If there is one sensitive area that we as Western Christians don't want to examine, but should, it's our money. In the West we live a materially comfortable life (even those of us who are poor), and we don't like to have that lifestyle put under the microscope. But, like all things, we should strive to examine this area of our lives under Scripture's light.
How Much Should a Christian Give?
There is some debate over whether or not New Testament Christians still need to tithe (give 10 percent of their gross income to the Church). While this is not the focus of what I want to write about, I feel that I must quickly address this. Ten percent was the clear Old Testament standard (Malachi 3:8-10, Deuteronomy 14:22), but some say that this Old Testament standard is not specifically repeated for New Testament believers.
To that I say, I agree with this logic/Theology, but I don't think many anti-Tithers will like the implications of their argument. Why? Because the New Testament routinely gives examples of Christians giving MUCH more than 10% to the Kingdom (Acts 4:34-35, Luke 12:32-34, etc). So, yes they are not required to give a tithe, but if they are to follow the New Testament examples then they should be giving significantly more. While I could go on to say more, given these New Testament examples I think it will suffice for this blog to say that it should be at least 10% of our gross income.
But more important than tackling "how much", I should address why am I blogging about the issue of giving: because I see too many Christians (sometimes myself included) in bondage because of un-Biblical attitudes toward the money God has given them, and I hope that maybe Holy Spirit will use this post to help bring some people to a more Biblical mindset.
How do We Go Wrong in Our Giving? 1. We think of Church like we think of a Charity What happens when we give to a charity? We usually get a nice letter in the mail thanking us for going above and beyond the call of duty to help their cause. We feel good about ourselves and many times we should, because we have done a great thing. But what about if we don't give to a charity? Well, we may feel bad, but most of us would agree that we haven't done anything wrong. No one will hunt us down and throw us in jail, and we have no fear of having the charity garnish our wages. After all, giving to charity is "above and beyond" (the ten-dollar ethics word for this is supererogatory). It's a good thing to do, but it's not morally required.
But this is not how we should think of our giving to the Kingdom of God. Why? Because giving to God is not just supererogatory, it is biblically required (1 John 3:17, Romans 12:13, James 2:15-16, etc). We shouldn't just treat the offering as another pitch for money from another charity; something we just dig around to see if we have a few extra bucks to contribute. We should see it as chance for us to worship God through our obedience to His commands to give. We should see it as our part in supporting the local church to help alleviate pain and suffering of the world (both spiritual and physical).
2. NarcothropyThis term was introduced to me (and possibly coined) by my good friend and former boss, Scott Fischer. It's a combination of the words Narcissism and Philanthropy, and it refers to people whose giving is primarily about themselves. They don't give for the right reasons, they give either to be seen or for the good feeling that they get from giving. In short, they make the act of giving all about themselves and therefore taint any spiritual benefit that might come from the act of giving.
Of course, this is not a new problem. Jesus dealt with such hypocrites back in his day as well (Matthew 6:2). And what was Jesus' solution? "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." May the Lord give us His strength to do the right thing for the right reason when we give.
3. "Voting" on Church Policy with our TitheNow please understand what I am NOT saying. I am not saying that Church leaders shouldn't be held accountable for how they spend God's money. If your church's budget is more than the gross domestic product of some small countries and all they can show for it are monogrammed water bottles and flat screens, then there is a problem. But the way some Christians react in this case is just wrong. For some people, if they disagree with the Pastor or Church Elders' decision to enact certain policies, they decide they will show their disapproval by ceasing their giving. In small churches this can be especially devastating to the Church's budget. Nonetheless, trying to "resolve" conflict in this manner is sinful.
If the Church's leadership is in sin, then they should be biblically confronted in a loving manner (Matthew 18). If the leadership still refuses to stop sinning, then you should leave and go to another Church, not simply withhold money. But, the truth is, many times when people will stoop to the level of withholding their tithe, they are not confronting sin at all. They are childishly attempting to throw their weight around and get what they want through improper means. They are being insubordinate to the spiritual leadership God has given them (Hebrews 13:17), and I pray that the Lord will help those in this situation to turn away from such sinful behavior.
Where does this leave us?
If we are to honor God with our giving, then we should 1) make sure we are giving what the Lord would ask of us (probably more than 10%), 2) Avoid the sinful attitudes mentioned above, and 3) I can think of no better way to get our giving in perspective than to heed the words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9As it is written,
"He has distributed freely, he has given to the poor;
his righteousness endures forever."
