we teach on everything else in the bible. if we are to ensure our pastors are paid we need to teach on tithing and giving.
the bible talks more about generous giving than any other subject. it is one of the joys and blessings we have in our relationship with God. if we are not tithing we are missing out on God's blessings.
it is one thing i have read a lot about while i have been here. and everywhere it says that God will bless a generous giver.
if we have so many people in our church and the offering is down so much that the pastors aren't paid and the bills aren't paid i'm guessing that people don't understand the concept of giving. if they don't have a bible and don't understand that concept we are negligent in teaching them and we are depriving them of the joy of generous giving.
as teachers and leaders we need to share this knowledge with them. as we teach the younger generations about the God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, the bible, we teach them about the 10 commandments, Adam and Eve, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Noah, David, etc. etc. we teach them about loving God, faithfulness to God, trusting God, serving God, but do we teach them about giving to God.
if they don't learn it when they are young they won't know it when they are old. if they come to Jesus when they are old when will they learn it if we don't teach them. we need to teach everyone, in church, in sunday school, in youth groups, in bible study groups.
it may feel like a touchy subject but if we teach everything else in the bible we also need to teach about generous giving and the joy that comes with it.
4 comments:
I was never "taught" to give and I don't think I turned out too bad. I think giving comes from the heart, not from people who tell you you have to give. If people just give because that is what other people told them they have to do, it doesn't mean much and seems more like a chore. I think you have to teach people about kindness and what rewards come from it.
just my two cents
"If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
It is so interesting to me the parallels I continue to find between NH and my church. We have/ continue to struggle with this similar situation. Our Pastor has sacrificially waited for her pay... it makes me ill just to think about it.
But that's not why I'm leaving a comment. We have found that struggling financially is often a symptom of other things going on in the families within the church. If marriages are rocky... if there is illness... etc. the church's finances always suffer.
As we've tried to improve on the situation, we've also learned to use it as a spiritual barometer...
absolutely giving comes from the heart. as does kindness.
God loves a cheerful giver but if you don't understand the concept of giving you need to be taught, along with every other truth in the bible.
service to God in any form is a blessing and that includes giving.
1 cor 9:14 'in the same way the LORD has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel'
God is love, God is everything, therefore love is everything.
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