As stewards...

We need to do some homework before we give.

Asking those in leadership in our church for advice, checking carefully a ministry's publications and financial statements, meeting ministry representatives, visiting one of their offices and better still, observing the work on the mission field are how we can gather better intel on what a ministry looks like.

Unfortunately most of us do not have the opportunity of meeting some of the staff that normally do not appear in a public setting - the database coordinator, the mail room clerk, the website developer etc - and there you might find the real nature of the ministry.  Do they demonstrate a servant-heart concern for those who are receiving ministry? Do they demonstrate a sense of unity, camaraderie and mutual respect? For those who have left the ministry - what happened and why? Is the ministry Biblically sound and Christ-centred? Is prayer present and are they asking the Lord for His guidance and the Holy Spirit's empowerment? Do the leaders demonstrate integrity, purity and humility?  Are they open to input to improve or become more strategic? Can the expenses of funds into administration and fund raising make sense? Does the ministry really understand the cross-cultural factors based on how the flow of money is managed?  Does the ministry speak well of others in their same field of work and do they cooperate with them? Does the ministry have an eternal perspective?

Of course, if you are not interested in supporting a Christian ministry, many of these questions would not need to be answered. 

Caring for the poor

When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap to the very edges of your field, or gather the gleanings of your harvest.  You shall not strip your vineyard bare, or gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard; you shall leave them for the poor and the alien: I am the Lord your God. - Leviticus 19:9-10

Give liberally and be ungrudging when you do so, for on this account the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake.  Since there will never cease to be some in need on the earth, I therefore command you, “Open your hand to the poor and needy neighbor in your land.” - Deuteronomy 15:10-11

 Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord,
    and will be repaid in full. - Proverbs 19:17

Those who are generous are blessed,
    for they share their bread with the poor. - Proverbs 22:9

Those who are generous are blessed,
    for they share their bread with the poor. - Proverbs 28:27

 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
    and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them,
    and not to hide yourself from your own kin?  If you offer your food to the hungry
    and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
    and your gloom be like the noonday. The Lord will guide you continually,
    and satisfy your needs in parched places,
    and make your bones strong;
and you shall be like a watered garden,
    like a spring of water,
    whose waters never fail. - Isaiah 58:7, 10-11

 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
    because he has anointed me
        to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
    and recovery of sight to the blind,
        to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” - Luke 4:18-19

Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, “Buy what we need for the festival”; or, that he should give something to the poor. - John 13:29

He said also to the one who had invited him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid.  But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind.  And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” - Luke 14:12-14

At that time prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.  One of them named Agabus stood up and predicted by the Spirit that there would be a severe famine over all the world; and this took place during the reign of Claudius.  The disciples determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers^[a] living in Judea;  this they did, sending it to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. - Acts 11:27-30

Now in Joppa there was a disciple whose name was Tabitha, which in Greek is Dorcas.^[a] She was devoted to good works and acts of charity. - Acts 9:36

 He was a devout man who feared God with all his household; he gave alms generously to the people and prayed constantly to God.  One afternoon at about three o’clock he had a vision in which he clearly saw an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius.”  He stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” He answered, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God.- Acts 10:2-4

 They asked only one thing, that we remember the poor, which was actually what I was^[a] eager to do. - Galatians 2:4

 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to care for orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. - James 1:27

 What good is it, my brothers and sisters,^[a] if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?  If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food,  and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that?- James 2:14-16

 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another.  How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister^[a] in need and yet refuses help?  Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action.  And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him - 1 John 3:16-19

Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;  for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;  for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. Matthew 25:34-35, 41-42

There is a priority set to care for the needs of those who follow Christ.

 So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. - Galatians 6:10

When Saul was persecuting Christians, Jesus appeared to him.

 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” - Acts 9:4

How can we eliminate poverty? The answer is, we cannot. Jesus said that the poor would always be with us. Should we give up? Of course not.

The poor need not only our provisions but also social justice.

You shall not abuse any widow or orphan.  If you do abuse them, when they cry out to me, I will surely heed their cry. - Exodus 22:22-23

Nor shall you be partial to the poor in a lawsuit. You shall not pervert the justice due to your poor in their lawsuits. You shall not oppress a resident alien; you know the heart of an alien, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. - Exodus 23:3,6,9

 The prophets were particularly concerned about the exploitation of the poor.  James warns the church against courting and favouring the rich over the poor.

