LARRY

BURKETT

GIVING &

TITHING

MOODY PRESS

CHICAGO

© 1991 by

Christian Financial Concepts

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be

reproduced in any form without permission in writing

from the publisher, except in the case of brief

quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

Compiled from material originally published by

Christian Financial Concepts, Inc.

All Scripture quotations, unless noted otherwise, are

from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960,

1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, and 1977

by The Lockman Foundation, and are used by

permission.

ISBN: 0-8024-2603-4

9 10 8

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

1 Giving and Tithing........................ ............7

2 Tithing.............................................. .......33

3 Welfare............................................... .....51

4 Christian Fund-raising. ...........................63

About the Author

arry Burkett is committed to teaching

LGod’s people His principles for

managing money. Unfortunately, money

management is one area often neglected by

Christians, and it is a major cause of conflict

and disruption in both business and family

life.

For more than two decades Larry has

counseled and taught God's principles for

finance across the country. As director of

Christian Financial Concepts, Larry has

counseled, conducted seminars, and written

numerous books on the subject of

maintaining control of the budget. In

addition he is heard on more than 1000 radio

outlets worldwide.

Giving

and Tithing

1

TOO BUSY TO SERVE

othing interferes more with our ability

Nto serve God than our need to earn a

living. An observer from one hundred years

ago would be awestruck by the

“improvement” in our living standard and by

the amount of leisure time our technology

now provides us. Few North Americans

regularly work more than a fifty-hour week;

most work forty-four hours or less. In

addition, we now live an average of eighteen

years longer than we did one hundred years

ago and have at least one-third more

disposable income per family. When all of

those factors are weighed, together with the

fact that in America alone there are perhaps

twenty million Christians, it would seem

clear that we ought to be getting out the

message of Jesus Christ much better than we

are.

The simple truth is that most Americans

are too busy to serve God. We have grown

complacent and comfortable in God's

blessing and have forgotten the first

commandment. In the meantime, immorality

and cults have grown to alarming

7

proportions because their advocates are

more zealous in their support than we are.

Since God asks for obedience rather than

demanding it, many Christians simply ignore

the very reason for their existence: to glorify

God. Without exception, God has a unique

and meaningful plan for every believer, that

does not depend on age, income, or ability.

It is also clear that God calls each of us

to fill this gap. Like Esther, every believer

must decide either to be used by God or to

be bypassed and allow another to be chosen

instead. What a loss that we allow temporary

comforts and laziness to rob us of true

riches, both immediate and eternal!

Since all these things are to be

destroyed in this way, what sort of

people ought you to be in holy conduct

and godliness (2 Peter 3:11).

Most Christians would never “refuse” to

do God’s will; it's just that the timing is not

right. When God calls us, He wants

obedience first and worldly wisdom last. We

allow the urgent things of our society to

overshadow the important things. That is not

unique to our generation. In fact, Christ

experienced it in His walk on earth and

predicted it. He told a parable of God’s

calling men to follow Him. They were

invited to a dinner, but most were too busy

to attend. They wanted to be part of what

was happening but had too many

responsibilities.

8

CONSIDER THE COST

Service to Jesus Christ is demanding. It

may actually mean that we have to work as

hard for God’s kingdom as we do for earthly

riches. Few salesmen consider it a great

imposition on their time to talk about their

product line. Being a success at anything

requires dedication, training, and

perseverance. It would be a hungry company

that trained its salesmen to expect perfect

success on every call. Just one turndown and

they would all give up, considering

themselves failures. Instead, the key to

successful salesmanship starts long before

they ever see the product; in fact, it starts at

the job interview. A good sales manager

knows that not everybody can be a good

salesman, and many don’t even want to be.

Christ knew that not everybody will serve

God, and most won’t even want to.

Some want to have a foot in both worlds.

They are willing to be called Christians

provided they can pick the times and places

to serve. “But Jesus said to him, 'No one,

after putting his hand to the plow and

looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God'”

(Luke 9:62).

These people are actually worse off as

Christians than they were as nonbelievers.

They are content to know about God but are

fruitless fakers who generate false blessings.

They are poorly nourished spiritually and

quickly waste away until there is real doubt

9

in their minds about their salvation. “And

other seed fell on rocky soil, and as soon as

it grew up, it withered away, because it had

no moisture” (Luke 8:6). They truly fall prey

to every wind of doctrine because they are

too busy to grow firm roots.

THORNS OF LIFE

And the seed which fell among the

thorns, these are the ones who have

heard, and as they go on their way they

are choked with worries and riches and

pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit

to maturity (Luke 8:14).

In the parable of the sower Christ defines

the thorns as worries, riches, and pleasures

of this world. At first glance, one could

assume that committed service to God then

would yield peace, but judging from the way

Christians avoid total service to God, the

peace is bland.

Yet Jesus Christ said that total service to

God yields peace and blessings within His

will:

For all these things the nations of

the world eagerly seek; but your Father

knows that you need these things. But

seek for His kingdom, and these things

shall be added to you (Luke 12:30-31).

Each of us has experienced the thorns of

this world. Everything around us is moving

at a frantic pace. A family can hardly get one

10

car paid off before another is needed. Only

twenty-five years ago our goal was a high

school education to get a good job—now it’s

a college degree. Family life is degraded

because it now takes both spouses working

to hang on to the "good life.”

GOOD WORKS

Just as misguided are Christians who

apply themselves to fruitless effort in the

name of the Lord. They busy themselves to

the point of exhaustion going to conferences

and countless church activities and serving

on committees. They rarely, if ever, quiet

themselves enough for the Lord to direct

them. They are irritable and often envious of

others. They are working at God’s work but

not in it. Even those who walked with Christ

suffered from this busy malady from time to

time.

Once when Jesus was visiting Martha’s

home, she complained that she was stuck

doing all the work while Mary just sat and

listened to Jesus. Jesus told Martha:

You are worried and bothered about

so many things; but only a few things

are necessary, really only one, for Mary

has chosen the good part, which shall

not be taken away from her (Luke

10:41-42).

Many Christians have taken on a life of

meaningless works to avoid the reality of

serving God according to His will. The fruits

11

of true service cannot be denied (Galatians

5:22-23), whereas the effects of human work

cannot be hidden. I once heard some one ask

how to determine if one’s service was truly

being blessed by the Lord. One response

was, "Ask his pastor.” Another was, "Ask

his friends.” But the best and by far the most

enlightening was, "Ask his family.”

SOWING AND REAPING

Most Christians are familiar with the

principle of sowing and reaping as it applies

to giving—though few really believe it. That

principle applies to sharing time in the

Lord’s work. Just as God can multiply the

fruits of our labor, He can also multiply the

use of our time. Any good administrator

knows that ten minutes spent in productive

effort is more valuable than two hours of

confusion and frustration. Therefore one of

the first things a busy, frustrated,

overworked Christian needs to do is dedicate

the best part of the day, week, month, and

year to the Lord. To do so will mean

reordering priorities at work and at home

and establishing sound goals (Luke 6:38).

GOAL-SETTING

PERSONAL

No other goals are going to be

meaningful until the first and most important

one is settled—one's relationship with God.

12

In Psalm 51:10-13 David tells us of some

prerequisites to teaching others God’s way:

assurance of salvation, a steadfast spirit, the

Holy Spirit’s control, and a clean heart. If

any of those is missing, utter frustration will

result. If a Christian’s first priority is God,

then an understanding of God’s way is

mandatory. That means personal Bible

study. It also means a personal prayer life

dedicated to the needs of others as well as to

personal needs.

FAMILY

Most families drift for lack of a rudder—

the father's leadership. A family's most

important need is a godly father—that is far

more important than all the material

possessions a parent can provide.

WORK

There is nothing wrong with being

successful even by worldly standards—

unless one becomes a failure by godly

standards. The rate of divorce and

bankruptcy among Christians is an

undeniable indicator that Christians have

been duped into using the world’s yardstick

as their measuring stick. Every Christian

must ask, “Am I certain my priorities are in

line with God’s?” If not, a change is in order

—no matter what the cost in dollars and

cents.

Usually those at the highest end of the

material scale are the biggest violators of

13

priorities (executives, doctors, attorneys, and

so on). But equally guilty are many in full-

time Christian service, with pastors leading

the group.

