The Bible has more to say about finances than it does about heaven and hell. Jesus said trusting Him with our money was the least use of our faith (Luke 16: 9-11). If we can’t do that which is least, then we can’t do greater things.
gracetidings with dr doug mamvura
I recently watched a fundraising service held by a Christian network and I was appalled. I saw manipulation that makes conmen look honest and amateur and it was done in the name of the Lord with tears and hype. It really grieved me and I am sure most of you would have felt the same.
Do you know what upset me the most? It wasn’t the profit, sorry the prophet misrepresenting the Lord. That always has and always will happen. What’s the chaff to the wheat (Jeremiah 23:28)? We keep our eyes on Jesus (Hebrews 12:1-2). What really upset me was that these tactics work. The body of Christ responds to this type of appeal with big bucks, and that is why ministers do this. It works. There are churches receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars per year through gimmicks, lies and manipulation. This just confirms the level of immaturity in the body of Christ. Furthermore most believers are too lazy to read the Word of God so they are ignorant of the truth and so they fall prey to these cunning profits or prophets, pastors or bishops. Please note I am not saying all prophets or pastors are fraudsters. That would be totally untrue.
As I was praying and meditating about this, I sensed the Lord saying to me, the only way My people can mature in these things is through teaching because faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Romans 10:17). This is one of the reasons why I have dedicated this column to sharing the true Gospel which is undiluted.
I would like to focus specifically on what the Bible has to say about, why, when and where to give.
First the motivation behind your gift is more important than your gift. This is the point being made in 1 Corinthians 13:3 which says:
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.”
The reason you give is more important than what or how much you give. Any presentation that says you can buy God’s blessing or the salvation of a loved one or some other positive result with your financial gift is using the wrong motive to get you to give. It is true that the widow gave Elijah all she had and that her needs were supernaturally supplied for the next three years as a result.
First Kings 17:9 says “I have commanded a widow there to provide for you”. The Lord had commanded her to sustain Elijah. This wasn’t about getting her needs met, although that did happen, she was giving to help the man of God.
It is also true that Cornelius’ gift came up before God as a memorial (Acts 10:4), but it was his faith that pleased God (Hebrews 11:6). His giving was just a manifest token of his faith and trust in the Lord. God’s blessings cannot be bought (Acts 8:18-20). How sad it is to see some of these pseudo ministers of the Gospel manipulating their flock to give as if they are buying God’s blessings.
It is true that when we give, the Lord will give back to us a hundredfold in this lifetime (Mark10:30), but giving only to get is the wrong motivation. God prospers us so we can establish His Kingdom (Deuteronomy 8:18), give to those in need (Ephesians 4:28), and abound unto every good work (2 Corinthians 9:8). We do need to expect to receive when we give, primarily so we will be resupplied and able to give more. However the emphasis should be on giving not receiving. It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). We should live to give and not give to live.
Second, there has been a lot of misunderstanding about when we should give. Many Christians only give after all their needs have been met. But the scriptures teach that our gifts are first fruits (Proverbs 3:9). This means that the first thing we do after receiving money is to honour the Lord by giving a portion of it to His work. Anything less is not honouring the Lord.
The scripture says, “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7). The Lord wants us to give as we desire to give not under pressure. I have often seen in different churches, pastors manipulating their flock by making emotional statements and playing emotional music so as to manipulate their flock into giving. They make you feel so guilty that you have no choice but to give grudgingly.
When we are condemned into giving or made to feel guilty if we don’t give, that is the wrong time to give. I have a friend who once gave $500 to a minister just so he and everyone else could leave. The minister said he wouldn’t let anyone go until their goal was reached. After three offerings they were still $500 short, so my friend gave the $500 just to get out of there.
I would never give in, in a situation like that. That is rewarding negative behaviour. It is like casting a vote and saying “I like it. Do it again even more.” Every time we give to a minister who is manipulating us, it is like casting a vote for that type of treatment. We have no right to murmur and complain when we voted for the thing we are upset about.
Third, concerning where we should give, that should be the easiest one of all. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9: 7-11, Galatians 6:6, 1 Timothy 5:17-18, and many other scriptures, that you are to give where you are fed. You don’t eat at Chicken Inn, but go over to KFC to pay. You pay where you eat. Likewise, you are to give where you are fed.
Malachi 3:10 reads: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try me now in this says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it”
I have heard many ministers use the above verse to teach that your tithes belong to your local church, and offerings above your tithes go to other ministries and benevolence work. I agree with that if your church is truly a storehouse. A storehouse is where you keep your food or go to get food.
The local church is the backbone of God’s work here on earth. There are ways that a local church can feed you that no other ministry can. You can’t call a minister from another country in the middle of the night or have them perform your child’s wedding or help counsel them. You need the fellowship of other believers. He can’t offer you that, but the local church can.
However, how many of us realise that we don’t live in a perfect world where every church is meeting the needs of the people who attend? There are people who go to church every week and never get fed. In fact, I have heard many people saying they are starving or being poisoned in their local churches, and they are living off other ministers teachings who may be located very far from their countries particularly in this modern era of technology.
It is wrong to get fed in one place and give tithes and offerings to another place. If you aren’t in a local church that truly feeds you, then get out of there and find a good one.
Dr Doug Mamvura is a graduate of Charis Bible School. Feedback: [email protected] or Twitter @dougmamvura.
