The Gold Standard of Christian Giving

Posted on January 25, 2012 by Pastor Foley

Part XI of our series on Doing Good

People ask me, “So what’s the deep theological reason for doing one offering a month in the .W Church? And should Christians tithe?”

My answer to these deep theological questions is that I have no deep theological answer.

I’ve known people who would argue passionately that all Christians should tithe and that no Christians should tithe, and each side is convinced that the other is in apostasy or bondage. And I’ve also met people who insist that an offering should be taken every time the church gathers together.

My own solution to these dilemmas is that if something is specified in the Nicene Creed, it is a core belief which all Christians must hold, without exception. We lay no precondition of belief on members other than the Nicene Creed, which, in the words of Vincent of Lerins in 450 AD, specifies “…that which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all.”

So I always say, “If it’s in the Nicene Creed, we believe it and do it, and if it’s not in the Nicene Creed, we do not treat it as if it is.”

So as regards when and how much and how often to give, you’ll notice that these things are not specified in the Nicene Creed. The Scripture gives us ample guidance in these matters, of course, and one recurring theme—which is especially important to note as we conclude this month’s emphasis, on the Work of Mercy of Doing Good—is that our giving should be planned and purposeful.

Some Christians who hate tithing say, “God wants us to give spontaneously and not in a way where we are bound to a set amount that drives the Spirit out of the process.”

But the Scripture does not commend spontaneous giving as the gold standard of Christian giving.  Instead, in 2 Corinthians 9:7, Paul says,

“Each one must give as he has decided [or the King James says “purposed”] in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Purpose—that’s the key word.

The gold standard of Christian giving is not spontaneity but purpose.

If you read the verses around this one in 2 Corinthians, Paul is stressing to each Corinthian Christian the importance of praying and thinking through what they will give to a special offering Paul is raising to send to the mother church in Jerusalem, which is experiencing hardship due to famine and persecution. Paul is saying, “Think about this ahead of time. Pray about it ahead of time.” He uses the analogy of sowing and reaping. Anyone who has planted so much as a single zucchini will know that sowing a seed requires planning, preparation, and ongoing cultivation.

Sadly, most Christians do not put that level of thought into their giving. If they’re immature Christians, they’ll pull out their wallet and toss a few dollars in the offering when they’re asked. If they’re long-time Christians, they’ll compute their tithe or giving budget and put that in the offering.

And some “modern” Christians believe that God wants them to give according to what we call “random acts of kindness,” which means that they give whenever they sense the Holy Spirit is prompting them to give.

But none of these practices get at what Paul is talking about here.

Of course you should give whenever the Holy Spirit prompts you, but giving only when the Holy Spirit prompts you is like cleaning your room only when your parents tell you to. Your goal should be to give as God gives.

God plans his giving very carefully! He gives us what will help us, not whatever we ask for.

How have you navigated this question in the past?  What is your personal practice when it comes to giving?

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If You Love Your Enemies, Won’t They Take Advantage You?

Posted on January 23, 2012 by Pastor Foley

Part X of our series on Doing Good

As we progress through our series on Doing Good (specifically to our enemies), there’s one question that always comes up:

Won’t we just be taken advantage of?  Won’t people use our love against us?

Answer: yes.  And here’s a story that illustrates that:

Late in the winter of 1569, Dirk Willems of Holland was discovered as an Anabaptist and a thief catcher came to arrest him at the village of Asperen. Running for his life, Dirk came to a body of water still coated with ice. After making his way across in great peril, he realised his pursuer had fallen through into the freezing water.

Turning back, Dirk ran to the struggling man and dragged him safely to shore. [As in the story of Acts, perhaps he “takes him by the right hand” and “helps him up.”] The thief catcher wanted to release Dirk, but a burgomaster – having appeared on the scene – reminded the man he was under oath to deliver criminals to justice. Dirk was bound off to prison, interrogated, and tortured in an unsuccessful effort to make him renounce his faith. He was tried and found guilty of having been rebaptised, of holding secret meetings in his home, and of allowing baptism there – all of which he freely confessed.

“Persisting obstinately in his opinion”, Dirk was sentenced to execution by fire. On the day of execution, a strong east wind blew the flames away from his upper body so that death was long delayed. The same wind carried his voice to the next town, where people heard him cry more than seventy times, “O my Lord; my God”. The judge present was “finally filled with sorrow and regret”. Wheeling his horse around so he saw no more, he ordered the executioner, “Dispatch the man with a quick death.”

