this sense, coveting things that we don’t have is like eating a nasty, moldy cheeseburger that we found in the garbage can (Yuck!) when we could have a really tasty, fancy dinner of all our favorite foods! God doesn’t want us to settle for things that don’t last and are less than the best. God is the best! Let’s only settle for him!

Read Psalm 73:24–26:
You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me to glory. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

1. According to the Psalmist, can anyone take God away from him?
2. How do you think you could increase your desire for God?
3. In what ways is God way better than all the things we are tempted to covet?

Prayer
Our Father, thank you that you have given yourself to us. May you be our greatest desire in all the world. We know that our desires are often disordered and sinful. Forgive us when we fail and may your glory be that which consumes us. Thank you for the cross and the empty tomb. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

You Shall Not Covet (Part 4)

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““You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”” – Exodus 20:17

Q: What is the tenth commandment?
A: You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s wife, or anything that is his.

What does this mean?

Because we worship and love God, we shouldn’t desire to have the things that belong to other people, but instead we should help them protect what is theirs.

“I wish I was like her.” “I wish I could do what he does.” “I wish my house was like theirs.” “I wish my wife was like his wife.”

Do these statements sound like they come from someone who is at peace? They don’t, do they? They sound like they come from someone who is quite unsettled.

That is what coveting does. It makes us anxious and uneasy. It robs us of the peace that God want for his children because we are constantly looking outwards at all the things we want. A restful heart would say with ease, “God, I am so thankful for what you have given me. It is enough for me.”

In today’s culture, many of us are extremely busy due to envy and covetousness. We want something really bad so we work long hours so that we can earn the money to get it. The problem is that once we get it we find something else to covet and we continue to work to get that. See how this causes our life to be a never ending cycle of being too busy because we are envious and covetous?

This is not the peaceful and restful state that God loves to see in his children. Envy will makes us miserable in the end.

Read 1 Timothy 6:9-10:
But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.

1. What is it that ruins people?
2. How is the love of money closely related to covetousness?
3. What are some things that you are tempted to covet?

Prayer
Our Father, we want to peacefully rest in your provision for us. Banish from our hearts any love of money but rather, help us to be thankful for what we have. We don’t want to work ourselves to death in pursuit of that which does not satisfy. Only you satisfy. Forgive us because of Jesus when we fail. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

You Shall Not Covet (Part 3)

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“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”” – Exodus 20:17

Q: What is the tenth commandment?
A: You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s wife, or anything that is his.

What does this mean?

Because we worship and love God, we shouldn’t desire to have the things that belong to other people, but instead we should help them protect what is theirs.

Imagine going to a birthday party. It’s for your best friend and you tried to come up with a gift that they would really love. You thought and thought about it and finally decided on something really cool.

The day of the party arrives and you give this gift to you friend. They seem to appreciate it but very soon after opening it they say to you, “Thanks for the gift but I honestly deserved a better gift than this.”

How would that make you feel? Understandably, that would probably make you feel pretty bad and maybe a bit angry, right?

But what would be a good term for the attitude of the person who said that? The Bible calls that type of behavior “pride”. What it means is thinking so highly of yourself that you think you deserve more than what you have.

This is how we treat God when we covet. It’s a way of communicating that we think we deserve better than what he has given. Just like we would feel dishonored if our friend said those words to us, we dishonor God when we fixate on what others have instead of what God has graciously given.

Consider Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
1. What happens when we are prideful?
2. Are there ways you have been prideful by thinking that you deserve better than what you have?
3. How do you think we can fight pride together?

Prayer
Our Father, you have been so good to us. May we not think more highly of ourselves than we should. Help us to not think about ourselves at all but rather how good you are and how we can be loving towards our neighbors. Help us not to covet their things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

You Shall Not Covet (Part 2)

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“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”” – Exodus 20:17

Q: What is the tenth commandment?
A: You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s wife, or anything that is his.

What does this mean?

Because we worship and love God, we shouldn’t desire to have the things that belong to other people, but instead we should help them protect what is theirs.

Human beings love to compare things. How high can you jump? How fast can you run? How strong are you? These are things boys usually like to talk and argue about when they are little.

We love to compare. This is the heart of coveting or envy.

As we get older we might be tempted to compare other things. “They have such a good marriage!” “Wow, I can’t believe how much money she makes. It’s way more than me!” “She has such beautiful hair. I wish I had that.” “Look at his car! My car is rusty and falling apart.”

We love to compare. Why do you think God wouldn’t want to us to be consumed with comparison?

One of the reasons might be because he wants us to take our eyes off of things that are not eternal and fixate on that which is. Many of the things that other people have that we might be tempted to covet are things that will pass away with time. Beauty is fading, money never lasts, cars break down, and houses fall apart over time. But God wants us to be consumed with him because no one can take him away from us.

Read Luke 12:13–21:
Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.” ’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

1. Did the rich man have his heart set on things of this world or things that are eternal?
2. Can you relate to the rich man? Do you think he was envious?

Prayer
Our Father, may we stop constantly comparing the things that you have given us against the things you have given others. Help us to be content. May our vision of you be so grand that the things of this world pale in comparison. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

You Shall Not Covet (Part 1)

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“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s.”” – Exodus 20:17

Q: What is the tenth commandment?
A: You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, your neighbor’s wife, or anything that is his.

What does this mean?

Because we worship and love God, we shouldn’t desire to have the things that belong to other people, but instead we should help them protect what is theirs.

Have you ever wanted something really bad that was not yours? What was it?

This is what it means to covet. It means having a really strong desire for something that is not yours. Why do you think this would be a problem?

