Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus. The founder and perfecter of our faith. If we recognize God's laws of stewardship, we can be freed from the downside of having money. When we're no longer owners, but rather caretakers of financial resources, the whole picture changes. And this picture can be clearly seen in Acts chapter 4.
Stay with us. From the Moody Church in Chicago, this is Running to Win with Dr. Erwin Lutzer, whose clear teaching helps us make it across the finish line. Pastor Lutzer, some preachers claim that when you give them money, God will give you more. Is this the teaching in Acts chapter 4 as we learn more about when God is first?
Dave, that's not the teaching in the book of Acts nor any other book of the New Testament. the idea that I'm going to give to get. Is really manufactured by human beings who want to raise money for their own ministries, but to do so in a fraudulent way. I could tell story after story. of where this leads.
When you and I give, it's an expression of our love. God may indeed bless us abundantly, even financially, but that's His call. We don't give with a wrong motive. We give because we love. and then God takes it from there.
We here at the ministry of running to win are deeply committed to getting the gospel of Jesus Christ around the world. And you know someone who had that burden was Dr. George Sweeting, who at one time was pastor at the Moody Church and then became President of Moody Bible Institute. He is in heaven today. but he has written a book entitled How to Begin the Christian Life.
Now speaking about giving, You might be thinking about a book that you would like to be able to give to someone who isn't a Christian or somebody who is a new Christian. This would be a great gift for them. and we're making it available for you. Here's what you do. Go to rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888.
218. 9337. Nothing should give us more joy than explaining the gospel to people and next to that is to be able to invest in ministries that do just that.
Now let us listen carefully. to God's word. Yeah. And so, what they did, though, is they took this money and they put it at the apostles' feet. What does that tell you?
It tells you that they very much trusted these apostles to do what was right. They knew that the money was going to be dispensed with integrity. And could I say it is important in our giving that we give to a ministry that does have integrity? Once again, this week, just for a few moments, I was watching a television evangelist.
Now, this isn't true of all of them. There's something about me that if I'm surfing, I can't seem to get past these folks and tune in for just a moment. But as I was listening to him, I thought, is there anyone on planet Earth who actually cannot see through this man? and his greed and his deceptions. I'm amazed at where some of God's people put their money.
And indeed, it is important that we have a sense of integrity and knowing what we are giving the money for. and knowing that it's going to be properly taken care of. I hope I don't need to say this. But here at the Moody Church, integrity with our finance committee. Where everything is accounted for, not just to one person, but a committee, and then a larger executive committee.
Is actually fundamental to who we are because we need to be able to say, God, these are not our funds to be just distributed according to our own whims or for our own benefits. These funds belong to you, they have been given by God's people, and because they are God's, what we do with that money is much more important than what we do with the money that we hold back. Because this is God's. And so there was this commitment to proper distribution, the belief that my gifts and my commitment is going to go where it is. It ought to go.
And the responsibility that there is involved. And could I throw in a parenthesis here? When you're thinking of giving, If you give, and you have a home church, and for most of you, that of course is this one, you give first and foremost to the ministry where you are fed and blessed and where you are involved. From time to time, I see people who say, Well, you know, we support missionaries.
Well, that's good. My wife and I support a number of missionaries. in independent mission boards that have nothing to do with Moody Church. But our primary giving is here, folks. And you've heard me say it before, but I need to say it again.
When I eat at O'Brien's, I don't pay the bill at Mitchell's. All right. And if we are saying that this is where God has led us. Then it is our responsibility to support this work where we are being fed, as the Apostle Paul argues later in 2 Corinthians, because this is where we are fed and blessed. And we give in an atmosphere of people whom we know.
and people. whom we trust.
So that's the fourth. The law of proper distribution. And in a message like this, I'll take any amen that comes in this direction. All right? The fourth is the law of unexpected blessings.
The law of unexpected blessings. The Bible says great grace was upon all of them. The favor of God rested upon the church. And we'll see that the great fear of God, there's a verse in chapter 9, I believe it is in Acts. I'm reading through the book of Acts and meditating my way all the way through the book, even though the messages are just on the first chapters.
