Pastor Matt Sturdevant: I want to ask you to take a look at the seven Heart Attitudes that you see on the screen, or you can look there at your handout. Take a look at the list of all seven. When you look at that list, which one of the seven seems the hardest for you to live out? Now as you look at the list, also I want you to think about which one is easier for you to put into practice. Which one is hardest? Which one is easiest? Take a look at that for just a moment.
Since I was first introduced to the Heart Attitudes more than 20 years ago now, as I look at the list, I can see how God has used different ones at different times to grow me and stretch me and help me to become the man He’s growing me into who He wants. As I look at the list, there’s consistently been one that’s been the most difficult for me. There’s also been one that has actually been a little bit easier than the rest consistently for over the last twenty years. Today, if this is your very first time with us or your very first time hearing about the Heart Attitudes, here’s a couple of things I’d like you to know as we get started.
A Heart Attitude is the mental or emotional preset that we have, the angle of approach that we take, as we approach people and the different situations that we face in life. These seven Heart Attitudes, the list that you looked at just a moment ago, are seven summary statements of what the Bible, specifically the New Testament, says about how we should relate to one another individually and personally, and then how we relate as groups and teams and as a church. They’re about shifting what comes so naturally to us, because we are fallen, sinful human beings. Shifting from what comes naturally to what’s more in line with God’s ways and the way God wants us to relate to one another… Over time as we practice them, those of us who have, we have found that we discover so much peace and joy. We’re actually able to experience happiness in the long run in our relationships, both personally and as a church.
For us here at Hope Church, these seven Heart Attitudes are things we actually do. They’re the bottom line for our church membership commitment. This is the commitment that we make, those that are on Team Hope, that this is how we’re going to live and this is how we’re going to relate to one another. Today, I’m going to be talking about Heart Attitude number six, which says, “Support the work financially.” One of the things that I love about our church is that we are a generous group of people. Here’s a couple of examples for you.
Over the last decade, we’ve been doing an annual Christmas offering. Above and beyond our regular tithes and offerings, we give to our Christmas offering. Through this Christmas offering, we’re able to make an impact locally, nationally, and internationally. Most of the money that we’ve given to this Christmas offering over the last decade has been sent outside the walls of our church. Some of it over the last few years has helped us with some initiatives that we’ve been working on, but the vast majority of it we send out. In the last ten years or so since we’ve been doing a Christmas offering, together as a church we’ve given nearly one and a half million dollars above and beyond our regular giving to the Christmas offering.
Another example, most recently a couple of weeks ago, we presented Pastor Harold Bullock, our founding pastor, to he and his wife a very generous financial gift as a way of saying, “Thank you for your 42 plus years of love and service and sacrifice in leading out here in Hope Church.” So, we are a generous group of people. That’s one of the things that I love about our church.
As part of our membership commitment here at Hope Church, we say that we will support the work financially. We don’t set a minimum dollar amount that members must give (“X”), but we just say that we want to ask people to live out and practice this Heart Attitude. Do your part in helping with the ministry. And, you do. Those of you who are members, you have given faithfully and generously over your time here at Hope Church. Because of that, we’ve been able to accomplish a lot together as a church.
What I’d like to do today is give you a summary of what the Scriptures say about giving and supporting the work financially. We’re going to look first at the Old Testament, then we’re going to take a look at the New Testament. We’re going to look at what the Bible says. We’re also going to take a look at specifically what it means for us when we say, “Support the work financially.” Then, I want you to hear from some fellow church members about their own experiences with supporting the work financially—things that God has taught them, things that He has challenged them in over the years as they have participated in the Heart Attitudes, specifically supporting the work financially.
I realize that this is often a sensitive topic. I also realize that for many this might be an awkward thing to talk about right now due to the state of our economy and all of the things that are going on in the world around us. Some of you have lost jobs or had to take a reduction because of what’s going on in the world, or you’ve seen your investments be significantly impacted. This message is not about why you should increase my salary. This message is not about why we really need your money here at Hope Church, and I really need you to cough it up. That’s not what this message is about. In fact, this message is really more about what we want for you than what we want from you.
As your pastor, here are a few things that I want for you as we think about supporting the work financially. One is that I want you to experience the power and the reality of God. Our money is one of the places where things get really real. God shows up in all areas of life, including those related to our finances. One of the things we want for you is to understand that one of the ways God trains us and develops us into the man or the woman that He wants us to be. He often uses our money as part of that training process. Then, I’d also like for you to experience the joy of participating in this way. For those who have given, you know exactly what I’m talking about. There’s so much joy in knowing that you are participating in what God is doing through your giving.