10He 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. 11 You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God. 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. 13 By their approval of this service, they will glorify God because of your submission flowing from your confession of the gospel of Christ, and the generosity of your contribution for them and for all others, 14while they long for you and pray for you, because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. 15 Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift!
What is your view on giving money to the church? Do you think you sometimes give money under the same pretenses as the ones listed in this post? What are some other misconceptions we might have about giving money to God or the church?
Comments (17)
If your church has a food pantry, other community projects, supports missionaries, and donates to other overseas missions projects, then your church is every bit as much of a charity. I think one of the misconceptions about not giving to the church is that your tithe is just paying for pews, projector screens, and your pastor's salary.
Just because you give to a charity instead of your church, that doesn't mean your donation is more righteous. There are plenty of cheaters out there making their pockets fat because they are the head of some non-profit "charity" organization.
That's why giving is always always going to be a heart issue more than anything else. It's not about numbers, it's not about names. We need to use our heads in knowing who we're giving to and why, but it's a heart issue most of all. And God knows the heart.
I think your smoking fucking crack since I almost ended up living on the fucking street by giving to Kenneth Fucking Copeland asshole! The only reason we didn't end up living on the fucking street was because my ex wife went out and borrowed money at an extremely high usury (interest) rate and put us in debt so that we could simply pay the fucking rent.
And since 87% of all money that comes into a church goes towards administration you can take your mind fuck doctrine and shove it up your bored out asshole asshole. If a christian wants to help a person in need they can simply go directly to that person themselves instead of giving some self righteous mind fuckers 87% of the cut!!!
An if anyone even attempts to give me shit over this subject you damn well better hope to God you are using a Proxy!!!
@ChevalierSeingal@datingish - You should consider getting some serious counseling. And maybe a vocabulary builder wouldn't hurt.
@ChevalierSeingal@datingish - Revelife does not tolerate suggestions of violence and threats made toward other readers. We all have the right to speak our minds freely, and while you might not agree with or support the opinions voiced on this site, we have the obligation to treat others with respect and maturity if we want Revelife to remain a place where we can speak our differing opinions and beliefs without them having to be screened in advance. Please consider removing your comments and restraining yourself from threats and violent suggestions in future comments. Should this behavior persist, your comments will be deleted, and you run the risk of being blocked from future commenting.
While I may not share Chevalier's vocabulary, he/she does still make a valid point. There are a lot of charlatans (liars and thieves) out there (and Kenneth Copeland is only one of many... ), and the problem with much of the institutional church is that it is more like a social club, and a large part of the money does go toward running operational costs of said club... while there are other options of where the Kingdom is being built (which - unfortunately, because we are not doing it as the official "church", these charities are relegated/sent to parachurch).
I am curious, could not the tithe/giving be more toward one of those operations, especially those that are very transparent about their financial spending, and are actually doing something to make a difference in the world? Or must our giving be specifically to a local church (which may have absolutely no interest in expanding the kingdom beyond their walls, or pocket books)?
Watchman
@white_watchman@xanga - I know exactly where you are coming from. This was my stance for the last 8 or so years (or my entire Christian life). My view of giving to the church changed slowly.
First I was trying to make myself feel less irritated about how much of my check went to taxes so I started to observe all the things I took advantage of which were paid for with my taxes (the patches in the horrible road by my bank, the library I visited on a weekly basis thus saving myself Netflix fees, the police who directed traffic around an accident making me able to get to work on time, etc.)
Soon after I began noticing all the things I took advantage of at church: free education in the Word, encouragement and accountability, a hub from which to minister in a variety of ways....not to mention the things they were doing that I wanted to continue for other people (an immense food drive at thanksgiving, a partnership with a sister church in Africa, free CDs, Bibles, and WiFi etc).
Would I be so quick to give if they weren't using the money in ways I found appropriate? I'm not sure. It wasn't until I really looked close and started getting involved in a church that I found that they spent the money very well. So I suppose it depends on the church. It took me a long time to find a church I agreed with enough even to attend (because how they spend their wealth is very very important to me).
i believe that the "requirement" part of giving was an Old Testament Law and that it is done away with, with the rest of the Law. i believe that New Testament giving, which Paul talked about, was not a requirement but the response believers should have, knowing that God provides, to give out of faith and out of love and out of caring for what God cares about.
the other points, like narcothropy and trying to influence church direction with money, are very good points! totally agree!
