Welcome to our On-line Teachings . . .

A New Look At Sowing, Reaping,
Giving and Receiving:
"Giving" Is Not "Sowing" For You Personally
by Russ Gressett

~


To bottom of page

-Continued-

Driving It Home

We defined sowing on page one, and part of the definition referred to "beginning an enterprise", remember?  When the Bible refers to sowing, it normally refers to a process that is beginning.  Look at 2 Cor. 9:6 and Gal. 6:7.  He who sows (not gives) sparingly will reap sparingly.  Whatever you sow (not give), that is what you will reap (that is if  you reap at all - a lot of people just sitaround and confess).  See, the sowing began a process.  But, don't confuse the process of sowing with giving.  They are not the same.  Giving is enabled by the process that is initiated with sowing.  In other words, if you sow (not give) sparingly, you will reap sparingly, and if you reap sparingly, you'll only be able to give sparingly.  Can you see that?  It's time for the wealth transfer, and God needs His steward of Kingdom Finance to get busy in the work of Kingdom Business!

We have much of it backwards in the church today.  We call giving sowing and sowing giving.  Listen, "sowing" in financial areas has to do with business and commerce.   It has to do with trading (Luke 19, Matt.. 25).  It has nothing to do with writing a check out to the church or to some other ministry.  That's a great thing to do, and we should all be doing it – but it's giving - it's not a method of sowing for our own personal profit.  Now you can say that it is sowing into the Kingdom of God – but we have to understand that that is a Kingdom Business operation we are sowing into if you want to call it that.  You are not reaping the harvest of the Kingdom's Business for yourself (or are you? Think about it).

Now, we can learn a lot in the Word about giving.  Jesus taught on it all the time.   But, He didn't get it mixed it up with sowing!  Just because Luke 6:38 says, "give and it will be given unto you…" doesn't mean that giving is a method of sowing for personal profit!  The church is full of Christians who are looking (or were looking) for a harvest on all their "giving" because they think that their giving is sowing and therefore a profit center for themselves.  Plus, they are looking for it to come from some field that they've not even sown into!  They've been taught to use Luke 6:38 and Malachi 3:10 as formulas to receive an overflowing abundance.  Well, let me ask you – has it worked for you?  Have men given to your bosom until you are running over with it?  No?  You mean after 10, 20, 30, 40 years of it – it still hasn't worked for you?  You still have room to contain some more blessings from God?  It's about time to ask the question "Why?" don't you think?  Maybe our understanding of those verses in context is a bit out of whack!  "But Russ, all my needs are being met, and I'm a big giver".  Well, good for you!  But, is that the answer to Luke 6:38?  Absolutely not.  Don't stop short – there is so much more we are missing.  Dig deeper (Luke 6:48).  Luke 6:38 has nothing to do with taking up an offering – dig deeper – get the context straight – pray about it –then pray some more.

If you have a desire in your heart to increase your giving (which is what love in your heart will do – John 3:16), then you need to increase your sowing – your business, your trading.  But, do it hand-in-hand with God as He leads you by His Spirit.  Get hooked up with God in Kingdom Business.  God will provide seed to the sower (sower not giver - 2 Cor. 9:10).  At some point we have to increase our sowing – our operation in Kingdom Business.  If we give away all our seed before we sow, how are we going to team up with God in business, or investment, or inventions, etc.. to generate some real profits that some real giving can be done from (none of this 30% return stuff most Christians jump up and down about)?  Do you follow that?  If preachers understood in the spirit what the results of this would be, I think they would have an easier time preaching it.  But, most will be afraid that they might lose the tithe – their security blanket.

There are reasons why every ministry you know of out there today has more vision of ministry than they do money to accomplish it.  It's because we are not operating with God in a true relationship financially.  You think the world knows how to make a lot of money?  Just wait until the Body of Christ gets full of the Holy Ghost and truly teams up with God in Kingdom Business, in trading, in sowing and reaping, in inventions and in commerce of all kinds – with a servants heart.  Then, we'll begin seeing ministries with more money available than there is vision of ministry to spend it on!  Remember how the silver was laying around in Solomon's day and counted as nothing?  The glory of this latter house will be greater than the former!