It is vain for you to rise up early, to

retire late, to eat the bread of painful

labors; for He gives to His beloved even

in his sleep (Psalm 127:2).

PUTTING GOD FIRST

We all to some degree suffer from being

too busy to serve God. Some are so busy

doing things for God that they fail to do the

things of God. Some have already been

called by God to go into full-time Christian

service, but they weigh the call against the

cost and decide they can serve God better

where they are. Others clutter their lives

with so much materialism that they never

have time to listen to God. The urgent things

crowd out the important things, and

Christian service is shelved until "a better

time.”

We can all give thanks to those

committed saints, from the apostles on

down, who did not think that fame and

success in the eyes of men were as important

as God's blessings. One day each of us will

evaluate success on the basis of Christ's

evaluation and none other. I trust that each

of us will hear Him say, "Well done, My

good and faithful servant.”

14

SEEK THE KINGDOM

Seek first His kingdom and His

righteousness; and all these things shall

be added to you (Matthew 6:33).

The Lord admonishes us to seek first His

kingdom instead of worrying about material

possessions. There has never been a

generation of Christians so caught up in

worry about possessions as we are. We have

a greater abundance available on a daily

basis than any previous generation. Most of

us have machines that reduce our daily

household labor, our children are well-

clothed and well-educated, and our life

expectancy is beyond God’s promise of

three-score and ten. We have insurance

plans, retirement plans, disability plans, and

unemployment plans. Yet we are so caught

up in making more money and buying bigger

and better things that we have lost our focus

on the unsaved world. God’s Word keeps

asking us the same question: Are we seeking

first the kingdom of God?

WHAT DO YOU STAND FOR?

It would seem evident that since we will

spend eternity in the presence of God and

only seventy years or so on this earth, we

should be more concerned about what we

will receive then than what we are getting

now. But when we review our priorities, it is

apparent that most Christians live without

real hope as Paul describes it in Romans

15

8:24-25. We’re willing to settle for what we

can see, rather than what is unseen. That is

exactly the principle that Christ is teaching

in Matthew 6:19-33.

Material things are not what cause our

difficulties. God says that He will give us

the things that the world cherishes so much.

But are we more dedicated to accumulating

material things than to serving God? The

evidence shows that we are serving money

—not God. “For where your treasure is,

there will your heart be also” (Matthew

6:21).

The question is often asked, “What do

Christians stand for?” The answer the world

would give is, “Not much other than what

we do.” The sad part is that most people

really want to know a personal God. We

have the only hope for a world without

hope; yet we spend our time pursuing vain

things.

ONLY TWO CHOICES

Christ says that we have only two

choices: to follow God or to follow money.

No one can serve two masters, for

either he will hate the one and love the

other, or he will hold to one and despise

the other. You cannot serve God and

mammon (Matthew 6:24).

The scriptural warning is clear: we will

be judged on the evidence of our material

lives. The attraction of materialism is so

16

great that Christ devoted two-thirds of His

parables to warning His disciples about it.

The writers of the epistles amplified that

teaching as they observed the destructive

force of materialism in the lives of believers.

For the love of money is a root of

all sorts of evil, and some by longing for

it have wandered away from the faith,

and pierced themselves with many a

pang (1 Timothy 6:10).

Again, it’s not material things that are

the problem; it is materialism. What is

alarming about our generation is that we

have found a way to scripturally rationalize

our excesses. Many Christians actually

believe that we can attract the unsaved by

having the best. Let me assure you that those

who are seriously seeking God are not

attracted by luxuries. They are attracted by

an uncompromising commitment to God. If

that commitment also yields material

blessings, it's just an added benefit.

GIVE, AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO

YOU

Give, and it will be given to you;

good measure, pressed down, shaken

together, running over, they will pour

into your lap. For by your standard of

measure it will be measured to you in

return (Luke 6:38).

Few Scripture verses are quoted more

often than that verse regarding the principle

17

of giving and receiving. When I first read

the verse shortly after committing my life to

Christ, I pondered it for many weeks. Did

God really mean what that verse says? Do

God’s promises depend on our giving first? I

read the previous and subsequent verses to

see if perhaps it could be interpreted in

another context. I then studied parallel and

contrasting verses. After dedicating many

hours to God’s Word, I concluded that I

really didn’t understand the meaning of

Luke 6:38. There were some obvious

difficulties with the principle that receiving

was a matter of giving first. What about

Christians who give but don’t receive much

in return?

My first response was to assume that the

principle did not apply to all Christians.

Perhaps it applied only to those with a gift of

giving. I quickly eliminated that rationale. If

Luke 6:38 applies to only a select few,

Christ would not have delivered the message

in Luke 6 to the masses. God may select a

few to receive and dispose of a large amount

of His resources, but the principle described

in this verse is a promise to anyone who will

apply it. Then I thought that perhaps the

principle applies to spiritual rather than

material rewards. Indeed, further study

confirmed that it does apply to spiritual

rewards. But there is no way to dissociate

the material giving and receiving since in

verses 30-35 Christ makes direct reference

to material things. The more I reviewed

18

other Scripture dealing with the principle of

giving and receiving, the more I realized

there was no contradiction at all.

OBSERVATIONS

Once an understanding of God’s promise

is reached, it is necessary to believe that

promise. I determined to make a study of

giving and receiving in the lives of

Christians I knew and then match the result

of my study to God’s Word. Since all of

God's principles are given as examples for

living, an applied principle must be verified

in changed lives. If it isn't we’re probably

misunderstanding the principle or not

applying it. Before I define the scriptural

principle, following are some observations

of the study that started nine years ago and

still continues.

1. Most Christians give far less than one-

tenth of their income to work done in the

Lord's name.

2. Many Christians give at least a tenth of

their incomes regularly but do not

experience what they assess to be God's

material or spiritual bounty.

3. Many Christians give at least a tenth of

their incomes and can identify many

instances of God’s abundance, either

materially, spiritually, or both.

4. A small percentage of Christians give far

beyond a tenth of their incomes but

19

cannot identify anything they would

describe as God’s abundant return.

5. A very small percentage of Christians

give far beyond a tenth of their incomes

and can identify God’s response, both

generally and specifically.

Of course, there were other categories

and instances in which Christians moved

from one group to another. Many of those

can be explained due to spiritual growth or

withdrawal, which obviously affects every

area of our lives. A few can be classified as

unique from a biblical perspective. That is

most clear when a spiritually mature

Christian gives in great abundance and

outwardly appears to suffer materially. The

apostle Paul would most assuredly identify

with that group. God has a separate and

unique plan for such people, and the depth

of their commitment to Christ sets them

apart in spiritual blessings.

Following are some observations about

these groups with no intent to be

judgmental. I believe God has provided us

with material indicators of spiritual

conditions. They are not for accusation but

for admonition.

DON’T ROB GOD

Those who give less than a tenth of their

income limit what God can do for them

according to His own Word. “Will a man

rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you

20

say, ‘How have we robbed Thee?’ In tithes

and offerings” (Malachi 3:8). Lest we

somehow believe that principle applies only

to the Old Covenant, Paul amplifies it for us

in 2 Corinthians 9:6. “Now this I say, he

who sows sparingly shall also reap

sparingly; and he who sows bountifully shall

also reap bountifully.” A lack of giving is an

external material indicator that spiritual

changes need to be made.

Those who give more than a tenth but

not sacrificially may experience God’s

abundance according to His plan for them

because they are meeting God’s

prerequisites for them at that time.

Many who give what we consider a

material abundance and do not experience

any particular spiritual or material reply may

actually be giving for self-motivated

reasons. Many people try to bribe God into

blessing them. They are like Simon in Acts

8, who upon observing the benefits of God’s

power tried to acquire it without meeting the

spiritual prerequisites. They demand God’s

blessing to reward what they consider to be

their sacrifice. They are not in subjection to

God but are trying to exercise control over

Him. Paul addressed that attitude also in

Romans 11:34-35:

For who has known the mind of the

Lord, or who became His counselor? Or

who has first given to Him that it might

be paid back to him again?

21

BELIEVE GOD

Another group is made up of those who

give, expecting but never demanding.

