GIVING IN, GIVING UP OR GIVING OUT?
 

Churches either are always asking for your money or never talk about it.

There are many ways in which giving financially can be approached in church conversations and many of them are unhelpful.

Here are a few.

You are not giving enough and that makes you a bad Christian.

Guilt never works. In fact its most likely to make people want to go elsewhere.

So please, feel no guilt.

Look at how much all these other people are giving, step up!

Jesus highlighted the gift of the widow who had nothing, not because it represented so much of her almost non-existent wealth (she only gave a mite) but because she gave at all. Her heart was that she wanted to contribute. The amount made little difference to the overall pot but was worth so much more than the abundance that the wealthy chose not only to give but to ensure that others knew how much they had given.

You are not judged by how you rank in the league table of givers.

So please, feel no judgement.

We have these bills to pay.

If the only reason to give is to pay the bills we have missed the point. That is about maintenance of what is, not investing in what can be.

So please, do not worry about the bills.

Give us your money or we will have to close!

So be it.

Please don’t give to maintain something that no longer honours God.

It’s your Christian duty.

Jesus said to the disciples “Go, make disciples, baptise them…and teach them all that I have commanded”

What did he command?

Well he certainly encouraged the rich young ruler not to hold onto his wealth, but this was in response to his belief that he had kept all the commandments and so had earned his salvation. Jesus encouraged giving to those who have less, but this is shown as a personal transaction – give that man your cloak. He emphasised treasures that are built in heaven against the treasures we might hold on earth – and this gets closer to the mark, where your treasure is , your heart will be also. The context is to seek first the kingdom of God. And this might be key.

He also said “freely you have received , freely give”. But this is a distraction when talking about money. Because the generosity of spirit he was speaking about here was about giving away the benefits of the Holy Spirit that has been freely given to believers. But the idea that being recipients of grace should lead us to be graceful can also be inferred.

And of course he said that the love of money is the root of all evil – except he didn’t, that was Paul writing to Timothy. But where did Paul get the idea?

So please, do seek the kingdom first, follow the commands of Jesus when making your decisions about financial giving. But do it as an outpouring of your love for the one who loved you first.

OK , so that’s a bunch of reasons not to give / increase your giving. And one which gets closer to the mark – because it is one of the commands of Jesus, at least inferred from them.

But what about this one?

Give because you want to.

If we are to “seek first the kingdom of God” then how does that sit with our vision to Make Passionate Disciples for Christ?

This is our purpose from God, I believe, and it means growing as believers and having a passion for the lost. Weeping for those souls who do not yet know the salvation offered by the Father through the love of the Son who died for them. And seeking to share that good news (literal meaning of “Gospel”) with as many as we can.

If that fires your belly, let it stretch your hand deeper into your pockets. Because you want to. Not because I, or anyone else,  asked.

Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you.

Have an opinion (inspired by that same Holy Spirit) about how the resources can best be used to further the kingdom, that we are seeking first and foremost.

This is a spiritual discipline, that helps us grow closer to God and deeper in our relationship with him. It honours him with the first fruit, that came form him in the first place. It says “you are worth it”.

And as stewards we are all called to use those resources dedicated to him for his glory and towards the kingdom building that he invites us to do alongside him.

 
Amen!

Doug