Thoughts on Giving

By Bob Gerow

Think of all the reasons why you have thus far put off doing any more about your church’s (or perhaps your own) further involvement in “Missions”.

Are you busy? We’re all busy. Maybe we need to ask whether or not what is keeping us so busy actually matters? Do you have obligations? I understand. But what is the core point of reference that determines whether our obligations are correctly ordered? Maybe the people (your students or parishioners) “aren’t ready” for it yet. Why do you think so? When will they be “ready?” Is it perhaps their own poorly-ordered obligations that are keeping them busy?

We each know why we haven’t done more. Let’s consider some reasons why you and I should be meaningfully involved in the work to which Christ has commissioned all of us.

1) God Himself is interested in you getting involved.

Christian freedom is about being freed from the shackles of self interest and misplaced priorities. He desires that we go about his work unhindered and undistracted. We are called to follow Christ in faith and confidence. Our to-do list should no longer be cluttered with self service and personal comfort, but with joyful service to God. It is, after all, what is ultimately best for us.

2) Because the Body is a community of which you are a part.

16th century English poet John Donne reminded us that “No man is an island.” We American believers may have a more difficult time with this. We are bred to pursue freedom and individuality. But being in Christ is about relationships—with God and with others. Our lives are no longer our own. We share them with fellow believers and non-believers alike, here and in every corner of the world. We cannot escape the impact of their concerns on what we are and do. All that stuff in your pocket belongs to a certain “Someone else”—who might want you to turn a bit of it loose.

“Stewardship” looks better on paper than in real life. In real life, I am not my own, and whatever is in my pocket is not my own. Christ calls us to excel in the grace of giving (2 Corinthians 8:7-9)—which means we ought to be looking for ways to give and serve others. Read that verse and the one following again. Christ gave until it was all gone!

3) Because you don’t yet have a clear idea how connecting with a fellow believer in this way can change you for the better.

When my giving or going are viewed as something I give up, they’re harder to do. When I finally “get” the big picture that giving and going are what my life and calling are all about, then the giving and going become a part of who I am. If you’ve taught or preached for long, you have already figured it out: you gain much more by preparing to teach or preach than you ever do by listening. It is indeed “more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

4) Because, as a teacher of the Word, folks are watching to see what is really important to you.

Sure, they like your preaching, but they are also watching. You will teach more by your actions and preferences than you can ever speak. No amount of sound preaching can trump a lifestyle and choices that declare something to the contrary.

5) Because you can.

One of the greatest blessings you enjoy is to be able to do something. Rich or poor, advantaged or disadvantaged, each of us will find the time and resources to do what is important to us. That very freedom opens the way for you to rise to the call of Christ on your life and pray for his direction about what you should be doing. I assure you, He will respond.

Bob Gerow is development administrator for AMG International in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Pulpit Helps Magazine, a ministry of AMG International, is the pastor’s one-stop-shop for tools to effectively serve a congregation. Founded in 1975 by Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, Pulpit Helps is dedicated to the mission of equipping our readers with a greater understanding of the words of Scripture so that they can adequately fulfill their calling as Christ’s ambassadors. It is to that end that we provide sermon starters, bulletin inserts, illustrations and quality articles on preaching, counseling, Christian living, and more.