Welcome to week 4, the second to last week of this series. Each week, we’ve held up the question,
QUESTION: What/who gets the lion’s share of you?
This is a series where we’re talking about our relationship with money. A friend of mine said to me, “This doesn’t even feel like a series about money.” I took that as a compliment. Money is just the entry point for talking about what’s really going on inside of us. Each week, you’ve heard me say this.
When we talk about MONEY, we’re talking about our HEARTS.
If you haven’t read much of the Bible, you might guess that Jesus talked about sin the most. Or maybe he talked about heaven and hell the most. Lots of people are surprised to learn that Jesus never talked about any subject more than the subject of money. That’s because when we talk about money, we’re talking about hearts. This [HEART] doesn’t mean emotions. Biblically, heart means the intersection of our affections, desires, and will. It’s the core of who we are. And when we understand that we can understand with even greater clarity what Jesus called the most important commandment in the Bible.
MATTHEW 22:37-38 “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment.”
When we talk about our relationship with God, when we talk honestly about what/who gets the lion’s share of you, there’s just no way to do that without talking about our hearts. Some of us are totally on board. Some of us are still thinking about it. That’s understandable. Nobody wants to be tricked or scammed or taken advantage of. We may not have had enough time to build enough trust for you to know whether or not if this my plan of trying to get more from you.
As you give yourself however much time is needed for trust to build, let me share my heart with you. I don’t want anything from you. I want for you. I want you to experience financial freedom and to live with wisdom. That’s what I want for me and for every one of you. Money is a wonderful servant, but a horrible master.
There is at least one more group of folks who are asking this question.
QUESTION: Is this message series for everyone—really?
I think that’s a fair question. Talking about this to a diverse congregation, in a diverse community is challenging. To talk about this well, in a way that honors God word and honors you—it’s hard. I would never ask you to feel sorry for me. Sometimes, I do need your grace. We are all entering this conversation from very diverse starting points and lived experiences.
Some of us live with more than enough. Some of us live with just enough. And some of us live with less than enough. I think this is a helpful lens. And yet, our experiences and relationships with money are far more complex than that.
Some of us are still building. We are approaching this from the standpoint that our greatest earning potential is still in front of us. If that’s you, maybe the question that gives you the most stress is, am I building enough?
Some of us may be at the pinnacle of our earning potential. If that’s you, maybe the question that gives you the most stress is, how much is enough?
For some of us, our greatest earning potential is behind us. And some of us are no longer earning. You’re in the chapter of living off what you earned. If that’s you, maybe the question that gives you the most stress is, did I build enough?
For some of us, our earning potential can never seem to keep up with our needs and bills. For those living below this line, you’re asking questions that often come with a toxic level of stress, how do I live with less than enough? Will I ever have enough?
Here are some facts about our county. Which means these are facts about us.
OLMSTED COUNTY:
- Average household income: $120,000
- Median household income: $90,000
If you’re trying to remember the definition of median, half of the household incomes are above that, and half are below. The fact that there is a $30,000 gap between the average and the median means there’s a massively wide wealth gap in our community.
- Federal Poverty level: $66,000
- 20% live below the poverty level
- 22% of kids live below the poverty level
We’re going to talk about faithfulness and generosity today. In a community where these are the facts, generosity is urgent. For a long, long time, this church has been generous. You continue to be generous. Our value of making generosity normal, your response to Angel Tree, Rigdgefest, Big Boxes, the Benevolent Fund, and all the other ways that I don’t have time to mention—it really matters.
I bring all of this up because the folks living here [BELOW LESS THAN ENOUGH] wonder if this series is for them, too. Maybe you’re wondering, doesn’t Financial Peace University only work for people who already have enough?
It can feel like a cruel joke to tell someone to save when they don’t have enough money to meet their needs. Trying to save would come at the expense of needs and actually increase debt instead of reducing it. If that concern has kept you from signing up for Financial Peace University—I get it. But if you would take the in-person class, you will meet people who want to be on your team. You might discover that what they bring to the table is more helpful than you know how to imagine. You have nothing to lose by getting wise people on your team.
