WHAT MAKES SIERRA TICK, PART#6

Our Philosophy of Ministry
by Paul Null, Former Teaching Pastor

INVESTING IN PEOPLE

"So, how much will it cost me?" was the question a man interested in attending our Worship Services put to one of our pastors recently. His assumption was that being involved with Christianity required some kind of monetary payment to the church. I've run into lots of people who have that idea. Perhaps it's because the church and Christian leaders in general have a reputation for asking for money all of the time. I remember listening to a radio preacher spend 25 minutes of a 30 minute program pleading for money (I timed him specifically). Many Christian ministries are so embarrassed by the tactics of those who do plead for funds on a regular basis that they shy away from mentioning money at all. We at Sierra find ourselves in the latter circle. Our own Worship Leader prefaces every Sunday offering with the disclaimer that, "God doesn't need your money and we don't want anyone who is visiting to feel under any kind of pressure to give to our ministry. You are our guests!"

But the reality is this; God has chosen to finance his work on the earth through the gifts of his people. It is important therefore for us to understand what the Scriptures have to say about the subject of finances and the Lord's work..

Whenever church finances are discussed the first thing that usually comes to mind is the word "tithe." Tithe is from a Hebrew word which means "to take a tenth of" and is used in the Bible to describe the standard amount for offerings to the Lord's work during Old Testament times (Leviticus 27:30,32). The question is, should tithing be practiced by Christians today?

Although all of the instruction concerning the tithe is provided in the Law of Moses, tithing came upon the biblical scene hundreds of years before Moses and the institution God's Law through him. The first record we have is when Abraham offered a tithe of the spoils of war to the mysterious figure Melchizedek who was King of Salem (Jerusalem) and "a priest of God most high" (Genesis 14:17-20). Historians tells us that tithing was an ancient and general practice among most people of that day. It represented the ownership of all things by the King and/or god and the submission of the offerer to his rule. It appears that this idea was carried over into the Bible. In tithing to God's priest rather than the King of Sodom Abraham was declaring his allegiance and acknowledging where the spoil really came from.

There are four definitive passages on tithing in the Law of Moses (Leviticus 27:30-33; Numbers 18:21-32; Deuteronomy 12:5-19; 14:22-29). These all simply assume that tithing was known to the people and specify how it is to be collected and distributed. It is important to note that tithing was dealt with apart from the rest of the Law. It was associated with personal vows and no punishments for the failure to tithe were spelled out. Tithing, even under the Law, was the voluntary testimony of the individual that everything he possessed was provided by the Lord and placed at his disposal to be used in submission to the Lord.

Another form of offering also surfaced in the Old Testament economy and was later called the "freewill offering" (Exodus 25:2; 35:5, 21-22; 36:3; Deuteronomy 15:11; 16:10). If the tithe was measured and characterized by regularity, the freewill offering was varied and spontaneous. If the tithe testified of God's sovereignty and the believer's submission, the freewill offering testified of God's graciousness and generosity and the believer's gratitude. If tithing was reverential, the freewill offering was celebratory. If tithing met the ongoing needs of ministry, the freewill offering was used for crisis situations and special projects.

It is in the context of one of these crisis needs that the New Testament teaching is found. The Apostle Paul was organizing a one time collection for the needy believers in Jerusalem and he had given the Corinthian believers the opportunity to participate. They were to bring their special offerings on the first day of the week when they regularly met (1 Corinthians 16:1-3) to be stored until he could come and collect them. This was completely separate from their ongoing financial support for the Lord's work in their own community. It is in this context that he makes profound statements about the heart of the giver and the promise of God.

The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly,
and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of
you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to
provide you with every blessing in abundance, so that by always having
enough of everything, you may share abundantly in every good work.
(2 Corinthians 9:6-8)

Paul's appeal is completely in line with the Old Testament pattern for freewill offerings (Proverbs 11:24; 22:9; Deuteronomy 15:20; 1 Chronicles 29:6,9, 16-17). So rather than instituting a new approach to giving called "grace giving" in contrast with tithing, as is taught by some, Paul was simply following the pattern established early in biblical history and thereby validating its continuance.

In summary we could say that supporting the Lord's work financially has always been and continues to be a voluntary and personal thing. The pattern for regular giving as a testimony of God's ownership of all things and our submission to him has been and continues to be a tithe (10%) of what he has provided. The pattern for special projects and crisis needs as a testimony of gratitude for God's generosity and graciousness to us is the freewill offering. Giving to the Lord's work is truly a personal act of worship between the giver and the Lord.

At Sierra we will let you know when needs and opportunities arise but you will never be pressured to give. God has always provided for our needs and more and we are most concerned that those who do invest in his work with us do so cheerfully.

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