So here we are on week four already of our series Unwrapping Our gifts from God. And last week, we started unwrapping the spiritual gifts individually. And as we continue to do this, we continue to go along this path, it's always beneficial to ensure that we're remembering we talked about before we move on to the next subject, right? So it's good to remember what we talked about last week as we move into this week and so on. So let's Let's just have a bit of review because some people may not have been here last week, and some people may not remember last week. So it was a long time ago. So who was our prophet pick last week? Who was the person in the Bible that we looked at for the characteristics for the gift prophecy? If you think about prophet pick, Peter. Do you remember what cessationists believe? So they believe that certain spiritual gifts, particularly the miraculous ones, ceased after the apostolic age. Very good. And what about continuationism? It was the opposite of cessationism. So do you remember what they believe? Because then I went on to say that I landed in this one, and that's how we were moving forward.
So they would say that there's no biblical reason to believe that the gifts have stopped. So is prophecy always predictive? Is it prophecy always about predicting the future? No. No. Well done. And then can you name one characteristic of someone with this gift, with the gift of prophecy? Can you name one characteristic that they might have? Some people are raising hands. They're persuasive, in a sense. Why are they persuasive, though? Yes. So they speak truth, they seek truth, right? And when they know it's truth, they speak it boldly. Was that where you were going to- Yeah, you called it, you don't want to be. There's always one that remembers the little aside that I Well, yes, we would be... I don't think it would function too well. And as I say, God knows what he's doing, so that's why we don't have a church full of prophets. Okay, so the spiritual gift that we're unwrapping today is, drum Roll, please. Thank you, Pat. The gift of giving. So just to clarify, although there is a spiritual gift of giving, we are all all expected to give, regardless of whether it's our gift or not.
We give because it's one of the ways in which we worship God, right? And we give because we're thankful for all that God has given us. We give because we're grateful for all that God has done and that he continues to do and that he will do. And we give because we're called to do so. So in no way are we ever just supposed to stand back and say, not my gift. I don't need to give. Okay? We are all to give of our time and our love and our energy, our talents, and our gifts. However, those who have the spiritual gift of giving are in a category of their own when it comes to giving. So I'm going to give you an example of someone I know with the gift of giving and how I've experienced that over the years. And so I hope it will help illustrate the characteristics of a gifted giver. So one church I served, there was a woman who, when I first met her, I thought her three gifts... Yes, I actually do think these things out when I meet people. I thought her top three gifts would have been hospitality, leadership, and teaching.
She would often demonstrate hospitality because she was always inviting me over for dinner. This was when I was making a very long commute each way to the church, and so she would often invite me over for dinner if she knew the kids were away. And she was and is an amazing cook, but she didn't always feel the need that she had to make this great fancy dinner. In fact, the best and most memorable evenings spent at her house for dinner were usually the clean out the fridge nights. And so dinner consisted of the leftovers from the week. And so you'd get a little bit of this and a little bit of that. You'd have some spaghetti with meat sauce, but then there'd be a spicy veggies curry, there'd be a carrot and raisin salad, like a potluck experience except that you were getting the last bits of everything instead of the first. It was still delicious, though. Then when it came to dessert, I still remember her going to the fridge and looking saying, You want dessert? We've got one donut, or there was two date squares or something that I could have, or this is the memorable one.
There's one container left of Greek key lime yoghurt, and it's only two weeks past its due date. I still laugh every time I see Greek key lime yoghurt. She's like, They're just guidelines anyway. So this woman has also served as a deacon. She was very much a visionary, but she also exhibited organisational skills when it came to details. She led Bible studies, she taught Sunday school, and she was also a youth leader. And I never heard her say that she was too busy to help. She never said that she had too many other commitments and couldn't serve a new ministry. In fact, she always says, We make time for what is important to us. She also never wanted to squash someone else's desire to serve those. So she would often come to me in private and say, Just keep me in your back pocket, which means if I couldn't find anybody, I could call on her. And we always had this running joke because she was really small. So I always say she could fit into my back pocket. All in all, she's a very gifted person, and she's a tremendous asset to her local church.
