The Spiritual Disciplines of Christian Stewardship Series Lecture # 3: Responsible Giving Adds Grace to Your Christianity

Please note: I have herein attempted to do a short series on the subject of Christian Stewardship, which will take into account the concept of tithing and it's applicability to Christians today. I have lectured on this topic, and this CT is a written form of my lecture.

Well, what if all Christians everywhere just stopped tithing?

That was a frantic question asked by a critic of my teaching on Christian Stewardship.

I am often amazed at the lack of biblical precision in people's argumentation. This chap asked this question as though it were the final answer to the issue. Apparently, he thinks that we are to continue to tithe based on the unfortunate outcome implied by his question. However, tithing is not the only method given to the church that Christians are to use to support the work of the Kingdom of God. In fact, "tithing" was not given to the church at all. It was given to the Israelites, and it was tied to the Old Testament temple. No temple, no tithing. Now, onto Christian stewardship.

Christians Are to Give of Their Finances

Now that we have settled the issue that the tithe is not incumbent upon New Testament Christians, what is incumbent upon them concerning their finances and the Kingdom of God? First, I would like to make one statement perfectly clear, I have been misunderstood on this point because the "detractors" haven't waited for the whole teaching on this subject, and they have jumped to erroneous conclusions. So, here is my statement: Christians are to give of their finances to their Lord and King, and to the work of His ministry . The idea that if there is no tithe, then there is no giving just goes to show how far away from New Testament teaching and New Testament Christianity we really are.

If you have been born-again, if you have accepted the sacrifice of Christ on the cross, if you have been forgiven for your sins due to the ultimate price that Christ paid by dying for you, if you are on your way to heaven through the Messiah who paid your eternal debt, and if you are not some how in some way returning a portion of what you have and what you are to His kingdom, then your "spirituality" is a sham.

If you have truly come to a knowledge of the One who has given His very life for you upon a cruel Roman cross, and you are not somehow in league with His continuing work, then you should take stock of your commitment to Him. Every Christian should in some way be contributing some of who he or she is and what he or she owns to support the preaching of the Good News that Jesus Christ saves.

An Illustration: The Good News Restaurant - The good news is that the food is free!
A Christian who does not contribute to the preaching of the Good News of Christ's blessed sacrifice for humanity is like the bum who is given a free, hot meal at the Good News Restaurant (which has an unlimited supply of free food and is open all the time), but who doesn't tell any other hungry person about the Good News Restaurant.

If your stomach is now full and you are sustained by the food that you received from the Good News Restaurant, then some of your energy that comes from that free food should be expended to point other hungry and starving people to the source of your satisfied hunger-Good News Restaurant.

Sometimes, the owner of the Good News Restaurant will walk through His Restaurant and watch people eating and enjoying themselves. Occasionally, he will go up to a person who is eating the free meal, and he will ask that person to become a living advertisement for his restaurant. He will ask the person to give up his life as a bum and become his ambassador. Amazingly, some of these bums reject the restaurant owner's request, and go back out to the streets to live like bums. But, they eat at the Good News Restaurant whenever they need food. And even though they have rejected the owner's offer to be his ambassadors, he still loves them and allows them to eat freely of all the food that is at his Good News Restaurant .

Those who accept the Owner's request to be his ambassadors by expending nearly all their energy (which they get from the free food) pointing others to the Good News Restaurant are called minister's of the Good News .

But, how can there be a never-ending supply of free food at the Good News Restaurant ? Well, the owner of the Good News Restaurant bought all the food that the world would ever need. What does something like that cost? That must have been an amazing price! Yes, it was. The owner of the Good News Restaurant bought all of that free food for you and for me by sacrificing His own dear Son. The death of His Son paid for all the free food that you and I eat.

How to Pay Your Portion
Let's face it, you cannot simply hold your money in the air and say, "Here you go God. If you want it, take it." There is a joke that expresses this idea. Three preachers are talking and they ask each other how they give to God.

