The majority of all tithing sermons are given during this month alone. I can understand the influence that greed has on everyone’s life, but considering stewardship goes far past the aspect of giving, let’s get into something a little more appropriate during our economy. Here are four sermon topics besides giving, that you can preach on each Sunday during Stewardship month.

1. Saving

   I think there are some out there that are against saving for the long term like retirement. That’s simply because they feel that Christ could return at any moment, and that whole time you have had money sitting in an account somewhere. I’m not gonna get into that because i think it’s just foolish thinking.

   Saving is so important today more than ever. You can’t rely on your job tomorrow, and you can’t rely on social security and your pension when you retire. You may never get a pension, and social security in some way will be revised or broke by that time. The bible says that the parents are in charge of laying up for their children. This is an earthly task with spiritual authority. Your children need you to be wise with your money. It gets tougher and tougher in this world to make it, and our children need our help.

2. Debt

   I don’t think that i need to explain why this is an important topic. Really what can i say here? We all know how crucial debt has been in destroying our homes and economy. During this month start a stewardship class. Dave Ramsey, and Crown Financial have some very good materials and courses that will jump start your church into financial freedom. After all, the less debt they have the more they can offer God.

   If you are a pastor in unsecured debt and you would struggle with preaching this topic to your congregation, well, admit your struggles, don’t pretend that you have no vices, and preach on debt anyways. If your church is in major debt, then this would be a perfect opportunity for you to take serious looks at your church budget, and find out how you can cut back.

3. Budgeting

   This is usually the root of the problem of the above two points. I’m sure you’ve heard the statement: “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. I have to admit, i hate budgeting. I am not a numbers guy. They do not excite me. I received a “D” in accounting when i took it way back in highschool. I have to admit also that i know budgeting gets even worse when you are in debt, or have no money because it is depressing to open up your books and see your situation over and over and over. No one wants to remind themselves about the pennies that they have left in their account. We just want to close our eyes and hope that we make it from paycheck to paycheck. Become disciplined with this challenge, and force yourself to do it.

4. Faith and Trust

   To me this is the most important of all the topics. We need to trust God. We need to ask him to help us. We need help if we have an abundance, and we need help if we have a lack. I know many of us are “living on a prayer”. We don’t know how we are going to make it, and yet we look back, and here we are. I sincerely don’t know how my family has made it this far. I tell you what, if i could explain how i’ve made it this far, then that means God had nothing to do with it. It is important to build your faith and your trust in God in regards to finances.

I guarantee that if you preach on these four topics and God’s people righteously act upon them; you won’t have to preach on giving. Giving will automatically flow - not that money in the Church bank account is the motivation to preach on these sermons. As a church, be wise with your money. Be free to give, and share. God blessed your church to bless others. I just wrote a post about some giving statistics the other day that reveals how ungenerous churches really are. Don’t be a selfish church that spends 85% of their resources on themselves.

Does anyone have any other topics that they think would be good sermons? If not, what are your thoughts on the points above?

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Once again another tithing video of someone being tackled for not tithing. Even if i did believe in tithing i wouldn’t think it’s funny, simply for the fact that really people do feel like they are being tackled for not tithing. It’s ironic that i don’t see tackling videos for those who aren’t serving.

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‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through God’s house

Not a person was stirring, not even a mouse;

The wallets were hung by the pulpit with care,

In hopes that St. Pimp soon would be there;

The people were nestled all snug in their beds,

While visions of prosperity danced in their heads;

And mama in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,

Had just settled down for a long winter’s nap,

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the window I flew like a flash,

Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow

Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below,

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a private jet, and eight tiny pimp-deer,

With a little old driver, so lively and quick,

I knew in a moment it must be St. Pimp.

More cunning than vipers his coursers they came,

And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

“Now, White! now, Dollar! now, Long and Hinn!

On, Copeland! on Crouch! on, Jakes and Prince!

To the top of the Steeple! to the top of the wall!

Now pimp away! pimp away! pimp away all!”

As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,

When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,

So up to the house-top the coursers they flew,

With the coffers full of wealth, and St. Pimp too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof

The pimping and prancing of each pimps hoof.

As I drew in my hand, and was turning around,

Down the chimney St. Pimp came with a bound.

He was dressed all in Armani, from his head to his shoe,

And his clothes were all garnished with diamonds too;

A bundle of cash he had flung on his back,

And he looked like a pimp just opening his pack.

His eyes — how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!

His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!

His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,

And the diamonds on his cuff were as white as the snow;

The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,

As his ego encircled his head like a wreath;

He had a broad face and a little round belly,

That shook, as he pimped like a bowlful of jelly.

