Randy's Blog

I shared in a message on October 5, 2014, the importance of generosity in our lives. But there's so much more that could be said. So, below is a longer list of reasons why giving is good for us. See what you think...

The Apostle Paul: “I do want you to experience the blessing that issues from generosity.” (Philippians 4:17 Message)

1. Giving is good for us because it proves what is really important to us. That which you value most in life is that which you can never give away. It’s easy to give away stuff that doesn’t matter to us. But what happens when it is important to us.

Jack Benny, the comedian who always acted the part of a miser, told of the time he was held up. The robber stuck a gun to his back and said, “Your money or your life.” After a long pause the robber repeated his threat to which Benny replied, “I’m thinking, I’m thinking!”

Proverbs 3:9 (Message): “Honor GOD with everything you own; give him the first and the best.”

2. Giving is good for us because it demonstrates our obedience.

Malachi 3:10 (NLT): “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse…”

There are many other passages in the Old Testament that demonstrate that God expects us to give the tithe, a tenth of our income. And in the New Testament Jesus affirms it as the norm, though he really sets a higher standard. I could go on here, but the Scriptures are clear here. 3. Giving is good for us because it is an expression of thanks to God.

Psalm 116:12 (NLT): “What can I offer the LORD for all he has done for me?”

We have life, family, a place to live and places to work. We have talents and gifts. When we failed Him and turned from Him, He remained faithful to us. He sent us Son to teach us and love us and die for us. Through him we have forgiveness of our sins and eternal salvation. And we have the Holy Spirit at work in our lives, to remind us God is always with us and He is working in our lives to change us into the very image and likeness of Jesus himself. God has prepared an eternal home for each of us who believe Him and put our faith and trust in Him.

Frankly, you and I can’t outgive God and we can’t thank God enough. But, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try, and continue to do so on a regular basis. Through our worship, our prayers, our service, our gifts, and our witness we express our thanks to God. 4. Giving is good for us because it teaches us dependence on God.

How many of us ever do anything that depends on God in order for it to be a success? Many never do and wonder why they never experience God’s miracles.

But when Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt into the wilderness, they quickly discovered they could not survive without God’s help. There were way too many of them to survive on what they could find out there. But each morning they found enough manna—a bread-like substance—for that day. If they gathered more than they needed, it spoiled by the next day. The only exception was the day before the Sabbath, when they were allowed to collect two days worth of manna, since they were not to work on the Sabbath. In these cases, the manna never spoiled on the Sabbath. (Exodus 16)

What did the Hebrews learn from this—absolute dependence on God. And a few thousand years later, God wants nothing less from us. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he taught them to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11—part of the Lord’s Prayer) In other words, “Lord, give us what we need for today.” Yet, how many of us depend on God for what we need today?

When we give the tithe, it’s not necessarily easy. For some it becomes a real sacrifice, and we sometimes wonder, “How in the world will this work out.” And frankly, we often don’t know. But it is precisely at that point that God can really begin to work in our life. Because when we can’t do it ourselves, but we are attempting to do what God wants us to do, then we have to put it in His hands and trust Him. And it is amazing how it always seems to work out. In my own life in the mid to late 1980s, I attended seminary, while making only thirteen thousand dollars a year by working in a church part-time. But I tithed. And…I paid for my seminary education, which cost well over twenty thousand dollars, bought my first Macintosh computer, married Susan and bought her a small diamond ring, and paid for all our living expenses, without incurring any debt! I honestly don’t know how that happened, except that it was the hand of God leading us and providing for us.

When we give, when we tithe, we are placing ourselves at God’s mercy. We have to depend on Him, and it will mean that we may not always get what we want, but we will always have what we need. I promise you that God has given every one of us enough to tithe—depend on it! 5. Giving is good for us because it teaches us how to be content.

Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT): “Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”

Paul was content. Did he have lots of things—apparently not. In fact, he indicates there were times he went without. All of this from a man who probably had a very privileged upbringing, who was used to having everything he wanted.

