Christians tend to have a love-hate relationship with money. We need money to live; we enjoy what money enables us to do; we often recognise that money is God’s gift to us, and yet we have trouble making sense of how to best use our money. We struggle with the pull of materialism and greed; sometimes we wish we just had a little more money in the bank. As a result, we often feel awkward when the subject of money comes up at church.
Most of us have some idea that Christians are meant to be generous and give money away. But why? And to whom? And the big question that’s often in our minds: how much?
Here at Christ Church Cascades we believe that Jesus is Lord, which means he is the ruler of our lives and we want to submit everything to him… which includes our money and possessions.
Almost half of Jesus’ parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions. The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions. God clearly has a great deal to say about money! Below we will try to offer some guidance for how we should think about money and will speak to some of questions we might have regarding money. As with every topic, the place to start is with God himself.
… who gave His only Son
As we open the pages of the Bible we find a God who is incredibly generous, rich in mercy and who gives to those who do not deserve it. John 3:16 famously states, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” We have been bought by a God who spared no expense in purchasing us. He did not even spare His only Son (Romans 8:32).
… who gives us Himself and an inheritance
When we become one of His children, God gives himself to us, living and walking with us through his indwelling Spirit. Moreover, His Spirit is a deposit, guaranteeing that we are his, and will receive an inheritance with him (Ephesians 1:13-14; 2 Corinthians 1:22).
… who gives us all things
The earth and everything in it belongs to the Lord (Psalm 24:1). God, however, didn’t choose to create the world for himself alone, but fills it with people made in his image. The God we serve is not a stingy God, but a God who “richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment” (1 Timothy 6:17). The money and resources we have belong to God, we’re simply stewards of what he has given us. The Bible also warns us to be careful not to take credit for our wealth because it is God himself who gives us the ability to earn money (Deuteronomy 8:17-18), thus providing us with daily bread.
… because God is a giver
When we understand what God is like and what he has done for us then our hearts should overflow with generosity. Jesus is our role model: “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). Therefore, we give in thankfulness to a giving God.
… because we depend upon God
The Bible constantly warns us about the dangers of pursuing, hoarding, and loving money (1 Timothy 6:6-10; Matthew 6:24). God knows that our hearts are so easily drawn away from him and trust in our own strength and resources. Giving is an expression of our trust in God as our provider. As we give, our hearts are depending on God to continue to provide for our needs (1 Timothy 6:17-19).
… because we have a mission to fulfil
At CCC we believe that we are a redeemed family of servants on mission. If God has saved us from death to life, and if we have experienced his generosity and love, then our wallets should be ready to serve the mission of Jesus so that many more can discover the glorious riches of eternal life in Christ. Therefore, we give our time, gifts, energy and resources to make this happen.
Christians are often caught up by the 10% (tithe) as stipulated in the Old Testament, not realising that it was actually the bare minimum Israel was required to give, and used for the upkeep of the temple and sacrificial system. In both the Old and New Covenants, what matters most to God is the attitude of the heart in giving, which the New Testament expresses as the following:</p.
We give cheerfully… not out of compulsion but out of willingness. The heart that is indwelt by the Holy Spirit will show the fruit of joy, especially as we grasp how wide and hight and long and deep the love of God is for us (Ephesians 3:19). In response to this great love we give joyfully, not reluctantly.
We give generously. Paul describes the Corinthians were rich in generosity despite suffering severe trial and extreme poverty themselves. The Christian’s new nature seeks to share with those in need, rather than to hoard for themselves alone. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, not one of you who gives a cup of water to these because they are my disciples will lose his reward in heaven” – Matthew 10:42. If this applies to something as little as a cup of water, how much more will He reward those who give generously!
We give sacrificially. Christians are more than just generous. Sacrificial generosity is deliberately giving up something in order to give more. Christians give beyond what is ‘affordable’. It is not that we can never have anything nice or deny ourselves every comfort; however, we are willing to forego certain possessions/experiences in order to give more to the mission of God. Jesus gives us the ultimate example of sacrificial giving, “he did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” – Mark 10:45. Sacrificial giving will look different for all of us in terms of a percentage. We do not need to be burdened by 10% if we cannot attain it, but we also don’t need to be limited by it if we have the ability to give more.
The Biblical principle is that every follower of Jesus Christ must give to the local Church where they are part of the family of God. Whether we give R10 or R10,000 a month is irrelevant, the key thing is that we must all give. Of course, we can decide to give outside the church to charities, missionaries or para-Church organisations. This is good but must never replace our primary responsibility of giving to our local church. It’s good to note here that CCC does support ministries and organisations outside of itself to advance the gospel beyond Pietermaritzburg.
At the end of his first letter to the Corinthians Paul gives some practical advice on how we should give. He says, “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made” – 1 Corinthians 16:2.
‘In keeping with his income’. This means we must plan our giving. Depending what we earn we prayerfully set aside the amount we intend giving. This kind of intentionality means that God gets our ‘first fruits’ and not our ‘leftovers’. It might work out ro less than 10% or more than 10%, depending on an individuals circumstances and responsibilities. From time to time our income and circumstances change; therefore, giving will need to change too. It is worth assessing your giving regularly, allowing it to track your earnings.
‘Saving it up … no collections will have to be made.’ You will notice at Christ Church Cascades that we do not pass around a collection bag on Sundays. In our day and age it is an unhelpful way to facilitate church giving because we do not carry much cash with us anymore. This means that a collection bag can actually cause our giving to become haphazard and ungenerous because we can only give ‘what we have on us’, which is often not much at all. We are also convicted that passing a bag around puts an unnecessary pressure/guilt on the guest, visitor or non-Christian to give. Instead, Paul calls on every Christian to give according to their salaries. If we earn monthly we give monthly, if we earn weekly we give weekly, so that no collections will have to be made. We therefore encourage giving via debit/stop order or Zapper. This kind of consistent giving is a great help to those responsible for managing our church finances so that they can budget accurately, and thus manage God’s household responsibly and wisely.
Prayerfully consider the following (along with your husband/wife if applicable):
Be intentional
Pray about the material gifts that God has given you, and your mindset towards “your” income.
Do we give of our first fruits or simply our leftovers?
Consider the income/wealth/balance sheet that God has entrusted to your stewardship.
Be sacrificial
Are we giving less than our ability, according to our ability or beyond our ability? Sacrifice now so that heaven is rich; filled with more people having heard the gospel preached.
Consider what sacrifices you can make for the gospel, and get practical: stuff you buy, where you shop, where you holiday etc. What can you cut down on to give more to the gospel?
Determine an amount that is sacrificial according to what you earn.
Be accountable
Give what you have decided via EFT. Alternatively set up a debit order at your bank. The advantage of this method is that it will prevent you from either neglecting to give or being tempted to spend in such a way that you will not be able to give.
Rejoice that you are able to partner with Jesus in this way; and remember what he has promised to say to you, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” – Matthew 25:21.
Reassess your heart and your giving regularly as your circumstances change.
As outlined above we do believe that God wants Christians to contribute towards gospel work in their local church and so ask regular members to do so via EFT. We will also have a giving box on our welcome table on a Sunday if you feel more inclined to give on a weekly basis. If you’d like more information on giving, please feel free to contact us.
” Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7
