THE SEVEN COVENANTS OF A DISCIPLE OF JESUS CHRIST: PART VI
Once upon a time, there was a very wealthy man who was not known for his generosity toward his church. In fact, he was not known for his generosity at all. There came a time when his church was involved in a major building campaign, so the fund-raising committee decided to pay him a visit. They set up the appointment, and over to his house they went.
During their meeting together, the fund-raising committee pointed out that in view of his considerable financial resources they were just sure that he would want to make a substantial contribution toward their building campaign. “I see,” the wealthy man replied. “So you have it all figured out, have you?” Then he added, “In the course of your investigation, did you discover that I have a widowed mother who has no other means of support but me?” Sheepishly, the committee chair replied, “No, we did not know that.”
The man went on to say, “Did you know that I have a sister, who was left by a drunken husband with five children and no means to provide for them?” Again the committee chair replied, “No, we did not know that either.” The man added, “And did you know that I have a brother who is crippled due to an automobile accident, and can never work another day to support his wife and family?” The committee chair replied, “Sir, we did not know that.”
The wealthy man then stood up and thundered, “I’ve never given any of those people a dime. So why would I ever give anything to you?” A man by the name of Robert Rodenmayer once wrote: “There are three kinds of giving: grudge giving, duty giving and thanksgiving. Grudge giving says, I give because I have to. Duty giving says, I give because I ought to. But thanks-giving says, I give because I want to. The latter comes from a full heart. Thanksgiving is an open gate into the love of God.” Keep that thought in mind as we move on.
A number of weeks ago we began a sermon series entitled, The Seven Covenants of a Disciple of Jesus Christ. I began the first sermon by making the case that Christ’s Great Commission, as recorded in the gospel of Matthew, is the reason for the church’s existence in the first place. The church is called to make disciples. Yet if the church is ever going to make disciples, then the people who habituate the church…must first become disciples themselves. That’s what the seven covenants of a disciple of Jesus Christ are all about.
The seven covenants of a disciple of Jesus Christ are as follows: worship regularly; pray daily; study diligently; live faithfully; serve joyously; give generously; and witness boldly. The first sermon delved a little more deeply into the first covenant: worship regularly. We said in essence that it was Jesus’ custom to worship, and it should be ours, as well. Yet we should come to worship expecting God to speak, to move, and to act. That’s what keeps our faith from being a mile wide and an inch deep.
Then we examined the second covenant: pray daily. There we saw that we are called to share our hurts, our sorrows and our joys with God. God listens to us in compassion and love…much like we do when our children come to us. And when we do that what we discover is that by praying, we learn how to pray.
Then we examined the third covenant: study diligently. We learned that God is responsible for the Scriptures in a revelatory way, not just in an informational way. The Bible is how God reveals himself to us. It’s something we absolutely, positively never could have come up with on our own. What’s more, we learned that you’ve got to read the textbook…if you’re going to take the course.
Then we examined the fourth covenant: live faithfully. We learned about orthopraxis, or, right practice. People tend to pass judgment on Christianity by the way they see Christians living their lives. It is absolutely imperative that we set a good example.
Finally, we examined the fifth covenant: serve joyously. We learned that God calls each of us to ministry. God calls each of us to an occupation or to a task that God believes we are uniquely qualified to do. Just don’t forget that how you serve is every bit as important as who you serve. Attitude…is everything.
Today we examine the sixth covenant: give generously. The way we give of ourselves and our resources should reflect the self-giving love of God in Christ. We begin by committing to giving a set proportion of our time, our talent and our financial resources to God. We aspire to live lives in which our giving is sacrificial.
Now this might be the least popular of all the covenants – the one about which people least desire to hear. However, I want you to reserve judgment on that until you hear what I’ve got to say about witnessing boldly in a couple of weeks. I have a sneaking suspicion you’re not going to like that one much either!
The sixth covenant of a disciple of Jesus Christ is give generously. Perhaps the question now is, “Why do we give in the first place?” Most of us work hard for what we have. Why on earth would we want to work our fingers to the bone to earn what we have…and then simply give it away? The question is, “Why do we give in the first place?”
I think the best answer to that question is this: “Because God said so.” Consider the passage that Janice read from the book of Deuteronomy. Verses 22 and 23 say, “Set apart a tithe of all the yield of your seed that is brought in yearly from the field. In the presence of the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose as a dwelling for his name, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, your wine and your oil – as well as the firstlings of your herd and flock – so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.”
