Extreme Giving!    By James Lantz

       The greatest expression of love is giving and our God has given us His very best and most precious gift when He gave us Jesus! Jesus was given to redeem man from his sins and restore him back into fellowship with the heavenly Father. Jesus bore all of our sins and the sins of the whole world when he hung upon the cross.  1 John 2:2  And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. God placed every sickness and every disease on Jesus as he bore those awful stripes so that we could be free from sickness and disease.  Isaiah 53:4   YLT  Surely our sicknesses he hath borne, And our pains–he hath carried them, And we–we have esteemed him plagued, Smitten of God, and afflicted.  Jesus suffered all mental anguish so that we could have peace!  Isaiah 53:5  But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.  Jesus was stripped of His clothes and the soldiers cast lots for His pricey coat that was made without a seam so that it was fulfilled that He became poor that we might become rich. Jesus was separated from the Father for three days and three nights as He took our punishment in hell and then arose from the dead giving eternal life to all those who receive Him! Jesus bore every bit of the curse that came on man through the disobedience of sin so that we could live free from the curse of the law.

Jesus Took The Curse And Gave Us The Blessing Because He Loves Us!

Galatians 3:13&14  Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.  Salvation is an extreme gift by a good and gracious God! We do not deserve nor could we earn any part of God’s great salvation yet it pleases God when we believe and receive it! It pleases God when we receive the gift of righteousness and walk uprightly before Him. It pleases God when we cast all of our cares on Him and live a carefree and joyful life. It pleases God when we accept the healing that Jesus purchased for us when He bore those stripes. God is so pleased when His children have their  needs met and their desires fulfilled.  Rom. 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?  Years ago, in a time of seeking God in prayer, I was greatly moved when the Lord spoke Luke 15:31 to my heart.  Luke 15:31  And he said unto him, Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine.   It is one thing to casually read that we have now become a son of God but it is radically different when we actually believe that God has given us everything He has through Christ. The greek word sozo is often translated saved as in Romans ten but in the account of the crippled man from Lystra it is translated healed.  Romans 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  Faith for healing came to this crippled man when he heard the gospel.  Acts 14:9  The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,   Sozo includes the meaning of safe, to save, deliver or protect, heal, preserve, do well, and make whole adding credence to the fullness of the gospel.

       None of us should be shocked that God has great expectation of those to whom He gave His only begotten Son for.  2 Cor. 5:14  For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:   2 Cor. 5:15  And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.   Paul warns us by the Spirit that God held each of the angels who transgressed and disobeyed accountable and that they each received a just recompence of reward.  Hebrews 2:3  How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;

       Extreme giving is inspired by great love and great expectation! When we became convinced of our need for a Savior we then had to become willing to give up our life to receive His life. The moment we believed in our heart and confessed Jesus as our Lord we became a new creature in Christ. The old man (the spirit man) died and a new man (inward man, hidden man of the heart) was created by God.  Rom. 6:4  Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  Jesus is God’s greatest gift to the sinner, and after we become God’s child, God offers us another extreme gift referred to as the baptism in the Holy Spirit. We are born of the Spirit when we received eternal life and we are filled with the Spirit when we are baptized in the Spirit. Jesus likened being born of the Spirit as a well of water and being filled with the Spirit as rivers of living water. Rivers of living water are for those who obey Jesus and minister to others.  Acts 5:32  And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him. Great praise and thanksgiving is what takes place from those who recognize the greatness of God’s gracious gifts!

       We have numerous accounts in the scriptures of God’s people who gave generously of their substance to fulfill needs and accomplish kingdom priorities. God commanded Moses to take up an offering from each person who had a willing heart to give into the building of the tabernacle and all that pertained to God meeting with His people.  Ex. 35:22  And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, and brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered an offering of gold unto the Lord.    Many responded, willingly bringing from what they had, so that Moses had to tell them to stop giving, because they had all they needed and more!  Exodus 36:6&7  .  .  .  So the people were restrained from bringing. For the stuff they had was sufficient for all the work to make it, and too much.  Thank God, people can change, a short time before, these same people were worshipping a golden calf, claiming they were worshipping the Lord. After their so called worship, they partied with singing and dancing and nudity. When Moses returned three thousand people were killed and Moses required that they drink water with the gold from the golden calf. God said, My name is Jealous! Many of God’s people will yield to strong godly leadership, like Moses, and serve the one true God!

       In the first month of King Hezekiah’s reign, he opened the doors of the house of the Lord, and repaired them. He led God’s people back to worshipping the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and renewed the passover feast to such as had not been seen since the time of King Solomon. Hezekiah appointed the priests and Levites to take their place in ministry and committed to personally give the kings portion. He also commanded the people to bring the portion for the priests and the Levites, so they would be encouraged in the law of the Lord. And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all things brought they in abundantly.  The people who lived in Judah also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the Lord their God, and laid them by heaps. When Hezekiah and the princes saw the heaps they blessed the Lord, and his people Israel.

       In the early church people were so excited about Jesus and His salvation that they gave to one another so that there was not one among them who lacked.  Acts 4:33  And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.