He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,

And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,

Soon gave me to know this is something to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,

And pimped all the people; then turned with a jerk,

And laying his finger aside of his nose,

And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;

He sprang to his sleigh, to his pimp-deer gave a whistle,

And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.

But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,

“Happy Pimping to all, and to all a good-night.”

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Here’s the issue, people who enforce tithing tend to say, “i believe in grace giving and I believe in freewill giving, it’s just that i believe 10% is the starting point.” I would venture to say, that they are probably right - they do believe in grace and freewill giving. Their motivation to tithe may not be as if it were a law; their motivation is because they are under God’s grace and love. The issue is that they are led by a law, not by the Spirit.

Freewill Giving

I’m not going to pull up dictionary definitions, but generally i believe that everyone has freewill. Whether you believe tithing is commanded or not, you believe that God doesn’t force you to do something. So freewill giving is a very broad definition. By nature the term, “freewill” doesn’t describe attributes that are against tithing. Tithing can be freewill also.

Grace Giving

Ok, so grace giving sounds much more definitive right? After all, the Old Testament was under the law and we are under grace, so anyone who tithes is still under the law, right? Well, many tithers claim that they are under grace as well, simply for the fact that they are free from the curse. Typically these are the ones that tell you that the tithe is not a law that you will be punished for, and yet in the same sentence convince you how the tithe is the minimum, and God expects you to give it. Hence they somehow morph an old testament concept to fit under the new covenant relationship. Regardless, yes, we are all under grace whether we believe in tithing or not. So, the term, “grace giving” doesn’t exactly describe the attributes that are against tithing either.

Spirit Led Giving

Here it is: Spirit led giving. What’s significant about this term? Simply the fact that the Holy Spirit is the sole distinguishing factor between the saints of the Old Testament and those of us under the New Testament. You see, neither Abraham, Moses, Noah, Jacob, King David, or Isaac had the gift of the Spirit. Their communication with God was between them and an earthly priest. They did not have personal communication with God. Only the priest, who entered the Holy of Holies had that privilege.

The most bizarre concept to me about tithing, is that God can’t trust his Spirit to help you make the right decision as to where you can give the first 10%, but he can trust his Spirit to guide you with offerings? Spirit led giving puts the Holy Spirit in control of what you do with every single penny. Don’t confuse, “spirit led” with “spirit filled”. Both terms are totally different concepts. Spirit led is receiving instructions from the Holy Spirit as your source as opposed to using scripture to dictate your actions. Spirit filled is more or less obtaining character attributes of God.

I guess another term that would be safe to use is “new covenant giving“. When you debate others about tithing, this terminology stuff can get nit-picky, and sometimes frustrating. Next time you talk with someone about tithing, i challenge you to use the term “spirit led giving”.

What do you think about all this terminology? Do you think it matters? Do you call your giving something different? If you do, I’d like to hear it.

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“in its 2008 report found 33.4% of estimated total giving, $103.32 billion, went to houses of worship and denominational organizations in 2007″ (source).

Right off the bat, the first question is what is the Church doing with the money we have already? This is 103 billion were talking about here? Are we conquering world hunger. Do all the hidden tribes in Africa have printed bibles in their language? Are we taking care of the widows? Sure, there is pressure to give more and more, but are we fiscally responsible and efficient with the resources we are receiving already?

“85 percent of all church activity and funds is directed toward the internal operations of the congregation”. Add in another 2% going to overseas missions to support their budget costs. (source)

In the end this leaves 13% that possibly might be used for practical purposes. Figuratively speaking, this also means that 85 billion dollars us used primarily to keep the lights on!

WOW! 85 billion dollars, that’s a lot of money, especially when you look at the new testament and see how money was used. From Acts through Revelation, you won’t find a single example where money was given or asked to meet anything besides basic needs, such as food, shelter, and health.

Granted, minister’s salaries/needs are included in the 85 billion we spend internally, but as you can see there’s very little sacrifice for churches to give outside of their own needs. I see it as, “selfish”, but i’m sure others define it as, “sacrificial”

I think we need to separate churches from the term “ministry”, because 13% of the churches resources actually go towards administering needs.

“”Americans who earn less than $10,000 gave 2.3 percent of their income to religious organizations,” Smith, Emerson, and Snell write, “whereas those who earn $70,000 or more gave only 1.2 percent.” While the actual percentages are slightly higher for Christians who regularly attend church, the pattern is similar. Households of committed Christians making less than $12,500 per year give away roughly 7 percent of their income, a figure no other income bracket beats until incomes rise above $90,000 (they give away 8.8 percent).