Again, money is a sensitive area. Why? Because money is important to us. Money is significant. In fact, Jesus said this. He said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Jesus connected the connection between our heart and our treasure and how important that is. Our hearts tend to follow our treasure, so as we talk about the Heart Attitudes, we talk about our angle of approach to people and different situations in life. We talk about our perspectives and our values. Our approach to money actually says a lot about our heart, what’s going on in our heart.
In fact, here’s a truth for you. God doesn’t need my money, but rather He’s inviting me and giving me an opportunity to join Him in His work. The God of the universe loves us. He created us to have a relationship with Him, and He doesn’t need you or me. But, He gives us an invitation to interact with Him, to be a part of what He’s doing in this world. God doesn’t need you or me, but it’s through us being willing to participate. One of the ways we participate is through our giving. Through participating, He uses us to be a part of what He is doing.
One of the ways He works is He uses our money that comes out of our pockets that we’ve earned through our jobs as a way to fuel the ministry that He tends to do in this world. Here’s an interesting thought for you. If you’re going to give to God, you actually have to give to a person or give to an organization. You see, we don’t simply just take the money that we have made, and God has this sort of “divine vacuum” that He sucks the money up Himself. I heard a story once of a man who said, “Here’s what I’m going to do. Here’s how I’m going to give to God. I’m going to take all of this money that I’ve made, and I’m going to throw it up into the air. And whatever God grabs onto, God will have. Then what comes back down to the ground for me is mine.” It doesn’t work that way.
So, we want to take a look at what the Bible says about giving. We’re going to cover a lot of ground pretty quickly, and what my goal is for you is to give you more of a summary than an exhaustive study in what the Bible says. I’ve given you a lot of verses that I’d invite you to read and study and check out on your own if you have some particular questions related to this topic. I also expect that our groups will have some great discussions this week as they talk about Heart Attitude number six. So, let’s start with the Old Testament.
When it comes to the Old Testament, what we find is that God inserted Himself directly in the finances of His people. He did it by this. God declared that one-tenth of each income was set apart for His purposes. Here's the thing. Actually, God owns it all. Everything that you have, everything that I have, everything that everyone on this planet has, actually, God owns 100% of it. He’s also the One who gives us the ability to work, the ability to have minds, to have skilled hands, to generate wealth. God owns it all, and He gives us the gifts required for us to make money.
He owns it all, and then, He asks His people to set aside a portion of it for Him, declaring that portion holy. Let’s take a look at Leviticus 27:30-32. It says, “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. And every tithe of the herds and the flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the Lord.” Holy means “set apart.” It’s God’s; it’s not mine. This portion that is holy is set apart for God and His purposes. Folks at the time when this law was given in Leviticus didn’t have the kinds of jobs you and I have today. They didn’t work on computers. They didn’t do the things we often do to earn a living. In fact, they lived in an agrarian culture and society in which agriculture was the main force of their economy. Things were based on producing and maintaining crops and herds and livestock and farmland.
This passage in Leviticus is part of the law where God clearly spoke to His people, and He talked to them about the tithe—taking this 10%, this one-tenth and setting it aside as His. Did you know that tithing actually preceded the law. Sometimes there’s questions about this. “Well, tithing is an Old Testament thing. Tithing is a law thing.” But, tithing actually preceded the law. You can read the Scriptures I listed there in your handout. We see that both Abraham and Jacob practiced tithing hundreds of years before God gave the law that we just read in Leviticus, so tithing precedes the law.
If God doesn’t need our money, what was the tithe for? Why did He instruct His people to give one-tenth of their income for His work? Well, here’s how it worked. The tithes that were given were for the work and the operation of the tabernacle, which later then became the temple. Let’s take a look at Numbers 18:21. It says, “To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting.”
So, God actually took an entire tribe of his people, 12 tribes, He took one tribe, the tribe of Levi, the Levites, and He set them apart for His work. They were the ones who were going to do God’s work with God’s people. They were the priests and the singers and the janitors and the groundskeepers of the temple operation, which started out as the tabernacle. It actually started out as the tabernacle when they were wandering in the desert as a mobile worship center before they had a permanent temple. They were, sort of, the pastors and church staff of their day, so God declared that a tenth of each person’s income was holy and to be set apart for Him.