 I know that the Lord maintains the cause of the needy,    and executes justice for the poor. - Psalm 140:12

I need to determine a salary that I need to live on, then give back to God every dime He entrusts to me beyond that, so every day I work and earn income is a day that will help the poor and reach the lost.

Teaching the poor to give

2 Corinthians chapter 8 and 9 are the longest passages on giving in the Bible and it starts by focusing on the Macedonians who lived in extreme poverty, yet who gave simply according to their means but they did give beyond their ability. 

God blesses giving and when we hang on to what is His, it's never in our best interest - the poor are not hurt by giving, they are helped by giving.

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing. - Malachi 3:10

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.  Luke 6:38

If we do not teach people about giving, we deprive them of what God would have provided if they had learned to become givers.

When we give generously

God, even if it happens in a third party kind of way, blesses us financially when we give.

Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.  Luke 6:38

The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. - 2 Corinthians 9:6

Have you ever asked yourself - why has He provided so much?

He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.^[a] You will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God through us - 2 Corinthians 9:10-11

God entrusts me with His money not to build my kingdom on earth, but to build His kingdom in heaven.

Your present abundance and their need, so that their abundance may be for your need, in order that there may be a fair balance.  As it is written,

“The one who had much did not have too much,
    and the one who had little did not have too little.” - 2 Corinthians 8:14-15

He does not want us to have too little or too much. When those with too much give to those with too little, two problems are solved.

I just finished writing some copy for an appeal that a major children's charity will be sending to their donors.  I tried my best to describe to the potential donor what their gifts will do for children in a particular community in Nicaragua. I believe there is no greater joy than for the donor to see the fruit of their gift. Seeing people blessed - the giving is the blessing - but the deepest joy comes when they see the fruit.  This in why I recommend people take trips that allow them to see some of the faces and meet some of the people touched by their giving.  A major giving family in the US who also give to Canadian ministries said that they were hooked on giving when they saw first hand what missions was doing.  They knew where to give and where their giving would make a difference for eternity.  Today, they sold their family business and have created one of the largest Foundations in the US.

 R.G. LeTourneau is known for inventing the Catarpillar brand of earth moving machines.  His spiritually journey had him and his family at a place where they gave 90% of their income to the Lord. "I shovel it out,” he would say, “and God shovels it back, but God has a bigger shovel."

But there are, as I said earlier, third party type of blessings.  The washing machine that is twenty years old and should have stopped working years ago keeps on working.  A car with 350,000 km keeps running with hardly the need of repairs other than tires and oil changes. A checking account that should have dried up before the end of the month and yet it makes it through. Or the prayer for healthy teeth because there is no dental plan and not even one tooth decay.

Have you ever noticed that excess money just seems to dissipate in a multitude of directions?  

 Now therefore thus says the Lord of hosts: Consider how you have fared. You have sown much, and harvested little; you eat, but you never have enough; you drink, but you never have your fill; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and you that earn wages earn wages to put them into a bag with holes. - Haggai 1:5-6

God said that because the nation of Israel had given to themselves and not to Him, He had minimised and dissipated their profits so they didn't come out ahead.  We need to give careful thought to your ways, asking oursevles if we'd do better to give more to the Lord and ask Him to maximise what we keep.

But no matter how far we move on in the grace of giving, Jesus Christ remains the matchless giver --

For you know the generous act^[a] of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.- 2 Corinthians 8:9

 

NT Guidelines: Give Quietly

Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. - Matthew 6:1

The illustrations that follow include prayer and fasting, but begin with giving.

 So that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. - Matthew 6:4

Sometimes our acts of righteousness will be seen by people and even should be, such as our acts of love. Earlier in the same sermon where He says we're not to give in order to be seen by people, Christ commands us --

 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven. - Matthew 5:16

Jesus tells us to pray in secret, and God will reward us for that.  Yet gathering for group prayer is certainly important.  God wants us to pray secretly sometimes but not others.

