Once upon a time there was a United Way worker who was doing research to find contributors to his organization. As he researched he discovered a lawyer with a salary of over five hundred thousand dollars who had never contributed to any cause! So the United Way worker made a call to the lawyer. When the lawyer answered the phone the worker said, "Thank you for taking my call. I work for United Way. My research indicates that you earn over half a million dollars a year but have never contributed to United Way. I wonder if we could count on you for a contribution this year?"
"Well," said the lawyer after a long pause, "Did your research also indicate that my mother is presently in the hospital and her bill is three times her annual income?" "No," answered the worker.
"And did you research also indicate that my brother lost his job and has no one else to support him?" "Well, no." answered the worker.
"And did your research also indicate that my next door neighbor was in a serious automobile accident and had no insurance to help?" asked the lawyer. "Well, no it didn't." responded the United Way worker, now totally defeated.
"Well then," concluded the lawyer who was now on a roll, "If I don't give anything to them, why should I give anything to you?"
The United Way worker - lawyer scenario is often played out in the Church. The Church is seen as this large entity that is so hungry for contributions that it will practically go to any length to get its hands on cold hard cash. And churchgoers are seen as the reluctant, disinclined, holders of the purse strings who must be pressured or even shamed into parting with their hard-earned cash. Obviously, neither image is satisfactory! Churches and churchgoers should not have an adversarial relationship when it comes to financial matters.
Making God $ense.
This morning we are launching a four week mini-series on financial stewardship. This series is being called "Making God Sense of Our Money." This is a play off the phrase "making good sense." When something makes good sense, it feels right, it has an aura of authenticity, and it seems reasonable. For a growing number of Christians, giving money to Jesus Christ makes anything but good sense. Giving money away to Jesus feels unnatural. It seems illogical. It defies every rule of sound accounting and good business sense.
But what makes good sense in the realm of human wisdom isn't necessarily what makes God-sense in the spiritual realm of God's kingdom. In the spiritual realm it makes perfect sense to give money to Jesus Christ. The spiritual realm operates by an entirely different set of accounting principles. But in the realm of human wisdom giving to Jesus Christ seems like a pitiful waste of precious, unrecoverable financial resources. This is just one of the reasons why financial stewardship is one of the greatest areas of disobedience among Christians today.
There are a lot of Christians who are like that tightfisted lawyer. There are a lot of Christians who do not honor God in their finances. There are many who give nothing more than a one to two percent tip on their income to God. There are many who have never seriously stepped out on faith to test the spiritual principles of God's word.
Casualties of financial disobedience:
1. The ministry of the local Church.
Over the years there have been several casualties of our financial disobedience. The first casualty of our financial disobedience has been the local Church. In general, Christians have lost a great deal of faith in the mission of the local Church. The local Church is no longer seen as a worthy beneficiary of our gifts. When some people begin to write out a check for their ten percent tithe to the Church they say to themselves, "This is too much money to give to the local Church."
Many Christians believe that their money makes a greater and more lasting impact when given to a Christian radio station, Bible college, or other parachurch organizations like Focus on the Family or Campus Crusade for Christ. Instead of investing money on home front ministries that directly impact our families, our children, our neighbors, and our co-workers, we have been taught to believe that our money is better invested and managed elsewhere. For example, we have been taught to believe that the indirect impact of parachurch ministries has a greater impact on our circle of influence than our own personal investment in the home front ministries of the local Church.
In the end, by not financially supporting the ministry of the local Church, (by withholding those funds for ourselves or by sending them elsewhere) we have made the local Church more dependent than ever on parachurch organizations that may or may not share our core beliefs and doctrines. For example, we completely rely on Bible colleges to grow future leaders for God's kingdom and our ministry. We completely rely on interfaith companies with secular ownership to develop curriculum for the teaching ministry of our Church. We completely rely on Christian media outlets to promote the gospel in relevant ways to our friends and family and to disciple our children.
