“The ostentatious performance of religious acts in order to win approbation is not at all the same thing as a life of conspicuous goodness lived in the public arena so that people cannot help but be impressed.” (Cf. Matthew 5:16; 6:1-4; 1 Tim 5:25).
R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007) 177.
Read moreLord, grant us simplicity of faith
And a generosity of service
That gives without counting cost
A life overflowing with Grace
Poured out from the One
Who gave everything
That we might show
The power of love
To a broken world
And share the truth
From a living Word
Lord, grant us simplicity of faith
And a yearning to share it
John Birch, The Little Worship Leader’s Helper (Thanksgiving Press, 2010) 26.
Read morePillar One: Provide intentional, systematic, year-round, whole-life stewardship education.
Pillar Two: Provide an annual stewardship commitment process for mission and ministry.
Pillar Three: Provide a regular financial management course for all members.
Pillar Four: Provide a Lifetime Plan for Giving for all members.
Pillar Five: Provide “over and above” opportunities for extending ministry.
Wayne J. Knolhoff, Director of Stewardship – Lutheran Church Missouri Synod in StewardCAST, July 2012, 1-2.
Read more“Christian stewardship is the free and joyous activity of the child of God and God’s family, the church, in managing all of life and life’s resources for God’s purposes.”
Lutheran Church Missouri Synod official stewardship statement in Biblical Stewardship Principles (adopted at 1998 convention).
Read more“According to the New Testament, greed qualifies as one of the most serious of sins. The earliest Christians were told not just to avoid greed, but to watch out for it (Luke 12:15), to flee from it (1 Tim 6:10-11) or to kill it (Col 3:5). Greed is described in most unflattering terms. It is “a root of all kinds of evils” (1 Tim 6:10), one of the twelve things which come out of individuals and defile them (Mark 7:20-22), and evidence of a darkened understanding or a depraved mind (Eph 4:18-19; Rom 1:28-29). Worst of all, greed is said to be a form of idolatry. Jesus went so far as to tell a parable which is directed specifically against greed, in which God chastises the protagonist with the word, “Fool!” (Luke 12:16-20). Furthermore, greed is thought to lead to other sins, including theft, pride and sexual immorality.”
Brian Rosner in Beyond Greed (Kingsford, Australia: Matthias Media, 2004) 23.
Read more“It doesn’t matter how much you have. What matters is how much you are willing to give from what you have…The key to giving is remembering Who gives you what you have.” (Cf. Mark 12:41-44)
Dan L. White in God’s Plan for Economic Freedom (Los Angeles: WND Books, 2009) 31-32.
Read more“We often think that, if God is not doing what I want when I want it, then either He is not God or He is not loving. But, He has demonstrated just how important we are to Him by lavishing His gifts on us…If we don’t have something we need today, it’s not because God isn’t capable of meeting our need, or that He is unconcerned about it. He always has a purpose in how He responds to our needs…God’s actions in the past–His generosity to us–prove that He loves us and cares about us.”
Joel Bruce in Our Generous God (Bloomington: WestBow Press 2011) 4.
Read more“God isn’t looking for people of great faith, but for individuals ready to follow Him.” (cf. Mark 10:21)
Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) missionary to China, as recounted by Wayne Vleck in Dakota Martyrs (Bunyan Family Books, 2004) 40.
Read more“The heart of a Christian, who believes and feels, cannot pass by the hardships and deprivations of the poor without helping them.” (cf. 1 John 3:17)
Louis Guanella (1842-1915) as recounted by Jill Haak Adels in The Wisdom of the Saints (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987) 128.
Read more“A detached man should always be looking to see what he can do without.” (Cf. 1 John 2:15-17)
Henry Suso (1295-1365) spiritual director and preacher, as recounted by Jill Haak Adels in The Wisdom of the Saints (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987) 127.
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