MV Summer 2024

03 Jul

TITHING AGAINST ALL ODDS

In

There are two lessons I learned how to treat money. Both lessons came from my parents. Two stories come to mind. My father loved sweet baked goods. His store comes from the time shortly after WWII. After returning from his university, he would stop at a well-known Warsaw patisserie bakery, and ponder: Should I get that cake or not?

He would teach me and my siblings by a simple recollection. “I would stand in front of the window and then turn coins in my hand, and, more often than not, put them back into my pocket. It was too easy to spend, but, since it was Friday, a thought flashed in my mind that I would not have enough to place in the offering plate.”

My mother’s story was a bit different. She taught me how to plan my expenses and consider saving what came my way. The story I learned unfolded on my wedding day. “Son, I do not have much to give you, but you have been giving a gift to yourself and I was a steward of it. Remember how I told you that you can live with us in the same home after you started on you first job. Every month you paid me for your room and board. Here is a savings book in your name. You will need these funds for your own home now.” She then handed me “my own” savings.

Such lessons turned into my understanding of how blessings come our way, and how they involve each of us in going beyond covering the needs we might have. His blessings turn into a larger blessing when we recognize that what we have, we share with others.

If you ever met or have known a saint, an Adventist saint, you will recognize an amazing experience you will discover.

Meropi’s granddaughter, Esther Pocari, who was soon to be employed as a secretary in the newly re-established Albanian Adventist Mission, explained, “My grandma used to distribute pieces of paper with messages translated from the Bible. She gave them to everyone she met. I remember that whenever I visited her, she used to give me one to take with me. She put them in my pocket.”

One of Meropi’s greatest desires, when I visited with her, was to be relieved of the burden of keeping her tithe hidden. “What must I do with my tithe, which I have saved all these years?” she asked me. “Can you take it?” Meropi’s two sons explained that their mother would not keep the money in a bank because she didn’t trust the authorities.

Agreeing to return her tithe to the church, Meropi brought out a plastic bag from under her bed. In it was a carton full of Albanian leke and a few American dollars. For more that 20 years she had been on a $4.00 per month pension, yet she put aside her tithe and offerings. When we opened the carton, we found 24,629 leke and $41.00 in US funds. All told, she had saved the equivalent of US$533.89. For some of us, this may not be a large sum of money. For Meropi, living under duress and in fear that her tithe may be confiscated, this was more than what she saved.

A few weeks later, Meropi was delighted to hand over the tithe to Pastor David Currie, a missionary-evangelist and a colleague of mine from the Trans-European Division office. After meeting Meropi, David returned to his hotel room that evening to count her tithe money. He told me later that he felt as if he was touching a sacred package. “I could not help but get on my knees and thank God for the faith of this vibrant Christian.” Her saved tithe money was placed in a bank account of the revived Albanian Mission. In another emotionally rich experience, I had the privilege of studying the Bible and praying with Meropi, her family, and a few ready-to-be-baptized Albanian Christians.

On April 18, 1992, a wonderful entry was written in the annals of Adventist history. It was on that Easter Sabbath afternoon that Meropi’s dream to be baptized came true. She was joined by her daughter, Marherita, granddaughter, Esther, and five other believers. Together with Flora Sabbatino-Lewis, they became charter members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Albania.

Today, the church is not only present in this once-atheistic country but has established several congregations and is a vibrant contributor to what Meropi was dreaming about—building a church in her country. She waited four decades to see her dream come true.

After my last visit with Meropi and her family ended, and we bid farewell in her tiny one-bedroom flat, our eyes met but we did not need to say a word. As the family gathered on the balcony of their apartment block and we waved goodbye to each other, Meropi raised her hand, pointing heavenward. She nodded in the same direction. Words were not needed. We all knew—the Lord is coming back, and we shall meet again, for eternity.

What you think belongs to you, actually belongs to Someone else. Frugality in tithes and offerings does not work, in my view. For all belongs to Him and He shares it also with you.

Rajmund Dabrowski is RMC communication director and editor of Mountain Views. Email him at: rayd@rmcsda.org

03 Jul

MY FAITHFUL TITHE

In

In 2015, my husband and I moved across the country. From teaching in the south to teaching in the north, we were excited for the future. We had been married a little over a year when it was time to load the moving truck and make the journey. We went into the unknown—my husband had a job, but I did not. I had no idea what I was going to do, but I knew that I needed to make more income than I had been if we were going to make it in our new home.

Fast forward to three months later and, despite spending hours searching, I still hadn’t found the right position. I didn’t even get interviews. I would apply and my applications would land in the vague world of automated emails.

As a newly married couple, we were still finding our footing paying bills, including tithe. Given our challenging financial situation, we initially inconsistently paid tithe. When our finances got even tighter upon moving north, we stopped altogether.

Enter the tithe challenge. Our pastor introduced the concept during a sermon one Sabbath morning. God calls us to “prove” Him. So, if we would give a faithful tithe for 40 days, the church promised to give it back if we were not blessed because of our faithful tithe return. My husband and I discussed it and we decided to give it a shot. After all, if it was too hard, we could get our money back!

I finally got a part time job making minimum wage working for Michaels, Inc. Yes, the craft store. Yes, it was a blow to my ego. Yes, I enjoyed it! While I was working there, I also got an interview with a large company based in St. Paul. I was really excited. It would be a step up, career-wise, and it would pay well. At the same time, I was advised to apply for the administrative assistant position at the Conference office.

I didn’t want the job at the Conference office. It was a $10,000 pay cut from my first job out of college. I was overeducated and overqualified for the position. I felt it would be bad for my career.

After the sixth person asked me to consider the job at the Conference, I begrudgingly agreed to submit an application. A previous mentor told me once that if three people, unprompted and individually, told her something important, she believed it was God calling her to attention. After being told six times, I thought … maybe God wants me to pay attention.

I had multiple interviews with the firm in St. Paul and one interview with the Conference administration. I was unofficially offered the job in St. Paul, and after leaving the interview at the Conference office, I was officially offered the job that same day.

Before interviewing for the jobs, I remember asking God to close and open the appropriate doors. But I really didn’t want the Conference job. Financially, it would be better for us to go with the higher paying job in St. Paul, but they suddenly went quiet. I stopped hearing from them. Everything was on hold. So, when I was offered the job at the Conference, I was angry with God. I remember yelling at Him in my car on the way home, asking Him why He wanted me to work in such a small office, at such small pay, when I had so much more I could make and do with my talents and education.

Despite my anger, I knew what I was supposed to do. Through it all, we had continued tithing, and as a result, my faith and trust in God had deepened. I officially started working at the Conference in December 2015.

The 40-day tithe challenge ended that fall, but our tithing did not. Despite the upheaval in our lives, I felt so at peace. I kept my job at Michael’s, and I worked full time at the Conference until June 2016. Our financial situation was challenging, and I remember during a particularly difficult month, I got a letter from my previous apartment building with a check returning a missing portion of my deposit. I had moved out of that apartment more than two years previously. The surprise influx of cash allowed us to pay a bill we otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford.