However, one of her top spiritual gifts is the one that tends to go unnoticed. And it took my getting to know her really well and understanding her lifestyle and understanding her heart better before I figured out that giving was actually one of her top three spiritual gifts. You see, whenever there's a need for support of a Ministry of the Church, she is always first to give. And not just of her time and energy, which obviously is hugely helpful, but also in a way that no one would have knowledge or at least no one except maybe the treasure, because she always gives financially. So not just with her regular offering, which I should point is over and above what most would give, but she also gives to support particular needs of the church, whether it's a new ministry starting up or a person who has need of some extra help with necessities because of an unforeseen circumstance, or maybe it's the youth group needing money for a trip or an event, this woman is always first in line to give. But it always is done anonymously, and she never, ever talks about it. It took me years of knowing her and being involved in leadership with her before I realised that she was doing this.
It's not that she's independently wealthy. She and her husband both work, and she would say that they have been blessed with resources, but it's in fact, actually how she manages those resources that enable her to give as she is led. So she doesn't spend money frivolously. In fact, she'll often talk herself out of purchases or trips by telling herself she doesn't really need it, and the money would be better spent by giving it to someone in need or to a ministry. She also invests wisely, looking at it as good stewardship of what the Lord has blessed her with being able to earn. Although she's planned for the future with her investing, she's not crossed the line and stopped trusting God for her needs. As I say, she looks at it as stewardship, and the benefits are to be used towards supporting ministries and helping those in need. She also encourages others to give generously, too, and not in the way of guilt-tripping people or shaming people. She simply points out what a wonderful opportunity there is to give, and she sets the example herself. So it always comes across as authentically joyful in her attitude of giving.
And again, I'm not just talking financially. Now, perhaps when you finished your spiritual gifts test, you found that you have giving as one of your top three gifts. According to our tree, there's a lot of people that have giving as one of their Top three gifts. And if this surprised you, it could be because you're not sure what it means to have this. You might be thinking, I don't have that much money. I can't give huge amounts to ministry, so why would I score high on this one? Slide, please, Alex. But you see, it's not about the amount. It's about the heart. It's about being eager and willing to put our money and our resources into where Jesus is leading us. Next slide. The first time we see giving and generosity being referred to as a spiritual gift is in Romans 12: 8, which refers to this gift by saying, If you have the grace gift of giving to meet the needs of others, then may you prosper in your generosity without any fanfare. And that's the passion translation, in case you're wondering. So who might we think in the Bible? I gave you an actual example of someone I know, but if you look at the Bible, try and think, you don't have to say it out loud, but think of someone you might think that would be considered a gifted giver.
And so as we're thinking about that, let's just clarify what the definition of the gift of giving is and the characteristics or the attributes of a person who has the spiritual gift of giving. So the gift of giving is the ability to manage money and other resources for the glory of God. Although all believers are to give and to give cheerfully, generously, and sacrificially, those with the gift of giving live to give. Next slide. Those with the gift of giving can look for the best ways to put money and talents to work. Giving is about faithfulness, desire, and the ability to manage God's resources of money and talent as much as it is about donating money to the church. Those with this gift take great joy in giving for the purposes of supporting ministry. Next slide. Gifted givers will often go without in their own life in order that they have more to give to the church, and they will always find a way to give to support a ministry. And if they can't give it themselves or they don't have enough, they will encourage others to give. Next slide. These givers don't take risks when investing, but rather they choose to invest wisely in secure investments.
They are thankful for all that God has given them and grateful when they can use it or use what they have to give for ministry or to meet a need. Next slide. And gifted givers are often inspirational role models for others, demonstrating what it means to be generous. They are people who have a better understanding of giving than the rest of us. Not only does generosity come more naturally to them, they also know when to give, where to give, and how much to give. So now back to the earlier question, who in the Bible would you think of when you think of a gifted giver? So I'm going to use the Good Samaritan. Okay, everybody agreed? So what does he do? The story The way is told in Luke 10: 29-37, where Jesus tells this story. There was once a Jewish man travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho when bandits robbed him along the way. They beat him severely stripped him naked and left him half dead. Soon, a Jewish priest walking down the same road came upon the wounded man. Seeing him from a distance, the priest crossed to the other side of the road and walked right past him, not turning to help him one bit.
