My friend and I were talking about this; she said that she gets upset with a lot of pastors because they continuously talk about tithing and giving, and some people feel guilty/ashamed because they can't give or tithe an offering. I do tend to think that if it comes down to your electric bill or your tithe, wouldn't God want you to use wisdom and pay the electric bill and not sit there with your family in the dark, saying, "Well, we paid that tithe, so it's all good!" That doesn't make sense to me. Does your church place a high, high premium on giving? What do you think?
2007-12-30 03:47:40 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
So if you were a pastor and someone did not have enough money to tithe and pay the mortgage, would you tell them to tithe their money and not pay the bank? I am just curious on your position.
2007-12-30 03:57:34 · update #1
Craig B thank you for the good ideas. That is just like Jesus!
2007-12-30 04:27:28 · update #2
Our pastor talks about giving, not continuously, but frequently (about as frequently as the bible talks about it). When it does, he is always careful to point out that those who have financial troubles should solve them first before they think about giving. Even giving to your family can be giving to God...the main issue is becoming a "wise steward" of the resources God blesses you with...and money is only one of those resources! The person that can't give money he or she needs to pay the electric bill has other things to give...some of them even more valuable than money.
The last time our pastor talked directly about giving, he included an offer of financial counseling for anyone whose finances were too messed up to give at the moment...he made it clear that they could do far more for the church and for God by concentrating on getting their own finances in control!
Having said that, I do think that most Americans can give far more than they do, myself included. A few months ago, I looked at what I was doing with my money and was ashamed to realize that I was clearly saying to God and to the world that it was more important for me to drive a BMW than it was for someone else to have food...that it was more important for me to have 500 digital TV stations including HBO than it was for someone else to have a roof over their head. For most of us, the choice to give isn't the choice between heat or electricity and giving, it is the choice between buying a $20 coffee pot or spending $10 a day at Starbucks! I don't think it is possible for a church to place too much emphasis on giving for me or others like me that put luxuries above the basic needs of other people! (BTW, the BMW is gone and so are the pay TV stations...that money now goes to support an after school program for kids in public housing sponsored by my church...among other things...and I'm looking for the next unnecessary thing to cut out of my life so I can help even more).
2007-12-30 06:35:43 · answer #1 · answered by KAL 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
LOL, that's very funny. My grandmother who is Christian use to go to a church where all they cared about was tithes. However, this money is supposed to go to the church not to the pastor's expensive cars...and believe or not that is what happens a lot..
Signs that your church is falling:
10. The church bus has gun racks.
9. The church staff consists of Senior Pastor, Associate Pastor and Socio-pastor.
8. The Bible they use is the "Dr. Seuss Version."
7. The only song the organist knows is "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida."
6. The choir wears leather robes.
5. Worship services are B.Y.O.S.: "Bring Your Own Snake."
4. No cover charge, but communion is a two-drink minimum.
3. Karaoke Worship Time.
2. Ushers ask, "Smoking or Non-smoking?"
1. THERE"S AN ATM IN THE LOBBY!! (probably for tithes).....
2007-12-30 03:59:07 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
It's not about how much you give to continue God's Glory on Earth. It's how you FEEL about giving unto the Lord. The Lord knows your circumstance and He wants you within the body of the Church which is ......ahh, your church. Put in one dollar and the Lord will know your heart.
Also, it's not just what you give to your church in money. It's what you give to other people of your time, your compassion and of yourself.
One of my favorite "tithes" is paying for the groceries of the obviously poor woman with two little kids behind me in line getting milk, macaroni & cheese, bread and margarine. I tell the checkout to put an extra $20, $30, $50 (whatever) on my card and to give her what's left over - and I leave.
This doesn't support my church by it supports the Church.
God doesn't need your money - He wants your heart!
2007-12-30 03:59:43 · answer #3 · answered by craig b 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Scripture REQUIRES that you "tithe", that's why it's in there...There are scholars who hold that the founding purpose of "Christianity" was in fact to facilitate a levy on Gentiles, so that's why the men who wrote the bible put it in there!
2007-12-30 03:52:19 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nothing. It is a personal matter. No one should judge another over what they give or do not give.
2 Corinthians 9:7
Let each one do just as he has resolved IN HIS HEART, NOT GRUDGINGLY OR UNDER COMPULSION, for God loves a cheerful giver
2007-12-30 03:51:02 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
They are missing out on a blessing.
Malachi 3
Grace and peace to all.
2007-12-30 03:54:40 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
they`re POOR...
2007-12-30 04:12:27 · answer #7 · answered by Michael L 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
bite it
2007-12-30 03:51:10 · answer #8 · answered by m 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