The Practice of Generosity Follow Up
I wanted to take a minute to follow up from our conversation about Generosity on Sunday. If you were not in the room on Sunday, we ended up doing a Q&A about Generosity and all things tithing and giving. My favorite comment from Sunday was, “Your message today really helped me feel encouraged and not condemned.” Things like this make me so happy!
I will begin this post in a similar way I began my message: You don’t want to hear me talk about money and generosity, I already know. It’s uncomfortable because finances are personal. However, finances are the number one cause for just about every frustration in life. Every statistic shows almost every American is concerned or worried about finances. There are a lot of reasons for this but it would take an entire series just to be able to scratch the surface as to why money is such a huge problem in our lives. The number one issue, in my opinion, is the desire and need to consume. Part of that is a huge heart issue, and the other part of it is the way society has been built to push us towards consuming and needing MORE.
Anyway, in Sunday’s message I also discussed poor theology that exists around tithing. If you have spent any amount of time in church you have been told that if you don’t tithe God will curse your money. Some people say, “You better give 10% to the church because 90% blessed is better than 100% cursed.” Some of the people preaching this I believe are well meaning but at the end of the day, I think they are incorrect and creating a mixture of old and new covenant perspectives.
If you never give a dime to this church or any other church you will be blessed because you are found in Christ. God does not curse His children.
The original tithe in Genesis was Abrahams response to the blessing of the Lord. It was a posture of Abrahams heart that brought him to give a tenth of his spoil to Melchizedek which is a Christophany. Even before that, we see an issue between Cain and Abel as Abel’s sacrifice to the Lord (Yahweh) was accepted and Cain’s wasn’t because it was not what God required. Further on into Exodus after Israel was delivered out of Egypt and God was establishing His chosen people, the prinicipal of the tithe was put into law. The mosaic covenant was CONDITIONAL. This means that if you do what I say, you receive blessing. If you don’t do what I say, you receive a curse. It stands to mention that the tithe or offering to God exceeded just 10% of resources from year to year. The offering to the Lord in this way, used to care for the poor, God’s tabernacle, and the priesthood would have averaged 20% - 30% of everyone’s resources. Israel was a theocracy, so it was a governmental structure as well. God (Yahweh) was serious about building His nation.
As we follow Israel we see times where they live under the blessing of Yahweh and outside of the blessing of Yahweh. Over and over again, for many reasons, they are conquered by other nations and then delivered by God. In fact, the Old Testament ends with an indictment from God on Israel and the priesthood as well. They were not faithful in their offerings to the Lord. Malachi gives us a promise in Chapter 3 saying, “Behold, I am sending my messenger, and he will clear a way before Me. And the Lord, whom you are seeking will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, He is coming…” This is Jesus being prophesied.
Unfortunately, these Old Testament understandings were carried over into some of our theology. In actuality, Jesus only ever mentioned tithing once to make a point about something else. However, as he mentions tithing, Jesus does not condemn it. He supports it.
Paul who wrote majority of the New Testament actually never mentions tithing. However, both Paul and Jesus seem to focus in on Generosity. Jesus speaks a lot about the role of money and how it can become an idol in our lives. Paul speaks of not giving under manipulation. 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 have a lot to say about this as Paul speaks about the heart behind generosity.
So where does this all leave us? I am so glad you asked. Below are some questions that were asked during the service yesterday and some other questions that have come in since Sunday.
Is tithing mandated in the New Testament?
No, but generosity is. I think tithing/generosity is an important practice in any believer’s life that helps do a couple things. First thing it does is:
Restores order to our soul by helping fight greed that can too easily grow in our hearts. It’s a great reminder that nothing is ours and everything is given to us by God to steward.
Establishes God’s kingdom. God was serious about establishing the nation of Israel and I believe He is serious about establishing His Kingdom here on earth. Part of that requires the financial generosity of others. Historically the Christian church has been the largest force of humanitarian efforts in the globe and it still is today. This is only able to happen because of people’s commitment to tithing and generosity.
At the end of the day, we should always aim to be generous. Generosity often costs us something.
Will I be cursed if I don’t tithe?
Nope.
Does God pay me back for generosity?
Love this question! Maybe? Why do I say that? Well, there is a lot of good theology and bad theology out there, of course. If you are being generous for the sake of payback from God, you might be missing the point. However, there is a mystery to this entire beautiful principal of generosity. We reap what we sow. Paul in 2 Corinthians mentions that we will reap a harvest as we give (I believe this is a harvest of souls and Spiritual blessing) and then he also says God supplies seed to the Sower. Alex and I have been on the receiving end of extreme generosity and we have always asked God to bless those people immensely and we have seen God do that. We have been on the giving end of generosity as well and I can go through crazy testimonies of how God has blessed us in extreme ways. Those are good stories over coffee! Proverbs 19:17 is a great scripture that says to give to the poor is to lend to the Lord. I was always told God’s interest rates to those lending to the poor are out of this world! Last thing on this, Vineyard USA and our church have always prioritized caring for those in need in our communities. John Wimber, the first National Director of VUSA, actually said on multiple occasions that he believed God blessed the Vineyard because they ALWAYS cared for the poor. We will continue to do the same regardless! Generosity can’t be transactional.