Although God often returns far beyond their

expectations both materially and spiritually,

their giving is out of a desire to please God,

not a desire to profit. The evidence can be

found in the fact that usually their sacrificial

giving comes long before God responds, and

their giving far exceeds their accumulation,

regardless of the supply.

A Christian friend in Atlanta exemplifies

that principle clearly. I met him several years

ago during a particularly difficult time in his

life financially. He had been totally

committed to giving sacrificially to God’s

kingdom, experienced great blessings, and in

fact was noted in Christian circles as a giver.

Then for an extended period of time the

bounty was withdrawn, and for all intents

and purposes he was broke. His Christian

"Job’s friends” quickly pointed out every

character flaw he had and advised him to

repent and get straight with God. After much

soul-searching, prayer, and fasting, he

concluded he was where God wanted him to

be, doing what God wanted him to do.

Consequently, he and his wife decided to

give more, not less. Mark 11:24 says:

Therefore I say to you, all things for

which you pray and ask, believe that

you have received them, and they shall

be granted you.

22

He concluded that in order to believe, he

had to act. So they began to give furniture

and other things they had collected during

the abundance to others who had greater

needs. Now God is using him to supply

enormous sums of money to His work. His

love for giving is matched by a deep

sensitivity to the needs of others, and there is

never a doubt who gets the glory for the

abundance.

Several times he and his wife have saved

enough to build a new home, and each time

they have given the money away to meet a

need in God's work. Every time I see him he

has an excitement to make more money so

they can give more away. The only caution I

have ever given this kind of giver is not to

give away all of the “seed corn.”

The spiritual principle behind Luke 6:38

is indeed giving and receiving, but it is not

giving to receive. The prerequisites to

receiving are found in Luke 6:27-37. A

Christian who lives by these principles

practices the surrendered life. Therefore,

giving is simply a material expression of the

deeper spiritual obedience to Christ. Nearly

every Christian desires to be obedient to

God, and in many ways most are. However,

Christ warned us that the greatest threat to

our walk with God is the tug of our

materialistic world.

And the one on whom seed was

sown among the thorns, this is the man

23

who hears the word, and the worry of

the world, and the deceitfulness of

riches choke the word, and it becomes

unfruitful (Matthew 13:22).

WHY GIVE TO GOD?

The main reason we should give to God

is really for our own sake. In so doing we

remember that He is the owner of all we

have, and we are only managers. When we

try keeping it all to ourselves, we reveal a

serious problem in our perspective.

When we view money and possessions

as belonging to us, we inevitably begin to

look at every other aspect of our life the

same way. Each of us sees himself or herself

as the person in charge. We begin to think of

God as our servant, existing solely to help us

from time to time when we call Him.

Instead, we must remember that we are

God's servants, always ready to do His will.

That is why we call Him Lord; He is our

“ruler,” “owner,” “sovereign,” and “king.”

That is why giving to God is so

important. It reminds us who He is, who we

are, and what our relationship should be to

the things He has allowed us to manage in

His name. Giving must be done in love with

a thankful and willing heart, all the time

recognizing God as the owner of everything.

Haggai 2:8 says: “The silver is Mine, and

the gold is Mine, declares the Lord of

hosts.” And Deuteronomy 8:18 says:

24

But you shall remember the Lord

your God, for it is He who is giving you

power to make wealth.

There are a number of good reasons to

give, but there are also many poor ones.

Let’s look at the good reasons first.

GOOD REASONS

1. Giving should be an outward, material

expression of a deep spiritual

commitment, an indication of a willing

and obedient heart (Malachi 3:8; James

1:22; 1 John 3:17).

2. We should give out of a grateful heart

and with an attitude of joy. 2 Corinthians

9:7 says:

Let each one do just as he has

purposed in his heart; not grudgingly or

under compulsion; for God loves a

cheerful giver.

3. Some may have the spiritual gift of

giving described in Romans 12:8. These

people live disciplined lives, enabling

them to give generously. They are

especially sensitive to the needs of

others and conscious of the need to

check out every cause they give to.

Generally, they are prudent people.

4. You may give out of conviction. Perhaps

the Holy Spirit is prompting you to give

to a special cause. How can you

determine if such a desire to give is

actually from God or just an emotional

25

response? Read God's Word and pray. If

you are married, include your spouse in

the decision to ensure balance in your

giving.

BAD REASONS

Now let’s examine wrong reasons to

give.

1. Giving for the express purpose of

receiving in return does not please God.

Many people try to bribe God by giving

to Him first. They quote Luke 6:38 as

their reference. It is true that God will

spiritually and physically bless those

who give—but only when our motive is

right and we are giving out of a sincere

desire to please Him. Remember, God

looks at the heart. An example of giving

to get can he found in the story of Simon

(Acts 8), who offered money to the

apostles for the ability to bestow the

Holy Spirit by laying his hands on

others. The offer brought a stern rebuke

from Peter, who advised Simon to repent

and ask God for forgiveness. Romans

11:35 says:

Who has first given to Him that it

might be paid back to him again?

2. Some give out of fear. Reverence and

respect toward God, when tempered with

confidence in His love, are signs of

spiritual maturity. That is not the kind of

fear I am referring to. What I warn

26

against is giving because someone told

you that if you don't give, God will

punish you. For example, illness can

motivate Christians to give out of fear—

so that God will make them well. If you

give because you feel intimidated, you

are giving under compulsion, which is

contrary to 2 Corinthians 9:7. Never

support a ministry that uses threats as a

fund-raising gimmick.

3. Giving to impress others does not

impress God. The Pharisees of Christ’s

time had this problem. Christ says in

Matthew 6:3, “When you give alms, do

not let your left hand know what your

right hand is doing.”

People who have a problem with pride

need to do their giving modestly and

humbly. That doesn’t mean that all giving

must be done entirely in secret. It would be

difficult for Christian ministries to prepare

yearly budgets if they didn’t have an idea of

how much to expect from their supporters,

so letting a ministry know that you will

contribute a certain amount each year is

helpful. But we are not to draw attention to

ourselves when we give.

Allowing your children to witness your

giving, particularly when sacrifice is

involved will teach them the importance of

commitment. Giving for applause or

approval, however, is unscriptural.

27

HOW DO I GIVE?

1. Give out of your abundance, according

to the principle taught in 2 Corinthians

8:14. God doesn’t want us to give until

we are made poor, unless it is to improve

our lives spiritually. A balanced attitude

toward material things can be found in

Proverbs 30:8-9. God’s main concern is

our heart.

2. Commitment is an important ingredient

in giving, but confusion exists when it

comes to distinguishing between faith

promises and pledges. A faith promise is

a commitment to give a certain amount,

which allows ministries to prepare good,

logical financial planning for the year. It

is understood that if God doesn’t provide

the funds, you’re not obligated to give

them. A pledge, on the other hand, is an

absolute commitment to pay something.

This type of giving is presumptuous,

whereas a faith promise is scriptural

(Hebrews 11:1).

3. Not all giving consists of cash donations.

You may donate your time or services or

noncash gifts such as food, furniture, and

clothing. Avoid giving useless or junk

gifts. You may also give something with

an appreciated value (an asset you

bought at a low price that is now worth

much more). In this category might be

stocks, bonds, jewelry, real estate, or

anything that increases in value.

28

4. Some organizations encourage people to

borrow to give. I do not believe that is

scriptural. It doesn’t require much trust

to borrow money. Deuteronomy 15:4-6

says that if we obey and trust God, we

will not have to borrow money. There is

no example in Scripture of God ever

using a loan to manifest His will in the

life of His people.

5. Sacrificial giving is a way to honor God,

but once again, it should be the result of

a good attitude, not a desire to impress

others. All of us have been called to

suffer for Christ according to Philippians

1:29. In today’s generation that may not

include great physical sacrifice, but it

does require an understanding that the

purpose of our abundance is to further

the kingdom of God. Neither a voluntary

rejection of all wealth nor a display of

material success is evidence of a

balanced Christian walk. In this country,

however, few of us have a problem with

sacrificing too much.

THE PRINCIPLE OF NEW TESTAMENT

GIVING

For the majority of Christians serving

God will never lead to worldwide fame,

writing best-selling books, or singing before

thousands. But regardless of the work to

which we’re called, few Christians really

cannot afford to give, and when giving is

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done in love, it exemplifies the greatest

sacrifice ever made for mankind—the death

of Jesus on the cross.