Later, a religious man, a Levite, came walking down the same road and likewise crossed to the other side to pass by the wounded man without stopping to help him. Finally, another man, a Samaritan, came upon the bleeding man and was moved with tender compassion for him. He stooped down and gave him first aid, pouring olive oil on his wounds, disinfecting them with wine, and bandaging them to stop the bleeding. Lifting him up, he placed him on his own donkey and brought him to an inn. Then he took him from his donkey and carried him to a room for the night. The next morning, he took his own money from his wallet and gave it to the innkeeper with these words, 'Take care of him until I come back from my journey. If it costs more than this, I will repay you when I return. ' So looking at the story from the perspective of spiritual gifts, we find that the Meryton was generous with his money, with his time, and with his resources. But he also exhibits the characteristics of a gifted giver because he not only gives, but he knows exactly how to use his resources in a way that best helps the poor guy who's been beaten.
So another example that we see in scripture of a gifted giver is Joanna. So we're going to look at Luke 8: 1-3. After this, Jesus travelled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases. Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had come out, Joanna, the wife of Cusa, the manager of Herod's household, Susanna, and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means. Now, Joanna is only mentioned in Luke's gospel, at least by name, and there's not really a lot written about her, but what there is tells us quite a lot. So we just heard that she's the wife of a man named Cusa, and that he was the manager or steward of Herod's household. We also know that she was travelling from town to town, village to village, with Jesus and his twelve male disciples and some women, three of whom are named, including Joanna. I'm not sure if those facts have made you wonder about Joanna before, but we We have here a married woman who is travelling around with a bunch of men she's not related to.
So just think about what that meant for a woman back then. At that time, it would have been considered very inappropriate behaviour for any woman at best. All sorts of sordid accusations would have certainly been made. And then there is her husband, Cusah, and he was a very important official of King Herod. So this is the Herod that is the son of King Herod who wanted to kill the baby Jesus. And he's the king who would be in power when Jesus was crucified. So since Cusah was Herod's top official, I can't imagine that it would have been very easy for Joanna to go off and follow Jesus, which goes to show how important Jesus was to her. Now, Jesus broke with Jewish tradition and the social divisions of the day when he welcomed women into his circle. But it's It's likely that Joanna would have had to step down from her upper class social position when she chose to follow Jesus and associate with his disciples. Now, some sources believe her husband had died by the time that she followed Jesus, but we don't know for sure. We do know that Joanna was healed by Jesus, which is what led her to follow him.
If her husband was still alive, then she probably knew the consequences going against him to follow Jesus. But her love for the Lord was stronger than her fear of the repercussions. If she was widowed, she still risked her reputation and being ostracised from her family by leaving all she knew to go with Jesus. Her love of the Lord gave her the strength and the courage to travel with, to serve, to learn from and financially support Jesus and his ministry. So this support could have included supplying food, clothing, and other essentials that were needed while travelling from one town and village to another, sharing the gospel. Joanna was a loyal and generous follower of Christ. And unlike most of Jesus's followers, she had come from a life of wealth and privilege, thanks to her husband's position in Herod's household. But she willingly gave up that life for Jesus. So it's possible that Joanna's unique position may have opened doors for ministry that may otherwise have not been considered by the other disciples. And some scholars believe that Joanna may have been a key source of much of the detailed information that Luke includes in his writings about the life of Jesus.
So thinking back to our characteristics of someone that has the characteristics of someone that has the spiritual gift of giving, would you agree that Joanna demonstrated the characteristics of a gifted giver. Because while we don't know the details of all that transpired, it would seem that she was able to manage the money for the purposes of ministry and for the glory of God. She certainly looked for the best ways to her money to work because she invested in Jesus and in his ministry. And it would appear that it gave her joy because she kept doing it. She kept following him. She kept supporting him financially, but also by giving of her time and love, by staying with Jesus all the way to the cross and being one of the first to see the empty tomb. She went without by giving up her position of wealth and privilege to serve and follow Jesus. And she used her money for the good of the ministry instead of her own personal gain or needs. So it would appear that Joanna was thankful for all that God had given her. And in gratitude, she used what she had to give for ministry and to meet the needs of the group of followers.