God eventually opened the door for us to buy our first home. The interest rates were low, the houses were relatively cheap, and our mortgage payment would be less than rent. We were thrilled. God’s blessings continued to abundantly flow over us.

I was no longer working at Michael’s and, only weeks after moving into our house, our basement flooded with a huge influx of rain. I grabbed fans and took photos and did all I could to dry it out. We found out our insurance wouldn’t cover the costs because, unbeknownst to us, the sump pump was disconnected before we ever moved in. Amazingly enough, everything except the carpet was salvageable, including the drywall and all the boxes of stuff we hadn’t yet unpacked.

Then, only a month later, God’s blessings overflowed again. I was offered a significant promotion. I was asked to create the first ever human resources department for the Conference, and I was humbled and overwhelmed by the opportunity. Not to mention scared!

Tithing isn’t just a “do it because God tells you to” thing. Tithing is about expressing both gratitude and trust in God. Giving 10% of your income to God is hard. That’s a significant amount of money, especially when you’re living paycheck to paycheck. That 10% can be used for groceries or gas or student loans or utilities. But God! God tells us to return our tithe to Him because, honestly, everything we have belongs to Him anyway. Nothing we have is possible without God having fist given it to us. And what’s even more amazing is that, when we return our faithful 10%, God promises to pour out on us above and beyond what He’s already given us, beyond what we can possibly imagine. One of my favorite verses, in Luke 6:38 (NIV) says, Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap … .

Whenever I read this verse, I imagine my daughter filling her sand bucket. She pours in the sand, then pushes on it. Sometimes she adds water. She shakes the sand down. She stands on it. She packs it in there as tightly as possible. She keeps adding and adding and adding, until it seems nothing else should be able to fit in there anymore. And then, she keeps adding. I tell her to stop, that the sand is going to overflow. But she tells me, with a huge smile on her face, that she’s filling it up so that when she tips it over, it won’t matter if some of the sand pours out, because the beautiful tower will be strong enough to stand firm.

Tithe is one of the many ways that God teaches us to depend on Him. When we fail to tithe, we are robbing ourselves and God of the opportunity for a deep, intimate relationship with God. I’m grateful for the 40-day tithe challenge, all those years ago. I have seen God’s blessings overflow again and again and again. And I pray that as God continues to fill me up with His blessings, those blessings will overflow to people around me. I pray that as I do the things God has called me to, I will be a beautiful tower, strong enough in God’s promises to stand firm, no matter the challenges around me.

Savannah B. Carlson is communication director of Minnesota Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Email her at: scarlson@mnsda.com  

03 Jul

AN ACT OF OBEDIENCE AND FAITHFULNESS

In

Based on what Scripture suggest in the book of Malachi and in other biblical sources, tithing is a non-negotiable command given by God to humanity. To tithe is then to be obedient to God’s specific command. When a person returns their tithes, they are merely obeying the command without reflecting any “faithfulness” attached to its observance. Because tithing deals with a divine command, failure to do so reflects disobedience to God’s stipulation, hence breaking the law.

Moses wrote, For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his commands, decrees, and laws; then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you are not obedient, and if you are drawn away to bow down to other gods and worship them, I declare to you this day that you will certainly be destroyed. You will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess (Deuteronomy 30:16-18, NIV).

Disobedience: An Act of Rebellion

The biblical concept of disobedience cannot be taken lightly. In the Bible, to disobey God implies one’s intentional attempt to dislodged oneself from God, particularly, from his will. Therefore, non-tithing, from one’s part, demonstrates an attitude of disconnection from our loving God and it’s also a sign of rebellion against God. The principle of tithing comes as an expression of gratitude to God for all his provisions. He provides us with life, health, protection, wealth, steadiness, and a sense of security only in exchange for ten percent of our income. It seems like a good deal to us because every time one tithes, profits ninety percent in gains, being a blessing in disguised.

When God asked Abraham to bring a tenth of all the goods he had recovered (Genesis 14:20), God was not interested in the collection of the fruits or any other goods, as if he was in any kind of need. As we know, God is Almighty, Omnipotent and Omniscient, hence, regardless of what one can offer, one can never be able to fulfill his plausible needs or wants. God is on a different realm, on a level beyond the limitations exhibited by our humanness. There is nothing one can give, return, or provide that can satisfy him. Nevertheless, when one returns what belongs to him, the tithe, one is not doing any favors. Instead, one is showing obedience.

However, obedience can be conditioned to something. For instance, the Pharisees conditioned their obedience to the law, but most of the time they were unfaithful to God, even avoiding to personally relate with the lawgiver Himself. Jesus said, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat (the law). Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do” (Matthew 23:2-3, NKJV). The Pharisees were particularly obedient to God’s law, but they failed at being faithful to God in how they treated others and acted.

Dependency in God

A second essential aspect that comes out of one’s personal relationship with God is dependency. Dependency is a two-way connection with God. Every tithing event recognizes our insufficiency while highlighting our need of God. Jesus once said, I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5, NIV). Dependency in God entails one’s willingness to connect with Him in a personal way as He also demonstrates His willingness and capability of lowering Himself to meet with us so low as to reach us in our misery.

Faithfulness: An Act of Worship

On the other hand, offering, different from tithing, shows faithfulness instead of obedience. While tithing is an action of obedience, offering is one’s reaction to God’s actions. God acted on one’s behalf by providing. He provides the soil, minerals, nutrition, water, and sunlight for a seed to grow, so the farmer returned an offering of thanks, called the first fruits, which represented the best of the best, as a recognition of what God did. Hence, faithfulness is an act of worship to God as we recognized what He has done. Worship results as one contemplates and process God’s favors and blessings. When one can see and recognize God and His mercies, then, one worships. Worship to God is predicated exclusively on his actions and not in what one can do or offer. That in and of itself puts offerings on a whole different level. Offering then becomes one’s token of appreciation to God for all the things He has provided.

Tithing is non-negotiable as a divine command, but offering, is a human prerogative. Apostle Paul wrote, Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:6-7, NIV). Clearly stated, what Paul means here is that even though tithing is “mandatory” at ten percent, offerings are a personal decision without any specific or required amount attached to it. Paul encourages us though, to be cheerful givers. It is this last phrase here that implies that offerings are evidence of our risk taking in God.

In Malachi 3, we read: Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse, your whole nation, because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so 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 there will not be room enough to store it (Malachi 3:8-10, NIV).

Malachi’s emphasis is that non-tithing is an offense against God’s law thus it is considered robbing God, which is a reference to commandment number eight, “You shall not steal” (Exodus 20:15). To avoid tithing on purpose is equivalent both to stealing from God and breaking the law (commandment eight), because tithing is a non-negotiable command and again, a sign of obedience.

A Test of Faithfulness

Meanwhile, offering is a test. Malachi wrote, Test me in this, with the antecedent being the offering. Offering from what one has left, ninety percent, is a test of our faithfulness, because it is not required. However, God delights on those who are cheerful givers, and thus, for those who are such, he will throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there won’t be any room to store it (Malachi 3:10).

