Now, in GLCC we’ve been going through the Bible in our church pulpit ministry, our preaching ministry. We want to take our people through the Bible and we’ve been journeying through the book of Romans. We come to Romans 15 today and there’s a passage of Scripture that deals with money. So if you’re here today, I'm going to share with you about money and in order to start that off, we’re going to look at a short little video clip our team has done for all of you. Enjoy!

(Video played)

Today we’re talking about…money! Alright, all of us are familiar with money. Money is what we use to buy things; exchange for goodies we like. So we are familiar with the concept that money is used to getting things. I’d like to share with you another aspect, with regards to money, as given to us in the Bible. Money is not just used for getting, money is to be used for giving. So, let me say this again, we are so used to getting but Scripture tells us a lot about giving.

You see, the Bible says in Deuteronomy 15, “For there will never cease to be the poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’” (Deuteronomy 15:11, ESV) Now, you say, “Pastor, this is in Deuteronomy. This is wa…aay long ago. It’s Moses and Israel - what has it got to do with me?” Wait, wait, wait! We’ll get to that soon. But looking at this passage, it tells us God’s heart and desire is for His people, the Israelites to be a people who will give to the poor. This is not an option. This is a command – “Therefore, I command you,” this is in the Old Testament. What about the New Testament? What about you and I today?

Remember that Apostle Paul was sent out by the church in Jerusalem to reach foreign lands, to reach Gentile nations, non-Jewish cities and when he was sent out, the leaders of the Jerusalem church - the church then said to Paul, remember one thing. It’s great that you're going out as a missionary. It’s great that you’re going to preach the Gospel, the Good News of Jesus to the Gentiles. But Paul, there’s one thing you need to remember. He says, what is that one thing? Is it that I need to be faithful to the Gospel? Is it that I need to avoid idolatry and teach people to avoid idolatry? But those are good things but interestingly it's not that one thing they told him to do.

It's found in Galatians chapter 2. It says here, “Only, they asked us to remember the poor,” Wow! “…the very thing I was eager to do.” (Galatians 2:10, ESV) Giving to the poor, meeting the needs of the poor is not something in the Old Testament; it’s something during the apostolic times, during the New Testament times. You say, why? John helps us. In his letter to his people in 1 John, he says, “If anyone has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God's love abide in him?” (1 John 3:17, ESV)

The rationale, the reasoning is clear. If you have believed in Jesus that He is the Lord and Saviour of your life, He lives in you. You have experienced God's love. God's love is now in your heart and if you have experienced this love, how can it be that you shut out your heart from those who are in need? So if you have been touched by grace, you will be someone who responds to others in grace. So money becomes something that I use not just to get things, but I give my money to the poor. The Gospel changes everything; the Gospel changes the way I approach money and wealth and material possessions. It radicalises the way I look into my possessions.

0:05:00.9

In order to help us understand the sermon today, I just want to give you one key statement and you will do well if you just remember this statement. And it goes like this: “Money is not for my Greeds but for your Needs.” I’ll say that again, “Money is not for my Greeds, but for your Needs.” Can you say it with me? You’ll remember it after you said - Money is not for my Greeds, but for your Needs. Now, I want you to turn to the person beside you. It’s a scary statement to say, then he will say, are you sure? (Laughter in the congregation) But I want you to try to do that, alright? Look at the person beside you and say it to him or to her. 1…2…3, “Money is not for my Greeds, but for your Needs.” And your wife says to you, “I need a diamond ring!” (Laughter in the congregation)

But you think about it, it is true! The Bible teaches us, not really so much how to get more money; the Bible teaches us to give money. It’s throughout the Scriptures. It’s central to Israel; it’s central to the apostles; it’s central to a follower of Jesus Christ. God's love in me says, not get, not grab but give. That’s the Gospel!

This is exactly the situation mentioned in Romans 15. You see, in verse 26, it says, “For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.” (Romans 15:26, ESV) Now even before I launch into the sermon itself or explaining these verses, there’re some people who say, Christians can never be poor; God will not allow any Christians to be poor. Well, I see here that the saints in Jerusalem were poor, but this is the reason why. Why are they poor - saints in Jerusalem?

