It’s Not About Money

Scripture:

Phil. 4:14 In any case, it was kind of you to share my distress.

Phil. 4:15   You Philippians indeed know that in the early days of the gospel, when I left Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you alone. ¹⁶ For even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me help for my needs more than once. ¹⁷ Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the profit that accumulates to your account. 

Observation:

Paul has been expressing his gratitude for the Philippians’ partnership in his work. He has been encouraging the church to be “in Christ” and to be “of the same mind” and now he shows how they have been living this out. The Philippians are able to share in Paul’s distress because they are united in Christ. Paul’s distress is their distress because they are one, and this church seems to have figured out this concept early into their relationship with Christ and with Paul. 

There was no other church that understood this mutual participation in Christ that led to a partnership in the Gospel. As a result a giving and receiving relationship developed. This is the language of friendship where there is mutual giving and receiving, and in this case the Philippians have been giving materially to the work of Paul and receiving spiritual benefits in return. Chrysostom says that this kind of relationship in which you “give useful gifts and receive back better spiritual gifts…begins on earth but ends in heaven.” (Homily on Philippians 16.4.15) Therefore, their participation in Paul’s mission is a reflection of heaven on earth. 

Paul mentions the help he received in Thessalonica which is significant because of the number of charlatans who were preaching in that city. Many were trying to make money off of the local people with their preaching, and Paul wanted everyone to know that his ministry was not about the money. He went out of his way to make this clear, refusing to accept financial gifts, if he could not discern the spirit of the giving. He was not seeking material gifts or financial gain, but he was grateful for their support because in this case, it reflected their spiritual growth and development, their reward was put on their account in the present and for the future. 

Application:

In Gordon Fee’s commentary he adds an interesting side-note: “Many years ago a wise preacher counseled some younger ministers that Satan has three hounds with which he pursues those in ministry: pride, money, and sex. Money is surely not the least of these.” Paul was onto something in his attitude toward money for he knew the entire topic needed to be handled carefully. 

Interestingly, when we listen to what Paul is really saying, we realize that it’s not about the money, but about the Philippians’ relationship to Christ. Mutuality in the support of the ministry comes from a people who are living “in Christ.” I have to confess that the scripture today has made me think about the way in which our tribe supports the missional enterprise of the church. If we understand being “in Christ” as the central message of holiness, then our actions should be as a result of being in Him. The church in Philippi was directly connected to Paul through this mutual relationship. The missional enterprise of the church is connected to the sending church because we are all “in Christ.” Therefore, there is a natural giving and receiving that occurs because we are now brothers and sisters “in Christ.” 

When people refer to giving to the global enterprise as a tax, something has happened to this relationship. Paul would have been deeply hurt by this kind of language for he never wanted anyone to feel obligated to help him in his mission. He wanted people to help him because he knew that it would help them. The generous church who is participating in the life of Christ discovers their joy in knowing that they are making an investment in the present and future of the kingdom of God. Of course, it is also the responsibility of the receivers, just like Paul, to respond with humility, gratitude and accountability. This is not about money, but about relationships. 

Honestly, our tribe is one of the most generous people in the world. Per-capita giving is significantly higher than many other churches. Does this have something to do with our message of holiness? And if so, what happens when we stop preaching this message, or at least preach it very rarely? It’s not about the money — it’s about our spiritual condition. 

Prayer:

Lord, may your spirit of generosity be at the core of who I am as your child. Amen.