@elvinwei@xanga - that requirement was to support a theocracy, not just the temple and it's services. We shouldn't confuse that with what our tithes would do.
I heard an interview with Oz Guiness (a highly respected Christian author and theologian) where he said that outside of the US (this was in the 80's) it is generally unheard of for anyone to give a "tithe" to just the church. When the Christian interviewer (obviously surprised) asked why that was, I loved his answer. He said that it was LAZY of Christians to give all of their donation to just their church. That God has us all spread out in our communities for good reason. We will see things that our church leaders can't see, and we can put real faces to the persons looking for someone who cares. We certainly should give something to support our home church's programs and staff; but not all and not routinely.
We are to look for whatever is needed nearby: the children who have no warm coats, gloves or boots as they walk to school, the people in the grocery store with children but sparse purchases in their carts, the working man who might stop the gas fill at a partial tank on his truck cause he can't afford to fill it. These things are ours to see and respond to - not our church. It will mean more to these people, too!
Being unemployed, I have little left after I responsibly pay my bills (like the earlier commenter said, we are NOT to give before we pay for what we owe - that's just bad character and integrity). I will frequently give more of my time or talents to others where they have needs and I have something to share. It really works, and I am glad to find that I can be really generous because GOD has been generous in more ways than a dollar value. It sure helps me feel more thankful, too :).
justme
cm
thanks for posting this, really needed to read... God bless.
Dear 'I'm a flirt':
You're not the only one who's lost everything ya know... I've lost everything TWICE & I'm talking 35 yrs of high income/career... I'm basically living on little to nothing, BUT, everything is from our Saviour & therefore, I give 10% of my extremely limited income to 5 well known, reputable organizations, that FEED & MEDICALLY ASSIST children AND abused pets/wildlife.
I'M NOT BRAGGING, I'm just saying that perhaps you should take a deep breath, relax & in a quiet place, do some serious soul searching...cause I HAD TO, otherwise I'd not be here today...
Blessings dear Chevalier... you're not alone... You are not alone, at all !
luv sjg
Good post! I always at least give my 10% tithe. And at the beginning of each year we make individual pledges for missions, which we give fully each week. After I got out of high school, I started also giving offering, giving what was left if I didn't have a lot of cash, or another 10%. I also give some to future expansion every once in a while. My church isn't afraid to talk about money and tithing and offering. Actually, since the recession they have started giving away merchandise in their book store for free, and everything in our cafe is free, but giving and profit has gone up tremendously, even in this recession. It makes me proud. I've been to churchs where 99% of the pews waved away the ushers so there were only a few dollars in the buckets and it's sad.
As one person once said:
10% belongs to God, 90% is yours to keep!
And another:
We should be living our lives 100% for the Lord. That would mean all our income (100%) needs to go to the ministry of God!
If it takes us to invest the money in a large house (which we believe we can use to welcome, and even welcome guests), then we should do so!
But don't invest in a large house,where never a single guest enters, and where never a man is welcomed in the name of the Lord!
And that's what happened.. People became greedy, and like (was it Malachi?) wrote, is that the house of the Lord lies in ruins, but the people are rich, living in richness...
If another finds he glorifies God through going to the movies, and spending his money on expensive cars, and picking up girlfriends, think again brother!!!
Your money could have been invested in a cause which could have lead to the salvation of souls!
@SheilaJoyce - Soul searching for being manipulated by a faith preacher??? That's all I need more crackhead advice from someone else who mismanaged there money.
I appreciate the concern girlfriend, really I do, but I don't take advice from someone who mismanaged 35 years worth of cash and now obviously does brag about giving it all away to abused cat's.
Call me crazy but I am one of those type of people who believes in learning from there mistakes. Thank you anyhow, I appreciate the fuzzy feelings you offer, but unfortunately I need a little bit more then fuzzy feelings I need critical thinking skills. Fortunately I have now obtained what I always needed and never taught in church, critical thinking skills.
Tell you what, I will do you a favor and pray for you a thousandfold return pressed down shaken together and running over AND with fuzzy feelings (make a wish and throw a penny in the well for you since it obviously will not stay in your pocket after 35 years of bad habits).
Touche Chevalier & my apologies if I came across, as you've stated, as was not my intention.
Okay ? I understand...
Should you want my own personal story, simply let me know... ...sjg
revelife, unless and until you outlaw openly the kind of offensive language used here, I am permanently quitting. Period. There is enough filth in the world without being faced with it here. Touching pitch defiles and I feel dirty now. Blessings and prayers.