Almsgiving or Investing…
Philanthropy at its best
Dr. Wayne Cordeiro
"The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also" (2 Timothy 2:2).
Making a difference in society, an impact in your community, being a benefit to your church will only happen when we invest in the strengths that God has already allotted to us. Call it a gift, a calling, a passion… but in either case, God deems as faithful those who strengthen their strengths. He Himself builds on islands of health and strength.
"Almsgiving" is mentioned and heralded in the Scriptures in assisting the unfortunate and under-resourced. This is a matter of grace, but not necessarily investment. To "invest" and to "alms-give" are two separate matters, and to make them synonymous will weaken God’s intention.
Favor VS Parity
God’s principles by which He operates are often foreign to fallen man. We expect God to operate on our timetables, by our principles, and according to our perspectives. However, to do so is another attempt to bring God down to a "god" in our image so we can understand Him more and have a better grasp on His ways.
We all have read the parable of the talents in Matthew 25. Three servants were entrusted with an unequal amount of talents, one, two and another five. Their assignment? To invest in what they were given in order to increase what they had. At the end of the project, two had increased what they had been given, but the servant with one had not. The final instruction caught my intrigue as it seems opposite to what we have been taught. Jesus said: "Take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents."
Jesus finds the ones who are doing well and increases their capacity. However, we have often been taught that the right way is parity, that everyone, regardless of their stewardship, should have a fair and equal amount of impartial benefit.
Jesus examples favor, not equality.
There’s an old theorem that states: "If your basic premise is inaccurate, then every subsequent conclusion you come to thereafter will be inaccurate."
If we see Jesus as a fickle parent, then we can, with enough whining, get Him to make sure every child has the same amount, regardless of their stewardship and faithfulness. For example, if one child is given a football, every child is entitled to one. Even though one child may show an inordinate propensity and talent for the game, it is deemed "unfair" should he get a football and the others are deprived. If all cannot have one, then nobody gets one.
However, Jesus works on the basis of potential, faithfulness to develop that potential, and thus, favor.
But doesn’t God promise His blessings to all!?
A PROMISE OR A COVENANT
In 1 Kings 9:4, we find this promise to Solomon:
"If you will walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and uprightness, doing according to all that I have commanded you and will keep My statutes and My ordinances, then I will establish the throne of your kingdom over Israel forever…"
What a wonderful promise! We can take this and use it as a promise we can stand on and hold God accountable to His word.
However, this statement can be easily mistaken. This is an "if" and "then" proposition which turns it from a promise into a covenant. We often miss the second half of this covenant that states as emphatically as the first:
"…But if you or your sons indeed turn away from following Me, and …go and serve other gods and worship them, then I will cut off Israel from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will cast out of My sight… Everyone who passes by will be astonished and hiss and say, ‘Why has the LORD done thus to this land and to this house?’ And they will say, ‘Because they forsook the LORD their God" (1 Kings 9:6-9).
Don’t mistake promises for covenants. God makes covenants with His people, and they are required to steward what God has entrusted to them. God invests in those who are developing their strengths. He does not invest in those who have chosen to bury their talents.
CHRISTIAN Philanthropy at its Best
Jesus commends almsgiving, but He encourages a philanthropy which invests in faithful men who will in turn teach others also. This kind of investing is what produces future results, unlike almsgiving which satisfies present needs. Investing in young, potential leaders is how we will grow our future.
"But charge Joshua and encourage him and strengthen him, for he shall go across at the head of this people, and he will give them as an inheritance the land which you will see" (Deut. 3:28).
Joshua had already shown signs of leadership and future potential. All he required was increased capacity and resources to release the potential already within him. Moses had invested in him, and now he is encouraging others to do the same, and the results of their investment is easily seen in Scripture and in church history.
PROPHETS, PRIESTS AND KINGS
In the Old Testament, the combination of these three roles was God’s design to bring about His purposes in history. Each would have his role and yet they were not independent of one another. It was the amalgamation of these three gifts whose synergy combined would produce eternal results, fashion armies and form nations.
A Prophet was one to whom God gave great vision. He was able to see the "lay of the land" and by God’s revelation, he could discern the potential of Israel’s future. He represented God to man. Elijah and Elisha were prophets as were Jeremiah and Isaiah.
The Priest represented man to God. He was the one involved in the daily events of people as a shepherd and counselor. His example showed people in everyday living how to solve problems God’s way and how they could live together under God’s principles.
The King was the one who administrated and influenced the society in areas of business and commerce. They influenced the procedures of business and trade and determined the economy of the land. The Kings were usually the most affluent and had commercial power at their disposal. Saul, David, and Solomon were kings of varying degrees of success.
There are some who functioned as both prophet and priest. Samuel in the Old Testament is one example, and Apostles or apostolic kinds of ministries in the New Testament are examples of this dual role. As the apostle Paul reflects, these ministries spawn other ministries that continue to reproduce healthy ongoing works.
In the New Testament, the combination of these gifts and roles remains as God’s best in reaching the nations with His Message of Good News. However, if uncombined, the results are far beneath God’s intention and purpose. In these last days, it behooves us to recognize these gifts and bring them in a partnership for the cause of Christ.
The New Testament "kings" are God-gifted businessmen whom He has graced with prosperity beyond what they themselves require. Through these faithful servants, God has entrusted financial resource for the advance of the Kingdom of God in these last days. Apostolic ministries and leaders hold the potential to reach the masses with the Gospel in innovative and significant ways. What they lack are the resources with which to do this in greater ways and with increased capacity. The blend of these gifts will bring lasting and trans-generational impact for years to come.
The "Joshuas" in concert with the "kings" bring about God’s plan of investment that will yield thirty, sixty, a hundred fold return. This is Christian philanthropy at its best.
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