Disobedience that Results in Curse

Many of our local conferences are in dire need of both our obedience and our faithfulness. As you know, Malachi clearly stated that we need to bring the whole tithe in the storehouse, which we understand to be the conference. Now, in the past, some individuals, thinking that tithing is their prerogative, have desisted on sending the tithes to their local conference, particularly when they perceive the conference is not acting according to their agendas.

Clearly stated by the prophet, if one insists in not tithing, one falls under the curse of God. Once one fulfills the duty of returning what belongs to God, one cannot worry about what the recipients of that tithe will do with it. The tithe has always belonged to God and now is again in the hands of God, so, do not worry. Furthermore, most of the offerings stay in the local churches. Therefore, it would be wise to understand that local churches, to conduct a service, incur many expenses, such as electricity and heat and water, and others. It would be prudent, on your part, to help the local church where you comfortably sit every time you attend church.

A Blessing to the Church

The Seventh-day Adventist Church has been blessed with the current system of tithing and offerings that has been able to implement since its establishment in 1863. The clear and concise Biblical practice have benefited the local churches, conferences, unions, division, and the general conference, while being a blessing to the efforts in the mission field, education, and in evangelistic endeavors, locally and worldwide. Consequently, I encourage each one of you to be obedient to God and return and bring “His tithes” (God’s), while also being faithful by sharing from what He has allowed you to keep with the local church.

May the Lord bless you mightily and may all local conferences receive your tithe to continue advancing the Second Coming of Our Lord Jesus in your neck of the woods.

Jose R. Alarcon is lead pastor of the Aurora First Seventh-day Adventist Church. Email him at: pralarcon777@yahoo.com

03 Jul

GIVING IS A GIFT

In

To mention King David is to invite many thoughts: man after God’s heart, psalmist, shepherd, warrior, man who made some pretty big mistakes. Without comment on any of those, let me suggest two more: man, who put his money where his mouth was; and man, who was not afraid to issue a challenge. The context—David’s desire to build a temple to the LORD.

Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple: three thousand talents of gold (gold of Ophir) and seven thousand talents of refined silver, for the overlaying of the walls of the buildings, for the gold work and the silver work, and for all the work to be done by the craftsmen. Now, who is willing to consecrate themselves to the Lord today? (1 Chronicles 29:3-5).

Assuming the accounting here is accurate, and using around 70 lbs./talent, this means David gave 210,000 lbs. of gold and 490,000 lbs. of silver (at today’s rates around $5.8 billion in gold and $165 million in silver). I suppose one point we could make is you have to have it to give it. But having said that, not everyone who has it gives it. But I think you can agree, giving around $6 billion to a building project qualifies as putting your money where your mouth is. And even if one might quibble with the exact amounts, I think we can agree David gave more to this project than any of us ever have.

But as I mentioned, David also did not back down from challenging others. He ends verse 5 with the words, Now who is willing to consecrate themselves to the LORD today? This was the response:

Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes of Israel, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and the officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents and ten thousand darics of gold, ten thousand talents of silver, eighteen thousand talents of bronze and a hundred thousand talents of iron. Anyone who had precious stones gave them to the treasury of the temple of the Lord in the custody of Jehiel the Gershonite (1 Chronicles 29:6-8).

By the same math, the leaders reportedly gave another $10 billion in gold and silver, not counting the bronze or the iron. I guess you could say they were inspired by David’s challenge.

I bet we could build something pretty awesome with $15 billion. Now, as I said before, you have to have it to give it. And I think it unlikely we in the RMC could give that much even if we all gave all we had. But I bet we could do more than we think we could. And you know what happens when we together give more than we think we could?

The people rejoiced at the willing response of their leaders, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord. David the king also rejoiced greatly (1 Chronicles 29:9).

When everyone gives generously, it makes everyone happy.

Sometimes the people of God are called to do great projects together. And when everyone participates, great things get done, things that often surprise us, things we might have thought we could never do. David, in response to the generosity of the people praises God, and adds this comment that ought to give us pause:

But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand (1 Chronicles 29:14).

From this, I believe we can derive a principle: the amount that God’s people give is supposed to be a reflection of how much God has blessed them. From this principle, we can derive a concerning question or two. If we are not giving generously, is it because God is not blessing us? Or is God actually blessing us to the extent of (or even beyond) our true needs, yet somehow our decisions and lifestyles have created a scenario where we perceive ourselves unable (or find ourselves unwilling) to be generous?

The situation described in 1 Chronicles is the one-time project-type scenario. But that is not the only situation scripture addresses. Yes, there is the need from time to time for the big project, but there is also the need for the consistent sustaining of the corporate work of God’s people, a type of giving known as systematic giving. It took massive one-time gifts to build the temple, but it would require systematic giving to sustain the priests and Levites who ministered in the temple.

2 Chronicles 31 relates the work of Hezekiah as he attempted to get the temple services re-established after the return from Babylon.

He ordered the people living in Jerusalem to give the portion due the priests and Levites so they could devote themselves to the Law of the Lord. As soon as the order went out, the Israelites generously gave the firstfruits of their grain, new wine, olive oil and honey and all that the fields produced. They brought a great amount, a tithe of everything. The people of Israel and Judah who lived in the towns of Judah also brought a tithe of their herds and flocks and a tithe of the holy things dedicated to the Lord their God, and they piled them in heaps (2 Chronicles 31:4-6).

When everyone acted according to the plan, there was not just enough, there was in fact heaps of excess piled up. And just as before, the experience of the people at the sight was the same:

When Hezekiah and his officials came and saw the heaps, they praised the Lord and blessed his people Israel. Hezekiah asked the priests and Levites about the heaps; and Azariah the chief priest, from the family of Zadok, answered, “Since the people began to bring their contributions to the temple of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and plenty to spare, because the Lord has blessed his people, and this great amount is left over” (2 Chronicles 31:8-10).

Now realize, this was not some special appeal, where everyone gave from the excess that the LORD had provided. This was just the tithe, faithfully given. And when everyone faithfully gave the tithe, there was more than enough. The heaps of overabundance were witness to the fact that God was continuously blessing His people, and continuously blessing them sufficiently that if they would simply give according to the plan there was guaranteed to be more than enough available to accomplish the LORD’s work.

So, what does this all mean for us now? If I were to draw straight lines from these Bible stories to our time, I think I would have to conclude there are only two possible reasons for us as a people bound together for the purpose of carrying the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the context of the Three Angels Messages to Colorado, Wyoming, and a tiny bit of New Mexico (as well as by extension our union, division, and the world) to ever be short of funding: either God isn’t blessing us sufficiently to give as much as we need, or we just aren’t giving. Which do you think it is?