Jesus gave out of love when He left

heaven and equality with God to come to

earth. It was because of love that He became

a servant and gave His life to save us from

our sins. And the Bible tells us that God was

motivated by love when He gave His only

begotten Son.

THE MACEDONIANS

Unlike the early Christians, most of us

aren’t faced with the possibility of

sacrificing our lives for the gospel. But we

can follow the Christlike example of the

Macedonians, who not only gave out of love

but loved to give.

One instance of their giving is related by

the apostle Paul in Romans 15:25-27:

Now, I am going to Jerusalem

serving the saints. For Macedonia and

Achaia have been pleased to make a

contribution for the poor among the

saints in Jerusalem. Yes, they were

pleased to do so, and they are indebted

to them. For if the Gentiles have shared

in their spiritual things, they are

indebted to minister to them also in

material things.

The message of the gospel had gone out to

the Macedonians from Jerusalem. In return,

they showed their love for the poor saints in

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Jerusalem by giving to meet their needs.

That attitude can be seen in another

passage about the Macedonians (2

Corinthians 8:1-5), who not only gave

sacrificially but actually begged for an

opportunity to give. Paul reveals in verses 3-

4 that:

According to their ability, and

beyond their ability they gave of their

own accord, begging us with much

entreaty for the favor of participation in

the support of the saints.

WHERE TO BEGIN

The key to such giving is revealed by

Paul in verse 5: "They first gave themselves

to the Lord and to us by the will of God.”

Once a Christian has gone beyond the

first step of giving himself to the Lord, he is

in a position to give his possessions in love.

Why? Because he has yielded his will to the

God of love, who is working in and through

him for the benefit of others. Thus, giving

begins with surrendering to God.

A MODEL GIVER

An example of the proper attitude in

giving—love for God, not money—is found

in the life of C. T. Studd, a Christian world

champion cricket player in the 1800s.

When Studd’s father died, Studd

inherited 29,000 pounds, equal to about

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$150,000 at that time. It would be a sizeable

amount even by today’s standards.

But not wanting to “clutter up” his life,

Studd decided to invest his money with God.

He sent 5,000 pounds to Hudson Taylor,

who organized the China Inland Mission,

5,000 to William Booth, founder of the

Salvation Army, and 5,000 to D. L. Moody

to start a work in India. Although Moody

didn’t go to India, the money was used to

start Moody Bible Institute.

After completing all of his giving, Studd

had only 3,400 pounds left, which he gave to

his wife on their wedding day. Her response:

“The rich young ruler was asked to give all.”

So they sent the remaining money to General

Booth—anonymously.

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Tithing

2

A DEFINITION

he tithe serves as an external, material

Ttestimony of God’s ownership of the

material and spiritual things of our lives.

The first place God’s Word mentions the

tithe is Genesis 14. On his return from the

daring rescue of Lot from four enemy kings

Abraham encountered the priest

Melchizedek and voluntarily surrendered to

him a tithe (one-tenth) of everything he had.

The word tithe in Hebrew is maaser and

in Greek dekate. It literally means "tenth.”

After the word appears in Genesis it occurs

twenty-eight times in the Old Testament. It

appears in two references in the New

Testament: in Matthew 23:23 and in

Hebrews 7, where it describes Abraham's

relationship to Christ by drawing a parallel

between his tithe and his acknowledgment

of God’s sovereignty.

IS TITHING LEGALISM?

Although the tithe is mentioned in the

law, no punishment was indicated for not

tithing. There is a consequence (the loss of

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blessings), but—do not misinterpret this—

there is no punishment from God for not

tithing. The rewards of tithing are described

in Malachi 3:10-11 where God promises to

pour out a blessing and keep the devourer

away. Tithing should always be a voluntary

act on the part of God's people.

THE PROMISE OF THE TITHE

Whereas not tithing causes a

withholding of God’s blessings, tithing with

proper motives invokes God’s blessings:

“Bring the whole tithe into the

storehouse, so that there may be food in

My house, and test Me now in this,’

says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not

open for you the windows of heaven,

and pour out for you a blessing until it

overflows. Then I will rebuke the

devourer for you, so that it may not

destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will

your vine in the field cast its grapes,”

says the Lord of hosts. “And all the

nations will call you blessed, for you

shall be a delightful land,” says the Lord

of hosts. (Malachi 3:10-12)

PURPOSE OF THE TITHE

Was the tithe intended to help establish

the physical church and pay the wages of

"full-time” ministers? If so, it took a long

time for the word to get around, because it

was not until Moses was given the law that

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the tithe filled this need.

No, the tithe was established as a

physical, earthly demonstration of man’s

commitment to God. God understood our

greedy, selfish nature and provided an

identifiable sign of our sincerity. By

surrendering some of our physical resources,

we testify to our origin, just as a farmer does

when he surrenders some of his crop back to

the earth from which it came.

To verify this purpose, it is necessary to

go back to Malachi. Malachi was a prophet

sent by God to confront His people with the

fact that they had turned from Him. As could

be expected, they denied it. They thought

God had deserted them, for they claimed to

be obeying Him. But they worshiped only

when it was convenient. They gave to God,

but their gifts were sick and blemished. They

gave only for social or ceremonial purposes.

But Malachi struck to the heart of the

issue. He asked, "Will a man rob God?”

They denied it saying, "How have we robbed

Thee?” The evidence was presented in the

fact that God’s storehouse was not full.

The people were suffering with meager

provisions, affliction on every side, lack of

leadership, and disunity. How did God

indicate their real problem? Their lack of

giving proved they had turned away from

their source of blessing. Giving the tithe is

the outward sign of inner commitment. It is

material surrender prompted by spiritual

35

surrender.

Thus God said the tithe is an expression

of commitment (or lack of it) by which we

can determine our relationship to Him. It

was never intended that everyone should

give the same, but each should give

according to his abundance and his

conviction. The tenth was considered the

minimum.

The story of Job is a clear and striking

reminder that no one, no matter how

powerful he is, has a permanent hold on

anything in this world. Suddenly stripped of

his many possessions, Job pointed to his

mortality as the undeniable evidence of

God’s controlling ownership:

Naked I came from my mother’s

womb, and naked I shall return there.

The Lord gave and the Lord has taken

away (1:21).

When done for the right reason tithing is

confirmation of God’s controlling

ownership, which means we simply manage

what He has entrusted to us. Yet, many

Christians seem to ignore the facts and cling

to their money as if it were theirs for

eternity.

TEN PERCENT?

How much should Christians tithe, and

is tithing enough?

There are several additional offerings

36

described as the “tithes of your increase” in

Deuteronomy. These were special offerings

meant to care for the priests, the poor, the

sick, and the elderly. It is not possible to

come up with an amount, but I calculate

these total “regular” gifts to be

approximately 23 percent per year. That

excludes nonregular gifts to meet specific

needs. Today it would be the equivalent of a

family’s committed giving. God may convict

you to give to special needs beyond your

regular giving.

A family that finds itself unable to make

a commitment of a tenth of its resources to

God should realistically examine its

spending and living habits. Perhaps that will

require a critical examination of spiritual

values as well. If more funds were needed

for family conveniences, the average family

would somehow find the means to buy what

they wanted. For budgeting tips see

Personal Finances.

God never intended for everyone to give

the same amount or in the same way, but

each should give bountifully and cheerfully

(2 Corinthians 9:6-7). The tithe is a

testimony of God’s ownership and thus is

meant to be individualized.

Deuteronomy 14:23 says:

And you shall eat in the presence of

the Lord your God, at the place where

He chooses to establish His name, the

tithe of your grain, your new wine, your

37

oil, and the first-born of your herd and

your flock, in order that you may learn

to fear the Lord your God always.

WHERE SHOULD MY TITHE GO?

THE STOREHOUSE

In order to bring our tithes into the

“storehouse,” it is necessary to determine

what, exactly, the storehouse is. In biblical

times it was a physical place where the Jews

delivered their offerings of grain or animals.

A storehouse had specific functions

according to God’s Word.

