Meditations

“When we handle money that has been given by God’s people, we are handling the fruit of God’s grace, the practical proof of human obedience to the gospel…Money that has been given as an offering to God is not just coins and notes or ledgers or pieces of paper or entries in a journal. When we handle money that has been given by God’s people, we are involved in a deeply spiritual matter. Their giving is their response to God, and our involvement is a stewardship of grace and a stewardship of other peoples’ obedience. That is what stewardship means: we are entrusted with something; we are stewards of something that is the fruit of grace and the proof of obedience.”

Christopher J.H. Wright as cited in Accountability in Missions: Korean and Western Case Studies, edited by Jonathan J. Bonk (Eugene :Wipf & Stock, 2011) 42.

The meetings with Korean-American pastors and ministry administrators exceeded expectations yesterday. Thanks for your prayers.

“Biblical stewardship accountability is doing our best to effectively use the resources God has entrusted to us, doing so according to His intention and with accountability for both the process and result. All Christians must be faithful before God in maintaining an attitude of accountability for their life and work…If an organization——whether business, church, missions, or any other——has a well-established system of accountability, that organization can be acknowledged as trustworthy and healthy. We cannot expect an organization that lacks a good reputation to be able indefinitely to carry on effective ministry.”

Min-Young Jung as cited in Accountability in Missions: Korean and Western Case Studies, edited by Jonathan J. Bonk (Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2011) 54. Original article in Korean, “Seongyo-wa Chaegmu” (Mission and Accountability) in Hanguk Seongyosa-wa Chaegmu, 20-21.

Today in Orange County, Sung Wook Chung and I are moderating “Transparency Talks” between a group of Korean-American pastors and ministry administrators and Dan Busby and John Van Drunen of the ECFA. Ho Chan Hwang (CCFK president) and Sam Ko (Sarang Church pastor) have also joined us from Seoul for these meetings to share the impact of transparency on ministry and generosity in Korea. Pray with us that these conversations will be fruitful and result in commitment and action to adopt “a well-established system of accountability” for the flourishing of God’s work.

We take this course so that no one should blame us about this generous gift that is being administered by us, for we aim at what is honorable not only in the Lord’s sight but also in the sight of man. 2 Corinthians 8:20-21

“Are you tired of casting vision to raise money for your church? You know what I’m talking about. Showing how a dollar can advance a mission, erect a building, fund a budget…Everywhere people go, there’s a need…a problem…and a vision for how money can fix it.

Vision is not bad…The problem is over past years vision has squeezed out doctrine. Now instead of teaching people biblical reasons why they should give, we’re selling church goers on a building, a budget, an orphanage, or something else…Decades ago churches were starving for vision and were heavy on doctrine.

Now vision casting is in oversupply, and doctrine has been abandoned…For pastors willing to stand out from the crowd, sound giving doctrine is in order. Teach that biblical giving was instituted before there was sickness, hunger and homelessness. Before there were needs, God’s first born children (Cain and Abel) brought gifts to Him.

Teach them that in heaven, John saw the elders surrounding the throne and presenting their crowns and rewards before Jesus (that was some vision, by the way – see Revelation 4)…Giving isn’t only about fixing problems. It’s about worshipping God.”

Jeff Anderson in Acceptable Gift email dated 10 September 2015. For resources that are helping pastors and church leaders teach giving doctrine, visit www.acceptablegift.org. If you’ve not read his book, Plastic Donuts, get it and read it, because Christ-followers need both doctrine and vision!

“The July 2015 issue of Church Finance Today reported the statistic from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability that when church leaders were asked: “Does your church have a written strategy for inspiring people in biblical generosity?” a resounding 66.1% of all church leaders said NO, that they do not have a written strategy! Less than one-third of churches (30.5%) said that they have a strategy.”

Tim Dittloff in Incandescent, Issue 8, Volume 1, August 2015, an electronic publication of Stewardship Innovations.

Pastor (or forward this to your pastor), don’t have the “no plan” plan.

Tim adds: “As your congregation heads in to the fall months of “programming”, do you have planned ways of communicating and inspiring biblical generosity beyond the annual fall stewardship program? This fall, end the year well, by planning strategically how you will inspire your people next year. Stewardship Innovations offers workshops to guide you through this process.”

I am speaking at one of those workshops on October 19, 2015. Click here for more information.

People often ask me for practical examples of people who are teaching biblical principles of generosity. Today’s post features what God is doing through a group of students, Harvesters, at Johnson University linked to the chapel offering.

“Harvesters recognizes the need for a transformation in the way the student body views the chapel offering. During the 2014/2015 school year, Harvesters realized a lack of purpose and ownership, as well as a degree of confusion from the student body. Through research, mentoring, and discussions, Harvesters has decided that, in regards to the chapel offering, the student body has drifted away from a biblical view of generosity. A paradigm shift is necessary for the offering to benefit both the givers and the recipient. When the student body roots itself in a biblical view of generosity the purpose for giving will be clear and ownership of the offering will be given to the entire student body. The result will be a spiritually transforming experience for the student body and meaningful gift for the offering recipient.

