Chapter 1
Adiaphorous Attitudes
“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God”
St. Matthew 4:4
The financial aspect of the ministry in the local church is perhaps one of the most neglected areas, yet undoubtedly the most crucial. No matter how great the Vision, how anointed the man or woman of God may be, how many people attend and rave about our services, the sloppy mismanagement of resources of any kind will scuttle the most promising and productive ministry.
There is nothing that can more quickly undermine the work of the Lord at any level than either the lack of financial resources to do His work, or the financial mismanagement of the resources already entrusted to our care. If there is not both spiritual and personal integrity as well as accountability in how we receive, handle, disburse, allocate, and account for whatever is entrusted to our care, we jeopardize our worship, witness, and our work. No matter how small or seemingly insignificant the amount given is, we must be faithful.
Moreover it is required in stewards that they be found faithful
1 Corinthians 4:2
The spiritual principle says we don’t deserve nor should we expect to receive anything else from God or His people if we do not faithfully use what has already been sown into the church for ministry. Missionary Hudson Taylor has said:
“Small things are small things, but faithfulness with a small thing is a big thing.”
It was Luke the Beloved physician that wrote “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.” (St. Luke 12:48) We must learn to use what we have be given first, and to use it in a manner that brings glory to the Lord. In the parable of the talents found in St. Matthew 25:14-30, we see that the talents were divided according to the pleasure of the Master and not the servants. It is Jesus our Master, who alone decides what He wishes to disburse to who and why. While we often celebrate over the Declaration of the Sower we should also notice the Distribution of the Seedcarefully.
“Well done my good and faithful servant…you have been faithful over a few things…come on up and I will make you ruler over many things”
St. Matthew 25:21, 23
God never makes mistakes! Note that the Master only gave one talent to the one servant who ultimately brought no glory to his Master for how he practiced his stewardship with that one talent. Do you not think that the Lord knew that this one servant would do nothing with the talent anyway? The omniscience God knew that this servant would bury it but He gave him a chance anyhow. Perhaps one of the reasons your church is not truly being seen as faithful ground for God to send His people to sow their financial gifts into is because the church has the spirit of the third servant in the text. The spirit of one that would rather bury a blessing in a bank account than to bless someone…anyone…to the Glory of God.
Any pastor that seeks to make sure that this department of the local church is set on the right biblical foundation and headed in the right spiritual direction can usually expect plenty of irate biblically uninformed members to protest the pastor knowing anything about the money. In some churches it can signal the beginning of the end for that pastor’s season of ministry at that particular local church. Many pastors can point to a money issue as being the primary motivating issue behind an overt operation, or a covert and clandestine coup de etat to either silence our witness, or eliminate our presence totally from the churches we served.
While the reasons of spiritual ignorance and pseudo-professional incompetence are legendary and numerous let it be known that none are able to effectively stand up under a careful study of the Word of God. Hence the true nature of the rebellion is a spiritual stronghold that must be pulled down. (II Cor 10:4-5) On the spiritual plane, the adversary does not want the Body of Christ to receive anything that will enable God’s Kingdom to triumph over evil. Anything that will cause a child of God to mature in the faith and to be more effective in ministry for the Lord Jesus Christ is “anathema” to the devil and his minions. So the devil takes the fight to the carnal plane where we battle him and each other in the flesh rather than in the spirit. This literally ties the church up in knots over money issues, while ministry goes unfulfilled. It is time for the Body of Christ and the local churches in particular to rise above this petty plan of the devil that had grounded our ministries. How well the Apostle Paul declares to the church at Ephesus
“…Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light.”
Ephesians 5:14
There is no other organization on this earth where one can retain their full membership in good and proper standing without paying their assigned dues as well as physically supporting the organization in other endeavors except in the local church. When we try to do that in the church, people scream “this is not a cult…we are supposed to give by His grace freely.” It is a miraculous testimony to the power of God; to His grace and mercy that the church is able to operate off the shoestring budget that it does from year to year.
Many local churches are still operating in 2002 off the pennies and nickels given by honest hard working folks while our government institutions and organizations have to step in to fund, control, and direct the outreach work that Christ commanded the church to fulfil. Sadly we end up begging the government to fund our programs at the church so we can do the work that the Lord has given his people to do. It is the church where “card carrying, born again, members for life,” who have been giving $2.00 a Sunday for the past twenty years get highly upset and downright unchristian if you teach, train, or tell them that they should at least be trying to give more or do more. Worse still, they even get upset if you teach the other members who want to learn because then that will make them look bad for not “coming up higher” in their level of giving.
