Several key themes can be extracted from the information presented in the following "Biblical Principles of Giving" and "Common Questions and Answers":
Faith - A constant cry from God in Scripture is that we are to trust Him to take care of us. The story of God's people in the Bible is largely their failure to do so. One of the ways of building our faith is to trust God to use the resources he has given us. Only then are we fully relying on Him and not putting our trust in our possessions.
Stewardship - All of creation belongs to God and we are given the task of being stewards, charged with taking care of what is God's. All we have is from God and when we give, we give a proportion back to God of what belongs to him. We must make the best use of God's resources until Christ returns.
Sacrifice - The concept of personal sacrifice stems from the example of Jesus who gave up everything for the sake of the world. Throughout Scripture God's people are called to be willing to sacrifice what the world considers important in order to win something much more precious, eternal life. We should not cling to the world's view of treasure.
Generosity - Heaven is pictured as a place of banquets and treasure where God's generosity knows no limits. We experience that generosity not only in the giving of his Son Jesus, but also in the provision of the worlds resources. Generosity breeds generosity and so as followers of Jesus we are to display generosity in our dealings with one another. This especially applies to those who are poor or disadvantaged.
Radical Living - God's people are called to a radical lifestyle which does not mirror the way of the world. Our outward response demonstrated in our giving is evidence of hearts changed by our drawing closer to our Father God. Only then can we be 'salt and light' to the world
The PCC commends these themes and principles to the congregation as the basis of good corporate and individual financial stewardship.
Giving is an expression of our worship. During services when the collection is prayed over, use the moment to remember what proportion of your time, talents and resources you are contributing to God's work that week
Giving is a response to the generosity of God - for all he has given us in Jesus Christ (2 Cor 9:10-11) ‘Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God’
We give and work for God not because we expect more in return (thus avoiding false prosperity gospel teaching), but because we know and trust our Father and are thankful for that which he has given us.(Luke 19:11-27)
Giving back to God - all we have is his (1 Chron 29:11,14b) ‘Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendour, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom, you are exalted as head over all. Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand’
Called to 'radical living', we need to assess our whole lifestyle, not just the portion of money that we give to God. We are responsible for the way we live as well as what we give. What “story” does our personal or family income and outlay statement tell about our life and our worship? How does it show we value God's worth? The section ‘For Your Eyes Only’ is a self evaluation exercise and is included to help analyse and plan personal and family budgets.
Giving is an act of faith - trusting that God will provide for us (Gen 22:12) ‘Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son’
(Matt 6:33-34) ‘But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own’
Instead of relying on our own ability to provide for ourselves, when we give away our resources, we acknowledge and trust in God's promise to supply all our needs.
Giving is part of discipleship - facing the challenge and growing in trust (2 Cor 8:7) ‘But just as you excel in everything, - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us, see that you also excel in this grace of giving’
Having the grace to give is both a gift from God and a learning process for the disciple of Jesus. It involves both our prayer and our practice. It is an aspect of our discipleship which we are all called to follow.
Giving is a joy - we find freedom in the act (2 Cor 9:7) ‘Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver’
We need to learn how to give graciously, enjoying the act rather than doing it from motives of guilt or legalism. We should find ways to celebrate the act if giving.
Giving is a sacrifice - a cost worth paying (Luke 21:4) ‘All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’
This encourages us to give the 'first fruits' of all we have rather than from what is left after having paid for everything else. We are to offer sacrificially, the best we have to give.
Giving is a privilege - an opportunity to share in God's compassion for the world's poor (2 Cor 8:2-5) ‘Out of the most 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 saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping God's will.’
We are to take seriously the biblical commands to care for those who are at a disadvantage in society. We are to use the material resources God has provided to counter injustice, and the deprivation of men and women's spiritual, emotional and physical needs.
Giving is good for us - it frees us from materialism. ‘Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also’ (Matt 6:19-21). ‘For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs’ (1 Tim 6:10). ‘Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income’ (Ecc 5:10)
By the simple act of giving away, we begin to free ourselves from a total dependence on material resources. Money and possessions no longer determine or dominate the way we live our lives.
Giving is proportionate - to income and personal needs (1 Cor 16:2) ‘… a sum of money in keeping with his income.’
We should be sensible about what proportion of our income is given to God's work, remembering we also have a God given responsibility to care properly for any who are dependent on us. We should regularly consider our giving in the light of rising or falling income and as family circumstances change over the years.