One says, "I give God a tenth of all I earn."

The second preacher says, "I do similar, but I just reverse it; I keep only a tenth of all I earn, and I give God 90%."

The third preacher says, "Well, each week I take all I earn and I toss it into the air, and I say to God, 'Okay God, whatever you want, take it. What hits the floor, I keep.'"

God doesn't work that way. He wants us to give to Him by supporting others. There are two major "others" that we should support.

Number One

Your Family. We should be acutely aware of the fact that we have family and that we need to support our families. The Scriptures make this clear.

"Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you" (Exod. 20:12--The Fifth Commandment).

"If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever" (1 Tim. 5:8).

And Jesus said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' But you say that if a man says to his father or mother:'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down" (Mark 7:1-13).

Corban = a gift (or an offering made) to God. The idea of Corban was that once something was "dedicated" to God, the person could not then use it to benefit his parents. However, he could use it for two things: (1) the temple, or (2) himself. So, now he is "out" from under the law of Moses that says, "Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you" (Exod. 20:12).

So, if the man's parents were hurting financially, and they came to him and they said, "Son, could you help us out please. We need some money so we can eat." The son not only may say, but he had to say, "Sorry, the money (or land, or whatever else he may have) is Corban." So, then, he could go out and spend it and do whatever he wanted to with it, and no one considered him a bad son. And, the temple probably got some "kick back" to boot.

Let me modernize this so we can get the picture. Let's say that your parents are hurting financially, and you begin to wonder, "Well, now, should I take my tithe and help my parents with it?" So, you go to your pastor and you say, "Pastor, my parents are in some terrible financial difficulties, and I don't have a lot of money, so I was wondering if it would be okay for me to give my parents my tithes?" Well, if we carry on the "Corban" idea, the pastor would then say, "Sorry, your money is dedicated to the Lord, and you cannot give it to your parents. You are just going to have to find some other way to help them out. Your tithe belongs to the church."

Is that what God would say? I think not. Jesus said, "Thus you nullify the word of God (the fifth commandment) by your tradition that you have handed down" (Mark 7:1-13). So, first of all, we are to support our families. God places a high priority on you helping your family.

Number Two

To God! Does that mean that you are absolved from helping finance the Kingdom of God as long as you help your own family? Not at all. That just means that by giving to the ministry, you are not absolved from the commandment to "Honor your father and your mother" (Exod.20:12), or to take care of your immediate family. Likewise, just because you take care of your family doesn't mean that you are absolved from helping finance the work of the Kingdom of God.

Next-How Much Belongs to God? Well, how much does God own?

"The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it" ( Ps. 24:1).
"The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it" ( 1 Cor. 10:26).
"Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me" ( Job 41:11).

So, how much belongs to God? Everything. All of it. All of everything belongs to Him. Not just things belong to Him. Your very body belongs to God.

"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body" ( 1 Cor. 6:19-20).

So, if God owns everything (and He does), then we are simply managers of His things. Now, the biblical word for manager is steward (or, in newer translations, servant). That's what we are talking about, Christian stewardship.

Human Ownership is Fleeting, but Stewardship is Forever
If I leave the country for a year, and I ask you to live in and take care of my house and things while I am gone, you get to enjoy the things therein, but you are always conscious that the things are mine, not yours. So, if my fruit trees should produce fruit while I am gone, you can eat the fruit, but if they don't produce fruit, you cannot destroy them. If you need to go to the store, you can drive my car, but if you don't like my car, you cannot sell it. If there is a show on television that you want to watch, you can view it on my TV, but you always remember that these things are mine, not yours. You are my steward while I am gone.

