There are times due to distance or convenience that a gift can be given to a faithful man to deliver to another in our behalf. But the man must be faithful and the gift designated for a specific stated purpose. The churches did this to assist the poor brethren in Jerusalem, sending it by the hand of the apostle Paul.
Acts 11:29,30: “The disciples, each according to his ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.”
A faithful servant of God may also be entrusted to deliver your gift to a gospel worker in a distant place. Phil.4:18: “But I have received everything in full, and have an abundance; I am amply supplied, having received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent.”
But note it well. He received everything in full. Funds were not diverted for another purpose other than the reason they were given.
The messenger must be faithful with what has been entrusted to him. And the believer must know that his gift is actually being used for a God-honoring purpose.
We are not to entrust the Lord’s money into the hands of just anyone to be used for things we do not know about. To do so is wasteful, foolish, and disobedient on our part and of the one we have trusted when it is diverted for other purposes.
This is an evil which must not be done. Rather we should do as was done by the responsible and honorable Paul as he says in 2 Cor.8:18-21:
“We are sending along with him the brother who is praised by all the churches for his service to the gospel. What is more, he was chosen by the churches to accompany us as we carry the offering, which we administer in order to honor the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help.
“We want to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this liberal gift. For we are taking pains to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.”
As was the case with this gift for the needy brethren in Jerusalem, the only collections taken in the NT church were for specific designated purposes. Weekly “offerings” at church meetings were not a NT practice. The only time a group collection was mentioned was for the relief of the believers affected by famine.
1 Cor.16:1-3 says: “Now about the collection for God’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that no collections be made when I come. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.”
From this passage, the modern church has established its own “law” of offerings by taking up collections at their meetings. But these verses clearly instruct God’s people not to blindly put money into a collection plate. Rather, they are to save their own money at home for the specific purpose of helping the poor and unfortunate.
If anything, this tells us that no collections should be taken at all unless they are for the express purpose of helping the poor and supporting gospel work. It shows that the believers must be agreed on the specific use of money collectively entrusted to another. It informs us that Christian giving is to be a voluntary individual matter motivated by love, not by man-made laws and procedures.
Love fills the heart of a man with goodwill to relieve the sufferings of men, both in this life and in the next. It gives willingly to help both the body and soul of fellow men. Law can only threaten, intimidate, or obligate the one whose heart is lacking love.
The love that gives hears no threats and is not subject to man-made regulations. It gives freely to bless others physically and spiritually apart from any law. 2 Cor.9:7: “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Love has as its focus the good of others. Lust is intent only in satisfying its own unholy desires. Love wishes to give. Lust wants to gain. 1 Tim.6:5: “Men of corrupt mind…think that godliness is a means to financial gain.”
Giving in the church has often become little more than a lustful affair to get something for self. We have turned giving into a commercial enterprise to generate funds for our own ends.
Ministers threaten congregations to tithe and give repeatedly so that money will continue to come into their own pockets. Congregations do so many times expecting that God will give them much more than they have “invested.”
The church has once again become a “house of merchandise” -Jn.2:16. This shameless use of religion to gain for one’s self is hated still by the Lord Jesus. He overturned their money tables then and drove them out of His Father’s house. He will do the same today.
Giving has become, not a means of blessing to others, but a greedy way to enrich one’s self. Praise to Jesus is upon our lips, but we really only lust after His benefits while trying to use Him to get what we want [Jn.6:25-27].
There are many who “peddle the Word of God for profit” -2 Cor.2:17. The things of God are employed in order to get wealth and prosperity in earthly things. It is no different than Balaam “who loved the wages of unrighteousness” -2 Pet.2:15.
Though he knew that the Word of God opposed his desperate lust for riches, he continued to seek gain for himself. He wanted by all means to find a way to get Balak’s promised reward by “using” God to obtain it. Thus he was for hire and prophesied for a price.
The Scriptures speak about Balaam’s way [2 Pet.2:15], his error [Jude 11], and his doctrine [Rev.2:14]. These give us sober warnings about following in his footsteps.
The way of Balaam is that motivating greed for self-enrichment. Love of money filled his heart. He cared nothing for the Lord or the Israel of God.
That God would judge fornicating Moabite women and Balak himself did not disturb him in the least. Money was his one concern.
His error was imagining that God can be manipulated by repeated religious activities. He thought that if God did not approve of his prophetic ravings today, He may yet be persuaded tomorrow.
“Noise and religious acrobatics ought to eventually gain my own desires,” was the warped error of his thinking. Balaam believed that God could be convinced to adjust His Word to grant his own. It is error indeed.
He taught Balak and all men thereafter the doctrine which bears his name. The doctrine of Balaam is that truth can be compromised to get what I want. His message is that the end justifies the means.
“As long as my purpose is achieved, it does not matter how it is accomplished,” was his deluded teaching. Truly, a doctrine of demons “whose condemnation is just” -Rom.3:8.
Balaam has millions of disciples faithfully following in his way. Of this modern church it truthfully is said in Jude 11: “they have rushed for profit into Balaam’s error.” This is a lustful use of religion to gain for Self. It is not the love that gives.
Copyright Steve Phillips 20202