If leaders know how much people give, they'll be tempted to show preference to big givers and neglect those who give less and its this very trap we are warned against --

  My brothers and sisters,^[a] do you with your acts of favoritism really believe in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ?^{[b] 2} For if a person with gold rings and in fine clothes comes into your assembly, and if a poor person in dirty clothes also comes in, ³ and if you take notice of the one wearing the fine clothes and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while to the one who is poor you say, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,”^{[c] 4} have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? ⁵ Listen, my beloved brothers and sisters.^[d] Has not God chosen the poor in the world to be rich in faith and to be heirs of the kingdom that he has promised to those who love him? - James 2:1-5

It also puts leaders in a position to judge others with incomplete knowledge.

For misrepresenting their giving, God struck Ananias and Sapphira dead - keep in mind that they were generous donors.

There is encouragement in those who follow Jesus seeing God at work in the giving of others who follow Jesus.  I have been encouraged and stimulated to give as I've heard the giving of others.

NT Guidelines: Give Proportionately

A great example of this is the first recorded impending famine in Judea and how the church family rallied together to send in a donation, each to their ability.

The rich give more, the poor give less - that is why Jesus made it a point to call out the widow who put two copper coins in the temple treasury - she gave everything while the rich only gave something.

The Canadian Centre for Philanthrophy came out with a fact sheet recently - this caught my eye --

Are high income donors more generous?
Although Canadians with higher household
incomes gave larger annual amounts, those with
lower incomes contributed a larger percentage
of their income. Donors with incomes under
$40,000 contributed a significantly larger
percentage of their income compared to those
with incomes of $40,000 or more.
Donors with household incomes of less than
$20,000 contributed the highest percentage of
household income in charitable donations (1.4%).
The percentage of household income
contributed in donations decreased steadily as
income increased.

Of those who earned over $100,000 - 91% gave 0.01% of their income to charity.  Those who earned less than $20,000 - gave 1.4% of their income away.

NT Guidelines: Give sacrificially

Paul describes the Macedonians using this description --

... for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For, as I can testify, they voluntarily gave according to their means, and even beyond their means - 2 Corinthians 8:2-3

 King David said these words --

“No, but I will buy them from you for a price; I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing.” - 2 Samuel 24:24

Sacrificial giving is parting with what we'd rather keep.








A Program To Encourage Sacrificial Giving

What does the New Testament say about giving?

Giving God’s Way

Biblical Perspective on Giving – Giving Cheerfully and Sacrificially

Eleven Giving Guidelines to Fight the Pull of Materialism

NT guidelines: Give

In the New Testament, there are no exceptions - the expectations are that all will give, even though our amounts will be different.

Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. - 2 Corinthians 9:7

 It is a sad statistic that four out of ten people attending church give nothing, and another two or three out of ten give next to nothing.




Guidelines for Giving

Don't want to demean tithing

Tithing's stated purpose is --

[a]You shall eat the tithe (tenth) of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock before the Lord your God in the place where He chooses to establish His Name (Presence), so that you may learn to fear [and worship] the Lord your God [with awe-filled reverence and profound respect] always. - Deuteronomy 14:23

Tithing is intended to train people to put God first in their lives because the giving of ten percent represents the other ninety percent, tithing symbolizes the giving of one's whole life to God.

The tithe was a divine invitation to test God's promises to provide.  Tithing begins as a duty but can become a delight, leading to joyful voluntary giving.

• Today, Christians give an average of 2.43 per cent of their income. Evangelicals are among the most generous, donating an average of four per cent. Conservative Christians, like Baptists, are also more likely to tithe than Catholics.
• In 2013, 82% of Canadians 15 years and older made donations to a charitable or non-profit organization. The proportion in 2004 was 85%.
• Teenagers and those in their 20s are less likely to give to charity than other Canadians, but thereafter the donor rate fluctuates between 73 and 85 per cent. The average donation rises from a very modest sum for those in their teens ($62) to $295 for those in their 50s. Those in their 60s give slightly less ($282), but donations are greatest – and by a substantial margin – among Canadians in their 70s ($352) and 80s ($350).
• The religiously active, who are 32 per cent of all Canadians, are the source of 65 per cent of all the dollars donated in Canada. The remaining 68 per cent of Canadians, who rarely or never attend religious services, together account for only 36 per cent of all monies donated.
• The Canadian Revenue Agency found that, from 2009 to 2010, religious donations dropped to $4 billion from $6.04 billion.