To that end, let’s speak of the cooperative model we, as a church, have organized ourselves under. We have chosen, by vote, a system where we all commit to giving 10% of our income to our local conference as tithe. The wealthy are not to give more than 10% and the poor are not to give less. And if things happen for us like they did in the Bible stories, this will produce not just enough, but rather heaps of abundance. Once you have systematically given your 10%, you are done with tithe.

But in the event God has blessed you even beyond that, now you are invited to demonstrate your generosity by giving funds to the local church for its mission and operations. With local giving there are no minimums or maximums. The only limit is the extent to which you believe the Lord has blessed you.

So, has the Lord blessed you? Would I be able to tell by your giving?

I believe if we were all giving in a manner consistent with our level of blessing there would be more than enough resources at both the conference and the local church. But that is not the real reason I’m exhorting you today to be both a faithful and generous giver. Rather the reason is this: Giving people are happy people. I don’t fully understand why. They just are. It’s what Paul was getting at in 2 Corinthians:

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).

And remember how it made the people rejoice when everyone gave generously? The same holds true now:

Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you (2 Corinthians 9:13-14).

So, what are the gifts that come to the giver? Cheer in your heart, the blessings of God, and prayers on your behalf from those who are blessed by your gifts. Not too bad, right?

Giving is a gift. So, give. It will make you happy.

Geoff Patterson is lead pastor at Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church. Email him at: geoff@boulder.church  

03 Jul

GIVING TO GET OR GETTING TO GIVE?

In

A twenty-something young adult shared with me recently as part of a normal conversation, that they had never written a check. Being a Gen X er myself, I was taken aback a bit. How can someone who has reached adulthood never had an occasion to write a check? I realized that this is one of the hallmarks of Gen Z adults. Many of them have never written a check, and many of them will never have to write one.

Technology being what it is, and what it is evolving into, means that we can pay for things with credit cards stored on a phone. Your driver’s license can be put into your virtual wallet (mine is) so that you don’t have to pack a wallet or a purse these days, as long as you have your phone.

While the methods of moving money from one person to another, or from a person to a business, has changed and continues to change, the motivation for giving to a charitable organization, such as a local church, might be changing as well. Before we get into motivation, we should talk about some challenging data for the future funding of local churches.

Research seems to indicate that older generations tend to give more generously and more consistently to local churches. Younger generations tend to give less consistently and prefer to give to a cause that resonates with them, rather than simply funding a “local church budget.” Some of this research is not longitudinal enough for us to accurately predict how these younger generation’s giving patterns might change as they age. It could be that older people who have already retired have a more stable income and less expenses than a young family who haven’t peaked in their earning potential, who have children at home who are in private school, perhaps, and all the other associated costs of raising a family and building a life. These older folks may simply have more disposable income and a more steady and predictable income stream from which to give. But time will tell.

I can tell you from personal conversations with young adults that when they feel connected to their local church, their desire to support that church financially increases greatly, even if their ability to actually give funds to support that church is lacking. If the members of their local church do not make an effort to listen to the input of young adults, or if they don’t feel valued (seen and heard), then they are much less inclined to contribute financially, whether they are able to do so or not.

Motivation is a word that tells us more about ourselves than perhaps any other. Why do I do what I do, why do you do what you do? Something within us compels us to act or not act, to do or not do, to give or not give, to move or to stay put. So, what motivates us to give? What compels us to write a check (yes, some people still write checks)? or scan the QR code or hit up the Adventist Giving® app?

For some people, guilt seems to be a powerful motivator. I was talking with an experienced evangelist once and they shared with me that, when they get close to the end of a series of meetings and he asked people to make a decision about what they had been hearing, there is often at least one couple who will ask the evangelist to meet with them. He told me that they will tell him how much they appreciated the series of meetings and how much they had learned. Then they will try to hand him a check, usually for a very generous amount, to help “support the ministry.”

He said he always refuses this check because he has realized that often when people are wrestling with a decision: they will try to satisfy their conscience by making a large donation to pacify that still small voice. Instead of saying “yes” in agreement to what they had been studying, they give a large sum of money and turn away from the truth they were being convicted to follow. As if money will buy them favor with God to continue to live opposed to the truth they have come to know.

Giving away your hard-earned money to a local church requires motivation. But if that motivation is guilt (that if I don’t give, it makes me a bad person and God may not love me) or fear (fear that somehow, I will experience divine retribution for not giving) or really anything other than an inward compulsion of the Holy Spirit, then it is the wrong motivation for giving.

There is a term that has fallen a bit out of fashion these days and that term is “disinterested benevolence.” Disinterested benevolence means that a person may give to a project to which they may not totally agree, but they give anyway. It allows someone to give to an activity that may not be operating entirely to the giver’s satisfaction, but the giver consistently gives to support it. In short, it means that I am going to give, despite what the organization I am giving to does with it, within reason of course. For many people, especially young people, this seems absurd.

This way of giving, and the motivation behind it, is a foreign concept to some people. Some people want to give to get. The thinking goes something like this, “If I give this money, what am I going to get out of it?” There was a member of a church I was serving once who was really wanting that church to have an organ. The trouble was that the rest of the church did not want an organ. That person ended up writing a check (some people still write checks!) and earmarked that donation for a church organ. That donation alone was not sufficient to cover the cost of an organ and that money stayed on that churches balance sheet for years and years and the church never did purchase an organ. They were hoping they could give to get what they wanted.

Another way of looking at giving, a different motivation that what we just talked about, is that instead of “giving to get,” we “get to give.” With this mindset, giving is a privilege afforded us by a loving God as an act of worship. Giving, when seen through a lens like this, is an opportunity to praise God for our life, health, prosperity, and in the act of giving itself is a built-in mechanism to protect us against greed and hoarding up treasure for ourselves. If we believe what scripture teaches, that we are here to further the cause of Christ by sharing the message of a loving God who is soon to return, then giving generously to support that work is truly a high calling.

As a pastor for almost 20 years, I have seen so many generous Jesus followers who make ministry happen by supporting local churches and schools. Young and old alike, they give generously of their time and effort and influence and, yes, their finances, to try to grow the Kingdom of God. God doesn’t need our money, but He does want our hearts. And one of the easiest ways to see where our heart is, is to see where and how we spend our treasure.

And, yes, just to be clear, I do believe we need transparent accounting and accountability for if or when funds are mishandled. We need to talk more about what it actually costs to fund a local church and inspire one another to give more generously and more consistently. The gospel is free, yet having a place to worship and supporting the work of ministry and evangelism does carry a price tag. I am thankful that God always provides us with an abundance to, not just maintain the work, but to grow it!

Brandon Westgate is RMC Youth director. He was a congregational pastor for nearly twenty years. Email him at: brandonw@rmcsda.org  

 

03 Jul

PLANNED GIVING: DO I REALLY NEED A WILL?

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We all have heard we should have a will. But we may not know specifically why we should have a will. We know it is important and yet it never seems to even make it to our overflowing “tasks” list of more pressing day-to-day priorities requiring our attention. It never seems urgent until it is. The reality is it is always urgent because we don’t know what tomorrow will bring.

