Willing Givers

As a parent I love to give gifts to my children.  The joy and excitement as they open and are surprised by a gift always bring a smile to my face.  But there are times, when I wish that I had never given the gift to them in the first place.  That time is when they are reluctant to share their gifts with someone else.  When they are greedy and poor managers of the gifts they receive it makes me reluctant to give them more gifts.

As a father, I want my children to be willing to share their Nintendo DSi.  For followers of Jesus, our heavenly Father wants us to be willing to share everything we own.  But how do we do that?  How do we train ourselves to be willing givers?

“Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ” (2 Cor. 9:7, ESV)

One of the simplest steps we can take in learning to become willing givers is to choose to give 10% (called a tithe) as a starting point instead of a finish line when it comes to our kingdom investment.  In a previous post, I stated there is no requirement to tithe in the New Testament.   I want to take the opportunity to clarify what I mean by that statement.  In other words, Jesus did not come a say if you are a follower of mine you must give 10% of all your gross income to me.  But Jesus also does not do away with the idea of the tithe rendering it as no longer relevant.   

In Matthew 23, as Jesus rebukes the Pharisees for their religious hypocrisy he says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. ” (Matt. 23:23, ESV) Note Jesus doesn’t tell them not to worry about the tithe and instead focus on justice, mercy, and faithfulness.  Instead he instructs them to not forget the tithe while they also practice justice, mercy, and faithfulness.

Former pastor and author Randy Alcorn writes; “Tithing is the toddler’s first steps toward stewardship.  It’s the training wheels on the bicycle of giving.  It’s not a homerun – but it gets you on base – which is a lot farther than many Christians ever get.” (Randy Alcorn; Money, Possessions, and Eternity; p. 194) 

Consider what impact it might have on your life to start viewing bringing the full 10% of your income to God as a starting point instead of a finish line.  Do you think the Father might want to bless you with more gifts?

Thinking Biblically

Below is a portion of the message Francis Chan delivered at Catalyst 2010.  In this clip, he challenges us to what it means to really think biblically and how our lives would read if they were on the pages of Scripture.  What an interesting thought for followers of Jesus...


Catalyst East 2010: Francis Chan from Catalyst on Vimeo.

Ownership Is Everything

We are in the middle of a series at Trinity Church titled Money Matters.   The premise of this series is that money should matter to followers of Jesus because money matters to God.  What the Bible says about money and possessions is often challenging, seeming even radical to how we approach money in our world.

The stereotype of some people who reject the church is that the church is only after their money.  This stereotype can make us fearful of talking about money as followers of Jesus for fear that people will be turned off.  Jesus, however, never shied away from talking about money and possessions.  How we handle our money is critical as followers of Jesus, so we should make sure we have conversations about it.

The word “stewardship” communicates an important biblical concept.  Being a “steward” is simply being a manager.  The concept of people being managers of what God owns is found throughout Scripture beginning with the first man God created and placed in a garden to “work it and keep it” (Genesis 2:15).  The key to being a steward or a manager is to fully comprehend that you are not the owner.  A steward is someone who is placed in charge of the resources owned by someone else.

As followers of Jesus that is exactly what we are.  We are owners of nothing.  Instead we are managers of the many resources that God has entrusted to us.  This includes how we spend our time, how we utilize our talents, and how we invest our money.  When it comes to money, ownership is everything.  Settling the ownership issue is the single most important key to finding joy and freedom in managing money.

“The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein, ” (Psalm 24:1, ESV)

Declaring God’s ownership of everything, including our money allows us to experience joy in areas we never knew was possible.  When we recognize God’s ownership of everything, including our very lives we are free to finally invest in his kingdom in a way that demonstrates our love for him.  Maybe, that is why money matters so much.

Do I need to tithe?

The issue of money as a follower of Jesus is important.  So important that Jesus spoke about money and possessions frequently in Scripture.  But even with everything Jesus had to say we might still find ourselves with questions about giving.  Our questions revolve mostly around how much we should give.  A question we might find ourselves asking is, “As followers of Jesus are we required to tithe?”

If we have grown up around church, we have likely heard that as followers of Jesus we need to tithe.  But is that what the Bible says?  Or is something more required of us as people who love Jesus?

The word tithe means ten percent.  More precisely it is the first 10 percent of all we receive that is devoted to God.  The teachers of the Law during the New Testament era (called rabbis) taught that the Law required three separate tithes.  The tithes went to support the priests, the celebrations in Jerusalem, and to charity.  You may have heard a pastor teach that you are required to tithe, but he likely never told you to give thirty percent of your income to the local church.

In the New Testament we see no requirement to tithe, but that does not mean the requirement to give to God’s kingdom purposes is eliminated.  Jesus never lowered the standards as he taught about the true meaning of the Law.  He simply provided greater clarity.  When it comes to money, it’s all about who is in control.  It’s all about demonstrating what or whom we love.

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” (Matthew 6:24, ESV)

This past Sunday we learned that giving is simple heart issue.  Money is a great revealer of the heart.  It functions like a spiritual life EKG.  God measures what we give and he alone determines the value of the gift.  We can tithe and have hearts that are far from God.  But the reverse is not true.  We simply can’t say that our hearts are in love with Jesus but then turn around and give nothing.

As people we like things neatly defined.  Just tell me how much I have to give and I’ll meet that and feel good about myself in the process.  Jesus didn’t do that.  He did not give a specific amount that we could give so we would feel good.  Without this specific guidance we must learn to be people who listen to the Holy Spirit’s promptings in our giving.  We must learn to be people who are dependent upon Jesus in every area of our lives.  That includes our money and how much we give.

Church Discipline

In light of God’s loving discipline that I talked about in my last post, as a church family we must be open to what it is that God wants to do in the area of discipline.  The topic of church discipline is one that many people within the local church find confusing at best.  How is it that a church that is all about the love of Christ being displayed in the lives of people, could then turn around and go through a process of discipline in the life of one of their members?

First of all, church discipline is simply a broadly defined set of intentional steps designed to restore a member who is walking outside of God’s loving instruction.  The most commonly referenced Scripture for this practice is Matthew 18:15-17.  The sequence described in this passage has two steps that we follow relatively easily.  Approaching the individual first privately and then with the help of others.  The third and final step of taking the matter to the church is a different story.

Church discipline is one of the most difficult areas of church life to put into practice.  The Scriptures are clear that those who are walking outside of the fellowship of the local church are to be approached with loving discipline.  R. C. Sproul writes, “The church is called not only to a ministry of reconciliation, but a ministry of nurture to those within her gates.  Part of that nurture includes church discipline...”

As a church leadership team committed to being Word dependent, practicing church discipline is not optional.  It is in fact, the most loving thing we can do in the life of those who are walking outside of the fellowship.  Church discipline is not punishment or retribution.  It is instead loving discipline intended to train and restore those who are walking their own path to return to God’s loving instruction. 

In the end, a church family that refuses to practice loving discipline within their church family ends up robbing God of an opportunity for his glory to be more fully revealed.  When those who are in the discipline process turn in repentance to following the path of Jesus, God’s glory is on display.  That is why we exist as a church, for God’s glory to be revealed in us and through us.