In fact, in absolute terms, the poorest Christians give away more dollars than all but the wealthiest Christians.” (source)

Some things never change. The story of the widow and her mite still live today.

“If members of historically Christian churches in the United States had raised their giving to the Old Testament’s minimum standard of giving (10% of income) in 2000, an additional $139,000,000,000 a year would become available assist in Christian based mission work.” (source)

Well let’s see after all the overhead is paid, and we have enough to run the machine, that leaves about 18 billion out of the 139 billion going towards practical needs. If you think that 139 billion is a lot of money, and we could use the tithe to do greater good, just hold your thoughts and listen to this next statistic.

“Christians worldwide in 2007 gave . . . $370 billion, to Christian causes” (source)

Please . . . OH PLEASE! Tell me what a meager extra 139 billion would do? Christian stewards have received 370 BILLION dollars to do missions, spread the gospel, clothe the poor, feed the hungry, shelter the homeless, and provide ministry; and all we can do is cry about everyone tithing an extra 139 billion? Is 370 billion not enough?

“”Relatively little donated money actually moves much of a distance away from the contributors,” Smith, Emerson, and Snell write. The money given by the people in the pews, it turns out, is largely spent on the people in the pews. Only about 3 percent of money donated to churches and ministries went to aiding or ministering to non-Christians.” (source)

I have said this long before these statistics came out. You wonder why people struggle with selfishness? It’s because they are following their church’s example of giving. As a matter of fact i said that we were “selfish” just above. I said that before i even read this giving statistic. Of course i thought our external giving came to about 13%, but it looks as if i was off by 10%. We only use 3% towards practical ways of reaching the unsaved! Once again we spend only 3% of our budget to show the unsaved how generous our God is!

These giving statistics are sobering, saddening, and sickening. My giving is nothing to be proud of. What about you? How has your giving been? How does your church give? How much do you spend on your own church for yourselves, and how much do you spend on others? What do you think about these giving statistics?

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I’ve been wanting to write about this since the first time i heard about the black friday massacre at Walmart. Yes, as most of you know, someone was trampled to death in a stampede of people. Although, i sincerely doubt people are up 4a.m. buying gifts for someone else. I’m sorry but if i’m shopping that early in those crowds, I’m not shopping for aunt sally. I think it’s safe to say that a majority of those people are shopping for themselves first.

With that all said, here is something ironic. Why is it that the greediest day of the year is the day after the most thankful day of the year? It’s absolutely true. Black Friday should be renamed “Greed Friday”. I’m not saying that if you go shopping on Black Friday that you are greedy. I went shopping on Black Friday, so i guess it’s OK for you too.

It’s just a shame that our time of thankfulness only lasts for 24 hours. It also makes you wonder about the Spiritual powers involved in this evil world system. Do you think it’s a coincidence that Black Friday is right after Thanksgiving? Maybe our spiritual enemy had something to do with its timing? It’s like we are praying to God thanking him for our blessings but at the same time we have our riches still grasped tight in our folded hands.

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It is not because. . . Barack Obama is black - of course, that’s the most ludicrous excuse in the world, that is not why my vote went Republican. If Alan Keyes was running, even for the democratic party, i would have put my vote towards him. I don’t know why i feel that i have to even justify myself about that, but nonetheless. . .

It is not because. . . I hate democrats - I have some resentment, and some bitterness towards the overall party tendencies, but truthfully, McCain’s policies do not make me happy either.

It is not because. . . the republican party is the evangelical party - I think both of us can agree that Jesus does not sit in one of the seats for the republicans or democrats (regardless of what they say about Obama;). As a matter of fact it would seem that the democrat party with their anti-war, social, and welfare agenda’s could be more in line with what God wants.

It is not because of. . . Obama’s relationship with Ayers, Wright, and Rezko - If you connect the dots far enough in my life, you will find some surprising relationships. I’m not excusing some of the bizarre things i’ve heard about some of those people, but those blips in Obama’s life do not influence my vote much.

Enough of ‘why not’, here’s my reason i did vote Republican:

If the government takes care of everyone’s welfare, healthcare, job security, financial security, home, education, and transportation, then why would people need a God? Why would people need a Christian relationship in their life? Why would the church need to exist? Why would people run to God or his people when they have a need?

In the New Testament we see great examples of personal sharing, caring, and sacrifice amongst one another. Are you satisfied with the government taking away the Church’s responsibility to these social and welfare duties? It was the Church’s responsibility to take care of the poor, sick, widows, lame, and orphans. Instead, we are sitting back on our butts and letting the government take care of it. We need to wake up! To me this is the greatest ‘right’ at stake in this election. It is our right and responsibility to handle the welfare of God’s creation, and we are complacent with not doing any of it.

