Leto Karantoni – Reading the Word
1. Psalm 150:1-6 “Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals,
praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.
Praise the Lord. Amen.” Let’s praise Him and give Him the glory, Amen.

Leto Karantoni – Welcome
2. My heart is full of praise for the Lord. It is full of thankfulness for Him. It is good for us to be here, Amen. That’s why turn to someone and very gently say to them, ‘How good it is to see you here today. Amen.’
3. I welcome you all who are here today. We are pleased to have you here. Elizabeth and Henry, we are so glad to have you back here. So nice to see you again. It is good to see all these faces here today, and the best of all is that we are all together here. The Word of God says, “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!” (Psalm 133:1). And we are united today, to worship Him, Amen.
4. I’m not preaching, Anton will preach. But I’m going to give you some information about the church program. And because I’m not particularly familiar with It, but Stavros is trying to show me. Every Sunday, here in church, at 10:30 we have our weekly service. Wednesday at 19:00, we have our prayer time, and then we share from God’s Word.
5. Let’s not forget, that from today, the care groups are again functioning. Every Tuesday to Friday mornings at 10:00 to 11:00 has been set aside as time for prayer. The church is open and you can come and pray. This year is a year of prayer, so let us do this. On the 27th of September, we will have men’s breakfast, at his home. Please come, we will be pleased to have the men to have breakfast and discuss things. Also, please do not forget Joseph’s cupboard. It is almost completely empty.
6. Have I forgotten something? I don’t think so. But I would like to share something with you all. God loves us. And I want to repeat it. God loves us. God loves us. God loves us. And He has placed us here so that we can do whatever He wants us to do. Let us worship Him by all the means with which we have. And let us give Him glory in all things. It is time for us to give our tithes and offerings.
7. We thank our children and our youth, who are always willing to help, Benjamin, Felicia, Nicolas who are always willing, and we thank them for that. We thank God for our children. Amen, Hallelujah. Rebekah, please stand and pray for the offering.
8. Amen, Hallelujah. God is holy. I would like to thank Elpida, and all the teachers of Sunday School. And I’d like the children to come forward to pray for them. They’re hiding away somewhere, because they are shy. Lord, we thank You for our children. We thank You Lord God for these young seedlings that You have here for us. And Lord, bless each child. We stand here and we leave these children in Your hands, and we love You, Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen. Elpida, they are all yours for now.
9. Praise the Lord, for you that are here once more, and let us prepare our hearts to hear the Word of God. Amen. So, over to you Anton and Stavro.

Anton Beukes – Main Message
1. Good morning to you all. It’s good to be with the saints this morning. We’re going to continue with our series on ‘The Gifted’. Last year we looked at the work of the Holy Spirit. And this year we’re looking at the gifts that we receive from God and through His Holy Spirit. And we will do that till the end of the year.
2. We’re going to read from Romans 12 this morning. There are English Bibles around. We’ll also have the text in English and Greek on the screens. The letter of Paul to the church in Rome chapter 12. As we open our Bibles, let us pray together. Father, we thank You for Your Word. It’s through Your Word that we can know You. It’s through Your Word that we can know the truth. It’s through Your Word that Your Spirit gives us faith. And as we read from Your Word, as we think about these Words, we pray, Lord, that You’ll open our eyes. Pray that You’ll open our ears. Pray, Lord, that You’ll open our hearts. That we will hear Your words and live it out to Your glory. We pray this all in the name of Jesus our Lord. Amen.
3. Today we’re going to talk about the gift of giving. Now, I know that if we advertise that we’re going to talk about giving, that we may have had fewer people in church. There are a few topics that we don’t want to hear as much, obedience, holiness, giving, and it’s strange, because those are some of the themes that we hear a lot about in God’s Word. And so, we shouldn’t just hear about them once in a while.
4. We should be reminded often about obedience, because we read that Jesus was obedient up to the end, up to the cross. And He calls us to be obedient as well. Through Jesus, we have gone into a new relationship with God the Father. God is holy. And He calls us to be holy. God gave us His most precious gift. He gave us His Son. And He calls us to give as well.
5. Now, the Old Testament is full of calls and commands to give to the Lord. Especially about the giving of tithes. The New Testament gives us a new perspective on giving. And we’ll look at that while we read our text.
6. But as we read this text, we need to realize that Paul wrote this to the church in Rome. And we need to understand the context of the culture in Rome. All the cultures in the first century had one thing in common. They all focused on honor and shame. In our cultures today, especially Western cultures, we focus a lot on economy. Most decisions that we make are based upon a consequence, economical consequence.
7. In many of the Middle Eastern cultures still today, they are still focused on honor and shame. And I think here in Greece, there is a mixture of those. But in the time of Paul, the Jewish culture, the Greek culture and the Roman culture were grounded in the principles of honor and shame.
