by C. H. Fisher

One of the most difficult subjects to broach with Christians is the financial one. In fact, I very seldom mention financial matters in a Church meeting. The reason is because of the stigma that the minister is only preaching for money.

That is certainly the case concerning some popular televangelists and their protégés of the last several decades. It greatly bothers me that these ministers, who better fit the term, hirelings, have tainted the giving process. They have taken the principles of giving, perverted them, and as a result they have super-inflated the entire process of giving. The essence of their giving doctrine is giving to get, which means that greed and covetous materialism has become their motive for giving.

The Apostle Paul was also aware of people's natural proclivity to suspect a religious figure of having the ulterior motive of money. Thus, he avoided the issue by providing his own financial needs.

(1 Corinthians 9:18 NKJV) What is my reward then? That when I preach the gospel, I may present the gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.

Paul was not trying to set a New Testament pattern here. He clearly pointed out that people were to financially support their ministers.

(1 Corinthians 9:9-15 NKJV) For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it oxen God is concerned about? {10} Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. {11} If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? {12} If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more? Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. {13} Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? {14} Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel. {15} But I have used none of these things, nor have I written these things that it should be done so to me; for it would be better for me to die than that anyone should make my boasting void.

(1 Timothy 5:17-18 NKJV) Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. {18} For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer is worthy of his wages."

This document will probably not change the person who simply refuses to give in disobedience to God's Word and Spirit. It is designed to help the person who does not understand the principles of giving, and who is sincere in wanting to obey God fully in all things.

Giving is the essence of gratefulness. Gratefulness without giving is like love without a kiss. Occasional giving is not what God's Word implies.  Consistent and faithful giving means one is committed to giving and has formed a giving spirit. It is a powerful action because it sends relief to the needs of a pastor and Church. Relieving a need releases the pastor from stress and a plethora of strength and resource-robbing problems. It also brings joy to his family, which increase the blessings of life.

In the Old Testament, the proper base amount that a person should give was one tenth of their income. There were times that they were asked to give more, such as when the Tabernacle and Temple was built. The Tabernacle and Temple was not built from the tithe, but the offering.

The New Testament presents a different aspect on giving. Christians in the Early Church did not consider the tithe either as a base or a boundary for giving. They simply gave out of a willing and cheerful heart. This giving spirit was taught by Christ.

(Luke 6:38 NKJV) "Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."

This scripture is obviously not a reference to just money being returned, but the number of life's blessings that will be returned upon a true giver.  The Early Church learned the joy and blessing of giving. It was only later, when the passion and fire of first love began to cool, that they fell back on the principle of tithing. For this reason, I do not mention tithing much when I talk about giving. Instead, I point out the fact that a person's giving spirit is a much better representation of the New Testament principles of giving.

However, the natural obstacles to giving are the same no matter what principle is accepted. People do not by nature desire to give freely. They always want something in return for their money. My job is to point out the sound reasons for becoming a giver. Nevertheless, I do not want this information to be the reason that people give.

A giving spirit should motivate giving. The giving spirit is developed from understanding the principles of giving and overcoming the fleshly objections to giving. One should give wisely. Giving to abstract ministries that provide little or no service to ones life or community is not God's will. It is His will to support the ministry that you are receiving spiritual substance from, and that you want to promote as a light in your community.

If you believe in a church or a pastor, then you should support it or him. You are forced to support the government for the privilege of living in this nation and enjoying its vast benefits. It is logical and reasonable to support God's kingdom financially from which we receive infinitely greater benefits.

This document is meant to provoke giving by helping the individual understand and work through the natural obstacles. Eventually, each Christian has to develop a giving spirit. If not, they may become thithers, but religious, cold, and unproductive in most other areas of Christian duty.

The Principles of Giving:

1. First, one needs to understand that God commands us to give. He has given us a priceless gift that we did not deserve—salvation. This sets a strong precedent, example, and reason for giving. God did not have to give so much, but He did. He gave out of love, not because He was compelled to do so against His will. He could have kept His Son from harm, and purged the earth of wickedness and wicked people, but He chose to deliver us instead. Thus, He gave (Jn. 3:16-17).

