Clear conscience?
Does the Lord accept anything that is not coming from a heart that is free from manipulation, intimidation and pressure, regardless of the amount? I think Paul mentions something like “cheerful giving” somewhere in one of his writings. Suppose you made a good profit in your business which could be of great help to the Church of God if it was given as an offering. As we all know, money is the fundamental thing that enables the Gospel to go far and wide. Will God accept that offering if your conscience is laden with fear and guilt, especially the fear of being cursed if you don’t give?
Salvation?
As far as I know, all humans are God’s creation but not all have the right to be called children of God. That right is reserved only for those who have embraced Christ’s redemptive work through repentance and faith. Hence its only believers that have a Spirit-empowered ability to properly offer acceptable worship to God the Father. That includes the issue of giving; only believers can give in a way that glorifies God; out of hearts that are moved by gratitude because of what their Lord has done for them on the cross. But, what about unbelievers? What if an unsaved individual is among us in the church, and drops his hand into the offering basket just like everyone else, does his giving equally ascend on high with blessing and approval from the Lord, even if his heart is unwilling to repent? Does God accept any kind of good deeds, such as the financial support of the Gospel by people who are still under his anger and judgment because of their unforgiven sins? If that is true, then the Lord must also accept every good thing done by murderers and witches as a blessing, regardless of their wicked lives. Can this be true? If not, does it then mean that the giving of unbelievers is useless, should they be encouraged to first sort out their issue of salvation before they are allowed to partake in the offering with God’s people? The questions are yours to ponder.
What about debts and bills?
Somewhere, Jesus, in a conversation with the Pharisees, taught them that it’s important to give Caesar what belongs to Caesar and God what belongs to Him. Suppose I have with me Caesar’s money, that is, I am owing my insurance, and also I am yet to visit the local city office to pay for the water bill. Is it proper for me to first go to the house of God, and give God that which was meant for Caesar? I have heard people say, “God must always be first”, well, agreed. Yet I still wonder, will the Lord be pleased with me if Caesar is complaining about that which I still owe to his account? Again, notice the order of our Lord’s advice; give Caesar first what belongs to him, then you can give God what is rightfully His (Mat 22:21)? So, which one is which, is it proper for a Christian to give money to the church while his bills and debts are not paid?
Family needs?
“A man who does not provide for his own house has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever”, are the words taken from 1 Timothy 5:8. Again, the question remains; what should be the priority of a man; putting into the offering basket to support the Gospel, while his family cries of hunger or should he first buy enough food for his wife and children and make sure that they are happy with his provision before He goes to church? A few years back, I heard a story of a famous Gospel singer who bought a very fancy car for his Pastor, as a way of appreciating him, yet his own mother was living in sure poverty. That is exactly my point. What pleases the Lord most; to prioritize the Church before our own households, or to take care of our family needs before we take care of God’s needs? Lest we forget, God already has everything; the cattle on a thousand hills, silver and gold are all His (Psa 50:9-15). Hence we can’t support Him with anything, because He has no need of anything (Act 17:25). Will it not be proper then to please Him by taking care of those He has entrusted to us, than to neglect all that under the excuse of serving the Church?
Forgiveness?
I think this is one of those easy questions that none of us can get wrong; that is, does the Lord accept my offering if I have an unresolved issue with my neighbor, family member or colleague? Here are the KJV words from Jesus:
Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift – Matthew 5:23-24
It sounds clear to all of us, why then is it that something like this is never ever mentioned in church when it is offering time? “Come, just give and God will bless you, good measure shaken, and pressed down will be given back to you.” Yet the reality is that many of us go to church with a lot of unsolved disputes with other people and somehow we think God will accept our offering based on the large amounts we give, not based on righteous living which matters much to Him. So, do you think it is right for me to give to the Lord without forgiving or being forgiven by my own wife after we had a quarrel at home?
Okay, my questions have come to an end. My ultimate concern is that we all love giving, yet we don’t want to consider the right way of giving. Somehow, we believe that as long as we throw our moneys into the offering basket, God is well pleased. We think our Lord loves money so much that He only considers the big amount given, anything else really doesn’t matter. That is a terrible misunderstanding of who God is, and the right kind of service that He expects from us. You have a responsibility to examine yourself in light of the factors I highlighted above, before you make any offering in church. It’s not about money, but it’s about the condition and attitude of our hearts in giving. I thank you.
Sinothi Ncube
Comments
Post a Comment