“Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful.” – 1Corintians 4:2
The governing principle of Christianity is ‘Life!’ Earnest Christians, when it comes to their money, and particularly their giving, want their contributions to honor God and further the kingdomof God. However, because there is so much distortion of the Biblical models of stewardship in the twenty-first century church, we need a word of reminder that ‘Life’ is also the governing principle of our stewardship.
Most of us, like the general population, are quite conditioned to giving credibility to individuals and organizations that we have no real-time experience with, or knowledge of. For example, I’ve never personally met anyone with Discover Card Services, but we do business with them just the same, with relatively little risk. The marketplace of religion, on the other hand, has to be handled a bit differently than one’s business. In business, there is generally a clear, mutually understood exchange of money for goods or services. There is an obvious benefit derived from the relationship. Some of the purveyors of religion, however, are particularly adept at making promises, or offering benefits, whose actual value or relation to us cannot be validated in any credible way. For that reason, a greater degree of caution needs to be exercised. An important question should be answered by each believer; Who has been given the stewardship of the money I present to God?
Jeanie and I tithe (10%) on our income and on the income of The Antioch Group. Although tithing is not specifically commanded in the New Testament, we’ve lived, like our parents before us, by the Old Testament adage, “Honor the Lord with the first-fruits of your increase.” We sow our tithes and offerings into ministries we personally know and respect. We do this, not by constraint or by Biblical mandate, but as a way of putting the Lord first in our finances.
Just days ago I listened to a very wealthy and influential pastor/teacher instruct his church (and his television audience) that tithes must be brought to ‘the storehouse’ (Malachi 3:10) to support the work of the Lord. In doing so, one would be obedient and blessed. Of course, by ‘storehouse’ he meant the local church, and in this case, his particular mega-church. In very short form, here’s how he reasoned it for them:
“In the Old Testament, tithes were brought to the Temple to support the priests, and help them carry out the duties of ritual sacrifices and offerings, help the poor, and maintain the religious orders which Moses instructed in Leviticus. Today, the local church corresponds to the Temple, and so the tithes or offerings of the believers must be brought to the local church to support the ministry (corresponding to the priesthood) and the various enterprises and activities of that church.”
While this sounds quite reasonable to the Christian ear, it isn’t as Biblical as it is professed to be. Some of the forms and practices of the modern church find scant support in the New Testament. We should not defend a particular practice simply because it has been done for so long by so many. Because of God’s love for His people we should value the churches, but we must also point out that their teaching and practice does not always accurately reflect what the Bible teaches.
A local congregation does not correspond to the Old Testament temple; “Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit,” the Apostle taught us. (1 Cor. 6:19) “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? . . . the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.” (1Cor. 3:16, 17) All of the furnishings and rituals of the Temple provide us a picture which corresponds to the believer, and to God’s glorious presence in him or her through the Holy Spirit.
A local church assembly is an expression of the corporate body of Christ by an individual or group, and their effort to carry out their understanding of His body in the real world. We are both commanded and cautioned by Paul to carefully build our work on the foundation of Christ. (1 Cor. 3:10-15) Pastors and leaders have a genuine challenge shaping church functions to align with kingdom priorities. Pray for them!
In the Old Testament economy, the priests were responsible for receiving and distributing the tithes according to the laws of Moses. Today, however, there is a new priesthood. “You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood. . .” (1 Peter 2:5) “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood . . .” (1 Peter 2:9) In the New Testament the believers are the ‘royal priesthood,’ and the stewardship of the tithe, or whatever portion one purposes to give, rests with them!
“But this I say, He who sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of compulsion; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Cor. 9:6, 7) This Corinthian passage does not refer to giving to a local church, but of ministering to the needs of suffering saints in another location.
What is the point of all this? Christians are not Biblically constrained to give money to a local congregation. As priests unto the Lord, we are responsible to be the stewards of the blessings and provisions of God. The Lord does command us to give, “. . . and it shall be given unto you, good measure, pressed down, and shaken together . . .” (Luke 6:38) That giving may be to the poor, a missionary, a struggling family, a ministry, a feeding program, and so on. Being a steward of God’s resources takes thought, prayer, sensitivity, and discernment. Some people would prefer a ‘just add water and stir’ type of Christianity. It saves all the mess and cleanup involved in ‘doing it from scratch.’ In other words, it’s easier to just turn your gifts over to a local church. God values our personal involvement more than that.
“I’m very committed to a local church. Shouldn’t I give to help support it?” Of course! But it’s your responsibility to know what exactly you’re supporting. Pastors who faithfully teach the Word are deserving of support. (1 Cor. 9:9-11; 1 Tim. 5:17, 18) Most of the pastors I know personally are fine folks, honest, sacrificing, and trustworthy. Local churches try to do many of the things that Jesus and the Apostles commanded, and it’s a privilege to help with those things.
But we’re also free to direct our offerings elsewhere when the local church lacks a kingdom agenda. For instance, some socially conscious congregations ‘tear down their barns and build bigger” ones in order to be a more prominent congregation in that town or within their particular denomination. You have no obligation to support that, despite the hard sell of the ‘stewardship director.’ Some preachers, like the one I heard on TV, are building a ‘spiritual’/financial empire in support of their ‘gospel of affluence.’ We have no obligation to support that. And some ministries entertain, seduce, and manipulate for power, notoriety, and ego gratification. Put your money somewhere else, regardless of how much they urge you to help fund the show. In my 45 years of ministry I’ve encountered quite a few charlatans and frauds who have ministerial credentials.
The preacher that you can only see on a big screen, and never touch, call, or speak to, is not your pastor, regardless of what he calls himself. “Act as a shepherd,” Peter commanded spiritual leaders. (1 Peter 5:1-4) Shepherds touch sheep! Perhaps that’s why 90% of American Christians attend a church of 100 souls or less; they want an actual pastor, even if he doesn’t have a PhD. Truth is, most saints don’t care how much you know, but how much you care!
Many media ministries feed orphans or build shelters for the homeless in many parts of the world. But keep in mind; all you really know is what their well-scripted appeals show you. If you want to see some real-life homeless, hungry people, John and Ann Baker can introduce you to a hundred or more every Sunday night right here in Fayetteville! A good steward knows where his God-directed money is going.
Many good folks may still insist that tithes rightfully belong to a local church. They say, “If the church misuses it, they will be held accountable.” Well, no doubt, that’s true. But that doesn’t change the Bible truth that the stewardship of those resources first belongs to us as priests of God, and His temple. God values every part of our lives, including the money we set aside to honor Him. In the secular world they say if you want to know what’s behind something, “Follow the money!” Well, in the kingdom of God we can also identify what’s of God and what’s not; “Follow the Life!”
Whatever contributes to ministering God’s Life, that’s where our resources belong.