Let’s take those verses apart. The first issue has to do with tithing. “Set apart a tithe of the yield of your seed,” it says. What exactly is a tithe? The old rule of thumb is that a tithe is ten percent. It was long believed that the concept of tithing 10% was introduced to the Church by Mosaic law. Yet the truth of the matter is, the 10% concept probably really came to the church by way of Roman law. Anyone who obtained a part of the public land in a conquered country automatically paid a tenth of the revenue earned from it to the State.
Of course, we pay a whole lot more than 10% of our income to the state, do we not? I think of an article I once read in the Wall Street Journal entitled, “God will provide…unless the government gets there first.” The United States government has taken on a lot of the responsibility that used to be held by the church. Specifically, the government tends to provide for those less fortunate than ourselves. In some respects, that might be a good thing. In other respects, perhaps it is not. But I really don’t want to get into all of that here. The point is that the government takes a whole lot more than 10% of our income.
Yet still a lot of church leaders blindly call for ten percent. I remember attending a conference on stewardship many years ago. The leader of the conference told we clergy to set an example for our congregations by giving 10% ourselves. Someone raised the question: “Do you mean 10% of gross or 10% of net?” The leader said, “You get to 10% of net, and then we’ll talk about gross!”
Tithing has traditionally meant 10% of our income. Yet we give a whole lot more than that to the government, do we not? Perhaps the point is that tithing doesn’t necessarily have to mean exactly ten percent. For some people it might be less. Yet for others, it might be even more. Let me try to explain.
The issue of tithing aside, why were the Hebrew people called by God to give in the first place? I think we see that explained in our passage from Deuteronomy as well. They were to bring their sacrifices – and a sacrifice wasn’t just what was left over at the end of the day – a sacrifice was something that truly cost them something. It was meant to be the first and the best of what they had. That’s important. They were to bring their sacrifices to one particular place, and they were to all feast together in the name of God.
Do you see what’s really going on here? God called for a sumptuous feast in thanksgiving for all he had done for them. What’s more, everyone got to partake of it. The wealthy, who probably ate well on a regular basis, feasted with the poor, who probably only ate well at this God-inspired banquet. It was meant to be a celebration of life. It was meant to show that God’s desire was for all to share in the bounty he provides. Yet let me also note that all were to contribute something. It was never God’s plan that anyone should receive a free ride. Because truth be told, God is the source of all that we have and all that we are. And it’s only when we sacrifice…that we truly act as if we really believe that.
Contrast this truth with the passage I read from the gospel according to Luke. There, a rich, young ruler approaches Jesus with a profound question. He says, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus tells him, in essence, to follow the Ten Commandments. To which the rich, young ruler replies, “I have kept all these since my youth.” Jesus then looked at the man and said, “There is one thing you lack. Sell all that you have and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” As the story goes, the man hung his head and went away sad, for he had a great many possessions.
This passage – and others like it – have been used for centuries to disdain the wealthy. I’m not going to do that. I’m not going to say that the wealthy are going to burn in hell. Because I don’t think that’s what the Bible says. The Bible doesn’t say that the wealthy are going to burn in hell. It only says they might. The issue is: Is wealth a means to an end, or is wealth an end it itself? If wealth is an end in itself, then like the rich young ruler, we have completely missed the point. But if wealth is a means to an end, then still there is hope.
Here’s the point. The role of the Christian minister, I think, is to communicate the gospel of God’s will to all…and to prepare those who stand in the crucial secular areas of the world to be faithful caretakers of the world’s goods. If we teach it well, Christians within important secular environments will then be on the job to see to it that what needs to be done with the goods of the world will be done as God would have it done. So you see, you have to pay attention in church.
I think a man named Dallas Willard sums things up quite well in a book called, The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives. Listen closely:
The church certainly is to lead the way in charitable works, and after that is to exhort and advise all public agencies concerning policies of public welfare. But this is not to be the fundamental aspect of its service to the world. Its fundamental work is to show those who gather in its meetings how to enter into full participation in the rule of God where they are. In this way the church will ultimately bring all nations to itself to find out how humanity can realize the universal ethical vision of righteousness and well-being. Through vision and discipline taught and practiced, our Christian ministers and teachers should shape a people who can form the foundation and framework of a world that is the unique dwelling place of The Immortal God.
So you see, we give because our goal is to form the foundation and framework of a world that is the unique dwelling place of The Immortal God. It’s like we say in the Lord’s Prayer every week: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Thus, there is no shame in being wealthy or comfortable. And I’m not trying to make anyone feel guilty. It’s really just a matter of where your priorities lie. Amen.