When I was starting out and seemingly had no assets and no children, I didn’t think I needed a will. I have since learned that we all need a will no matter where we are in life. Accidents happen, insurance claims are paid, and suddenly decisions must be made about this unexpected income to an estate. Written direction from a loved one helps those handling the details to navigate through confusing and unfamiliar processes.

There is a saying that says, “If you don’t have an estate plan, the government has one for you.” It is true there are laws that indicate how an estate is to be distributed when a person dies without a will (intestate). Likely some of these laws do align with your wishes and some do not. Having a will helps each of us to fulfill the directive to be good stewards and take care of all that we have been given.

In my work, I see the estate planning process play out from beginning to end. The decisions and document process do take some thought and time, but folks are so relieved when it is completed and are often surprised that it was easier than they expected.

A Last Will and Testament allows an individual to:

  • Determine what assets will be given, to whom, and how much.
  • Provide for the needs of your spouse or other loved ones.
  • Decide who will raise your minor children and who will manage their financial needs.
  • Help children, grandchildren, or nieces and nephews with educational costs.
  • Give gifts to loved ones or friends.
  • Give to your favorite charity or charities and to help them share the love of Jesus.

Other “supplemental” estate planning documents can be used to communicate your directions about personal or sentimental items, who will help you with day-to-day tasks and health decisions when they are needed, how much medical intervention is desired, and whether you want a traditional burial or cremation, a memorial or funeral, or just a graveside service.

As you begin to think about these decisions, you may be inspired to write your family history, your life sketch, or jot down your favorite songs. This can bring you joy as you recount all of your life experiences and accomplishments. All of these are precious and priceless gifts for your loved ones.

This is a topic that can be difficult to think about, but it is a sweet gift to loved ones when an individual has taken the time to make those decisions and put them in writing. Sometimes a friend instead of a family member is the best choice for raising your minor children, or for managing your estate. Only you know who would best fill these roles. Documents will need to be updated when circumstances change, and it is much easier to make the revisions once the original documents have been done.

In the past three years, two pastors and one head elder have called me separately for information regarding what to do for a church member who can no longer manage their basic needs and decisions due to physical or mental decline or both. Circumstances vary, but these individuals had either survived all of their family members, or had always been single, and one had family members in other regions of the country. One had amassed considerable assets and the others have very little.

The one thing they all have in common is they did not create paperwork to authorize anyone to help them with financial or medical needs. They were at the point they were no longer able to ask or authorize someone to assist them with these needs. The pastor could not help with these details because it would be a conflict of interest for a pastor to manage financial matters or make medical decisions for a church member. Those involved would like to help, but no one has been given that authority. At this point, there was little that could be done except to ask Social Services to help these dear people.

I asked my colleagues why they did, or did not, have a will. We had a respectable 24% response rate. The answers may help motivate us to get our own will done if we haven’t yet. Folks said they have a will to take care of parents, children, and pets; to make things easier for family members to really “know” their wishes because they have them in writing; to reduce stress during such a highly stressful time; and to avoid complications and conflicts with the laws that govern estates of individuals who died without a will.

Some of the obstacles included the quantity of information to be gathered, the time necessary for this task, the cost, and confidentiality concerns.

The good news to these concerns is our worksheets guide individuals through the information they will need to gather, this information can now be entered online if desired, there is no cost to members when our office assists you, our team takes utmost care to protect personal information to keep it confidential, our information technology department makes sure we are current on data security measures, and we keep all records in locked fireproof file cabinets in a concrete room with a fireproof door.

The Rocky Mountain Conference decided many years ago to include estate planning assistance for all of our constituents as one of our ministries. We have always done this work under the direction of an attorney. We are blessed to work with some of the best, and they are available to assist and guide you to get this task done at no cost to you.

Our office has resources and partnerships with other Adventist professionals in the trust and estate, planned giving, and fiduciary services arena. Some of the options available are CGAs, CRTs, DAFs, RCATs, and TDAs. A financial planner or accountant can help you determine how to best structure your gifts. Sometimes gifts of non-cash assets such as property, stocks, life insurance, annuities, valuable jewelry, digital currency, and other assets may provide tax advantages and ways to increase the value of the gift to fulfill goals for what you want to give to loved ones and to charities.

A friend shared the following story: “My in-laws gave me a precious gift years before I met them. They took out a small student life insurance policy for my husband and forgot to cancel it when he went to college. Not long after we married, my husband was diagnosed with a condition that meant life insurance was no longer available to him. The insurance he had is all he would ever have.”

“Today, most families include life insurance in their estate plan as one way to provide for their loved ones’ needs. My in-laws unwittingly did that for us years ago. And now I am carrying on their tradition and have done the same for our son and our granddaughter. The option I chose will have a cash value for them to use for either a down payment on a house, or tuition, or other needs that may arise as they venture out on their own.”

If you do not have estate plan documents, remember to put this on your task list to do in 2024. And let us know how our team can help. It is a pleasure for us to be here to serve you and to help you accomplish your stewardship goals. Let’s all get planning!

Mary Lynn Green is director of RMC Planned Giving and Trust Services. Email her at: marylynng@rmcsda.org  

03 Jul

A PRACTICAL LESSON OF GRACE

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Come with me as I travel back in time. Not very far, just to 2019, pre-COVID 19 pandemic. Our lives as believers were fairly consistent and unvarying: working hard, six days a week, welcoming Sabbath on Friday evenings, and then attending church with family members and friends on Sabbath morning.

Think back to that time. What was your favorite element of the worship service? Was it the challenging discussions of a Sabbath school lesson taught by an engaging teacher? Perhaps it was seeing the children have a special part in the Sabbath morning service. Maybe the time of musical praise where you were able to lift your voice with other believers in praise and gratitude to God stands out. Or it could have been a challenging sermon from God’s word presented in a compelling manner by the preacher of the week who was often used by the Holy Spirit to touch your heart.

I suspect, however, that in your thinking you would not have come up with “when the offering plate was passed” as a significant moment of the worship service. (Post-COVID, most giving is online.) Am I wrong on this? It may seem strange, but to me this is a highlight of the worship service, and maybe the most practical. Hang on, don’t turn the page with a shake of the head, saying, “Well, he is the union treasurer so of course he feels that way!” Let me explain further.

You see, I believe tithe and offerings are all about grace. Grace? Really? Yes! Listen to what Paul writes in Ephesians 2:6-9: God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages, he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

Plainly, God is in the business of showing you and me the “incomparable riches of his grace,” primarily through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. He so wants us to understand that we must trust in Jesus and His mercy—grace—this is how we are to be saved! And how does He teach us? Well, one way is by spending Sabbath with Him. In so doing, we learn that by devoting 1/7 of our time (versus scratching, striving, and exerting ourselves to either work for our survival or distract ourselves through entertainment seven days a week) that true rest, peace, and wholeness can only be found in His presence.

