Why I Teach on Giving
October 2, 2014
Recently at Bethlehem, we have begun a campaign to bring awareness to the need for God’s people to be generous in their giving. Some may wonder, “Why teach on money? Isn’t that just greed? Isn’t giving a private matter?” These are a few statements that might be heard by those who feel uncomfortable with the church teaching on stewardship. So, in answer to these questions, I want to attempt to explain why the church teaches on giving.
Let me first say that the church should not teach exclusively on giving. If every message is about giving, then the church has become more focused on money than on trusting in God’s provision. However, it is not inappropriate to remind God’s people to be faithful. We all need reminders from time to time. This is the reason we at Bethlehem will focus on giving two times a year. Spring and fall are the times that we have chosen to focus on stewardship. We also want to remind people throughout the year by sending quarterly giving statements so that you may know where you are in relation to your faithfulness in giving.
Stewardship is a word that I have mentioned a couple of times so far. What does stewardship mean? The word “steward” means to be a manager. It is the understanding that we are in charge of something that is at our disposal, but that does not belong to us. For example, the Bible says in Psalm 24:1
The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,
This means that everything we have belongs to the Lord. We are stewards of our time, talents, and resources according to Jesus (Matt. 25:14-30). In fact, did you know that Jesus spoke more on money than he did on heaven and hell?
So why do we focus on giving? The answer is simple. Because God focuses on giving. Our giving reflects where the heart is (Matt. 6:21). By reminding God’s people of these truths, we are forcing ourselves to examine where our heart really is. James tells us that we can often claim to believe one thing, but it is in our doing that our faith is really demonstrated (James 2:14-17). We also aim to make sure that we are faithful to preach the whole counsel of God’s Word so that we may not be guilty of robbing anyone of the blessings God has for those who obey his Word (Acts 20:26-27; Mal. 3:9-12).
We hope that you understand the need for the church to teach on the spiritual discipline of giving. We also hope that you will trust God to provide all of your needs according to his riches in glory (Phil. 4:19). May the Lord bless you and keep you and cause His face to shine upon you (Num. 6:24-26).
Yours in Christ,
Bro. Matt
|