1. To feed the tribe of Levi (Numbers

18:24-29). The priests and the tribe of

Levi would be the equivalent of pastors,

church staff, missionaries, and

evangelists today. The Levites were the

overseers of the storehouse (as far as we

know), but the contributions were

strictly designated as to use. Some food

was always available to care for the poor

and the sick so that no one should ever

starve.

2. To feed the Hebrew widows and orphans

living in the Hebrew city (Deuteronomy

14:28-29). That would be equivalent to

the widows and orphans served in a local

church.

3. To feed the Gentile poor living in the

Hebrew city (Deuteronomy 14:28-29).

Today’s equivalent would be the

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unsaved people in the community

surrounding a local church.

THE CHURCH

Apparently this system was modified

slightly but kept nearly intact in the early

church. In Acts 4 we are told that the

congregation acted as one unit, selling what

was necessary and delivering the proceeds to

the apostles to be distributed. Later, under

the burden of the growing church, deacons

were appointed to ease the burden of

distribution.

It is often stated that our modern

churches are the storehouses described in the

Old Testament and inferred in the New, so

our tithes should simply be given to the

church. I wish that were true. Few churches

today truly operate as storehouses, providing

for the needs of the sick, elderly, and

orphaned, as well as supporting the inspired

teachers of the Word outside of the

organized church. Therefore, to the extent

that a church lacks in a specific area of

ministry, a portion of the tithe should be

given to individuals or parachurch

organizations that are “filling in the gap.”

Many churches are isolated by

denominational barriers. They are jealous of

each other and content to abdicate physical

needs to the government. This is not a

condemnation, but rather an indictment.

Most churches have not done so

purposefully, but by indifference.

39

Other people are willing to take our

responsibilities, so we let them. Now we all

suffer accordingly. Satan has slowly

inoculated us against the suffering of others,

just as he has given the world small doses of

religion to inoculate it against Christianity.

CHANGING FINANCIAL DIRECTION

Most Christians who are fearful of

tithing, or giving generously to the Lord’s

work, use the excuse of being strapped

financially. Many are in debt or have

undertaken unnecessary financial obligations

that put them in bondage. Getting out of

debt is not only scriptural, with many

benefits in its own right, but doing so allows

Christians to contribute to the needs of the

saints and evangelize the world.

The following testimonies contradict the

claim that if you are in debt you cannot

afford to give to God abundantly. If

Christians who are not wealthy can radically

change financial direction, how much more

can Christians blessed with riches give to

God!

Ed and Sarah never had a large income

or enjoyed much material wealth. But that

didn’t stop them from enjoying life or

tithing.

One reason for their happiness was Ed’s

40

obedience to God. He was a blessing not

only to Sarah but to many others as well

because he followed God’s plan for his

finances and put God first in his life and

budget.

In past years, Ed and Sarah had worked

in a Teen Challenge ministry for $50 per

week, plus room and board. He had taught in

a Christian school for $10,000 per year. And

he’d worked in a factory at minimum wage.

In other words, for many years of their life

together, they had hovered near the “poverty

level.”

However lean the times, though, they

faithfully paid their tithe and supported

various ministries on a monthly basis. And

God honored their faithfulness.

Although they didn’t have a new car,

their ’82 Toyota was paid for—not after

years of monthly payments but on the same

day they left the dealership. Their home

furnishings weren’t exclusive, but none of

them was financed. And although they didn't

wear stylish clothes, none of their clothes

had been purchased on credit.

Unlike other couples, Ed and Sarah had

known times when a Coke was a treat and a

salad bar was a luxury. But more important

to Sarah was the fact that they were always

home to take their meals together as a

family.

One of the greatest examples of God’s

faithfulness in Ed and Sarah’s lives involved

41

the purchase of their house. They had

searched for months to find a suitable house

in the $20,000 to $25,000 range but had

never felt God’s “OK” about making a

purchase. After showing Ed and Sarah a

very run-down house, which they declined,

the real estate agent said, “Oh, by the way,

there is a house up for closed bids, with a

minimum bid of $13,000. Would you like to

see it?”

Ed and Sarah agreed, and as they were

walking through the door of the house, the

Lord impressed Ed to bid a certain amount.

He followed God’s direction and was able to

buy the house for $18,000. It had recently

been on the market at $25,000.

Although it was an older house, it was

stout and in a good neighborhood. By paying

extra on the principal, Ed and Sarah paid off

the fifteen-year loan in thirty-two months!

Again, God was faithful, moving Ed into a

construction job that increased his hourly

wage from $7 to $12, which allowed them to

make the increased principal payments. “Ed

was faithful to God in the little things, and

God certainly honors His Word”, Sarah said.

“The construction job will likely play out in

a few months, but you know what Jesus said

about the sparrows and the lilies! Our trust

must never be placed in any thing—only in

Him, the source of all we need!”

42

In her seventy-one years Mary had seen

plenty of hard times. During the Great

Depression her husband, John, had been a

young adult, and she had been a teenager.

Thus, both had learned how to manage

money—a necessary skill in those days.

As senior citizens, Mary and John were

still in the money-managing business. Living

on $10,000 a year, they planted a half-acre

garden, and Mary filled her twenty-five-

cubic-foot freezer with everything she could

get her hands on. She was also alert to new

ideas for saving money. “My mother taught

me a great principle: Watch the dimes, and

the dollars will take care of themselves,”

Mary said.

Recently John and Mary gave $4,000 of

their $10,000 income to the Lord’s work. In

addition, they bought supplies for their

church. And they were still able to put a

small amount into savings. When Mary

totaled her car, she and John were able to

pay cash for a well-running, used

automobile.

“One cannot outgive God!” Mary said.

“We had all we needed and a few extras. Oh,

that God’s people might live simply and find

the joy of giving much to the Lord!”

Donna and Larry attended their first

Christian Financial Concepts seminar in

1984. Donna went in great frustration

43

because her husband had always handled

their money, and prior to her marriage, her

father had taken care of her finances. So in

her opinion, the seminar would be boring

and of no value; finances were “for the

men.”

She was mistaken. At the seminar she

hung on to every word, and time slipped by

quickly. Afterward, she and Larry were

convinced that God was leading them to pay

off their house. They had always lived on a

budget and had just made some

modifications, but their mortgage was

looming over them.

Donna and Larry had been involved in

ministry since their marriage in 1972. In her

opinion, the Lord had always taken care of

them and blessed them because Larry was

committed to tithing from his gross income.

After the seminar, they trusted God to

help them pay off their house, if possible,

within five years. Sticking to their plan, they

became totally debt-free in August 1989.

“Boy, did we celebrate!” Donna

exclaimed. “What a wonderful feeling of

freedom. We realize that there is no way we

accomplished this task. It had to have been

the Lord honoring our obedience to His

command in our lives.

"On paper it should not have been

possible for a family of four and the years of

ministry service we had put in. But God is

faithful and did free us. As the Lord

44

continues to free our finances, we give to

His work!”

For Allen and Linda, the words of the

apostle Paul in Philippians 4:19 were more

than a message of encouragement for the

first-century church. They represent a

personal testimony of God’s ability to

supply the needs of His children in this

century as well.

Each year there was a faith missions

conference at Allen and Linda s church.

During one of those conferences, God

impressed upon Allen to give a specific

amount to missions each week. He was paid

weekly, but that amount was equal to what

his family was spending on a weekly basis

for food.

In addition, he and Linda had five

children ranging in age from three to fifteen.

“I started giving to missions, knowing that

we could not afford it,” Allen said. “But I

also believed God told me to.” For fifty-two

weeks he continued his giving, and his

family never went hungry.

During that time, unsaved men at work

suddenly began giving food to Allen, even

though neither he nor his wife had told

anyone that they were in need. God also

provided him with a year’s supply of honey,

which he used as a sugar substitute because

he had diabetes.

45

The first winter after Allen and Linda

made their commitment to missions, the

family was supplied with coats and most of

the other garments they needed. Some time

later they took stock of their clothes, and

each of the children had two good coats. So

they gave away several coats to other

children in need.

By the following summer, Allen and

Linda were giving food away themselves.

“There were a number of times when all we

had for food was $3. Experience has proved

my pastor right. Pay your tithe, then your

promises to God, then your bills, and let

Him take care of the rest,” Allen said.

