Introduction
The day the church treasurer resigned the church asked the local grain elevator manager to take the position. He agreed under two conditions.
That no treasurer’s report would be given for the first year.
That no questions be asked about finances during that year.
The people were surprised but finally agreed since most of them did business with him and he was a trusted man.
At the end of the year he gave his report:
* The church indebtedness of $228,000 has been paid.
* The minister’s salary had been increased by 8%.
* The Cooperative Program gifts has been paid 200%.
* There were no outstanding bills.
* And there was a cash balance of $11,252!
Immediately the shocked congregation asked, "How did you do it? Where did the money come from?"
He quietly answered: "Most of you bring your grain to my elevator. Throughout the year I simply withheld ten percent on your behalf and gave it to the church in your name. You didn’t even miss it!"
This morning I want to share on the third area of commitment for membership in the Wesleyan Church: stewardship.
8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, `How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:8-10
Stewardship is one of those issues that people get several wrong ideas about. The first is that Jesus said very little about money.
In Matthew, Mark and Luke 1 out of every 6 verses deals with the topic of money. If you look at the parables of Jesus, 16 of 29 parables deal with money or finances. Jesus was very concerned about the topic of money but the question is why? It has been said that money is the root of all evil. Jesus seems to be more concerned about what our money is doing to us than what we do with our money.
The second is that the church shouldn’t talk about money. If jesus talked about money the church most definitely should deal with the issue. The problem is that most people do not understand the issue of stewardship. Stewardship is much more about the state of your heart than it is about the size of your wallet.
What is a steward? A steward is a person who manages the property of someone else.
Stewardship is God’s resources deployed through His people to mobilize His people to evangelize. – Stan Toler
Key words from Malachi 3:10
Whole – The Hebrew word here means complete, total or 100%
There is no doubt that the LORD is speaking of the entire amount that is expected of the people.
Tithe – Tithe means 10% and was an expectation of the people. Tithe should not be confused with offering. Offerings were over and above the tithe. Offerings were given only after the tithe was given.
Storehouse – The Hebrew word here means treasury. The treasury of the Temple was where the entire tithe was kept. Notice that the first 10% went into the treasury. Offerings went elsewhere. The tithe should go into the church treasury and not be designated. Tithe is the operating funds of the temple. Offerings covered various other needs. The same should be true today.
Why is stewardship so difficult?
People forget the money is a spiritual matter
Was Christians falsely believe that money has no impact on their spirituality. Money has no basis in their spirit to life. The problems clear, Jesus does not agree. Just these more about money than any other spiritual topic.
MT 6:24 "No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
Money changes people in sadly Christians are not immune. Think of all problems and issues money can cause. These problems often move into the church if not checked. When a church becomes focused on money, they often lose sight of the kingdom. Money is a vital aspect of church life. Without tithing and giving, there would be no church.
People forget tithing is a specific amount
The were tithe his old English and the root literally means one 10th. Our concept of tithing actually means 10%. The problem is that most people forget this simple fact. Tithe is one 10th of the income. For example, a person has a $300 per week income, how much belongs to God? The answer is 100%. God owns everything. He is the owner and we are the stewards or managers. God only asks for 10% back to his cause and his work. An average $300 per week income will be a tithe of $30.
A specific amount of tithe is always the same in percentage. The amount given is always different to pending on the level of income. What happened in the church, if everyone gave their 10%? The church would never need to do another additional offering. Our debts will be paid off, our budget would be full and we would have a surplus. More importantly, every person tithed would find blessings poured into their life from God.
New Testament silence
One of the major issues with tithing is that the New Testament does not use the word. Many say that tithing is an Old Testament issue. The New Testament does not use the word tithe but the principles of giving certainly are communicating. Some say were free from the obligation to tithe. The church is that the New Testament message does set people free from legalistic interpretation. Typing is not a New Testament principle. It is a New Testament standard for following God. Giving to the need of the church was a clear expectation. 10% was the base of the expectation but Christians were free to give much more. Some Christians sold everything and gave it to the work of the church. In the end, this is much higher than just 10%.
Tithing is a lifestyle and one that Christians should embrace. The reality is that God promises to bless the remaining 90%. The money left over after the tithe often goes further than 100% ever could to begin with. The truth is that there is a cycle to giving and receiving from God.
In his book, the cycle of victorious giving, Stan Toler reveals a specific cycle. The first part of cycle begins with God as he gives to us. The second phase of the cycle is found when we give the 10% back to God. The third phase happens when God returns that 10% back to us. The fourth phase happens when we receive the blessing from God and return on another gift. Then God blesses us again and begins a new cycle. How many Christian short circuit God’s cycle of financial blessing? The reality is that many Christians would never find the blessing on their finances because they refuse to trust God.
People forget that stewardship is about far more than money
Stewardship is not about money alone. Thinking that stewardship is only about money short-circuit’s the power of God. Stewardship is about trusting God with every area of life. Jesus is never one to be the Lord of your life until he’s also the Lord of your checkbook. The question really is this: do you really trust God with your life? Trust is simply believing that God will do what he promises to do. Trust is living an active faith that moves us forward in Christ. If we never trust, we can never are spiritually. When we trust God with our money, we opened the door for greater and faster spiritual growth.
Stewardship is also a matter of the heart. If God does not have your heart, you’ll gain nothing else of your life. Until God has your heart, your life will be elsewhere. Money is one of the signs of commitment with Christ. When people let go of their hold on money and surrender it to God, they will find greater blessing. Stewardship begins in the heart his practice in daily living.
Areas of stewardship
People - we are stewards of relationships
When people think of assets within the church thoughts often go to bank accounts, property, church buildings and other such things. The greatest asset a church will ever have is the people. Sadly, many churches forget this fact and get focused on other things of less importance. Everything within the Ministry of the church should be focused on people.
Every relationship you have is a gift from God
Relationships are something we should treasure and should be grateful for. The people that we know are gift from God. Our relationships happened because God ordains them. All of the family you have, the friends you have. Your neighbors and coworkers are part of God’s relationship gift. There are times when it may not feel like a gift but every relationship is from God.
Our relationships are avenues of opportunity. God wants to use us to reach other people. Many times we fail at this or refused to allow God to use us. The fact is that God gave us in our relationships to make a difference for his kingdom and his church.
People are why the church exists. The church is not a building or a piece of property. If something were to happen to this building and this property we would still have a church. The church exists or people because every person is a building block for the church. Without people, there would be no church to church is not about buildings, property or location. The church is about people.
The church exist or other people
The church must have a focus on other people. We must be about meeting the needs of those outside these four walls. Jesus sought out people, he never waited for them to come to him. To church does not exist just to care for its own members. We are to care for the needs of those around us and for the needs of one another. The church must be sending out before we can gather in.
Possessions - we are stewards of material wealth