People tend to think that having more money, more things, living in the right house, having the right job, etc. will make them happy. Happiness is just around the corner, and if we can just find the right thing, we’ll have it.  6. Giving is good for us because it is a way God blesses us and brings us His joy.
Scripture is full of promises here:

Malachi 3:10 (NLT): “'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,’ says the LORD of Heaven’s Armies, 'I will open the windows of heaven for you. I will pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!’”

Proverbs 3:9-10 (NLT): “Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.”

Jesus: “'Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.’” (Luke 6:38 NLT)

This doesn’t mean God necessarily blesses us financially when we give (as some like to promise). It means, simply, that we are blessed and filled with joy. Giving gives me some of the greatest joys of living. I can’t tell you how God will bless you in giving, but I guarantee He does.

One caution, however: if you are giving in order to receive, don’t expect blessings. God blesses giving done for the right reasons. There’s no guarantee you will be blessed when you give simply to receive. Your attitude is the key here. 7. Giving is good for us because it is a way we provide a living for pastors and staff God has called to ministry.

This is certainly a little awkward to talk about and I won’t spend much time here, but if I am going to be faithful to the Bible, I have to mention this. In the Old Testament, the Levites were the Hebrew tribe set apart by God to lead the spiritual affairs of the nation, not unlike pastors and church staff today.

The LORD said to Aaron, the first high priest, “'As for the tribe of Levi, your relatives, I will compensate them for their service in the Tabernacle. Instead of an allotment of land, I will give them the tithes from the entire land of Israel.’” (Numbers 18:21 NLT) 

However, those who serve as pastors and staff are not exempt from tithing.

Numbers 18:25-26 (NLT): “The LORD also told Moses, 'Give these instructions to the Levites: When you receive from the people of Israel the tithes I have assigned as your allotment, give a tenth of the tithes you receive—a tithe of the tithe—to the LORD as a sacred offering.’”

8. Giving is good for us because it provides the resources to share and spread the Gospel.

Paul thanked the Philippians for helping him when he needed it as he spread the Gospel (Philippians 4:14).

The church is the only institution that exists for the sake of its non-members. We aren’t a club, but a mission, and Jesus gave us our mission to make disciples. And as in giving, it is in the actual giving of ourselves in mission and ministry that we are blessed and fulfilled.

But, it takes financial resources to accomplish this, and in calling for the tithe, God provided the resources needed to share and spread the Gospel. Your gifts make ministry with our children possible, touching hundreds of children and youth in an ongoing basis regularly. Oswald Smith said, “It’s not how much of my money will I give to God, but how much of God’s money will I keep for myself.”

Today I'm continuing my postings on angels, related to a series we've been offering at Gateway on Heaven. I began yesterday with an overview of angels. Today I'll take a little deeper in the origin and nature of angels.

In Genesis chapter one's account of creation there is no mention of the creation of angels. We don’t know if angels were created before the universe or while it was being created, though there are some indications in scripture that it was probably before (Job 38:4-7). We can definitely affirm angels were created by God (Psalm 148:2-5, Colossians 1:16) for everything that exists was/is created by God. They were created as angels, not as people who went on to become angels. Interestingly, while angels and stars in the Old Testament are not the same, they are often used in parallel or are closely associated with one another. In Isaiah (14:12-15) and Revelation (9:1-2), as well as in Luke (10:18-19), there are allusions to angels, including Satan, where the word "star" is used.

Angels were created for God’s purposes. They primarily glorify Him and serve Him, doing His will in many matters (Hebrews 1:7). Angels were created good, for God said everything He created was good (Genesis 1:31).

Since angels are creatures (i.e., they are created by God) they can only be in one place at a time—they are not omnipresent, though they are immediately present. They are primarily spirit in nature and are subject to time (Daniel 10:10-14). Angels have greater power than human beings (2 Peter 2:11) and can even control some aspects of nature (Revelation 7:1, 16:8-9), but they are not omnipotent. They are sometimes taxed to accomplish their duties, such as the ongoing struggle with evil angels (Revelation 12:7). Yet, all angelic actions and power are due to God’s choice, His assignment. Angels are not all-knowing—omniscient. They do not know when Christ will return (Matthew 24:36) and are amazed and interested to learn more of the wonders of salvation (1 Peter 1:11-12). Angels are not perfectly holy, for some turned from God’s will and fell into the bondage of sin (Isaiah 14:12; Revelation 12:3-4).

