Dynamic Giving

Whenyou preach on stewardship you should make sure to include teaching onwise money management. Most people around the world violate theseprinciples and suffer the consequences. To help you in the preachingtask, I'm including the first two points from the second sermon in thestewardship series presented in Pastor Driven Stewardship: 10 Steps toLead Your Church to Biblical Giving.

I. Use a Budget (Prov. 21:5a).

A. "The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage"

1. The plans that the "diligent" (determined, steady worker) make lead to financial prosperity.

2. The verse doesn't say, "Use a budget," but the principle of diligent planning implies the need for a budget.

B. A budget is simply a way of planning your financial life.

ILLUSTRATION: The lateLarry Burkett was a Christian financial planner. He made a wonderfulcontribution to the church with his books and tapes on biblicalprinciples of money management. In his book, Answers to Your Family'sFinancial Questions, he writes about the purpose and value of a budget:

A budget is nothing more than ashort-range plan for how you will spend your money during the comingyear. A budget should not restrict your freedom to enjoy life; itshould expand it.

"How," you say, "can living on abudget expand my freedom?" By helping you live within your means andnot go into debt. If you're already in debt, a budget will help you outof it.

A budget is not magical, and livingon one won't permit you to spend more than you make and avoid debt. Buta budget will tell you when you have spent all you can afford to eachmonth in each category, such as entertainment, food, and gasoline.

A budget also tells you how much youmust save each month for one-time annual expenses, such as carinsurance, property taxes, and clothing.

ILLUSTRATION: My wifeis wonderful at handling money and she takes the responsibility forplanning our budget. We have lived on a budget since the first day wewere married and the careful planning involved has enabled us to avoidfinancial trouble.

1. If youare not using some kind of budget in your family, you cannot be obeyingGod's word, which teaches us to carefully plan our lives.

2. There are many fine resources in Christian bookstores about how to make a budget for your family.

(The second principle of wise money management is to. . .)

II. Have a Savings Plan (Prov. 21:20).

A.The footnote on this verse in the Ryrie Study Bible makes this comment:"The wise man plans and saves for the future, but the foolish personsquanders what he has."

1. A wise man doesn't spend everything he makes.

2. He saves some of it for unforeseen emergencies and for future anticipated needs.

ILLUSTRATION: Again,Larry Burkett gives sound advice: "I believe that every family shouldallocate a percentage of its income to savings. If you don't have anysavings and your car breaks down, or the washing machine goes out, orthe refrigerator quits, then you'll have to rely on credit andultimately end up deeper in debt."

ILLUSTRATION: We havealways tried to save something on a regular basis. For several years wewere saving for a future car purchase. Then, one year I had a majorsurgery. Our insurance covered most of the bills but we did owe asignificant amount. We were able to pay those unexpected costs out ofour car savings. By enabling us to save that money, God had providedfor our medical bills in advance. We are now going to trust God to meetour need for cars when our present ones quit working.

B. If you spend everything you make and never save anything, you are not being a wise manager of God's money.

1. Save something, no matter how small, out of every paycheck.

2. It will add up over time and it is a good habit to develop.

(Next month: Part 2 of "Biblical Principles of Wise Money Management.")

Copyright © 2008 Rod Rogers. You may distributefreely as long as the copyright and this information is included:Church Stewardship Solutions. www.leaderskillsinc.com. 785.271.6061.rodkrogers@leaderskillsinc.com.

Pastor,boldly teach the following principles to your people and watch Godtransform their lives, their giving, and your offerings!

Thechurches in Macedonia, the northern province of Greece, had given to acollection for poor saints in Jerusalem. In 1 Corinthians 16, and in 2Corinthians 8 and 9, the apostle Paul used their example to inspire thebelievers at Corinth to give. These three texts provide some of therichest teaching on giving in the New Testament.

Ten Ways To Give That Please God:1. God Is Pleased When You Give Even Though You Are Overwhelmed With Problems. "Now, brethren, we wishto make known to you the grace of God which has been given in thechurches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction theirabundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth oftheir liberality" (2 Cor. 8:1-2)1. The Macedonians gave even though they were being ridiculed, robbed, beaten, and imprisoned for their faith. Application: We should give to God even when we are overwhelmed with problems.

2. God Is Pleased When You Give Even Though You Are In Abject Poverty. "Ina great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deeppoverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality" (2 Cor. 8:2).Even though the Macedonian Christians were in deep poverty, they gaveto God's work. Application: No matter how bad our financial condition, we can still give something to God. And He expects us to.

3. God Is Pleased When You Give Beyond Your Ability. "For I testify that according to their ability and beyond their ability they gaveof their own accord" (2 Cor. 8:3). The Macedonians gave what they couldafford to give and what they could not afford to give! They gave morethan seemed humanly reasonable. Application: God ispleased when we give sacrificially. When I was pastoring I responded topeople who told me they were not able to give by saying, "Great! Thenyou can give. If you’re not able to give, then you can give! You cangive even if you can’t give—beyond your ability!"

4. God Is Pleased When You Give Generously."Ina great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deeppoverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality" (2 Cor. 8:2) TheMacedonians gave generously, even though they were in abject poverty. Application: God wants us to give liberal amounts with generous hearts to His work.

