Baby I got your money

Offering: It is not my desire to use this blog and my brief writings and rantings to take a subject I was in conversation with and then come here and ‘tell you want I really think’ I think that would be wrong and disrespectful to my friends and those I converse with.

Let me get you on my train of thought. I was talking to my best friend JB last night and he was telling me about his future and how he and his wife are expecting to go to Russia this fall. I was asking him about support and how I could help him out financially. Then a few days ago I think I was either talking to a family member or a friend and they were talking about giving to missions and other Christian charitable organizations. During that conversation they were telling me their frustrations with people taking out of their ‘tithe’ check monies for missions. Giving for missions, in their mind, should be above and beyond what they normally give to the church. At the time I heard these words I felt in my heart I disagree but either decided it wasn’t a battle I wanted to fight or didn’t quite know what I would say in rebuttal I just knew I didn’t agree.

So this morning I was writing my offering check. I designated about 2/3 of it straight to operating expenses of the church and the other 1/3 to foreign missions and home missions (church planting). I really believe in these two efforts. As I designated on the envelope I wondered what people would say if they knew I wasn’t giving my full 10% to the church. So it got my thinking why I give, what I give to certain places and am I OK to be doing it this way.

God has called me to give my time and efforts to expanding his kingdom. I must admit that the kingdom I am trying to expand often is more confusing than helping. Lately my heart has been broken for peoples in third world situations such as AIDS, tsunami and the Dalit’s of India (see below post). I believe that there is great potential in these people and I want to see them experience a relationship with Jesus Christ. Right now my best way to help is with my money.

Maybe I should answer this question first. Why am I not giving the full amount to my local church body? I think the short answer is…This church is about the discipleship and nurturing of current believers. I think that is a very valid and necessary ministry. I also believe it is about ½ of the spectrum of ministry we should be involved in. My heart and passions lie with the unchurched and those who don’t know Christ.

It was good to think through this and made me feel a little less like a bad man!