In Your Bible Read This
Out Loud: 1 Timothy 6:3-5
Memorise This Verse:
2 Corinthians 2:17 'Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for
profit'
Afterwards Talk About
This: Which is more important - giving or the motive for doing
so.
Something To Do Before
Next Time: Consider if the place/.person you give to ever uses
pressure.
Written Diploma
Work: With reference to the scriptures and personal
experience, write one side on why we should be on our guard against
pressurised appeals.
Meditate Word By Word On
This Verse: 2 Peter 2:1-3
Perhaps the greatest wrong
motivation for giving is treating the law of giving and receiving as a
'get rich quick' scheme where we seek the blessings of God for our own
selfish desires. People hear about the blessings of God and his
prosperity but strangely don't hear about the purposes of his blessings
and seek the blessings of God as an end in itself. Certainly give as
much as you can, believe as much as you can and receive as much as you
can but please don't hoard the blessings as much as you can. God wants
to bless you so that you can be a blessing if the only reason you give
is to receive back to spend it on yourself you are very selfish by all
means seek God's blessing - but also seek to pass it on as well.
A further wrong motivation
to give is the idea that if you don't give, God will be unhappy with you
and send poverty on you and hence by giving you are literally buying the
clemency of God. (An example of this would be a Pastor telling his
congregation that if they don't tithe, God will send sickness on them
and take 10% away from them in Doctor's bills!) God's love for us is not
dependant on our actions (certainly not our giving) and God's love
doesn't increase when we start to give to him. It has been said before
that whilst the blessings of God are conditional on our giving, his love
is totally unconditional of any actions on our part. Whilst it is the
case that life will be better for the generous giver as opposed to the
non-giver, it is not because God sends disaster on the non-giver but by
not giving we exclude ourselves from operating in God's law of giving
and receiving.
The way by which we work out
and give our tithes is a further indication that we could be giving with
a wrong motive. It has been argued previously that we should take great
care to ensure that we tithe on all our income and that we accurately
ensure that we give 10%. However if we work out our tithe to the last
penny and give not one penny more does it not show that we are trying to
get away with the bare minimum requirement of 10%. Why not work out your
tithe to the last penny and then round it up to the nearest pound or 10
pound as this demonstrates a generous and willing spirit and you make
absolutely sure that you have done more than the minimum required.
Having looked at some of the
wrong motives for our giving there is a further area that is of special
concern and that is the area of manipulation and pressurized giving
there is much that can be said of this. Ever since the church was
brought into existence there have been those in Christian leadership who
have exploited their position for financial gain - viewing leadership as
a job as opposed to a calling and an opportunity for financial gain.
Sadly, there are many church leaders who are using their positions of
authority primarily to make money and the spiritual well being of the
congregation and expanding the Kingdom is of secondary importance. Such
leaders will only hinder the spread of the Kingdom and are not worthy to
be paid from the offerings of the people of God.
For example, in 1 Timothy
6:5, Paul warns Timothy of teachers of false doctrines who, 'Have
been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to
financial gain'. Moreover in 2 Corinthians 2:17 Paul contrasts
his ministry with those who were preaching for selfish financial gain
when he says, 'Unlike so many, we do not peddle
the word of God for profit'. Moreover, 2 Peter 2:3 speaks of
false prophets when it says, 'In their greed these
teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up'.
There are many out workings
of the fact that Christian leaders will abuse their positions to exploit
money from the people of God. Through pressurized appeals, manipulation,
guilt and exaggeration, people can be pressurized into giving
financially when it was never the will of God for them to do so.
Certainly people need to be aware of opportunities to give and needs
that exist but sadly this information can be used to beat people over
the head with to make them give. The bible warns in 2 Corinthians 9:7
that we should give joyfully, not because we feel under compulsion or
pressure to do so, 'Each man should give what he
has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver'.
Let us consider some of the
examples of manipulation being put on the people of God by Christian
leaders. Suppose a Pastor is not bearing fruit and his church is
shrinking and so are the church finances to strengthen his position he
could warn the congregation that if they don't stay and bring their
tithes into the church then God will not bless them. A further example
is a church leader having an alleged 'Prophetic Word' for one of the
congregation that they are to make a large donation to church funds or
the leader himself. If someone says to you 'God has told me to tell you
that you are to give some money', be very careful and discerning as they
might be trying to manipulate you.
Sadly even people with large
television ministries can also use very exploiting tactics to pressure
people into giving. For example week after week they go on air and say
that unless all those who watch and donate to their ministry give more
than normal they will go off the air. A further example is that if you
send £50 into their ministry head quarters they will pray for the
blessing of God on your family. Moreover they may claim that there is a
'special anointing' on their ministry and all those who give to their
ministry will receive a 'special blessing'. Finally, they may hold a
banquet for their donors and inform that God has revealed to them that
there are 5 people in the room who are to give £1000 each consequently,
due to manipulation and guilt, one by one people will get their cheque
books out.
Perhaps the saddest and most
obnoxious part of Christian leaders manipulating people into giving is
that they succeed at the expense of those who genuinely, and with the
blessing of God, need to share opportunities to give, and very real
needs with the people of God. Where as Pastors and Evangelists succeed
with manipulation and guilt missionaries who return from the mission
field and share stories of great need and lack find themselves at the
back of the queue when the people of God get their cheque books out.
Instead of widows, orphans, the sick, the lost and the unreached groups
being showered with blessings it is stolen away from them greedy,
manipulative Christian leaders.
There is no doubt that we
should be givers in fact, we should be quick, generous and open handed
givers who are willing and happy to give. However, we should be very
careful and discerning that we are truly giving to a person, church or
cause because it is the will of God that we do so and not because we are
reacting to any pressure that has been put on us. Colossians 3:15 says,
'Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts' this is a good
scripture to apply to giving, we should let peace, not pressure, rule in
our hearts when we give. If every Christian applied this rule to their
giving then the winners would be the poor, the sick and the needy and
the losers would be greedy Christian leaders who abuse their position.
A House of
Prayer for the Poorer Nations
Pray for Eritrea
3,850,388 people,
Christians & Muslims both 47%
Recovering from war with Ethiopia,
several un-reached people groups.
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