Series: Stewardship
Category: Core Seminars, Money, Work & Vocation, Giving
Detail:
PRAYER
I. Introduction
Some of you are old enough to remember a band called Van Halen. They had a very interesting clause in their performance contract. Article 126 stipulated that “a bowl of M&Ms be provided backstage, but with every single brown M&M removed.” If the band arrived and found any brown M&Ms, they were free to cancel the contract and receive full payment.
So why did the band hate brown M&Ms so much?
It was a safety thing. They were the first big band to play in third-level markets and used nine tractor trailer’s worth of equipment! Mistakes were common and potentially life-threatening, especially if the stage couldn’t support all the weight. So they had to make sure that the promoter read the contract; hence, Article 126. To quote their lead singer, “When I would walk backstage, if I saw a brown M&M in that bowl…well, line-check the entire production…Guaranteed you’d run into a problem.”[1]
It seems silly at first, but a detail like that turns out to be hugely important. To put it in a more biblical framework, those who are faithful with little will be faithful with much (Luke 16:10). And that brings us to our topic this morning: giving. How we can we be good stewards with the little or much that we’ve received?
To answer that, we’re going to speak to the why, what, where, and how of Christian giving. So let’s get started.
II. Why Should Christians Give?
Why should we give?
A. Giving Shows How Great God Is
First and foremost, we give because it shows how great God is. That’s what Moses thought. Hebrews says that, “[Moses] considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward” (11:26). When Moses gave up the treasures that the world offered, he was proclaiming that Christ was worth more, just like the man who gladly sold everything he had to obtain the pearl of great price (Matt. 13:46). It’s simple logic—give up what is valuable to gain what is more valuable. Giving for the sake of Christ shows how great our God is.
B. God Generously Gives to Us
Second, giving shows how great God’s gift was to us. 2 Cor. 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”
We can throw away our worldly possessions because God has given us something so much more valuable. In fact, generosity with the things of this world shows off how much he’s given us in Christ. In Scripture, we always give out of spiritual abundance. (story of man in Addis Ababa given away his luxury SUV)
C. Giving Promotes Godliness
Third, we give to become more godly.
For one, giving helps us keep our priorities straight. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Matt. 6:21). God gives everyone a finite amount of money. Some we need to live on. Some we should probably use to save or invest or pay down debt to be responsible with what He’s given. But we need to give away the rest—all of it. Because what remains—what we hoard, to use a Biblical term—is a spiritual acid. It will eat away at our commitment to Christ. Keeping what we should give is trying to put our trust in God and something else—which is impossible. “You cannot serve God and Money” (Matt. 6:24).
Beyond that, though, giving promotes godliness by reminding us that God owns all we have. That’s why God goes so far in Malachi 3:8-10 to accuse those Israelites, who had not given as He had commanded them, of robbing God (Mal. 3:8-10)! All we have is God’s—not just the portion we set aside to give to a religious non-profit.
Third, giving helps encourage others to give thanks and praise to God. That’s how Paul follows his plea for gifts to the poor Judean Christians in 2 Corinthians 9:12: “For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints but is also overflowing in many thanksgivings to God.”
D. Giving Brings Blessing
Fourth, giving helps to bring about blessing. If we give, we’ll be blessed. Now this is often a misunderstood biblical principle. But before we go after the bad teaching, let’s understand what God’s actually saying. God’s promise of blessing is a real reason for why we should give.
§ Luke 6:38 – Jesus says, “give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”
§ 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 – Paul says, “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
We give because there is reward for giving. This is a godly motivation for us, and sticking our noses up to refuse God’s reward is not pious. Rather, it defames God and His delight in showing mercy. Giving in order to be blessed is a good and godly thing.
Unfortunately, some so-called Christian teachers get this wrong and skew what God has promised, even some evangelicals are guilty of this. They say that God’s blessing for giving must include material prosperity and that blessing is for now. So T.D. Jakes tells us that if we plant a “Miracle Faith Seed” by writing him a check, God will heal our marriages or our bank accounts. Or a more faithful—but still mistaken—teacher might tell you that the reason you’re not able to get out of debt is because you don’t give faithfully to your local church. Those that teach like this incorrectly define the blessings of happiness and success by the world’s standards instead of God’s. But material wealth is not a trustworthy measure of our holiness.
