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As part of our Let’s Talk series we received a number of questions on Sunday morning that we were not able to answer during the service.  Here are the questions we didn't have time to consider, and our brief responses.  

To Listen to the Sermon Click Here

 

Why am I not happy (feel depressed) unless I know I have money in my wallet?

Firstly, there is a difference between depression and unhappiness, like feeling “the blues” - something we will consider when we talk about Mental Health on June 26th.  But your question highlights something many people feel and the powerful influence money has on us.  Money makes us happy; not having money makes us unhappy, or anxious, or worried, or a whole measure of other emotions.  

As I mention in the sermon it is a genuine encounter with Jesus that moves us from being a lover of money to a lover of God.  And it is in that encounter where the idol of money is dethroned and one is set free from its power.  My suggestion to you would be to participate in a little spiritual exercise designed to keep your heart focused in the right place.   Make a small card to go in your wallet with a a bible verse (Psalm 62:5 is a good one: “Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him.”) or a picture of Jesus or something meaningful to you.  When you open your wallet, remember the One from whom true joy comes.  

 

Should you tithe first to the church and then to other charities?

The principle of the Tithe comes from the Scriptures where the People of God gave the first 10% of their income, their crops, and livestock to God.  The money was given to make corporate worship possible, to provide for the priests who had no income because of their work, and to take care of the poor, the needy, the marginalized.  So when we talk about a Tithe, we are talking, specifically, about giving to God, through the church. 

An important point to make in the conversation is that the Mission of God has been entrusted to the Church: The mission of glorifying God, building up the people of God, and blessing the city so the world might know Jesus is what we are all called to.  Did you catch that?  We!  

There is no more important mission than the one God has entrusted to you and me, the church.  So, yes, give to the church.  This is where God is asking you to invest your entire life (finances and all) for the glory of God!

Sometimes people are skeptical of giving to the church, uncertain about how their offering is being used.  At the heart of this matter, I think, is mistrust - and in many instances it is understandable.  Sometimes, church leaders have failed God’s people (and everyone else) in the way they have handled money.  However, trusting the leadership of your church is crucial to financial giving.  So, here are two suggestions.  First, if you have questions about the way your church uses money, then ask about it.  Good leadership will be transparent in how they are using money.  Second, if you don’t trust the leadership after trying, then it’s wise to find a church where you do.  And when you do, commit yourself to living out the mission of God fully and completely with them.    

Personally, I give a tithe first to the church then seek to be generous with my friends who are missionaries and then support other groups and individuals whom God has laid on my wife Gina and my heart (such as Cancer Research and Mental Health support). 

 

Where does debt play into all of this discussion?

Sometimes in church culture we’re led to believe that having debt is sinful. I don’t think the Scriptures speak that way at all.  To be sure, God tells us to be good stewards of our money and to act with integrity in our use of money.  This means we shouldn’t amass the kind of debt we cannot pay back in a reasonable time frame, nor should we be using credit to chase after things in our world that never satisfy the longings of our soul.  

Now, I’ve heard people say, “I have debt, shouldn’t I pay it back before giving to the church” or saying, “my debt is too big, I cannot give to the church.”  Here’s the problem I see here.  We’re essentially saying that I will pay for my own desires/needs/wants/priorities (isn’t that why we have debt in the first place?) before giving to God.  This will never do for God's people.    

For some, debt is a problem.  In these instances, I suggest seeking help.  Some people have never learned to be good stewards of their money, and making a change cannot happen without outside help.  If this is you, we have people who can help.  Send me an email and I’d be happy to connect you.  

 

Do you think there is some sort of principle of excess for us as Christians? For example, if I make $200,000 a year, but tithe or give 40-50% of that, is it okay for me to spend $100,000 a year on myself? Is there a universal principle or should this be left for the individual to figure out?

Shane Claiborne and others like Ched Myers talk about a theology of enough.  It goes something like this.  There are two extremes.  On one side is the “prosperity Gospel” — that says God blesses people with extreme wealth — and on the other side is the “poverty Gospel” — that God demands that all of us live in poverty.  Both are wrong.  What we need is a theology of enough where we realize that God wants every one of us to have the things we need. And there is enough for everyone’s need but not enough for everyone’s greed.

I’ve heard that Rick Warren, best selling author of the Purpose Driven Life, did a reverse tithe, giving 90% of his book sales to the church.  He was making way more than he needed, so he gave.  We need to start thinking that way.  I need to start thinking that way.

The universal principal to me is a sacrificial giving.  Giving out of excess is easy.  Giving when we actually need to sacrifice something is hard.  It is in our sacrificial giving that we most identity with Christ (ever notice that he didn’t just give 10% on the cross).  I heard a story this past week about a couple that likes to go on a cruise every year.  They decided to forgo the cruise one year in order to use the money to help a family adopt a child.  I’m sure it felt like a sacrifice to them.  And I’m also sure they will never regret it!  Anne Frank once said, “No one ever became poor by giving.”  She was right.

 

Do you feel that 10% tithe is still relevant today?

Yes.  Not as a moral obligation to God, but as a way of stepping into a deeper dependence on his provision and a greater engagement of his mission in the world.  As I mentioned in the message, 10% is simply a number, not the number.  However, I would call all Christian to give generously from the overflow of our encounter with the grace of Jesus.  Loving God, in the Scriptures and in life, is demonstrated through our obedience to him, and he asks us to give for his plans and purposes.  

 

What should we as a church do with Acts 2:44-45?

I mentioned on Sunday that the shape the early church took came through a genuine movement of the Holy Spirit.  As God’s Spirit moved in his people they responded in obedience and what resulted was a radical generosity. May we be a church so filled with the Holy Spirit, so attentive to his prompting, that we would have the same kind of generosity!  That when God prompts us to give, or share or embrace, we wouldn’t hold back!  

 

What are practices or disciplines to embrace that train our hearts to be generous instead of greedy?

Giving is contagious.  A good practice is to find a way to give regularly.  Start with the church.  If you give automatically online I recommend writing a note to God about why you are giving or what it means to you and then pop it in the offering each week.  It is a practice that will bring greater joy in giving and will provide an opportunity each week to cultivate a generous heart.