Now, if I said to you, "While I am gone, you will need to harvest my garden. You can eat all that you want, but you must also give some of the fruit and vegetables to my family so that they will have all they need. They will be coming by from time to time asking for what I have promised them, so when they arrive, give them everything they ask for." What kind of steward would you be when my family came to get their food if you locked the doors and wouldn't let them in, or worse, you came out with a gun (my gun!) and chased them away? There is too much for you to eat! If you don't give it away as I asked you to, most of the harvest will simply rot. Yet, instead of sharing with my family the bounty of my harvest, you simply keep it all to yourself. What do you think will be my reaction when I get home and hear from my family what you have done?

You are God's Steward Living in His House

Nothing you have belongs to you. God owns it all, and you are His steward. How much of His harvest that you enjoy everyday are you giving to His family? How much "harvest" do you have just lying around your house in boxes, and in the garage, and in the attic that is just "rotting" away?

How Much of What You Have Belongs to God?

The house or apartment that you live in is God's house or apartment. He owns it. The fruit trees in your yard are God's trees. The car you drive is God's car. The clothes you wear are God's clothes. The books on your shelves are God's books. Your swimming pool belongs to God. The computer in your home is God's computer. Your furniture in your home belongs to God. Your business or job that you have belongs to God. Even the very air that you breath . . . is God's air. You know what else? Your children and your spouse belong to God. Your relatives and your friends belong to God. Are you being God's good steward in your relationships?

You Don't "OWN" anything

You know what? We don't own anything. Think about it for a second. Almost everything that you now "own," your car, your house, your land, even your toothbrush, everything used to belong to someone else. Before you bought your furniture, it belonged to the furniture store owner. Before you bought the food that you ate this past week, it belonged to the store or restaurant owner. Everything that you would claim to own, once belonged to someone else. And, one day, everything you now "own" will be "owned" by someone else as well. I "own" a little pick-up truck that was owned by at least three people before me. And, if it should keep running, it may be "owned" by three people after me. If it stops running, then it will be owned by someone who "owns" a junkyard. Do you get it?

Think about it; everything that you "own" was "owned" by someone else before you, and it will one day be "owned" by someone after you. But , you will always be God's steward. No one can take that away from you. (For more on this issue of ownership, see Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life , by Donald S. Whitney, Navpress, 1991).

You see, no one owned your stewardship before you, and no one will own it after you. It is yours! However, with ownership comes responsibility. The question is, "Are you a good or a bad steward of God's things?" You must understand this major point: Ownership is Fleeting, but Stewardship is Forever.

When we all get to heaven, God will say to some of His children, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness" (Matt. 25:21)! What "few" things is He talking about? Your house, your car, your job, your clothes, your money, etc. Let me ask you a question; Will He say to you : "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with the few things that I gave to you. Come and share your master's happiness!"? Compared to what God owns, even Bill Gates has only a few things!

God Owns Your Money

God doesn't just own your physical possessions, He also owns your money. He owns your wallet, or your purse, whichever the case may be. "The silver is mine and the gold is mine," declares the LORD Almighty (Hag. 2:8).

As far as our standards go, Princess Diana was a rich person. She traveled all over the world, and she dined in the finest restaurants in the world. She stayed in the finest hotels around the globe. She wore designer clothes that I have heard cost thousands of dollars for one dress. In this life she "owned" a lot of things. (Now, I know that she did many fine humanitarian things as well, and I am not putting her down for her rich and lavish lifestyle. I am only trying to show a contrast.) Let's look now at Mother Teresa.

As far as our standards go, Mother Teresa was not a rich person. She didn't wear the finest clothes. She didn't jet-set and eat in fancy restaurants. In this life she "owned" practically nothing.

Now, let me ask you something: What do either of them (Princess Diana and Mother Teresa) own now? Answer: Nothing. Everything that they "owned" is now owned by another. Death is the great equalizer, and after death, God will ask each of us to give an account of what we did with His property and His money. The only thing that they carry into eternity are the rewards of good stewardship.

So, What's the Big Question?

So, the big question is not, "How much of my money should I give to support the Kingdom of God?" But, rather, "How much of God's money that He has made me steward over should I keep to support my family and me?" When God's family members or unbelievers come knocking at your door, a door by the way that belongs to God , how do you respond to them when they come to collect a part of God's harvest that you have been a steward over?