So if we check back on our list of characteristics of gifted givers, we see that they are often inspirational role models, right? We talked about that. They inspire others, demonstrating what it means to be generous. Well, Joanna is still inspiring us today. So I'd that she checks that box, too. Now, obviously, having gifted givers in the local church community is a blessing. However, there are some ways in which we need to come alongside people with this gift in order that they stay spiritually healthy. Slide, please, Alex. It can be easy for people with this gift to place so much importance on material things that they ignore the spiritual side of their lives. And we need to encourage them in their prayer lives, help them to maintain a balance of the material and spiritual by continuing to spend time in the study of God's word and to be intentional in seeking to be in the presence of God in order to listen and meditate on the Lord's leading. Another pitfall we need to help gifted givers to avoid is trying to control how their giving is used. Gifts are to be just that. Gifts which have no strings attached, not methods by which to keep control over ministries or people.
And it can be difficult to trust others, but that is exactly what we must encourage givers to do, to release their gifts to the work of God and to trust others to steward the gifts wisely. We also need to encourage gives not to pressure, guilt, or shame others into giving as generously as they do. We must also remind these givers not to forget their own families in their zeal to give to the church and to invest in ministries, because sometimes people with this gift can end up overlooking even the legitimate needs of their own spouses and children. So we must encourage givers to always be thankful for what they themselves receive from us. And often because their focus is on what they can give, they dismiss or ignore what they are given. Givers need to acknowledge the gifts that they receive from others and be thankful for them. Slide. So where do you People think believers with this gift would best serve the church. Everybody's staying quiet. People with this gift of giving need to be placed in positions where money is given, money is raised, and money is distributed. Those gifted need to be allowed to take both responsibility and authority for the finances of the community of faith.
Slide. These are not the same people who want to make budget cuts in the Ministry of the Church for the sake of the bottom line. That is not what gifted givers want to do. These are the people who will encourage the body to find ways to give more to support ministries or who will have ideas for fundraising of how to raise funds, and will always want to support ministry and see it grow and to see it flourish. They will see the church facility as just that, the means in which ministry can be conducted, but not as a means of focus in and itself. And they will wisely the finances of the church so that God's work can be done in God's way. So I open this message with a description of someone I know who has the gift of giving in order that I could encourage you to know that the gift did not end with the New Testament, that there are indeed people in churches today with this gift. So even in time It comes like these, when so many are feeling the pinch of financial uncertainty, rising costs, there are still those who give beyond measure.
I remember being at a church quite a long time ago now during a business meeting, and the discussion turned to the fact that the church was operating in a desit. And then the treasurer stood up and announced that the deficit was gone, that someone had given enough to cover it entirely. Of course, someone in the room asked who gave it, because it wasn't just a small shortfall, it was a sizable amount. And the treasurer replied, I honestly don't know. It was given anonymously. And that's when the pastor stood and said, I know who it was. It was God. And he was absolutely right, because that's how this gift works. The gift of giving comes from the Holy spirit and is placed in the heart of a believer for the good of the church. In that moment, the person who had been gifted by spirit also listened to the spirit's prompting and used that gift to bless the church and to bring glory to God. So no matter how gifted someone might be, There's no way that we can ever out give God. Jesus gave everything for us, his life. And there's no amount of money or generosity that could ever compare to what he did to save us.
He's our example of what true giving looks like, giving willingly, generously, sacrificially, and without any need for recognition or applause. Jesus gave us all for the good of others and for the glory of the Father. And that's the heart of those who are gifted in giving. They serve the Kingdom of God by using what he has entrusted to them to bless others and to make sure the church is doing God's work in God's way for God's glory. Let's pray. Lord God, you are so generous to us. Everything that we have, our time, our talents, our resources, everything we have comes from you. And we thank you for trusting us to use those gifts to bless others. God, would you help us to see giving the way that you do? Not as something that we have to do, but as something we get to do. A chance to show your love in real practical ways. God, teach us to give with joy, to notice the needs that are around us, and to trust that you'll always provide what we need. We pray for those who have the special gift of giving, that you'd fill them with wisdom and compassion, and most of all, courage to keep pouring out generously.
And for all of us, God, help us to hold on to what we have with open hands so that through our giving, others might see your heart. We thank you for being the greatest giver of all. We love you, and we want our lives to reflect your generosity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