Well, the background goes like this: in Acts 11 there is a mention of a great famine. So Jerusalem is in trouble because there was a famine. Now compounded to that is the reality that people - saints mentioned here are people who have turned from the Judaistic religion to believe in Jesus Christ. When they believe in Jesus Christ, whom the Jews have recently crucified, they are seen as traitors. They betrayed their own people. How could you believe in the one whom we have crucified! And so they are now persecuted, ostracised, cut off. They lost their job; they lost their businesses and now they are really, really in deep trouble. They are poor, impoverished.

When we see the word ‘poor’, we…in the English, it’s not very graphic, it’s not very detailed. But in the Greek, which is how the Bible…most of the New Testament is written. The Greek has a more graphic description of poverty. They have 2 words for poor. The first word is: you’re so poor you got to work very, very hard to sustain life. That’s very poor! Just to make ends meet, you’ve got to work from day to night; you work till you are exhausted. That's poor - number 1. Poor - number 2 is that you’re so poor that you can’t even work to make ends meet. You can’t even sustain yourself. You can’t even beg to keep your life…keep yourself alive. You’re desperate, you’re destitute, you’re really, really in deep trouble! Guess which word is used here? The second word.

0:08:48.5

Paul says the saints, the Christians, the church in Jerusalem is really struggling! They have a famine, they’re cut off and they are really, really desperate! So, what will the churches in the Gentile cities do? Will they begin to despise their brothers and sisters in Christ, in Jerusalem? Will they judge them and say, “Har! You deserve to be poor because you must have crucified Jesus and there, you deserve it!” Or would they say, in our Singaporean vernacular, “Mm si wa ay dai ji!” (Hokkien dialect words meaning not my business or problem) Not my business, it's their problem.

The Bible tells us, they understood what it means to say, “Money is not for my Greeds, but for your Needs” when it says in verse 27, “…they were pleased to do it…” To do what? “…to be of service to them in material blessings.” (Romans 15:27, ESV). So far, far from being despising the people, or being indifferent towards their needs, they gave and they gave happily. It was not a reluctant giving. It was a joyous giving.

Now you may say, “Pastor, that’s no big deal. I write cheques to charitable organisations, to churches, to mission work all the time! I write two thousand dollars, three thousand dollars, five thousand dollars, there’s nothing special about them!” Yah, there’s nothing special about them if that's the way they gave. You gave two, three thousand, five thousand dollars because you have twenty million dollars in your bank account. But the quality of their giving is remarkable. They were pleased to give, notice…in extreme difficulty because Paul gives us a glimpse of the church in Macedonia. It says here, “We want you to know, (…you really got to see this…) brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.” (2 Corinthians 8:1-2, ESV)

This doesn't make sense, you know? If you’re not a Christian, you do not know Jesus, this absolutely doesn't make sense! I mean, they are… contradictory circumstance and results. How could they in a severe test of affliction be abundant in joy? How could they, in extreme poverty, be overflowing in a wealth of generosity? It doesn’t make sense. That's why Paul says, I want you to know this is the grace of God. It’s a kind of giving that goes beyond the natural realm. This is supernatural giving by the grace of God! And they were really, really pleased and happy and privileged to give. Wow! These were a bunch of people who understood ‘Money is not for my Greeds, but for your Needs.’ Why? The grace of God is upon them.

0:12:10.5

Now, I want you to look at this and say, “Wow, this is crazy! Pastor, I think this is highly difficult.” And I acknowledge it is difficult. How can I be giving till I am in such a state of desperation myself, extreme poverty and still be happy about doing it? What’s the secret?

This morning, I know it's Sunday morning, you may be sleepy but I want to give you a lesson on 3 Greek words. Can? Not Chinese words ah. Chinese some of you will cry. Greek is easier okay? Greek is easier. So I’m going to teach you 3 simple…not simple, okay… 3 Greek words. Each of these Greek words unlock a perspective to giving that will encourage your heart to seeing it from the biblical point of view, so that your giving is not emotional; your giving is not res…just a knee-jerk reaction; your giving is a Spirit-led decision, as guided by Scriptures. So, 3 Greek words, can? Can or not? Okay, you’ve no choice! (Pastor laughing) (Laughter in the congregation) I don't have any other message this morning.