8. Every action, every decision had a consequence according to honor and shame. And that included giving. The Greek and the Roman cultures, especially in the public sphere, the relationships were built upon the relationship between a patron and his clients. Gifts flowed down from the patron to the clients. Money and food, protection, and introductions. And in return, the clients would honor the patrons. They would be loyal; they would serve the patrons.
9. So, gift-giving, was not between equals. It was not between friends. It was between people of different social classes. The rich did not only give to the poor because they felt sorry for the poor. They gave to the poor because it bought them honor and privilege and a place in society.
10. And the clients that received these gifts, they needed the money and the food. And so, they were obliged to give back to the patrons. And many of the new believers in the church, saw God as the big patron. And all the others as clients of God. And whatever God gave to them, they were obliged to give back to Him.
11. But it also created a culture, where those who had the means, who had money, felt that when they gave to the church, the church was obliged to give back to them. To honor them, to give them places of honor, and to give them certain titles. In so many places, we saw that Jesus came to turn around the culture of the Jews. And in the same way, Paul comes and turns around the culture of the Greeks and the Romans.
12. So, let’s have a look how he does it. Let’s turn to Romans 12:3-8. We read, “For by the grace given me, I say to every one of you, do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourselves with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function. So, in Christ, we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophecy, then prophesy in accordance with your faith. If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. If it is to encourage, then give encouragement. If it is giving, then give generously. If it is to lead, do it diligently. If it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”
13. We’ll read to you, but you can keep your Bibles open because we’ll look through the whole text. If it is to encourage, do it diligently. So, if you go back to verse 3, Paul starts with the words, “For by grace given me, I say to every one of you”, Paul comes from a position of grace received. Paul knows that he does not come to the Romans from a position of power, or from his own authority, or from his own accomplishments, but he comes to the Romans because of the grace that he has received.
14. The ultimate gift that God has given us, we do not deserve the eternal life that God has given us. We do not deserve to become God’s children. We do not deserve the forgiveness of sins. But because Jesus was obedient and faithful, and Jesus came and he hung on the cross for our sins, each one of us has received the grace. And it’s out of that grace that Paul can proclaim and teach to the Romans. Nothing that we say, nothing that we do, can come from ourselves. We can only say it, we can only do it, we can only give it because we have received.
15. And so, this is the first principle that we need to understand, that Paul speaks from a position of grace received. And therefore, he could say, “Do not think of yourselves more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourselves with sober judgment in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you”.
16. Paul is saying two things here. He’s saying, ‘think of yourselves from a position of sober judgment’. It’s not ‘think of yourselves from an emotional position, or a position of entitlement, but think of yourselves from a position of sober judgment’. If Christ came, and Christ suffered for each one of us because we were not able to pay the price for our sins, and if everything that we have, has been given to us because of His grace, then think for yourself, ‘Who am I? Who am I? Am I rich? Am I powerful? Am I honorable? Am I worthy? Am I important?’
17. No. Yes. Out of ourselves, no. Only in Christ, we can say yes. So, think for yourself. This is not very difficult. I think if we call the children back, and we explain that to them, they will come to the same conclusion.
18. We are nothing. We are worth nothing, from a public perspective. But everything that we are, those who have been bought by the blood of Jesus, children and heirs of God, it all comes from Christ.
19. So, instead of thinking that you are important, and think that you can give something to someone, and hope to receive honor, or expect to receive honor, Paul is saying, ‘Rather think of yourself, in accordance to the faith, God has distributed to each one of you’.
20. Faith is an interesting concept. It has a concept of the past and a concept of the future. The reason I say that, is that we can only believe in something, or believe in someone, because it or they have proved themselves trustworthy. We can only believe in God because of history, because of what He has done, because He is faithful, and because He is true.
21. And so, we have faith in God because He proved Himself, and our faith in God takes us forward because if He has always been faithful, we can believe that He will be faithful forever. And so, Paul reminds the Romans, that they need to think of themselves according to the faith that they have received. They cannot think of themselves as being more important, because in Christ they are nothing.
22. They can only think of themselves as worthy because Christ who lives in them is worthy. And so, faith reminds us, of the only One, who is trustworthy, who is worthy, who is faithful. But faith also reminds us how broken, how sinful, how vulnerable, each one of us is. And so, through faith we are reminded of Christ, but also reminds us of ourselves.
23. And so, Paul is saying the second and the third principle here, that we should think of ourselves from a position of sober judgment, but also from a position according to the faith that we have received.
24. And then we go to verse 4. “For just as each of us, has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function”. We go to verse 5. “So, in Christ we, though many, form one body and each member belongs to all the others”.