Because we financially deprive the ministry of the local Church, the local Church has been forced to outsource many of its vital ministry needs to parachurch ministries. Today, churches are increasingly relying on gimmicks like telemarketing and fundraising and car washes and bean-dinners and fish fries and rummage sales to raise money to carry out their mission.
Surely this isn't how God intended to build his kingdom! He wants the local Church to be strong. He wants us to have sufficient resources to develop future leaders. He wants us to have adequate resources to develop strong, relevant home front ministries that directly impact our circle of influence.
2. God's kingdom.
Another casualty of our financial disobedience is God's kingdom. I wish it weren't true, but the mission of the Church advances on the coattails of our financial generosity. God has directly linked ministry effectiveness and kingdom expansion with our generosity. To the extent that we invest financial resources in God's kingdom, his kingdom grows.
I know, I know. This sounds so unspiritual! But there are thousands of men and women just itching to take the gospel to every nation, tribe, and tongue. I think of Jeff and Laura, homegrown missionaries from our congregation who translate the Bible into languages without the Bible. They have certain needs similar to our own which include health insurance, computer equipment, satellite equipment, transportation, clothing, food, medical supplies, and medicine. Our church is covering just under fifty percent of their total annual expenses.
I have received dozens of requests for financial support from couples just like Jeff and Laura who would love to serve Christ in full time missionary work, but who cannot raise adequate financial support. We have to turn them away. Imagine if we never had to turn anyone away, but we could send whosoever will into full time Christian service! God's kingdom would expand by leaps and bounds. But as it stands, we greatly minimize our impact on our world by not financially investing with great generosity in God's kingdom.
3. Ourselves
One last casualty of our financial disobedience is ourselves. Many Christians honestly believe that they are better off when they don't give to Christ. They believe that extra ten percent (if it is a tithe they are withholding) will make them financially solvent and will help them meet their bills at the end of the month. By earthly standards this certainly makes good sense. But by God's standards this makes horrible sense. Nothing could be further from the truth! God's $ense says, "We gain more by giving than we gain by not giving."
The Macedonian example.
In 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 (NIV) Paul shares the testimony of the Macedonian churches. He says, "And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will."
If ever there were a group of people who might benefit from not giving, it was the Macedonian churches. By any standard, they were the bottom of the barrel.
Giving while facing severe trials?
There are some terms in this passage that we should attempt to define. Paul refers to their, "most severe trial." Do you think their basements got flooded? Do you think their transmission went out? Did the bills from their emergency room visit come due? Were they in legal trouble? Were they stricken with an illness? Did the government intrude on their lives? Did their factory close and they lost their jobs? What severe trial or what severe circumstance were they facing? What severe circumstance might have precluded them from being generous?
Giving while in extreme poverty?
Paul also mentions their, "extreme poverty". Can we even know what extreme poverty is in America? Do we even have a reference point? For us, extreme poverty is only owning one vehicle. It's having to buy clothes at K-mart and our food at Aldi's. Extreme poverty is not owning our home. It is being forced to live in a trailer. Poverty is not being able to eat out or have cable television or own a cellular telephone or have health insurance. It is not being able to turn on the air conditioning.
Extreme poverty is a lot of things to us, but it doesn't even approximate the extreme poverty that the first century Macedonian Church must have faced. Our notions of poverty have very little to do with our needs, and everything to do with our not having all of our wants and desires fulfilled.
In their extreme poverty and severe trials the Macedonian churches gave generously. Some might object, "Why, that doesn't make any sense! That is totally irresponsible! It is reckless!" But wait. It does makes God-$ense. Take a look at 2 Corinthians 8:1-3(NIV) again. It says, "And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability."
How were they able to have such rich generosity in their poverty? How were they able to give as much as they could and even then some more? The answer is that God had given the Macedonians grace. Grace can mean a lot of things. It typically means the "favor of God." In this passage grace is referring to financial prosperity .In this passage God is supplying the generosity of the Macedonian Christians. They stepped way out of their comfort zones and they gave irrationally by every human standard imaginable. But God prospered them. Their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity!
