GenerositySample

Encouraging Generosity

Two acts of generosity in the New Testament stand out in my mind. In Mark 12:42–44: ‘But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins… Jesus said, ‘Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others… she, out of her poverty, put in… all she had to live on.’’ In Acts 4, Joseph (Barnabas), a Levite from Cyprus, sold a field he owned and gave the money to the apostles. Barnabas sold his land and gave the money to the poor, which got God’s attention. These gifts were for the needs of the poor, widows, and orphans. Both of these acts got God’s attention and surely received God’s blessing.

Barnabas served the Jerusalem church for 17 years until Roman persecution caused many to flee, spreading the Gospel across the Middle East. The next mention of Barnabas is in Antioch in Syria, just north of Lebanon, leading the local church with others.

When Saul of Tarsus (later Paul) became a believer, not many people believed that he was really converted. Barnabas alone trusted Paul and recommended him to the church leaders. He mentored Paul, and they traveled together, preaching the Gospel with signs, wonders, and miracles, and encouraging the believers everywhere. Later, Barnabas mentored his teenage nephew, John Mark, through years of ministry in Cyprus. If Barnabas had not molded his nephew into a man of God, would we have the Gospel of Mark?

I’m not saying that being a generous giver will lead to a worldwide ministry. My suggestion is – to be a generous and encouraging giver and leave the results to God. History will tell its own story.

Written by DAVID SMETHURST