It cost Jesus His life to set us free. What would we give to be released from a prison? What would we pay to avoid execution? We could never repay Him no matter what we did or how much we gave. There is no telling where we would be in life if He had not saved us, but we know where we would be if we left this life without Him.

2. Secondly, He keeps on giving us gifts. He gives us ministry and leadership people to assist us in growth and ministry. There must be a means to facilitate their ministry and support them as well. In modern times, it is impractical for the church to assemble in homes. A building, either leased or owned, is necessary for ministry to all ages of the membership. I realize that some Christians, maybe most of them, have taken this need too far. They have built gaudy edifices with impractical architecture. However, we should not allow wrong to alter the course of right.

If the church is to have a building for assemblies and ministry, it there are to be dedicated ministers to share spiritual things, it takes money to support, build, and maintain it.

Let us discuss ministers for a bit here. A pastor must give up all goals and aspirations to lead a Church. If he is forced into a secular job to provide for his family, he incurs great difficulties. First, he is a target for satanic aggression.

Secondly, he is deprived of precious time and energy. He has a family and certain needs that come with raising children. His children need the same things as other children and should not be deprived. If forced to supply his own needs, he will be stressed and stretched to the limit continually. A church that wants a qualified pastor should recognize the duty to support him and then do so.

3. Thirdly, we should give because there is no spiritual reason not to give. Think of one spiritual reason, if you can, not to give. Of course, there is none. We could say, "I want to keep my money and spend it on myself," but that is not a spiritual reason.

4. Fourthly, giving is part of God's nature. If we are going to develop the characteristics of godliness, then no doubt that giving will become a part of that development. The Holy Spirit compels us to give. One has to ignore the conviction of not giving and the unction to give. It grieves the Holy Spirit when material things are more important to us than acquiring a godly characteristic.

5. Fifthly, there are certain areas of spiritual growth that cannot be attained without obedience in financial areas. Breaking the hold that money has on us is a very important landmark victory. Certain characteristics, such as, compassion, mercy, love, and benevolence, cannot develop when love for money is in effect controlling our giving.

6. Sixthly, giving helps us to keep life in proper perspective. God's will is for us to refrain from lust and covetousness of material things. Hoarding our income makes us susceptible to greed and covetousness. All Satan needs is an opportunity through our flesh to bring on temptation and ungodly concepts. Withholding our money because of a carnal philosophy also weakens our confidence in God. It strengthens our confidence in our flesh and material things. Other areas of spiritual concern develop when we make money an issue in our relationship with God. I have seen love for money ruin Christians and I am not exaggerating the issue one iota.

7. Seventh, it discourages a pastor when people do not give to support him or the church's needs. Speaking personally, I cannot weigh or measure the disappointment that comes as the result of people not giving. In fact, I have sacrificed myself and put my entire livelihood on the line before based on people's verbal commitment. Later, when the battle got fierce, I discovered that they did not even do the basic thing, which is tithe. No matter what people say to me personally about being committed, if they are not supporting the church with their financial giving, then they are not committed to supporting me either. I do not have the encouragement to hope for a vision, a victory, or for anything more than survival, if I know that people do not care enough to give.

The major perception of the world system is that ministers are greedy, lazy, do-nothings, who work one day per week. I would not recommend giving to such ministers. The consensus of lost people and non-givers alike is that all pastors should work for a living. My response to each of these people would be, "What are they accomplishing for God?"

I would want to know how much they are praying, reading and studying their Bibles, as well as the ministry that they may be accomplishing. Of course, the lost person would not have anything to offer in this area. The non-giving Christian will probably respond as the giving Christian. It is difficult to get anything accomplished once you have worked five days each week.

Once they have risen early, prepared to go to work, and if they are married, they have to do the family things, there is not much time left in the morning. Then, after working 8 to 10 hours each day, plus lunch and driving time, they arrive home tired and drained, mentally and emotionally. They do not feel much like studying the Bible or praying. However, if one is a pastor that is exactly what has to occur. There is usually only 5 to 6 hours left in the day before bedtime. There is no time to waste or do frivolous things.