The first Greek word I want to share with you is the word, ‘Diakoneō’. Very simple, it’s the word, ‘Diakoneō’. ‘Diakoneō’. Again, ‘Diakoneō’. Say it together with me, ‘Diakoneō’. Very good class, one more time, ‘Diakoneō’. Now, this word ‘Diakoneō’ is a simple word, it occurs here in verse 25: now I go unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. This is the King James version. The word ‘minister’ or the word ‘Diakoneō’ means simply ‘to serve’ and it’s a kind of service that is menial, lowly, mundane, humble, even despise. It means to run simple errands; it means to wait on tables; it means when someone needs water, you get the water, this is ‘Diakoneō’. In church, in our church we have what we call deacons, not demons but deacons (laughter in the congregation). I'm thankful for our deacons. They are true deacons, not demons. And the word ‘deacons’ is derived from the word ‘Diakonos’ which means servant. So one of the office bearers in our church besides elders, is deacons and deacons are really servants - humble, lowly service, that's the word that is used.

0:14:40.0

So, Paul is saying, now I’m performing this ministry…what ministry? I'm gathering the funds, the money from Achaia, Macedonia and I'm going to give it, I'm responsible for bringing it to the church in Jerusalem and I see this whole thing as a ‘Diakoneō’. In other words, I give humbly. I give, seeing myself as their servant. I don't go there with an air of superiority, thinking that I am their benefactor, I’m the boss. No, there’s a lowliness, there’s a humility that is attached to giving. So, Paul says, if you really want to give, recognize that we are servants, serving people. That liberates you to give.

Now I want you what to do something with me. I want you to take out your wallet. Don’t laugh, don’t smile, take out your wallet, do it alright? Do it, do it! Everybody do it! Don’t worry, it’s going to be fine but something is going to happen. (Pastor laughing) Just take out your wallet or your purse, alright? If you have a purse, you take out the purse or those of you who hide your money in your shoes or your socks, okay, take it out! (Laughter in the congregation) Those ‘Kiam Siap’ (Hokkien dialect words meaning stingy) type. (Pastor laughing) Okay, just take out your wallet, just do me a favour alright? Take out your wallet, and then open your wallet, look at what you have in your wallet okay? Take out your bills, your notes, take out your wallet and bills in your wallet. Put it back in, put it back in, and then reach out your hand into your neighbour’s wallet (laughter in the congregation) and the ushers will be coming forward with the offering bags. (Laughter in the congregation) I'm kidding, alright? You can keep your wallets, thank you so much.

Now, if I were to really gather the offerings because you took money from your neighbour’s wallet, I think our offerings will go sky high. (Laughter in the congregation) Why? Because it's easier for you to give when you took from your neighbour’s wallet. You say why? Because it is…not my money! You see, this is the fundamental understanding. It is very difficult to give when you think this is your money, but if you realise it is not my money, then giving is easy. The problem with us, when we do not give to the poor and we find it so difficult to give to the poor, it’s because we see money as…mine! Therefore, if it is mine, I have every right to indulge in my ‘greeds’ and forget your needs. But if I see that it is not mine, it’s God! He gave it to me and He wants me to be a good steward. It’s about stewardship, then I can hold the money loosely and give to those who are in need.

0:17:37.0

Many of you come this morning and I tell you how you look like before God. You look like this (picture shown). Some of you may come this service, because your friend told you we are preaching on money. You say, “Wah! Money, I want to come. How can I get more money?” Now, you came and maybe it’s totally unrelated but as you sit in this service, you’re still thinking about your business, still thinking about your stocks and your shares, you’re thinking how to get rich! You know you daydream about money; you dream about your house, your condo, your car, you…you dream about your bank account and how you can grow and you know how it is. Why do we dream about money? Why? Cause fundamentally we have forgotten we are servants. That’s the problem! Fundamentally we have forgotten our identity in Jesus Christ. We are servants. We are not superstars, we are not tourists. We are servants and we're not to use the money God has placed in our hands for our ‘greeds’ but for the needs of those God has placed in our lives.

