"Hitting The Target"
November 14, 2004

The New Testament Lesson: Galatians 6: 7 - 10
The Old Testament Lesson: Malachi 3: 8 - 12

To encourage people to set goals for their stewardship with the standard of the tithe before them or behind them!

I.  Christians are called to respond willingly to grace
   A. There are many times when I wish we could go back to tithing!
        1. That is probably not for the reason you are thinking.
            a. Some may be thinking that it is to get more money.
            b. But that’s not it at all.
        2. I wish we could go back, because it is far easier.
            a. With tithing, you knew exactly what your responsibility was.
            b. You set aside 10% for God’s work and you were done.
            c. The rest of the money was considered yours.
            d. That’s a very simple way to deal with stewardship: follow the Law.
   B. Christians now live by the Spirit and not the Law
        1. Every believer has the Holy Spirit living inside.
            a. We all have access to the direction of God in what we do.
            b. Important decisions are to be made in consultation with God!
        2. The direction no longer comes down from a human leader.
            a. What God expects is not written down in detail.
            b. There’s no code that applies to everyone.
        3. That gives us freedom from the law.
        4. But it lays a heavy responsibility on our shoulders.
   C. Each person must seek God’s will for their own lives.
        1. There is no set amount that everyone is supposed to give.
            a. God deals with us each as individuals.
            b. It is the Christian’s responsibility to seek God’s guidance.
        2. The result is that our giving to the church is a matter of prayer!
            a. When stewardship time rolls around, we ask people to pray.
            b. We want every individual to seek divine direction.
            c. that way, we can be sure they are fulfilling God’s will for them!
        3. That leads us to a joy-filled response to grace.
            a. Stewardship time in not like tax time.
            b. It is not paying a bill to God.
            c. No one can repay God for the gift of forgiveness and salvation.
            d. Instead, it is a voluntary expression of gratitude.
            e. It is an indication of our commitment to spread the good news.

II.  True measure of Stewardship is that your gift means something to you!
   A. Strangely, I do not witness the joy-filled response.
        1. In most Christian churches, there is grumbling and complaining.
        2. It comes from both sides of the equation.
        3. The people in the pews grumble because the church is always asking.
            a. Every time you turn around, there’s another appeal.
            b. There are the campaigns for operating and building expenses.
            c. There are special appeals at holiday times.
            d. There are a variety of fund raisers for particular groups.
        4. The Leaders complain because everything is under funded!
            a. We are needing to find ways to cut back on expenditures
            b. We are seeking additional funds for bills that are coming.
            c. We are struggling to make the budget balance.
        5. Have you ever heard anyone say, “O goody, Stewardship time!”
   B. That is evidence that we are not seeking and finding God’s will.
        1. Many people are responding to the church requests like a duty.
            a. They give because they feel they must as a member.
            b. they hear only the human voice of our stewardship appeals
            c. There is nothing different from the church requests as those from United Way and the Cancer Foundation.
        2. Evaluate their finances based on what they need and what they’d like.
        3. Then divide up what is left over among charities they support.
   C. If you want to feel joy, my advice is stop listening to human voices and listen to God’s voice.
        1. True stewardship is a result of responding to God.
        2. That feeling of guidance leads us into a cheerful attitude.
        3. We truly believe that we are doing what is right!

III.  The Tithe is not however, obsolete.
   A. Does all this mean that there is no place in the church for the principle of giving 10% of all they have to God?
        1. I did not say that!
        2. What I said that that giving 10% is no longer a law!
            a. The church police will not come an arrest you if you fall short.
            b. Neither can you simply pay 10% and figure you’ve met the goal.
        3. Grace means that we are fulfilling our call as individuals.
        4. But the tithe does still have a place.
   B. As we are making up our minds about what God is expecting from us, the 10% figure can be a goal for which to shoot!
        1. It gives us a sense of what God expected from people in the past.
            a. When people lived by the law, this was the guidance given.
            b. It was what God said even the very poor should do.
        2. As we are praying, I hope that we will feel inspired to set goals.
            a. As grateful people, we should be looking all the time for opportunities to show our gratitude.
            b. Like people in love, we want to display our affection.
            c. Like people who rejoice, we want to celebrate.
            d. As concerned people, we support God’s work in people’s lives
        3. With all that emotion, we set goals for what we want to do.
            a. One of the best ways to do that financially is in a percentage.
            b. Perhaps last year, you were able to give 8% of your earnings.
            c. This year, you might decide to make it 9%
            d. You just might have your sights set on the goal of 10%.
        4. But it does not end there.  We can continue to set goals!
   C. I remember when I was in seminary.
        1. Jill and I weren’t making very much.  Lots of Mac and Cheese.
        2. We still gave to the church
            a. but 10% seemed way too much.
            b. I don’t know now whether or not that was really right.
        3. When we graduated, we set a goal to reach 10% ASAP!
        4. Many years ago we achieved that, though times were often tight.
            a. I have never been sorry for the money I’ve given to God’s work.
            b. I have really enjoyed the knowledge that I am making a difference.
            c. But that wasn’t the end of our responsibility.
        5. I have surpassed that goal by setting others, achieving them and all the time, the joy only increases!

What I want most for this congregation is to have people experience the joy of participating, financially, in God’s great work in the world.

     A colleague in ministry, Eric Hulstand, shared a wonderful story of faithfulness.  While he was preaching one Sunday, one of his elderly members, Mary, passed out and hit her head on a pew as she fell.  An EMT in the congregation called an ambulance and started taking care of her.  AS they put her on the stretcher and started out the door, she regained consciousness.  She stopped them and weakly motioned for her daughter to come to her side.  That daughter leaned over so she could hear what might well be the final message she received from her mother.  Here’s what she said: “My offering is in my purse.”  Don’t worry, she recovered fully!

     Where in our values and goals is our desire to support God’s work in the world?  What priority to do give to our giving?  It is one of the most important things we do, do it allows the church to make a real difference for the Lord.  Those gifts empower God’s everlasting love to spread.  Is it that important to us?

And as you go from this place, may you walk in the way of Christ Jesus and May God always find you faithful!