Giving is an Act of Worship

I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:18-19).

When Paul says that the gifts that they sent "are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God," he was using Old Testament temple terminology. He was comparing the gifts that they had given to him to the worship of the Old Testament people when they gave sacrifices to God in the Temple worship. So, when we give to the work of God, we are worshiping God. Isn't that amazing? God gives us everything. Then, we in turn give only a portion of it back to Him, and God is happy about that! Let me illustrate.

If you gave me one hundred dollars, and I then spent $10 of that on a gift for your spouse, or child, what would you think of me? Probably that I was cheap! But, God says, "Isn't that wonderful? I gave my child $100 and he (or she) spent $10 of it on another one of my children." When you give, you are worshiping God. So, giving your finances to the Lord's work is more than simply a duty or obligation; it is an act of worship. And, Jesus says that we are to worship God with our whole being ! He said it this way: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength" (Mark 12:30).

An illustration

There is a story about a man who had a job as a railroad-bridge tender. It was his job to be sure that the bridge was lifted up so that big ships could go through, and it was his job to be sure that the bridge was down when the commercial trains (and any other trains for that matter) would come through.

One day he brought his pride and joy to work with him, his 12 year-old boy. As young boy's often do, the boy thought that his dad was the neatest man in all the world and would marvel at his dad's ability to lift the big bridge to allow boats to go through and then lower it for the trains to go over it. It was as though the son thought that his daddy was moving this gargantuan bridge by his own power. He was so proud of his dad.

The boy asked his father if he could go play on a certain part of the bridge. The father said yes, but he told his son to stay away from a certain platform. For that is where the gigantic cogs and wheels of the bridge's pulley system are, and he would get hurt if he got near them.

The bridge was up, and the boats were traveling through. And the boy was off playing.

After a while the man had to lower the bridge because a commercial train was coming through, but he could find not his son. He didn't have the time to go look for him because the train would be there in just minutes. He began yelling for his son, but with all of the noise from the river below and the boats going down the river, the boy could not hear his father's cries.

Then, all of a sudden, the father saw his son. Somehow his son had gotten onto the platform where he was not to go! He was near the gigantic wheels and cogs that raise and lower the bridge. Frantic, the father yelled and yelled to his son, but to no avail. The boy could not hear his father.

The father was faced with a horrific choice, does he lower the bridge which will crush to death his only son and save the train from certain disaster? Or, does he not lower the bridge and allow the train to crash, and thereby save his only son? But, this is not just any train. The train that is to come over the bridge in just a couple of minutes is a commercial train carrying hundreds of people, and they would all certainly die in the crash if he doesn't lower the bridge. He can see his son, and he yells and screams to him, but still the boy does not hear his father. What should he do? What would you do? He made his decision. He lowered the bridge.

He watched his only son be crushed to death by the gigantic wheels of the bridge's pulley system. The train was safe, and as the father sat there in his anguish, he watched the train go by that cost the life of his only son. As it went past him he was able to look into the windows of the train, and he saw the many people sitting in the restaurant cars eating and drinking and laughing. All of them . . . unaware of the great sacrifice that the man had made so that they could live.

This illustration barely gives a picture of what God has done for us. Now, let me ask you something. What do you owe Him in return? Answer: Your life. Not just a tenth.

I hope that every time you hear a train whistle, or see railroad tracks, you will always remember this story, and take the time to thank the Father for the life that you have due to His magnanimous sacrifice, the sacrifice of His unique Son.

Giving Reflects Faith in the God Who Provides

I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:18-19).

People will give of their finances to the extent that they believe that God will provide for them. If people do not believe that God will supply for their needs, then they will not be givers, instead they will be hoarders.

Our Giving Should be Sacrificial

And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own [not by some OT law], they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will. So we urged Titus, since he had earlier made a beginning, to bring also to completion this act of grace on your part. But just as you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us--see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you [no "tithe law" here!], but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others. [And who does he compare our earnestness against?] For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich (2 Cor. 8:1-9).