Ironically, many people "can't afford" to give precisely because they're not giving. Think of Christ's words --

Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use[when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.” - Luke 6:38

The tithe is recognized as God's

The Old Testament emphasised "freewill offerings" --

The Israelites, all the men and women whose heart moved them to bring material for all the work which the Lord had commanded through Moses to be done, brought a freewill (voluntary) offering to the Lord. - Exodus 35:29

These were voluntary contributions beyond the tithe.

When the temple needed to be rebuilt, people were asked to provide freewill offerings --

Then the heads of the fathers’ households of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and Levites, all those whose spirits God had stirred up,[a]arose to go up and rebuild the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem.  All those who were around them encouraged them with articles of silver, with gold, with goods, with cattle, and with valuable things, in addition to all that was given as a freewill offering. - Ezra 1:5-6

 The Israelites got caught up in the thrill of giving --

And all the skilled men who were doing all the work on the sanctuary came, each one from the work which he was doing,  and they said to Moses, “The people are bringing much more than enough for the construction work which the Lord commanded us to do.”  So Moses issued a command, and it was proclaimed throughout the camp, “Let neither man nor woman do any more work for the sanctuary offering.” So the people were restrained from bringing anything more;  for the material they had was sufficient and more than enough to do all the work. - Exodus 36:4-7

The emphasis here is not on the amount of the offering or the cause for it, but the willingness of each person's heart.

Voluntary offerings were a demonstration of love, joy, and worship.  The grace of giving transformed a pack of gripers and whiners into joyful worshippers.

Moreover, because I delight in the house of my God, the [personal] treasure that I have of gold and silver, I give to the house of my God, in addition to all that I have already provided for the holy house - 1 Chronicles 29:3

Then the rulers of the fathers’ households, and leaders of the tribes of Israel, and the commanders of thousands and of hundreds, with the overseers of the king’s work, offered willingly  and gave for the service of the house of God: 5,000 talents and 10,000 darics of gold, and 10,000 talents of silver, and 18,000 talents of bronze, and 100,000 talents of iron.  Whoever had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the house of the Lord, in the care of Jehiel the Gershonite. Then the people rejoiced because they had given willingly, for with a whole and blameless heart they had offered freely to the Lord. King David also rejoiced greatly. - 1 Chronicles 29:6-9

“But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to offer as generously as this? For all things come from You, and from Your own hand we have given to You.  For we are [a]sojourners before You, and tenants, as all our fathers were; our days on the earth are like a shadow, and there is no hope [of remaining].  O Lord our God, all this abundance that we have prepared to build You a house for Your holy Name, it is from Your hand, and is all Your own.  I know also, my God, that You test the heart and delight in uprightness and integrity. In the uprightness of my heart I have willingly offered all these things. So now with joy I have seen Your people who are present here, make their offerings willingly and freely to You.  O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever such purposes and thoughts in the minds of Your people, and direct their hearts toward You - 1 Chronicles 29:14-18

David measured the people's loyalty to God by their willingness to freely give to God.

Prosperity: Promised

The most popular NT proof text for prosperity theology comes on the heels of Christ's disciples pointing out that they had left everything behind to follow Him --

“Yes,” Jesus replied, “and I assure you that everyone who has given up house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for my sake and for the Good News, will receive now in return a hundred times as many houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and property—along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life. - Mark 10: 29-30

 After acknowledging his lack of health and wealth, Paul demonstrated the real meaning of this verse by describing it this way --

Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything. 2 Corinthians 6:10

Have you ever heard a prosperity message that refers to the idea that with all of this stuff - comes persecution?

This is not suggesting that there is no NT promise of blessing applied in a literal, material way --

Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” - Luke 6:38

Both Scripture and experience demonstrate God's frequent material blessing upon those who generously share what He has entrusted to them.






John Piper ~ Prosperity Gospel

Ten Bible Verses Prosperity Gospel Preachers Need to Stop Misusing

DOES GOD PROMISE BELIEVERS FINANCIAL PROSPERITY?