By Neil Earle
Ah, money!
What a subject. Especially now, when the proposed US budget deficit weighs in at 3.8 trillion. Money was a subject Jesus referenced constantly – treasure in the field, the widow’s two copper coins, “render to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” Jesus spoke about missing silver pieces, the hunt for precious pearls, vineyards, servants and masters, generous fathers and cruel debtors, day laborers looking for work, etc. January is Stewardship Month in many churches. So how do we address the sometimes thorny subject of giving to a church or Christian ministry?
Everyone knows we should give something. Even Jesus paid the two drachma temple tax (Matthew 17:24). He also counseled “when (not if) you give alms” in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 17:24; 6:2). Henry Smith (1550-1591), one of the silver-tongued preachers of Elizabethan England, expounded Romans 12:1-2 in fairly timeless and straightforward terms: “Paul, an apostle to the Gentiles, writing to the Romans, showed them what God had done for them. Now he shows them what they should do for God…That is, as Christ gave himself for you, so you must now give yourselves to him.
“As he was sacrificed for you, so you must be sacrificed for him. Not your sheep, not your oxen, nor your goats, but yourselves. You must be the sacrifice – living, holy, and acceptable” (A Golden Treasury of Puritan Devotion, page 78).
Today we are fond of saying that Stewardship involves our whole life, and that is true. Stewardship has been defined as the wise management of resources, or, in Christian terms, organizing our lives for God’s purposes. But it also involves money, and churches should never be afraid to say so.
Mark Vincent of the Christian Stewardship Association has listed money’s near God-like powers. It outlives us (which is why estate law is such a big business). Money’s circle of influence far far outreaches us. By donating to Haiti or Bangladesh, for example, we have an impact on remote corners of the world we may never see. It is mysterious – money has never quite been fully described or understood (ask Wall Street these days!). Further almost everything can be monetized – yes, including paying for Bibles (!!) and such ongoing spiritual pursuits as the education and training of ministers in “endowed” seminaries. Money mimics God’s promises – including the phantom of total security, the “many mansions,” “streets of gold,” “like gold tried in the fire,” etc, etc.
Because of all this, says Mark Vincent, money lies in the realm of things we tend to worship. No explanation needed on that score! Lots of money can make you think you are God. We’ve had the “Me Decade” followed by the “Me Too” Decade of the 1980s where the phrase was “Masters of the Universe.” There was even a recent short-lived TV show called “Dirty Sexy Money.” And so it goes.
Money engenders feelings of omnipotence, of sovereignty and the prospect of perpetual well-being. But deep down we all know this is a sham. Millionaires are the targets of hostages and kidnapping. I, like you, am probably not worth the trouble! Still, money talks (“Yes, it says, ‘Good bye, good bye’” notes one comedian.). And money’s power is a two-edged sword. Used as a perpetual scam machine it can be reinvested and reinvested until the whole phantom economy, the whole house of cards comes falling down.
Burt the other side of money – that’s our theme. Here are four things to consider in making the link between Money (on one hand ) and Christian Stewardship (on the other).
First, money is very strongly linked to the Christian concept of good stewardship because quite often our net worth is often an indicator as to how we have lived our lives. At least it is one indicator even if its not the “all in all” and this can be somewhat scary. Proverbs 13:22 says a good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children. How unreal this seem sin our casino culture of consumption and massive debt where even governments sponsor lotteries. The mantra “let’s spend our way out of this” is offered as a panacea for our economic mess.
The rules for finance are different in the Kingdom of God but the money/stewardship link is there as many texts reveal:
“In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has” (Proverbs 21:20). “And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). “Dear friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well” (III John 2).
So, our bank accounts “could” show something important about us. “Examine yourselves” the Bible advises to see if this applies to us (2 Corinthians 13:5).
Secondly, there is a further link between faith and the wise approach to physical goods. Note 1 Kings 17:8-16. Here the prophet Elijah confronts a desperate widow in a time of dire famine. He asks for a drink of water and a piece of bread. “I don’t have any bread,” she replies, “I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it – and die” (verse 12). That is worse than anything we’ve yet seen in our present financial plight – Depression and Famine!
Elijah challenges her faith: “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small cake of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me and then make something for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says; ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord gives rain on the land (verses 13-14).”
Biblical case histories are loaded with realism. Can’t you picture this poor bent, stooped, bony widow perhaps with every vein showing in her arm giving Elijah her “you must be kidding” stare. But she acted in faith. “She went away and did as Elijah had told her” and – voila – it worked. The jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry “in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah” (verse 16).