5. God Is Pleased When You Give Eagerly."Beggingus with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the support ofthe saints" (2 Cor. 8:4). These harassed, poor, believers actuallybegged and pleaded with Paul to let them have the privilege of sharingin the financial ministry to the Jerusalem Christians. Application: God wants us to be eager to give. The offering should be the highlight of our worship each week.

6. God Is Pleased When You Give Cheerfully."Leteach one do just as he has purposed in his heart; not grudgingly orunder compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7). Application:God doesn't want us to give out of a sense of pressure or guilt, butwith joy. Please notice that this does not mean we can wait to giveuntil we feel like it! In many cases we must start giving before westart feeling the joy. It also does not mean that the pastor should not challenge people to give. There is a huge difference between challenging people to give, and using guilt manipulation to compel them to give. The former is our responsibility; the latter is a sin.

7. God Is Pleased When You Give Yourself To Him And To Your Spiritual Leaders Along With Your Money. "Andthis, not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to theLord and to us by the will of God" (2 Cor. 8:5). The Macedonians weredevoted to the Lord, to Paul, and to their other spiritual leaders. Application:Once we have given ourselves to the Lord and to His appointed spiritualleaders, the giving follows naturally. The priority of devotionrevealed in this verse is critical. Increased giving will flow fromdevotion to Christ, first, and loving respect for church leaders,second. Poor giving is often due to lack of devotion to Christ, andlack of trust in, or respect for, a church's spiritual leaders.

8. God Is Pleased When You Accept Your Personal Responsibility To Give."Onthe first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, ashe may prosper, that no collections be made when I come" (1 Cor. 16:2).Application: God expects each one of us to give—no exceptions, no excuses.

9. God Is Pleased When You Carefully Plan Your Giving."Onthe first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, ashe may prosper, that no collections be made when I come" (1 Cor. 16:2).Paul commanded the Corinthians to set aside and save money every Sundayin anticipation of his arrival to collect the money. He didn't want alast minute rush to find some spare change to put in the collectionplate. Application: God wants us to carefully plan our giving to His work. This involves choosing a time to give (each pay period, once a month), a form of giving (cash, check, automatic withdrawal), a place to give (the priority should be our local church), and an amount to give (see below).

10. God Is Pleased When You Base Your Giving On The Level Of Your Prosperity."Onthe first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, ashe may prosper, that no collections be made when I come" (1 Cor. 16:2).A basic guideline in deciding how much to give is to do so inproportion to the level of our financial prosperity. Application:The more we get, the more we should give to God. The greater ourincome, the higher the percentage of it we should give away. But, howdo we choose a percentage? I'm convinced that in order to fulfill theseNew Testament principles of giving, Christians in every culture, and inevery social-economic condition, around the world today should start by giving a minimum of 10% of their income to the Lord.Remember, God owns all our money and possessions, and it is He who"richly supplies us with all things to enjoy" (1 Tim. 6:17). It is God'smoney, not ours, which we are deciding on a percentage to give from.Does it seem reasonable to give a mere 1-3% of our income to the Godwho gave it all to us in the beginning?

Let's please God with our giving!

All Scripture texts are from the original edition of the New American Standard Bible.

Copyright© 2004 by Rod Rogers. All rights reserved. You are encouraged to sharethe contents of this article in whole or in part if copyright andattribution are always included.

I have a book of cartoons called Church Is Stranger Than Fictionwith a picture of four men sitting around a conference table in achurch board meeting. In the caption, the man at the head of the tablesays, “It looks like we’re going to have to recall our last twenty-fiveconverts—there seems to be a defect in their giving”.1

Sadly, there isa defect in the giving of the vast majority of Christians. According toBarna Research Online, "The proportion of households that tithe theirincome to their church—that is, give at least ten percent of theirincome to that ministry—has dropped by 62% in the past year, from 8% in2001 to just 3% of adults during 2002."2

Whydon’t Christians give more generously? The Bible and research indicatethat the primary reason is that they lack pastoral leadership.

Asthe key spiritual leader in the church, the pastor has the mostinfluence on a church’s giving practices. According to churchstewardship expert Eugene Grimm,

Thepastor is the chief steward of the congregation. Congregations that areabove the national average in their giving have one of several thingsin common. One of the most important of these is strong pastoral leadership.In congregations with effective stewardship, the pastors giveleadership to the stewardship ministry.... The pastor is the key toeffective stewardship and ministry. If stewardship becomes a way oflife in the congregation, the pastor will lead the way.

ManyChristians don’t give because their pastor has failed to lead them intwo key ways. First, their pastor hasn’t taught them the biblicalprinciples of stewardship. Many pastors freely admit their distaste fortalking about money and many, as a result of their discomfort, avoidthe subject altogether in their preaching. Speaking of the response ofpastors in a ministerial association to his challenge to preach aboutstewardship, Joseph McAuliffe wrote, “Nevertheless, most of the pastorsstill felt a general reticence to speak openly and in the name of theLord on economic matters”.4

Thiscommon reticence on the part of pastors reflects a failure to fullygrasp their God-given responsibilities regarding teaching the wholecounsel of God, which includes many texts on financial stewardship.

TheBible makes it clear that spiritual leaders need to teach their peoplebiblical principles of stewardship. For example, in Deuteronomy 8:11-18Moses fulfilled this responsibility by warning the people of Israelthat when they prosper in the promised land they must not think thatthey had made themselves rich, but to remember that God had given thempower to make wealth. Jesus allotted sixteen verses in his Sermon onthe Mount to teaching about money (Matthew 6:19-34). The apostle Pauldevoted the entire eighth and ninth chapters of Second Corinthians tostewardship teaching and, in First Timothy 6:3-19, he told PastorTimothy what to teach his people concerning the right attitude towardriches.