Voting for a president who will provide welfare and social programs is not fulfilling the Church’s responsibility to take care of these people. People need God, not government. Handing out food, building shelter, and providing clothes is the greatest advertisement we can have for God; but if all this advertisement turns into an advertisement for government, then i feel less will turn to God, and more and more will be lost in the grip of the government.

I have a heavy burden on my heart for the poor, but i also want an opportunity for the poor to see Jesus take care of them, not the government.

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Download audio file (spirit-led-giving-defined.mp3)

Download: Spirit Led Giving Defined

I believe that we are free from the tithing command, but instead are commanded by the Holy Spirit in regards to giving. The religious system once used rituals that dictated mankind’s sanctification; but with the Spirit in control of our lives, we are free to receive instructions from Him. Our liberty is not a license to overlook the command to obey the Spirit, so we are not at liberty to do what we please. The responsibility to sacrificially give cannot be overlooked.

The New Covenant introduced a relationship with God that was not available in the Old Covenant system. We now have the opportunity to hear from God, and communicate directly with Him. The availability of communication with God is immediate and spontaneous; so we do not need a pre-existing assignment to outline what and when to give. At the moment God speaks to us, we have the ability to hear, and the opportunity and decision to obey. God did not tear the veil to the holy of holies, so that a communal relationship with Him could continue to be administered through non-interactive rituals, such as tithing. New Covenant tithing is a way of restoring the veil that was once used when man had no direct access to God. Tear the veil away and encounter God inside the holy of holies with Spirit led giving.

The dysfunction within tithing is that, anyone can do it without having to worry about encountering God. All across the board this is true with all of God’s laws, because anyone can perform them without even truly knowing God. But one cannot be Spirit led unless they know God. Personal interaction with God is the fundamental difference between the Old Covenant and New Covenant giving.

Do you want a Church that is willing to encounter God? There’s no question that God wants to elicit a sacrificial response from us when we give, but the question is, what type of response is God looking for? Is it the response that is spawned through our personal and intimate relationship with Him, or is it a response that is considered a Xerox from Abraham’s actions? Through our relationship with God, each and every person has a responsibility to pursue when and where our Father is calling us to give. I implore you to study the aspects of Spirit led giving, and consider the spiritual ramifications between instructing people to tithe, or instructing them to be Spirit led.

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Found a Baylor University survey on USA Today. Read it here. There were various statistics that were mentioned but one stuck out to me below:

Widows and widowers are some of the biggest tithers, with 17.6% giving 10% or more of their income to the church, compared to 8.6% of non-widowed people.

Of course the heretical tithing burden is not the focus here. It is irrelevant under the grace of freewill giving in the New Testament. But this reminds me of the corresponding biblical passage.

Mark12:41-44
Now Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. Then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

Now there could be a number of reasons why widows are still giving more than everyone else. One, could be that they have a huge life insurance inheritance. Two, could be the depression that they have no one to spend their money with any more, so why not just give it away. One thing is for certain, their purposes in life have evolved into something greater than themselves.

Thousands of years later, and the widow with two mites is still a relevant example for us today. Either way, we can say for certain that these statistics just prove that nothing’s changed for the past 2000 years.

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I find that very interesting, cause normally tithers are very bold about their life long decision to tithe. If they think their tithing decision is truly making God happy, then people are always more than willing to share their story and give their name. Even as they foreclose their house, usually feelings of persecution usher into their minds as they strain and stand up to do God’s tithing will, amidst their crisis. You will never have trouble finding a name or a person who tithes, but finding a name from a tither who is foreclosing on their house, now that’s like pulling teeth.

It’s not as if he couldn’t find these people. No, he could. They just wouldn’t give their names. This is interesting indeed. Granted losing your house is embarrassing. But why all the embarrassment if you are doing what is right by tithing? Unless, these people truly do think that their decision is foolishness. What does the bible say?

Psalms 37:21
The wicked borrows and does not repay, But the righteous shows mercy and gives.

This is where these people are stuck. They know that what they are going to do with their house is wrong, but on the other hand, they feel that not tithing is wrong as well. I feel bad for these people. I really do. It is sad to me. Besides the fact of what this is doing to their family, it is said at what the world sees. The world doesn’t care about whether you tithed or not this Sunday. Not that i care what the world thinks in the wrong way, but God does call us a light on a hill for a reason.

What a testimony. We talk about a God who paid the debt for everyone, but we show them our stubbornness to pay our own financial debts. How is God glorified through your financial negligence, but honored through your tithing? You cannot justify one over the other. There are many people out there who are in legitimate debt that they cannot afford to pay. I understand that, so i am not talking about those people.

