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.

Prosperity: Paul

When Paul bowed his knee to the carpenter from Galilee, he forever turned his back on prosperity theology.

"And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake.” Acts 9:16

In his letter to the Philippians - written from a prison, not a plush office or the Rome Marriott --

For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. - Philippians 1:29

He depicts Christ as the suffering servant, whose prosperity came after his life on this earth, not during it.  Had Jesus laid claim to prosperity in this life, there would have been no crucifixion, no atonement, no gospel, and no hope for any of us.

In Philippians 3, Paul discusses his credentials of success, his diplomas and awards.  These were once highly valued, but now he says --

I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done.  Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ - Philippians 3:7-8

 Actually, this translation is too delicate.

What little money and possessions might have passed through his hands he considered a loss.  He describes his daily adversity, persecution for Christ and nearness to death - refers to his troubles, hardships, distressed, beatings, imprisonments, riots, sleepless nights, and hunger, as well as the experience of nearly dying and being sorrowful and poor.

Perhaps the most graphic portrayal of Paul's life comes later  --

Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again.  Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes.  Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.  I have travelled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm. Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?                     2 Corinthians 11:23-29

The truth is, Paul heard some of these voices in his own day.  In fact, Paul had to defend himself against the 'super apostles', well off ministers who berated him because he couldn't claim their wealth and prestige.

You think you already have everything you need. You think you are already rich. You have begun to reign in God’s kingdom without us! I wish you really were reigning already, for then we would be reigning with you. Our dedication to Christ makes us look like fools, but you claim to be so wise in Christ! We are weak, but you are so powerful! You are honoured, but we are ridiculed. - 1 Corinthians 4:8,10

Paul faced off with these prosperity preachers, pointing out that they had jumped the gun on reigning with Christ by living now as kings rather than as servants.

After explaining that God had given him some special revelations, Paul adds this -

Even though I have received such wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud.
Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away.  Each time he said,“My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me.  That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong. - 2 Corinthians 12:7-10

We don't know what the disease was, but among other things it apparently caused his deteriorating eyesight.

If you have prayed for healing and not received it, take heart -- you're in good company.  Not only was Paul himself not healed, but he also had to leave Trophimus in Miletus because of sickness.  His beloved friend Epaphroditus was gravely ill.  His son in the faith, Timothy, had frequent stomach disorders for which Paul didn't tell him to 'claim healing' but to drink a little wine for medicinal purposes.  Those who claim 'anyone with enough faith can be healed' apparently have greater faith than Paul and his missionary associates.

Much has changed

It seems I am unable to find any relevant data for the Canadian landscape in regards to giving to the church and so must be satisfied with the assumption that the trend below our border is the same trend we are experiencing in ratio to other spiritual directions that have been measured i.e. church attendance/membership, Bible reading etc.The data I am about to share with you came from the Barna Research Group.

Tithing in 2007

Whether they believe in the principle of tithing or not, the research revealed that just 5% of adults tithed.

Not surprisingly, some population groups were more likely than others to have given away at least ten percent of their income. Among the most generous segments were evangelicals (24% of whom tithed); conservatives (12%); people who had prayed, read the Bible and attended a church service during the past week (12%) and charismatic or Pentecostal Christians (11%).

Several groups also stood out as highly unlikely to tithe: people under the age of 25, single adults who have never been married, liberals, and downscale adults. One percent or less of the people in each of those segments tithed in 2007.

Among all "born again" adults, 9% contributed one-tenth or more of their income.

The study also showed that Protestants were four times as likely to tithe as were Catholics (8% versus 2%, respectively).

Tithing Since 2000

The percentage of adults who tithe has stayed constant since the turn of the decade, falling in the 5% to 7% range. The Barna tracking reported that the proportion of adults who tithed was 7% in 2006 and 2005; 5% in 2004 and 2003; 6% in 2002; and 5% in 2001.

I believe that people are genuinely interested in learning about and applying God's perspective on finances.  Yes, I have run across many others who are not, but my goal has always been to share the full biblical picture to inform and correct our faulty view of the world. Hopefully you will find some of that here.

May you be encouraged by the power of the Scriptures that are cornerstone to this journey.

It is remarkable that something so central to the teaching of Scripture is so neglected by schools dedicated to teaching the Scriptures and preparing students to train others.

For the first two years of my ministry I have been a Christian Education Coordinator in the church and for the past 30 years in fund development and financial planning for Christian ministries.  I have found these truths to be rock solid.

I pray your heart will be touched and your life changed as mine has been.