I have a very good friend who is a strong man of God.  He told me one time, "The Lord told me that I could just give and give and give until I was just flat broke".  You know, he was right.  I didn't know what I thought about that particular statement at the time – but he was exactly right.  "Oh, but brother, you can't out give God".  That's not the point.  The point is that if we can't listen to God as it relates to all the areas surrounding money – then He will not entrust us with very much of it.  He'll not entrust us with the wisdom, knowledge, understanding and joy we need to get it (Eccl. 2:26).  We would be too dangerous to qualify because we just might give it all to someone that it would destroy, or it just might destroy us.  God won't allow that.  If we think we can sit next to millions, billions, and even trillions of dollars without it impacting us, we are mistaken.  It takes a lot of dying to get the green light from God for that kind of stewardship responsibility.  If we want to increase our overall financial stewardship in and for the Kingdom, we'll have to die to the love of money (1 Tim 6:10 - the whole verse), and to the motive of self profit (Luke 17:8-10 KJ).  We will have to get to the place where the money itself means nothing to us.  That's where the battle is, and it's one of the toughest battles of the mind there is – if not the toughest.

Sadly, this is what much, if not most, of the church world today preaches:  "If you want to be blessed – give big – dig down deep – you've got to do that first".  Then they, stamp Luke 6:38 on your forehead right beside Malachi 3:10 and Galatians 6:7 while you reach for your checkbook.  That's what they were teaching the widow with only two mites in Mark 12.  Guess what - her living was devoured!  Do you know what Jesus told His disciples about that?  "Beware!!"   Read it for yourself.  Meditate on it for about a month.  Jesus wasn't using that as some glorious example of how to give.  He was using it as a glorious example of how to have your living devoured!

It seems as though the teaching mentality is always, "Sow, sow, sow" which in lay person terms means, "give, give, give".  For some reason we never quite get around to talking about reaping or harvesting that seed we supposedly "sow" into the church or other ministries.  Where would we go for the harvest?  "Well Russ, don't think about where it is going to come from, that limits God.  Just believe the harvest in!"  Can you imagine telling a farmer that?  "Hey Farmer Joe, don't worry about planting corn in the North 40, just give your seed to the ministry, then just believe the corn will come up on its own!"

Sadly, most Christians don't have enough money left over to start a business or invest in something at God's direction after they've "sown" and also met their own needs.  I'm not trying to be disrespectful to ministers.  Most all of them are 100% sincere and honest in this doctrinal area.  But listen, teaching along these lines creates a response from people.  Sheep are stupid.  And, as a result, many of the preachers see what they are preaching working in their own lives and ministries simply because the people begin working formulas.  Then, the ministers think it's working, so they pump up the volume even more.  They write another book, or preach another "prosperity" series on TV.  I pray that revelation comes and comes quickly.

If I'm stepping on your toes, or hurting your feelings, or rousing up that critical spirit of yours – sorry.  The truth is the truth and sometimes it hurts.  Sometimes its different than what you've been believing  your whole life.  I've had to face that fact a number of times, and I'm sure there is more to come.  It's not easy.  But, I've begun the process of getting totally free in these areas, and I know how wonderful it is even now with a long way still to go.  You couldn't beat this stuff out of me with a baseball bat.  I could care less about what everyone else thinks.  Everyone is worried about what others will think.  That's a real problem in the Body of Christ, you know?  Listen, worry (in whatever form) stems from fear, and fear will keep you out of grace because grace is accessed by faith, and fear is the opposite of faith (Romans 3,4 & 5).

You want more grace (unmerited favor) in your life?  Get rid of worry in your life.  If you worry a lot or find yourself always being anxious, tense and nervous about financial things (even ministry things), ask yourself why.  The answer is most likely a lack of faith, a lack of knowledge, a lack of revelation and understanding that all comes from the lack of a close personal relationship with Jesus.  You show me someone who has these worrisome characteristics in their money matters, and I'll show you someone who spends very little time with God relative to their supposed "maturity" level.  If you are fellowshipping with the Father, praying in the spirit, keeping your mind renewed with the Word, and being obedient, you won't exhibit those characteristics.  You'll be flowing like a river in the Holy Spirit and bearing fruit in every direction.  Everything you touch will eventually prosper.

You Mean The Family of God Operates Like a Real Family?

Let's take a look into our relationship with God as His family members.  I think we all know that as Christians we are members of God's family; however, really having a true revelation of what that means and walking in that understanding is another thing altogether.  For instance, few of us really trust God the same way our sons and daughters trust us as parents.  We seem to worry about a lot of things that our sons and daughters never worry about.  Things like electric bills, insurance, mortgage payments, car payments, college for the kids, and the list goes on and on.  How does this relate to what we are talking about?  Well, it gives rise to a question.  What are our motives in "giving"?  Is it worry or fear?  Why is it that we want to believe that "giving" is the same as "sowing" for ourselves personally? Why do we even believe that we have to "sow" for ourselves personally?  That thought never crosses my little boys' mind.  He never thinks about that.