Boy! that doesn't seem fair to compare us with Jesus Christ does it? But, throughout the Scriptures we are told not to compare ourselves with other humans. But, we are to compare ourselves with Jesus Christ. According to God, that is the only person you should compare yourself to, to see how you're doing. By the way, how are you doing?

The Way You Handle Money Tells God How Trustworthy You Are

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. He said to them, 'You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of men, but God knows your hearts. What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight (Luke 16:10-15).

Give Willingly and Cheerfully

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion [not be forced], for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:6-7).

There are five points to glean from this passage:

1. You will reap what you sow.
2. Give what you have decided in your heart to give (why doesn't Paul say 10%? There is no law of tithe here).
3. Not reluctantly (as some do, begrudgingly).
4. Not . . . under compulsion (not be forced by some legalism-most Christians feel forced-at least a strong compulsion not easily distinguished from force- to give their 10%),
5. God loves a cheerful giver (you cannot be a cheerful giver if, 1. your family is hungry and 2. someone has forced you, by a twisting of the Scriptures-e.g., Malachi 3:10-to feel guilty if you don't give).

How to Give Willingly and Cheerfully
I can give cheerfully by just meditating for a while about what Christ has done for me. Soon, the idea of giving my money to help His kingdom becomes a joy, not a duty. Some people give to God like they give to pay their bills. It is sheer duty, and it is not from a cheerful heart. I have to ask, what good is their giving?

Also, I would like to make another major point: There are some people who have given a tenth of their income to their church for years who have never given a dime to God! For many people, "tithing" is a have-to law, and they perform their "giving" much like paying a bill. If your attitude is that you are "paying your tithe as a bill," then don't kid yourself into thinking that you are giving to God. Some of the Pharisees of Jesus day were doing that, and Jesus called them hypocrites.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITY BEFORE GOD WITH WHAT HE HAS GIVEN TO YOU - Consider the following parables:

Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. "Master," he said, "you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more." His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" The man with the two talents also came. "Master," he said, "you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more." His master replied, "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!" Then the man who had received the one talent came. "Master," he said, "I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you." His master replied, "You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. 25:14-30).

Tell me, how much money did the master think was his? All of it!

Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. "Teacher," they said, "we know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are. Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?" But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, "You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin used for paying the tax." They brought him a denarius, and he asked them, "Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?" "Caesar's," they replied. Then he said to them, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away (Matt. 22:15-22).

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them" (Gen. 1:27).

Question

When we look at ourselves, whose image (portrait) do we see? God's image is "stamped" upon each of us because we were created in the image of God. Thus, render unto God what is God's. In your life, what is God's? If you were going to give to God what is His, how much would you give Him? All of you.

Oh, By The Way, Do you Tithe?

Do you tithe? If so, why? Are you doing it because the preacher says that it is God's law? In brief, are you doing it for the right or for the wrong reasons?

When we give money to God or to the work of God, we have to determine why we are doing it. If you just give a tithe because you believe it is God's law--and if it really is God's law---then you are being obedient to the law of God, and that's good enough. But, if it isn't God's law, and you are doing it just because you think it is God's law, well, obviously, you can see the problem here.

Some Give For the Glory

I know that none of you give for the next reason, but, believe it or not, some people give so that they will be well-thought-of at their church. Let me give you an example. About 20 years ago, I was attending a very large and well financed church. I believed in Christian financial stewardship, and so I would give 10% of my income to the church (a good guide to utilize, but not an absolute figure--10%, that is). However, I learned of some people in our community who needed financial help. A couple was in jeopardy of losing their children because they did not have the money to support them. So, each week a friend and I gave all of our "tithes" to that couple, and during that time we didn't give anything to our churches (we attended two different churches).

