WHY GIVE TO THE CHURCH?

WHY GIVE TO THE CHURCH? Selected Scripture November 25,  2001 Given by: Pastor Rich Bersett [Index of Past Messages] Introductory Recent article: "In today's politically correct environment where you have to be so careful to keep from offending anyone, we might all have to give reports like this fourth grader who reported on the origins of the Thanksgiving holiday. 'The pilgrims came here seeking freedom of you-know-what. When they landed, they gave thanks to you-know-who. Because of them, we can now worship each Sunday, you-know-where.'" An atheist was walking through the woods, admiring the "accidents" that evolution had brought about-the towering trees, the wide river and the multitude of animals. He heard a rustling behind him and turned to see a seven-foot grizzly moving in on him. He began to run, but tripped and fell. When he turned and looked up he saw the giant bear standing over him, teeth bared, with one paw raised high, ready to swipe him. He cried out for the first time in his life, "O my God!". Suddenly everything stopped. The river stopped flowing; all movement in the woods stopped; and the bear froze in his attack position. A bright light shone down from the sky, and a majestic voice boomed, "You deny me for all these years, tell others I don't exist and deliberately credit creation to a cosmic accident, and now you want me to help you? You actually expect me to treat you as a believer?" The atheist looked into the light and said, "You're right, I would certainly be a hypocrite if I became a Christian after all these years of unbelief, but would you do me one favor? Could you make that bear a Christian?" God answered, "Very well." Instantly the light went out, the river resumed its flow the sounds of the forest stirred to life. He looked up to watch the bear bring his menacing paw down. And the grizzly joined his two paws together and bowed in prayer, saying, "Lord, for this food which I am about to receive, I am truly thankful." In a recent meeting with our Finance Ministry Team, following a thoughtful discussion concerning how we handle our financial stewardship here at MECF, the suggestion was made that perhaps it was time for me to bring a simple, basic teaching on why Christians give to the church. I am prepared to share that this morning. Follow along with me as we investigate several passages of scripture, and outline eight biblical reasons for giving to the church. 1.    The Christian's giving shows his GRATITUDE and LOVE for the Lord In 2 Corinthians 8:9, Paul writes to the believers in Corinth concerning a special offering that is being raised to help the less fortunate Christians back in Jerusalem. In that context, he says, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes be became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich." Then, in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 - "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." I am convinced it is not the job of the Christian teacher to cajole or coerce in any way believers to give, or give more sacrificially. That tactic leads to all kinds of problems, including compulsory giving and reluctant givers (which Paul repudiates). It also leads to resentment, control and a variety of other toxic results, not the least of which is a bad reputation for the church among both the churched and the unchurched. No, I am convinced that my job, as a spokesman of the Word, is to remind you of the supreme sacrifice of Jesus in your behalf, and then urge you to make up your mind before Him, what will be your appropriate, grateful response. One more passage from this book, 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 - "For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and was raised again." One of the most awesome accruals for the person who becomes a Christ-follower is that the Lord frees you from yourself and your selfishness. John Maxwell's son, Joel, had always faithfully given 10% of his meager allowance as a child. Well, when he turned 16 and got his first job, he came home the second week with his first official paycheck. He proudly showed his parents the prize. In a few moments he reappeared to say, "You know, I've thought it over, and I'm not sure I can afford to tithe anymore." At heart, we human beings, in our sinful nature, are very selfish people. And the only motive that can successfully conquer that innate selfishness is that of pure gratitude. On of the first things the Lord taught me after I committed my life to Him was tithing-giving ten percent of all I earned before I did anything else. Simply put-I had a change of mind. I began to see my paycheck as more than my boss' reward to me for showing up and working for him. Now I began to see it as a privilege (a privilege to be able to earn a living) and as a stewardship (I was personally responsible before Him as to how I should use the money). Suddenly, every time I got paid, I felt this wonderful sense of opportunity to give back to the Lord the first part of what He let me earn as my "thanksgiving" to Him. And that is right, because a Christian's giving shows his gratitude and love for the Lord Jesus. Secondly, 2.    The Christian's giving is a TESTIMONY of God's grace in his life A wonderful picture of the way Christians' giving reflects the grace of the Lord comes out of the early church. Following Pentecost, Jerusalem was the center of fellowship for the thousands of new believers. Many of them had come to Jerusalem for the feast, had been converted, and then stayed around in order to be near the other believers. Financial needs were high as many relocated to the city, and as many widows became Christians forfeiting their Jewish support. How did the Christians respond? Acts 4:34-37 - "There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.  Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means 'Son of encouragement'), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet." Believers such as Barnabas gave sacrificially to the church for distribution and the meeting of needs. By giving of their sustenance, the Christians demonstrated that their lives had been changed and they cared for one another. What they gave became a testimony to what the Lord had done in their lives. As the Lord opened their hearts, He opened their purses as well, and their obedient response was a testimony to everyone around that, because of Jesus, they weren't what they used to be-selfish hoarders of wealth-but were now compassionate givers. The Duke of Wellington was the one who led the troops of Napoleon in their historic victory at Waterloo. Several have written about the Duke in history books, but one biographer says he has an edge. He had found through excavation the Duke's personal account ledger, which detailed his spending. He insisted he knew the Duke better than anyone else because of it. If your biographer had your old checkbook registers, how would your life story come out? 3.    The Christian's giving to the church is WORSHIP When the church at Philippi collected money for the missionary needs of Paul, he described their giving as "a sweet-smelling aroma, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God." (Philippians 4:18). While giving to the church pays the bills of its ministry and missions, it is just as important to see the act of putting your monetary gifts in the offering basket as an act of devotion to the Lord. Each time you give it is an act of worship. Offerings are the tangible expression of the Christian's giving of themselves. This is the idea behind Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 8:5, where he is bragging about the sacrificial sharing done by the poor believers in Macedonia - "And they did not do as we expected, but the first gave themselves to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will." This is precisely why some find it hard to give generously. They have not yet given themselves to the Lord. When we give, we become living testimonies that God is worthy of worship that costs us something, and that His church is worthy of support. One author asks this probing question - What if your checks were two-party, requiring your signature and Jesus' signature? Would it change the way you prioritize your spending and giving? 4.  The Christian's giving demonstrates the RADICAL TRUTH that it's God's money and is to be used for His glory Psalm 24:1 - "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it…" Then Haggai 2:8 where the Lord is speaking of the beauty and value of the Temple - "…the gold is mine and the silver is mine…" It is a good habit for the Christian to always view what he has as actually belonging to God, and only "on loan" to him. One man had this commitment to view all that he had as the Lord's. Later the same day he had an automobile wreck-someone rammed him in the side. As he surveyed the damage, the other driver was surprised to hear him praying, "Lord, look what this guy did to your Toyota!" OK, THAT'S WHAT THE BIBLE SAYS ABOUT GIVING TO THE LORD-BUT WHY GIVE TO THE CHURCH? 5.  The Church is the only organization in the world that the Lord Himself builds Have you ever considered that when everything else is destroyed on this earth, the church will be the only thing standing?! Of course, I don't mean the church building, but the church, the real church-the people of God who preach and teach and extend His kingdom. That's the only thing that will be left. Everything else will be burned up, or otherwise destroyed, and everything not committed to the Lord will be dump-trucked into the Lake of Fire. The church is eternal. In Matthew 16:18, the Lord said, "…I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." Of all the empires, enterprises, governments and political structures this world knows, there is only one that is close to the heart of God - His Church. His holy intent is to perfect the church and establish it as His own, showing forth His glory. Ephesians 5:25-27 - "...Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless." While the church exists in the world in this present age God has chosen to keep it supported through the generous giving of His people in it. He did not choose to provide for the day-to-day expenses of the church by raining down hundred dollar bills from heaven on Sunday mornings (although He could - wouldn't that be nice!). Rather He chose us to provide for the church in terms of monetary support. Why? I'm not sure why, but He has His reasons. Just as I am baffled by His wisdom in choosing to use such fragile and sin-proned messengers as ourselves to preach His word and minister to people! C.S. Lewis wrote: "He seems to do nothing of Himself which He can possibly delegate to His creatures. He commands us to do slowly and blunderingly what He could do perfectly and in the twinkling of an eye. Creation seems to be delegation through and through. I suppose it is because He is a giver." It is the Lord's church, and as Lord of the church it is His prerogative to determine how it will be supported. And He chose to use the gracious generosity of His own saved people to provide for its ongoing expenses. That, I think, is reason enough for each of us to seriously consider our part in that work. 6.  Giving to the church helps to fulfill the Great Commission For the past month or more, the leadership of your church has been analyzing and praying about every aspect of everything we do as a church, turning each activity and program over carefully. The purpose of this involved assessment is to certify that all that we do-every little thing-is in line with our stated mission and vision as a congregation. If it is not, we are asking the hard questions, like, "Why are we doing this?" or "What is the objective of doing that?" What I'm saying is, we as leaders want to be responsible for promoting the kingdom and the mission of the church, and not some arbitrary set of traditions and go-nowhere activities for the sake of being busy. We will honor the Lord only insofar as we organize our behaviors and activities around the commission He has given us. Matthew 28:19-20 - "Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I will be with you always, to the very end of the age." With that goal before us, let me assure you that every dollar you give to MECF is spent in the direction of getting the gospel out to people who have not yet responded to it, in as clear and compelling a way as possible, and nurturing believers in the faith. Now, your giving supports that objective by underwriting our church's administrative costs, evangelistic outreach, Christian Education, Facilities costs (building, grounds, utilities), worship and audio-visual