Angels are intelligent and have emotions. Scripture shows them expressing joy at God’s creation (Job 38:7) and the salvation of a repentant sinner (Luke 15:10). Angels also have a will of their own. While they were created to do the will of God, many chose to go against His will and followed Lucifer, or Satan.

Scripture describes angels as “ministering spirits” (Hebrew 1:14) and therefore being spiritual beings, or without material, fleshy bodies. Yet, they cannot be in more than one place at a time. Scripture really gives no insight into what form their “bodies” do take. It appears that angels are without sex. From Matthew 22:28-30 we know that they do not reproduce and are not a race. They are generally referred to in the masculine sense in the Bible, but that may be more a limitation of human speech than anything else. When they do appear in the Bible they generally take on the form of a man (Genesis 18:2, 22). Angels are immortal, never ceasing to exist or dying (Luke 20:36).

Angels are normally invisible (Colossians 1:16). Yet, they do appear on occasion. The Bible gives many examples of angels appearing in dreams and visions. But, on occasion they also appear to our natural sight. Sometimes they are recognized as angels (Daniel 8:15-17; Matthew 28:1-7), and sometimes they are not recognized, at least not right away (Numbers 22:23, 31; Judges 6:11-12, 21-22, Hebrews 13:2).

Generally, when angels do appear to people, they appear as men. Abraham entertained three men in the plains of Mamre (Genesis 18:1-8). He did everything with them that you or I would do in the presence of another person, including talking and eating. But, they were angels. Mark and Luke describe the angels at the empty tomb in male terms (Mark 16:5; Luke 24:4). Only in Zechariah 5:9 do we see angels in the form of women.

Sometimes angels may appear similar to men, but have some strange or different aspect about them. In chapter 10 of Daniel an angel is described that resembles a man, but many other special attributes. The angel that appeared to the two Marys at the empty tomb frightened them because “His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow” (Matthew 28:3).

There are also examples of angels appearing as unusual living creatures, with Revelation describing one with many eyes, faces resembling a lion, a calf, a man and an eagle, and six wings.

When humans are confronted by angels their reactions vary. Mary became agitated when Gabriel announced the news of the Christ to her (Luke 1). Zacharias was afraid when the angel appeared to him in the temple (Luke 1:12), as were the shepherds who received the message of Christ’s birth while tending their flocks out in the fields (Luke 2:9). Yet, others, such as Joseph, seem to give no special reaction to the presence of an angel.

Most artwork depicts angels as having wings. Certainly the Bible shows that some angels have wings. Both seraphim (Isaiah 6) and cherubim (Ezekiel 1:5-8) are shown to have multiple wings. There are also references to angels “flying” (Daniel 9:21; Revelation 14:6-7). Yet, many angel passages say nothing of wings, and in those where angels take on human form there is certainly no mention of wings. The question of all angels having wings is really up in the air.

What about the spiritual state of angels? Well, we know they were created holy by God, but some chose to rebel against God. Scripture shows Satan to be the leader of the rebellion, which apparently began with evil thoughts of pride from unexplained origins led him to try to overthrow God (Isaiah 14:12-17). When Satan failed he took a great number of angels with him. From that point on there is no further mention of angels “changing sides.” It seems they became set in their spiritual states. Those who fell seem to have no option for redemption for Jesus says they are consigned to the lake of fire (Matthew 25:41). Since then, these two groups of angels have been at war, both on the spiritual plane, the world plane and the individual plane.

One other note about angel’s nature relates to a survey Gary Kinnaman did of people who claimed to have had angelic encounters. While this information is not directly from the Bible, it generally seems to be consistent with biblical norms. In his accounts of what seemed to be good angels, by tests that I will mention later, angels are “almost always very tall, usually around ten feet. They are bright, glowing white, often with a slight bluish tint. Their faces are indescribable, so their gender is unrecognizable. They are usually dressed in a full-length robe and frequently girded with a belt or sash of gold.” (Angels Dark and Light, p. 52) Unless they appear as humans, their appearance often seems transparent. Their appearance always seems to be very brief. Communication with angels is usually in terms of speech as we know it, but virtually always some form of direct communication. In most reports the angels do not have wings. When we look at the Bible we notice many of the same general features. By that I don’t mean the details, but rather that descriptions of angels in the Bible, when they are not appearing as humans, are vague. The emphasis is never on the angel’s appearance, but on the angel’s message. For example, when Gabriel appears to Zechariah and later Mary in Luke 1, his appearance is completely left out. Nothing is mentioned, which would seem to indicate the message clouded out the messenger.

