Read: I Corinthians 9:11 |
“The church is the only cooperative society in the world that exists for the benefit of its non-members.” wrote William White in the early 1940’s while serving as the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Accepting his premise that the church exists to be a benefit to non-members, churches could achieve this by following the examples noted in Acts 2:42.
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- Teaching/Preaching biblical doctrine
- Providing a place for fellowship
- Serving and celebrating the Lord’s Supper
- Supporting one another in prayer
The church is God’s hands, mouth, and feet in this world – it is the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). In fact, the local church is ground zero for carrying out God’s plan to evangelize and reach the non-members, while equipping the members.
As believers gather at the local church to hear teaching, enjoy fellowship, partake of the Lord’s Supper and to pray, they should also support the church with their time, talent and treasure to ensure that God’s mission is fulfilled.
The Reason – Give to support the Local Church
I believe that most of us can agree that a local church is important and vital as a base of operations to fulfill the Great Commission. We all agree that there are costs to keeping the lights on and maintaining a staff. However, these facts don’t ensure that every member gives consistently. On top of that, the giving levels that sustain the local church can be impacted by different obstacles.
For instance, recently the Catholic Church has been in the news for scandals involving their bishops and priests. It has been widely reported that some parish members are exhorting others to withhold a portion of their offerings until the scandal is sorted out.
To a degree, similar consumer driven behavior of using the offering plate as leverage has always been in our churches. In some cases, members offer to give more in exchange for influence. In other cases, members give half-heartedly or not at all. Additionally, valid ministries outside of the church are also asking for money and donations.
What should a member to do?
The Rationale – Give offerings to the spiritual organization(s) that God leads you to bless
Paul encouraged us in I Corinthians 9:11 by saying, “If we sowed spiritual things in you, is it too much if we reap material things from you?”. In short, give a consistent offering to the local church. Then, seek God’s guidance on offerings to other ministries.
In my life, God has led me to send money to a few ministries in “addition” to my church offering and not in “lieu” of my offering. God has blessed me richly as I continue to trust Him in the times of plenty and the times of just enough.
For those who are hesitant to give an offering due to one or more of the “obstacles” mentioned in the Reason section, talk to the Pastor and staff to clear up any misunderstanding. Pray and follow God’s plan to resolve the concerns. If still unresolved, then it may be best to find a new church home that can be supported whole-heartedly. After all, God always provides!
The church is a central part of God’s plan for global evangelism. A healthy church requires intentional gathering and going. The church cannot keep going, if we do not keep giving.
After all, “God’s work, done in God’s way, will not lack God’s supply!” (James Hudson Taylor)
Questions:
1. Discover –
A. Are you concerned with how the money is budgeted and spent at your church? If so, talk with your Pastor or Deacon.
B. What are some things that you are proud that your church supports? Are you a part of that ministry?
2. Develop –
A. 1 Corinthians 12:12-27 speaks of the body of Christ. What part of the body do you think you serve most? Are you the feet that take the gospel to others? The hands, the eyes?
3. Demonstrate –
A. I shared my story of how I support my church and give to support other ministries. How have you faced this challenge? What do you do?