1 TIMOTHY 6:17-19
Will you grab a Bible and find 1 Timothy? It’s in the middle-ish to back half of the New Testament. When I read this, some of us are going to feel a [hand gesture to communicate rising emotion]. It’s understandable that some of us will feel like this draws an ugly line between the haves and have-nots. It’s understandable that some of us might feel excluded by this passage.
But, if you hang with me, I promise that you will see that this truly does include everyone. It is good. And it doesn’t divide or exclude. Just the opposite. It binds us together in unity. Are you ready?
1 TIMOTHY 6:17-19 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
One reason people may not like this passage is that it feels like it’s saying only the rich folks can be generous. Another reason people may not like this passage is that it says, “Command those who are rich…”. Most people don’t like to be commanded.
Is there anyone who has a little anti-authority streak in you? I used to think I was anti-authority. Then I got some authority. I discovered I love authority. I don’t like other people having authority. If we were to bristle at being commanded to certain things in this passage, which of these do we find offensive?
CAUSES FOR OFFENSE?
- Don’t be arrogant.
- Don’t put unquestioned hope in something uncertain.
- Remember that God provides for your enjoyment.
- Do good.
- Be generous.
- Invest in things that matter most.
I’m struggling to see the cause for offense. We can relax and breathe. I’m not going to command anyone today. My goal is to provide clarity about what Jesus wants to communicate to us through his word. You get to decide how you want to respond to that.
QUESTION: Is this message series for everyone—really?
Does this passage mean that only the wealthy can be or should be generous? That might be a reasonable conclusion if this is all we had to go on. But this isn’t all we have to go on. When we read something in the New Testament, we are meant to understand it in light of everything we read in God’s Word.
Paul wrote this letter to a young pastor named Timothy. This is not the beginning and end of the instruction given to him. Paul didn’t just throw Timothy into the deep end of the pool of leadership. Paul developed and mentored Timothy before launching him as a pastor. Timothy traveled with Paul. Timothy got to see how Paul led and taught. And all that is the foundation on which this bit of teaching comes.
Timothy was with Paul in his ministry to Corinth and even went there on Paul’s behalf. Paul references Timothy in his letters with the church in Corinth. Corinth was Timothy’s training ground and Paul’s letters to the Corinthian church would have been in Timothy’s mind. He would have taken this bit of instruction as a thread in a much larger tapestry. We should, too. And if we want to know the message to Timothy in all its fullness, we must also integrate what Paul taught about money to the Corinthian church. Because that’s exactly what Timothy would have done. We’re going to overview some essentials quickly.
1 CORINTHIANS 9:13-14 Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
What’s the point?
Just as the ministry of the temple was FUNDED by people who gathered at the temple, the ministry of the local church is FUNDED by those who gather at the local church.
Jesus has a plan for funding the Gospel movement through the local church. His plan is that everyone who says this is my church, and these are my people would happily, financially contribute. Part of being a part of a church family is contributing to the purpose that Jesus gave to our church.
Next, we get to see that it’s absurd to think that only the wealthy can be or should be generous.
2 CORINTHIANS 8:1-5 And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.
The church in Macedonia was locked in poverty. And yet, they were generous. In addition to funding their own ministry, they were committed to giving to the needs of others. Here’s the backstory.
[MAP]
Churches in Judea were suffering from devastating, life-threatening poverty, probably related to being persecuted. The Apostle Paul and some other leaders kicked off a generosity campaign around Asia Minor and the Mediterranean world to collect financial donations to support this group of churches in their urgent need.
