Introduction
Brief
review of theme of Sermon on the Mount (life in God's kingdom). For the last
two weeks, we have been studying what Jesus teaches about the relationship between
God's kingdom and material wealth and anxiety >> Brief review of major points.
This
raises a whole host of specific questions: How much money should I give, and to
whom? What income level should I live at? How should I decide whether to buy this
car or home? How much debt is allowable?
Trying to answer these specific
questions first is backwards. It leads to the construction of legalistic rules
that rarely fit the complexity of our situation or others. God's way is to teach
us a different perspective on who we are, and then to provide us with principles
that help us to live consistently with our new identity. When we learn and embrace
our new identity, and begin to apply the associated principles, we will find much
more light on our practical questions.
Foundational identity issue: steward
or owner?
The watershed issue is one of identity: Who are we in relation
to the material possessions we control? Here we find two different answers--one
from our culture and one from the Bible--that cannot be reconciled. Our culture
says we are OWNERS, while the Bible (especially Jesus) says we are STEWARDS (cf.
Matt. 25;Lk. 16). Here are the key differences:
OWNER:
My material resources belong exclusively to me.
STEWARD: My resources
belong to God, who is the owner of all things (Ps. 24:1). He has temporarily
entrusted these resources to me.
The concept of private property
is valid in both paradigms. Since God has entrusted these resources to me and
not to you, you do not have the right to make me use them the way you choose.
OWNER:
I may use my resources however I wish.
STEWARD: I should use God's
resources to advance his priorities.
OWNER: I am not accountable
to anyone else for how I use my resources.
STEWARD: I will give
an account to God for how I use his resources (not for salvation, but for reward).
How
do you view yourself--as an OWNER or a STEWARD?
NON-CHRISTIANS:
God's desire for you to become his steward is motivated by his love. He has
a good purpose for your life, and he wants to guide you into it. The first step
is to personally receive Christ . . .
CHRISTIANS:
If you have received Christ, you are a STEWARD--whether you realize it or not.
You have been bought with a price, and you should glorify God with all of your
resources (1 Cor. 6:19b-20). If you have never done so before now, you
should personally agree with God about this and present yourself to him as his
steward.
Once you have done this, God gives
you four important principles/implications to help you live consistently as a
steward. I want to explain each how of these principles flow from the notion of
stewardship, and suggest some ways that they help you live as an effective steward.
Contentment
The
first principle is the principle of contentment--we should learn to be satisfied
with what we have materially, rather than always grasping for more. Read and
explain 1 Tim. 6:7-9; Heb. 13:5; Phil. 4:11-13.
There
are several reasons why should we practice this principle:
Because
most of us are already "rich" by any sane definition of the term. We
have far more than we need. "By any objective criterion, the 5 percent of
the world's people who live in the Unites States are an incredibly rich aristocracy
living on the same little planet with over a billion desperately poor neighbors . . . Our
standard of living, compared with that of over a billion poor neighbors, is at
least as luxurious as was the lifestyle of the medieval aristocracy compared with
their serfs."
(5 percent of world population consuming 80 percent of world's resources).
Because
we know that identity, security, and fulfillment come from healthy love relationships
with God and people--not from stacking up more wealth or any combination of toys.
Because
God may call us to new and greater roles of service which entail smaller income.
If we do not live modestly and below our means, we may be unwilling or unable
to take advantage of these opportunities.
So that we can give more of God's
financial resources to his priorities. From a stewardship perspective, the main
reason why the principle of contentment is so important is so that we can
practice the principle of generosity . . .
How
can you know if you are practicing this principle? Consider the following questions:
Do
you live consistently below your means? The most objective way to answer this
question is to look at the average annual interest on your credit cards. If you
regularly carry thousands of dollars of credit card debt, doesn't this usually
signal that you can't wait until you can afford something before you get it? In
other words, you are not content to live with what you have.
Just
because I can afford something does not mean that I should acquire it! "Can
I afford it?" is a responsible owner question--but the faithful steward also
asks "How will this affect my ability to advance God’s purposes?”
This leads us to another way to know if you are practicing contentment . . .
Do you distinguish biblically between "needs"
and "wants?" I am not saying that we may only purchase absolute
needs; God permits us to have some luxuries. But I should at least be aware that
it is a want, and not give into our culture's insidious indoctrination that this
item (BIGGER HOUSES; NEWER CARS; EXPENSIVE CLOTHING & FURNITURE; EXTRAVAGANT
VACATIONS; etc.) is something I need and deserve--especially if purchasing it
is going to hinder my pursuit of God's priorities.
Generosity
By
generosity, I mean that we should give sacrificially and consistently of our money
in ways that will advance God's priorities. Let's look more closely at each of
the main terms of this definition.
"God's priorities"
include three main areas:
YOUR OWN LOCAL CHURCH (1 Tim.