Why did Dirk Willems turn back?

In Matthew 5:42, Jesus says, “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.” (Do not turn away—do you see the physical dimension of that request?) So what will we give? We will give something far greater than what they ask for.

We will give them the mercy of God made physical, the mercy that he first gave to us.

Jesus assures us that there is no hope in wealth or in saving our own lives. Our lives and our wealth already belong to God. In fact, our lives are part of his wealth. But here is what is much more important: his life and his wealth already belong to us!  His life isn’t just part of our wealth; it is our wealth!

Martin Luther wrote that “in marriage, everything that properly belonged to the groom now comes into the possession of the bride, and everything that properly belonged to the bride now becomes the possession of the groom… ‘The believing soul can boast of and glory in whatever Christ has as though it were its own, and whatever the soul has Christ claims as his own’” (Robert Kolb and Charles P. Arand, The Genius of Luther’s Theology.)

So Christ, as the husband of his bride, says, “Let’s use my father’s limitless wealth to do good to his enemies. This will please him.” How can the bride refuse? And when that wealth is his life, and when our life is part of his life, our lives become a “touching place” for God to touch and be touched—and sometimes struck and spat on, too—by his enemies.

God doesn’t fear his enemies, and we do not need to fear ours. Scripture tells us in Colossians 3:3, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”

So he directs us to spend his life and his wealth by lending to his enemies as he directs, and in his name.  The money is the smallest part of it, but when we give the money, we end up being more likely to give our time, our attention, and our sight to them, too. When we give our money, our focus is drawn more and more to our enemies.

Our lives will be so tied up in theirs that we will want to do them good, not harm, even if only for our own sakes.

How can your life serve as a “touching place” today?  What steps do you need to take to make this a reality and not just a nice thought?

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Do Not Simply Give Whatever is Being Asked For

Posted on January 20, 2012 by Pastor Foley

Part IX of our series on Doing Good

We discussed in our last post how sometimes, the best gift we can give to our enemies is the one that ties us to them long-term.  That way, we become more concerned about their welfare.

Here’s a related story that presents an important lesson for us:

In August 2010, a homeless man came up to a woman in New York City. He asked her for money so that he could buy water and cigarettes. She loaned him her American Express Platinum card (story here).

Do you think she was more interested in the welfare of this homeless man during the time he had her credit card? Of course!

When I was in high school, I worked for a radio station and Carl W. was my boss. Down the street lived Carl C., a high school dropout and troublemaker.

One day Carl C. called and asked if he could borrow my father’s power tools. I told him I would ask my dad. So I said, “Dad, Carl wants to borrow your power tools.”My dad assumed I meant Carl W. So he said, “Of course! Just give me half an hour to polish them up.”

Imagine my father’s surprise when Carl C. showed up and carried away all of his power tools! Do you think my father became more concerned about Carl C.’s welfare once Carl C. had all of his tools? Of course!

But it is important to remember that we are not commanded to simply give everyone whatever it is that they are asking for.

When a homeless man asks for money for cigarettes, for example, Jesus does not tell us we should give the homeless man what he asks for. Look at Acts 3:1-10 and notice how physical this encounter is. Keep track of the words that relate to the five senses:

One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.

Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.

When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

And Jesus says that when a Roman soldier asks you to carry his pack one mile, carry it two (see Matthew 5:41) and to offer the other cheek after they strike the first (see Matthew 5:39).

In these Scriptures, what do you think happens when we give something different than what is asked for? 

The “Golden Rule” (in Luke 6:31) says, “Do to others as you would have them do to you.” But Jesus does not say this to worldly people. He says this to people who are following him. People who want to receive God’s mercy.

And we don’t want money or cigarettes. We want to receive God’s love mirrored into the world, and he intends that to be a physical manifestation—that’s why he created us. So what we pass on to other people is not what they are asking for…not our love…and not even our love offered in God’s name. Instead, we give them God’s love made physical—what he has given to us—and we offer that to them in God’s name.

Sometimes they choose to reject that. Sometimes they use that love against us.

Have you ever given something different than what was asked for in order to be a physical manifestation of God’s love?  What was it?  How was it received?

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