A little further in the Old Testament, we get a picture in the book of Malachi (Malachi is one of the prophets) of just how important this declaration that God made of setting aside a tenth for His purposes. In fact, what’s happening during this time when God’s speaking through the prophet, Malachi, is that God’s people had sort of backed off on giving. They weren’t giving a tenth of their income, and because of it, things were really starting to break down. You can read Malachi 3:8-11 on your own, but I just want to read verses eight and nine for you here. It says, “Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.”
What we see from the prophet Malachi is that God takes His declaration very seriously. In fact, Malachi is speaking to God’s people, and the message he’s giving to God’s people from God Himself is that failure to give a tenth was actually robbing Him. When you robbed God, it brought a curse on one’s work, and they were experiencing the breakdown of many things during this time because they were under a curse from not giving. But a little bit further, God says that giving a tenth would result in financial blessing. If they would just turn back to God and do what He said, they would receive financial blessing. Part of that blessing was stopping that devouring curse that had occurred.
This is actually one of the areas that God says we can test Him in. It’s not a good thing to test God, but with finances and with giving a tenth to the Lord, He encourages and invites His people to test Him here. In the New Testament, there is not a clear passage like we find in the Old Testament that says that God’s people are to give one-tenth or that God’s people are to give whatever. it would have been really nice if Jesus or Peter or Paul or one of the other apostles or disciples would have specifically said, “Those of you who are followers of Jesus are to give ‘x’ percent or ‘x’ amount” or whatever. We just don’t find that specific statement in the New Testament like we find in the Old Testament.
Rather, what we find are three broad principles in the New Testament. There’s not a clear passage like the Old Testament, but we find some principles. Because there are just principles and not a clear directive, this is why people go back and forth over tithing. Is it incumbent upon Christians to actually tithe, or are they free from that? I mentioned that tithing preceded the Law, and sometimes what Christians want to say is that “Well, tithing is a part of the Law.” We read Leviticus a moment ago. They say that because we’re under grace now and not under the Law we don't’ have to tithe. Well, if you look at it in the Old Testament, tithing preceded the Law.
Here’s the thing that I want you to know before I say anything else. Ultimately, this is an issue between you and the Lord. You’re going to have to decide. You’re going to have to decide what you need to do as a follower of Jesus. I mentioned when I began that there’s one Heart Attitude that seems to have been harder for me and one that seems to have been easier for me over the last twenty years as I’ve been living and practicing the Heart Attitudes. I think, for me, Heart Attitude number one of putting the goals and interests of others above my own has actually been the hardest one. Just when I think I’ve mastered a new level of it, the Lord shows me more areas of selfishness in my heart, new things that I need to work on when it comes to putting the goals and interests of others above my own.
Honestly, supporting the work financially has sort of been the easiest Heart Attitude in the last twenty years. It’s because I came to the conclusion that tithing and giving actually is incumbent upon Christians. So, I just do it. I learned a lot of that growing up. I learned a lot of that from my parents. I had the privilege to grow up in a Christian home, and from an early age when I started making money mowing a yard for a neighbor or whatever it was, my parents talked to me about tithing. And, I practiced it. In fact, the way that I grew up was God owns it all. We give Him the first ten percent, and then we get to have the other ninety percent to do whatever we want or need to do with. That’s a pretty good deal.
Also, one of the things that I experienced over the years because I believe that tithing is incumbent upon Christians, is that if things start to break down, like the car is starting to tear up or other appliances, I want to go back and check my giving to see if I’m being faithful in this way. Ultimately, though, this is an issue between you and the Lord, and you’re going to have to decide what you need to do when it comes to giving. Then, do it. And, you’re going to be held accountable for the choice that you made, and you’ll live with the consequences, good or bad. I want to encourage you if you’ve got questions, get the answers to the questions that you have.
As we’ve been looking at giving in the New Testament, it’s important to note that even though Jesus didn’t specifically say, “My followers, tithe.” He does affirm the tithe. Listen to what He says to a group of religious leaders. He says in Matthew 23:23, “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith…” Here it is… “...You should tithe, yes…” He affirms it, and then He goes on to say, “...but do not neglect the more important things.” Part of what Jesus is getting at here is that tithing is actually the easiest part of the Law to keep. It’s pretty easy to see. They were told to give a tenth to the Lord to set it aside as holy. It’s pretty obvious. You either are or you aren't.