Through it all, my guess for why nobody wanted to share their name in that news article is because people know what they are doing is not right, but they use tithing as a spiritual quest to appease their guilty conscience. People need to stop tithing & get out of debt.

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Here’s a news article written by Nick Carey that i read on Reuters. The title is, “For many U.S. Christians, it’s God before mortgage”. I have quoted and commented on certain portions of this news article below.

While millions may lose their homes during the worst housing slump since the Great Depression, some devout Christians among them will do so in part because they will not give up tithing. . .

you will find some people for whom obedience to God comes second to none, . . . For those people, a contract with God is worth more than their home

Milton Sharp, a home ownership specialist at NeighborWorks, an umbrella group of 230 nonprofits, said for many borrowers tithing is “mandatory and not a discretionary item that can be cut.

Granted, people have been poor stewards of their finances, and have made bad decisions to get into homes that was a risk for them to afford later on. But to say that your contract with God carries more spiritual weight than your contract on earth is ridiculous. Remember the context of the quote, “give unto Caesar’s what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s”? Here is the passage:

Luke 20
Then they asked Him, saying, “Teacher, we know that You say and teach rightly, and You do not show personal favoritism, but teach the way of God in truth: Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”

But He perceived their craftiness, and said to them, “Why do you test Me? Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”

They answered and said, “Caesar’s.”

And He said to them, “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

The answer is that giving to God is not more important than paying your taxes. Your purpose on earth is just as much pay your bills as it is to give to your church. People get mixed up when they think that God is asking for a denarius, or the dollar, or the yen or the euro. Sure, we give money to the poor, to our church, or to hurricane victims; but money is not what God is seeking. Unfortunately, thousands/millions of tithers are caught in the mindset that God is one big tax collecter sitting up in heaven counting the pennies that you owe Him. It makes me wonder about the order of wording in that passage. Notice Jesus says first, “render unto Caesar’s what is Caesar’s”. I don’t know. I’m not a greek buff, but if Jesus did state it in that order, i wonder if He had a reason to state “give to caeser” first.

“Often it’s the folks who can least afford it who tithe,” said Regina Grant of the Atlanta Cooperative Development Corp.

Isn’t this an interesting statistic. I don’t understand it really. These people are tithing and are expecting the windows of heaven to open. Obviously, the windows aren’t opening, but they are still tithing. I admire their faith, sincerity and boldness towards the promises of the tithe.

This reminds me of my tithing testimony. My parents had 8 children, and my father was basically the only one working. He had a blue collar job, and was sending all the kids to a private school. My parents were faithfully tithing every week, but let me tell you, the bills and credit cards were piling up. We were the least that could afford to tithe, but yet we were tithing. My parents believed in the promises and curses of the tithe. They were suckered into this mystical Old Testament curse, and did not adhere to basic stewardship principles. You cannot be in debt and afford to give. You cannot serve two masters. You cannot be a slave to debt and expect to serve other causes with your giving also.

“I made an agreement with the Lord 30 years ago and I have tithed ever since,” said the woman, who declined to give her name in an interview. “Nothing could persuade me to give that up. My relationship with God comes first.”

All these twisted lies of the tithe. I’ve heard many say that the tithe confirms our relationship with God. Somehow, by tithing we are declaring God over our lives. As if the tithe was the literal cross of the Christian life. I guess it is true, the tithe is the literal cross of many misled Christians. Unfortunately, we don’t think Jesus paid the price and fulfilled all the old laws, so we feel that we have continue carrying the burden of the old testament on our shoulders. There are burdens that we have to bear in the New Testament, but the tithe is not one of them. We are to take care of the needs, help the poor, and supply for the saints. Sacrificial giving is important and commanded, but 10% minimum requirement is not a command for the Spirit led Church.

People really believe that God will be happy if they tithe even though they can’t pay their bills. Why would God be happy that you defame his name through financial negligence? In one of Jesus’ parables in Matthew 25, He tells how God would despise the servant who gives 100% back, if we act upon poor stewardship principles. God will not reward you because you sacrificed your house. God is not smiling just because you are faithfully tithing. In fact he may punish you because of your poor stewardship.

Even if your house and mortgage was a financial mistake, paying your mortgage is one of the most spiritual decisions you can ever make. There is no spiritual difference in writing a check to your church or writing a check to your bank. Just because your check goes to a church does not sanctify your poor stewardship.

In closing, Render unto Caesar’s what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s. In financial hardship, the easy way out is to simplify what Jesus said and exclude Caesar. But Jesus didn’t insert the clause, “in case of financial hardship, only give to God”.

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