Giving and Receiving

Marty writes concerning the tithe …

I give because I have desire to give. I give because of God’s love and giving is an expression of God’s love (Jn. 3:16). Concerning generous giving, even Paul said, “I want you to excel also in this gracious act of giving. I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches (NLT, 2 Cor. 8:7,8).”

Therefore, by what Paul suggests, it is our giving that is the measuring unit for expressing our love. It is not our love for Christ that is measured by our giving; but our love for Christ grows out of our relationship we have with Him. When we give out of love, especially to the poor & needy, then we give to God.

From Christianity Today:

American Christians’ lack of generosity might not be as shocking if it didn’t contrast so starkly with their astounding wealth. Passing the Plate’s researchers say committed American Christians—those who say their faith is very important to them and those who attend church at least twice a month—earn more than $2.5 trillion dollars every year. On their own, these Christians could be admitted to the G7, the group of the world’s seven largest economies. Smith and his coauthors estimate that if these Christians gave away 10 percent of their after-tax earnings, they would add another $46 billion to ministry around the world.

This kind of money matters. Smith says he embarked on his study after discovering the difference a healthy church budget could make for a church youth group. Working on Soul Searching, his 2006 book about the religious lives of teenagers, Smith says, “It was clear how much churches can do when they put up the money for hiring a good youth minister or putting programs in place.”

His inside look into church spending opened his eyes to the limits of church giving. This is pretty pathetic, he remembers thinking.

Bryan writes in response to the above: 

The state of American Christianity that is explained above should not propell believers to give legalistically, but rather to examine our hearts.  Jesus said for “where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21), and Paul wrote in 2 Corinithians 9:7 that each “one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  Where is the heart of the American Christian?  Lord have mercy on us.