Generosity #3 Series

But what does all this Old Testament talk have to do with us right? Didn’t Jesus come and fulfill the law so that we are no longer bound by any of these old time rituals right? Oh, if the answers were just so simple. Yes. Jesus came and fulfilled the law. No. We are not bound by the law. However, the writer of Hebrews in the New Testament makes quite a case in chapter 7 that Christ’s royal priesthood was superior to the one formerly recognized order of Aaron and if Abram the one God chose to be the father of the chosen people paid homage to a priestly King than shouldn’t we?. The author goes on in the next 3 chapters to show how the new covenant, the new sanctuary and Christ’s sacrifice, are more important than those defined in the Old Testament rules and regulations. The writer expounds in detail that Jesus calls us to a standard of the heart, not an arbitrary percentage but an action which demonstrates our willingness, reverence and love for God. This is where it get’s hard for us as Christians. We need to review the practices of old, wrestle with the deeper meaning of the new and ask ourselves, what is God’s perfect intent in this?

Christ’s coming, dying and rising shatters the talk of duty. The tithe was never to be an action of requirement or a “have to” because the moment it does, we diminish the original intent. It was supposed to be a response to God’s blessings. It is an act of love. It’s a celebration of what we “get to” do for God. It lifts His place in our lives. It becomes a moment of recognition of God among us, the community of faith and our solidarity with it.

The idea of tithing is a foundational teaching based on Christian Maturity and on blessing over and above obligation. God wants our hearts- our internal motivation – to be a response to what He has already been done for us. Here in lies the difference between generosity and giving. Giving can be just an action, It can be void of any visceral commitment and can carry secondary meanings including obligation, shame and guilt. This type of giving is unacceptable to God. In fact, I think that’s why the newest believers rebel, get angry and point to the church’s inconsistency when the talk of specific giving amounts comes up. It seems phony, in genuine and even manipulative. Generosity on the other hand is really about a deep connection to the cause of Christ.

When I first came back to Christian faith in the mid ‘90s, I can remember sitting in a new gym and thinking when the giving plate was passed, I didn’t ask you to build this building. I am not giving you people my money. I then evolved after a little during a giving campaign when a couple shared their history of giving and of making a faith promise. The idea was simple - promise God if he gives you extra than you will give it to Him. It seemed simple enough but it sent my wife and I on a journey of giving when I received an unexpected "big" refund from our insurance company. The debate was fierce but we were obedient.

When God answered that prayer of faith and I fulfilled my sense of commitment, I realized I didn’t miss the money. A year later, a finance person stood up and told the congregation about giving out of thankfulness for all the blessings – like the children’s program. At the time, I had a son in the children’s program and because that made sense to my consumeristic brain, I could see funding that so I committed $20 dollars a week with the caveat I only had to pay when I was present. All the time patting myself on the back and thinking the church should be thankful for people like me. Honestly, that went on for a while. I increased my faith promise but didn’t increase my giving to the church. And then, a wild moment happened. I sold my business for a profit and was prompted to give 10% of the selling price to the church when I received the resources over the next two years. As a result, I looked at our giving statements over the next few years and I realized I didn’t even miss that money. From that point on, my wife and I began to take steps of faith to increase our weekly contribution to the church. We have struggled. I can remember one year in particular. I kept track of all my expenses for my son’s travel soccer. What I discovered as that we spent almost as much on soccer as I was giving to God. It was an eye opener.