IN and Out
receiving and giving
coming and going
not stagnant
fluid
Remember the macroeconomics “in” factor of inertia? Well, it applies exactly to God’s financial plan for believers. For money to have value, it must remain in motion. There is an old expression that states that God has no problem getting money to you if He can only get it through you. I’m sure that we all remember the motto that President Harry Truman displayed on his desk in the Oval Office, “The buck stops here.” Of course, he wasn’t talking about money, but we can re-appropriate his slogan to speak of the lives of many Christians who seem to believe that the whole purpose of God’s economic system is to make them rich. Once the buck reaches them, it stops. Actually, the money flow doesn’t stop; it just stops flowing in the kingdom’s economy. This truth was emphatically demonstrated one Sunday morning when the pastor stepped to the pulpit and excitedly announced, “I have good news. The church has all the money it needs to do everything that it needs to do!” After the congregation calmed down from the roar of applause that erupted because of the pastor’s declaration, he continued, “The bad news is that it’s still in your pockets.”
It has been calculated that fifty-three to sixty-six percent of the world’s wealth is in Christian’s control, depending on how you define “Christian” — meaning evangelical or simply denominational Christians. If Catholics are added to the calculation, the number jumps up to eighty percent. Certainly, that is more than enough to accomplish any task to which we would want to set our hands. Unfortunately, the average American Christian currently gives about two and a half percent of his or her income to God’s work. In a study by the Barna Research Group a few years ago, it was discovered that there was a forty-four percent rise among born-again adults who gave nothing the previous year and a nineteen percent drop in the mean per capita donation to churches. One-third of born again adults said they tithed, but a comparison of their actual giving and household incomes reveals that only one-eight did so. Truly, the buck has stopped. Jesus told us not to store up treasure on earth — not because it is evil to do so, but because it won’t last here. (Matthew 6:19-20) He didn’t say it might be lost; He said it will always be lost. Storing up treasure isn’t necessarily wrong; it’s just unwise to store up more than is necessary for retirement and other eventualities. Remember the farmer who wanted to build bigger barns. God didn’t call him sinful; He called him a fool. (Matthew 5:22) When God provides us with money, we often think, “This is a blessing,” but the more scriptural response would be, “This is a test.” It is God’s way of seeing if we are going to let the buck stop with us.
When we look to the Bible as a source for understanding inertia in the economy of the kingdom of God, we see that every time people genuinely encounter the kingdom, they are willing — and even eager — to release whatever is in their hands. Zacchaeus immediately offered to give half of all that he had to the poor (Luke 19:8) — a response to the fact that salvation had come to his house (verse 9). The first converts in Jerusalem were eager to sell their possessions and give the money to the church. (Acts 2:45) The occultists at Ephesus burned books worth millions of dollars without giving a second thought to how much money was going up in smoke. (Acts 19:19) The poor widow gave two mites out of her poverty with no reservation about what that meant for her future. (Mark 12:44) And Exodus 36:5-7 records that the people had to be restrained from giving in their eagerness to furnish the tabernacle.
The contrast is found in such stories as the foolish farmer who planned to build bigger barns so he could keep everything for himself (Luke 12:20) and the rich young ruler who went away sad because he wanted the buck to stop with him (Matthew 19:21). There is a fascinating contrast between the story of the rich young ruler and the story of the man who found a treasure in the field as it is recorded in Matthew 13:44. One went away sad because he was not willing to sell what he had while the other joyfully sold all his possessions. Of course, we might immediately answer, “Yeah, but one was asked to give away all the profit while the other one was going to buy a field that had a treasure worth more than he was going to pay for it — no wonder one was sad and the other one was happy.” That may be good logic in the natural order of things, but in God’s system there was more profit to be gained in giving to the poor than in finding a treasure chest. Remember the sheep on the Master’s right hand who inherited the kingdom. (Matthew 25:34) R.G. LeTourneau, a wealthy businessman of the last century was known for giving away ninety percent of all his income and still having a far more than comfortable lifestyle, summed up this truth, “I shovel it out and God shovels it back, but He has a bigger shovel.”