25. And so here we find the fourth principle imported for us. That although we are one, like our body is one entity, we are many members, as we have many members and organs in this body. The hand does not do what the knee does. Neither do the lips do what the ears do. There are different organs and different body members. And so, we are many members together. Different functions.
26. But different from what Paul says in other places, the focus here for Paul is the fifth principle that Paul brings out, by saying, ‘We as members of this one body, we do not belong to ourselves. We belong to each other”.
27. I’ve used this example many times. Our hands are important. We use them every day, in many different ways. But the fingers cannot function without a hand. And the hand cannot function without the wrist. And the wrist cannot function if it’s not connected with the forearm. Or the elbow. Or the upper arm. And it’s connected to the shoulder.
28. I don’t know all the separate names for the different organs. But you understand what I mean? The hand does the work. But so many others are responsible for the hands to function. And what the hand does is not beneficial for the hand, it is beneficial for the body. If we look at athletes, sprinters, what are the most important organs that sprinters need? Most probably their legs. The whole body works together. But the legs need to do the work.
29. When the sprinter who wins and gets onto the podium to receive the medal, it’s not just the legs that go onto the podium. That would be very awkward. But it’s the whole body that receives the honor. Many were responsible for the legs to go all the way to win. But it’s mainly the legs that did all the work.
30. But you know what’s the most interesting part? When they take pictures of the sprinters and publish them, they do not take pictures of the legs. They take either pictures of the whole body or pictures of the face. The head. And who is the head of the church? Christ. So, as members of the church, we do not belong to ourselves but in Christ, the head that holds it all together, we belong to one another.
31. That is the next principle. In Christ, we do not belong to ourselves but we belong to one another. And therefore, when Paul talks about gifts to the church, the spiritual gifts that we have to practice, the gifts are not given for our benefit. As individuals they are given for the benefit of others. They are to benefit the body.
32. Verse 6, “We have different gifts according to the grace given to each of us”. That’s the next principle. We have different gifts because of the grace given to us. God gave us eternal life. God made us part of His family. God graced us. Not only with eternal life, but also with specific gifts. And therefore, we need to acknowledge that whatever gifts we have received, we have received them not because we have earned them or that we are entitled to them but we have received them because of God’s grace. We cannot demand gifts as we cannot demand eternal life. The gifts come from the Spirit through the grace given to us.
33. And now in the next couple of verses, Paul gives us seven different gifts. We go back to verse 6, he says, “If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith”. This is the first gift that he mentions.
34. And look at the way that Paul explains each of these seven gifts. For the first one he says, “If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith”. You cannot prophesy out of your experience, or your abilities. You can only prophesy according to your faith.
35. Let’s go to the next verse. For the next three gifts, Paul is very clear. If this is your gift, then use it. “If it is serving, then serve. If it is teaching, then teach. If it is to encourage, then give encouragement”. If you’ve been given a gift, use it. If you’ve been given a gift, what should you do? Use it. Paul said earlier, God gave the gift to each of us. No one who believes in His Son did not receive at least one gift.
36. If you sit here and think you are not worthy, you are not worthy, but in Christ you are worthy, and more than that, He has gifted you. And because He has gifted you, you are important in the body of Christ. Are you an elbow? You may think, I’m not important. I’m just a knob. A point. But if you do not function as an elbow, the forearm will not work. The wrist and the hand and the fingers will not work. So, it’s not just that you are important for the rest of the body to function, but if you do not do what you are supposed to do, if you do not use the gift that was given to you, others may not be able to use their gifts.
37. Or do what they are called to do. I need Stavro. I need Judy. I need Eleni. I need you too, Victor. As you need me. And you need Cielo. And Cielo needs Henneke. We need one another. We cannot function without each other. If you have received a gift, then use it.
38. And then we get to the last three gifts, “If it is giving, then give generously. If it is to lead, do it diligently. If it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully”. Paul is saying here, ‘When you receive a gift, and you use it, it is not just using it, it is the way that you use it’. I can continue teaching by just reading the text and reading the text and reading the text. I’ve done what the Lord has called me for. But a few more of you will fall asleep.
39. But we are called not only to use our gifts, but in a way that glorifies God. And so, it’s not just about the gifts that we received, but also the attitudes behind it. And I think this is where one of the differences between the Old and the New Testament comes in. Not that God changed His mind, but I don’t think the Old Israelites fully understood what God meant for them. God didn’t only want them to be pure. He wanted them to be holy. God did not only bless them because they were His people. God blessed them to be a blessing to others.
40. But I don’t think the Israelites fully understood all of these principles. They followed God’s Word but I don’t think they always followed His heart. And so, Paul explains God’s heart here for us. When we receive, to give, it is not just the act of giving. But it is our attitude in giving. And therefore, we need to look at ourselves.
