an Editorial about stewardship
by Rick Blue, Assistant to the President, Baptist Bible College
We have a problem! Our missionaries are having to get by on less and less. It is now taking years for new missionaries to get enough support to get to the field. There was a time when it only took months. Many of our churches are “maxed out,” unable to take on more missionaries. So, what’s the problem?
Most pastors will agree that it is a financial problem, but is it? I don’t think so. We often read statistics such as these: In evangelistic churches, 80 percent of the giving is done by 20 percent of the people, and 50 percent of the people give little or nothing. Having pastored for 38 years, I don’t disagree with the statistics. I do disagree with the conclusion. Having worked with churches financially for the past 11 years, I have concluded our churches do not have financial problems — they have heart problems.
The world’s value system has invaded the church. Even those who do give do not give according to the New Testament standard. And what is that standard?
Hint: it is not the tithe.
So, what is the standard? It is radical, sacrificial giving out of a loving, trusting heart. Though there is no explicit example of believers tithing in the New Testament, there is an abundance of examples of sacrificial giving. The first and foremost example of sacrificial giving is God himself. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son …”
God set the standard that we are to follow, and Jesus commended that kind of giving. He sat beside the temple treasury and watched the people give. A poor widow caught his attention. Not by how much she put in, but by what she had left. And what about Zacchaeus, who was willing to give half of his wealth away?
Just prior to the Zacchaeus incident, Jesus talked about two men who went up to the temple to pray. The Pharisee said, “I thank you that I am not like other men — extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I possess.” This Pharisee was proud of his strict adherence to the law, but think how much more Zacchaeus was giving in comparison. Whose example of giving do we more closely follow — that of the Pharisee or Zacchaeus?
We come to the New Testament church. Acts 4: 32-34: “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say of the things that he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common. And with great power the apostles gave witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of things that were sold and laid them at the apostles feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.” Look at the giving example of the first church. They gave radically beyond the tithe — why? Because they understood that God owns everything, and they were merely possessors. “Neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own …”
The question should never be, “How much of my money should I give to God?” The question we should be asking is, “How much of God’s money should I keep for myself?”
In 2 Corinthians 8: 1-5, Paul commends the Macedonians for giving beyond their ability. The reason they gave so sacrificially was because they first gave themselves to the Lord. Those Macedonians sent time and again to meet Paul’s needs, and he called their giving “an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God.” It is sacrificial giving that pleases God.
Now, I do believe in tithing, but tithing is where new Christians should begin, not where old Christians should stop. Today’s Christians have a tendency to do no more than they are challenged to do. Pastors shortchange their people by preaching mere tithing. They are challenging their people to the minimum, and many pastors are reluctant to even do that.
Until we get to the heart of the problem, the problem will continue to exist. There is more than enough wealth in the possession of God’s people in America to evangelize the world. Jesus made it clear that Christians who lay up and spend up for themselves have a heart problem. We are to love God with all our hearts (Matthew 22: 37). We are also to trust God with all our hearts (Proverbs 3:5). In order to solve this problem, pastors must first examine their own hearts. Do I love and trust God with all my heart, and do I demonstrate it by giving sacrificially myself. The Bible is clear that living sacrificially is our reasonable service. (Romans 12:1) Remember, the New Testament standard for giving. It is radical, sacrificial giving out of a loving, trusting heart. So, let’s fix the problem by challenging ourselves to a higher plane of love and trust demonstrated by sacrificial giving.