They were tithing, but when it came to other things, like justice and mercy and faith, they were falling short. Those are the things that are a little more difficult to measure. So, I want to take a look at three principles that guide our giving that we find in the New Testament. The first one is the temple practice. First Corinthians 9:13-14 says, “Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.” Here the apostle Paul is referencing back to the temple practice, what we looked at a moment ago in the Old Testament.
He’s saying that just like the Levites, just like those who served in the temple, received the tithes to make their living, so those who work in vocational ministry now should be able to make a living from that. Second principle that we find is worthy labor. Laborers should be paid. First Corinthians 9:9-12 says, “For it is written in the Law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.’ Is it for oxen that God is concerned? Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of sharing in the crop. If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? If others share this rightful claim on you, do not we even more?”
Here, the apostle Paul is using imagery of the ox treading out grain. Again, that’s something that we see a lot happening in today’s culture. But as the ox would be treading out the grain, they didn’t put a muzzle on the ox. What that meant was that as the ox was doing its work and moving around if it got hungry and wanted a snack, it can just lean down and take a little bite. It can do that along the way as it’s doing the work. So as with the ox so with the people. The workers should be paid for the work that they do. That also extends to those who work in vocational ministry. The third principle that we find is that spiritual blessing deserves material reward.
Let’s take a look at Galatians 6: 6-8. “Let the one who is taught the word share all good things with the one who teaches. Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that he will also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will front eh flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.” The idea that we find here in this passage in Galatians is that, as we have money that we earn and we spend it, we get different things. If followers of Jesus spend our money in line with the things that are a part of God’s will, good things will happen. If we spend our money in line with things outside of God’s will, then less than good things happen. In fact, bad things happen.
Maybe you can think of a time when you know that you spent some money outside of God’s will and bought something. That thing broke, or it never would work the way that it should. You’ve experienced the reality of this verse. The call here, though, is to bless those materially who bless you spiritually. This is sometimes difficult for us as Westerners, especially Americans, to understand. It’s difficult for two reasons. The first is that we generally tend to think as Westerners and Americans that the spiritual realm is unreal. We think it’s not real because we don’t see it. What we see is real, but what we don’t see isn’t. Because we don’t think it’s real, we don’t really pay much attention to it.
The second reason is this. We tend to come at everything from a consumer mindset. We’re always looking for the best deal. Where’s the sale? Black Friday, Cyber Monday—whatever it is, we want the best deal. That works really well when it comes to buying consumer goods, but that’s not the approach we should take when it comes to kingdom things. I mentioned earlier that one of the things that I love about our church is how generous we are. Oftentimes, in many places in America, church members are really just looking for the best deal—the best staff at the cheapest price. They’re not interested in blessing those materially with a good paying job, who are blessing them spiritually.
Again, the New Testament gives us these three broad principles to consider when it comes to supporting the work financially. It sure would have been nice if Jesus or Peter or Paul or someone else would have specifically told us what Christians are to do. But, that’s not what we have. Just like in other areas of life, we may not have the exact, specific commandment, but God’s Word is sufficient. God’s Word gives us the principles that we need to make God-honoring decisions. Before we look at giving here at Hope Church specifically, I want to invite you to listen to stories from some of our own church members and what supporting the work financially has looked like for them and the things God has taught them.
(Video begins) Stephen Hayworth: “Aside from it just being the right thing to do, the monetary sacrifice is worth it to me to see people’s lives changed the same way that my life has been changed.”
Debra Green: “One reason I’m motivated to give to Hope is one that it’s just that I can be a part of something bigger than myself and really help advance the work of the kingdom. But for me, personally, I think I have benefitted so much from Hope through relationships and friendships and wise counsel and opportunities to learn and grow that that really motivates me to want to pour back into Hope.”
Anna Humphrey: “For me, it’s just another way to be a part of the ministry, especially when you’re serving and when you're going to sermons and being a part on Sunday morning. There are so many different areas that you don’t get to be a part of, and so being able to give back to the ministry not only allows you to support what is going on but just really being a part of different areas.”
Malcom Green: “Early on, especially, I struggled with all of those questions that may have been heard in one form or another. My money versus God’s money; tithing on the gross amount of my paycheck or the net amount, even to the point of negotiating with God. As silly as that sounds: ‘God, You do this, and I’ll do this and maybe just put a little extra in there for You.’ You know what? None of that really works. None of that makes sense when you get right down to it, because it is about that personal relationship between me and God and us as a couple.”