Now in the Old Testament, God did tie material blessing to obedience—because God’s people were defined as a physical nation on a physical land that produced a physical, material blessing (Num. 14:8; Deut. 28:13-14). But the Old Testament blessings were always pointing to something greater and more lasting.
On this side of Christ, God’s people make up the church, who have no country of their own outside of heaven. So when Scripture speaks of rewards, it emphasizes eternal spiritual blessing rather than present material blessings (Eph. 1:3).[2] For us, trust and obedience to God doesn’t entitle us to worldly riches and comfort. In fact, God calls His people to suffering in this life (2 Thes. 1:4, Acts 9:16). But this suffering for Christ’s sake will be for our blessing and rich reward in heaven (Matt. 5:11-12).
So to summarize all of this: if we give, we‘ll be blessed, and that blessing is a Godly motivation for giving. That’s why Paul says (2 Cor 9:7) that God loves a cheerful giver. Because that kind of giver advertises that the blessing they receive is worth more than the gift. Cold-hearted, drudgery giving says nothing good about who God is—it merely advertises him as a hard-nosed taskmaster. Motive is everything when it comes to giving.
Now, what if you’re not feeling very cheerful this morning, as you watch the offering plate coming down the aisle and look at that check in your hand? You think about all of the other things you could do with that money, but you give it anyway, trusting that God’s use of that money is better than your own. Have you gained nothing? Of course not! You’ve acted in faith, and that speaks volumes about the trustworthiness of our God. God doesn’t want regretful givers because their gifts say nothing about his own worthiness. But gifts given amidst a battle of temptation? Those are gifts of faith that are of great worth in God’s sight.
So your motives don’t have to be perfect in order to give faithfully; we’re sinful people after all. But if you just really don’t want to give—maybe you feel forced out of necessity to give to fund the church’s deficit—then don’t give (2 Cor. 9:7). God doesn’t need your money! He can fulfill His purposes without you. But in His kindness, He gives us the privilege and joy of participating in what He’s doing.
How has giving become joyful for you?
Questions or Comments?
III. What Should Christians Give?
So we’ve answered the “why” of giving, but there’s another big question we need to answer—“what” do we give?
A. Everything
As I mentioned earlier, God owns all that we have—not just our money—and so our giving encompasses a lot more than money too.
For example, Paul writes in Romans 12, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” (Rom. 12:1). In 1 Corinthians 10, he says, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (10:31). “Money is just one piece of a large puzzle for how we can use every gift, every opportunity, every relationship, every dollar to proclaim the glory of God with every minute He gives us on this earth” [from handout].
Sometimes we think that God’s goal for our money is that we live on as little of it as possible so that we can give as much as possible to the local church. Of course, that sacrifice will honor God. But that may well be too narrow a view of things.
For example, what would you tell a husband who felt that his wife was being ungodly for wanting to go out for dinner once a week, especially since they could easily have an equally good meal at home for half the cost and give the rest away? Would you encourage him in this? Probably not, if you wanted his marriage to prosper. Perhaps God might be more pleased if he used his money to build into his relationship with his wife rather than simply giving it all to the church. Did Jesus commend the Pharisees in Mark 7 for giving a gift devoted to God at the neglect of caring for their parents? Of course not!
Your money can do a lot of good things. It can fund the ministry of this church, but it can also pay someone to fix your toilet so you’ll have time to meet up with a discouraged friend. It can be used as God’s provision for a Christian friend struggling with debt. It can help you enjoy God’s creation on top of a distant mountain.
Your job as a Christian is to assess every opportunity you have in life—many of which can benefit from your money—and spend every bit of you for God’s glory in this life[3].
So…what should we give? Everything—out entire lives are to be spent for God’s glory.
B. Tithes & Offerings
But with that in place, let’s consider a more specific question. How much money should we give to the church?
1. Old Testament Giving
A good place to start is with the Old Testament concept of the tithe, which was a bit like income tax. A tithe just means a tenth part and was to be holy, or set apart, to the Lord. There were three different tithes collected in Israel.