It is impossible for Trustees, Financial Committees, Stewardship Committees, Budget Committees of any church regardless of denomination to manage what we as the church do not put in the plate. Now I know when I say that there are people that picked up this book who are shaking their head right now and saying the church is not supposed to be about raising money are usually the ones who are not putting that much into the church in the first place. That is a half-truth, which by default the other part is a half lie. Why? Sit down for this one.
Because it takes money to do ministry!!! No money equals no ministry.
We all will readily agree that the church of the Living God is first and foremost a Spiritual enterprise seeking to save lost souls. However there is no church in this earthly realm that can effectively minister the redemptive cause of Christ without finances. Now I know that there are some who don’t want to believe that simply because they don’t want to give anything in the first place or because they are afraid that the big, bad preacher man will get it. I will wait while you do some research and find one ministry that operated for any length of time, was effective in its thrust, and fulfilled the dictates of Christ without any money from somewhere or someone.
Find it yet? I will go on, and you can get back to me on it.
The sad fact is that for too long the local church (yes, probably your church too) has connived, swindled, duped, tricked, trapped, suckered, begged, and raped other churches and their members to take care of financially what your members would not willingly and cheerfully do. This is how we do it and get away with it every time. Fundraisers, dressed in spiritual sounding garb, such as Church Anniversary, Family and Friends Day, Homecoming, Revival Fees, Baby Rallies and Hat Rallies. All because we as the people of God will not give to the work of God as God commands us to give in the first place. We try to find “another way” to get the finances out of folks…by hook, crook or dirty look. Strong graphic language, yes, but in your heart you know that it is true. This is so important that Solomon said it twice in two different chapters of Proverbs
“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man but the end thereof are the ways of death”
Proverbs 14:12 & 16:25
“For the ways of the Lord are right and the just shall walk in them”
Hosea 14:9
“As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him”
Psalm 18:30
Beloved, if the local church of God will not do what the Lord has told it to do, then listen closely and carefully “We ought to fail!” God has provided a means for financing for His church and His work. It has never yet failed and supercedes any plan or rally we could ever come up with. Yet we as His church want to debate His Word and argue over “what He really meant.” Rather than fall out with folks we condone their financial foolishness, then justify our disobedience because of others mismanagement.
Consider the following simple statements and scriptural reference.
- We are the church
¨ I Corinthians 12:12-26
¨ Ephesians 2:14-22
- We belong to God
¨ St. John 15:5
¨ I Corinthians 7:23
¨ Colossians 1:18
- The church belongs to God
¨ St. Matthew 16:13-19
¨ I Corinthians 6:19-20
- The church operates according to God’s Holy Word
¨ Hosea 4:6
¨ I Timothy 3:14-15
- God reveals His Will for His church in His Holy Word
¨ Romans 10:17
¨ II Timothy 2:15
- The Bible is God’s Holy Word
¨ Hebrews 4: 12
¨ II Peter 1:20-21
¨ II Timothy 3:16-17
- The Bible does not change
¨ Isaiah 40:8
¨ Jeremiah 36:28-31
¨ St. Matthew 24:35
- Every word of the Bible is true
¨ St. John 8:31-31
¨ St. John 17:17
¨ James 1:22
If we as the church of the Living God do not believe in the Bible and the God who inspired the Bible to be written, then we will never raise our level of commitment to God in anything! Pastors and preachers, teachers and workshop leaders are literally beating our heads against the wall trying to convince folks who do not believe the Bible in the first place to tithe, give more generously to His work both home and abroad, or donate more of their time and talent to the Kingdom of God!
In my heart that is why I believe so many church members do not give as they should. They do not accept the entire Bible but rather only those parts that they may agree with. In this then, they have an adiaphorous attitude or indifferent attitude to the Word of God.
Additional Scriptural Review:
¨ Psalm 119:11
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee
¨ Titus 1:9
Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers
¨ I Peter 2:1-2
Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:
¨ I John 2:14
…I have written unto, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
Finally let us conclude this matter.
“I will worship towards your holy temple and praise your name for your lovingkindness and your truth; for you have magnified your Word above all your name.”
Psalm 138:2
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