So, we now wrap up this conversation about Biblical giving. If you are like most Christ followers, this is material you just haven’t heard from the pulpit. Yet, it is all right there … it has been there for thousands of years. Before I provide a brief summary, let me answer two questions that might be in your mind:
1. You may ask, should your giving be based on gross or net pay? Some have replied to that question with another question, asking, "Do you want to be blessed net or gross?" I would reply that if God is first in your life, giving to Him should come before all other expenditures. As an aside, remember that He is ultimately in charge of the governmental authorities. Not only can you demonstrate that by giving to Him based on your pay before taxes are withheld, but the amount of your giving can directly determine how much should be withheld, since qualified contributions can reduce the amount of your gross pay subject to income taxation. In other words, it's better to let your giving determine your withholding, and therefore, your net pay, instead of your net pay determining your giving. But, maybe even more importantly, we should be willing to give as He leads regardless of whether it is tax deductible or not.
2. You might ask, should all my giving go to the local church? This would seem reasonable if that local body was supporting the elders, providing for the needy, and providing for missionaries. In addition, the Old Testament talks about storehouse giving, i.e., bringing all the tithe to the local storehouse (Mal 3:10). The Levitical tithe was brought to the Levites, or the religious leaders. A case could be made, however, that this was the most practical since the tithe in the Old Testament could be very bulky, as it was a tithe of physical things (animals, grains, etc.). Today, when we give, we usually give money, and that is very easy to send anywhere. Moreover, there is no mention of the storehouse concept in the NT.
If we look briefly at the two passages cited in Acts in regard to giving to the needy, it appears that giving to the needy directly or indirectly through the local body are both options:
Acts 2:44-45 – [Seems to involve giving directly:] All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need.
Acts 4:34-35 – [Seems to imply giving was done through the apostles:] 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.
I'll make one final observation: During NT times, the local bodies were all that existed - it would be natural for funds to flow to them and through them. However, today there are many para-church ministries that are not connected to any one body. They are missions in the truest sense of the word, they meet people's needs, and many have come to the Lord through them.
So my opinion would be this: 1 Tim is clear that the leaders of the local body are worthy of their wages, so if you are a member of a local body, you have a responsibility to pay your laborers. But, today, we also have national and international bodies that minister in ways that the local body cannot (i.e., unified campus ministries, famine relief, etc.) and these are important. Finally, we are under grace, not law. Taken together, support of the local body deserves priority, but giving to other groups, under God's leading, can be just as fruitful and provide many blessings to both the giver and receiver.
(If you have other questions, don’t hesitate to send them to me at mike@BibleFinanceSeminars.com.)
So, let me wrap up this admittedly lengthy – but absolutely essential – set of posts for getting your attitude toward money straight. Whether you have little or much, whether you are in tremendous times of blessing or in the midst of severe trials, God wants you to acknowledge Him not only as owner of it all but as owner of you, as Lord of your life. While He doesn’t need your money, His Word is quite clear that He desires that we give as He leads, whether to help the poor and needy, to help spread His message around the world or to help fund operation of the local church body. And when you give, He absolutely guarantees that He will bless you in some way, that giving is for our benefit, not His. If you can’t believe that, then it will be virtually impossible for you to understand the guidance He provides on the practical areas of living here on His earth: debt, investing, retirement and estate planning that I will start covering.
In summary, then, what this Book teaches about giving is that we are to:
1. Give to the Lord as He leads you, not because I say so, but because His Word says so. Pray about it, and do it. Give, as the Lord has prospered you, as you purpose in your heart. If you're not giving now, sit down tonight, or no later than tomorrow, and plan to do some giving. Initially, the attitude, the willingness to give, is what's important, not the amount.
2. As for guidelines for the actual amount, let me put it bluntly: there is no set amount - God's Word simply says to give generously, sacrificially and according to your ability, or in proportion to the Lord's blessings. For some of you, in your present financial position, that may only mean 1 or 2%, or even less. For others, it may mean 10, 20 or 30% or more - it's between you and God. But … do it FIRST before paying ANY OTHER BILL; do it FIRST because … He comes first. You will be amazed at how far the rest of it will “stretch” when you acknowledge up front that it is all His to begin with. But if you don’t do it first, it will likely be “crowded out” by all your other spending with little or nothing left to give except a token amount that is – in the words of the apostle Paul – given reluctantly and/or under compulsion.
3. What this issue really comes down to, quite honestly, can be put in question form:
Knowing what you now know about Godly giving, how it is for your benefit and that He will bless you in the process, how much do you want to honor Him?
2 Corinthians 8:9 says that Jesus, although He was rich, for our sakes become poor so that we, through His poverty, might become rich. Part of being “rich” is the privilege of being invited to help build His kingdom here on earth and in the process, storing up treasure – true treasure – in Heaven. How much of a part do you want in that?
4. And I'll share one more thing, and it's the main reason why we needed to deal with this topic before investing … or retirement planning … or even using credit – and you may have to ponder this a bit:
You can't have your mind straight on the reasons for making money until you have your heart straight on the reasons for giving it away.
5. Finally, what if you still need a number to hang your hat on? I don’t really like bright lines here because they are not in God’s Word for New Testament believers. But I do know that some folks just work better with guidelines. So, here’s what I’ll suggest: Since a tenth has historically been symbolic of giving your all, of acknowledging that He not only owns it all, but gave it to you in the first place, it is a worthy first goal. I will say that it was my first goal when I put my finances in the Lord’s hands. I now, however, give a higher percentage and desire to continue increasing that percentage as the Lord blesses. But please remember, what is important with true “free will” giving is the attitude, not the amount. Give as He leads and … watch … Him … bless … you for honoring Him!!!
To wrap up this oh-so-critical issue in a believer’s life, let me give you a verse to memorize that captures the essence of Christian giving, Old or New Testament:
2 Corinthians 9:7:
Each man
should give what he has decided in his heart to give,
not reluctantly
or under compulsion,
for God loves a [what?] cheerful giver.