First, Leviticus 27:30-33 tells us that a tithe of all the produce and flocks was to be set aside for the Lord. This tithe was given to the Levites, enabling them to serve in the tabernacle full-time since they didn’t receive an inheritance of land. They, in turn, were to tithe to support the priests (Num 18:8-32).
Second, in Deuteronomy, we see that a tenth of one’s produce and flocks was to be eaten at the central sanctuary (Deut. 12:17-18; 14:22-23). Interesting—God was commanding His people to save up for a big party once each year in His honor. Remember, part of bringing God glory is enjoying His gifts in ways that honor Him (1 Tim. 4:4). God loves to bless His people.
Finally, we see that every third year, a tithe was to go into a local storehouse to feed the poor (Deut. 14:28-29; 26:12-13).[4]
In addition to these three tithes, Israel also had the temple tax (Exod. 30:11-16), voluntary offerings (Deut. 12:6), gleaning of the fields that was to be left for the poor (Lev. 19:9-10), and additional taxes levied during the monarchy (2 Kings 23:35). So the Old Testament system of giving was much more complex than just 10%. That said, if you’re new to giving, 10% can be a great place to start. After all, Abraham gave 10% to Melchizedek (Gen. 14:20), and Jacob promised 10% to God (Gen. 28:22) hundreds of years before the law was given.
2. New Testament Giving
But let’s move onto the New Testament practice of giving. It’s interesting that nowhere in the New Testament are Christians commanded to give 10%. Instead, what we see in 1 Corinthians 16:2 is a simple admonition to give in keeping with our income, which we’ll come to later.
So what’s happened to the 10%? Well, the tithe—like animal sacrifices, the schedule of festivals, and priestly offices—were all parts of God’s regulations in the Old Testament of how his people were to worship him. Once Jesus comes along, He announces in the Sermon on the Mount that He fulfils the entire Old Testament (Matt. 5:17). All of the worship ordinances in the Old Testament were pointing to Him. That’s what much of Hebrews is about.
Once Jesus comes along, these things are no longer needed because One greater than the temple is here (Matt. 12:6). That’s why Jesus declares the temple tax inapplicable to his followers in Matthew 17:25-26. We are sons of the king, Jesus says. And kings don’t tax their own sons.
So to summarize all of this, are you in sin if you don’t give 10% of your income to the church? Not necessarily. Notice I didn’t say “no.” For some of you, given how God has constructed your life, you may be in sin if you don’t give 50% of your income away. For others, God is very pleased with your 5%. Our job is not to meet a particular percentage but to give whatever we’re able.
In doing this, though, there are two additional principles in Scripture that we’ll find helpful.
3. Sacrificial Giving
First: sacrifice. All through the New Testament, we’re taught that following Jesus will involve self-denial. Jesus actually makes this non-negotiable for being a Christian. “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” (Matt. 16:24). And on at least two occasions we see sacrifice applied specifically to giving of financial resources—once when the poor widow gave all she had to live on (Mark 12:41-44) and once when the poor Macedonians gave beyond their ability (2 Cor. 8:2-3).
What we can take away from this is that we should all be serving Jesus to the point of sacrifice. And one way that some of us will be called to sacrifice is in giving of our money to the point that it hurts. As we think about this truth, we need to avoid two errors.
The first error says if your budget isn’t painfully tight, you’re not following Jesus. That’s not always true. It’s not necessarily sin to accumulate wealth (e.g. Abraham). We should all live sacrificial lives (Rom. 12:1). But that’ll look different for different people. For some, the real sacrifice might be with our budget, for others it’s our time, for others it’s our relationships, and so forth. We ought to be giving in all of these, not being selfish in any area. But where exactly we say we sacrifice will vary from person to person. But with that hurt also comes a balm of joy, as we have the privilege to willingly sacrifice for our Savior and King.
The second error is the one that says comfort and Christianity can co-exist. We’re in a battle, after all. We’re called to sacrifice. That’s what it means to follow a crucified Lord. Let our comfort be in Christ (2 Cor. 1:3-7).