It wasn't a command to give; there was no demand to give; it was an invitation. Believe it or not, the Apostle Paul tried to talk the Macedonians out of giving because of their own poverty. And yet, they urgently pleaded, do not judge us because we're poor. Don't profile us; we want to be generous. And they blew him away. Paul doesn’t give the details, but it appears that God financially blessed the Macedonian Christians so as to increase their gift. This is what we should take away from that.
Generosity is a matter of the HEART, not how much we do or don’t HAVE.
Sometimes, people who give a smaller amount are actually giving more. In the same way that talking about money is talking about hearts—when we talk about generosity, we’re talking about our hearts.
I also want to draw our attention to this.
2 CORINTHIANS 8:5 They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.
What does that mean, they gave to the Lord first? I think Paul is saying they gave to their local church first and then to the generosity campaign. I have become convinced that there is a New Testament framework for giving that Paul is talking about.
NT FRAMEWORK FOR GIVING:
- Faithful: ongoing giving to a local church, in grateful obedience to Jesus, to fund the gospel movement
- Generous: freely and without obligation, giving to the well-being of others
This naturally leads to a question. If someone wants to be faithful, how much should they give? I don’t know if this is good news or bad news, but I’m never going to answer that for you. People have asked me directly, “Pastor, how much should I give?” My answer is always the same. That’s none of my business. That’s between you and Jesus. And if you’re married, that’s between you, your spouse, and Jesus.
I owe it to you to let you that some really fantastic folks think I’m wrong about that. You might think I’m wrong. Maybe I am wrong. The people who disagree with me, and I mean it—they are fantastic, they would say that faithful giving means giving 10% of your income to God. The word for that is tithe. After all, in the Old Testament, people gave a tithe. In their view, that's the way faithful giving should be defined for us today. There are smart, good-hearted people who teach that. That’s how I was raised.
There are two reasons why I don’t believe that faithful giving should be defined by 10%. First, the Old Testament approach cannot be reduced to it. It simply cannot be reduced to 10%. 10% giving was only a fraction of how people were supposed to give. It's absolutely true. People took 10% of their income, and they gave it in grateful devotion to God, but they also made sacrifices and offerings in addition to that.
Here’s one example. There were sacrifices related to a broken relationship. It was called a peace offering. You would select perhaps a lamb that you would then take to the temple to be sacrificed, and then you would share a meal together from that sacrifice with the priest and with people you were in a broken relationship with to restore it. What a beautiful thing!
There were sacrifices and offerings related to praise. And then there were important festivals throughout the year and people brought sacrifices and offerings to participate in. You simply cannot reduce giving in the Old Testament to 10%. A tithe was only a fraction of how people actually gave.
The second reason that I’m not convinced that faithful giving can reduced to 10% is that many people in the churches we read about in the New Testament had zero background with Jewish tradition or the Old Testament. They didn't even know about the stuff we just talked about. And there's not one sentence in the entire New Testament that says, “hey, you should give 10%.” If that was the expectation, I think that it would be in there. Now, I grew up being taught that tithing is the way to go. I think it's a beautiful thing. I think it's a great lifestyle. It continues to be part of my lifestyle today.
Tithing is a beautiful thing. I just don't believe that's what the New Testament is trying to lead us to. As a matter of fact, if we follow Jesus and if we take the New Testament seriously, I think we will blow past 10% giving. This is what I think following Jesus leads to. Following Jesus leads to giving faithfully and generously.
I’m sharing with you what I believe Paul is teaching. Our first priority is to give to our local church. After that, we give to other things and causes, and para-church ministries and organizations. This isn’t a Rick-tatorship. you’re allowed to disagree with me. This is what I believe Paul instructed. We give first to our local church. That’s faithful giving. That amount is between you and Jesus. Everything else is generous giving.
With that foundation, let’s listen again to Paul’s instruction to Timothy.
1 TIMOTHY 6:17-19 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
We learned last week that greed had a strong grip on this church. People wanted to use the Gospel to get more for themselves. It would seem that these wealthy folks were giving faithfully but not engaging in generosity. They were hoarding the rest for themselves. Greed is not unique to the wealthy. But there is a danger that comes with wealth.
