Two Principles of Giving
By Evangelist Paul Mershon
February 2, 2012

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

(Martyred Missionary Jim Elliot)

In recent years the Lord has given me the joy and privilege of preaching for missions conferences, an endeavor I enjoy very much.  At least once during the conference I focus on the importance of God's people giving with a willing, cheerful heart to the work of the Lord, particularly to the cause of world-wide missions.  For my text I use Exodus 34 through 36.  There are few passages of Scripture that so wonderfully capture the essence of cheerful and abundant giving on the part of God's people. 

When Moses came down from Mount Sinai having received the commandments of God at His hand, he also had the blueprint for the construction of the Tabernacle (Exodus 25-31).  All of the materials necessary for the construction of the Tabernacle had been committed into the keeping of God's people, much of it taken in the form of a spoil when the Israelites were delivered from, and came out of Egypt (Exodus 12:36).  The people of the Lord had stewardship over this bounty, and God would call upon them to use it for His honor and glory in the construction of that place where He would meet with His people.  All that is associated with the Tabernacle spoke in type and shadow of the Lord Jesus Christ and His substitutionary, vicarious, sacrificial, atoning death on the cross for our sins. 

One of the richest studies of my Christian life was that of the Tabernacle and its construction, as well as the ceremonial law, the sacrificial system, the priestly service, and all that these things typified.  The Book of Hebrews came alive to me as never before as I harmonized the Scriptures and wove into my study of the typical and ceremonial the reality and fulfillment in the once-for-all sacrifice for sins forever offered up upon Mount Calvary (Hebrews 9 and 10).  Hallelujah, what a Savior!

There are certainly great lessons to be learned about biblical giving from the example of the children of the Lord in Exodus 34 through 36.  In all they demonstrated:

*  a giving heart

*  a grateful heart

*  a God-centered heart

*  a grace-filled heart

*  a warm heart

*  a willing heart

*  a wise heart

*  a work-willing heart

*  a worshipful heart

They gave freewill offerings for the Tabernacle every morning (Exodus 36:3), and brought so much for the work, it was more than enough (Exodus 36:5), and they actually had to be restrained from bringing (Exodus 36:6).  The Lord does not require of His people more than is necessary for His work, and always allows us to retain what is necessary for our own needs.  God is so good to us!  Amen, and amen!

Like the Macedonian churches after them (II Corinthians 8:5), these dear people obviously first gave their own selves to the Lord for His purpose, and like the Macedonian churches, proved their love for the Lord and His work (II Corinthians 8:8; 24).  Every man and woman could have a part in to the work and the doing of the work as well, and all out of a willing and ready heart, not just out of mere necessity.  There is a basic principle in giving here.  If God has our heart, we will withhold nothing from Him.  We will acknowledge that all is the Lord's to begin with.  If God has our hearts, He will have our material things as well.  Because He has withheld no good thing from us, we will withhold nothing from Him.  We will then be cheerful givers, not grudging givers (II Corinthians 9:7).  We will give out of love, not out of necessity.  God could have chosen to finance His work any way He desired, but it was His plan and purpose that we, His children, finance His work.  We have the privilege to be partners with Him in fulfilling the Great Commission and financing the work of missions around the world, as well as at home.  In addition to our tithes (the tenth-part is the Lord's), we have the privilege of giving freewill love-offerings for the work of the Lord, and in doing so we are surely laying up treasure in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21). 

I believe that the work of the local church is to be accomplished by the people of the local church.  I also believe that the work and the ministries of the local church are to be financed by the people of the local church.  That is why God has established the tithe as a means of financing the basic operations and maintenance of the local church.  To me, tithing is basic to Bible-believing Christianity.  Every ministry of the local New Testament church is to be finance through the tithes and freewill love-offerings of the members of that local New Testament church.  I believe that with all of my heart, and believe it is God's only mandated method for funding His work. 

While I was preaching for a missions conference this past week, two very important principles of stewardship and giving jumped off the pages of my text.  The first principle is to be found in Exodus 35:5.  It is instructive as to where the finances for God's work are to come from.

"Take ye FROM AMONG YOU an offering unto the LORD: whosoever is of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD . . . ."

It has long been my conviction that the work of the Lord should always and only be financed and supported by the people of the local church through their faithful giving.  God has ordained that our tithes and offerings be the primary source of operating and underwriting the ministries of the church.  That eliminates all of our money-raising schemes and programs to raise funds from dubious sources.  For example, I do not believe it to be biblical to take money from any governmental agency to accomplish God's work.  It would constitute an unequal yoke to do so.  Faith-based governmental subsidies are a trap of unscriptural proportion.  I believe that God was crystal clear when He said, "Take ye FROM AMONG YOU an offering unto the LORD."  I believe, with all of my heart, that there is more than sufficient money in the average Baptist church of any size in affluent America today whereby it should never even be thought necessary to seek funds for God's work outside of God's provision through His people.  If sufficient funds are not available from biblical sources, then it would be best to wait on the Lord until He provides in His perfect will and in His perfect time.  If a local church cannot adequately finance a project or a new ministry, it could be very disastrous to get ahead of God and do something foolish in trying to make it happen through creative financial means.  Now I understand the need for church building projects to sometimes be mortgaged, but it is still incumbent upon God's people to take responsibility for that debt, and retire it through their faithful giving as soon as possible.  The Proverbial principle is that, " . . . . the borrower is servant to the lender" (Proverbs 22:7), so it is the local church that creates the debt that must take responsibility for that debt in retiring it.  I have known of local churches that financed their building projects through the public sale of bonds, and I must tell you that I personally have a problem with that.  Again, it all goes back to doing God's work in God's way, and doing so according to God's principles.  Personally, I like the idea of raising the cash for the project first, when at all possible, and incurring little or no debt for the church at all.  Sometimes that is not always possible, but there is something to be said for the "cash and carry" principle. 

The second principle in giving I saw that greatly impressed my heart is found in Exodus 36:1-3.

"THEN wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.  And Moses called Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it:  And they received of Moses ALL THE OFFERING, which the children of Israel brought FOR THE WORK of the service of the sanctuary, to make it withal.  And they brought yet unto him free offerings every morning"

Please note that these two God-equipped, God-enabled, God instructed, master craftsman, the general contractors on the job, received of Moses "ALL THE OFFERING which the children of Israel brought FOR THE WORK of the sanctuary, to make it withal."  It was an exclusive, designated offering for the work of the sanctuary, and the work of the sanctuary alone.  That which was faithfully given was to be faithfully used for that work, and that work alone.  ALL that was designated went exclusively for that for which it was designated and given, and nothing was used for anything else.  I always remind the church families where I preach "grace-giving" missions conferences that every cent given for missions must go to and for missions.  It must never be used to pay church bills, end up in the general fund, pay for the pastor's salary, or go for any other project but missions.  If a "faith promise" is taken at the conclusion of a missions conference, all of those funds that come in for "faith promise" missions must always go to missions and the support of missionaries alone.  It is a sacred obligation!  A precious lesson can be learned by meditating upon the egregious error of Ananias and Sapphira who sold a possession, committed it all to the work of the Lord, and then reneged on their promise, keeping back a part of the price for some other purpose.  The results of that little bit of treacherous robbery is chilling!  We can thank God that He does not deal with us in this manner today (though He still can in his sovereign will), or many a Christian would have long ago met a similar fate!