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DO YOU NEED SOMETHING PRINTED?
Pray For Our Nation
Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus
Pray for our leaders
1 Timothy 2
1 I exhort
therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving
of thanks, be made for ALL MEN;
2 For kings,
and for ALL that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.
3 For this is
good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
Tell Terry Field
Our Home Town
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I saw this on the website of
Parkview Christian Church in Chicago, Illinois while looking for a Steven Curtis
Chapman Concert date and I thought you would like it as much as I did.
Imagine God calling together a group of people and asking
them this question: "How would you advise me on financing my work in your
world?" (Yes, it's a ridiculous scenario, but give it a try.)
- One fellow says, "Well, I think you should avoid
pressuring people. You should encourage them to give, and teach them to give,
but not twist their arms using guilt or emotional manipulation."
- Another says, "I think you should be fair about it;
find a way for everyone to make an equal sacrifice."
- A young college student disagrees: "No, I think
those who have been given more should be expected to give more."
- A retired gentleman offers this: "It would be nice
if you could promise to reward them in some way for their generosity."
- A teenager asks, "Is there any way you could make
giving fun - not like a duty, but something enjoyable?"
- A school teacher counters with this: "But what's so
bad about duty? I think duty can be a very positive motivation."
- A business owner suggests, "I think you should have
people be organized about it. They should give every week, or every two
weeks."
- A quiet woman speaks up: "You should give people
some priority guidelines - like start with their own local church, and then go
beyond that to other organizations or projects."
- A person who never attends church offers this: "I
wish that you would get the members of the church to give as a habit, so that
when people like me come in, we don't have to be pressured for money. Then, if
we decide to stay, we can get on board too."
It takes money...
What advice would you give? It takes money to keep a
church going and growing - money to pay rents and mortgages, money for paper and
postage, money for computers and copiers, money for salaries and charities. A
church that doesn't care enough to give probably won't go very far ... and
you'll probably agree, that's how it should be.
Generosity, sacrifice, commitment, caring ... they
aren't just financial issues; they're spiritual issues too. That's why money
management with a spiritual dimension - often called Christian stewardship - is
an important dimension of spiritual growth. As we face this issue, most of us
discover that we're more materialistic than we'd like to admit. Jesus said it
pretty straight: "You can't serve God and money," and "Where your treasure is,
there your heart is also."
At Parkview Christian Church we ask our members to be
highly committed financially so that our needs are met without having to
pressure people or barrage them with emergency appeals. We're all in this
together, and we believe God can do great things with people who are learning
how to give.
Biblical Background
Jesus loved to tell stories about people handling
money. (Scripture references are provided so you can look them up on your own.)
Again, according to Jesus, giving wasn't an "unspiritual" subject, but rather
our spirituality is very strongly connected to our generosity (Luke 16:10-13;
Luke 12:13-21; Matthew 6:19-21, 24-34). The apostle Paul also frequently
addressed our attitudes towards money and giving (1Timothy 6:8-10, 17-19), and
the early church set a wonderful example for us in generous living (Acts
2:42-47, Acts 4:32-37). The Old Testament is similarly full of timeless
financial wisdom with great relevance for us today - especially those of us who
feel unable to give because we haven't learned to manage their finances wisely
(Deuteronomy 8:10-18, Proverbs 6:6-11, Proverbs 28:20, Proverbs 21:25-26, 22:7,
Proverbs 22:26-27).
Summary
Taken together, the Biblical pattern for giving
fulfills all of the common-sense suggestions raised in our imaginary scenario
above. In summary, according to Scripture, committed Christians give:
- GRATEFULLY... They know that God is
the source and ultimate owner of all they have anyway. They are so grateful
for his provision that they give as a way of saying "Thank you!" (2
Corinthians 9:6-15, Proverbs 3:9-10)
- SACRIFICIALLY... They understand
that Christ gave himself for us, and so they joyfully present all they are and
have back to God as a "living sacrifice." They learn to "give until it hurts"
and then give a little more ... until it feels good! (Romans 12:1-2, 8; 2
Corinthians 8:1-9)
- PROPORTIONALLY... They try to give
as high a percentage of their income as possible, recognizing that 100% of
what they earn and have is a gift from God, and seeing the tithe (10%) as a
long-established Biblical benchmark which may well be exceeded as they
prosper. (Genesis 14:18-20; Leviticus 27:30,32; Malachi 3:8-10, Luke 14:33, 2
Corinthians 8:13 - 15)
- REGULARLY... As resources flow in,
they offer the "first-fruits" back to God, desiring to honor God with a
portion of all they earn. They don't just give on occasional impulse, but
instead, giving for them is a regular, planned part of their budgeting
process. (1 Corinthians 16:1-2, Proverbs 3:9-10)
- LOCALLY... Knowing that they claim
this church as their spiritual home, they support the church staff and
programs from which they derive benefit. (I Timothy 5:17-18, I Corinthians
9:13-14)
- GENEROUSLY... As they are able,
they contribute to the cause of Christ at a community and global level with
the possessions and money that God has entrusted to them. Inspired by both the
example of Christ and the greatness of needs around them, they don't hold
back. (2 Corinthians 9:6-11)
- CHEERFULLY... They give their
offering not just to an organization, but rather to God - and they give
willingly, and not under compulsion, but with a spirit of joyful worship as
their resources flow out to serve others. Knowing that God gives so
extravagantly to them and will provide for them, they seek to follow His
example and want to give willingly. (2 Corinthians 9:5-7)
- EXPECTANTLY... Counting on God's
promise of provision, they anticipate seeing God work in their own
lives-including financially-as they give. They see giving not as a "loss," but
rather as a "gain." (Luke 6:38, 2 Corinthians 9:6-14, Malachi 3:8-10)
Request and Challenge
If Parkview Christian Church is your church home, we
hope that you will look at your income, and make a decision on a regular
percentage to give weekly, biweekly, monthly, etc. Although we do not present
the 10% giving level (tithing) as a requirement or burden, we recommend it as a
benchmark and goal for committed members of the Parkview community. If you feel
unable or not ready to give at that level, we encourage you to start at a level
you feel good about (perhaps 3% or 5% or 7%) and then increase it as you are
able. We believe that giving is an important part of our worship and
discipleship as Christians.
Our finances are handled according to professional
standards and are overseen by our Elders and Management Team (MT), which
carefully prepares and monitors our budgets each year. If you have questions
about our finances, please contact Wayne Krahn, the MT member who serves as our
financial officer at
Wayne.Krahn@parkviewchurch.com
or 708-478-7477, Ext. 205
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