I'm going to ask you to turn, if
you will, to the Book of Proverbs, the
11th chapter.
There are just two verses I want to
read, verses 24 and 25.
Proverbs chapter 11, verses 24 and 25.
There is that scattereth and yet increaseth.
I can't understand that.
I never have been able to understand it.
It's a paradox, but over 40 years now
I have seen it work, and I know
it works.
There is that scattereth and yet increaseth.
How can you give away what you have
and then have more left after you have
given away than you had before you gave
away?
That's what this verse says.
There is that scattereth and yet increaseth, and
there is that withholdeth more than is meet.
But it tendeth to poverty.
You hang on to more than you ought
to hang on to, and the result may
be poverty.
The liberal soul shall be made fast, shall
prosper, and he that watereth shall be watered
also himself.
Years ago I was holding an evangelistic campaign
in the great church of which Dr. Paul
Reis was the pastor.
In Minneapolis, Minnesota, the church seating some 2
,000 to 2,500 people.
Again and again I saw that church pack
the capacity.
One night at the close of the service,
after the benediction had been pronounced, I was
standing in the pulpit when I saw a
well-dressed businessman walking up the aisle, and
I saw that he wanted to say something
to me.
As soon as he got within speaking distance,
he cried out, Dr. Smith, I owe you
everything I am and everything I have in
life.
I looked at him in amazement.
I said, you owe me everything you are
and everything you have in life?
I don't understand.
Explain.
Years ago, we said, during the days of
the Great Depression, I was living in your
city, the city of Toronto, Canada.
I was down and out.
I was so low that I could hardly
reach up and touch bottom.
I had lost my position.
I was dressed in rags.
I was deeply in debt.
My wife had left me.
My two daughters had left me.
I was tramping the streets of Toronto looking
for a job, and I couldn't find a
job for love or money.
One day, he said, I was walking along
Brewer Street.
I happened to be passing your church.
The doors were wide open.
I heard singing on the inside, and having
nothing else to do, I went in, and
I sat in a pew at the back
of the church.
He said, you were holding one of those
annual missionary conventions of yours, and you yourself,
you were in the pulpit.
But he said, you were making so many
absurd, so many foolish, so many nonsensical statements.
As a matter of fact, he said, you
were talking so much utter nonsense that I
sat up and listened.
He said, you were saying, give, and it
shall be given unto you.
You were saying, square with God, and God
will square with you.
You were saying, you can't beat God giving.
You were saying, God will be no man's
debtor.
He said, I'd never heard anything like that
in my life before.
Why, he said, you were talking right up
my alley.
What I needed more than anything else was
money, and you were telling me exactly how
to get it.
You were saying, give, and it shall be
given unto you, just to see whether or
not you were telling the truth.
He said, I took my pencil out of
my pocket, I signed one of those faith
promise offering envelopes of yours, and I promised
God a certain percentage of all that he
might give me in the future.
Well, of course, that was easy for him.
He didn't have a cent to his name.
He could promise God a percentage of anything
that he might get in the days to
come.
He said, I handed the envelope to one
of your ushers, and I walked out of
the church.
Then, he said, it happened.
Within a few hours, I had a job,
the first I'd been able to get for
months.
At the end of the week, he said,
I figured out exactly the percentage I promised,
and I paid it in to God's work.
At the end of the next week, I
figured it out again exactly, and I paid
it in.
Then he said, I got a raise in
my wages, and he said it was working
so wonderfully that at the end of the
next week, I again figured out the exact
percentage, and I paid it in.
It wasn't long, he said, before I got
another position.
Then I was getting more money, and again,
I figured out the exact percentage that I
promised in your church, and I paid it
in.
He said, to cut a long story short,
it wasn't very long until I threw away
my rags.
I got a new suit of clothes.
I paid off all my debts.
Then my wife came back to me.
My two daughters came back to me, and
now, he said, we're living here in the
city of Minneapolis.
I have a splendid position.
I'm a prosperous businessman.
We own our own car.
It's all paid for.
We own our own home, and it's paid
for.
We have money in the bank.
We have money in our pockets, and he
said, we owe it all to you.
I took you at your word back there
on Bloor Street that day, and God did
what he said he would do.
I can't tell you, my friends, how many
have come to me with exactly the same
story.
During the days of the Depression, scores of
men came to the people's church asking for
a shakedown or a handout.
Do you know, very often, I would ask
those men this question.
I would say, tell me, when you were
earning money, did you square with God?
I never had one single man who could
answer in the affirmative.
Every man answered, no.
When I was earning money, I spent it
all on my own family and on myself.
Let me tell you something.
If you square with God during the days
of prosperity, God will square with you during
the days of Depression.
If you fail to square with God during
the days of prosperity, you may find yourself
in the bread line during the days of
Depression.
God will be no man's debtor.
You can't beat God giving.
Square with God, and God will square with
you.
Give, and it shall be given unto you.
I've been asked tonight to tell you how
God led me to give the missions.
I've been pastor of a large Presbyterian church
here in the city of Toronto, a church
seating some 1,800 people when I was
in my 20s.