41. And I may be the one, that prevents the Spirit to bring a blessing to others. Not that I’ve been disobedient. But what I’ve been doing, is to be obedient in action, but maybe not in heart. And therefore, Paul brings this out. Where the Israelites had to bring their tithes because it was a command. Or to bring a sacrifice, to bring atonement, to bring forgiveness.
42. Christ came, to take away all those commands. So that when we give it’s not to receive anything else, but because we are eternally grateful. It’s not about how much you give. It is how much are you thankful to the Lord. Think about the last week or the last month. What did you give to God or what did you give to others? In money? In time? In honor? Did you give it because you had to give it? Or did you give it because you were grateful for what you had?
43. When we read through the New Testament, we read about what giving is. Yes, it is sacrifice, yes, it is an offering. But at the heart of it, it is an attitude of thanksgiving. To give, it is not just the act of giving. Some would preach, that if you give more, you will receive more. That’s nonsense. Unless, if you give more thanks, you will receive more joy. If you give more from a thankful heart, you will receive more of the knowledge of who Christ is. If it is giving, then give generously.
44. If we go back to the Greek, and I’m not a Greek scholar, we’ve got many more Greek scholars here. The words that he used for, ‘If it is giving’, reminds us of the word for somebody that has, to give from what they have, then give generously, is to give simply, sincere, wholeheartedly. You see, because for the Romans, to give, was to give to receive honor. It was not simple; it was not sincere. And it did not come from their hearts.
45. Paul is saying, don’t make this complicated. Don’t give to want to receive more honor. Give without knowing. Give without thinking. Give without thinking of the consequences. Give. Give. And when you give, give generously. And so, with this, Paul turns around our understanding of giving. And so, let’s take those principles from this text and apply it to the giving.
46. We can only give because grace has been given to us. When we give, we need to give with sober judgment. To understand who we were, who we are now, and who made it possible for us to be here. When we give, it is out of the faith given to us. When we give, it is only because we are part of the body. The member of the body does not receive the honor when they do nothing. They only receive the honor when they do what they are supposed to do, depending on others and bringing honor and glory to the face.
47. And so, when we give, it is to enable the rest of the body to do what it is supposed to do. To be obedient to Christ and to be a testimony to the world. And when we give, it is because we are in Christ and we do not belong to ourselves anymore, but we belong to one another.
48. In Christ, whatever I have, does not belong to me anymore. It belongs to you. Whatever I have, belongs to you. Do you hear that? Can you say amen? It is easy to say amen. It is very easy to say amen, but do our lives reflect that? I am not saying that the rest of the body should take advantage of the individual. No, we cannot do that.
49. But everything we own is now owned by all. And therefore, Judy, if I need your gifts, if I need your service, if I need your encouragement, you cannot withhold it from the rest of the body. And when you need something from me, I cannot withhold it from you. And when we give, we give according to the grace that we have received, and therefore we give generously.
50. So, when we go back to this culture that Paul spoke into, he breaks down that wrong concept of honor and shame, where giving is for my honor, where he turns it around, where giving is for my blessing, where my giving becomes your blessing and my joy. Giving to somebody, does not give you a place of honor, does not bring you honor. Giving, as has been given to us, is not for our benefit, is for the benefit of the others. And therefore, Michael, let’s skip the next three texts. I’m just going to go to the last text that I want to read for you.
51. I’ve always been struck by one of these things that happened to Jesus. Towards the end of Jesus’ ministry, He’s in Jerusalem with His disciples, the last week of His ministry on earth, He sits close to the temple. “Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins worth only a few cents. Calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth, but she, out of her poverty, put in everything all she had to live on.” (Mark 12:41-44)
52. We all have received so much. So, so much. When you think you don’t have much, be grateful for what you have. In comparison with this widow, we are rich. But we can learn from her attitude, because she understood what is very difficult for me to learn. That what she had, the few cents that she had were not hers. They were entrusted to her. And she did the only thing she could think of doing with that money. To give it all. To the One who owns it.
53. How much do I still have to learn? To be like this widow. When I think I give generously, I think it’s very selfish. To give generously is to give like this lady. Giving it all. We don’t know what happened to her. Did she have food? Did she live in poverty? Did God miraculously turn her life around? And gave the big house and all the possessions? I don’t think so. I don’t think she would have been happy with that. Because she trusted in God more than the few cents that she had.
54. We are called to use our gifts. We are called to give. We can continue to give as in our tithing. We can continue to give as in generously. Or we can continue to give as in sacrificially. May the Lord teach us to give in a way that will glorify Him.
55. Let’s pray. Father, we thank you for all that we have received. It’s strange, Lord, sometimes we don’t always think of all the things that You have given us. We take it for granted. But, Lord, everything that we have, every little thing that we have is because of Your love and Your grace. We thank You, Lord. We pray that You will teach us how to give. In a way to glorify You, and to bless others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.