So what principle should we use as we consider this kingdom vision for financing the work of the kingdom? Well, the New Testament principle that we read is that God loves a cheerful giver. That is what Paul says. …

Paul uses this word deacon. And he says that the giving of the church is that if you sow sparingly – if you only put a couple of seeds out – in the ministry of the church you will just see a couple of seeds that will sprout. And he says that if you sow more abundantly, you see more of an abundance of sprouting in the ministry. And Paul has no problem seeing this as a basic principle. …

It is supplying the needs of the saints, but also giving thanksgiving to God. We give in abundance and we give joyfully and cheerfully not just so that the needs of the church are met or the needs of the kingdom are financed, but we do so because we are grateful to God. We do so out of gratitude for what He has done in the lives of us individually (we have been saved, we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, and out of gratitude we live a certain way), but also out of thanksgiving for what God does in the life of the church. Here Paul was looking back on Jerusalem. He sees Jerusalem as really this mother church from which other churches come. Eventually that switches to Antioch, where Antioch becomes the centre of kingdom movement. But it starts in Jerusalem. And Paul understands this. Paul looks at the church in Jerusalem and he says, From here the kingdom advanced. And out of gratitude we should give! Out of gratitude we should give so that the Lord's work within the city of Jerusalem can continue. And that becomes something that interests Paul greatly as the work of ministry goes forth.

So we see in the text that Paul believes there is a direct correlation between the ministry of giving overseen by the diaconate and supplying the needs of the churches. God is not only concerned with meeting basic needs, Paul says, but He wants to see an overflowing of thanksgiving to God. And what that means is that deacons are to be given resources to meet the needs of the kingdom of God. By faith the people of God would cheerfully give, so that we may have an overflowing of thanksgiving. You see the connection that Paul makes between our gratitude and the thanksgiving that is in meeting the needs of the church. This connection between giving and thanksgiving means we are called to give.¹

Nathan Eshelman