A couple of years ago our family was vacationing down on the western part of Galveston Island. There's a house down there that we've stayed at before (though not since Ike). One of the things I did down there was some grilling on a portable bar-b-q grille.


It was a little breezier than usual one evening as I was preparing to start up the grille. I set the charcoal in a pile and tried lighting it, but it was hard because of the wind. I finally got it started and stepped away to bring some things from the kitchen. When I got back most of the charcoal bricks were burning, but a handful had rolled off the pile and they were still dark. I got some tongs and put them into the flames, and they soon lit up like the rest of the coals.


As I watched those coals begin to heat up, I realized God was showing me a metaphor of why small groups in our church - any church - are important. Together, in a group, we can do more and accomplish what we're there for, but by ourselves we cool off and don't provide much heat or light. 


As I write this we're getting ready to take my daughter to TCU as she begins her freshman year there. One of my big hopes for her is to find a group of peers, of friends, that she can live life with, who have similar values and interests as she does. I know if she finds the right group it will make a huge difference in her college and life experience.


The truth is, all of us need smaller groups of 5-15 folks, where we are known, where we can let down our hair, where we can be real, where we can ask questions, where we can help others, etc. In our worship services of 500-800 it's easy to remain anonymous, and that can be a good thing as someone is checking out our church. They don't feel pushed, and they can take it at their own pace. But surveys have shown over and over that if a person doesn't connect with some small group of people, there's a 70-80% chance they will become inactive within a year. We were created for community, for being together, for doing life together. Whether an introvert or extrovert, we all have some level of need in this area.


God created us to go through life together. In Genesis, after creating the man, God knew He wasn't finished: "Then the LORD God said, 'It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.'" (Genesis 2:18 NLT2 - italics added) This passage is about more than marriage between a man and a woman - it shows that God created us for community, to be with others and help others: "The way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part…" (1 Corinthians 12:25 Message) 


In smaller groups we know what's going on each others' lives and can help: "Share each others burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2 NLT2) Life in smaller groups is also a way God has provided for us to help each other grow in our faith: "I want us to help each other with the faith we have. Your faith will help me, and my faith will help you." (Romans 1:12 NCV)


The bottom line is that small groups are one of the primary places where we live and receive love. God is love, and love describes the motivation behind everything Jesus did. And love is the goal for Christ followers. Certainly a family is a small group, where love is the basis for the relationships, but the same is true for small groups in churches. We call them Life Groups here at Gateway, but we also have small groups in our Celebrate Recovery ministry, our Women's ministry, and even in our children's and student areas.


Here at Gateway we lift up what we call the GUIDE. It's an acronym that both describes what "a fully devoted follower of Christ" looks like, and it lists biblical practices and disciplines that guide us in our spiritual journey (read more about the GUIDE in my May Update). The "I" in GUIDE stands for "Involved in Biblical Community," because we know it is absolutely essential for anyone who wants to follow Christ. From Jesus' beginning in ministry he had twelve others alongside him, and if he lived this way, it says a lot about what each of us needs.


Biblical community comes as we try to live out the love of Christ with others. It happens in Life Groups and Celebrate Recovery. We have an event coming up in September called Group Connection on Sunday, September 19 at noon. Last year we placed over one hundred folks in small groups through this event. If you aren't in a Life Group, you can sign up this Sunday at the Ministry Booth or by contacting the church office. Yet, it's important to realize that biblical community is also available through our serving teams. When we serve alongside others, we experience community with those folks, too. 


What I want to do is encourage you to be intentional in your biblical community. Find a place(s) to experience it, and then help others do the same. We all need it, and the cool thing is that we can all give it.