In his exhaustive book, A Biblical Theology of Material Possessions, Dr. Gene Getz writes:

Spiritual leaders are responsible to teach believers in the church what God says about material possessions ([based on] the apostle’s [Paul’s] example and personal experience). [author's emphasis]

Believersmust be taught in concrete terms what God says about materialpossessions. This is not only true of the principles themselves, butChristians must be given specific examples of how to apply theseprinciples. That’s why Jesus was so specific in His own teachings. Aswe continue in our study, we will see that the authors of the NewTestament letters also became specific. James included at least eightmajor “teachings” about material possessions in his letter. The apostlePaul included at least sixteen major teachings on giving in twochapters alone (2 Corinthians 8-9). These principles must be taught inorder for them to be applied.5

Inlight of the biblical examples of spiritual leaders teaching theirpeople about stewardship, it should be clear that the failure ofpastors to teach these principles hinders God’s people from giving asthey should.

Second,many Christians don’t give because their pastor has failed to challengethem to give according to the biblical principles of stewardship. Alongwith teaching their people the biblical principles of giving, pastors must also challengepeople to give in order to lead them into obedient stewardship.Research has shown that most people will not give as they should unlessthey are asked to give:

Churches with high levels of giving realize that most people do not increase their giving unless someone asks them to do so on an annual basis.... The bad news is that they will not grow in their giving unless they are asked.6

Acareful study of Scripture reveals that one of the key responsibilitiesof a spiritual leader is to challenge his people to give. It alsodemonstrates that when he does so, God’s people respond obediently.

Examplesabound in the Old Testament. When Moses challenged the people to givefor the construction of the tabernacle, they brought so much more thanwas needed that he had to command them to stop giving (Exod. 35:4-9,20-24; 36:4-7)! In leading the people to give to the building of thetemple, King David told how much he had personally donated to the taskand then pointedly asked his people, “Who then is willing to consecratehimself this day to the LORD” (1 Chron. 29:5). As a result, David’speople gave willingly (1 Chron. 29:6-9). When King Joash commanded thepeople to bring the temple levy as fixed by Moses, all the leaders andpeople responded by giving joyfully and obediently (1 Chron. 24:8-10).When King Hezekiah commanded the people to bring the tithes ascommanded in the Law, the people responded by giving so abundantly thatthe tithes piled up in heaps (1 Chron. 31:3-10). In Nehemiah 13:10-12we read that Nehemiah commanded the people to bring the tithes to thetemple storehouses for the Levites and singers with the result that allJudah obeyed. When the prophet Haggai rebuked the people for neglectingthe temple to build their own houses and commanded them to rebuild thetemple, the leaders and all the people obeyed (Hag. 1:1-15).

Theweight of these powerful Old Testament examples supports Eugene Grimm’sconclusion, “people like to give and usually will respond favorablywhen asked. Contrary to the popular myth, most members are not offendedwhen money is requested” . Therefore, “Christian leaders should not hesitate to ask for help when there is a need, both for others and for themselves”.

Theprimary reason Christians don’t give is because their pastors havefailed to lead them properly by teaching and challenging them to giveaccording to the word of God. If Christians are to give according toGod’s will, pastors must lead them by teaching and challenging them tobe obedient stewards.

 1. Chambers, Mary, Church Is Stranger Than Fiction, Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1990, no page number.2.Barna Research Online, Tithing Down 62% in the Past Year,http://www.barna.org/cgi-bin/PagePressRelease.asp?PressReleaseID=139&Reference=F, May 19, 2003. 3.Grimm, Eugene, Generous People, Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1992, p. 40. 4. McAuliffe, Joseph, "What to Teach about Money", Ministries Today, March/April 1988, p. 61. 5. p. 115, Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1990. 6. Grimm, Eugene, Generous People, Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1992, p. 125. 7. Ibid, p. 125. 8. Getz, Gene, A Biblical Theology of Material Possessions, Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1990, p. 397.

Copyright© 2004 by Rod Rogers. All rights reserved. You are encouraged to sharethe contents of this article in whole or in part if copyright andattribution are always included.

Pastor,one of the best ways to increase your church's weekly giving is to helpget your congregation out of debt. Many people do not give to theirchurch because they are overwhelmed with credit obligations. When youlead them out of this bondage, you free up thousands of dollars forministry that were previously wasted on interest payments.

Isuggest you use the material in this newsletter to teach your peoplethe truths that will help get them out of debt. I know it makes a veryeffective sermon because I preached it myself!

FREE AT LAST!—FROM DEBT SLAVERY INTRODUCTION

Debtis so much a part of American culture that Cullen Hightower said,“Money was invented so we could know exactly how much we owe.” Considerthese alarming statistics about debt in America:

80% of Americans owe more than they own

25% of all income goes to pay consumer debt (credit cards, furniture, cars)

50% of all income goes to pay consumer and mortgage debt

This incredible debt disaster in our country explains why at age 65:

45% of people are dependent on relatives

30% are dependent on charity

23% are still working to survive

2% are financially independent

Fewer men are worth $100 at age 60 than at age 18

85 out of 100 people reaching age 65 do not possess $250

[Pastor, no wonder Christians give so little to their churches!]

