This month we are celebrating Stewardship Month at Six Roads and I would
like to share some thoughts with you on stewardship.
Paul said in
2 Cor. 8:7
But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete
earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
Paul commended the Corinthians for their faith, speech, knowledge, earnestness and
love, However, he realized that they were deficient in one area and that was the area
of liberality. A body with an undeveloped part is deformed or distorted and so a
Christian who does not excel in giving is deficient.
I want to encourage all Christians to get into the habit of giving.
Here are some questions and answers:
The first is, Why should Christians give?
They should do so because God gave first to us – He gave His only Son, He also
gives us manifold blessings and even though everything belongs to Him He did not keep
it for Himself but freely gives all things to us for our enjoyment. We also should give
because we owe God something – If God has so richly blessed us shouldn’t we feel
duly bound to give Him back some of what He has given us?
We also give because of what giving can do for us – God does not depend on our
gifts to survive but we need to give. Receiving without giving does harm to a person. We
are not called to be sponges but we are called to give as we have received. We also give
because of the need - The Local church has needs to keep its programs going, the outreach
to the world with the gospel message demands that we also give and we must always remember
that giving to God is a gift that will last for eternity.
Another question is – How much should a Christian give?
The Old Testament demanded a tithe or 10% of all the nation of Israel. Even though the New
Testament did not have such a demand, Christ in His Sermon on the Mount said that our
righteousness should exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. Jesus said that the people tithed
"Mint, Anise and Cummin" the tiniest herbs of the field. We can safely say that a
tithe or tenth is a benchmark for the Christian when it comes to giving – not the maximum but the
minimum. God said in Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe
into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty,
"and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you
will not have room enough for it. God will bless us when we give Him His tithe not in just physical
ways but very much spiritually. In the earlier verses in Malachi he indicated that a man can rob God
by not bringing his tithes and offerings.
Where should the Christian bring his tithe?
The Old Testament says "the storehouse". To the Jew that meant the temple for the
Christian that means the Church. We can take a cue from Barnabas in Acts who when he brought his
gift laid it "at the apostles’ feet." Which meant that he put it at the disposal of the church
to be used by them for the sake of the gospel.
Finally, when should the Christian give?
Paul said in 1 Cor. 16:1-2
Now about the collection for God's people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2
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. It seems that it was the pattern
to meet and give on the first day of the week or Sunday. Paul urged them to be systematic and planned in
their giving. I do not think that we can do any less.
It should be a joy for us to give, for when you think of it we could never outgive God.