An individual in my church somehow found out that I was giving my "tithe" to these people and not to the church, and he asked me, "If you don't give money to the church, aren't you afraid that the church leaders are going to know that you are not tithing, and then they are going to think badly of you?"

So, I asked him, why do you tithe? And, he said, "Because God says to do it." Then, I asked him, "Then why do you give your money to the church that you attend when it is so well financed already, and there are people in need right down the street from you?" And, he said, "Well, like I said, I don't want them to think I am not tithing. Besides, they can give the money to the poor people if they see a need." Then I asked him, "What about when you see a need?" "Well," he said, "That's not for me to judge. All I know is that I give my money to the church."

When people give for all the wrong reasons, like wanting to be considered "spiritual" by the church leadership, then their "financial stewardship" is of no value at all. Instead of this person's giving adding grace to his Christianity, all it was doing was adding pride! He was "showing off" for his pastor. I doubt seriously if that was pleasing to God. The sad thing is, I have met others with this same "reason" for their giving.

Tithing is Not God's Law For New Testament Christians

Tithing is not God's law for New Testament Christians. I believe in New Testament Stewardship that Jesus talked about so much in the Gospels, and others, especially Paul, make mention of in other places in the New Testament.

I can liken this to a person who is fasting. I read in a book once where a man said that he tried fasting one time. He was so hungry that he thought about food for the entire time he fasted. He fasted for 24 hours, and he said that he couldn't concentrate on anything but food. At the end of the 24-hour period, he dove into his food! Well, friends, I can say with confidence that this man did not do a spiritual fast at all. Fasting as a spiritual discipline is more than simply not eating. To this sort of person, when he says, "I tried fasting once, but it didn't work for me. I see no spiritual benefits to fasting," I say, "You have never truly fasted so how would you know?" Simply abstaining from food while you think of food the entire time is not fasting.

Likewise, I want to ask people who say that they are good stewards of God's money simply because they faithfully tithe, "Why do you tithe?" If they are tithing for the wrong reasons, then they are not practicing Christian stewardship. They may be giving money, but it is as empty as the person who "fasts" with his eyes on the clock and his hand on the refrigerator door. Both of these two people, the so-called "faster" and the so-called "tither" are deceived and fooling themselves.

For the so-called "tither," Jesus said that when you do your good deeds to be seen of men so that they will think that you are "spiritual," then you have your reward in full. God will not reward you. Your reward is the praise of men (Matthew 6:2-6).

For the so-called "faster," Jesus said that a person does not live by food alone, but by spiritual things (Matthew 4:4). The person who "fasts" and thinks of food the entire time is living for food. Some people eat to live; this person lives to eat. Some Christians who have abstained from food have never fasted in their lives; and some Christians who give money to their church have never practiced Christian stewardship in their lives.

Who is Wealthy? Godliness with contentment is great gain.

But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen. Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life (1 Tim. 6:6-19).

Conclusion

Now, some people have taken the idea of tithing and polished it up a bit and called it Christian Stewardship. In other words they still give their "tenth portion" to their church each Sunday but simply do not call it a tithe. Also, they do it without regard to what God may really want them to do with the money. For me personally, my Christian stewardship is directed to different people and groups and not just to one organization, i.e., my church. God has the right to tell me where to give, but give I must. As I stated above: If we have been born-again, have accepted the sacrifice of Christ, have been forgiven our sins, on your way to heaven, and if we are not some how in some way returning a portion of what we have and what you are to His kingdom, then our "spirituality" is a sham. But, simply, legalistically and mechanically giving our finances to a church as though it is somehow the "new Testament Temple" is, at least for me, not a legitimate act of Christian stewardship.

If you have truly come to a knowledge of the One who has given His very life for you upon a cruel Roman cross, and you are not somehow in league with His continuing work, then you should take stock of your commitment to Him. Every Christian should in some way be contributing some of who he or she is and what he or she owns to support the preaching of the Good News that Jesus Christ saves. This support may take on various objects. The local church is only one of many.