BORROWING CREATES DEBT SLAVERY

Whatdoes God have to say about the impact of all this debt on His people?He tells us in Proverbs 22:7b: "The borrower becomes the lender'sslave." (NASB) Debt makes you a slave to your lender. In the OldTestament world if you couldn’t pay your debt on time you became theslave of the lender until you worked off your obligations. In our day,if you borrow money you become the lender’s slave by giving much ormost of your income to the lender. Like a plantation slave in the DeepSouth 150 years ago, you work your tail off, but most of your earningsgo to your master, the lender. That bumper sticker that says, “I owe, Iowe, so off to work I go!” is more true than most of us realize.

EXAMPLES OF DEBT SLAVERY

Credit Card Debt.“Suppose you bought $2,000 worth of furniture on a typical credit cardof 19.8% interest with a $40 annual fee, and paid only the minimummonthly payments requested by the credit card company. It would takeyou 31 years and 2 months to pay it off. Plus—in addition to theoriginal $2,000 cost for the furniture—you would have paid $8,202 ininterest."1You would have to have earned over $10,000 to pay the credit company$8,202 in interest to have $2,000 of furniture! Most of the $10,000 youearned went to your master, the lender!

Furniture Company Credit.John Cummuta tells about a full-color insert that a local Chicago-areafurniture store stuffed in the Sunday paper. “Let’s examine one examplefrom their catalog, a bedroom set that has a 'Low Monthly Payment' of'ONLY $54.51 per month.' Right next to that it says, 'SALE...$949' initsy-bitsy letters. Well, thanks to their 31.5% interest rate, I wouldend up paying $1,253.50 for that $949 bedroom set—over 23 months. Thatis an extra $304.50 in interest—just for using their 'Easy MonthlyPayments!"2

Home Mortgages.A home loan for $100,000 at 10% interest for 30 years comes to$300,000. You pay $200,000 in interest on a $100,000 home loan at 10%!

THE TERRIBLE IMPACT OF DEBT SLAVERY Let’ssay the average American earns $25,000 a year for 40 years, earning$1,000,000. He spends $300,000 of his life-time income on his homemortgage. He spends another 1/4th of his life-time income on consumerdebts—$250,000. He pays another 1/4th of his life-time income onfederal and state taxes—$250,000. When you crunch the numbers, you endup with these sobering facts:            

$1,000,000

Life-time Earnings

Subtract:

300,000

Home Mortgage (principle and 30 years interest)

Subtract:

250,000

Consumer debt (credit cards, cars, furniture)

Subtract:

250,000

Federal and state taxes

$ 200,000

Left to live on over 40 years

(an average of $5,000 per year!)

Itis no wonder that 85 out of 100 people at age 65 do not possess $250!If you and I don’t get out of debt fast, and stay out of debt,including our home mortgages, we will come to the end of our lives andhave little or none of the million dollars we earned in our lifetime—because we will have spent most of it on interest payments!

This is why the Bible says it is a curse to have to borrow money!

Thealien who is among you shall rise above you higher and higher, but youshall go down lower and lower. “He shall lend to you, but you shall notlend to him; he shall be the head, and you shall be the tail. “So allthese curses shall come on you and pursue you and overtake you untilyou are destroyed, because you would not obey the LORD your God bykeeping His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you.(Deuteronomy 28:43-45, NASB)

Itis clear that God doesn’t want His children to live under the curse ofslavery to debt. So how can you get out of the bondage of debt into thefreedom of a cash-based life?

FOUR STEPS TO BREAKING OUT OF DEBT SLAVERY 1. Give to God first.The Bible says, "Honor the LORD from your wealth, And from the first ofall your produce; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And yourvats will overflow with new wine. (Proverbs 3:9,10). If you want God’shelp to get out of debt you must put God first in your giving. It fliesin the face of conventional wisdom, but I have seen many families give their way out of debt.When you write your giving check to the church first, what you haveleft to live on goes a lot farther than what you would have had withoutgiving. This works because, according to Proverbs 3:9,10, Godintervenes to bless you financially. If you want God's help to get outof debt, start paying God first!

2. Don’t incur any further debt.Christian money expert Larry Burkett said, “If you don’t borrow money,you can’t get into debt. If you stop borrowing money, you can’t getfurther into debt.”

An Internet ad encouraging businesses to accept credit cards lists the following benefits:

More sales: Studies show that credit card customers spend 2 1/2 times more than customers who only carry cash.

Impulse buying: Credit cards give customers freedom to spend for previously unplanned purchases.

More expensive merchandise: Credit cards entice customers to purchase more expensive merchandise than they had originally planned to buy.

Mark well, each of these benefits to the merchant is a loss to the consumer. That's why some wag remarked, "Show me a compulsive shopper, and I’ll show you someone with a debt wish. If you cannot control your spending, I encourage you to perform plastic surgery—cut up all your credit cards!There are no essential reasons for keeping your credit cards. Instead,get a debit card that takes money from your checking account and looksand performs like a credit card for car rental, hotel, Internetpurchases, and identification.