4. Generous Giving
The second theme that should guide our giving is a theme we see painted all across the pages of the New Testament: generosity. Paul writes, “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6). This is a farming truism—if you plant just a little, you’re not going to get a large harvest. God loves it when we take risks and bet fully on Him by giving generously. Lliberality should mark every Christian. We should give generously to support our local church, to support missionaries, to help our neighbors in need, to love our families, to encourage our brothers and sisters in the Lord.
So how much should we give? Everything—both what we give and what we keep back are finally God’s. How much money should we give to the church? Quite possibly more than you do today. But certainly enough so that you can honestly say before God that the money you’re holding back to spend elsewhere brings Him equal or greater glory than it would if you were to give it away.[5] “Give so that the money you’re spending on your own needs brings God equal or greater glory than it would if you were to give it away.” [quoted on handout] That is the gold standard for all of us. And for most of us, that’ll be considerably more than 10%.
Questions or Comments?
IV. Where Should Christians Give?
Let’s move onto our third question of where should we give our money?
A. Obligations
The first thing that we need to consider is where we must give. Let’s start with our most basic responsibility. 1 Timothy 5:8 says, “if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” Providing for family seems to be our most basic responsibility.
But let’s say that you’ve met that most basic obligation. What’s next? Give to your local church. In Galatians 6:6 Paul writes, “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches.” This seems to follow the Old Testament practice of tithing to support the Levites, those who taught God’s people. I think a good way to apply this is to say that most of your giving should support this local church. Since most of your teaching comes from this local church.
B. Opportunities
Now, beyond these two, we don’t see commands of obligation in the Bible. But we do see descriptions of opportunity. For example, Paul made it clear he wasn’t commanding the Corinthians to give to the destitute churches in Judea, but he presented it as a compelling opportunity (2 Cor. 8:8).
So you’re providing for your family, and you’re giving a faithful amount to your church. But you still have money left over that you don’t need. What do you do? You try to figure out the best, most strategic[6] way to spend that money so that you’ll be able to give good account for it on that last day as you stand before Christ.
Perhaps you give more to your church because of the good things they’re doing. In fact, I hope that over time as your income grows, you give a larger portion of it to your church each year. God wants us to not only grow in our hope, faith, and love—He wants us to also grow and excel in our giving (2 Cor. 8:7). Or you might use your excess money to have a big party in your neighborhood to help you meet new people who don’t know the Lord. Perhaps you give to support a local homeless shelter or a missionary overseas. You could lend your car on the days you don’t use it. You could loan money to help a Christian friend struggling to get out of debt.
A side note here: I think a clear application of the biblical teaching on lending is that you should never charge interest on a personal loan made to a brother or sister in Christ (Exod. 22:25, Luke 6:34-36). After all, the person is needy, and we’re to show mercy to those in need. You don’t want to profit from their precarious situation.
So there are lots of opportunities for your money. Your job is to determine how you can make the most of them for the glory of God.
Questions or Comments?
V. How Should Christians Give?
Finally, let’s answer the question of how we should give. To do this, we’re going to primarily look at what Paul says 1 Corinthians 16:2: “On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.”
There are 5 biblical admonitions that we can take from this verse.
So how should we give? Giving should be…
1. Periodic
We should give regularly. Paul says, “On the first day of every week,” when the church gathered. Sometimes I fear that Christians are more willing to follow IRS guidelines and give just before the end of the year than biblical guidelines of giving regularly throughout the year. Do we give our firstfruits up front or do we give out of what’s leftover at the end of the year or the end of our lives?[7]
2. Personal
We’re each responsible to give. Paul says, “each of you.” We can’t assume that just because the church is giving, we’re giving.
3. Planned
We should give some deliberate thought to our giving. Paul says to put aside our money. When we plan our budgets, we should plan our giving. Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 9:7, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart.” This is a decision pray about and think about. Not one you make in the spur of the moment on Sunday morning.
4. Progressive
We should give according to our means. Paul says someone should give “as he may prosper.” The more God prospers us, the more we give. And presumably, the more God prospers us the higher portion we give.