The three hundred fifty-six scriptures in the Bible on giving teach us that there are three distinct levels of Christian giving: the tithe (Malachi 3:11), free-will offerings (Luke 6:38), and almsgiving (Proverbs 19:17). Each of these areas has its individual niche and comes with its own blessing. Tithing is the practice of giving ten percent of our income to the Lord’s work. The Old Testament prophet Malachi informs us that if we will be faithful in this area of giving God will personally rebuke the devourer from our possessions. (verse 3:11) The devil is a thief (John 10:10) who always wants to “eat your lunch” (I Peter 5:1); however, our tithing commissions the Lord to protect our finances from the devil’s hungry jaws. The blessing of tithing is that it allows us to keep and enjoy the full benefits of what we have. It is important to remember that the devourer is rebuked not just from our money but from everything that we own. There are many today who try to discredit the practice of tithing, saying that it is an Old Testament doctrine. Although the tithe is neither commanded nor rescinded in the New Testament, Jesus Himself validated the tithe — even on the smallest of things. (Matthew 23:23) Regardless of how we may view the scriptures concerning the tithe, there is one truth that is self-evident: tithing isn’t the finish line; it’s only the starting blocks because we see reference after reference to the need to give far more than just ten percent. The next area of giving is the free-will offering that goes above the prescribed ten percent of the tithe. When we step into this level of giving, we also step into a new level of divine provision. In this dimension, God not only protects what we have but also causes more to begin to flow into our hands. Jesus said it this way, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (Luke 6:38) The next dimension of giving that the Bible teaches is the giving of alms — making provision for widows, orphans, the poor, and those who are suffering because of the loss of a job, death of a family member, long-term illness, or some sort of natural disaster. Jesus taught that God would repay our alms with open rewards here on earth and eternal rewards in heaven. (Matthew 6:4, Luke 12:33) Proverbs 19:17 likens almsgiving to lending to God who guarantees to repay — with good interest, I’m sure. One of the most vivid illustrations of the validity of these two principles of giving that I have ever witnessed was in the nation of Nicaragua where the church I was visiting was in the process of collecting shoeboxes full of supplies for the poor. The astonishing thing about this particular alms project was that the church itself was a needy congregation that had been ravaged by record unemployment and devastation after the region had been struck by a couple natural disasters. In fact, I was there as part of a relief team that was bringing a whole shipload of supplies to help sustain them. They sowed by the shoebox and reaped by the shipload!
George Mueller, the nineteenth century evangelist and director of the Ashley Down orphanage in Bristol, England, cared for more than ten thousand orphans without asking for sponsorships. The faith verse that guided his life of alms was Psalm 34:9, “Oh, fear the LORD, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him.” Because he gave as readily as he received, over seven million dollars (the equivalent of four hundred million dollars today) passed through his hands during his lifetime. In addition, it is reported that he chronicled over five thousand specific answers to prayer on the very day that he made the prayer requests. Wow — what a testimony of what can happen when we decide not to let the buck stop with us.
As we have already emphasized, giving in and of itself is not God’s objective for us. He has determined that we must have very specific heart attitudes in place if our physical action of giving is to be effective. Our gifts must be accompanied by love (I Corinthians 13:3), purpose (II Corinthians 9:7), joy (II Corinthians 9:7), stewardship (Luke 12:42), faithfulness (I Corinthians 4:2), tears (Psalm 126:6), expectancy (James 5:7), sacrifice (II Samuel 24:24), repetitiveness (Ecclesiastes 11:2), generosity (II Corinthians 9:6), and wisdom (Luke 12:42). When all these elements are in their proper place, we will experience the next important “in” factor: INcense (perfume, fragrance, spice that is burned for its sweet smell). More than forty times in the Old Testament, the offerings of the faithful are described as a sweet savor to the Lord. In the New Testament, one of the most extravagant expressions of generosity toward the Lord was the pouring out of the costly perfume as a sweet-smelling offering. (Matthew 26:7, Mark 14:3, Luke 7:37, John 12:3) In this story we find two totally contrasting motives. Judas immediately objected to what he considered an excessive display, saying that it should have been given to the poor. (John 12:4) Of course, his real motive was that he intended to steal the cash once it was in the communal bag. (verse 6) On the other hand, the woman who gave the sacrificial offering did so with a sincere heart of love and adoration to Jesus. Jesus’ response to her was that her actions would become a memorial to all generations (Matthew 26:13, Mark 14:9), a term that is used repeatedly in the Old Testament to refer to the offering of incense to God (Leviticus 2:2, 2:9, 2:16, 5:11-12, 6:15). The term “memorial” appears only one other time in the New Testament — again in the context of giving out of a sincere and pure motive. This time it is in the story of Cornelius, a Roman centurion whom the Bible describes as “devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.” (Acts 10:2) If we think about his situation as an official in the Roman army serving in the occupied territory of Palestine, we will realize that he had nothing to gain and everything to lose by associating himself with the religious practices of the conquered people over whom he had jurisdiction. Clearly, there was no ulterior motive at work here; he was seeking after God with a pure heart, and part of that genuine quest for an intimate relationship with God was his giving of alms. It was exactly this altruistic generosity that came up to God as a memorial on his behalf.