3. Pay off all debt before making any other investments. Don’t invest any more money in anythinguntil you have first paid off all your debts: credit cards, cars, homemortgage. First, list all your debts. Second, determine which consumerdebts have the highest interest rates, and start paying them off.Usually credit cards are the first to go, and car and home loans arethe last to be paid off. Then, come up with extra money, called your accelerator margin(for example, $200-400 per month), and use it to pay off the first billquickly. When the first bill is paid off, take the accelerator marginmoney, and the amount you were paying on your first bill, to add to themonthly payment of the next bill until it is paid off. Do the same withone bill after another until they are all paid off. Most people can payoff all their bills, including their home mortgage, in 5 to 7 years!(For information about a seminar that teaches people how to get totally out of debt in 5 to 7 years, contact us at info@leaderskillsinc.com.)

4. Live on cash and invest the rest.Once you are totally debt free, you can begin to save for largepurchases and make them with cash. You can also take the hundreds ofdollars you were spending each month on principle and interest paymentsand invest in real estate or mutual funds. Then the power of compoundinterest will start to work for you, instead of against you!

CONCLUSION

Iheard a story of a man who jumped off a ten-story building. Whileonlookers were terrified, the man seemed perfectly calm. As heplummeted past the window of a fifth-story apartment, he looked at thewide-eyed occupant and assured him, “Everything’s all right so far.”Many people who are in the early stages of debt have that attitude:“Everything’s all right so far.” But when they reach age 40 or 65 theysmash into a financial disaster. God says that as a debtor, you are aslave to the lender. The wisest financial plan you could ever makewould be to get out, and stay out, of debt.

1 John Cummuta, The Debt-FREE & Prosperous Living Basic Course, p. 19.

2 Ibid., p. 28.

Copyright© 2004 by Rod Rogers. All rights reserved. You are encouraged to sharethe contents of this article in whole or in part if copyright andattribution are always included.

Here's a great Valentine's Day gift idea for the couples in your church: present them with a sermon series on financial stewardship.I'm not kidding. You can renew their passion for each other by teachingthem God's principles of financial contentment, wise money management,getting out of debt, generous giving, and true prosperity. So, what'sso romantic about getting your finances in order?

Itis widely recognized that couples fight more about money—how much tospend, how much to save, how much to borrow, and how much isenough—than about any other topic.Check out these stats. According to the National Survey of MaritalStrengths, 80 percent of happy couples agreed with the statement,"Making financial decisions is not difficult." Only 32 percent ofunhappy couples agreed. Agreement with the statement, "We agree on howto spend money," for happy couples was 89 percent. But only 41 percentof unhappy couples agreed.

Obviously, conflict over money is a powerful romance killer.Happy couples share similar philosophies of how to manage and spendmoney. Unhappy couples do not. Clearly, we can  renew marital happinessby creating unity on this touchy topic. But how?

Thebest way I know to get couples on the same financial page is to teachthem the financial stewardship principles in God's word. My wife Marisa and I have had our share of conflict over the last 20 years—because she'snot yet fully sanctified ;-)—but we've almost never fought over money.That's because we each entered marriage committed to living outbiblical standards of financial stewardship. In the fifteen years Ipastored in Denver, Colorado,  I saw many couples find new maritalpeace and happiness as a direct result of my annual stewardship series.When couples learned that they are stewards, not owners, of God's moneyand possessions, when they learned their responsibilities to give, andwhen they learned to live without worry, while trusting in God'spromises to provide, they quit fighting over money. And their marriageswere transformed.

ThisValentine's season, instead of preaching from the Song of Solomon, tryteaching stewardship principles from 2 Corinthians 8 and 9. It's certainly not your normal Valentine's banquet topic. But in the long run it might just prove to be more romantic.

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Youare encouraged to reprint and freely distribute unedited copies of thisarticle as long as the following information is included:

Copyright© 2007 Rod Rogers. Rod Rogers, D.Min., is a stewardship consultant,speaker, and author of Pastor Driven Stewardship: 10 Steps to Lead YourChurch to Biblical Giving. His ten-step Dynamic Giving System™ hashelped over 900 churches worldwide biblically increase their giving 10to 60 percent in five weeks.

Acouple of years ago I started to tell a pastor friend how my DynamicGiving System™ was helping churches increase their offerings from 10 toalmost 300 percent. I was only able to utter two sentencesbefore he interrupted me to declare with obvious pride, “Our church’sbudget has always been in the black.”

“That’s good,” I said, “but what if you could have had much more money to invest in the Lord’s work last year? If your church’s giving was 30 to 50 percent below its potential, ending the year in the black was not a financial victory.”If I had thought of it at the time I would have added, “And if the sizeof your budget did not reflect the biblical standards of generous,sacrificial, and proportionate giving, reaching your goals was not aspiritual victory either.”

It amazes me that we can be so smug about meeting our annual budgets when our people's giving is so consistently awful. Here are the church tithing statistics, segmented by group, for 2004:

All Americans: 4 percent tithed. Evangelicals: 23 percent. Non-evangelical Born-again Adults: 7 percent. Charismatics or Pentecostals: About 7 percent. Mainline Protestant Denominations: 5 percent. Roman Catholics: Fewer than 2 percent (Barna,George. “Americans Donate Billions to Charity, But Giving to ChurchesHas Declined.” The Barna Update. April 25, 2005,http://www.barna.org.).

Even in evangelical churches which have the highest percent of their members tithing (23 percent), 50 percent give nothing.Nothing! Sadly, we've learned to live with terrible giving, like ahopeless arthritis sufferer who has resigned herself to alleviating,not eliminating, the pain. We have been wallowing in this mess forlong, and we have been so ineffective in crawling out, that we havecome to consider dreadful giving an inevitable curse—like death andtaxes—something to be endured until Jesus returns.