This is a strong temptation, it comes to anyone. You know, I thought I’ve gotten over this, because you know I give up medical practice and so on and so forth and…and…but it still hits me. Recently I was talking with one of our brothers, he’s a doctor here. Chatting with him, he’s talking about medical practice outside, and you know when I was doing medicine, I knew how much or I thought I knew how much an average specialist would earn. And so I have resolved that within my heart. It's fine. I…I'm happy to serve the Lord and…and don't have to earn that kind of money, but when I started to talk with my friend, my brother, fellow doctor, he began to tell me how much they earn. Now, doctors my age now, they are becoming consultants and so on, specialists and he tells me how much they earn…my eyes went big! He’s serious! And it dawn upon me…wow…I’ve… you know this is the…the…the flesh part that speaks. You know, Jason you stupid, you give up so much, you look at how they are earning, you give up so much and there’s that flashing thought that says, just quit the pastor and go back to work as a doctor.

I can think of the number of zeros, I can think about…it just came like a flash until I was reminded who I am in Jesus Christ. I’m not called to be a doctor; I’m not called to be a rich man; I’m called to be a servant. What profits a man if he gains the whole world, but loses his soul? ‘Diakoneō’, a liberating word. Frees you from the stirring, churning, strivings; frees you from trying to be somebody else because you resolved in your heart, you knew in Jesus Christ you are a servant.

You know this temptation for wealth and covetousness, it’s so subtle but powerful that it does not only come into you, in your individual life, but it has come into the church at large. It has crept in, not so much now like a gentle, subtle thing, but it is sweeping churches like a tsunami and I'm sure you know what I'm talking about. And that’s the prosperity Gospel. The prosperity Gospel has a problem because it teaches you that God wants you to be wealthy, without warning you that there is a real danger. The danger is this, God is not against us having wealth, He’s against wealth having us. I’m not saying Christians you can’t save. No, the Bible talks about saving. Proverbs tells you about how parents ought to lay out for their children. That's right, nothing’s wrong with saving but why do you save? What's your motivation for saving? Is it out of fear or is it faith? Is it because you find your sense of identity insignificant in wealth or is it in God? Why do you want to just keep up with the Joneses? So saving in and of itself is not the problem, it’s why you do so, that's the issue. It’s a matter of the heart and the matter of the heart is this: God is not against us having wealth, He’s against wealth having us. So it's not whether you possess riches, it’s whether riches possess you - that is the problem.

0:22:25.3

And so I was saying about the Prosperity Gospel. In essence, it is this: I go to church, I believe in this God because He gives me money. This is the (inverted commas) “Good News of Jesus Christ”. He came to give me money. The fundamental problem with this, is the Scripture teaches us a life of giving but the Prosperity Gospel says it’s a life of getting. Even when they tell you to give, it is so that you can get more. The underlying problem is…is that I want to grab, it’s self-centered and so it switches from a servant to someone who wants to be served. And it is so wicked and dangerous because instead of using money to serve God, the Prosperity Gospel says, use God to serve money. Play along with His game, come to church, look pious, drop a few dollar notes into the bag and He will give you money. This is the problem. The prosperity Gospel cannot be…it's just a terrible misnomer. It’s a wrong name, it’s not even the Gospel! It is the opposite of the Gospel. The Gospel leads us to God, prosperity teaching leads us away from God. Idolatry. That's why it is a damnable heresy. It is not just about dollars and cents. It’s about allegiance and worship, and who God is in our lives.

What does the Bible say about the desire to be rich? What does the Bible say about coming to church in order to be rich? It's a very scary statement. It says here, “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare…” (1 Timothy 6:9-10, ESV) It’s like a trap. Satan is smart. Some of us won’t fall into the trap of sex and lust and adultery. Maybe you won’t. But he will lay this trap for you - trap of wealth, the desire, dream to be rich. Again, let me say this, Scripture is very precise, it doesn’t say those who are rich fall into temptation, no, the Bible doesn't say, the…for money is the root of all kinds of… no, it doesn't say that. It’s very precise. It is the desire, it is the love of money that is the problem.