Giving should be regular and planned - (1 Cor 16:2) ‘On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money…’
Planned and regular giving is a good discipline for us to practice for it reminds us of our dependence on God. It also helps the church to budget well when the amount and timing of giving is generally known in advance.
What circumstances led Jesus to tell the parable about the rich man? (13-15)
What is the main point of the parable? (16-21)
How are we challenged to reorder our priorities towards possessions? (22-34)
Luke 16:1-13 - The Shrewd Manager
What can you learn about faithfulness with finances from Luke 16.10?
Why would handling money be a test for handling true riches? (11)
Why is it important to be a good steward if you only have a small amount of money? (12)
Why is personal financial management a true indicator of where your heart is toward God ? (13)
What one step could you take this week to put some of this teaching into practice?
How would you characterize the 'great gain' Paul describes? (6)
How does Paul's advice to be content with food and clothing contrast to what society tells us we should have? (8)
How do you distinguish between your needs and wants?
Why is pursing riches a trap? (9)
Why is it dangerous to love money? (10)
How could you overcome a tendency to love money too dearly?
What advice does Paul give to those who have wealth? (17-18)
What are some ways we can share our material blessings with others?
What can you do this week to bring your finances under the lordship of Christ?
How does James 2:14-16 speak to your present attitude of sharing with others?
In what practical ways can we help those with genuine needs?
Why should we link true contentment with avoiding love of money? (Hebrews 13:5)
What important principles of giving can be found from the meeting of Abram and Melchizedek? (Gen 14:14-20)
What similar principles about giving do we find in the Mosaic law? (Lev 27:30,32)
What can we learn about the importance of the tithe from Malachi 3:8-10?
What did Jesus find lacking in the Pharisees attitude toward tithing? (Matt 23:23)
What principle about giving can we draw from Jesus' warning to the Pharisees? (Matt 23:23)
How would you summarize the Bible's perspective on stewardship?
What can you do this week to begin to make a change to how you practice your stewardship?
What do we know about the Macedonian churches that might encourage Christians who are reluctant to give because they have few resources?
What had apparently happened to the original commitment made by the Corinthians? (6-15)
What important principles of giving does Paul teach here? (6-15)
What did Paul do to spur the Corinthians to action? (8.16-9.5)
Why is how much we give related to how much we will receive in return? (9.6)
Why is it important that we give "not reluctantly or under compulsion"? (9.7)
What is a "cheerful" (literally 'hilarious') giver? (9.7)
How does God reward faithful giving? (9.8)
Why does Paul sum up his discussion on giving with an expression of thanks? (9.15)
To whom should you give your contribution?
What is the next step you should take to make this a reality for you?
The aim of this exercise is to think through the reasons and consider ways of encouraging greater giving.
After the meeting consider your own personal motives for giving. Are there any obstacles which stop you giving even more to your church? How can you overcome them?
You may want to compare your answers with those compiled by the Diocese of St. Albans. See appendix A on page 21.
| Income | Expenditure | |||
| Planned giving | Parish share | |||
| Other giving | Parish life & worship | |||
| Tax rebate | Building upkeep | |||
| Other income | Giving to missions & charities | |||
| Miscellaneous | ||||
| Total | Total |
| Income (net) (i.e. after paying income tax, national insurance, pension contribution) | |
| Salary | |
| Pension | |
| Benefits | |
| Investments | |
Expenditure How much of your money do you spend on: | |
| Housing (rent or mortgage) | |
| Gas/electricity/phone bills | |
| Insurance | |
| Food | |
| Family responsibilities (children etc) | |
| Clothes | |
| Car (petrol, insurance, servicing, etc | |
| Travel to work (bus fare, season ticket, etc) | |
| Yourself/pleasure/holidays | |
| Miscellaneous | |
How much do you give away? | |
| To your local church | |
| To Christian mission | |
| To Chirstian charities | |
| To other charities | |
What percentage of your income after tax do you give away? | |
How does this compare with other items of expenditure? |
| Account Name: | Christ Church, Ware PCC |
| Account Number: | 00007093 |
| Sort Code: | 40-52-40 |
| Bank Name | CAF Bank |
Please also use a Gift Aid Declaration form if you are a taxpayer, as that will authorise us to ask HMRC and the Government to add 25% to every gift you make to Christ Church under the Gift Aid scheme. You can read more about Gift Aid here on the HMRC website.