Weplan our budgets around pitiful giving, then when our offerings meetour anemic goals, we consider our church’s giving to be exceptional. It’slike lopping off seven of the ten commandments because of our abjectfailure to obey them, striving to keep the other three, then pattingourselves on the back when we succeed. If your church always ends itsfiscal year in the black, it probably just means that you've managed tomeet a giving goal in which the vast majority of your members gavelittle to nothing.

Ending the year in the black year after year can lull a church into a false sense of fiscal well-being.Like a powerful narcotic, “black budgets” mask the problem by numbingthe pain, so that the malignant tumor inside grows undetected andundisturbed. Recently a pastor I highly respect said to me, “For thefirst time in years, our giving has been behind budget for fourconsecutive months. I guess that’s a good thing, or I wouldn't betalking to

you.” Exactly!

I tell pastors in my seminars that the best thing that could ever happen to

their church would be to have a budget crisis.The pain and anxiety from ending the year in the red might drive themto a holy discontent with the status quo--something we desperatelyneed. According to the Barna Research Group, "Stewardship is rarelydeemed a meaningful measure of church vitality. Church budgets aretypically set based on the assumption that the average congregant willgive 2 to 3 percent of their income to the ministry. Consequently, the fact that only 6 percent of born again adults tithe is not seen as an indicator of lukewarm commitment."(Emphasis added. Barna, George. "Surveys Show Pastors Claim CongregantsAre Deeply Committed to God But Congregants Deny It!" The Barna Update.January 9, 2006, http://www.barna.org.)

Ifonly 4 to 23 percent of your church members are tithing, and 50 percentdon't give anything, they are worshipping money, not God.Jesus said, "No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate theone and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise theother. You cannot serve God and wealth" (Matthew 6:24). In other words,it is impossible to give God nothing and be godly at the same time.

In reality, the vast majority of our church members are religious syncretists.They are like the ancient Israelites who said they feared Yahweh, buthedged their bets by also sacrificing to Baal. God called thatidolatry. No wonder God's people live in such spiritual bondage to theworld: "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Jesus,Matthew 6:21).

Brothers and sisters, I am thrilled to tell you that it doesn't have to be this

way.You don't have to settle for only 4 to 23 percent of your peopletithing and 50 percent giving nothing. You don't have to continue toignore the problem. You can take effective action to bring spiritualrenewal and increase your people's giving. All you have to dois...lead. That's right, just lead your people to give biblically.Teach them what God's word says about faithful giving and ask them tomake a specific commitment to start tithing. It's really that simple.

A few years after I began to boldly teach on stewardship in the church I

pastored for fifteen years, we had 70 percent of our people tithing.And many gave much more than 10 percent. Your people will respond inthe same way. The word of God has power to change lives, even when youteach on money. If you preach it, they will give!

I hope you are one of those fortunate pastors whose church budget is in the red.If so, you're ready to embark on a great stewardship adventure. If yourchurch budget is in the black, your situation is tragic, and you havemy deepest sympathy. But take heart! There is hope. It is not too lateto shepherd your people with the life-giving stewardship truths ofGod's word.

You are encouraged to reprint and freely distribute unedited copies of this

article as long as the following information is included:

Copyright© 2007 Rod Rogers. Rod Rogers, D.Min., is a stewardship consultant,speaker, and author of Pastor Driven Stewardship: 10 Steps to Lead YourChurch to Biblical Giving. His ten-step Dynamic Giving System™ hashelped over 900 churches worldwide biblically increase their giving 10to 60 percent in five weeks.

Is it a sin to tithe?

No. Yes.

No, tithing (giving a tenth) is not a sin if the actual dollar

amount is sacrificial, proportionate to the level of your

financial prosperity, and generous. Whatever you think about the

applicability of Old Testament tithing laws to the new covenant

believer (see my article 'The Truth about the Tithe' at

http://www.leaderskillsinc.com/resource_articles/stew_art_tithe.htm),

the New Testament clearly lays out the following minimal

requirements for acceptable giving:

1. Acceptable giving is sacrificial (Mark 12:41-44; 2 Cor.

8:1-3)

2. Acceptable giving is proportionate to the level of

your financial prosperity (1 Cor. 16:1, 2).

3. Acceptable giving is generous (2 Cor. 8:2).

If the dollar amount of the tithe you put in the offering plate

meets these standards, the tenth is enough and God is pleased. I

believe it is possible for someone to give less than a tithe,

and still be giving obediently. However, I challenge people all

over the world to give at least 10 percent, no matter what their

financial situation. This has resulted in great blessing for

them.

Yes, tithing is a sin if your income is so large that giving a

tenth of it requires no sacrifice, if the dollar amount left

over is so huge that giving 10 percent is stingy in proportion

to the level of your God-given prosperity, and if the dollar

amount is so low that it is not reflective of true generosity.

If the dollar amount of the tithe you put in the offering plate

doesn't meet these standards, the tithe is not enough--and is,

therefore, sin. Christian business leader Fred Smith wrote,

I led a rather unusual seminar once in which the majority of

those present were millionaires. Just for the sheer fun of it, I

described tithing as using an Old Testament teaching to help the rich get out of giving. It was quite a shock to the

participants, and they didn't care to discuss it to any great

length. I firmly believe that tithing for wealthy people is an

escape from giving. Frankly, I'd be very happy if the Lord would

tell me I'd fulfilled my responsibility if I gave ten percent.

