The church at
When we fail to carry
out our financial commitments, many will never have the opportunity to come to
Jesus. Our giving does matter in heaven.
W. A. Criswell used to
preach from II Corinthians 9:7, ending his sermon with these words: “John
Rascus put $300 in the collection plate when it passed, and he said softly,
‘I’ll see you in heaven.’ Those around
him said, ‘Old John is getting senile.
He says he is going to see that $300 in heaven. He may meet his Maker over there, but he
certainly won’t meet his money.’
“Now, the church
treasurer used some of that $300 to pay the electric bill. He gave some of it to the preacher to buy
gasoline. Some went to ministerial
students, and some went to the mission field.
“Early one morning
John Rascus died in his sleep. On that
first Lord’s Day in glory, he walked down the golden streets and a young fellow
came up and said, ‘Thank you, Brother John.
I was cold and lonely and it was a dark night. I saw the lights of the church. Just to get out of the dark, I went in. While there, the darkness left my soul and I
found Jesus.’
“Another came to him
saying, ‘The preacher came to the filling station. As I filled his tank, he told me about Jesus
and I gave my heart to the Lord.’
“Next, John met a
throng of people who said, ‘I want to thank you for those students you
helped. They preached the gospel to my
family, and we found the Lord.’
“He next met those of
strange tongues who said, ‘Thank you, brother, for sending us the gospel across
the seas.’ Finally old John came to
What to do:
✞ Do not just be a receiver of God’s blessing, be a giver so others can be blessed.