I freely admit that I cannot take care of myself and my family with unceasing activity; rather I must rely on Him for a joyous and healthy existence. In the same way, by giving tithes and offerings, I learn God’s lesson of grace that He will take care of my material needs. I cannot adequately take care of myself with 100 percent, but He will take my lesser portion and through His blessing, provide me with all that I need.

How important is it to God that I learn this lesson? Listen once again to the ancient and well-known message of Malachai 3:10. This is what he says: “Bring the whole tithe into the store house 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 blessings that there will not be enough room to store it.” Did you hear the challenge, direct from God Himself? Test me, He says … it’s the only place in His word where God INVITES me to test Him. When I hoard 100 percent of the resources God has blessed me with, I am saying that I will depend on myself, my works, to take care of my needs. However, when I return tithes and offerings to God, I deliberately place myself in a position where I must receive His blessing for my needs to be met.

Thus, I have learned that my salvation is also dependent on grace; there are no works that I can produce that will be sufficient to “provide for my salvation” any more than if I retained all financial resources and tried to adequately provide for my physical needs.

Finally, another aspect of this practice is that God trains me to live generously as a “new creation” and thus reflect the generosity of my Savior Christ Jesus. What a blessing and privilege this has been to me!

Let me share with you my personal experience. As I prepared to write this editorial it dawned on me that the divine lesson of grace in my stewardship of tithes and offerings had lessened over the last couple of years. As I thought about it, I realized that I had changed my giving process in a significant way. During COVID, I, along with many of you readers, took advantage of technology and began to return my offerings online. This was necessary because of pandemic-related church closures. Now, church services have resumed, but my new practice of giving online remained. And, I have concluded that for myself the deep impression of God’s lesson in grace was somehow lessened when I simply contributed online when paying my regular bills.

So, I have gone back to writing a check for my tithes and offerings and bringing it to God in person as part of my worship experience in church. (Yes, this is retrograde, and so I am not recommending, just sharing; and I do realize some might think that writing a check may not be the best environmental stewardship.) My point? Give some prayerful thought as to how you might adjust so to best experience the stewardship lesson of God’s grace.

I am not alone in finding joy in God’s grace of giving. In this issue you will be inspired by reading the stories of others who have learned through active stewardship that truly, “God’s grace is sufficient” not just for our daily needs but for salvation itself.

Thank you, Jesus, for your love and grace for me!

Dave VandeVere is vice president for finance of the Mid-America Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Republished with permission from the June 7, 2023, feature story in OUTLOOK Magazine.

03 Jul

WHY I FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH

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Last year I wrote an editorial in which I set forth my conviction that returning a faithful tithe was all about grace—learning to trust God to provide for my material needs, and when He did so, seeing evidence that His grace was all-sufficient for my great spiritual need: “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!”

I received positive responses to the article. What I did not receive—but I know exists—was the response: “Yeah, that’s well and good, but why should I support the church organization with my tithe? The conference can’t even supply my church a full-time pastor! We have to share with another congregation or two. And when the pastor is present, well, the sermon isn’t very good. I think the money is just wasted or spent frivolously. In fact, it seems all the church cares about is money, money, money! I will just give my tithe to _____ ministry. They are doing God’s work, and my pastor isn’t doing anything—hasn’t even come to visit me!”

Doubt this response? Don’t! Just spend some time on various social media and special interest church-related websites reading editorials and comments. This is a common, and I dare say growing, sentiment. So, let’s spend some time with an event in Jesus’ ministry that Mark recorded:

Jesus sat down near the collection box in the temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on” (Mark 12:41-44).

Now why did Jesus highlight this widow who gave literally everything she had to support a religious/church structure that in many cases was corrupt and even preyed on individuals such as herself? Jesus knew this and even registered His disapproval of it:

Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love personal greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation (Luke 20:46,47).

Yet Jesus does not condemn the widow for supporting a very imperfect system. How can this be? Maybe He should have urged her to redirect her offering as a protest, a cry for justice, or at least a plea to receive her just due of service and support from “the church.”

But instead, Jesus celebrated her! He drew a sharp contrast between her sacrifice and apparent humility and those who gave very large (but not sacrificial) gifts, and again, with an apparent lack of humility.

Additionally, it seems that Jesus loved her sincere heart. In line with what I wrote previously, the widow was completely committed to experiencing God’s grace—His provision for her very real needs—through the practice of giving to support God’s organized system of worship, marred as it was in human hands. Because Jesus called her out as a shining example, we are still retelling this story thousands of years later.

God Works Through Humans

But what about the “lousy” organization? Well, it was originated by God Himself. Aaron (Moses’s brother) and his family would be the priests. The tribe of Levite were to serve as religious ministers. Then God set up a financial structure of tithes and offerings to support the priests and Levites in their religious ministry. Interestingly, he instructed the Levites who received the tithe to participate themselves through the practice of tithing (Numbers 18). God puts forth a strong ethic: if a leader receives support from a system, they must also participate in supporting the system.

So how did this work out? Often, not very well. The divine record reveals that many times the Levites and priests failed in their leadership responsibilities (example: Hophni and Phineas). Nor would we say the Levitical system was “efficient,” at least according to our current culture. There were literally thousands of Levites. Only a handful at a time could serve in the sanctuary services. Those not serving lived in specific towns designated for them. There is no record of them being spread out evenly, providing direct spiritual leadership in every town and village. So, what did they do? It’s not entirely clear, and certainly not very accountable by today’s standards. And not all tithe and offerings were for “frontline workers” as there were certainly administrative layers in the system to organize the daily temple services, annual festivals, and, later, the local synagogues.

There were some excellent, godly, priestly leaders of course. Samuel, Joshua, and the father of John the Baptist come quickly to mind. And God did provide accountability. He intervened directly when two of the first priests drunkenly profaned their religious duties (Numbers 3). He sent prophetic warnings to Eli regarding his sons (1 Samuel 2). Inspired by a copy of the Book of the Law, King Hezekiah called the Levites together and held them accountable to rectify temple worship abuses and neglect, as part of his reform efforts (2 Chronicles 29). Finally, God plainly warned the religious leaders through Jeremiah of dire punishment that would fall; partly because the religious leaders had turned their backs on Him (Jeremiah 32: 28-33).

A perfect, organized religious system for mission and governance? No … because God chooses to work through weak and sinful human beings. And it’s the same for the Seventh-day Adventist Church today.

Following God’s example, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, called into being by His prophetic word, has organized itself with similar principles. Men and women, called by God, are employed and asked to lead in the making of disciples—the calling of individuals to new and/or deeper relationships with Jesus Christ. This includes preaching, teaching, administrating, and coordinating with fellow church leaders around the world. And the financial system of tithes and offerings is used to support those called both in our local mission territories as well as in world regions where there has been little penetration by the message God has given the church to proclaim.