After a few years, I resigned from that
church, and I became pastor of a church
that held an annual missionary convention.
Now, I didn't know anything about a convention.
I'd never seen one in my life.
I became pastor on the closing Sunday of
that convention.
I sat on the platform back of the
sacred desk.
I sat watching the ushers as they walked
up and down the aisles taking up the
faith promise offering.
Suddenly, one of those ushers had the audacity
to walk right up to the platform, step
onto the platform, and hand me, the pastor
of the church, one of these envelopes.
I took it from him.
I studied it.
In dependence upon God, I will endeavor to
give toward the missionary work of this church.
Each month, the amount sets.
By the next year, I had never held
one of these envelopes in my hand before.
I didn't know anything about a faith promise
offering.
I had never seen a convention.
And so I closed my eyes and I
started to pray.
I said, Lord, and this happened in 1921,
nearly 50 years ago.
Lord, I said, I can't take part in
this offering.
This church is only paying me $25 a
week.
The First World War is on.
I have a wife to support and a
family.
We're trying to buy our home.
Prices are sky high.
I said, Lord, I cannot participate in this
offering.
I have nothing in the bank.
I have nothing in my pockets.
I do not have two cents to rub
against each other at the end of the
week.
Then the Lord started to talk to me.
Now, I didn't know that that morning God
was going to teach me a lesson that
I in turn would teach to tens of
thousands of Christians all over the United States
of America in the future years.
But so it was.
For presently, God said to me, I'm not
asking you for what you have.
I said, Lord, you're not asking me for
what I have.
No, I'm not asking you for what you
have.
Well, then, Lord, what are you asking?
I'm asking you for a faith offering.
How much can you trust me for?
Well, Lord, I said, that's different.
I've never given a faith offering in my
life.
They never taught me to give a faith
offering when I was in seminary.
The only kind of an offering I've ever
given has been a cash offering.
Lord, how much can I trust thee for?
You'll have to tell me.
Now, I thought God might say five dollars
because once in my life, as a Presbyterian
minister, during the year, I have managed to
give five dollars to missions once in my
life.
I didn't know what God would say.
Now, I'm not going to try to tell
you tonight that God spoke to me in
an audible voice, but I can remember it
as though it were yesterday, even though it
happened nearly 50 years ago.
For as I sat there, with my head
bowed, my eyes closed, suddenly the Spirit of
God said to me, 50 dollars.
When I opened my eyes, I looked around
in amazement, wondering where the voice had come
from, wondering what God had actually said.
50 dollars, Lord.
Two weeks' salary.
How can any mortal man give two weeks'
salary to missions, let alone a minister?
But you know, God never changed the amount.
Again, he whispered, 50 dollars.
I can remember as though it were yesterday,
taking out my pencil, signing my name, writing
in my address, on that faith promise envelope,
and checking the amount, 50 dollars.
I had never given such a fortune in
all my life before.
The amount was so staggering that I could
hardly think about it.
I handed it into one of the ushers.
Every month from then on, I had to
get alone with God, and I had to
agonize in prayer.
I had to exercise faith.
I had to ask God to send me
an extra four dollars.
And you know, that in answer to prayer,
month by month, without one single exception, God
sent me the extra four dollars.
At the end of the year, I had
paid in every cent of the 50 dollars
I had promised 12 months before.
But this is what I want to get
over to you tonight.
I received such a spiritual blessing.
It was such an inspiration.
I was so thrilled.
My heart was so filled with joy that
at the next convention, I doubled it.
And by faith, I made it 100 dollars
for the year for missions.
And again, God answered prayer.
My faith commenced to grow.
Once more, God sent it in.
At the next convention, by faith, I doubled
it again.
And I made it 200 dollars for the
year for missions.
And again, God sent it in.
And then, the church raised my salary from
25 dollars a week to 40 dollars a
week.
Now I was on millionaire roll.
Now I was, now I have so much
money that I knew I could give more
than I've ever given before.
At the next convention, I doubled it once
more.
I made it 400 dollars for the year.
Then there came a day when I doubled
it again and made it 800 dollars for
the year.
And I think I'll never forget the day
when I doubled it once more and made
it 1600 dollars for the year.
And now, I've got thousands upon thousands of
dollars in the bank of heaven.
And if I'd waited until I had the
cash, I wouldn't have anything in the bank
of heaven because I never would have had
the cash.
I gave it when I didn't have it.
I gave it when I didn't know where
it was coming from.
I gave it when I had to trust
God for it and walk by faith.
God sent it in.
And from that day to this day, I
have been giving a faith promise offering.
And I wouldn't dream of going back to
the old method of giving.
Now you say, Dr. Smith, what is a
faith promise offering?
Three things.
First, a faith promise offering is not a
cash offering.
You do not have to have one single
penny in your pocket in order to give
a faith promise offering.
For instance, suppose I have a dollar bill
in my pocket.
All I have to do is to tell
that hand to go into that pocket, find
that dollar bill, and put it on the
plate.
I'll never have to pray for it.