One week in particular, God gave a

special blessing to Allen. His middle child,

Hannah, was turning eight, and for her

birthday she wanted a girl’s, blue, twenty-

inch bicycle with a white basket. The bike

was around $70. All Allen could afford was

the basket. But a few days before Hannah’s

birthday a friend called and wanted to know

if the family would be interested in a girl’s

bike. “I went and looked at it, and it wasn’t

‘a’ girl’s bike; it was ‘that’ girl’s bike, minus

the basket,” said Allen. “So the Lord had

done it again.”

Allen got paid on Thursday, and

Hannah's party was planned for Saturday. By

then all that was left of his paycheck was $3

for food—not enough to buy ice cream and

cake. On Friday Allen went to work, and at

46

the end of his shift he found a sack of food

in his car. “This was late April. God had

been doing this for six months. I didn’t even

look to see what it was,” he said. “When I

got home, my wife started putting it away,

and in the sack was a cake mix with a

package of frosting!”

Further evidence of God’s blessing

involved Allen’s car. Because he drove fifty

miles each way to work, reliable

transportation wasn’t an option; it was a

must. He and Linda spent several weeks in

prayer about a car before buying one. With

five children to carry around, Linda wanted

a big wagon. Allen wanted a vehicle with

good gas mileage that would be easy to work

on. In the end, he paid $700 for an ’81

station wagon with 1400 miles on it. After

the wagon crossed the 200,000-mile mark,

Allen and a Christian brother painted it for

$75. Then he took it on a 2,000-mile trip to

visit in-laws. It ran beautifully!

Eventually, Allen went from third shift

at work to second shift, which meant Linda

needed a car of her own. Again, the couple

prayed. The following day at work during

break, he picked up a newspaper and spotted

an ’80 station wagon with 970 miles for sale

in the classifieds.

When Allen called about the car, an

elderly woman answered the phone. She

informed him that the vehicle hadn’t run

properly and had been sitting for three years.

47

"I asked what was wrong, and she said the

carburetor was messed up,” Allen explained.

“Of all the mechanical things I’ve done, the

only thing I ever specialized in was

carburetors.”

The family drove twenty miles to look at

the car, and in about two hours Allen had it

running. The body and tires were in good

shape, and Linda now had a station wagon

of her own—all for the incredible price of

$250!

IMPROVE GIVING IN THE CHURCH

Wouldn’t it be great to see God's people

open their hearts and give the way they

should? We have enough money in North

America to fund all the Christian work in the

world if the people would just give!

Unfortunately large numbers of North

Americans are in financial bondage, and

many of those people are Christians. In fact,

some Christians are so deeply in debt that if

God came down and said, “I want to

perform a miracle and lead all of India to

Christ through you," they’d have to say,

"Lord, come back and see me in eighty years

when I’m out of debt.”

The tragedy is that the church has

literally become shackled because money

needed for ministry is tied up in large

48

monthly payments. And the material things

those payments are buying don’t bring true

happiness. By making finances a part of

their overall ministry, pastors could help

turn this tide of materialism. As church

members become financially free, they can

encourage others to do the same, and they’ll

have a greater and greater abundance from

which to serve the Lord.

49

Welfare

3

A DEFINITION

Welfare. Whose responsibility is it?

Americans view it as a function of

government. As a consequence the church,

which God made responsible for the

administration of welfare, rarely practices it.

In 2 Corinthians 9:13 Paul says, "Because of

the proof given by this ministry they will

glorify God.” That is the purpose of welfare

in the church today.

The function of welfare is feeding

people and caring for their needs, but the

purpose of welfare is drawing people to God

by allowing them to see a physical

expression of the kind of love Christians

have for each other and for other people.

Obviously the government’s goal in

welfare is not to bring people to God. So it

really should not be a government function

to control, administer, or distribute welfare.

Welfare is the function of the Body of

Christ. The sooner we realize that and are

willing to do something about it, the sooner

others will come back to God.

There is a great deal of talk about a

revival today. We should remember that

51

many revivals start when the Body of Christ

is practicing Christianity and others are

drawn to it.

Every member of a local church should

be able to see the fellowship he or she

attends as an extension of God’s provision.

We should feel the freedom to stand up and

share our financial needs as freely as we

would our physical or spiritual needs.

THE CHURCH’S RESPONSIBILITY

Welfare within the church really does

not exist to any significant degree today. The

number of churches that have thorough

church benevolence programs—meaning

they counsel couples with financial needs,

provide them with work projects and

income, and, if needed, goods and services

—is so small that it is almost

inconsequential.

But the Body of Christ, not the

government, should be involved in welfare.

The government fails to distinguish the

greedy from the needy because its welfare is

a political program to gain votes. But God

said truly needy people are the church's

responsibility. The way a local church

handles its money is a visible indicator of its

true spiritual condition.

As illustrated by Matthew 25:41- 46,

men will be held accountable on the day of

judgment for their attitude toward the needy:

Then He will also say to those on

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His left, “Depart from Me, accursed

ones, into the eternal fire which has

been prepared for the devil and his

angels; for I was hungry, and you gave

Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you

gave Me nothing to drink; I was a

stranger, and you did not invite Me in;

naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick,

and in prison, and you did not visit Me.”

Then they themselves also will answer,

saying, “Lord, when did we see You

hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or

naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not

take care of You?” Then He will answer

them, saying, “Truly I say to you, to the

extent that you did not do it to one of

the least of these, you did not do it to

Me.” And these will go away into

eternal punishment, but the righteous

into eternal life.

BENEVOLENCE MINISTRY IN YOUR

CHURCH

THE BENEVOLENCE COMMITTEE

Before practicing welfare, churches

should first be careful to meet a number of

prerequisites, including the establishment of

a benevolence committee. Three members of

the committee should represent three

separate gifts: helps, mercy, and

administration.

One of the benevolence committee’s first

jobs should be to develop guidelines for

itself, including what kind of assistance will

53

be provided, how much assistance will be

provided, and how people will apply for

assistance.

The committee can work with other

groups in the church that are involved in

benevolent activities, such as women’s and

men’s organizations, and perhaps coordinate

activities.

STANDARDS FOR HELPING

Standards for helping established by the

benevolence committee should include

eligibility. God says stewards must be found

worthy; so also must people helped by a

church benevolence program be found

worthy.

In addition, people seeking help must

submit to individual counseling. If a couple

is seeking help, both the husband and wife

should be required to go through financial

and spiritual counseling. Simply giving them

money won't solve their problems; it will

only treat a symptom.

Often a local church’s benevolence

program amounts to the pastor simply

directing the secretary to write someone a

check for food, gas, or rent. However, that is

usually the worst thing to do. Without any

controls or follow-up, giving money that

way is like pouring gasoline on a fire.

People helped by the benevolence

committee should be willing to draft a

budget plan with the aid of a counselor.

54

Their resource management plan should

include a commitment to get out and stay

out of debt. Counseling and budgets are

necessary because in about 70 percent of the

cases, the people in trouble have an adequate

supply of money but don’t know how to

manage it.

A counselor should review the

individual’s lifestyle and make

recommendations without being judgmental.

In other words, don’t tell him he has to sell

his car, use the proceeds to pay bills, and

start riding the bus. Don’t make

requirements you're not willing to live by

yourself. Review his lifestyle, and put

yourself in his position. Ask yourself, “What

would I be willing to do if I were in that

person’s shoes?”

A WILLING ATTITUDE

Once

a

counselor

makes

recommendations, a person receiving help

from the church must be willing to follow

them. That’s why the benevolence

committee must determine an individual’s

willingness to make necessary changes.

Sometimes people show total

unwillingness to make any adjustments. If

that is the case it is time to stop the

counseling. No amount of money can help

them. They must decide to make necessary

changes in their lives.

In addition, they must be willing to

55

work. Some unemployed people are not

willing to go to work. They are picky about

finding a job that exactly fits their education,

personality, and all the rest. But unless they

show a willingness to shoulder the

responsibility and take a job that is presently

available, at least for a short while, they

generally are not willing to help themselves.

Then the counselor probably needs to say,

“I’m sorry. I can’t help you any further.”

A lack of willingness also may reflect a

person’s attitude about spiritual training. At

Christian Financial Concepts, everyone in

financial counseling is required to go

through a spiritual education program and

receives one our Bible studies, How to

Manage Your Money. Each is required to do

part of this study between each counseling

session.

