Rancho Bernardo Community Presbyterian Church

Exodus 20:15, Acts 4:32-5:2

On December 4th in Dallas, Texas, police reported that two men broke into a retail store and stole $10,000 worth of high tech equipment. The name of the store… Spy Supply. Their specialty is high-end security equipment. The two thieves were caught on no less than 17 different surveillance cameras, including a clear shot of the get-away car.

On November 29th, a man walked into Dunkin Doughnuts after 10:30 p.m. and handed the worker a note that read he had a gun and a bomb and would use them if he did not get cash from the register. The man then grabbed a machine off the counter and ran out of the store. But instead of a cash register, he grabbed an adding machine sitting on the counter.

And in Lancashire, England, a man named Michael Bolton (not the musician Michael Bolton!) broke into a home on the night of November 11th. Apparently he had taken some form of tranquillizer before his burglary attempt. Around 6 a.m., the homeowner woke up and heard some noises, so he called the police. Bolton was found asleep on the sofa, wearing one of the homeowner’s jackets; one bag of possessions from the house was already outside!

We are in a series on the ten commandments, and you might have guessed the commandment for this week. Exodus 20:15 - Do not steal. Perhaps some of those criminals would have benefited from paying attention to that commandment.

In this series, we have not just been looking at the particular expression found in Exodus. Many of us, I assume, would say this one is an easy one to keep. But we have been looking at the side of each commandment that would frame the positive value found within it. So stealing is taking something from someone else that is not yours. The positive side of that might be expressed as giving something of yours to someone else. A value we would describe as Generosity.

By many standards, we are a generous church, a generous country, a generous people. In times of natural disaster, our country responds with voluntarily providing gifts of time, resources, goods, and money.

At the University of Indiana, there is a Center on Philanthropy. The Center has been following 10,000 families across the country, updating their survey every two years since 2000. The most recent survey found 68% of Americans donate money, at an average of $2,045 per family unit.

A separate survey measured donor households by their net worth and annual income. It found that those with annual income below $50,000 per year gave an average of 4.2% to charity. Interestingly, and surprising to me, donor households with income above $100,000 gave an average of 2.2% to charity.

Now I could share a lot of statistics, maybe even some about this church in response to natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and our own recent Firestorm. But before I do, I think it is worth asking, does statistics of our charitable giving equal generosity?

Generosity is not solely based on one’s economic status, or what one gives and does with their resources. Generosity includes the individual’s pure intentions, looking out for the good of others and giving from the heart.

Have you ever given something to someone and then felt really good about it? I think most people have. Well, it turns out, someone has done research to prove that you really do feel good when you are generous.

Neuroscientific researcher Dr. Paul Zak has done a project to measure people’s generosity in the midst of two different scenarios. One scenario measured people in a situation where their giving of money was measured as a function of their cognitive activity. In the second scenario, giving was measured as a function of their empathy. Through his research, he and his colleagues came to the conclusion that generosity was more closely associated with empathy (emotions) rather than cognitive recognition. For example, we tend to be more generous when there is a story or situation that tugs at our hearts rather than a phone or email solicitation.

There is an emotional, and I would suggest, a spiritual response that affirms when we are generous. In the church community, I wonder if we sometimes reduce generosity to a cognitive measure. We often use a concept from the Old Testament called the tithe. The tithe is one-tenth, and the Old Testament teaches that one tenth went to the Levite tribe because they were the Jewish tribe of priests and they did not get any of the Promised Land because of their priestly duties. Sometimes, I think we oversimplify this concept and translate it into "give 10% to the church and/or the growth of God’s Kingdom, and we are generous."

But remember, at the beginning, I suggested that generosity is giving away what is ours; the tithe concept is returning to God what is God’s. The concept of the tithe is not connected to generosity. If we give a tithe of any percentage, this is right and good to do, but it does not equate to generosity. Maybe we are too cognitive when it comes to our thinking about generosity.

So what does Scripture say about being generous? At the end of Acts 4, there is a story recorded about people living with extraordinary generosity toward one another. They sold things they had to provide for those in the community in need. We read about Joseph, the Levite from Cypress.