You say what’s the cure? What’s the solution? Pastor, what if I'm a rich man? I’m very rich, what do I do? Let me tell you, even if you’re a rich man, the cure, the solution is always to remember your identity in Jesus Christ. I am servant and I am to do ‘Diakoneō’ for the Lord Jesus Christ and that's exactly what Paul says in 1 Timothy chapter 6, verses 17 to 19. Why does he say those are rich, be rich in good works? Because that reminds you, I am a servant. I'm not a ‘Towkay’ (Hokkien dialect word meaning boss), I'm not the Forbes Top 500. I'm not that big shot. I am just a servant. Help yourself, deliver yourself from temptations and snares, please because this is what Paul advises, “…for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty…” Don’t ‘Hau Lian’ ah (Hokkien dialect words meaning proud). Wah, look at my Cartier and my ‘Channel’ (Chanel), ‘Prata’ (Prada) and what ah? ‘Channel’, ‘Prata’ and which is the other brand? I can’t remember…ah…‘Guchi’, ‘Guchi’ (Gucci), yah (Laughter in the congregation). “Don’t be haughty, nor set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.” It’s fine, having riches is not a problem. There’s plenty of rich people in the Bible. Job, David, Solomon, they were rich people. The problem is not possessing riches, it’s riches possessing you. So he says, remember this: remember you’re a servant; be rich in good works; be generous and ready to share. Remember this: ‘Money is not for my Greeds but for your Needs.’

0:26:51.1

Fundamental to this understanding is the grasp that I am a ‘Diakoneō’. So class, first word done! Second word, are you okay with this word? Can you say this word with me? ‘Diakoneō’. Excellent Greek scholars! Okay, second word, found in Romans 15. There’re lots and another beauty in giving is the word ‘Koinōnia’. Very easy to remember, Koi, you know we have this drink now? Koi drinks. So ‘Koinōnia’, okay? The word ‘Koinōnia’ is found in verse 26, when it says, “For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor.”

Now I know what you're thinking of when we see the word ‘contribution’, straight away we think about giving a little bit of money. Contribute lah! Contribute lah and so when you walk pass Salvation Army - red kettle, contribute lah, whatever spare cash you have, $1, $2, $5, contribute a little bit to the kettle. Or we may think about NUS students coming around to us, with Flag Day tin cans. Eh, drop some money lah, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, that’s our idea of contribute. But when the Bible uses the word ‘contribution’, it is not really contribution. It is the word ‘Koinōnia’ and the word ‘Koinōnia’ is a word that means to share or to have fellowship.

So this is interesting. Paul is saying when you gave, when the Gentile churches are giving to the Jewish people, it is a sharing of life. It is saying we are one brotherhood, we are one family, we are one people. It is about sharing with you. It's not that I'm indifferent to you, but I feel for you and have compassion together with you. I have com…passion. I am feeling together with you.

So the word ‘Koinōnia’ suggests to us, Paul is saying, I'm not just delivering money to the church at Jerusalem. I’m not just a FedEx or UPS service. I'm doing something really spiritual. I am…I am demonstrating to the world that the Gospel of Jesus Christ that has touched the Jewish church, the Gentile church, the Gospel of Jesus Christ is so powerful, it heals the irreconcilable differences over the decades and centuries. The Gospel of Jesus Christ unites a very diverse people. The Gospel of Jesus Christ brings us into ‘Koinōnia’. It is a demonstration of bonds of love, of that of relationship, that giving is so significant. Paul says, I've got to do this.

We studied the Bible recently on Romans 15. Okay, by the way, this is the word ‘share’ (verse shown), same word ‘Koinōnia’. We studied recently that when Paul was writing Romans, he was somewhere in Corinth (map shown) and his desire, his dream is to go to Rome and then to Spain, which is beyond the map here. He wanted to go that far, but Paul says I won’t be going there anytime soon yet, because I’ve one more task. What’s the task? My task is to bring the money that I've gathered to go to Jerusalem, over here (shown on screen). You say, why? This is not ‘shun lu’, you know in Chinese, not on the way. In fact, it is the opposite way, but he says this is really important. I will postpone my trip to Rome and to Spain because I want to do this. It's a demonstration of ‘Koinōnia’, that the world will see the beauty and the glory of the Gospel of Jesus Christ accomplishing something nobody has accomplished. The death, the burial, the resurrection of Jesus Christ has united Jews and Gentiles.

This is the amazing thing about giving. It is a demonstration of love; it’s a demonstration of the Gospel; it’s a demonstration of grace and God has given us material blessings in order for us to build something that is eternal relationships. You know your money that is used for a car and a house will be burnt up, but the money that is used to give to needs is building something that is eternal because you are dealing with lives. The only thing really important about life is lives. It’s not things, it's lives. And the fundamental basis of lives and connecting to lives and relationship is giving.

