Summary and Conclusions
The reason I titled this final article “Stewardship and Keeping” is that many of you (perhaps most of you) would just blow this off if you saw the word “Giving” in the title. Are you sick and tired of the church always asking for money. Is that what your church is always talking about? We need more money for this or that or something else. Well, actually that’s not the case at my church or at least since my wife and I have been attending. Our pastor preached a series of sermons on stewardship several years ago, but I can’t recall hearing anything from the pulpit since then. In any event, this is an issue that must be addressed at some point if we are to have a thorough/honest discussion of the subject of stewardship. One of the problems with this subject is that there isn’t a “thus saith the Lord” anywhere in the Bible, at least not that I can find. The Bible does have something to say and we’ll get to it in just a minute, but the monster question of HOW MUCH (exactly) to give isn’t really answered.
There are a lot of authors/preachers/teachers/authorities/scholars/financial gurus/etc. who don’t consider this question of “how much” to be a serious problem. Just tithe. That’s what the Bible teaches. I asked you to check out several OT passages that address the subject of tithing. I assume you all know what it means to tithe. Webster says a tithe is 10%. Please don’t ask me if it’s 10% of gross or 10% of net (although I must admit that I asked that question at an earlier stage in my Christian life). The several passages I had you look at identified three tithes (it had never occurred to me that there could be more than one):
- The annual Levite Tithe to provide for support and needs of the Levites and to run the government.
- The annual Festivals Tithe for support of national religious festivals, ceremonial feasts and celebrations to promote national unity and fellowship.
- The Welfare Tithe every third year was for the support of the poor, widows, and orphans.
If my arithmetic is right, this is an annual average total of 23.33%. And not only that, they were not considered to be voluntary. They were mandatory. They were considered to be taxes. But that’s not all. Three other passages revealed three other taxes:
- The “Profit Sharing Tax” where farmers did not harvest the corners of their fields nor did they glean their fields in order to provide for strangers and the needy.
- The “Sabbath Rest Tax” occurred every seventh year when the land was left totally idle in order to rejuvenate itself (no chemical fertilizers in those days).
- The annual ⅓ shekel “Temple Tax” was for maintaining and furnishing the temple.
That brings the total to 37% at the very least, without counting the profit sharing tax and the temple tax which I don’t know how to calculate and we still haven’t included the taxes imposed by the Romans. I don’t know if we are up to 50% yet but I think I’m justified in saying – YIKES!!! On the other hand, a friend recently pointed out that these tithes were collected (at least in part) for the financing of two governments.
None of this really matters anyway, does it? After all, we are in the OT. Surely we don’t have to pay any attention to these OT passages. Well, Jesus spoke pretty harshly to the Pharisees in Matt 23:23, chastising them for their attitude toward tithing. Nothing really changed when Jesus was born, did it? The Levites, Pharisees, and Sadducees still ran the government of Israel under the direction of the occupying Romans. The same taxation system was still in place in Jesus’ time. Furthermore, Jesus had some very strong things to say about the payment of taxes. The IRS would have loved Jesus and what He had to say in Matt 17:24-27, Luke 20:19-26 and Rom 13:1-7 about taxes and the payment of same. Bible scholars I have consulted seem to agree that tithing is not about voluntary offerings but about taxes, and we certainly are not strangers to taxes.
But where does that leave us? When Zacchaeus pledged somewhere between 50-400% Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house.” I’m a little nervous now. Then there’s the story (Luke 21:1-4) Jesus told about the widow and her two small copper coins. “She out of her poverty put in all that she had to live on.” Sounds like 100% to me. Have you decided yet how much we should give? OK, let’s beat around the bush a little more and see what our attitude should be. After all it doesn’t really matter how much you give, does it, as long as you do it with the right attitude. The Bible is pretty clear on this one. What did you come up with in the 13 passages I suggested? Here’s the attitude about giving expressed in these passages: not grudgingly, not under compulsion, cheerfully, with a willing heart, out of our poverty (I’m starting to get a little concerned here), from the heart, moved by the spirit, moved by the heart, freewill, more than enough and so much that we have to be restrained, as we have been blessed, in great affliction, joyfully, liberally, beyond our ability, and followed by the giving of ourselves. These passages are talking about voluntary offerings after the (upwards of 50%) tithes/taxes. Double yikes!!