If people haven’t done their homework,

we don’t proceed with the next session. We

don’t want to be guilty of dealing with the

symptom, which is usually financial, and

ignoring the problem, because the root

problem is almost always spiritual. The

spiritual principles they're violating are

being reflected through their personal

finances.

CON ARTISTS

A lack of willingness may be due to the

fact that an individual is lying about his

needs. Some people make a living on

handouts and take from the already limited

56

supply of help set aside for truly needy

people.

Below are some guidelines to follow in

determining whether a person seeking help

is truly needy:

1. Follow up on stories, and check details.

If he is telling the truth he will do what

he can to help verify his story.

2. Take time to think about the individual’s

request for help. Is it believable? Are any

key facts missing? Has he given a

tremendous amount of detail—in order

to convince you—that is irrelevant to the

main point of his story? Has he

"forgotten” key information, given only

partial answers to your questions, or

tried to change the subject? Is he

demanding immediate action so you

won’t have time to consider his request?

Is he trying to make you feel guilty for

doubting his honesty?

3. Follow every possible alternative to

giving money. If you decide to give

money, settle on a firm amount, and

don’t allow him or her to change your

mind.

TRANSIENTS

Sometimes the church may be called

upon to help transient people who don’t

have the proper resources to get from one

place to another.

Common items needed by transients

57

include:

Food—An Elijah’s Barrel, or a church

pantry to which members donate food items,

can help meet this need, or arrangements can

be made with a local restaurant to provide

hot meals.

Lodging—Arrangements can be made

with a motel or hotel to provide lodging.

Bus fare—Set an amount for the

purchase of bus tickets. The ticket should

help the person reach another location where

more help can be found.

COUNSELING PROGRAM

Church welfare programs need an

excellent counseling program operated by

qualified lay persons—not the pastor, who is

generally too busy to do financial counseling

and is usually not trained for the job.

Counselors need to be trained thoroughly

and properly. Christian Financial Concepts

offers a training program for counselors

within the local church and will be glad to

supply more information.

RESOURCES

Christians desiring to start a church

welfare program should be aware of the

resources within their local church. Not only

do they need the financial support of other

believers to help meet legitimate needs, but

they need physical help to screen families,

deliver food, and get them started on the

58

road to being productive members of the

church and community.

Paul says in 2 Corinthians 8:14 to share

with those in need in your time of plenty,

that in your time of need they will be willing

to share from their plenty.

Jobs. First, find sources for available

jobs. One church selected five individuals to

be trained as financial counselors and sent

them to Christian Financial Concepts’

seminars on biblical principles of handling

money.

Afterward, they were trained to counsel

and went through CFC’s Teacher Training

Workshop. When they finished, they were

equipped to begin financial counseling with

couples or individuals who were having

problems.

But then they had to find their resources.

Where were the available jobs? In this case

it was a fairly large church, and they set up a

job program.

In fact, they started a building program,

so when unemployed people came for help

they were hired to help with the building.

They actually hammered, sawed, and painted

under the supervision of a trained layman.

The money had been donated by others

within the local church, not only to employ

people but to actually build the building.

They also found Christians within their

fellowship who had businesses that needed

59

part-time help. One was a mailing service

that always needed part-time help, and

another was a parking service. Although

these jobs paid only $4 an hour, that a was

$4 an hour less that the church needed to

provide.

Maintain a list of church construction or

work projects that can provide income for

qualified people. Also keep a list of

businessmen and women who will provide

part-time or permanent jobs.

Surplus funds and goods. Another

important factor in church welfare is

locating sources of surplus funds for

temporary needs because many people have

only temporary needs. They might have an

illness or disability that keeps them from

work for a period of time.

There must be a resource of goods.

Some churches have started Elijah’s Barrels,

to which other believers within the church

donate food, clothes, and toys for the

specific purpose of distributing to needy

families who have gone through counseling.

Standby activities. Also needed are

standby activities, such as auto maintenance.

One church invites single women,

particularly older women, to come once per

month to the church parking lot and have

maintenance done on their cars. Their cars

are tuned up, the oil is changed, and so on.

Many of the women can’t afford to keep

their cars running properly. The men doing

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the maintenance are church members

ranging from veterinarians to attorneys.

Individuals can also offer help in their

own professions. Needy people often cannot

afford legal or accounting advice, or medical

and dental care. The benevolence committee

should be made aware of all persons desiring

to contribute their services or time and

maintain a current list of names and

contributions.

WHERE DOES IT BEGIN?

Church benevolence programs begin

with one individual who says, "I believe

God called me to do that.” If that person is

you, don’t hesitate to start such a program in

your church. It takes a first step. It takes

someone saying, “I am going to do

something to help my church meet the needs

of people—first, within my own local body

and, second, within my community.”

You need to be trained and acquire the

knowledge needed to set up the benevolence

committee, a clothes closet, or Elijah's

Barrel. And someone needs to be trained to

do financial counseling.

The only way to do it is simply to get

started. One of the purposes of Christian

Financial Concepts is to help people get

started. The next step is to gather a group of

people with the same concern who are

willing to care for truly needy people. There

are enough people out there who care, if

61

only one person will organize them.

Usually when such committees get

started they are overwhelmed with help. The

church becomes known as a "caring church,”

and the word gets out that if you don’t have

a legitimate need, don’t go there because

they put you through a screening process and

make you work.

To start a benevolence program you

must commit time and money. Don’t ask

others to do what you are not willing to do

yourself. Approach your pastor and the

leadership of your church with a clear plan.

One individual was so convicted about

starting a welfare program that he opened a

used clothing store, which is now a thrift

shop, where he employed unemployable

people. When people come to his church,

which is noted for being a "caring church,”

and say, ‘‘I cannot find a job. I have looked

to the best of my ability, and I am willing to

take whatever is available,” he always has a

job in his store. He does it as a ministry, not

as a business.

The Bible tells us to share with those

who are in need in our time of plenty.

Believe what Christ said, and believe it to

the extent that you do it “to the least of

these” in your community, regardless of

whether they are saved, and especially to

those within your own church. Remember

that you also do this even to Christ.

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C

hristian Fund-raising

4

Fund-raising would seem to be the

national pastime of most nonprofit

organizations in America today. According

to the bulk of mail received by most

Christian givers, there is little doubt that

competition for Christian support is acute.

New organizations spring up every day, and

as the number of organizations grows, the

search for new funds becomes more intense,

as anyone who has donated money to one or

more general-appeal groups knows. After

one donation, almost mystically an

unsuspecting donor receives requests from

scores of other organizations he never heard

of. That is because many organizations

either use a common fund-raising company

or they sell their donor lists to generate

additional income.

Many well-meaning Christians get

pressured into giving to groups they know

little or nothing about because of emotional

appeals or skilled manipulation.

Many otherwise sound Christian

ministries have turned to secular advertising

and fund-raising companies to meet their

growing demand for funds. Often they pay

up to 40 percent of all donations just to raise

63

more money. Some promoters actually work

on fund-raising campaigns for anti-Christian

and Christian groups simultaneously. All

this is to say that every Christian must be

responsible for how God’s money entrusted

to him is used.

Before supporting any fund appeal, a

Christian should ask some basic questions.

WHO?

Who is the group asking for the funds?

Get a list of references from the organization

that can be easily verified through other

well-known groups. It would be wise to drop

a letter off to the Attorney General of the

state of residence and also a letter to the

head of a ministry or church nearby. Often

the best method is to do it through your own

pastor or church secretary.

WHAT?

What are they going to use the funds

for? One good way to determine this is to

ask for a projected budget. (The lack of a

budget is one reason many organizations

continually send out "crisis appeal” letters.)

HOW?

How do they raise funds, and how to

they manage them? It is wise to ask if a

fund-raising company is involved and what

percentage of the funds go to them. Also,

how much of the ministry’s budget is

dedicated to fund-raising? Obviously some

64

media ministries (radio and TV) would have

a higher portion dedicated to raising money.

A good indication of financial management

is the debt-income ratio and the change in

overhead expenses from year to year.

Once a Christian has asked those

questions, the burden of making the decision

based on common sense is satisfied.