When I worked for six dollars a week and I dropped in sixty

cents, I was giving something I felt was pleasing to the Lord.

But I'm not sure the Lord is excited about my giving a tenth of

a six figure income. (Leadership, 'A Holy Boldness Toward

Money,' p. 48, Spring 1981, Vol. 2, No. 2).

I couldn't agree more. The danger of an unqualified teaching on

tithing is that our people are left with the impression that the

first 10 percent belongs to God, but the rest is theirs. Of

course, the truth is that it's all God's money. Many of the

families in the church I pastored gave well over 10 percent--some

up to almost 30 percent. The last year of my pastorate my wife

and I gave 24 percent of our income to the Lord's work. For many

of us, a mere tithe simply wasn't faithful stewardship. And we

would have missed out on many blessings God had waiting for us.

Beware that tithing doesn't limit your generosity. Many people

can and should give much more than a tenth to the Lord. For them

tithing is a sin.

Don't be one of them.

Copyright© 2006 by Rod Rogers. All rights reserved. You are encouraged to sharethe contents of this article in whole or in part if copyright andattribution are always included.

Goodillustrations are vital for maximum impact in preaching on stewardship.The following quotes should prove helpful to you as you preach yourchurch into faithful giving.

Tithing

I never would have beenable to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithedmy first salary, which was $1.50 per week. - John D. Rockefeller, Sr.(1839-1937), American industrialist and philanthropist

"I've learned that whenI pay my tithe first there is always enough left to pay my bills, butwhen I pay my bills first there is never enough left to pay my tithe."- Anonymous

Money Can't Buy Happiness

I was happier when I was doing a mechanic's job. - Henry Ford (1863-1947), American industrialist

I finally know what distinguishes man from the other beasts: financial worries. - Jules Renard (1864-1910), French writer

Money Can Be Dangerous

Watch lest prosperity destroy generosity. - Henry Ward Beecher (1813-87), American abolitionist and clergyman

To be clever enough toget all that money, one must be stupid enough to want it. - G.K.Chesterton (1874-1936), English journalist, poet and novelist

Benefits of Giving

If a person gets hisattitude toward money straight, it will help straighten out almostevery other area in his life. - Billy Graham (1918- ), Americanevangelist

I was once young and nowI am old, but not once have I been witness to God's failure to supplymy need when first I had given for the furtherance of His work. He hasnever failed in His promise, so I cannot fail in my service to Him. -William Carey 1761-1834), Baptist missionary to India

Poor Stewardship

A lot of people are willing to give God the credit, but not too many are willing to give Him the cash. - Anonymous

Copyright © 2005 by Rod Rogers. All rights reserved.You are encouraged to share the contents of this article in whole or inpart if copyright and attribution are always included.

Idon’t believe that the new covenant believer is commanded anywhere inthe Bible to give ten percent of his income to God. If, having readthis article, you still believe the Bible specifically commands us totithe, then you should practice and teach it. God will bless you andyour church as result. However, I invite you to consider the followingsummary of the biblical teaching on tithing.

Tithing In the Old TestamentBeforethe establishment of the Mosaic law there are only two examples of thegiving of a tenth. Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth of the spoils hewon in battle (Gen. 14:18-20; Heb. 7:4) and Jacob vowed to a give God atenth of all he owned if God would protect him from his angry brother(Gen. 28:22). While these examples of tithing are commendable, theScriptures do not command us to follow them, nor should they beconsidered as establishing obligatory standards of giving for today.Dr. Charles Ryrie, with his trademark logical clarity, explains:

Thefact that something was done before the law which was laterincorporated into the law does not necessarily make that thing a goodexample for today, especially if the New Testament gives furtherguidance on the matter. Not even the most ardent tither would say thatthe Sabbath should be observed today because it was observed before thelaw (Exodus 16:23-36), yet this is the very reasoning used in promotingtithing today. The New Testament teaches us about a new day of worship,and it also gives us new directions for giving.1

Whenthe Mosaic law was instituted, Israel was commanded to give threedifferent tithes averaging twenty to twenty-three percent per year.2

Levitical Tithe:The first was a Levitical tithe in which ten percent of everythingearned or grown was required to support the Levites and priests as theyserved in the tabernacle. "And to the sons of Levi, behold, I havegiven all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for theirservice which they perform, the service of the tent of meeting (Num.18:21). This tithe was necessary because the Levites could not earntheir own livelihood and work in the tabernacle at the same time. Itwas used to support the national priestly program.3

Festival Tithe:The second annual tithe required was a festival tithe in which tenpercent of the remaining nine-tenths of one’s income was to be setapart and eaten at the yearly religious festivals in Jerusalem.

Youshall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes outof the field every year. And you shall eat in the presence of the LORDyour God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, thetithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the first-born ofyour herd and your flock, in order that you may learn to fear the LORDyour God always (Deut. 14:22-23).

This tithe was used to fund the national religious program.4

Welfare Tithe:The third tithe the law demanded was a welfare tithe in which, everythird year, the second tithe, the festival tithe, was not taken toJerusalem, but was kept at home to feed the Levites and the poor. Thistithe was used to fund the national welfare program.

Atthe end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of yourproduce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. The Levite,because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, theorphan and the widow who are in your town shall come and eat and besatisfied, in order that the LORD your God may bless you in all thework of your hand which you do (Deut. 14:28, 29).