One of the reasons this is a problem is that is shows a heart that is unthankful for what you have received from God. God loves to give good gifts to his children and when we are more focused on what others have than on what we have it communicates to God that we think he is a bit stingy.

How would you feel if you gave someone a gift and right after you gave it to them they immediately started talking about how they wished they had a different gift that someone else had. That probably wouldn’t make you feel very good would it? It would show how unthankful they were wouldn’t it?

Let’s honor God in the way that we fixate on his blessings to us and not his blessings to others.

Consider James 1:17, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.”

1. Where do all good gifts come from?
2. What are some good and perfect gifts that you have received?
3. How could you thank God for these?

Prayer
Our Father, we want to honor you by recognizing that you have given all that we need. Help us with contentment and thankfulness. We deserved Hell and you gave your very life for us. May we be first and foremost thankful for this. Everything beyond that is a bonus! Incline our hearts to see things this way. We need your help. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

You Shall Not Steal (Part 5)

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“You shall not steal.” – Exodus 20:15

Q: What is the eighth commandment?
A: You shall not steal.

What does this mean?

Because we worship and love God, we shouldn’t take other people’s money or property and cheat them, but instead we should help them improve and protect what belongs to them.

Imagine a stress-free person relaxing on the beach and enjoying a cold drink while the warm ocean air lightly caresses their skin. Does that sound good? If there was one word to describe what the person might be feeling, what do you think it would be?

A word that might come to mind would be the word, “content”. To be content means to be peacefully happy. The Bible speaks about contentment in reference to our possessions and generosity. It says that contentment is something that we should pursue and that we should define contentment as God defines it, not as the world defines it.

God says that our greatest blessing will be found when we are content with the simple things in life that he has provided.

If we are not content in God and with what God has graciously provided to us, we might be tempted to try and find our contentment in other things, and if necessary, steal to obtain that which we think will help us feel content. God knows that will make us miserable in the end and so he calls us to be content with what we have.

Consider 1 Timothy 6:6 which says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain…”

1. What reason does Paul give for why godliness with contentment is great gain?
2. How could this verse help us battle a desire to steal?
3. Do you feel content with what you have right now? If not, what do you need to be content?

Prayer
Our Father, we want to be godly. You have promised that in godliness we will have great gain. May you incline our hearts to pursue gain as you define it and not as our sinful hearts are tempted to define it. Help our unbelief. We know that apart from you there is nothing good or of eternal value. We want to be content in you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

You Shall Not Steal (Part 4)

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“You shall not steal.” – Exodus 20:15

Q: What is the eighth commandment?
A: You shall not steal.

What does this mean?

Because we worship and love God, we shouldn’t take other people’s money or property and cheat them, but instead we should help them improve and protect what belongs to them.

What do you think is the opposite of stealing? If God wants us to stop doing something, wouldn’t you think he would want us to start doing something instead?

If stealing involves taking something that is not ours, wouldn’t it follow that the opposite of stealing would be giving something that is ours? What would you call that? The Bible calls that generosity.

Generosity is very important in God’s mind because it shows that we understand how he has been so generous with us. Can you think of anything more generous that giving not just your money but your very life for someone? That is what God did for us in Jesus. He gave his very life so that we didn’t have to bear the wrath of God for our sin. The debt was too much and we didn’t have any money. God took our debt upon himself and paid it in full.

This is the essence of generosity and generosity is the opposite of stealing. Our God loves generosity because he is a generous God.

Read Philippians 2:3–8:
Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

1. How does this text show us Jesus’ generosity?
2. Can you think of people in your life who have modeled this kind of generosity to you?
3. In what ways could you grow in generosity?

Prayer
Our Father, thank you so much that you have been so generous with us in Jesus. May we have his same mind and heart towards our neighbors and family. May stealing be the last inclination of our heart because you have done the opposite to us. You have given all that we need that is most important. Thank you so much. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

You Shall Not Steal (Part 3)

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“You shall not steal.” – Exodus 20:15

Q: What is the eighth commandment?
A: You shall not steal.

What does this mean?

Because we worship and love God, we shouldn’t take other people’s money or property and cheat them, but instead we should help them improve and protect what belongs to them.

Do you remember the first commandment of the 10 Commandments? It was that we should not have any other gods than the God of the Bible. He alone is the true God over all the universe and he will have no rivals.

Why do you think God chose to tell us this commandment first? It might be because he knows that we are prone to wander away from him and worship things other than him. He knows that our hearts are like little factories that make idols—idols that we want to bow down to. Can you think of what some of those idols might be in your life that you are tempted to worship?

Because we are all tempted to worship false gods, sometimes humans feel like they have to have these false gods. If you worship money and you don’t have any money you might be tempted to steal to get money. If money is our god, then we might feel completely worthless if we don’t have it. Who wants to feel worthless? So we do what it takes to get it. If it means stealing, we’ll steal.

In this way, for some, stealing is really a worship problem. We worship the wrong things and so if we can’t have them we hurt other people in order to get it.

But the great news is that God is always ready to give himself to us. He says that he loves to give his Holy Spirit to those who ask him (Luke 11:11-13). He is always near those who humbly trust him. In this way, the thing that we most need can never be taken away from us. This perspective helps us battle any desire to steal.

Read Romans 13:9–10:
For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

1. How do we fulfill the law?
2. Are there ways you have been unloving lately in how you relate to people?
3. Why is stealing unloving?

Prayer
Our Father, thank you that you are so loving to command us to worship you and you alone. You know that our hearts are prone to wander from you and to worship other things that are not God. Our hearts are restless until they rest in you. Draw us near to you as we draw near to you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.