The Hezekiah Commitment

Last month I preached a sermon on Biblical Giving.  At the end of that sermon (you can see the notes here) I reference a commitment to lead like Hezekiah does in II Chronicles.  I wanted to take some time to expand on that here.

Too often, churches accept the current state of things because that's the way they have been.  Leaders are guilty of the same drift.  Churches and leaders both get tired, worn out, and become paralyzed from continuing to pursue Godly change and repentance.  We stop asking the hard questions, stop looking for the areas to grow in.  I believe that giving and finances are one of those areas in the church.

We have accepted "giving to the church", the tithe, the need for buildings, programs, and debt as proper uses of how the church should handle her finances.  But in studying the scriptures on this subject I found some eye-opening realities.

The first and most challenge was the relative smallness of the "tithe" in all of scripture.  The tithe (meaning tenth) only consisted of a portion of the overall giving to the tabernacle/temple and priests in the Old Testament.  The tithe did not include sacrifices, offerings, freewill offerings, and many other forms of giving or sacrifice.  Why did we zero in on the tithe?  The NT only references in 3 locations, twice speaking against the legalism which it represented and once in referring to Melchizedek and Abraham.  So why do we perpetuate this concept?  I believe it limits our freedom in giving, uses a concept that is strange to people not raised in the church, and is not true to the NT heart of giving.  There is no where in the New Testament the idea that a tenth of what we have should be "given to the church".  You just won't find it.

So what does the NT say about followers of Jesus and giving (since it says so little about tithing)?  Well first and foremost it covers the same themes from the Old Testament.  Giving should be for the benefit of widows, orphans, those in hardships, the poor, and those working on the church (preaching, teaching, etc).  Too many churches today make business decisions with their money, not spiritual decisions.  I know the arguments against this stance.  That spending money on programs and buildings allows us to reach more people for Jesus.  Make that argument if you want, but the bottom line is you won't find support for that kind of thinking in the scriptures.  Money is meant to be a means of grace in the lives of those around us, not a way to attract the masses.

So my commitment is this.  As far as I am concerned, 4 categories take precedence in all financial decisions using money given by the church:
1)Caring for widows, orphans, and others in hardships.
2)Caring for the poor and impoverished.
3)Supplying the needs of those working on the church.
4)Supplying the needs of those spreading the Gospel globally.

I understand this leaves off a lot of what we do with money in the current church environment.  Am I saying the other uses of money are evil?  No, but what I am saying is that we have lost our priorities.  And I believe that when we pursue this kind of integrity with our spending as a church, we will see God move like He did in II Chronicles 29-31.

