Chapter 59 - Giving

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“Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Stewardship

The New Testament church was graciously entrusted with a stewardship. (cf. Ephesians 3:2; Colossians 1:25; Titus 1:7; 1 Peter 4:10) The English word “stewardship” is translated from the Greek noun oikonomia. It literally means “house law.” According to context, however, it is used figuratively in the New Testament in reference to the cooperative management or oversight of the “household of God.”

As revealed in the New Testament, the ecclesia is the household of God. (1 Timothy 3:15; 1 Peter 4:17) It was graciously designed for management and oversight by God. Concordant with divine grace, the members of the body of Christ were privileged to co-manage and oversee the New Testament church with God. Their co-management and oversight were fulfilled by grace through faith alone.

The Apostle Paul disclosed that God entrusted both him and the early church elders with a specific stewardship. (1 Corinthians 4:1; 9:17; Ephesians 3:2; Colossians 1:25; Titus 1:7) However, the New Testament indicates that the stewardship was not for the apostles and elders alone.

The Apostle Peter revealed that every member of the New Testament church was entrusted with a stewardship. (1 Peter 4:10) Relative to their stewardship, they were considered stewards or “household managers.”

By New Testament definition, a steward was a servant who has no wealth of his own. He is responsible for managing his master’s wealth. The steward did not manage or oversee according to his own will but his master’s will.

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Stewardship of Grace

The stewardship of the New Testament church was a stewardship of divine grace. The Apostle Peter stated, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (1 Peter 4:10) In the context of spiritually gifted ministry, Peter clarified that every believer was a steward of the manifold (poikilos - poy-kee'-los; various, diverse) grace of God.

By grace alone, God ensured the fulfillment of the church’s stewardship. It was privileged to cooperate by faith alone. The means of cooperation was the practice of shared life fellowship. The resultant fruit was the glorious experience of eternal life (zoe), abundant and overflowing. (Romans 12:2-21)

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Cooperative Giving

By design, giving was a cooperative effort between Christ and His body. The type, amount, and recipient of giving originated from the gracious head of the church, Jesus Christ. Its sharing and distribution on earth occurred through the faithful cooperation of His body.

Every member of the New Testament church family possessed an incomprehensible privilege. Before the foundation of the world, they were specially chosen to cooperate with God through instrumentation of faith alone to fulfill a stewardship of grace on earth.

Purposeful Giving

The purpose of the New Testament church stewardship of grace was not intended to support religious effort. Instead, it was designed to contribute to the fulfillment of the eternal plan of God.

The cooperative giving of the New Testament church was purposeful. Rather than directed toward the fulfillment of religious practice guided by organizational precept and principle, it was purposefully intended to contribute to the cultivation of shared life community on earth.

Cheerful Giving

Under the stewardship of grace, New Testament church giving was not compelled by the rule of law but by the inward prompting of the Spirit according to His rule of life (zoe). Concordant with the Master’s will, it was a privilege fulfilled by faith alone. Therefore, New Testament church giving was joyful.

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Consensus Giving

The New Testament church was characterized by a multitude of small, interconnected, shared life communities. They were designed to be teams of believers submitted to the immediate headship of Christ in the fullness of Spirit.

Called to a lifestyle of selflessness, the small, shared life communities of the New Testament church willingly pursued obedience to the apostolic commands to “submit… to God;” “be devoted to one another in brotherly love;” “give preference to one another in honor;” and “be subject to one another in the fear of Christ” (James 4:7; Romans 12:10; Ephesians 5:21). In selfless submission to God and one another, the small, shared life teams of the New Testament church prayerfully and joyfully sought God for His will regarding the disbursement of funds for specific ministry and outreach.

In the small communities of the New Testament church, selfless giving was achieved through prayerful consensus. In contrast to majority rule, consensus refers to an opinion or general agreement reached by the whole group.

Diversity of opinion was not viewed as counterproductive. Instead, the New Testament church viewed diversity of opinion as a divinely inspired opportunity that allowed the ecclesia to put the needs of others before its own and pursue greater dependence on God.

“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:1-4)

Arriving at a consensus can require extended, fervent prayer that sometimes lasts hours, days, or even weeks. In addition to prayer, arriving at consensus necessitates faith, time, love, patience, humility, and gentleness.

As a result of arriving at consensus, every member of the New Testament church contributes to the decision-making process. It ensures that the ecclesia makes “every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Ephesians 4:3)

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Local Giving

Today, the majority of New Testament church giving is local. However, it is not directed toward building or operating expenses. Instead, money, material goods, and time offered to the Lord are given directly to meet local, visible needs for the primary purpose of cultivating shared life community.

No expenses were associated with the early New Testament church. Therefore, giving could be addressed toward the immediate needs of the local ecclesia and its surrounding community. As a result, their use and disbursement for ministry and outreach were accompanied by immediate, evidential, measurable fruit.

Global Giving

As demonstrated in the New Testament, global missions for cultivating shared life community were also important to the early church. It is worthy to note that if the Lord directs global mission outreach, one small community of the New Testament church, consisting of about 10-15 adults, can fully support a couple on most mission fields, domestic or foreign. Rather than spending months or years raising support, missionaries can receive immediate support, both prayerfully and financially.

Practical Giving

In the modern New Testament church, the practical collection and disbursement of money offered to the Lord is a common concern. A straightforward solution is to provide an offering container that can be easily moved from house to house. As directed by the Spirit of God, church members place their offerings in the provided container. An accounting ledger is kept under the container and updated weekly on a volunteer basis. It is available for review by all church members at any given time.

Freedom

God gloriously designed the real New Testament church to be unencumbered by debt. Consequently, the headship of Christ over His body was unrestrained.

In submission to the immediate headship of Christ, the modern New Testament church is privileged to trust in the provision of Christ alone. Therefore, it has the financial resources and freedom to faithfully pursue the fulfillment of the ministry of eternal life (zoe) “…even to the remotest part of the earth.”

© 2023 James Hiatt

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