That was a supreme test of faith, “the last meal deal.” The widow passed the test. Almost every book, tape or Christian ministry is unanimous in affirming what Jesus said: “Seek first his kingdom and all these things will be given to you as well, even in tough times” (Matthew 6:33).
Thirdly, and linked to the above, there is a connection between Giving and Receiving. We have to be very careful here because the “Name It and Claim It” deceivers have distorted this subject beyond recognition. The Success Gospel is just another form of Selfishness. But it is true that God is able to “meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Jesus Christ” (Philippians 4:19). On the personal, everyday level, “non-judgmental generosity” – giving without cynically pre-screening to hedge our bets – is the Gospel standard (Nollan, Word Commentary, Luke 1-9:20).
There’s a reason why this is so. In both the Old and New Testaments money or material things are looked upon for their spiritual potential – a matter of “sowing” fungible assets to “reap” eternal returns. Take that great moment in Genesis 13 when Abraham offered to solve the growing tensions between him and Lot’s herdsmen by offering Lot the choicest piece of the land. What a beautiful gesture. The whole fertile land lay before them and in order to prevent a possible range war Abraham gave up his claim to first choice, which was his by right.
Lot was no fool. He chose the best land of course. You may have heard of it. It happened to be a place called Sodom and Gomorrah! At first Abraham must have looked like a fool to some people but…such is the mystery of money and property. Life is strange with its twists and turns, as every one of us sometime learns. Not only was fertile Sodom a risky long-term investment prospect (Genesis 13:13) but Abraham had to eventually rescue his ambitious nephew from mortal peril (Genesis 14:15-16).
The difference between Abraham and Lot was this: Abraham kept his Invisible Benefactor in the picture. That spirit of faith undergirded his sacrificial generosity (Genesis 14:17-18). Abraham knew that the old cliché is true – you can’t out-give God. His Invisible Backer later told him: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward” (Genesis 15:2).
In the New Testament we meet a group of women who invested mightily in a small-scale enterprise started by a wandering teacher with no fixed address. Their names were Mary Magdalene, Joanna the wife of King Herod’s steward, and Susanna. They were among the elite of the day but they backed the Jesus Movement and its proclaimers by “helping to support them out of their own means (Luke 8:1-3).” Have you never noticed that before? “Jesus and his disciples did not provide for themselves by miracles, but were supported by the service and means of such grateful people” (NIV Study Bible, page 1973).
Love is often expressed in physical and tangible ways. Mary Magdalene had reason to feel grateful to Jesus because he had released her from seven demons. Mary had received. Now she generously gave as a result of her willing spirit. The Cycle of Blessing was complete.
Point number four: Money can be an extension of our life and values. Christian stewards say: “Our money outlives us, so let’s make it count, let’s leave a dynamic spiritual legacy.” In one of the hardest to translate texts in the Gospel, Jesus says something like that: “Make friends for yourselves by means of the wealth of unrighteousness, so that when it fails (your money), they (the people you have helped) will receive you into the eternal dwellings” (Luke 16:9, NASB).
Hannah left a legacy when she turned her only son Samuel over to the service of the temple (1 Samuel 1:21-28). That’s Whole Life Stewardship par excellence.
King David left a legacy when he donated money for the Temple his son Solomon would build after his father’s death (1 Chronicles 29:1-5).
Jeremiah left a legacy – his great book – when he accepted God’s call to remain single and accept vicious abuse in warning Jerusalem (Jeremiah 36:27-32).
Nehemiah left a legacy – a rebuilt Jerusalem – when he abandoned a comfortable spot at Persian royal headquarters to serve in the backwoods colony of Judaea (Nehemiah 1).
The specialty goods merchant Lydia offered her house in Philippi as a base for Paul’s evangelistic activity in Northern Greece (Acts 16:11-15).
Erastus, Director of Public Works in Corinth (Romans 16:24), did not know his real claim to fame would rest in his support of Paul’s ministry.
Dozens of you reading these words have left a legacy by donating generously to church Summer Camps all across this country. Never fear. By investing in the next generation you have invested wisely. Count on it: Your donations will affect the future in ways you may never suspect and for generations yet to come (Hebrews 6:10).
Someone once wrote that the real winners in life are those who see the need to plant a tree under whose shade they may never sit. That is vision. That is moving outside the self. That makes life worthwhile. Sacrificial giving and non-judgmental generosity is the primary Christian approach to money. Keep investing in the Kingdom of God, brethren. You’ll always be glad you did.