The paradigm shift is a shift from need based giving to spiritual formation based giving. The reason for giving then moves from a financial transaction to a spiritual transaction. Giving becomes an opportunity for us to grow in our relationship with God. Giving is an act of worship, where we spend our money demonstrates where our heart is, so we want the quality and thoughtfulness of our giving to demonstrate an undivided devotion to God. Despite the financial burdens of being a student, we want student giving to be rich towards God regardless of what that may amount to. On this note we want to drive two ideals home.

First, we want to drive home the full meaning of the story of the story of the widow’s mite from Mark 12:41-44. Second, we want to focus in on last year’s efforts to create a partnership with the chosen missionary. During the 2014/2015 school year Harvesters attempted to create a partnership of prayer, giving, and encouragement with our chosen missionary. This was done through the utilization of commitment cards; we found great success in the encouragement aspect, and nominal success in the giving and prayer aspects.

For the 2015/2016 school year Harvesters is choosing to focus in on reforming the giving aspect of this partnership. We will continue to press a prayer element, but our teaching energies will not be focused there. The hope is to show students that everyone has something to offer whether time, talent, or resources and Harvesters plans to create avenues to contribute those things so that the fruit may increase to the student body’s credit!”

Philip Eubanks, a friend and former student of mine who works with the Harvesters, shared this example with me. Email him directly at PEubanks@johnsonu.edu or email me if you’d like to receive the PDF of their detailed Harvesters 2015/2016 plan! It’s a wonderful sample that you just might decide to adapt to your setting.

“Transiency is stamped on all our possessions, occupations, and delights. We have to hunger for eternity in our souls, the thought of eternity in our hearts, the destination for eternity written in our inmost being, and the need to ally ourselves with eternity proclaimed by the most short-lived trifles of time. Either these things will be the blessing or curse of our lives. Which do you mean that they shall be for you?”

Alexander Maclaren (1826-1910) Scottish minister in Forty Thousand Quotations, Prose and Poetical, compiled by Charles Noel Douglas (London: George G. Harrap & Co., 1917) 560.

When we treat “possessions, occupations, and delights” as what they are, temporary, transient, and earthly, they are put in their rightful place as a “blessing” both to us and others. Alternatively, when they captivate our hearts, dominate our time, and define our identity, they become a “curse” to us. There’s no middle ground. There’s only a decision for each of us to make. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

“Because people believe not in Providence, therefore they do so greedily scrape and hoard. They do not believe in any reward for charity, therefore they will part with nothing.”

Isaac Barrow (1630-1677) Anglican scholar, in Forty Thousand Quotations, Prose and Poetical, compiled by Charles Noel Douglas (London: George G. Harrap & Co., 1917) 136.

Do you foolishly and greedily hoard or faithfully and graciously give? Don’t reply with a rationalization. I am not trying to rob you I am trying to help you. Perhaps you think it’s possible to do both?

What does Jesus instruct on the matter? He’s clear. Do not store up treasures on earth. Store them up in heaven. What’s at stake? Taking hold of life today and eternal rewards tomorrow.

It’s not about money at all, it’s about whether or not you believe that God is our providential Provider or not? Will He care for those who trust and reward those who obey or won’t He?

Work hard as unto the Lord. Live within your means. Enjoy and share God’s material and spiritual blessings with others. Receive richly from others when you are in need. Show the world that you believe by your actions.

“It should be an indispensable rule in life to contract our desires to our present condition, and whatever may be our expectations, to live within the compass of what we actually possess.”

Joseph Addison (1672-1719) in Day’s Collacon, compiled and arranged by Edward Parsons Day (New York: IPPO, 1884) 178.

Living beyond our means not only hinders generosity but enslaves us to debt, and then we discover that even the idea being generous has been swallowed up by our own unbridled desires.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

“Riches without charity are nothing worth; they are only a blessing to those who make them a blessing to others.”

Sarah Fielding (1714-1768) English authoress in Day’s Collacon, compiled and arranged by Edward Parsons Day (New York: IPPO, 1884) 903.

There’s a common expression people use: all is grace. It means that everything we have is the result of God’s grace in our lives: our life, our salvation, our resources, everything. All is grace.

With that, we must not forget that the Greek word for grace is charis. In other words, it came to us from God and must flow through us to others. That’s what charity is all about.

Consequently, material blessings only take on their rightful function when they are handled with grace. This is God’s design for all things. All is grace.

“There is one way whereby we may secure our riches, and make sure friends to ourselves of them–by laying them out in charity.”

John Tillotson (1630-1694) Archbishop of Canterbury in Forty Thousand Quotations, Prose and Poetical, compiled by Charles Noel Douglas (London: George G. Harrap & Co., 1917) 1500.

Here’s the lesson: Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone, they will welcome you to an eternal home. Luke 16:9