You know, I think about things… and I think about why is it that when God gives us children, it's got to be in such a way, that the woman will have to struggle for so long…9 months and be excruciating pain and at the end of the day only pop out something so small. I mean, why can’t God say, you gave birth to a full-grown man like Adam? Pop! And wah, handsome macho guy pops out already. Why can’t God do that? Well, number one, physically it’s a bit difficult. Your womb won’t be that big but fundamentally I think this is why, because if this… son is popped up overnight. I think this son will kick me out of my house very soon. He’s stronger, he’s fitter, maybe even smarter because there is no relationship, there is no relationship. I'm not… I've not built anything into his life, no…no language of love into his life. And so God in His infinite wisdom says, I'm going to give you many years to build that bridge; I’m going to give you his childhood, his teenage years, so that you will build into him the way of the Lord, and to build into him love. The mother keeps giving to the child. Giving her time; giving her sleep; giving the breast milk; giving food; she gives and…and in the process of time, mother and child - the relationship is strong. Why? There is giving!

0:33:13.6

Do you know why we have a relationship with God? Ahh! God wants me to give Him! No! Let me tell you how you have a relationship with God. God gave you His Son! He didn't force you into a relationship, He didn’t control your mind so that you involuntarily just have to have a relationship with…No, He won you with his love. He won you with his love and love is giving His only Son. That’s how relationships are. So when you take your money and you give to needy saints, you’re doing something eternal. You’re building a relationship of love into lives. These pieces of paper that will go away with time, is converted to something that God is pleased with, that will last through eternity. I hope that excite your hearts about giving. It's better returns than your stocks and shares, folks! This is eternal.

I know of Care Groups here…we have Care Groups, Care Groups where Christians gather for life, for community, for caring. I know of the story of a lady here who was depressed. She was absolutely down in the dumps, life was difficult and she was…she was in darkness she felt… and she lives in the house that was dark and dingy and she has this dream to paint her house. But she has no money. She doesn't want to spend the money to do it. She has no ability to do it and you know what? Brothers and sisters in her care group knew about it, took leave, took leave, bought the paints, buckets and brushes, went to her house for 2,3 days, just painting. I don’t know how well a job, how good a job they did. I think probably a mess ah. They’re not…they don’t look very skilful to me, but it doesn't matter. They give. They give. And today, as far as I know, they’re the best of buddies. They’ve the deepest of relationships. You say why? Because there was giving, there was sharing, there was fellowship. There is ‘Koinōnia’. They gave of their money, they gave of their time, they gave of their life. This is the beauty of giving.

Time is catching up, let me give you the third word. We have learned the first word is… (congregation responded)…okay very good! ‘Diakoneō’. The second word is… ‘Koinōnia’. And the third word is ‘Leitourgeō’. ‘Leitourgeō’, can? ‘Leitourgeō’, ‘Leitourgeō’. Okay, say it with me, ‘Leitourgeō’. Now this is found in verse 27, where it says, “…they ought also to be of service to them in material things.” Now when you see the word ‘service’ you might think this is the word ‘Diakoneō’. I mean, it’s serve what, serve. But that's the beauty of the Bible, it’s absolutely precise. When Paul wrote it in the Greek, he was not a blur man, okay? He was not saying, “Aiyah, sometimes I like ‘Diakoneō’, sometimes I like something else.” No, he’s precise. He says the first word I use in verse 25 is ‘Diakonia’, that’s fine but let me tell you another aspect of giving. It is a ‘Leitourgeō’. You say what’s a ‘Leitourgeō’? ‘Leitourgeō’ is a word that is used for service as a priest. The picture is that of the Old Testament priest offering up an offering, the burnt offering to the Lord, for example. This is a service, but it’s a high priestly service directly to God.

