Now from Miletus [Paul] sent to Ephesus and
called the elders of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he
said to them: ‘You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from
the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with
tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews…
Therefore I testify to you this day that I
am innocent of the blood of all of you, for I did not shrink from declaring to
you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all
the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the
church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my
departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from
among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the
disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I
did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears.
And now I commend you to God and to the
word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the
inheritance among all those who are sanctified. I coveted no one's silver or
gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my
necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that
by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the
Lord Jesus, how he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive”.’
Act 20:17-35
It is
more blessed to give than to receive! That is one of the absolutes of Jesus’
ministry but, a truth easily lost sight of when struggling to make ends meet in
God’s service.
Over
100 years ago, G Campbell Morgan preached a sermon called, ‘The Grace of Giving
a Million Shillings’, in which he referred to an event at a conference a few
years before. The head of a major mission organisation was asked, ‘How shall we
raise money for foreign missions?’ He immediately replied, ‘Don’t raise it,
give it!’ Dr Morgan observed, ‘If funds are lacking to carry on the work of God
is far distant places on the earth, it is because the Church has become so busy
raising money that she has ceased to give it’.
When St
Paul said farewell to the Church elders from Ephesus, he reminded them that he had
coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. On the contrary, ‘In all things I
have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and
remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, “It is more blessed
to give than to receive".’ About 1,000 years previously, Samuel said
something similar when he (in effect) stood down as Israel’s last judge, to
make way for Saul to be the first king. Samuel reminded the people that he had
not taken anyone’s ox or donkey, had not defrauded or oppressed anyone and had
not taken bribes. (The account is in 1 Samuel 12.)
It was
important to Samuel and Paul that there was no misunderstanding as to their
motive for service. Whatever criticisms may have been levelled at them, they
could not be accused of being in it for the money! Rather than serve in
expectation of financial recompense, they simply got on with the task God had
called them to. As I have mentioned before in these Reflections, while I
believe that God will not call a person, church or organisation to some special
work without providing the necessary resources, too often the provision of
funding is seen to be a necessary validation of the call – even to the extent
that no step of faith is taken before the money is safely banked!
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Copyright © All Souls Clubhouse Community Centre & Church and Philip Evans
2013.
Scripture
quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright
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