Giving and Tithing: Includes Serving and Stewardship by Larry Burkett

Author:Larry Burkett
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: prosperity, biblical finances, Bible, Christ, Giving and Tithing, Stewardship & Giving, Christian Life, Christianity, Religion, Jesus
ISBN: 9781575679648
Publisher: Moody Publishers
Published: 1998-07-31T22:00:00+00:00

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A DEFINITION

Welfare. Whose responsibility is it?

Americans view it as a function of

government. As a consequence the church,

which God made responsible for the

administration of welfare, rarely practices it.

In 2 Corinthians 9:13 Paul says, "Because of

the proof given by this ministry they will

glorify God.” That is the purpose of welfare

in the church today.

The function of welfare is feeding

people and caring for their needs, but the

purpose of welfare is drawing people to God

by allowing them to see a physical

expression of the kind of love Christians

have for each other and for other people.

Obviously the government’s goal in

welfare is not to bring people to God. So it

really should not be a government function

to control, administer, or distribute welfare.

Welfare is the function of the Body of

Christ. The sooner we realize that and are

willing to do something about it, the sooner

others will come back to God.

There is a great deal of talk about a

revival today. We should remember that

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many revivals start when the Body of Christ

is practicing Christianity and others are

drawn to it.

Every member of a local church should

be able to see the fellowship he or she

attends as an extension of God’s provision.

We should feel the freedom to stand up and

share our financial needs as freely as we

would our physical or spiritual needs.

THE CHURCH’S RESPONSIBILITY

Welfare within the church really does

not exist to any significant degree today. The

number of churches that have thorough

church benevolence programs—meaning

they counsel couples with financial needs,

provide them with work projects and

income, and, if needed, goods and services

—is so small that it is almost

inconsequential.

But the Body of Christ, not the

government, should be involved in welfare.

The government fails to distinguish the

greedy from the needy because its welfare is

a political program to gain votes. But God

said truly needy people are the church's

responsibility. The way a local church

handles its money is a visible indicator of its

true spiritual condition.

As illustrated by Matthew 25:41- 46,

men will be held accountable on the day of

judgment for their attitude toward the needy:

Then He will also say to those on

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His left, “Depart from Me, accursed

ones, into the eternal fire which has

been prepared for the devil and his

angels; for I was hungry, and you gave

Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you

gave Me nothing to drink; I was a

stranger, and you did not invite Me in;

naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick,

and in prison, and you did not visit Me.”

Then they themselves also will answer,

saying, “Lord, when did we see You

hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or

naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not

take care of You?” Then He will answer

them, saying, “Truly I say to you, to the

extent that you did not do it to one of

the least of these, you did not do it to

Me.” And these will go away into

eternal punishment, but the righteous

into eternal life.

BENEVOLENCE MINISTRY IN YOUR

CHURCH

THE BENEVOLENCE COMMITTEE

Before practicing welfare, churches

should first be careful to meet a number of

prerequisites, including the establishment of

a benevolence committee. Three members of

the committee should represent three

separate gifts: helps, mercy, and

administration.

One of the benevolence committee’s first

jobs should be to develop guidelines

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