Q & A, round one
As promised last weekend, I'll spend all this week blogging on questions I didn't get to during our Q & A after my message. Here's the first: "Can you give a suggestion of a good way to honor God (give money) during Christmas instead of giving presents?"
Yes. Christian relief agency World Vision has a "gift catalog" that is full of wonderful alternatives. For example: for $75 you purchase a goat (in someone's name) for an impoverished child in countries like Haiti or Kenya. That goat provides that poor family with milk, cheese, and yogart (and even fertilizer that can improve crop harvests)! So...instead of buying your spouse a $75 watch you buy a needy family a goat in their name (they get a card that says a gift/goat was given in their name).
We have World Vision catalogs at the mini-info desk right outside the Sanctuary at church. Or, go to www.worldvisiongifts.org for the same info.
Yes. Christian relief agency World Vision has a "gift catalog" that is full of wonderful alternatives. For example: for $75 you purchase a goat (in someone's name) for an impoverished child in countries like Haiti or Kenya. That goat provides that poor family with milk, cheese, and yogart (and even fertilizer that can improve crop harvests)! So...instead of buying your spouse a $75 watch you buy a needy family a goat in their name (they get a card that says a gift/goat was given in their name).
We have World Vision catalogs at the mini-info desk right outside the Sanctuary at church. Or, go to www.worldvisiongifts.org for the same info.
posted by Pastor Phil Print at 2:51 PM
5 Comments:
Pastor Phil,
Chris Meirose told me to ask you this question in relation to his latest blog on tithing. I posed my questions to him in his comments box and I will pose them to you if you have read his post.
How does a Christian deal with his or her's local church, if the church is pro-tithing and this Christian is non-tithing, but pro-giving? Wouldn't this disrupt unity in the church and create divisions? Are we suppose to obey or submit to our Pastors and the church's by-laws on tithing?
Paul, my response is as long as someone is pro-giving I don't have a problem as long as they're giving willingly, cheerfully, annonymously, regularly, and sacrificially (all big-time N.T. principles). I'd also vote that a person submits to the clear teaching of Scripture on this one (those 5 words I used). I'd lastly argue that a great goal to strive toward would be 10%--but it's a floor not a ceiling--to argue less would not be sacrificial giving in my opinion. Hope that helps...this is not an area that should cause division. I totally respect the people at Crossroads who are against tithing.
Thanks for responding Phil, I said something similar, and suggested that you and I would come in pretty close on this one.
Big Chris
Pastor Phil,
But if the church is pro-tithing and I am non-tithing, but pro-giving, wouldn't this disrupt unity in the church and create divisions?
I met a few pastors in the last ten years who are very strict with their tithing, that anything less than a tithe is a sin and one of the pastors even said you would be cursed with a curse if you didn't tithe. (Even though Jesus took my curse.)
How do I deal with them who basically eqautes tithing as the third ordinance of the church after Lord's Supper and Baptism?
Paul
Paul, run!! You don't want to be in that kind of legalistic church (trust me). The other thing I'd say is I don't know what anyone at CR is giving but myself. I like that policy 'cause if I knew I might show favoritism to the "givers" and "scorn" the non-givers. Any pastor that makes as big a deal of tithing as you're describing needs re-think his/her priorities. If this kind of issue (tithing vs. non-tithing) causes divisions in a church, that church is not healthy. This is one of those "agree-to-disagree-agreeably" isssues.
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