If a minister prays an hour each day, studies the Word, takes care of other ministry, conducts phone calls, visits people in trouble, counsels, preaches funerals, marriages, and there are many more things to put on this list, can he reasonably be required to work a secular job? I have been working a secular job in order to survive financially and I can testify that it is the greatest distraction, time and energy robber, and the greatest hindrance to my being at peak ministry performance.

One might point out that the Apostle Paul worked at a secular job. That is correct, but he explained why he was doing so. He was laying a foundation. It was important to him that no one could charge him with having the ulterior motive of seeking wealth. Paul also said that he did not put the same burden on other ministers.

There is also the fact that Paul had a special anointing. He was caught up into the third heaven; he had seen the risen Savior, while most of us pastors are just ordinary people.

Paul also did not have a family. He did not live in a Christian society plagued by apostasy. Life was much simpler then and there were plenty of willing workers to assist him as he traveled from town to town.

We should also consider that Paul did not work as much as some people believe and imply. He spent a great amount of time in custody, prison, and under house arrest. That is when he wrote much of the New Testament. There was much time spent traveling about, and that gave him a great deal of time to pray and write.

In light of this information, it is improper to force a minister into the Pauline model. If a pastor is to provide the optimum level of ministry, he has to have the time, energy, and resources to do so. He can only accomplish as much as anyone else who works a secular job is accomplishing, unless he make enormous sacrifices. Is it fair that he is required to be so sacrificial while the rest of the church can take life much easier?

When I was younger, I spent the prime years of my ministry working a secular job and pastoring. Now that I am older, I have very little materially to show for my labor. Now, I can no longer perform in the same manner without an enormous effort. The years of sacrifice have taken their toll physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. I will not go into detail here, but I can only say that I am unable to keep us the pace that I set in my youth.

Finally, I want each Christian to understand that their giving does not obligate a minister to be in debt to them. He owes them nothing but the love that he would give whether they were givers or not. He still has to tell them the truth. He has no obligation to look the other way while they commit gross sins. They are not purchasing his favor as they seek a position in the church. Neither are they purchasing softer sermons full of psychological caffeine.

In fact, no one who gives is purchasing any right, gift, position, or privilege. Giving is obedience to God's Word. He states that a portion of our money belongs to Him. His will is that we give it where it can have the most benefit, that is, His earthly kingdom.

The person who has developed a giving spirit knows that his or her gifts are not simony or other payments. They are gifts in obedience to God's will. He does not call our gifts payments in the New Testament. They are not to be given out of a sense of paying, but as a result of the compulsion a giving spirit creates. A giving spirit will not seek to obligate the Church or pastor as a result of his or her giving. They will instead release their money with no stipulations. That is God's will for each giver. I pray that you will consider becoming a giver.

I cannot add much more to this article except to advise the believer to search the Scriptures. We are told in them about the joy and blessing of giving, and informed of the curses of a miserly spirit. I do not say much about the curse of a miserly spirit, but it is something to consider. It is not always their money that is cursed. I have observed non-givers become wealthy, yet incur great difficulties in other areas of their lives. In order to open the channel of God's blessings on us, we have to open our hearts, hands, and give into His earthly kingdom.

The Scriptures alone should be enough to set us on a determined course of giving. Nevertheless, we have to overcome the objections in our fleshly nature just as we had to overcome objections to salvation, to prayer, to devotional Bible reading and study, to witnessing and to living rightly.

The desire not to give has to be broken like a bad habit. It takes will power to go against the grain of the flesh. God equips us with the Divine Nature, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who will assist us. He will bless and encourage our progress at every step.

However, I also want the believer to consider what will happen if he or she does not give. Who will pay the bills? Who will support the man and his family that God has sent to minister to the church? Will the non-giver be satisfied when there is no qualified pastor, no church, and he or she is forced to join the masses who roam from place to place seeking a spiritual assembly?

I have communicated with enough people in other venues that tell me they have no place to attend church assemblies. They inform me that all the anointed ministers have left and were replaced by hirelings. If people do not care enough to support God's man and his work, God will eventually leave them to the barrenness that their non-support has created.

This is the day of the hireling and of apostasy and dead religion. A true pastor will not entice great multitudes to support his ministry. What does it mean when those who accept his ministry do not support him with their giving?