But it says this: it says that the church multiplied. What a text. I don't think I'd seen it before. It says that the church multiplied in the fear of God and the comfort of the Holy Spirit.
So there was on the one hand the fear of God, and next week we'll find out why there was the fear of God in that church. But it multiplied in the fear of God and the comfort of the Holy Spirit and great blessing. was upon them all. I quoted the text earlier where Paul says in Corinthians, he says, if you give, you will receive a harvest of righteousness. You say, well, can I give my way to prosperity?
As one book said, no, that's the wrong motivation. If you say to yourself, God, I'm going to give you a dollar and I expect 10 next week back. You're not going to get it, I don't think. Because it's not a money-making deal. It's not some new scheme by which we can become rich, like some teleevangelists say.
No. But we give, and God does prosper, and God does bless in unexpected ways. Maybe during the next weeks, we'll tell you some stories like that of people who can say, Yes, when I became generous with God, this is what God did with me. But that's not really the ultimate motivation at all. The motivation is the recognition that God is birthing in us that which comes to our account, as it says in the book of Philippians, the good that it does for us.
in our generous giving. to God and to His work. We're blessed in this life. And most assuredly, we are blessed in the life to come. You know, the scripture says that what we should do is to give to God's work so that there will be people in heaven who will welcome us into eternal habitations.
A few years ago, I preached on that passage. Remarkable passage.
So I take it this way, that when we die and go to heaven, we'll see Jesus and He is the one with whom we will be preoccupied. But after that, Jesus will begin to introduce us to people who are there because we gave. Without money, we cannot send a missionary. Without money, we cannot do our work in Osiri. Without money, we cannot have our programs.
We cannot have kids' club. All of those things are necessary, and in our giving, we are blessing others who will welcome us into eternal habitations. I love that story about a European princess, a true story. Who had all of these jewels and these precious diamonds that she was given as a princess? And she spoke to her husband and begged him that she might be able to sell those and to begin an orphanage.
And at first he said no, but then he said, Okay, go ahead and do it. She sold her jewels and even her crown, and she built an orphanage. And when she was there one day and heard the children singing and quoting verses of scripture, she said to her husband, I have found my jewels. Wow, I have found my jewels. I found my jewels in the lives and the hearts and the expressions.
of these precious children. God says, don't you understand that There is unexpected blessing that comes. When you begin to say, Lord, We want to have the commitment of the early church. We're not going to do what the early church did, as I mentioned to you.
Nowhere in the Bible is that prescribed. And furthermore, it could not work in our society. But we're saying we want the same heart, we want the same generosity, we want the same sense of sacrifice. I hope that that's what we're saying if we want God first. Last night as I was meditating on this, I ask the question: How do we know if we've given everything to God?
Now, making that, what we should do is to list actually, as I've done on occasion, all of the things that we have and then say, God, these are yours. But how do we know whether or not we've made that commitment? Let me make a few suggestions. First of all, we know it when you pray asking him to direct you in managing it. Here's my challenge to you.
My challenge to you is that with an open heart, You might take all that God has given you and simply say, now God, this is yours, so I have a question for you. How do you want me to direct it? There are some of you perhaps who have investments of years and years ago more than you could ever possibly spend. And you're saying to yourself, God, how do you want me to use these resources? Surely I don't want to die with all this money.
Then it goes to your relatives so that they can fight about it and have a war in the cemetery. Like one. Funeral director told me happened here in Chicago. They started to take out their guns at the cemetery to settle the issue as to who gets the money. Is that what you want to have happen?
When you're dead and gone. and all those beautiful but true things you're said about you at your funeral. I don't think so. I think you want to invest it somewhere where it's going to, where people are going to welcome you into eternal habitations.
So, the question that you have to ask is: that I have to ask, is God, if this is yours. Would you please direct me in how it is to be distributed? as my responsibility. as a steward. I challenge you to just ask God that.
Then, secondly, I think that we know when we've made the transfer, when we realize that what we keep is just as much. God's or his as what we give. See, it's hard for us to break this, but in the minds of many people, here it is. All right, this is God's what I give on Sunday. What I keep back is mine to use at my discretion.