Higher Standards of Accountability

Does all go well? Not always. We do hear of and sometimes witness misguided decisions, misuse of funds, unprofessional leadership, and, occasionally, even wicked behavior and attitudes. But God has also led us to higher and higher standards of accountability. Regular ministry reports and financial statements are presented at church boards, conference executive committees, and constituency meetings. Audit and compensation committees carefully review important financial and employment records. And when misdeeds or immoral actions come to light, they are dealt with appropriately. Finally, following King Hezekiah’s example, we call for ever increasing levels of spiritual, professional, and ethical behavior on the part of our leaders (pastors, teachers, administrators, etc.).

A perfect, organized religious system for mission and governance? No. But one led by imperfect human beings who God, in His incredible love and grace, chooses to work through.

So, here’s why I give tithes and offerings to the Seventh-day Adventist Church:

  • Because Jesus Christ died for me and adopted me as God’s beloved child.
  • Because I must learn to trust the reality of God’s grace; He will provide for me.
  • Because God has invited me to test Him with this specific practice.
  • Because He has fulfilled His promise to bless me when I have tested Him with this practice.
  • Because, as a leader in the Adventist Church, I have an ethical as well as spiritual duty to participate in the system that provides my livelihood.
  • Because God has chosen and called the Seventh-day Adventist Church, even though led by sometimes erring men and women, to proclaim a last message to this world.

I urge you, dear reader, to prayerfully do the same.

Dave VandeVere is vice president for finance of the Mid-America Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Republished with permission from the April 2024 edition of OUTLOOK Magazine.

03 Jul

MANAGING EXPECTATIONS

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I had an acquaintance years ago who, upon being granted a driver’s license, received from his parents the gift of a car.

A new Car.

A new Chevy Monte Carlo, which in that era was a pretty sporty beast with plenty of power.

I, as it happened, was driving around an eight-year-old grandma car with over 100,000 miles on loan from by parents, which I had to share with my brother. And I was grateful for that.

My acquaintance was not grateful. He had dropped enough hints to his folks that he wanted a Firebird (sportier, more powerful, etc.), which they were capable of affording, and the Monte Carlo was a serious let-down. No matter how much better it was than what I had to meet my needs, he was miserable.

Lest you are tempted to think I offer up this comparison to extol my superior virtue even during my young adulthood, you have to understand why I was so grateful for that dependable but unexciting vehicle.

In preparation for serving as a task force dean in a boarding academy four states away, I bought my first car, and it was a sight worse than the one on loan to me that summer. But my dad, who could not afford to buy me any kind of car, switched vehicles with me while I and my brother worked at summer camp, so he could get the repairs needed before I left. And, even as a callow youth, I was aware that a dad like that was worth more than a solid gold Rolls Royce.

My friend had high, and unrealized, expectations. I had low expectations which were exceeded without me even asking. The reactions we each had were more the product of expectations than of the quality we had received. There’s a good lesson in that.

I have to admit, even in the matter of stewardship, the Bible can pump up our expectations quite a bit. Ask, and it will be given to you … (Luke 11:9). Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap (Luke 6:38). ... see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it (Malachi 3:10).

All well and good. I do not doubt any of those promises for one second. What I do doubt, however, is our ability to be clear on what is and what is not promised. I previously explored this topic in an article for our online publication, the NewsNuggets, and pointed out that we make a mistake assuming that the blessings are always in the form of financial increases. I don’t want to plow over that same territory again, but I think we can take some time to consider that, even when we receive financial blessings, we have to be realistic in our expectations.

I still don’t have a Monte Carlo. In fact, my current vehicle, like most of its predecessors, has more in common with the full-size Chevy my dad loaned me all those years ago than with the hot rod my friend was outright given. But here is the financial blessing: I don’t owe anything on it! I never owed anything on it because I bought it for cash. The non-financial blessings (though financial adjacent, perhaps) of my faithful stewardship, taught to me by God-fearing, frugal parents, include reasonable expectations of what I should be driving (new means “new to me”), careful planning to be able to pay cash, knowing someone who deals in salvage vehicles, and probably others I haven’t realized yet.

In particular, I want to focus on the matter of managed expectations. Because yes, the Bible that holds out all these too-good-to-be-true promises, also talks about expectations.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength (Philippians 4:11-13).

When I read that passage, I get the feeling that Paul wasn’t just managing expectations; he seems to have done away with them entirely. He didn’t expect anything out of life. Whatever came along, that was cool.

You could make an argument that Job had trouble managing his expectations. He expected that God should explain everything to him about why it all went so wrong. Which, since God never did actually explain that, maybe he was expecting too much in that regard. But at the same time, no matter how much he lost, his philosophical approach to total financial ruin is the legendary phrase, Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised (Job 1:21).

Moses could have had it all. Raised by his mother for the first few years, he was adopted into the royal family of Egypt, the most powerful nation on earth at the time, and trained in economics, warfare, philosophy, agriculture, architecture, and diplomacy. He was destined to rule. But ultimately, … when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter (Hebrews 11:24). He managed his expectations so well that he came to expect something entirely different, which was to lead his people out of the land that offered him everything. There were many bumps along the way, but he brought them there.

Paul was seemingly indifferent to financial circumstances. Job stayed grounded through gain, then loss, then gain. Moses turned his back on wealth in favor of something more permanent than even the pyramid that doubtless would have been his. What does all of that tell us about the blessings of learning to manage our financial expectations?

One of the most important mentors of my life, a man I still am in contact with, had a well-paying government job and three growing boys. When an offer that he did not seek came for him to be a Bible worker at literally a fourth of his salary, he was devastated, but knew that he was called. He and his wife sat their sons down and explained to them that daddy has an opportunity to serve the church, but it would mean giving up a lot. They wouldn’t get nice vacations, or as many meals out, or new clothes as often. The car would have to last longer, there would be fewer presents under the tree, and other things like that. When the truth was laid out, the youngest son simply asked, “But do you believe this is what God wants you to do?” When they responded that it was, he said, “Then do it.”

They did it. And it was a struggle. The bills were paid, but they were not always sure how. Bargains were discovered, help came from unexpected sources, creative meals were prepared with cost efficient ingredients. You probably know all the tricks they tried. And they prayed, and things worked out, but some days took a lot of faith to get through.

After about a year of living like this, during supper one evening, his middle son suddenly asked, “Hey, you remember when you guys told us that we were going to have to live with less after you took the new job?”

My friend had dreaded this moment, when the complaints would come out about how they didn’t know it would be this tough and was it too late to get the old job back, and who knows what else. So, he swallowed hard and said, “Yes, what about it?”

“When is that going to start?”

“Yeah, dad, when?” chimed in the other two.

All he and his wife could say was praise the Lord that their boys’ expectations were such that they didn’t even notice a change. Proof that people like Paul, Moses, and Job are still with us.

Faithful stewardship has many forms. Being generous to God’s work is only the most obvious form. Practicing some of the less obvious, such as managing expectations, comes with its own blessings.

