A Pastoral Letter from Roger Simpson & Matthew Porter

Biblical Wisdom for Financial Giving

                                                                           3^rd May 2009

Dear friends

The Bible tells us a number of helpful things about money and giving, including:

• God is good and is the ultimate resource provider (James 1:17)
• All our resources (100%) come from God and belong to him (1 Chron 29:14)
• Earning money is good; being in excessive debt is not good (Nehemiah 51-6)
• We are to pray & ask God to provide for our financial needs (Matt 6:5-33)
• Money management & planning makes good sense (Prov 21:5; 2 Cor 9:7)
• Giving is good - both for the giver and the recipient (2 Cor 9:8-9)
• As we give, our good God gives us more so we can give again (2 Cor 9:10-11)
• We should teach and model these principles to our children (Deut 11:13-21)

There are 3 main models of financial giving encouraged in the bible.

1.  GENEROSITY                            (see 2 Corinthians 9:6; 1 Timothy 6:18; Romans 12:8)

Giving generously is the first and foundational way of giving.  It is a core value which should undergird all financial gifts and offerings.  As we give in this way we are called to mirror God, who generously gives to us.

Generosity is difficult to measure because it is an attitude of the heart.  Generosity is not about how much, but about how greatly we can help, bless, encourage and equip others with the resources God had given us.

2.  TITHING                      (see Malachi 3:10; 2 Chronicles 31:5; Nehemiah 10:37)

As we seek to live and give generously, many Christians see tithing as a good basis for financial giving.  Tithing is a particular model of giving.  It is the practice of giving away the first 10% of income.  In the Old Testament this was given at the place of worship and so many see this as a good bench-mark figure for giving to church.  In the bible, tithing was done as a mark of gratitude for the past and as a way of trusting God for the future. 

Committing and planning to give the first 10% of income tests our faith; that is why money management and planning is important (see above).  Bible passages related to tithing promise that God will provide more than enough in response to our tithe - indeed the blessing back will be truly wonderful.  God understands that some of us find the thought of giving 10% potentially uncomfortable - that is why one of the key bible passages on tithing includes the unusual promise that God does not mind us putting him to the test to see if the blessing we receive back will be as good as he says! (see Malachi 3:10).  Roger Simpson and Matthew Porter give at least a tithe of their income to church (plus additional occasional offerings) and we have found that God is always faithful to this promise.

3.  SACRIFICE                                             (see Mark 12:41-44; Mark 10:17-21)

Sacrificial giving is a third model of giving.  This is the most demanding way of giving money in that it goes beyond generosity and tithing.  Sacrificial giving is measured not by the amount we give, but by the amount we keep back.  It is giving that really stretches and involves not spending our money as we had perhaps planned and instead giving that money away. 

We have found that there are occasions in our lives when God has challenged us to give in this way, especially when money is needed for a special project or some particular circumstance.  The prime example of this kind of giving is found in Mark 12:41-44 where a widow gives away all the money she has.

GIVING TO ST MICHAEL LE BELFREY

As you consider your giving to St Michael's, may we encourage you to read these Scriptures and then pray, asking the Lord what he is calling you to do.

Please do be generous - because this is basic to all Christian giving.  Please also take seriously the idea of tithing.  Some people find the thought of giving the first 10% simply too much.  Many think this at first.  If this is you, we would recommend that you do what the bible says and ‘test God in this' (Malachi 3:10).  If this still seems impossible, why not consider, say, 5% this year, and increase by 1% each year until you reach 10% in 5 years time.  Clearly this is a big commitment and will require good financial planning.  If you tithe, the bible says that both the recipient and the giver will be blessed. 

You may have very good reasons not to tithe, particularly if your spouse is not a believer. What you give is a matter between you and God, but at the very least please give regularly and generously, as part of your Christian discipleship and commitment to St Michael's.  Thank you.

Yours in Christ