9 Financing The Work Of The Local Church -- By: Anonymous

Journal: Central Bible Quarterly
Volume: CENQ 04:2 (Summer 1961)
Article: 9 Financing The Work Of The Local Church
Author: Anonymous


9 Financing The Work Of The Local Church

A. The Ancient and Universal Principles of Giving:

1. All stewardship, both Christian and heathen, are rooted in two deep convictions:

a. Spiritual forces are in control of this universe.

b. Our relationship to these spiritual forces is changed by our handling and use of such material means as are in our control.

e.g. All personal ownership is by Force; Deeds and Abstracts with the consent of an orderly society; or by acknowledging God as the owner and ourselves as stewards (Ps. 24:1).

2. Possible motives for stewardship:

a. Bribe. The worshipper brings his sacrifice or gift with the hope that the giving of something which is precious to him may induce the unseen spirit or spiritual forces to treat him favorably and refrain from harming him.

b. ObligationPsalms 116:12.

e.g. A kind of commercial exchange basis for giving.

c. Sympathy. Solicitation made by the sight of suffering or need which moves the compassionate person to acts of generosity. A common social service motive.

d. Worldwide Evangelism. Giving out of a sense of duty.

e. Spiritual Self-Expression. See Psalms 103:1 and Philippians 4:16, 17.

e.g. “Sitting there in silence He’s watching yet today; watching as they come, yes come and go away. Shall it be to Jesus the widow’s precious mite? Small but yet a sacrifice and precious in His sight!”

B. The Ancient Secular Practice of Giving:

Such historians and authorities as Heroditus, Xenophen, Pliny, Grotius and others testify that all nations from the most ancient time practiced tithing. It is thought by many that it was carried down the stream of human life from the day when God established this law from the very beginning.

Monacutius, one of the world’s great students of ancient history, writes, “Nations have existed that did not offer sacrifices, but there is no record of any nation that did not pay tithes to its deity.”

C. The Ancient Biblical Precept of Giving:

1. Abram (Abraham), in the beginning of the Hebrew Race tithed—Genesis 14:20.

2. Jacob, after Abraham’s exampl...

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