‘Diakoneō’ is about man to man. ‘Leitourgeō’ is about man to God. And he’s saying, when you give to the poor, amazingly you’re giving to God. They ought also to be of ‘Leitourgeō’ to them, but it's to God. This is not a weird or fresh or entirely new concept because it says in Proverbs, whoever is generous to the poor lends to the poor. No, no, no, no… “Whoever is generous to the poor lends to Jehovah.” (Proverbs 19:17, ESV) Haar? Yes, because you serve God by serving people. You serve God, by serving people. You give to God by giving people. When you meet people, you’re meeting God in a sense; when you serve people, you’re serving God in a sense. It’s saying, whoever is generous to the poor did not lend to the poor, though you did! If you catch what I’m trying to say. But you lend to the Lord. The poor cannot repay you, but the Bible says, Jehovah will repay. This is the beauty, this is the blessing. It's a ‘Leitourgeō’.

This is not only Old Testament but it’s New Testament, it says, “Do not neglect to do good and to share…” (Hebrews 13:16, ESV) Share with who? Share with others what you have, because sharing with others is a sacrifice. Wow! The horizontal, vertical dimension is merged in giving ‘Leitourgeō’. We saw this beautiful verse, a supernatural verse in 2 Corinthians 8, we have seen this is the grace of God, given among the churches, that in a severe test of affliction, abundance of joy, extreme poverty, overflowing in generosity. You say how did they do this? What’s the secret? ‘Leitourgeō’, because it says, they give according to their means, I can testify and beyond their means. It's really a step of faith, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favour of taking part in the relief of the saints and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord. You cannot give to others until you first give yourself to the Lord. ‘Leitourgeō’.

Notice with me the extremity, it was a severe test of affliction, extreme poverty, there look at their generosity, it was overflowing with wealth. Notice thirdly the importunity, they were so earnest, they beg for the privilege to give. Now most churches beg their members to give. This church is a refreshing reversal, they beg Paul for the privilege to give. And then look at their spirituality. This giving is not a naturally explained phenomenon. It is the work of God, the grace of God that works in their heart, that they will freely give themselves, first to him, then to others.

0:40:44.0

Let me bring this all to conclusion. Let’s recap! What is the purpose of money? (No response from congregation)...Eh…please…please…tolong…tolong (Malay word meaning help), we call this, the purpose of money is…money is… (response from the congregation)…wah… thank you. “Money is not for my Greeds but for your Needs.” Say it again! “Money is not for my Greeds but for your Needs.” You say why? How can I arrive at this conclusion, joyfully, willingly? 3 words. The first word is ‘Diakoneō’. This means to serve in a lowly menial task, recognizing I'm a mere servant; I’m a steward; I'm not a superstar. Second word is…? ‘Koinōnia’. It means I'm sharing in this brotherhood; it means that I feel with you; it means that this is an expression of our bonds in Christ. ‘Koinōnia’. The third word is…? (Response in the congregation) ‘Leitourgeō’. Excellent! And this means this is a priestly service.

Now this is going to be confusing for a while but I think it is all clear once you see it all in one. ‘Diakoneō’ is about recognizing who I am, right? I'm a servant. The orientation of ‘Diakoneō’ is to see yourself for who you are. It's a self assessment, reflection and appreciation. It’s about self. Knowing yourself as a ‘Diakoneō’ allows you to give. The word ‘Koinōnia’, about communion and fellowship and sharing is an orientation on others. Seeing their poverty, seeing their extremities, seeing their needs is a focus on others. And the word ‘Leitourgeō’ is a motivation that is rooted in God. So I've a motivation rooted in self, in others, in God. Meaning that when I gave, I need to have the understanding I’ve to consider who I am. ‘Diakonos’. I have to have compassion on others, because we are not separate; we are one in Christ. Your problem is my problem essentially. The Jewish church issue is a Gentile church issue problem because we are all of the same church - Church of Jesus Christ. And ‘Leitourgeō’ is about consecration to God, giving yourself to God. It means this, that when I give, I consider my servant hood, my brotherhood, and then my priesthood.

0:43:30.0

Realise that in the motivation for giving, it has nothing to do with what you will get. You don’t give because God says I’m going to give you a lot of money and you can enrich yourself with the returns of your investment. No! You give because you are a servant; you give because you are a brother; you give because you are a priest. Now you say, “Pastor what's in this for me then?” “Prosperity churches say you give because you’d be given back! You’d be given back more, that’s why I give. What's the motivation for me then, to be a ‘Diakoneō’, ‘Koinōnia’ and ‘Leitourgeō’? What's in it for me?”