Scott & Lesley Slaughter: “Just thinking about how things work, you know. If God created the universe, then everything is His. He’s given us the ability to have what we have, and He’s also given us an opportunity to share in the work that He has here with the church. So, it’s important to us to give to the work out of respect for God, and we feel like Hope Church uses the money well, too. So, it makes it even easier to give.”
John & Emily Belew: “Practically, just thinking in terms of being a member and benefiting from being a part of Hope Church, coming in and recognizing you have to rent the space, and somebody has to keep the utilities running. We need air. To be able to host and have people be welcoming and inviting and to host with excellence is going to take money. So if we’re not helping fund that, then who is?”
Anna Humphrey: “You can get into this mentality of ‘I don’t have the money to tithe or to give back to the church.” Whatever that’s going to look like, but as you do give and as you do really support the ministry, I’ve just really seen that God has blessed that. I’ve never come to the end of the month, or I’ve come to the point where I’ve needed to pay a bill and not had the money.”
Woody Hatch: “One of the things that I think is left out when we talk about giving, just in general even in our little circles, is the fact that God blesses us or He rewards us by continuing to bless us. If I look back and go, ‘Are my needs for living met?’ If they are, that’s a blessing. Anything above that is a blessing, so when I see that over the past week or whatever I’ve given, the Lord blesses me the next week. Then, I don’t deserve that.”
Scott Slaughter: “When I was in college, I decided to start giving to the church, and I wasn’t making a ton of money. And, my money wasn’t consistent, so just to kind of make things simple and get started, I was giving $20 a week to the church that I was attending. It kind of...I got into a crunch financially. It would be towards the end of the pay period, but I hadn’t gotten my next paycheck. I was driving between Stephenville and Granbury to go to school, and I didn’t have enough money to get gas to go to school for the next week. Ultimately, I could have asked my parents, and they probably would have helped me out. But, I was trying to grow up and be responsible to myself and handle things. Then, I went out to go get the mail that day, and I found a check for about $8.60. It was from a job that I had quit about a year and a half ago that I didn’t even know I was going to get for some vacation time that I never took. That gave me enough money to carry through to get gas to go to school the next day to get my next paycheck and then to be okay again. It was a small instance where God kind of brought something totally out of left field that I wasn’t expecting and helped me get through financially. Even though I was giving at that time, He came through. It was a small thing, but it was a big thing at the same time. I won’t ever forget.”
Lesley Slaughter: “For a while, I had two jobs, and one of them didn’t have steady hours. We would always just make a point of every time I would receive the pay stub, I would text Scott how much. And, we would tithe. We had just been going through a series of hard times, and I don’t even remember what they were at the time, but I do remember it being a stressful period in our lives. I remember Scott saying, ‘Have we tithed everything we should have? Let’s just double check our math and make sure everything’s right with God.’ We checked, and maybe we had missed something to tithe. I think it was within a week, or it was something very immediately after, I received a really unexpected bonus from work. I had been through a really stressful work time, and it was like, ‘Hey, we recognize that you’re doing all this work. Good job!” It was just really evident. We had been really stressed going through some kind of hard times, making sure we were right with God with what we needed to do. It was just a really nice way of God to say, ‘Hey, yes, you are doing a good job, and even your employer is recognizing that.”
Emily Belew: “We don’t have a story that’s a specific, ‘We gave this amount, and we got a check in the mail for that much, etc.’ But, we’ve definitely felt called to give our tithe to Hope and to try to give above and beyond that and to try to establish some push goals there. Even though we’ve done that, we’ve found that God has consistently met our needs.”
Woody Hatch: “The advice that I would give to someone who is contemplating giving is to seek out Scripture. That’s what started me. That’s what made me realize that I needed to give was because in Scripture it tells us we need to do this. Even if you’re earning $10 or if you’re earning $10 million, it is a requirement for us to do that, and Scripture is clear on that.”