When our lives are full of worry about issues and circumstances that some physical, manifested abundance would make disappear, our "motives" tend to be fueled by "worry" or "fear".  The result is not a walk of faith, but a walk of fear and sight.  Then, in the heat of a pressure situation, we being Christians, decide we need some of that 100 fold return the preacher is talking about on TV.  So, you give $200 extra (many times under the guise of "tithing the tithe" – where in the world do they get that?) hoping for $20,000, which will solve all our problems and worries.  However, in the process of doing that, we get bound up in "works" trying to earn the blessings of God, and the work of the cross goes right out the window.

When we get to the point of trying to "do" so that God will respond or bless us – we are already defeated.  We just don't know it.  We have little understanding of the love of God, the grace of God, nor of the work of the cross.  We need to stop. Renew our mind.  Go back to the basics.  Remember, we are members of the Family.  Not "a family", but "The Family".  We need to relax.  Cast our cares on the Father (1 Peter 5:7).  Get back into the mindset of eternity.  Look past next week and see a thousand years from now.  Begin to worship God.  Praise the Father for the Son, for the work of the cross.  Grab hold on the fact that it is God who supplies all of our needs according to His riches (not according to your giving) in glory by Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:19).  Begin to praise Him for that.  Meditate and think upon that truth (Phil. 4:8).

Do your children ever come and try to "give" you something so that you will let them eat at your supper table?  No?  Why not?  Because they belong to your family.  Simple.  But, how would you feel if little Johnny came up to you and said, "Mommy, here's a quarter, can I have a glass of milk, my stomach's hungry?"   Probably break your heart huh?  We do that to God everyday, and it breaks His heart.  Why not just accept His love, and accept His grace, and accept the work of the cross by faith?  Accept your membership in the Family.  Truly fall in love with God.  Then, let your obedience flow from that love.  If it's flowing from any other thing – you've gotten away from grace.  We didn't earn it.  We can't earn it.  He gave it.  Accept it.  It's free!

Let the watering of the Word wash all that worry and fear out of your life.  Then, keep it up.  You can't just do it once then quit.  Make it your lifestyle.   We live in a world full of worry and fear and relational strife.  You have to keep it up.  We have to become addicted to it.  If we do, we'll find ourselves letting go of the cares of this world, and letting go of what man says and thinks we need to be concerned about (Luke 16:15).  Then, we can move on to some more responsibility in the Kingdom – another glory if you will.  Do it!  Amen.

Why Do You Give?

The Holy Spirit  said to me once, "Do you know why most of the biggest givers in most churches give so big?  Because of their love for money.  Do you know why the chincy givers in most churches don't give much?  Because of their love for money."  That kind of surprised me.  Have you ever asked yourself the question, "Why do I give?"  If you haven't, ask yourself now.  Be honest.  You may actually have several reasons.   Why don't' you stop right now and write them down before continuing.  We'll come back to them a little later.

To me, it's a good practice to ask a lot of "why" questions when it comes to our doctrine and theology.  We can't honestly think that there are no deceptions in our theology at all can we?  What about new revelation coming forth in the earth?  Do we honestly think we know it all when it comes to sowing, reaping, giving and receiving?  Well, I assure you we do not.  There is much on those subjects to learn and apply, and much is being revealed by the Holy Spirit in this day and hour.  So, let's look at this subject of, "Why do we give?" a little deeper.

When you contemplate giving (or not giving), what runs through your mind?  Do you quickly scan over all the bills due and wonder, "Can I afford it?".  (For you faithful tithers out there, you should apply these questions to your giving over and beyond your tithe for proper understanding)  If you do scan over the bills and wonder if you can afford to give, let me ask you – how did the thought of giving in a particular instance enter your mind in the first place?  Does someone normally have to ask you to give?  Or, does it normally come on its own, and you just begin to get a knowing down on the inside that God wants you to give?  Does it seem to you that it is a "necessity" to give?  Do you "not look forward to it" once the thought comes?  Be honest.  These are good questions to ask yourself.