Wait a moment now. I thought we were just trying to emphasize that everything is God's.
So what I keep back, and I need, of course, money to pay the bills and to have clothes and food and cars and all of these things that are so necessary in order for us to live in society. I need that, but that's God's too. And I also believe that the way in which God leads me is by supplying money or withholding it, and so I do not go into credit card debt. Because if God hasn't supplied the money, I don't buy it. There are some of you listening.
God bless you. You'd love to be able to give because your heart is right, but you're bound by debt. Remember, Dirt. Devil And debt. I don't know exactly how, but they're all related.
Would you remember that? They're all connected. And some of you need some counseling and some help to get out of this burden of debt which is accumulated almost always because we think to ourselves, God is not meeting my needs, so I will turn to MasterCard. And MasterCard will meet my needs right now. Of course, it's one thing to borrow money for an item that is going to appreciate.
But when you borrow money for items that depreciate It's not a good investment. You say, well, what about a car? Listen, you buy a brand new car and you drive it across the street. To buy a cup of coffee at Starbucks, and it's already lost $500 in value. Slight exaggeration maybe, but Cars depreciate.
Never yet known one to appreciate unless it's a 1941 Ford or something like that. All right, third, you're being a little too quiet for me at this point, I hope. I hope everything is all right in your department. I'm doing well, but I just need to know that you are. Third, we know that we have made that transition when giving is not a chore to be done.
But it's a privilege to be prized. When we say, isn't it wonderful? that I can give. And you know what our model is? It's Jesus.
The Bible says that Jesus, who though he was rich, did he hang on to his riches and say, it is mine. It is mine. I deserve it. Though he was rich, yet for your sakes, Paul says, he became poor. Let me ask you something.
Would you be willing for the sake of God? to become poor. Jesus did.
So that we, through his poverty, Paul says, might become rich. And that's our motivation. Our motivation is Jesus. And that's why I need to stress something: that if you're here today and you've never trusted Jesus as your Savior and you've never accepted that free gift that He became poor for that you might be able to have, if you have never done that, that is really your first responsibility. Giving flows out of that.
It flows out of a relationship with God that we have that we say, Jesus, you've done so much for me. All that I have is yours, O Lord. Just teach me how to be a good manager. over what you have provided. And so we love to give.
We find opportunities to give. We push doors open and wonder, can we be of help here? Can we be of help there? Because you see, our whole motivation is now changed. We don't give to be saved.
We give because we have been saved through the precious gift of eternal life, Jesus Christ our Lord. And so please don't take this as a message where, you know, we've laid on you the need to give. No, no, no, no. If you're not a believer in Christ, you receive that free gift. Come, and Jesus said to the water of life freely.
you receive the free gift of eternal life. But for those of you who know Christ as Savior, Paul says, I pray that you will grow in the grace. of giving. And that's what my desire is. It isn't just so that we as a church may prosper.
God knows that there are many, many more needs we could be meeting. If there were a greater commitment, but that's not, the real issue is. Our relationship with God and our love for the Savior. That's what's at stake. in this business.
of giving. If you agree with me. Would you bow your head in prayer? Father, today we thank you so much for the early church. We thank you, Lord, that they were willing to sell everything.
and give it away. Oh father. We pray that you might give us the same spirit, even though we wouldn't do the same thing. Give us the same heart, give us the same desire, give us the same love and unity and commitment. And we pray that as a result of that, Lord God, that this place and other ministries.
Will be blessed of you, and that there may be people who welcome us into heaven, eternal habitations. Because of our own generosity and because of our own love for Jesus. Grant that, O God, we pray. And now, what is it that you need to say to God today? Are you willing to say, Oh God, today I give you all of it?
I make the transfer of trust. Teach me only what it means. to manage. your resources. You talk to God.
Father, we are well aware that there's no area of our lives in which we so gladly and willingly deceive ourselves. as in the matter of giving.
So we pray that you will help us to be honest and open. We pray that the Spirit of God, who has regenerated us, would liberate us and free us. Make us joyful givers for the glory of God. And we pray for those who have never trusted Christ as Savior that they might realize that God is a giving God. And he gives forgiveness and salvation freely to those who believe.