Memorials serve two purposes: the first is the obvious display of recognition for the individual in whose honor the memorial is erected; the second is as a perpetual teaching instrument for all future generations. (Exodus 3:15; Joshua 4:7, 20-24) When I travel around the world, I always ask my hosts about the statues we pass as we go about the country. With each statue, there is always a story that tells about the history of the nation — but more importantly, there is a story about the principles that the character depicted in the statue stood for. Our stewardship and generosity should be impactful enough that it leaves an indelible mark on the consciousness of future generations and establishes a continuing legacy. It is in the context of this realization that that I’d like to conclude this study by looking at one further set of closely related “in” factors. Let’s begin with INform (tell, give facts or information, impart formative principle). Although it would seem intuitive and, therefore, a topic that wouldn’t need to be researched, studies have proven that pastors who don’t preach about giving and generosity are losing tithes and donations from their congregations. One survey showed that most churches do not actively teach on tithing and that only about one-fifth teach on stewardship. One researcher summed up his analysis, “When it comes to giving, churches operate under a don’t ask, don’t tell policy.” But this is not the biblical pattern.
Then the chief of the fathers and princes of the tribes of Israel, and the captains of thousands and of hundreds, with the rulers of the king’s work, offered willingly…Then the people rejoiced, for that they offered willingly, because with perfect heart they offered willingly to the LORD: and David the king also rejoiced with great joy. (I Chronicles 29:6-9)
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works. (Hebrews 10:24)
We all know the expression, “Money talks”; our job — as good stewards — is to make it talk for Jesus. David’s prayer was that his people would obtain prosperity so that God’s name could be known around the world.
God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations. (Psalm 67:1-2)
Our next “in” factor goes one step further in that it speaks of an intentional educational process: INstruct (teach a subject or skill, command someone to do something). In another context, we have already discussed the often overlooked emphasis of Proverbs 13:22 that the inheritance we are to leave to our children and then to their children is not so much money as an understanding about how to handle it. After all, it is not money that will make them wealthy; rather, it is good information and a well-developed financial IQ. At this point, we need to recall what we’ve already learned about Proverbs 22:6, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” The true meaning of this verse is only realized in context with verse seven, “The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender.” The training we are to do for our children is to cause them to understand how finances and the economic system of this world — and, more importantly, of the kingdom of God — operate. Probably the most significant word in this passage is the word “train.” Different from teaching, training implies communication of skills by setting an example and giving hand-on exercise. When baseball teams go for spring training before their playing season begins, you can bet your bottom dollar that they are not in Florida sitting in classrooms. No, they are out on the field actively practicing the real scenarios that they will encounter on the field during regular season — and hopefully during post-season play-offs. They can only develop their skills under the tutelage and coaching of someone who understands and practices these same skills himself. This is the basic principle of creation: the original life of man was breathed into him by God Himself (Genesis 2:7), and then He commanded the man with that divine breath in him to go out and reproduce it (Genesis 1:28). Likewise, it is our responsibility to pass on to future generations everything that we understand by divine revelation and godly instruction. This truth from Genesis brings us to our final two “in” factors: INspiration (process of being mentally, stimulated, give someone an idea about what to do or create) and INstill (to gradually cause someone to have an attitude or feeling, gradually but firmly establish an idea or attitude in a person’s mind, stimulation of the mind or emotions to a high level of feeling or activity). The literal meaning of “inspiration” is to have the spirit or breath within — exactly how Adam became the first living human. When we instill something into another, we literally pass on something of ourselves to the recipient — exactly what God intended when He commanded Adam to be fruitful and multiply. God was not just simply wanting Adam to produce more humans but to replicate himself and everything that He had placed in him in each new generation of humans. Adam was to produce after his own kind, as God commanded in all the rest of creation. (Genesis 1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25, 6:20, 7:14)
Throughout this study, we have frequently relied on the works of King Solomon who understood that the people will perish if there is no vision or divinely-inspired wisdom, but that the people can prosper where there is such godly insight. (Proverbs 29:18) Therefore, he took the time and went to the effort to pen the book of Proverbs so his son wouldn’t have to “fly by the seat of his pants.” (verse 1:8, 10, 15; 2:1; 3:1, 11, 21; 4:10, 20; 5:1, 20; 6:1, 3, 20; 7:1; 10:1, 5; 13:1, 24; 15:20; 17:2, 25; 19:13, 26, 27; 23:15, 19, 26; 24:13, 21; 27:11; 28:7; 31:2) Likewise, we must first of all learn to apply these same biblical truths and wisdom to our own lives and then pass them on to a new generation. Such practical instruction is gaining in popularity — even in the secular arena — as more people in our faltering economic system are trying to get a handle on their personal finances. It’s only natural for them to look to the Bible — the best-selling personal finance book of all time. Dave Ramsey, one leading Bible-based financial advisor, always ends his radio financial programs with one powerful spiritual reminder, “There’s ultimately only one way to financial peace and that’s to walk daily with the prince of peace, Christ Jesus.”
The real key to godly finances is not, as the speaker that we met in the first paragraph of the book would say — giving. The true key is having the Giver in our hearts.
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. (Colossians 1:27-28)