However, the burden of exercising spiritual

wisdom can only be satisfied by the

application of God’s Word.

BIBLICAL PRINCIPLES

There must be a balance in a Christian’s

attitude toward ministry support. Often an

individual reads a spectacular biography of

how God used a particular person, and he

uses that as an absolute rule against

everyone else. Personal testimonies are

exciting and rewarding and can be of great

value in providing alternatives. However,

they are not to be used as yardsticks, unless

they are confirmed in God’s Word. For

example, many Christians have read the

story of George Mueller’s life and how he

trusted God for everything without asking

anyone. They conclude that no Christian

should ever let a material need be known.

That is noble and admirable, but it is not

scriptural. Paul admonished the Corinthians

because they thought he didn’t have the right

to ask them for support (2 Corinthians 11:7-

9). In Exodus 25:1-3 the Lord tells Moses to

65

tell the people of Israel to raise a

contribution for the Tabernacle.

On the other hand, just because asking is

acceptable doesn’t mean that it’s God's plan

for everyone or that every letter sent to

supporters should ask for more money.

Again, balance is the key. Nowhere in

Scripture is there any indication that God’s

people went begging. It would appear that

many more needs were met by praying than

by asking. It also seems clear that once

God's people are made aware of their

responsibilities to give and support God’s

work, the need to ask would go down

dramatically (Exodus 36:5-6).

WHICH GROUPS TO SUPPORT?

God does not intend for every Christian

to give to every need. Attempting to do so

would quickly result in frustration and, for

most of us, poverty. Therefore, we must be

able to distinguish those we are to help from

those we aren’t.

GOD’S WORK

There are many worthy social

organizations serving the needs of the poor,

the sick, and the elderly. The vast majority

make no pretense of working in the name of

the Lord. That should exclude them from

receiving the portion set apart for God. It is

abundantly clear throughout the Bible that

gifts dedicated to God were to be distributed

66

in His name. Since God obviously did not

need the material goods, they were

redistributed to satisfy those who had needs

(Exodus 34:19; Leviticus 1:2; 27:30;

Deuteronomy 12:6; 14:28).

DESERVING

Even if a group has an emotional

presentation for a seemingly worthy

Christian cause that does not mean they

automatically qualify for support. It is

important to determine that the funds will

actually be used for the purpose stated.

Above all else, be certain about the

doctrinal stand of the ministry. Many

committed believers are shocked to discover

that they are contributing to an organization

that is anti-Christian.

PERSONAL BENEFIT

Organizations that have met needs in

your life should be high on your support list.

Obviously, the people most supportive of a

ministry should be the ones it has ministered

to. If the organization is not highly visible

(does not advertise or make regular appeals),

the support of those they have helped is

essential.

And let the one who is taught the

word share all good things with him

who teaches (Galatians 6:6).

67

GOOD STEWARDS

Just as in any other investment, a

Christian should get the best benefit of his

investment in God’s work. So the

organizations that manage their funds the

best should be considered first. Obviously,

the type of ministry a group is involved in

must also be considered. For example, a

rural church and a national television

ministry will have vastly different budgets

and should not be evaluated by total

expenditures. If you have a desire to support

a particular type of ministry, locate the most

efficient and productive one available.

The leaders of any ministry should have

a clear, concise plan for accomplishing

God’s work and a reasonable idea of costs

and time. The lack of written goals and

objectives is usually a sign of slothfulness.

There are other signs to look for, such as a

heavy debt burden, bad credit history,

unfinished projects, significant staff

turnover, and soliciting support from the

unsaved.

I passed by the field of the sluggard,

and by the vineyard of the man lacking

sense; and behold, it was completely

overgrown with thistles (Proverbs

24:30-31; see also 1 Corinthians 9:14;

Luke 16:13).

GOD’S LEADING

The most important principle of all is to

68

allow God to direct your giving. We are told

to lean upon God’s wisdom and not our own

understanding (Proverbs 3:5), and that also

applies to giving. Anyone who has a

problem turning down requests must learn to

wait and pray before giving. If your problem

is not wanting to give to anyone, you need to

give more and wait less. “But whoever has

the world’s goods, and beholds his brother

in need and closes his heart against him,

how does the love of God abide in him?” (1

John 3:17).

An essential part of the balance system

God has established is the husband and wife

relationship. Almost without exception, one

partner is prone to give too much and the

other too little. Couples who learn to

communicate and accept each other’s

counsel usually establish a reasonable

balance.

GUIDELINES

It is impossible to lay down absolute

guidelines for funding God’s work because

God did not do so in His Word. However,

there are some good guidelines available for

both askers and givers. Givers would be well

advised to use biblical guidelines whenever

possible in selecting organizations to give

to. Then rely on God’s inner direction to

decide which groups to support. The biblical

guidelines to be used are:

1. Adherence to sound biblical doctrine in

69

the organization and ministry (Galatians

1:9)

2. Ministry in the name of the Lord Jesus

Christ (Colossians 3:17)

3. Practice of good financial management

within the organization (Luke 16:12)

4. Dependence on God’s people for support

(John 3:6-7)

5. Lives changed for Christ through the

ministry (Galatians 5:22- 23)

Two organizations that investigate and

report financial responsibility in ministries

are listed below:

EFICOM

(Ethics and Financial Integrity Commission)

National Religious Broadcasters CN 1926

Morristown, NJ 07960

ECFA

(Economic Council for Financial Accountability)

P.O. Box 659

Oakton, VA 22124

70

Other Materials by Larry Burkett:

Books in this series:

Financial Freedom

Sound Investments

Major Purchases

Insurance Plans

Giving and Tithing

Personal Finances

Other Books:

Debt-Free Living

Financial Planning Workbook

How to Manage Your Money

Your Finances in Changing Times

Videos:

Your Finances in Changing Times

Two Masters

How to Manage Your Money

The Financial Planning Workbook

Other Resources:

Financial Planning Organizer

Debt-Free Living Cassette

Document Outline

- Giving and Tithing

- Contents

- 1 Giving and Tithing

- Too Busy to Serve

- Consider the Cost

- Thorns of Life

- Good Works

- Sowing and Reaping

- Goal-setting

- Personal

- Family

- Work

- Putting God First

- Seek the Kingdom

- What Do You Stand For?

- Only Two Choices

- Give, and It Will Be Given to You

- Observations

- Don’t Rob God

- Believe God

- Why Give to God?

- Good Reasons

- Bad Reasons

- How Do I Give?

- The Principle of New Testament Giving

- The Macedonians

- Where to Begin

- A Model Giver

- 2 Tithing

- A Definition

- Is Tithing Legalism?

- The Promise of the Tithe

- Purpose of the Tithe

- Ten Percent?

- Where Should My Tithe Go?

- The Storehouse

- The Church

- Changing Financial Direction

- Improve Giving in the Church

- 3 Welfare

- A Definition

- The Church’s Responsibility

- Benevolence Ministry in Your Church

- The Benevolence Committee

- Standards for Helping

- A Willing Attitude

- Con Artists

- Transients

- Counseling Program

- Resources

- Where Does It Begin?

- 4 Christian Fund-raising

- Who?

- What?

- How?

- Biblical Principles

- Which Groups to Support?

- God’s Work

- Deserving

- Personal Benefit

- Good Stewards

- God’s Leading

- Guidelines

Table of Contents

1 Giving and Tithing........................

2 Tithing..............................................

3 Welfare...............................................

4 Christian Fund-raising.

Giving and Tithing

Contents

Consider the Cost

Thorns of Life

Good Works

Sowing and Reaping

Family

Putting God First

Seek the Kingdom

Only Two Choices

Give, and It Will Be Given to You

Observations

Don’t Rob God

Believe God

Why Give to God?

Good Reasons

Bad Reasons

How Do I Give?

The Principle of New Testament Giving

The Macedonians

Where to Begin

The Promise of the Tithe

Ten Percent?

Where Should My Tithe Go?

The Church

Changing Financial Direction

Improve Giving in the Church

The Church’s Responsibility

Benevolence Ministry in Your Church

Standards for Helping

A Willing Attitude

Con Artists

Transients

Counseling Program

Where Does It Begin?

Who?

Biblical Principles

Which Groups to Support?

Deserving

Good Stewards

Guidelines