There’s nothing wrong with being wealthy, but things can easily go wrong in a hurry for the wealthy. Money may be morally neutral, but it’s not neutral. Let me remind us of something. There is a natural tendency to compare ourselves to people who have more than us. That’s why a lot of wealthy people never feel like their wealthy. One of the hardest things about being a pastor to a church of wealthy people is getting us to admit that we are wealthy. A wealthy person once looked me in the eye and told me, “There are no wealthy people in Rochester.” That’s bananas.
These words are for us. Recognizing our wealth should not cause of to feel guilty. It should cause us to feel responsible. Recognizing it should raise our sensitivity to greed. Recognizing our wealth should raise our awareness of the dangers of wealth.
It’s not wrong to wealthy. God’s not against wealth. He is against the dangers of it. What are they?
DANGERS OF WEALTH:
- False Significance
Don’t be arrogant.
- False Security
Don’t put your hope in wealth, which is so uncertain.
- False Satisfaction
I heard a pastor say, “No appetite is ever fully or finally satisfied. God does want us to enjoy things without trying to make them the source of our joy and happiness. If we’re honest, it feels slippery and it’s easy to fall into the ditch.
When my kids were much younger, they were playing outside with their cousins. Without warning we heard screams. They started freaking out because there was a rattlesnake in the yard, right in the middle of them. So I did what any reasonable parent would do. I told them to enjoy the yard. After all there’s nothing wrong with having a yard. And don’t touch the snake.
Does that sound reasonable to you? Do I sound like a good dad? Is that what you would do? That’s not what I did at all. My brother-in-law and I immediately ran out with a shovel and killed the snake. Only a fool would be casual with danger.
How do we know if we are being wise or foolish? Paul lists some habits that correspond to wisdom.
WISDOM WITH WEALTH:
- Do good and be rich in good deeds (fund things that are good for others)
- Be generous
- Share
We’ve covered a lot of ground today. How do we practically move forward? How does this move into lifestyle? How do we structure our lives so that we are faithful givers and generous givers who are appropriately on guard against the inherent dangers of wealth? Regardless of where you are on the journey, I think these are some handholds that will help.
FAITHFUL AND GENEROUS:
- Diagnose what percentage of your income goes to faithful giving and generosity.
How can we be intentional if we don’t know what those percentages are? Personally, I use an excel sheet for my budget. It tells me what percentage of my income goes to every line in my budget. Step number 1 is to define reality.
- Decide what you want those percentages to be.
What percentage do you want to go to your church? What percentage do you want to go toward generosity? The easiest way to get on and stay on the path of generosity is to budget for generosity. What if you had a line item in your budget each month for unexpected opportunities for generosity?
- Make a plan to close the gap.
At the risk of sounding like a broken record, you don’t have to go it alone. You might discover that taking Financial Peace University puts you on a fast track toward freedom, wisdom, and generosity. This is what wise people do. They diagnose what their financial reality is. They decide what they want their financial reality to be. They make a plan to close the gap. They embrace structures, habits, and practices that support what they desire most.
John Stott was a brilliant bible teacher. This is what he wrote in response to these words in 1 Timothy. I think they’re helpful for us.
Simplicity, gratitude, contentment and generosity constitute a healthy quadrilateral of Christian living.
–John Stott
What if our money habits were more than just habits? What if they’re telling a story? What story do we want to tell our money? Does the story I’m telling sound like the same old story that’s been playing out for all of human history. Or does my money habits tell a story that sounds like good news? I’ve been thinking a lot about what is probably the most famous verse in the Bible.
JOHN 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God is generous and kind and gracious. The last thing I want to do is talk you into any of this today. My greatest desire is that Jesus would have the lion’s share of your heart. I want you to see him, know him, and experience him. And then, because you know, because you know what’s it is to be with him, that you and I would also become like him.