expenses, teen ministry, salaries and missions support. I would like to pastorally remind you that these expenses add up to around $3,400 per week, and when the church family doesn't give, for whatever reasons, these things can't get done. 7. Giving to the church is biblical fellowship You already know that fellowship, biblically defined, is much more than pie and coffee after church. The biblical definition of fellowship is cooperative participation in the ministry of the church. What you give to, and work at, you will love. Jesus said, "Where your treasure is there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:21). What honors the Lord is when the people of God pull together for His common purpose, each giving sacrificially. When I was in basic training we were sent out on what is called a "bivouac" for three days into the forest. We carried everything we needed from food to tents in our backpacks. It rained the entire three days. We could not have been any wetter had we jumped into the river. We set up tents in the rain, we ate in the rain, we practiced war games in the rain. It was a long, soggy three days. On the final day we had to hike some twelve miles, one mile of which was notoriously tough. It was up a clay hill, at a steep pitch, and it seemed to never end. Struggling up that hill with the rest of my company still has a prominent place in my memory. We were all dead weary, soaking, carrying backpacks that were twice as heavy because the contents were wet. Some of the men fell into exhausted heaps as we all slipped and slid on the wet clay path. But what happened on that hill was memorable because these worn out would-be soldiers began helping one another, some of them actually carried their partners. Through the grunts you could hear words of encouragement. When we all made it to the top of the hill we celebrated. 120 drenched privates high-fiving one another and shouting with joy that we'd made it. We had discovered fellowship - and that day our company became a team. Teamwork is what fellowship is. All parts doing their parts so the whole group could accomplish the mission. The application to the church is obvious. In Acts 4:32 we read a synopsis of the kind of financial and spiritual climate ruled the early church - "All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had." An honest brother in the Lord one time confided that he thought this looked an awful lot like communism. But it isn't, you see. Communism says, "What yours is mine." Christianity says, "What's mine is yours."And there is a world of difference between the two. Giving to the church, each one and every one, is biblical fellowship. 8. Giving to the church makes sense because it supports the ministry that supports you. In another church there was a man we'll call Earl. I liked Earl a lot, and I think he liked me. Earl was an outspoken man with a quick and strong opinion about almost everything. After a sermon on giving once he asked me, "Why should I support you? I think you ought to get a job like the rest of us." He was there every Sunday and often on Wednesdays, drinking in the Word that I (and other teachers) had spent hours preparing, seated on comfortable chairs in nice air-conditioned comfort, good lighting, good sound. He never seemed to give a thought to the expense of those amenities. When his son was tragically killed in an out of state car wreck, he was glad when I was able to come by within an hour of them getting the news. He acted quite grateful for my comforting presence and words, as well as the scripture and prayer we shared. He and his wife were thankful for the meals the church family brought in. A couple years later, while he was dying of emphysema and I visited him and his wife in the hospital, he was grateful. But he never gave a dime to the church. Toward the end of his life he told me with tears how he regretted his stinginess toward the church. 1 Corinthians 9:7-11, 14 - "Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink of the milk? Do I say this merely from a human point of view? Doesn't the Law say the same thing? For it is written in the Law of Moses: 'Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.' Is it about oxen that God is concerned? Surely he says this for us, doesn't he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you?…In the same way the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel." I say this to you from my heart concerning anyone who pastors, not myself only, they deserve your respectful and generous support. The shepherds of the flock are an integral part of the church, and therefore an integral part of the expense of a church. Galatians 6:6 - "Anyone who receives instruction in the Word must share all good things with his instructor." Paul pointedly establishes the office of paid pastor in 1 Timothy 5:17 -" The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor [a stipend to replace the salary they would have earned elsewhere if they weren't serving the church], especially those whose work is preaching and teaching." Conclusion Earlier I enumerated the various expenses incurred in the day-to-day operation of the church mission. Now it would be a terrible burden to ask any one of you to pay all those bills. It would be almost as ridiculous to ask 10 of our families to do so. Going a step further, you might think it a shame to depend on 25 to carry the load alone. But, in fact, that is just about what is happening currently-25 out of 50 families paying over 90% of the bills. I think we all have a better understanding of the topic, "Why Give to the Church", at this point. Now let me close with an encouragement to you toward tithing-giving ten percent of your income, first thing before any other expenses-to this church. Percentage giving makes great spiritual and practical sense. If everyone is giving, not an equal amount, but and equal percent, it's fair and equitable to all, no matter what their income is. That's why I rather like the whole idea of the flat tax. Not equal gifts, but equal sacrifice. Now, between you and the Lord of the church, you work it out. Ask Him to help you determine what is right for you to give. I close with the words of Paul we read earlier in this teaching: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." [Webmasters note: 2 Corinthians 9:6-7]     [Back to Top]