A number of years ago I was challenged by the Lord concerning the lack of teaching that I had given to our church family on the biblical model for giving and prosperity. As I meditated on the lack that I saw most people in our congregation experiencing, I realized that, as their pastor, I had failed them. Sadly, I realized that for the most part I had avoided the subject of giving, and things had gotten to the place where I would almost apologize for receiving an offering. While I knew this stemmed from the abuses I had seen in fund raising in the church at large, my avoidance of the subject was wrong. In reality, I came to see that my failure to teach solid biblical principles for giving and receiving was causing our people to remain broke and easy targets for the abuses I so deeply despised. So, I repented (changed my mind) and apologized to our congregation. I began to teach a healthy prosperity message. As a result we are seeing positive change in the financial lives our people.
A healthy prosperity message:
1. Is not “works”.
First of all, whether giving becomes a good work or a dead work is determined by the motive in the heart of the giver. Giving becomes a dead work when it is done in order to get God to do what Jesus died to freely give us. Our giving, just like all other good things we as believers do, is a response to God’s love, not our efforts to obtain it or anything else. Giving, like all other responses to God, influences our heart, never God’s. Ephesians 2:10 says, we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
2. Motivates by love not fear.
Most prosperity teaching leaves people feeling like they are paying God to keep bad things from happening to them. It’s viewed as paying the “godfather” for protection, and if you don’t it will cost you dearly. The truth is, healthy giving is a response to God’s love for us which we in turn want to share with others. Our love for God and others will motivate us to continue to give while fear will not keep us going.
3. Teaches God’s promises for our prosperity.
Even though we have all seen the abuses, we must never forget that it is God’s will that we prosper and we must teach that truth with all confidence.
I will continue this teaching in my next blog and will address the “tithe” issue. I will then give a few simple instructions, length permitting, on how to motivate and not manipulate when receiving offerings.