Biblical Giving: Sermon from 7/24/11

Biblical Giving

1. Who/What Should We Give To?
1. Widows, Orphans, and other Hardship Cases
1. Widows and Orphans are to be looked after by family first and then the church
1. God provided for the widows and orphans to be provided for through the giving of the nation of Israel
2. Psalm 68:5, “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”
3. Psalm 72:4, “May he defend the cause of the poor of the people, give deliverance to the children of the needy, and crush the oppressor!”
4. I Timothy 5:3-8, “Honor widows who are truly widows. But if a widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show godliness to their own household and to make some return to their parents, for this is pleasing in the sight of God. She who is truly a widow, left all alone, has set her hope on God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day, but she who is self-indulgent is dead even while she lives. Command these things as well, so that they may be without reproach. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 
5. I Timothy 5:16, “If any believing woman has relatives who are widows, let her care for them. Let the church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.”
6. James 1:27, “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.”
7. Bottom line: Giving by us as individuals and by the church should be for the benefit of the widows and orphans
2. Other hardships
1. Single moms and dads(b/c of divorce, unwed mothers, military wives, etc)
2. Elderly
3. Mentally/Physically challenged
2. Poor
1. God also always cared for and provided for the poor
1. Deut 15:11, “For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land.’” 
2. Psalm 35:10, “All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?” 
3. Proverbs 14:31, “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the needy honors him.”
2. As soon as the church was formed, they began to care for the poor
1. Acts 2:45, “And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.” 
2. Acts 4:34-35, “There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need.”
3. Romans 15:26, “For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem.”
4. It ought to be a top priority for the church to fight against poverty and the oppression of the poor
3. It is NOT someone else’s responsibility
1. Because we are being shaped into His image, we should look more and more like Him.  If He defends the cause of the poor, so should we
4. Don’t forget the principles
1. Family, church, friends, neighbors
1. Don’t give $20 to a commercial that made you cry when there’s a single mom in your church family who couldn’t buy milk this week
3. Those Who Work ON The Church
1. In the OT, any of the offerings not burned on the altar fed the levites who had no land inheritance.  In fact, all references to tithe in the first 5 books of the Bible refer to supplying the need of the levites.
2. In the NT
1. Jesus refers to the “worker being worthy of his wages”
1. Luke 10:7, “And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.”
2. Paul encourages the church to supply for those who devote themselves to working on the church
1. Gal 6:6, “One who is taught the word must share all good things with the one who teaches.”
2. I Cor 9:9-11, “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 speak entirely 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?”
3. I Tim 5:17, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
3. However, those who receive a wage from the church family have a responsibility to be example stewards
1. In Spending, Saving, and Giving
2. How Much Should I Give?
1. A Tithe?
1. The tithe referred to a tenth part given of grain and other produce to help feed the levites and the widows, orphans, sojourners, and poor
2. Overall giving according to the law actually came out to as much as 25% of their gross
3. Tithe is only mentioned twice by Jesus and both time the legalism of the pharisees is being called out
4. There is NO NT precedent for the phrase tithe, in fact the tithe was small compared to all the other giving in the OT
2. So How Much...
1. Should I give if I don’t have much...
1. Give out of what you have
1. Luke 21:1-3, “Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.”
2. Give out of JOY in Christ
1. II Corinthians 8:1-5, “We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.”
2. Should I give if I am rich in this present world...
1. Store up treasure in heaven!
1. Luke 12:33-34, “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
2. Give as much as is possible to increase your joy!
1. I Tim 6:17-19, “As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”
3. No Matter How Much You Have, Giving Should Be...
1. Joyful
2. Generous
3. Regular
4. Sacrificial
3. We Give Because Jesus Gave
1. God came to GIVE!
1. Luke 4:18-19, ““The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 
2. Matthew 20:28, “even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 
2. The Gospel is about GIVING!
1. II Cor 8:9, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich.”
3. My commitment as A leader at Round Lake to live out these principles
1. We will make all financial decisions with much prayer
2. My values will always be the poor, the widows, orphans, other hardships, those who work hard on the church, and the global spreading of the gospel.
3. Anything that stands in the way of these principles I will preach against!
1. Debt: we will begin formulating a definite plan to eliminate our debt as quickly as possible.
2. My II Chronicles 31 commitment
1. II Chron 31:20-21, “Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah, and he did what was good and right and faithful before the Lord his God. And every work that he undertook in the service of the house of God and in accordance with the law and the commandments, seeking his God, he did with all his heart, and prospered.”

Hitchhiking Through Life

I've been doing a lot of reading in Genesis and a book entitled The Millenials by Thom and Jess Ranier.  The story of God developing the line of Jesus through Abraham has really gotten me thinking about how God is absolutely in control.  Even in the details.

The millenials are the generation born between 1980 and 2000, the largest generation America has ever known numerically.  They are now entering the workforce and facing some interesting issues.  But the one thing that continues to stand out to me is their sense of destiny.  They want to do something great, to change the world.

As the story of Abraham's family and the stories of the millenial generation intersect in my mind, the question of God's involvement in our lives stands out to me.  Joseph, Abraham's great-grandson, had to endure a near death experience from his brothers, being sold into slavery, falsely accused of sexual harassment, imprisonment, and being forgotten by the one person who could get him out.  But eventually, Joseph would see God bring about purpose in his life.

But what mattered more for Joseph was not the destination, but how he got there.  So many of us between 20 and 30 are trying to hitchhike our way to our perceived destination, looking for someone to give us a ride.  But there are no free rides to greatness.  God is working things out in our lives and our only responsibility is to be concerned with the present, how we live today.

If I could encourage my generation with one word it would be this, process.  God's end in our lives IS the process.  It is not so much about where we end up, but the how we get there.  Stop worrying about tomorrow, your 5 year plan, or what you want the world to look like after you change it.  Begin to focus on what God is laying in front of you right now.  Maybe you just need to get a job.  Maybe you just need to read your Bible today.  Maybe you just need to meet your neighbor.  But if we want to be a generation that changes the world, then please can we stop looking for someone to pick us up and give us a ride there.  Get out there and do something today.

Diagram of Identities (mostly borrowed from Soma Communities)

I am working on some things regarding what it means to be a church, especially what that should look like structurally.  I believe that God is calling our attention to examine our structures and what they say about what we believe theologically.  I picked up on this from Soma Communities in Tacoma, WA a while ago (thanks Jesse Kegg) and have been praying and thinking about it.  You can see their full identities and rhythms here.

This diagram is meant to help the church examine her main identities, with worshipers being the central identity that informs all the others.  It is also interesting that these identities are not just true for the church, but for anyone that worships anything (which is all of us.)  Take sports for example.  If you worship a sports team, then you will belong to a family (the fanbase), you will be a missionary (trying to convince others why your team is the best), you will sacrificially serve for the sake of the team (miss bdays, have people over to watch the game, etc.), and you will learn as much as you can about the team.  I would love to hear the thoughts of others on this.  Any feedback would be much appreciated.