Let me tell you what's in it for you. Jesus did it all. I could change it and say Jesus is my ‘Diakoneō’. Why do I give? Because Jesus gave His life to serve me! He gave his life for you and for me! He came not to be served but to serve and give His life a ransom for many. Jesus came, so that he can have ‘Koinōnia’ with us, to share with us, to fellowship with us in His glory and in His inheritance that is to come. He came for ‘Koinōnia’. And Jesus came as the great high priest and all that He did was a ‘Leitourgeō’, unto God the Father.

Why do we give? The Gospel; Jesus first gave himself for you and for me. When we were desperate, when we were bankrupt, not the first kind of poor folks, the second kind of poor, and let me say this, there’s a third kind of poor - the sinful kind of poor. It’s not that we are undeserving; it’s that we are ill-deserving! We don't deserve anything and actually we deserve wrath but Jesus took away all! He gave himself, for your sake He became poor, that you may be drawn back to God through His death, burial and resurrection. The Gospel changes everything.

You give not because you are guilty, you give because you are grateful. It’s what Paul says in Ephesians 4. You may read that text and say what in the world is Paul saying? Paul says, let him who stole, steal no more but let him labour, work hard, why? So that he may give. What is this all about? I don't steal. I know you don’t steal. At least not outwardly, but your mindset in life is to grab. You go to Care Group you want to grab. You go to family's house, you want to take things. Our life is self absorbed. We are always trying to take; we are always try to steal; we are always trying to take advantage but the Gospel now changes you, that you will not be stealing but you’d be giving. Why? Jesus gave himself for you. You will give in a way like never before because it’s not motivated by guilt, it’s not because someone preached a message on giving that made you feel guilty and bad about it, but because you love Christ. And you love Christ because you know how much He loves you. It's about the Gospel, folks! Look to Christ, and this is the life we are called to live.

0:47:12.9

By the way, we began talking about money, but this message is not about money. It’s not. I cheapen the message if I talk about money. It’s about Christ. It’s about your life. He gave you His life. What are you doing with your life? Would you give it back to Him? Let’s bow for a word of prayer.

The Gospel of Christ, the Good News of Jesus changes everything. It gives you a new pair of lenses to look at your money, your time, your talent, your life. What’s it about? What are you living for? What are you dreaming about today? You could tell your life and who your real Lord is, in your bank account, in your cheque books. I’m not dealing with the nits and grits of your life, I'm talking about the heart issue. Would you say, I live for Jesus? I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold? I’d rather have Him then have riches untold.

Don’t start with you, start with Jesus this morning. Don’t look at yourself right now, look at Jesus today. Look to Him and how He has come to die, to set us free and to make us rich in Him. How He has come, to be our ‘Diakoneō’, to serve us and to share with us. We gave Him our sins, He gave us His glory. And look at how all this is a ‘Leitourgeō’ that brings glory to God the Father. And it is in this confluence of these 3 concepts, these 3 words in Jesus that you will truly find the meaning of life. The Gospel changes everything.

Maybe today, you’re here and you do not know Christ, and you're wondering what can I do to be saved? And you came fully thinking that if I come church more, I give more money to the church, I will be saved. No! Christianity is about God giving to you first; He gave you His Son, that if you were to turn from your sin and believe it is free gift of grace - Jesus Christ crucified. He says to you freely come and receive. You will be saved. This is the command of our King. Believe the Gospel, be ye saved. It’s not about money, it’s about your life, about Jesus Christ.

Father, we thank You this morning. How sweet it is to hear the name of Jesus. This old, old story we have heard and we have told countless times, never grows old, never grows stale. With it, the Spirit of God brings fresh power and refreshing to our hearts. May this not just be something that we store in our heads, but may this go deep down into our hearts. We believe the Scripture tells us the Gospel changes everything, so change everything in our hearts today. May we be touched by grace and to drink in that grace and to live in grace. Dear God, by your mercies, help us today to present our bodies, that living sacrifice unto you. May you be pleased by the Holy Spirit to bring friends and guests today, to Jesus your Son for salvation and life. We’d be grateful, thankful, praising You for all that You alone can do. Bless Your people today, we thank You in Jesus’ name, Amen. God bless.