Now, Lord, we don't know what it means to make you first. We're learning, but. Teach us all the way. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Amen. Okay. Um Yes, indeed, some of the scriptures that I love the most are, for example, from the book of Isaiah. Come and drink of the water of life. freely.
As a matter of fact, the Bible ends Near the end of the book of Revelation, that's what we read. The Spirit and the bride say, Come, and then it goes on to say, Take of the water of life. freely. God gives freely, and you and I should give freely. We should do that not in order to think that we are gaining points with God, although the Bible says that God loves a cheerful giver, but at the same time as a witness of the power of the Holy Spirit, generosity is indeed one of those fruit of the Spirit.
that should flow naturally From our lives. My heart is so full of gratitude for all the many of you who support us. And speaking about funds, Indeed, even as you think of a survey of Christian ministries, pray earnestly that God will lead you to those ministries that you believe very deeply are committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ. We know that God's ministries need funds. Let us be generous.
Dr. George Sweeting, who at one time was President of Moody Bible Institute and actually also the pastor of Moody Church, has written a book entitled How to Begin the Christian Life. And the chapter that I'm most interested in right now, given the topic, is chapter 11, entitled You and Your Money.
Now we're making this book available for you. Here's what you can do. Hope that you have a pen or pencil handy. Go to rtwoffer.com. That's rtwoffer.com or call us at 1-888.
218-9337. Go to RTW Offer. Dot com or call us at 1-888-218-9337. The title of the book, How to Begin the Christian Life. It's time once again for another opportunity for you to ask Pastor Lutzer a question about the Bible or the Christian life.
Today's question comes to us from Chris, who lives in Illinois. Which cultural forms are okay for Christians, specifically the culture of hip-hop? not just the music, but the culture of baggy clothes, rap music, break dancing, and so on. Apparently the origins of hip hop were in the Zulu nation, which is a cult and steeped in New Age type beliefs. but most of those involved today don't know of this origin.
There's a pastor in our area who claims that all forms of hip-hop are evil. He claims that even Christian rap is wrong. and Christians should not wear baggy clothes or other identifiers with this culture. but Christian rappers claim to be indigenous missionaries that use hip hop to better identify with the people in the culture. I've heard you say that it is not baggy jeans that are bad in essence, but if it identifies you with the culture it could be a problem.
Can you clarify this?
Well, Chris, I think that I can clarify that point. I'm not so sure whether I have the wisdom to answer the first part of your question. What I meant there when I was talking about baggy genes, that they were not bad in themselves, but they could have bad associations, I simply meant that when you have a cultural change or a cultural shift, That is going the wrong direction, you don't want to pick up customs that would identify yourself with that shift. For example, there was a time when men wore an earring, that earring. would indicate That the person was a homosexual.
Well, today, I don't think that there is that identification, but that gives you an example of how things change. But there are moments in time when we can identify with a culture or we can choose not to based on what we wear. and how we dress. I hope that that clarifies it.
Now, with regard to hip hop, I don't know enough about it. But I simply know that in my heart I'm not sure that it is music that really is glorifying to God. Certainly not if it has an occult kind of origin. But these are matters over which good Christians disagree, and we need to have the kindness and the charity to allow other people to have their own opinions. At the bottom line, we always must ask as Christians this simple question.
Does this glorify God? or does it simply mimic The world.
So we all need to ask that question from time to time, and that's the question I want to leave in your mind. and we all need discernment. Thank you, doctor Lutzer. If you'd like to hear your question answered, go to our website at rtwoffer.com and click on Ask Pastor Lutzer or call us at 1-888-218-9337. That's 1-888-218-9337.
9337. You can write to us at RunningTowin 1635 North LaSalle Boulevard, Chicago, Illinois, 60614. Running to Win comes to you from the Moody Church in Chicago. All of us care what others think of us, sometimes making bad choices in the process.
Next time I'm running to win, find out what happens when God owns our reputations. For Pastor Erwin Lutzer, this is Dave McAllister. Running to Win is sponsored by the Moody Church.