Somescholars think this poor tithe was actually a third tithe requiredevery three years. If so, it would average three and one-third percentper year and the average annual tithe required from an Israelite wouldbe close to twenty-three percent each year! At the very least theyearly tithing requirement was two tithes amounting to twenty percent.5In light of this, if someone wishes to argue for a percentage based onthe Old Testament tithing laws, to be consistent he must not press forgiving a mere ten percent, but for twenty to twenty-three percent.6When I taught this to my congregation I always assured them that whilewe believed their interpretation was faulty, if they insisted on givingaccording to the Mosaic law of tithing they must give not ten, but atleast twenty percent—and we would be happy to receive it!

Tithing in the New Testament Whenstudying the concept of tithing in the New Testament you discover thatthe word is used only eight times, in the gospels and in the letter tothe Hebrews. In the gospels it is used in connection with the tithingof the Pharisees who were fulfilling their obligation to the oldcovenant, codified in the Mosaic law, which had not yet been abrogatedby the death of Christ (Matt. 23:23, Lk. 11:42; 18:12). In the book ofHebrews tithing is mentioned in the discussion about Abraham's havingpaid tithes to Melchizedek (Heb. 7:5-9). It is significant that nowhere in the New Testament is the new covenant believer commanded to tithe. As a matter of fact, there is no text in all of Scripture that commands God’s people to give a mere ten percent to God!

Tithing in Your Church Inlight of what I’ve just written, you will probably be surprised tolearn that I still believe in using the giving of a tithe as aguideline in leading God’s people into faithful stewardship. Whenpreaching on stewardship in my church I taught that, while the givingof a tithe is not a biblical command, it is a helpful guideline to usein planning our giving. I showed them what the New Testament had to sayabout generous, sacrificial, and proportionate giving (more on this inthe April newsletter). I then told my people, "I’m convinced thatAmerican Christians are so prosperous that if we don’t start by givinga minimum of ten percent of our income to the Lord, we can’t possiblybe fulfilling New Testament principles of giving." It made sense tothem. Their giving soared, their personal finances improved, theirfaith grew, their joy expanded, and our offerings increased by 32% in one year!

Could you use a 32% increase in your offerings next year?

1 Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. Balancing the Christian Life. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1969.

2 Allis, Oswald T. God Spake By Moses. Nutley, NJ: The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1951, p. 143.

3 Orr, James., ed. The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia. Vol. 5, s.v. “Tithe”. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1939, p. 2987.

4 Unger, Merrill F. “Tithe.” Unger’s Bible Dictionary. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1957, p. 1103.

5 Allis, Ibid., p. 143; Friesen, Gary. Decision Making and the Will of God: A Biblical Alternative to the Traditional View. Portland, OR: Multnomah Press, 1980, p. 357; Orr, Ibid., p. 2988; Unger, Ibid. p. 1103; Ryrie, Ibid., p. 89.

6 MacArthur, John. Giving: God’s Way. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, 1978, pp. 63,64.

Copyright© 2004 by Rod Rogers. All rights reserved. You are encouraged to sharethe contents of this article in whole or in part if copyright andattribution are always included.

Pastor,as you know, God created us in such a way that we are motivated to actin our own best interest. That's why He gives us so many promises ofblessing for obedience, and threats of painful loss for disobedience.

Based onthis basic biblical principle of spiritual motivation, as you seek tolead your church into generous giving, you will want to emphasize therewards God promises to faithful stewards. Not the least of these isthat givers will be happier .

My personalexperience confirms this promise. And so does that of the members of myformer church. In a congregational survey, 96% of our people affirmedthat they had a new sense of joy in life since they began to give atleast ten percent of their income to the Lord.

Becauseeveryone wants to be happy, you do your people a great service when youteach them to give. In my annual stewardship series I made sure Ireminded our people of the following truths. I encourage you to passthese on to your flock.

Giving Produces Happiness

In Acts 20:35 we read,

"In everything I showed you that byworking hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember thewords of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed togive than to receive'" (NASB).

In this passage "blessed" meanshappy. Jesus promises that the person who gives will be given greaterhappiness than the one who receives.

According to this promise, if you take two people, one who gives a thousand dollars, and another who receives a thousand dollars, the person who gives the thousand dollars will be happier!

That's nothow we naturally think, but Jesus knows He made us in such a way thatwhen we give to God and others with cheerful hearts, we experiencegreat happiness!

Stingy People Are Unhappy People

Stingy, selfish, people who don'tgive to God and their church are often the most unhappy, joylesspeople. You've seen a selfish child gripping a toy with both hands,refusing to share with her little brother, crying and screaming, "Mine,mine, mine!" She's definitely not a happy camper.

Happychildren are taught that their toys belong not to them, but to Jesus.When they share willingly they feel an inner joy and they experience asense of self-respect.

ManyChristians are figuratively clenching their wallets with both hands andas they hear a message on giving they begin screaming in their minds,"Mine, mine, mine!" They are not happy people.

The onlypeople who don't like sermons on giving generously are people who don'tgive generously! You'll never be as happy as possible while you keepyour fist tightly clenched around your wallet.

If you want to be happier, start giving .

Copyright © 2004 by Rod Rogers. Allrights reserved. You are encouraged to share the contents of thisarticle in whole or in part if copyright and attribution are alwaysincluded.