It’s Personal
I knew a church in Houston that published the giving amounts of everyone who attended. I was amazed and shocked and I didn’t even attend that church. I would bet that those who found their name in that book were equally amazed and shocked!
Most churches guard peoples giving records under lock and key. Those matters are private and personal. In fact, we hear that the number two complaint about all churches is that “all they do is talk about money.” Money has always been a very touchy issue with people and the more someone wants to touch it the more touchy it gets! Jesus and the writers of the New Testament had no problem talking about money and neither should we.
In our culture money communicates value. The more someone is paid the more valuable they are to a company. When your boss wants to give you a raise he is telling you that he believes in you and his vote of confidence is more money! I’m sure that if your cousin hits the big lottery you’re hoping that he will throw a little your way just because you’re worth it. In the same way every dollar that goes through your hand communicates your value of something. You decide how much you value a home and utilities and so much of every dollar you make pays for that. I can look at the dollars that go through your hands and it is evidence of what you love and what you value.
So now for the big challenge; how many of your dollars are flowing through your hands to spiritual places, to the advancement of God’s cause and to the church? We know that statistics say that Americans give about 2% to the church. That person is saying that 98% of what I have I’m going to consume on me and my goals and my toys and the other 2% I will invest in making sure that me and my family have a fantastic spiritual resource in our lives that will capture my children’s attention, hold my teenager in church, provide a first-class building and an exciting worship service and pay for a staff that will consistently deliver fresh, spirit filled and passionate ministry. That is asking a lot of 2%. The sad fact is that many people are willing to pay more to the cable TV company or more to a Myrtle Beach rental then they will for their spiritual needs.
That whole scenario is personal to me. I see dollars flowing out everywhere; to the YMCA, to the tumbling class, to the All-Star basketball camps, to the equipment needed for the sport, to the new boat, to the luxury vacation and all those dollars are saying, “these things are valuable to me and I will pay for them.” But sadly, so often, the dollars flowing to the church are lacking and it gets personal because what I am hearing is, “what’s happening here isn’t valuable enough for me to actually fund to see that it continues.” That hurts. I take that personally.
I regularly hear people complain about the misuse of welfare in our country. We see the shirtless 25-year-old on the porch in the middle of the day and wonder aloud why our taxes are paying for them to sit there and smoke. We see them as irresponsible moochers who are working the system. And yet these very same people who complain will allow everybody else they attend church with to pay for the building, the heating, the cooling, the staff, and all the stuff it takes to provide a good environment while they never contribute anything. Isn’t that just church welfare?
Our giving is a test; a test of what’s important to me, a test of what I love and a test of what I care about. I don’t want to fail the test.
If you want some clear direction about what to do Paul gives it in 2 Corinthians 9:6; “Remember this: The person who plants a little will have a small harvest, but the person who plants a lot will have a big harvest. Each of you should give as you have decided in your heart to give. You should not be sad when you give, and you should not give because you feel forced to give. God loves the person who gives happily.” Pre-decide how big you want God to move and then give accordingly. Don’t feel forced. Don’t feel sad. But move out in bombastic faith and release your dollars that God may use them for his glory. Give God an amount that will make him smile.
It’s not what you have that makes you important, it’s what you give. What makes your church a great church are those who pre-decided to give and follow through with it. Your worship team, your greeters, your ushers, your teachers, your leaders all pre-decided to create a great environment and then worked hard to do it. It was not spontaneous it was pre-decided. You need to decide what your financial plan will be to support the church that you love. If you value your spiritual growth show it with your dollars.