Most Christians worry about their finances as much as they worry about anything.   You know, God really hates that.  He'd rather us walk in a more trusting manner – as a true Family member.  He'd rather us "do" Mathew Chapter 6.   Remember what Jesus said about the lilies and the birds?  When it comes right down to it, letting go in these financial areas is just tough to do.  It's tough to make the decision, "Lord, whatever you say do with the money, I'll do it", and then stick to it.  That's tough to do.  I know it is.  We live in a real world, and we have families to feed.  Kenneth Hagin Sr. said one time, "Satan will fight you harder over the money than he will anything".  I think he was right.  The love of money is satan's root after all.

If we fear not being able to make it if we give (which is the case for a lot of Christians), then we really need a fresh hot touch from Jehova our Provider.  We really need our mind renewed to the fact that He's our true source.  We also have to get to the place where we know it's Him telling us to give.  Then we have to step out and trust God, and even risk missing it a time or two.

I've found that the voice of God only gets clearer with practice and obedience.   We won't get to the place where we can hear God with extreme clarity having never stepped out.  If we are waiting on that we'll be waiting forever.   That applies to everything - soul winning, gifts of the Spirit etc.  Ecclesiastes 11:4 says that, "He who observes the wind will not sow, and he who observes the rain will not reap".  It basically means that if you are waiting for perfect conditions – it ain't gonna happen.

A powerful statement I heard recently was this, "If God tells me to do it, I can afford to do it.  If He doesn't, I can't".  See, God wants us to give as we purpose in our heart – just like we talked about earlier in the article.  The reason being is that our heart is where we communicate with Him.  Our heart is our inner man, our spirit, that part of us that has been regenerated and re-made in His likeness.  It's the part of us that can converse directly with Him.  And, I'll tell you right now, there will be times when God tells us not to give in a particular instance when everyone else is pulling on us to give – and vice versa also.  Remember, He wants someone who will hear, understand, and be obedient when He taps them on the shoulder.

Now, don't get in the ditch on the other side of the road.  You don't have to have a choir of angels give you a message in order to give.   Love gives.  If we sell out to God in these areas, He will make us living vessels of giving – and conduits that plunder the wicked.  But, He'll also have us "sowing" for the Kingdom as well.  Remember the difference?  When He begins to see our diligence, our obedience, our seeking of His face and His will, He'll promote us.

Right now, you may not understand the specificity with which He wants to deal with you – but He will get real specific – extremely specific.  And, He'll allow direct opposition to His instructions to rise up right in front of you to see if you will still obey – to see if you will continue to call "good ground" what He calls "good ground".  He'll test you, and not just once or twice either.  He'll do it a bunch of times.  Why?  Because His plan is to exalt you strictly based on your performance.  Did you get that?  "To whom much is given, much is required" (Luke 12:48).  Remember Jesus' teaching on the "talents" and the "minas" (Math 25, Luke 19)?  Remember the masters' response to the servants' performances?  God is the same way.

So why do you give?  Is it partly because you just want to out of the love in your heart?  Is it partly to rebuke the devourer? (that's a whole other teaching – but the devourer has already been rebuked!)  Is it partly so that you'll have some seed in the ground for your personal profit?  Is it partly out of a pride motive where you find yourself wondering, "I wonder how much ole' so and so gave compared to me?", or "I wonder what Pastor will think when he sees this?"

I think we all need to re-think things along these lines.  God wants us giving out of a loving relationship with Him - as a Family member.   It's all God's anyway.  When it comes right down to it, we are just moving His money around, at His direction, in order to win souls.  And, we are transferring the Family owned wealth, which the enemy has controlled for generations, back into the Family.  Pretty simple really.

Conclusion

So what's the conclusion?  I think it's real simple.  God wants us to wake up in these areas so that the wealth can be transferred by the Family, back into Family control, for the Family's use - as just mentioned.  However, HE wants to direct the traffic.  He has to have a people that will listen to Him specifically and obey without procrastination.  He wants a people giving from the heart – not from a motive of getting their needs met and getting blessed.  That's already taken care of.

Many things are yet to be accomplished before Jesus returns.  It's is going to require an entire Family effort to get it all done.  The issues we've discussed in this article happen to be hot points for some of the greatest divisions amongst the Family.  I encourage and exhort you to meditate in the Word and to pray in the spirit for understanding in the areas of finance.  There is entirely too much "formula" driven, "law based" living in the church today as it relates to finances.  As Christians, we love formulas don't we?  God is seeking to break us out of mechanics, and to break us out of the same old same old.  He wants the opportunity to talk to us and direct us in these areas.  If you start along this path, I'll tell you, you won't get there over night – but many are much closer than they realize already.  Press on!

Grace to you.   Amen.         
©1999 - Russ Gressett

 

  To top of page