Lesley Slaughter: “It’s just been a really wonderful way that God has just proved over time His faithfulness, just in little ways. And, we’ve seen His faithfulness over and over again, so I would just encourage people to take that step. It just helps. Our relationship with God is much closer. It’s just been a wonderful example of what living open-handedly...just the blessings that come from that. As we teach our kids the same thing, you know, they ask.They’re very inquisitive. They ask lots of questions about ‘Why are we doing this?’ You know, as they are starting to earn money for some things, ‘Why do we give out of the firstfruits to God?’ We explain that, and we talk about being open-handed and how none of it is ours. It’s really all God’s, and we’re just here to be good stewards. It’s not only a wonderful opportunity for you to see God’s faithfulness, but it’s really neat for kids to see that, as well, at a young age.”
Stephen Hayworth: “God really does want to see if you’re going to trust Him, but as you do trust Him, God will show you that He will… God will show His love and His care in providing what you need.”
John & Emily Belew: “By giving, it seems, for some reason, to have an impact on our overall perspective of what we do have. It seems like after having started to give on a consistent basis and even make an effort to give above and beyond what we thought we needed to give, it’s made it where we have this contentment with what we have. Then, we find ourselves more often in this position where we have...God’s provided for us, and there's probably an opportunity to give even more again.”
Malcom & Debra Green: “The true to real happens when I experience for myself, and that’s going to be the same for anybody else, any other individual. So if you’re looking at starting to give or giving more than you have been, God’s going to meet you where you’re at. If He communicates that that’s what you should do, move forward and experience what He has for you, because every person is going to be different.” (Video ends)
Pastor Matt: I’d like to wrap up by talking for a few moments about what giving looks like here at Hope Church. Giving at Hope Church looks like this. First, we team together to support the work financially. This has been our practice for over 42 years. We don’t have an endowment. We don’t have a wealthy benefactor. We don’t get some special funding from the government or from some other organization. But rather, we all team together. We team together to make things happen. In fact in this year already in the first three quarters of 2020, that’s January 1 through September 30th. We as a church have teamed together and given over $1.1 million to our general fund.
Our general fund is the fund that we do ministry from, that we operate from. That’s different from special designated giving, like our Christmas offering or mission trips or something like that. Because of your giving, we’re able to pay the utilities and the maintenance and the mortgage on this property we have here. Because of your giving, we’re able to pay our staff that lead out in and support the different areas of ministry. Because of your giving, we’re able to have and host and update and maintain our website that we have. For those of you who are watching this service online right now, you’re directly experiencing that benefit.
Also because of your giving, most Sundays we’re able to have coffee. Some special Sundays we have doughnuts or other refreshments. You see, you actually make the ministry happen through your faithful and generous giving. As you give to Hope Church, we strive to be the best stewards of the money that you give to God’s work. So for those of you who may be newer to Hope Church or you just didn’t know this or heard it once and forgot it, I want to share a few things with you about our financial practices—how we seek to be the best stewards with the money that you give to God through the church.
One is the staff works with a budget. We actually have a budget—a budget that is approved by our board of directors. In unique times like we’re living in right now, we make adjustments to the budget so that it is operating within reality but also there’s a faith edge. God has called us to a mission, and we still have a mission to accomplish. So, we work with a budget. We also keep a full set of financial reports. We have income statements, balance sheets, etc. We have a part-time accountant, who does all the operational accounting for us and oversees our financial management. But in addition to that, we have a treasurer—a treasurer who is not a paid staff member but a volunteer—someone who was appointed by the board of directors to review all of the work that our staff accountant does checking the journals and the reconciliations and all of those things. They look at our monthly financials, as well as the financial practices that we have.
We have a board of directors. They meet on a quarterly basis to review the financial statements and ask questions if questions need to be asked. They hear an update from our treasurer. We also have an annual review on our financials. Every third year we have a full-blown audit, so we have an outside company that we pay money to to review and let us know how we’re doing, making sure that we’re keeping everything in accordance to the law and everything in accordance with how we want to keep it so that we can honor God with our finances and the management of it here at Hope Church.
We also send out quarterly giving statements to everyone who contributes to Hope Church, so that they can review their own giving year to date and give us feedback if perhaps something doesn’t look right to them. Maybe we missed something. Then, we also give quarterly financial updates to our members covering broad things of how we’re doing, how our giving looks, and how the expenses are going, so that people have an idea of what’s happening with the finances. Those are just a few things that I wanted you to know about how we manage the contributions that you give to Hope Church for God’s work.
Here at Hope we strive to give in a God-honoring way. I want to share four key components of what I believe make up giving in a God-honoring way. First one is to give systematically. Whether we’re conscious of it or not, we have systems to do the things that are important. Brushing your teeth is important. I bet most of you have a system that you may not even know you have. You put your toothpaste on your toothbrush the same way, and you start brushing on the same side. And, you have this rhythm and motion that you use to brush your teeth.
