… Therefore God has highly exalted [Christ]
and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my
presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and
trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his
good pleasure.
Philippians 2:9-14
The
principles of giving and funding that have emerged from this series can be
summarised as follows.
Sowing and reaping. This
is not a means to wealth creation but the way wealth should move through
society for everyone’s benefit. It is the way that God created the world to
work.
It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Although the quotation is found in Acts and not in the Gospels, the principle
is implied in everything that Jesus taught about money and wealth. It is ultimately
self-defeating to forget it.
Christian ministry to be supported in the
same way as Temple ministry. The baseline for giving is 10%
of income but it is not meant to prevent people from looking after themselves
and their families properly or to excuse others who spend the remaining 90%
selfishly. Moreover, I am sure that God is more understanding of those who
could give a tenth but fear for the families’ welfare than Christians who live
well in prosperity but do not give more when they could easily afford it!
Giving
should be systematic, proportionate to our income and theological. It should not be impromptu, random or in response to peer
pressure or emotional blackmail.
Partnership! When
we give, we partner with the workers; when we ask people to support our work,
we are inviting them into partnership. We should therefore be careful who we
chose to partner with!
The
extent to which we can adapt and apply these principles today is not bound by
what we can do without slipping into sin but what best glorifies God and
demonstrates to society that he really does care for us.
I close
today with these questions. Did Abraham tithe only when he met Melchizedek, King
of Salem and priest of God Most High? Did Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, make good
on his promise to tithe the wealth he accumulated in a foreign country? If they did, who did they give it to?
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Copyright © All Souls Clubhouse Community Centre & Church and Philip Evans
2013.
Scripture
quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright
© 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.
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