In 2 Corinthians 9:10-11 (NIV) Paul says, "Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God."
World $ense versus God $ense.
We are going to return to this verse later in this series, but let me extend a challenge. The world's sense says you gain more by holding onto what you have with a tight fist. God's sense says you gain more by giving generously.
The world's sense says that you show generosity out of the overflow of your wealth. You give from the leftovers after you are well fed and satisfied. God's sense says you show generosity out of your extreme poverty. You give from the first fruits before you even consider your own needs.
The world's sense says to be faithful with much, and the little things don't matter. God's sense says to be faithful with little and faithful with much.
The world's sense says, "I will give if, if this circumstance, if that circumstance..." God's sense says, "I will give regardless."
The world's sense says, "You're a self-made man. You earned that money. That money is all yours. It is there only for your needs." God's sense says, "The one who provides seed for the sower and bread for food gave me this wealth. And he has made me rich so that I can be generous on every occasion."
The world's sense says, "I trust myself." God's sense says, "I trust Jesus Christ, and he will never disappoint me."
The world's sense says, "I can't because I'm not able." God's sense says, "All things are possible with God. He will do immeasurably more. With God, I can give even beyond my own ability."
The world's sense says that the Church's mission can be compromised and the kingdom of God can stagnate, as long as you pay yourself first. God's sense says there is nothing of greater eternal consequence than the mission of the local Church and the expansion of Christ's eternal kingdom. And there is nothing more worthy of our money than Jesus Christ.
As we make cents, we need to determine what kind of sense we will make. Will we make worldly sense or God's sense?
Struggling through faith.
Throughout this message series, you will be hearing some exciting stewardship testimonies about how people are making God sense of their money. If you have a testimony to share, we want to encourage you to talk to one of the staff, to an elder, or contact the church office. We want people to hear about the exciting things that God is doing in your life.
A lot of people think that because I am a preacher, I don't struggle. They think I am a super pastor, mighty conqueror, able to leap tall buildings, you got it! But obedience to God's will is just a much challenge for me as it is for you.
One of the most difficult times of my life financially came in 1996, just six years ago. I was getting ready to graduate from Bible college. I had exhausted my life savings on tuition. I had amassed thousands of dollars in student loans. I had just proposed to Lara, bought a ring, and was trying to pay off some of my debts. I'd sent out applications to area churches to find a preaching ministry position, and didn't have much luck. Eventually a church called. They were desperate to get a preacher and I was desperate to start preaching anywhere!
We agreed on a salary of two hundred fifty dollars a week. After taxes and insurance I received a check for around one hundred fifty dollars a week. From that paycheck I had to cover the expenses of using my own vehicle for ministry purposes. I had to pay utilities for the parsonage. The money evaporated quickly. I still remember that there were people in the church who thought I was making too much money.
I wish I could say that we tithed during that time, but I can't remember if we did or not. I remember justifying myself before God because of my circumstances. "God, I just exhausted my entire life savings to become a minister." "God, I have to spend so much of my personal income on ministry things." "God, I could make more money working at McDonalds."
But through that experience God worked, really worked on us. We experienced extreme stress. But one thing we kept saying to ourselves over and over was this. "We are giving to God, the one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food. We are serving him. We are sacrificing for his kingdom."
If you looked at our financial picture, it made no earthly sense whatsoever. And for a while it grew uglier and uglier and I thought I might have to leave the ministry. We never did get that one hundred thousand dollar bonus. But somehow God slowly brought us to a point where we were steadily moving out of debt, saving for retirement, and most importantly, to a point where we were able to give a significant amount of money to his work through the local church we served in.
No, it didn't make worldly sense. But somehow, it made God sense. God honored our faith. He supplied our generosity. We gained by giving. And God's kingdom grew.