I'll never have to exercise faith for it.
I'll never have to trust God for it.
I've got it.
All I have to do is to be
willing to give it.
That's a cash offering.
I never take up that cash.
That kind of an offering for missions.
That kind of an offering brings very, very
little blessing.
A faith promise offering is not a cash
offering.
Therefore, if you are here tonight and you
have no cash, you can still take part
in this faith promise offering.
Second, and I want you to get this.
It's very important.
A faith promise offering is not a pledge
offering.
Never in my life have I taken up
a pledge offering for missions.
You say, what's the difference between a pledge
offering and a faith promise offering?
All the difference in the world.
A pledge offering is between you and the
Church.
And if you don't say it, the Church
will have a right to send the elders
around to collect it because you owe it.
You have pledged it.
I never take up that kind of an
offering for missions.
What is a faith promise offering?
A faith promise offering is between you and
God.
Nobody will ever ask you for it.
Nobody will ever demand it of you.
Nobody will ever call on you in order
to get it.
It's a transaction between you and God.
And if you can't pay it, all you
have to do is to give your excuse
to God and nobody else.
And if God is willing to accept your
excuse, then you'll not have to pay it.
It's a secret transaction between you and God.
That's the only kind of an offering I've
taken up for missions for the last 40
years.
Third, a faith promise offering is a Bible
offering.
It is a scriptural offering.
It is a Pauline offering.
And I like to do things according to
the Word of God.
Do you remember how the Apostle Paul would
come to a church?
He wanted money for the poor saints at
Jerusalem.
He knew the people did not have it.
Therefore, he did not take up a cash
offering.
He knew he couldn't get what he needed.
He took up a faith promise offering.
He said, I'm coming back in 12 months.
You have it ready.
I'll give you one year to prepare.
Then he left them.
About three months before it was time for
him to return, he sent Titus, you remember,
to remind the church of the promise that
had been made when he had been there.
And to warn the church that he would
be coming along to collect it at the
end of the year.
And then when the year was up, the
Apostle Paul went back to that church, collected
the amount that had been promised 12 months
before, went to Jerusalem, and relieved the needs
of the poor saints there.
You say, where do you get that?
Have you ever read chapters 8 and 9
of 2 Corinthians?
Let me make a suggestion.
Let me suggest that when you go back
home tonight, you get your living letters.
Turn in your living letters to 2 Corinthians.
Read chapters 8 and 9.
The Apostle Paul talks about nothing in those
two chapters except money.
I know of no one who pled for
money like the Apostle Paul did.
You read those two chapters from living letters.
And you'll find that the Apostle Paul took
up faith promise offerings.
And that's why God blesses it as he
does.
It's a scriptural offering.
It's a Bible offering.
One last thing.
Why is it that these faith promise offerings
are so successful?
I'll tell you why.
Because everyone, every individual, takes part.
If a handful of wealthy people fill in
these envelopes, we'll never get the offerings we
need.
If every individual in the Church, without exception,
will fill in one of these envelopes, we'll
get the amount that we need for our
missionaries.
I don't care if you check the smallest
amount on that envelope.
Just so long as you participate.
Just so long as you're interested enough to
do something.
Just so long as you fill in an
envelope.
What do I mean?
Every boy in our Sunday school is expected
to fill in one of these envelopes himself.
Every girl in our Sunday school is expected
to fill in one of these envelopes for
herself.
We do not expect a mother or a
father to fill in the envelope for a
son or a daughter.
We want every boy and every girl in
our Sunday school to fill in one of
these envelopes.
We want every member of our choir to
fill in one of these envelopes, each one
individually.
We want every one of our elders, over
200 of them, to fill in one of
these envelopes.
We want every individual here present tonight to
fill in one of these envelopes.
But you say, I'm a wife.
My husband does the giving.
You're never going to get the heaven on
your husband's salvation.
Why shouldn't you do a little giving yourself?
Why should you leave it all to your
husband?
Let him fill in his envelope, but you
fill in yours.
And if every individual will do something, we'll
get the offering we need for our 300
and more missionaries and for the sending out
of these new recruits.
It's a question of each one doing something.
You remember the last world war?
France had fallen.
The United States had not yet come in.
Great Britain was standing alone with her back
against the wall, expecting almost instant invasion.
The Prime Minister, Sir Winston Churchill, decided to
speak directly to the American people.
I was driving along the highway with my
wife.
I drew my car to the side of
the road.
I turned off the engine.
I didn't want to miss a single word.
I tuned in London, England.
The Prime Minister only spoke for two or
three minutes, but I'll never forget what he
said, speaking directly to the American people.
Sir Winston Churchill said this, Give us the
tools, and we'll finish the job.
Ever since then, I've been facing congregations of
all denominations.
And speaking on behalf of our 44,000
Protestant missionaries, I have been saying to those
congregations, Give us the tools, and we'll finish
the job.
And tonight, tonight, speaking on behalf of more
than 300 missionaries of the People's Church, and
these new recruits, and all these faith missionary
societies, I say to you, give them the
tools, and they'll finish the job.