Doug Inglish is RMC stewardship director. Email him at: dougi@rmcsda.org

26 Jun

GENEROSITY AS LIFESTYLE

In

Already you are well to the fore in every good quality—you have faith, you can express that faith in words; you have knowledge, enthusiasm and your love for us. Could you not add generosity to your virtues?
– 2 Corinthians 8:7 – J.B. Philips

When Paul addressed the Corinthians and all believers in the province of Macedonia (today’s Greece), he stressed the importance of adding the grace of giving, or generosity, to all they have received and accepted as their Christian lifestyle. Why was it so important for the first-century church to be generous and show extravagant giving? What were they to prove through their unselfish, generous giving?

Generosity is not natural to fallen human beings as we are selfish by our nature. Generosity must be triggered, as Matthews advocates that “gratitude leads to generosity.” 1 As creation, we received generosity from our Creator God through his Divine Generosity.2 He created the entire world for the human being and then blessed them (Genesis 1:28).

The word baruch rendered as blessing in its semantic root, means bringing a gift to another while kneeling out of respect. God showed His grace and generosity through respect towards Adam by offering the gift of stewarding his whole creation. This act of grace should stimulate gratitude in every creation. There is so much to be grateful to the Creator, from the complex flower petals and breathtaking scenery to the breath of life, intellect, senses, creativity, and everything else.

The second reason for gratitude is the Creator God’s love (racham) for his creation that never changed, though it was “wounded” by his creation’s betrayal and violation of trust. The Hebrew word pasha mainly rendered as transgression, describes betrayal through rebellion by someone “who misuses or abuses a relationship or possession.” 3 As human beings, we have abused and misused our relationship and the received possessions of the Creator, yet God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).

This amazing love (racham) of God towards his creation inspired Ellen G. White when she wrote, “Contemplation of this love would uproot from the heart all selfishness, and so transform the soul that men would cherish generosity, practice self-denial, and imitate the example of God.” 4  We cannot earn, deserve, or merit any of these gifts, but believe and be generous with all the gifts we receive.

Willard and Sheppard explained, “Generosity is the natural and appropriate response of people who have been confronted with the grace of God.” 5 Generosity is not philanthropy or fundraising that is based on humanitarianism and charity through surplus. Generosity is one of the main character traits of a steward that puts the Christian on the path of transformation and sanctification. Blomberg argues that “giving is a part of whole life transformation, that stewardship and sanctification go together as a sign of Christian obedience and maturity.” 6

Froom affirms the fact that generosity and faithfulness in giving lead to “renewal of consecration and pours into the life the expression of divine favor, sanctifying power, and grace.” 7 Hence, the whole life of a Christian becomes changed, mirroring that of Christ. The whole life becomes a witness, a constant, abundant sharing of the manifold grace of God, just as Peter stated: As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (2 Peter 4:10).

One of the greatest examples of generosity in the Bible is the generous Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). For the Samaritan, it was in harmony with his nature, lifestyle, generosity, and the stewarding of the goods he received to intervene and help in any way that the robbed and beaten-up person needed. The Samaritan’s service was multifaceted, just as the gifts he received were. Seeing the beaten up and robbed person at the roadside, he used this gift of opportunity to give the gift of attention, time, ointment, skill, care, transport, trust, resources, promise, and the like that spoke of his character and nature. The Samaritan recognized an eternal truth that each person is a gift.

The Samaritan’s generosity was part of his changed personality since he embraced the wounded Jew and did not try to avoid him as the Samaritan women did at the well (John 4:9). Religious, social, ethnic, gender, etc., differences were wiped out by knowing the giver and recognizing the gifts. In addition to his character, personality, and lifestyle, even his worldview changed. He was looking each day for a new divine appointment. This is exactly what a generous lifestyle looks like. This lifestyle is up and outward-oriented. The generous person views possessions as temporary and sees themselves as part of God’s story. They look at others to see their needs and pair those with the gifts they can share. For generous individuals, people matter and do not include personal gain. To be generous toward others, one must first experience God’s extravagant love, grace, compassion, and generosity.

“The act of generosity,” Shinabarger writes, “means that we choose to liberally share with others without any personal gain. If you build a life that is separate from people who experience great need, you will always struggle to be a generous person. In large part, the people closest to us determine what we desire. So, surround yourself with people who are in need, and you will desire to meet needs. Surround yourself with people living in excess, and your desires will become even more excessive. Generous people live in community with people who benefit from their generosity, which makes for a fuller life for the giver.” 8 This last characteristic of genuine, generous Christians is that they will live surrounded by those they serve.

Jesus dwelt among us (John 1:14) among those on whom he came to bestow his gifts. As excessive sharers of God’s manifold grace, our place is in the communities where we can freely share His gifts at every step. This means we will generously use the gift of opportunity and divine appointment to share our material, intellectual, emotional, social, financial, spiritual, and other gifts with those around us. We haven’t yet reached the level of generosity that the churches in Macedonia reached, Israel in the wilderness, or even the poor widow in the sanctuary. We were not told yet to cease bringing and using our gifts, and we have not yet given all we have on the altar to the Lord. Is it affluence, consumer culture, the influence of advertisements, convenience, or perhaps our selfish, unconverted, and unchanged nature that is in the way of generosity? One is sure that a fully generous lifestyle is, for many Christians, still a high goal to be reached that extends even to growing the Kingdom of God and finishing the work that he has bestowed on us as Christians.

In the book Becoming a Level 5ive Multiplying Church, the writers take generosity yet another step further when they write: “Most Level 1 churches would be characterized as consumers rather than producers. Their lack of generosity in releasing people and resources on mission is not due to their lack of compassion and heart. Instead, it’s the practical ramification of continually living within a scarcity culture. Leaders live in fear of the future rather than energized by its opportunity.9

Is your lifestyle primarily spiritual, characterized by scarcity, anxiety, and little faith, or do you believe in the God of the universe, who demonstrated real generosity by giving His Son for you and promised to have rivers of living water (John 7:38) flow out of your life?

Anton Kapusi is the church growth director for the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and former lead pastor of Pueblo First Seventh-day Adventist Church.

 

1  Matthews, J. (2017). Stewardship: Motives of the Heart. Pacific Press, p. 76.

2  Wainwright, W.J. (2005). The Oxford Handbook of Philosophy of Religion. Oxford University Press, p. 287.

3  Bentorah, C. (2020). Racham – The Love that is Beyond Love, Travelers Rest. True Potential Inc. p. 81.

4  White, E.G. “God’s Love Unmeasured.” Signs of the Times, February 5, 1894. Par.6.

5  Willard, C. and Sheppard, J. (2012). Contagious Generosity. Zondervan. p. 37.

6  Willmer, W.K. Ed. (2008). Revolution in Generosity. Moody Publishers. p. 45,

7  Froom, L. E. (2012). Stewardship in its Larger Aspect. Pacific Press. p. 45.

8  Shinabarger, J. (2013). More or Less: Choosing a Lifestyle of Excessive Generosity. David C. Cook. p. 248-249.

9  Wilson, T., Ferguson D., and Hirsch A. (2015). Becoming a level 5ive Multiplying church. Exponential.org. p. 122.

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