Does generosity have to be money?
No way! There are so many beautiful ways to be generous. The world needs our generosity in more than one way. When Jesus confronted the Pharisees he basically said they did well tithing on every single resource they had down to their spices but they neglected things like Mercy and Justice. Generosity is a way of life that permeates everything we do. Generosity should include our money, our time, and talents.
Which comes first, Generosity or taking care of family needs?
Great question here! Paul said it is evil to not take care of your family so definitely don’t not care for your family’s needs. However, generosity never stops. It’s a way of life as a response to God and requires change in how we live. This begs the question of what is your family’s needs? Does this include retirement and future planning for trips, gifts, etc? There is a tension here that we have to embrace. If we are not careful, we can justify a lack of generosity for the sake of taking care of a family need that includes something superfluous. At the end of the day only you and the Lord know the posture of your heart on this one! Take care of your family and be generous however he leads, if it’s uncomfortable, it should be! If you are being generous, increase your generosity and include your family in that. These are excellent teaching moments for our kids. I have told Jensen on multiple occasions that he could not get something due to an act of generosity.
One day on the way to pick up some lunch with Jensen, I gave my entire meal away to a person in need and just fasted that meal. Jensen’s mind was blown, he will never forget that lesson.
Must the tithe be paid only to the local church? What about helping the homeless, etc?
Another great question! Personally, Pastor Alex and I always have tithed to our local church. It is a commitment we made at the beginning of our marriage and has been an important part of how we have lived our life. There was only ever one time we did not give to our local church (a story for another time about a bad heart posture). One time we were in between churches and sent our tithe to a missionary while we were searching for a new local church. In the early New Testament church the tithe was given to the local church and distributed through the church to care for the poor and do other things. Beyond that, we see additional offerings received for other things. The early church as we see in Acts and through out the New Testament was unbelievably generous. Perhaps they never wrote about tithing because it was just never an issue that came up? Pastor Alex and I believe that a huge part of God’s plan to expand His Kingdom is to do so through the local churches.
However, there is nothing in scripture that explicitly says the tithe can only go to the local church. So, give how and where you feel led. The only thing that comes to mind with this as it pertains to generosity, I would always be looking in my heart to expand my ability to give, not split up what I am already budgeting to give. Sometimes we approach generosity as giving 10% of our income away so we give 2% here and 5% there and then another 3% in another place…. which is fine… but I think it just misses the heart of true generosity since we are approaching everything with a “cap” so to speak.
How do I start becoming more generous?
Just start somewhere that is uncomfortable. If you don’t serve or volunteer your time, begin doing that! Looking to grow more? Commit to giving a percentage of your income to your local church. 2%, 3%, 5%, 10% - doesn’t matter. Create a habit. Build a practice in your life that dethrones your reliance on money and makes you lean on God. Already giving 10%? Gradually increase your giving to your church. Beyond that, plan to go on a mission trip or give to a missionary family. Look for a national or international mission that is close to your heart and give toward that! Sponsor a child with compassion or another reputable organization. Vineyard has plenty of opportunities throughout the year to partner with Water Step, Choices Life Resource Center, missionaries, and many others! Find something you can get behind!
Is Vineyard Church or any other church just trying to get rich off of my offering?
I can’t speak for other churches or pastors. Obviously, we have all seen the crazy headlines and they make me sad. No one at this church is getting rich though! In our service I went briefly over our budget. All of our finances are monitored by our Board of Directors to ensure financial integrity. A few things to consider here when it comes to Vineyard:
We are a small church! We received about $127,000 in 2022 because of the generosity of people within and outside of our church.
60% of our budget goes towards the building we rent and Maintenance/utilities. For our size, this is typical. We are glad to do this because Vineyard is a place of encounter and a place of community. The building allows us to create a space to make disciples and empower people for the work of ministry.
21% of our income goes toward ministry and outreach! This is high and I am happy to say that. Vineyard does a lot of ministry and outreach throughout the year. Many churches in the US are lucky to say they spend 5% to 10% on this.
19% of our income goes toward salaries at the church for our paid staff pastors. Pastor Alex and I receive one part time salary. I work full time outside of the church and I am happy to do so (this is how we are able to live)! We also work full time hours within the church. Our other pastoral staff receive part time payment compared to the hours they work as well. At the end of the day, we are doing ministry and that’s our number one concern.
With that in mind… no one here is getting rich!
I hope this is helpful to you! At Vineyard, we want to be irrationally generous in every way. Being irrationally generous is supernatural.
If you have any other questions, reach out!
