Stewardship
The Bible teaches that all Christians have been entrusted with a stewardship – that we are managers of the things that God has entrusted to our care. Stewardship is a way of life in which we regard ourselves and our possessions as a loan from God; it’s about recognising that the things which we call our own – our time, opportunities, skills, money, employment, family, even our very lives – belong to God. Stewardship is about faithfully using whatever God has given us for His glory; it relates to every area of life, and this includes money.
Tithes & offerings
Giving into God’s work is one of the best ways to exercise our God-given responsibility as stewards. We believe in the biblical principles of tithing and generosity, and we see the tithe – or the giving of the first tenth of one’s income to the local church – as a great starting point in fulfilling the New Testament commands to give generously, cheerfully, proportionately and regularly.
Through the freewill practice and discipline of tithing we put God first in our lives and acknowledge that He is our source. Not only is the tithe a means that God has ordained to ensure that there is provision for the church's work (City Church is entirely reliant on the giving of our members and attenders for our day-to-day needs and the advancement of our ministry and mission), the tithe – when coupled with genuine pursuit of God - is also a pathway to blessing and financial freedom for the individual Christian too.
Generosity - or offerings - is about giving beyond the tithe or into specific appeals or causes in and beyond the local church. Jesus said in Acts 20:35 that “it is more blessed to give than to receive”; Proverbs 11:25 also says that “a generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed”.
For more teaching on giving, check out our ‘Financially Free’ series here.
Thank you for your giving – it makes such a massive difference!
Why money matters
Our attitude to money is a very good window into our heart and spiritual condition; our use of money and whether or not we are putting biblical principles such as tithing and generosity into place is a great indication of who or what we are trusting.
Our faith in Christ has something to say on every subject matter and when it comes to money it is important that we abide by the principles of kingdom economy. In kingdom economy success is not measured by accumulation - it is measured by our faithfulness as a steward of all that we have and whether or not we are putting biblical principles into practice.
Whilst money in and of itself is not evil, there is a power or spirit – Mammon - that can attach itself to money. This seeks to control, and even dominate, our beliefs and behaviours and keeps us in bondage financially.
When we put God first in our finances, our heart is correctly focused and we are free from the influence of Mammon; when we put our other things first, then these things occupy our heart and even take God’s place. In Matthew 6 Jesus is exhorting us not to invest purely “down here” on earth but also in heaven.
When Jesus genuinely touches a heart, it changes our relationship to everyone and everything - including money!
Tithing: why you don’t have to… but really should
Today tithing can be defined as the principle of giving the first ten percent of one’s income to support God’s work through the local church. Christians should view the tithe as the floor, not the ceiling, of New Testament giving – the minimum benchmark of Christian giving as we seek to rise to the New Testament’s call to radical generosity. Check out this sermon for more info about tithing.
Six misconceptions about tithing
-
RESPONSE
“Do not murder” and “do not steal” are also Old Testament principles but they are still instructive for us today. We are indeed not under law – and this means that tithing is no longer a mandatory legal requirement as it was for the people of Israel. We are under grace not law – but does grace lower the bar of Christian giving, or does it raise it?
-
RESPONSE
Thinking that others should tithe so that we don't have to robs us of the blessing that comes with tithing. There's wonderful blessing and joy from being obedient to God and worshipping God freely.
-
RESPONSE
This principle of tithing is a helpful benchmark: rather than waiting for the perfect circumstances (which never usually come) we can start now, committing to a principle of giving a proportion of our income.
-
RESPONSE
The tithe is God’s way of making sure that the ministry of the local church is properly resourced and fully financed. Whilst one can bless other ministries and individuals through offerings, verses such as Malachi 3:10, Numbers 18:21 and 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 suggest that the tithe belongs to the church where one is planted and being fed spiritually.
-
RESPONSE
If your church leaders are doing their best in leading the church into the purposes of Christ, this is a helpful principle: you be responsible for what you give and the heart in which you give it (remembering that your giving is ultimately to the Lord), and you let the church leaders be responsible for how to administer it, knowing they are ultimately accountable to the Lord. One shouldn’t try to manipulate or control the leaders or church spending through the withholding of the tithe.
-
RESPONSE
We can’t offset one good habit with another. When we say we don’t need to tithe because we volunteer, we’re approaching things as though there's a limit to how much we will honour God. Giving God all of our lives is the best way for us to live and it is also a witness to others.