Well let’s beat around the bush a little more and see to whom or what we should be giving (HIS money). The dozen passages I have studied offer an impressive list. The first one on the list, at least to my way of thinking, is yourself (and your family). Paul gives very clear instruction on this. He describes those who don’t do this as pretty bad people. Since this is the Lord’s money, I’m going to guess that Paul is talking about “needs” here. That being the case, we should have a lot of (HIS) money left over to give to someone else. Those others would include the following: teachers, Christian workers, those who are hungry, those who are naked, strangers, those who are thirsty, prisoners, those who are sick, missionaries, evangelists, the needy, the poor, widows, and orphans. As I read these passages and others it seems to me that there is an implicit assumption that the money will be channeled through a local body of believers. That’s probably because all these para-church organizations hadn’t been founded/organized yet. At some point in time, some really smart and important people decided that the elders weren’t spiritual enough, or sensitive enough, or smart enough, or something, and began using HIS money in a “better” way. I know I sound a little cynical, but I really think that’s what happened and you know what happens when the gate is opened. Some of course do specialize in areas we just mentioned like teaching, feeding the hungry, mission work, evangelism, etc. Perhaps those are able to achieve greater efficiency in the use of HIS money, a good thing. And, just to set the record straight, I give to some of these para-church organizations now, too.
Even though giving decisions are strictly a matter of sound management practice, smart CEOs (masters) provide incentives for their subordinate managers/stewards/servants/slaves. Our master is pretty smart, too. He offers some very nice incentives to motivate us to make the giving decisions He will appreciate. For example, if we are generous with HIS money we will prosper. Liberal/generous giving will be greatly rewarded, but if we withhold it will lead to (our) poverty. Those who are generous will be blessed. Generosity will be rewarded with generosity. Stinginess will be rewarded with stinginess. You can store up treasure (good/nice things) in heaven for your enjoyment when you get there by being generous now. This should be easy. Remember we are giving away HIS money, not ours.
Still haven’t answered HOW MUCH? to give! Maybe if we look at the rules (guidelines/principles?) for giving (HIS money) we will be inspired. Here are the rules I see in the passages I suggested you read. Collect the money as a group ahead of time. Does that mean no individual giving on the side? Giving should be planned. Does that mean no spur of the moment love offerings? Collect the money regularly or systematically (the example given was weekly). Everybody gives. Giving should be proportionately as the Lord has blessed you (with a lot or a little). Be on the lookout for needs and not just local needs but needs far away as well. Send the gifts via trusted church leaders to elders (other trusted church leaders) in distant locations. Pray about giving decisions and listen for specific instructions from the Lord about giving. Do your giving “off the top” as they say. I know that’s difficult in this day and age when the IRS has theirs deducted off the top before you even see it. I’m not sure how one might get in front of that line without going to jail. It might be easier for self employed people. We are to stretch ourselves in giving to the point of poverty but before that we are to give ourselves (what do you suppose it means to give yourself?).
Ron Blue’s book suggesting three levels of giving was a new and helpful thought to me when I first read it. That is: 1) What SHOULD I give? 2) What COULD I give if I was willing to give up something else in my cash flow plan (budget)? I hope you all are operating from a cash flow plan (budget). 3) What WOULD I give if I inherited a million dollars from “Uncle Frank” or if God blessed me beyond my wildest dreams in some other way? Numbers 2 and 3 are easily answered. It’s No.1 that’s getting to me. In my case, God has certainly done His part. He has provided for my needs. How about you? Has He provided for your needs? If you are like me, He has provided far more than enough to meet my needs. Has He provided anything extra for you? I know God won’t tempt us, but do you suppose this is a test? How much consumption could you cut out of your budget (cash flow plan) and still survive? 10%? 20%? 30%? 40%? I can’t take any more of this conviction so I will close with the following.
Luke 18:18-30
And a certain ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. “You know the commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.'” And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” And when Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell all that you possess, and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he had heard these things, he became very sad; for he was extremely rich. And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are wealthy to enter the kingdom of God! “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” And they who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But He said, “The things impossible with men are possible with God.” And Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes, and followed You.” And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life. “NAS