Guys, for those of us who shave, you have a system as you shave. You start in the same spot, and you end in the same spot. So, we have systems for the things that are important. Because giving is important, we need to have a system for giving. For most who participate in giving to the work financially, your system is tied to when you get paid. If you get paid weekly, then you probably give weekly. If you get paid monthly, then you give monthly or however you get paid. Then, that is tied to your system of giving.
For me personally, one of the best systems that I implemented a number years ago is to automate my giving. I get paid every two weeks on a Friday, and I have worked through our online giving platform and set things up so that on a certain day a certain amount is given. I know that it’s just happening automatically. I don’t have to worry about being behind in my giving because I have automated that. That helps me honor God with my finances. So, having a system is important.
Next, we give proportionally. That means that the more income we have the more we can give. Some give less because they make less. Others give more because they make more. When you think about things with the tithe, the tithe is just a really great way to give proportionately. Ten percent is ten percent regardless of what it’s ten percent of. Ten percent of a dollar is ten cents. Ten percent of a thousand dollars is a hundred dollars. Ten percent of a million dollars is a hundred thousand dollars. So, we give proportionally.
Then, sacrificial—there are times when God calls us to give above and beyond and to sacrifice for what He’s leading us to be a part of. I mentioned earlier our Christmas Offering. That’s a time of year that we give above and beyond sacrificially with our offerings. one of the ways God often grows people spiritually is calling us to give in a sacrificial way. Maybe it’s a long-term sacrificial gift, or maybe He just wants us to be a part of a certain thing. And, that’s the way that He is calling us to step up. One of my favorite stories in the Old Testament of sacrificial giving involves King David, when he is called by God to make a burnt offering. The problem was that David was traveling around and didn’t have a field. He didn’t have an animal. He didn't have the wood for the fire. He didn’t have what he needed to give God this burnt offering.
So, David finds a plot of land and talks to the land owner. The man says, “My king, take it! It’s yours!” Listen to David’s response. He says, “I insist on buying it, for I will not present burnt offerings to the Lord my God that have cost me nothing.” Sometimes God calls us to give in a sacrificial way to honor Him. Finally, we give in a God-honoring way when we give cheerfully. “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
The fourth component of giving in a God-honoring way is to give cheerfully. What I’ve experienced and what I know many of you have experienced is that over time the amount that I can give cheerfully increases. Maybe starting out, if you’ve never given, what you can give cheerfully and not under compulsion or reluctantly is a really small amount. Now, I look forward to being able to give more in a cheerful way. Why we do that is because the longer we’ve walked with Jesus the more change that we’ve seen Him do in our life, the more we want to give back in a cheerful way for so much that He has done for us.
So, here at Hope Church we strive to give in a God-honoring way, but ultimately, it’s about our whole-hearted devotion. It’s not about the money. Do you remember what Jesus said? “For where your treasure is there your heart will be also.” Our heart tends to follow our treasure. God is ultimately after our heart, and what we do with our treasure or our money is a good indication of where our heart is. He invites us to participate by supporting the work of the local church. Now, depending on where you are and what your experience with supporting the work financially has looked like, here’s a couple of ways to practice Heart Attitude number six.
A great beginner step is to pray about participating in the Christmas Offering that we’ll be launching in a couple of weeks. Another one is to just give for the very first time. If you’ve never given, give for the very first time, and give in an identifiable way. What I mean by that is don’t just drop a couple of bucks in the basket by themselves, but actually put it in an envelope with your name on it. Or, give through our online platform. Or, give through our “text to give” giving. But, give in an identifiable way.
An intermediate step is to commit to the full tithe. Give ten percent of your income to God’s work. Or, an advanced one is to give beyond the tithe, maybe 11% or 12% or whatever God leads you to. Then look for other ways to give and bless others. As you think about participating financially, I want to encourage you to ask the Lord what it would mean for you to give in a God-honoring way. Let’s pray.
Father, thank You that You own everything. Thank You that You’re so gracious and You’re so generous to us. Thank You for our members and attenders who have faithfully and generously given to support the work of the ministry here at Hope Church for more than 42 years. Father, please show us what our next steps are in this area of life, and then give us the courage to take those steps. I ask this in the name of Jesus. Amen.