Interesting, we just talked about the tithe concept, and that the tithe was to go to the Levite tribe because they were not given land; and here, a Levite sells a piece of property to help another.

The first Christians called this Joseph by the name Barnabas, which means "son of encouragement."

This same Barnabas becomes a key figure in the book of Acts. He is the man sent by the disciples to find this person named Saul, a persecutor of Christians who had an amazing conversion to follow Jesus. For a time, Barnabas trains, works with, and befriends Saul. And eventually, Saul becomes known as Paul, who wrote a number of the letters we have in the New Testament.

But the story of generosity continues in Acts 5. There it records the account of Ananias and Sapphira. This couple sold a field they owned and brought part of the money to present as a gift for those in need.

With Sapphira’s knowledge and consent, Ananias held back only a portion. When Ananias presented the gift to Peter, he claimed that the gift was the full portion of the land he sold. The outcome was not good for Ananias. Acts 5:4 records Peter saying, "While it remained unsold, did it not remain your own? And after it was sold, were not the proceeds at your disposal? How is it that you have contrived this deed in your heart? You did not lie to us but to God!" Ananias lied to Peter and the church, ultimately to the Holy Spirit, and when he heard those words, he fell over dead. When Sapphira was brought before Peter, she held the same story, lied to the Holy Spirit, and she too fell over dead.

What was the big sin committed by Ananias and Sapphira? Peter actually tells them they could have done anything they wanted with the money. It was not holding money for themselves, it was pretending that they gave everything. This couple wanted the attention, affirmation, the security, or at least the satisfaction that they were being generous. The appearance of generosity or the intention to appear generous that was their lie; that is what caused their demise.

This tells me a few important things. First, do not think you can lie to God. But this message is not about honesty or lying. Second, generosity is serious business in the Kingdom of God. And pretending to be generous is a serious offense.

Are we really generous people? I know one thing, it is not worth it to pretend! I know what happened to Ananias and Sapphira! I think we can definitely say we are philanthropic, even charitable. But generous? I wonder if there is something I am holding back?

Was Jesus a generous person? Well, yes of course, we would say! But how? Scripture does not record anything about Jesus giving money to a good, charitable cause or a religious organization of his choice. So how can we say Jesus was generous? Our default measure of associating generosity and money is ineffective.

We can say Jesus was generous for two reasons. One, the way he treated people was always generous. He always had time for people, he always looked out for the needs of others, and he always loved people without exception. He was generous with his time, his consideration, and his love.

Two, we know he was generous because he never held anything back. His first recorded miracle, he changes water into wine. But not just cheap table wine, he makes the best wine those people at the wedding feast had tasted. When Scripture records the feeding of the 5,000, there is no suggestion of him eating anything until all else have eaten. There was an abundance of food; he could have made less, just the right amount. Scripture records he healed 10 lepers, even though only one would return to say thank you. Jesus did not hold back.

When I reflect on people who inspired me with their generosity, I certainly think of many people who have given my family and me financial gifts. Some have been right on time, just when we needed it to pay a bill, and for the amount that we need. Some have been large, life changing gifts, which have allowed us to do things like finish a college degree, have a down payment for a car, even to help us own a home in San Diego. They have come from extended family, friends, and anonymous givers.

And like others who have received this type of generosity, I know how exceptionally grateful we feel.

But I am also thankful when I think of people like Don and Dottie Bachman. The Bachman’s, in their late 60’s, opened their home to college freshman at the University of Colorado for weekend events. And they would spend hours cooking some of the finest food a freshman could eat. I think of Heath and Andrea Greene, friends and peers of mine who mix hospitality and generosity like few I have ever met. I think of military families, who must give what they have for someone else. Even if they signed up for it, their service is generous.

Is there anything you are holding back? For me, I have been wondering if I have been holding back with my immediate neighbors. I know their names, but they have never seen the inside of my house. What about you? Is there knowledge you have? Is there something you have that could be better used by some one else in need? Is there something you own that might really own you? Maybe you are a charitable, joyful giver, or a regular tither, and you have never and will never steal. But are you holding something back, or do you really know generosity?