5 implies this)
MISSIONS (Phil. 1,4)
THE POOR (Luke 12): Suggest
Sider's book (Rich Christians in An Age of Hunger) on this
"But
how much should I give?" The biblical answer is not a specific amount or
even a percentage--but that you give sacrificially.
"Sacrificially"
means that my giving cuts into my standard of living so that I feel it. "I
do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only
safe rule is to give more than we can spare. In other words, if our expenditure
on comforts, luxuries, amusements, etc., is up to the standard common among those
with the same income as our own, we are probably giving way too little. If our
charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, I should say they are too small. There
ought to be things we should like to do and cannot do because our charitable expenditure
excludes them."
This also enables us to experience God's financial faithfulness in our lives.
This
means that anyone can give sacrificially, no matter how little you have (STUDENTS;
POOR; IN DEBT). Read Mark 12:41-44. "This is . . . the
new mathematics, the arithmetic of heaven. God estimates our gifts not so much
by their financial value, as by the sacrifice involved, the love that accompanies
it, and the amount that is left. The supreme value of the widow's gift lay in
the fact that she 'out of her poverty, put in all she owned, all she had to live
on' - while the others gave 'out of their surplus' (Mk. 12:44). Here is
a searching test of our giving, but that incident should greatly encourage those
who have only a little to give, but give it gladly."
Therefore, those who have little should start giving now. The notion that "I
will wait until later when I have more to give" is usually self-deception--those
who do this usually still don't give when they have more because it is affected
by covetousness (2 Cor. 9:5).
"What about tithing?"
The tithe was an Old Testament tax, collected to support the Levites because they
had no land allotment. 10 percent may be a good place to start in giving--but
it should not be an outer limit! As my real income increases, and as my contentment
grows, I should be able to get to the point where I can give substantially more
than 10 percent!
"Consistently" means that our giving
should be budgeted and off the top, rather than spontaneously and from what I
have left over (1 Cor. 16:2). This is important for you, so you won't erode
it through covetousness. This is also important for those who receive your money,
so they can plan.
This is one reason why we recommend pledge
commitments (GENERAL FUND; BUILDING FUND; WORLDTEAM), and why ATF is helpful.
Contentment
and generosity are the two primary biblical principles of stewardship.
There are two more principles that are facilitating rather than primary.
In other words, while you can observe them and not be a good steward, you need
to observe them to become a fully effective steward.
Awareness
By
awareness, I simply mean that you stay informed on the state of your financial
affairs. From a stewardship perspective, since you must ultimately give an account
to God of your financial affairs, you should keep track of your finances now.
What would you think if your investment advisor couldn't produce a record of where
your money is and what is happening with it? If it is important for him to be
aware of your financial situation, how much more important is it for you to be
aware of this as God's steward?
Financial awareness primarily
means constructing a budget and then tracking it regularly. This is important
for several reasons:
Timely payment of bills
Preparation
for future needs (CAR REPAIRS; COLLEGE)
Digging out of debt
Living
within your financial means
Keeping and increasing giving commitments
There
are great tools (like QUICKEN) that help you set up a budget and stay aware of
your financial situation. There is the CONSUMER CREDIT COUNSEL, which will help
you set up a budget. We also have the PERSONAL FINANCE MINISTRY TEAM, which will
help you with this and other matters. But you have to use them consistently.
The
difficult part for most of us is getting started--because we have never done it
before, or because we are afraid of how bad the situation is. Once you do it,
it gets easier to do, and the progress you make is exciting!
It
is my observation that Christians who fail to apply this principle usually fail
at most of the above reasons, while those who develop this discipline usually
become good stewards.
Counsel
By the principle of counsel, I mean
that we should seek godly advice on my financial affairs.
The
owner says "My money matters are private, nobody's business!" This
is usually because our identity is tied up in our portfolio, because we want to
be autonomous, etc. But stewards are concerned with advancing God's priorities,
and they recognize that
If owners seek secular financial counsel, how much
more should we? Yes, since I am accountable to God, it should be counsel--not
abrogating my responsibility to anyone else. But since God will call me to account
for it, I should take this decision very seriously.
This means
asking advice from spiritually mature Christians who are wise about money matters.
Among the benefits are:
They can remind you of God's principles
and priorities.
They can point out the likely consequences of your financial
decisions.
They can alert you to opportunities for creative additional giving.
Conclusion
The
goal here is movement in the right direction. We're not going to be able to go
from deeply in debt consumers to generous givers in one year. But we can have
that as our goal, and we can make progress toward each year.
VIDEO TESTIMONY
> RECOMMEND "PERSONAL FINANCE TEAM"
Footnotes
Ronald
J. Sider, Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger (Dallas: Word Publishers,
1997), p. 24.
C.
S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Touchstone, 1996), p. 82.
Oswald Sanders, Enjoying Intimacy With
God (Chicago: Moody Press, 1980), p. 155.