So for example, let’s say that Believer A has an income of $30,000 per year and Believer B receives $60,000 per year. Both give 10% of their income. With everything else being equal, has Believer B given progressively? No, they haven’t. After giving, Believer A has $27,000 left to live on, and Believer B has $54,000, or twice as much. Believer B could actually give 20% and still have over $20,000 more to live on than Believer A.[8]
Remember, generosity is not marked by how much we give, but by how much we keep.
5. Plentiful
Our giving is to be generous. Paul concludes his instruction saying, “so that there will be no collecting when I come.” We should give plentifully as we reflect on all that God has given us in Christ.
Questions or Comments?
VI. Conclusion
Well, then, let’s conclude. “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). Those are Jesus’ words, and they’re really true. One of the greatest joys for Christians is being able to give more. There is tremendous satisfaction that comes from seeing the fruits of our labor multiplied many times over in the lives of others. Money is a powerful thing, and when we use it well, it has potential to do incredible good. And that feels amazing. I hope that we’re able to excel in the grace of giving. And so having been found faithful with little, God will be pleased to entrust us with more.
PRAYER
APPENDIX A
Leftover Income
What do I do with leftover income after my giving and immediate expenses have been paid? There is a lot of Christian liberty in answering this question. If you have debt, you could pay it off earlier. This provides more financial flexibility and removes the danger of being in debt. You could give it all away; there’s nothing wrong with that, as you can bless many others through generosity. You could also save the money for anticipated expenses, such as a new car. The only caveat on saving is to protect yourself from hoarding and trusting in your wealth.
No Leftover Income
Is it ever okay not to give, such as when you don’t have anything left over after necessary life expenses? Scripture expects that Christians will be generous and give (Matt. 6:2). Paul tells Timothy, “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share” (1 Tim. 6:18). Therefore, it suggests that if Christians receive anything, they still should be in the practice of giving, even if it’s small. Otherwise, they lose out on the joy of giving and the opportunity to grow in faith. But there are probably certain circumstances where a person is not sinning for not giving because of their impoverished position.
Giving in Faith
Should we give beyond our means as a way to stretch our faith? First of all, giving should always be planned and set aside (1 Cor. 16:2). It would be foolish and reckless to give so much that you need to go into debt or become a burden to another. That said, God calls us to grow in the grace of giving (2 Cor. 8:7). For example, the widow gave her two mites, all she had to live on. She used her money to increase her faith, which was commendable before God. Having so little, she was surely mindful of what she had to live on. If she was ignorant, it would question whether she was giving by faith or not. At the same time, we should give our firstfruits. This is practicing trust in God for the future, even when we don’t necessarily know what may happen the next month with our budget (e.g. our car may need repaired for $3,000!). There’s no sure way to do this other than by faith. We don’t know the future, but we know our God and He will care for His people as we trust Him, and He wants us to depend on Him more and more.
Prosperity Gospel
What is the prosperity gospel and why is it wrong? The modern day prosperity gospel began in the early 19th century. Teachers of the prosperity gospel value Christianity for what we can get out of it for this life. Oftentimes, these teachers will claim extra-biblical revelations from God. “According to the prosperity gospel, speaking the right words combined with faith in those words can produce amazing results because God established spiritual laws that govern this world. The believer’s task is to use words in order to exercise spiritual laws for their own benefit. If believers repeat the right words and believe, then God must bless, for spiritual laws are in effect.”[9] And so they elevate man, and reduce God to one who exists only for meeting the needs of humans. Biblical sacrifice, humility, and suffering are absent in such a theology. In the end, the gospel of salvation from sin is turned into salvation from a difficult, impoverished life.
Tithing
Are Christians obligated to tithe 10% to the church? There are some Christians who think that the tithe is the Christian minimum in giving (e.g. Randy Alcorn) because otherwise it would lower biblical standards set in the Old Testament. But this view isn’t justified in the New Testament under the New Covenant. While 10% may be a helpful goal or bar to set for some people in giving to the local church, the church isn’t the Old Testament Israelites, who were a theocracy with civil and economic laws, such as various tithes. Under the New Covenant, God’s laws are written on the hearts of His people and giving is in proportion to what one has. New Testament Christians aren’t to give begrudgingly or under compulsion, such as was with the tithe, but cheerfully. God is more concerned with our devotion than our dollars.
