When we talk about kingdom advancement we are talking about establishing the reign and the Lordship of Jesus, first in the hearts of men then amongst the nations using scriptural means or methods. It means our focus is on expanding the kingdom of God here on earth particularly through witnessing. We established in our previous study the lifestyle expected one who works to advance the kingdom. A kingdom advancer must be Christ redeemed and Christ controlled. Being Christ redeemed means that a person is saved and he submits to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Those who are working to advance God’s kingdom must also work in the power of the Holy Spirit, for by Strength shall no man prevail and he must be a student of the scripture.

I also did emphasize that just like God is forever, the word of God is forever. Heaven and earth shall pass away but His word abides forever. I did say that even when you accept or reject the word of God, it still does not change it. Those who participate in advancing God’s kingdom must be prayerful just as Jesus taught us. Many times we pray so much for ourselves and less or none for the kingdom. Any prayer meeting that does not give time to praying for the expansion of God’s kingdom is incomplete.

We also learnt that for kingdom advancement to be achieved, we must begin to see the unsaved the way Jesus sees them. Jesus saw them as sheep without shepherd, scattered and lost. We looked at few examples of people who cried out to Jesus for help during His time. In John 5: 1 – 18, when Jesus saw the man at the pool of Bethesda and knew how long he had been ill, He asked him, “Would you like to get well?”  “I can’t,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to help me into the pool at the movement of the water.” This is the situation today. We talk about church but we are not willing to help the unsaved know our God. This ought not to be so.

We also looked at the situation of the harvest as stated by Jesus. The harvest is indeed plenteous but the labourers are few. This is a very serious challenge. We must be prudent and not be people who bring shame to God. Proverbs 10: 5 say; “He who gathers crops in summer is a prudent son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son” [TLB]. Let me ask, are you among those bringing shame to God? In this time of harvest, where is your sacrifice and participation in ensuring that the Gospel is preached? We need to start strategizing on what to do in the mission field. Jesus said, His reward is with Him to give unto everyone according to his or her works [Revelation 22: 12].

Giving to Advance God’s kingdom

Money plays a very important role in our lives. It takes money to run your family and business, to run the church and to evangelize. As we emphasize reaching out let’s take into cognizance the role money plays in facilitating the work of evangelism. Here is what the Bible says about money:

1. Money is a defence [Ecclesiastes 7: 12].
2. The poor man’s wisdom is despised and his words are not heard [Ecclesiastes 9: 16].
3. Money answereth all things [Ecclesiastes 10: 19].

If the Bible could talk about money this way, let’s not be pretentious in emphasizing the importance of money in facilitating the spread of the gospel in the church. No wonder most of Jesus’ parables spoke about money. In fact, 16 of His parables were on money.  In 2 Corinthians 8: 1 – 9, Paul writing to the Corinthian church on this subject, shared with them the testimony of what God by His grace has done for the churches in Macedonia.  In his words: “Though they have been going through much trouble and hard times, they have mixed their wonderful joy with their deep poverty, and the result has been an overflow of giving to others. They gave not only what they could afford but also far more… They begged us to take the money so they could share in the joy of helping the Christians in Jerusalem. Best of all, they went beyond our highest hopes, for their first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to us, for whatever directions God might give to them through us” (TLB).

There are principles here we need to learn as we discuss giving to advance God’s kingdom. Paul writing to the church at Corinth decided to use the churches in Macedonia as examples to admonish us that, our salvation must also touch our finances. You cannot claim to be saved if your money is a no go area to the Lord. It’s like inviting Jesus to your house and refusing to usher Him into your living room. When you say you are saved your money should be affected as well. Whether giving to the needy brethren as the case in our text or to advance God’s kingdom, it’s about consistency, faithfully and obediently giving what you have with a cheerful heart. That’s what verses 1 & 2 of our text enjoins us to do.  It’s worthy of note that the people at the church in Macedonia, did not give out of abundance, for they were in need themselves as this was a time of great persecution yet they went all out. This is to say that when it comes to giving to support the work of God, everyone is eligible to participate. No wonder verse 12 says,  “For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not” [2 Corinthians 8: 12 KJV].

God does not judge by what you give but by your mindset. He knows your capacity and does not expect you to give beyond that. God is not a task master. This explains why the widow who gave her “widow’s mite” thrilled Jesus.  He explained that the widow gave more than everyone else because she gave all she had while others gave a fraction from their abundance. Today I hear men and women who are neither widowers nor widows talk about giving their “widow’s mite” out of their abundance. This does not qualify your giving.  As others give to the expansion of God’s kingdom, see to it that you are not left out. Verse 5 of our text says,  “Best of all, they went beyond our highest hopes, for their first action was to dedicate themselves to the Lord and to us, for whatever directions God might give to them through us.” Are you Christ redeemed and controlled? As long as we are here on earth, giving to advance God’s kingdom is an ongoing effort, commitment and sacrifice.  Here are some principles:

1. Giving to advance God’s kingdom is a privilege and a means of worship and honour to God. 1 Chronicles 29: 11 – 12 tells us that God does not lack. So, we do not give to God because He suffers lack; He lives in abundance. Remember the story of the rich fool who had a great harvest and stored them up for himself and the calamity that befall him thereafter [Luke 12: 16 – 21]? Verse 21 says, “Every man is a fool who gets rich on earth but not in heaven.” It’s a pity if you are storing treasures for yourself but you are not generous towards God. Let’s awaken to this great task of giving to advance the gospel. The truth remains there are still much lands to be conquered. As long as you are still alive it is your responsibly to continue to sponsor God’s work.

2. Financial lack stands as a limitation to the advancement of God’s Kingdom [Zachariah 1: 17]. It affects the spread of the God’s here on earth. Money is a terrible master but a great servant. Therefore, do not allow yourself to be a servant to money but let your money serve you.

3. Giving enables you enjoy greater spiritual blessings.

4. Part of kingdom benefit is for you and I to enjoy good health: ^“Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth” (3John 1:2). God promised us in Exodus 23:25 that; He will take sickness away from our midst.  The book of Jeremiah 30:17 assures us same; “For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds, saith the Lord; because they called thee an Outcast, saying, This is Zion, whom no man seeketh after” [KJV].

QUOTES:

“You cannot claim to be saved if your money is a no go area to the Lord.”

“No wonder most of Jesus’ parables spoke about money. In fact, 16 of His parables were on money.”