How to Give Effectively
Posted on January 11th, 2005 by catalyst into the Uncategorized categoryHere is an interesting article on giving and capitalism as it relates to the Church. It was forwarded to me by two mighty prayer warriors. It is a bit long… but still definately worth reading.
Update: You can read the article or you can just check out www.whathavewedone.org
“How to GIVE EFFECTIVELY - One Man’s Journey”
-by Doug Perry.
If you have been blessed with money - any amount of money - then you are called to be a good steward of it. Somebody is going to have to stand before Jesus and explain why we bought a million dollar chandelier while His children’s souls were being lost.
The Bible says we’re to store up treasure in Heaven where it won’t rust and thieves can’t steal. If we are to covet anything, it is this. The eternal treasure is the thing. Don’t you get it? That’s what dollars are for! If God has blessed you with more than your basic needs, every single extra dollar should be used to purchase Heavenly treasure. Any other use of them is selfishness, apostasy and ultimately, idolatry. Not my words…. I stand condemned the same as anyone else. But you can’t leave the verses cited above out of the Scriptures and still honestly say your desire is to be like Christ.
When God finally got through to me and helped me see this, all of my American business instincts kicked into overdrive. If every dollar is entrusted to me SO THAT I can use it to buy treasure in Heaven, then I want maximum return on investment for every single dollar. See? Makes perfect sense. So I went on a search to first see how my money was currently being used and then find who might be a better investment. As it turns out, the “stocks” I’d been buying through denominational structures and “Big Church” programs have a TERRIBLE yield in Heaven. I can’t say they’re all losers, but they were definitely under-performing their potential.
I want to find those mighty warriors, those servants of the Cross, those who are truly being obedient and living like Christ; those who when they pray you just know God hears them; those who have eternal Fruit flying off of them like crazy; those who are caring for the poor and sick and lost; those who are storing up treasure in heaven faster than anybody else - then I want in on it…. I want to support them, urge them on and get out of their way.
Our search for who is the hottest stock led us first to Gospel For Asia ( http://www.GFA.org ), although we are now finding others and will seek to highlight them at every opportunity. The native missionaries that GFA supports are amazing warriors of the faith, going out to hostile regions on a one way ticket with grim determination to win souls for Christ or die trying. They sleep on stone floors, live on one or two dollars a day, pray for hours, preach fearlessly and raise up mighty churches of fearless disciples - and when God thinks it will help, mighty miracles make their way easier. All for a total ministry cost of $1000 to $1500 per year in most cases.
Western missionaries sent through our denominational structures often cost $100,000 per year. Average investment in one missionary family can exceed $500,000 with an average time on the field of just three years. Many prepare and never go at all. Private schools or tutors for their kids, healthcare, retirement funds, furloughs, maids, chauffers, security guards, language training, internet access and others - may all be required costs for these. Not to mention the lost potential in ministry momentum of having to come back to fund-raise periodically. (I don’t question the motives of the missionaries. I speak from experience here, having grown up in that life.) Even with all of this, foreign missions is less than 5% of total church spending. The rest we spend on our local programs, buildings and staffs.
Seven years ago I started what became BuiltToLastHome.com ( http://www.BuiltToLastHome.com ). Four years ago I turned it over to God and He forced it to expand exponentially (5000% in five years!). I had a chance to build a business from scratch and so I threw out everything everyone had ever told me about business and asked, “How would Jesus do it?” As it turns out, Jesus was a pretty smart guy and His plan works good.
A year ago a pastor friend of mine told me about micro-enterprise lending and how you could start a business in India and Ethiopia and Myanmar for $50-$75 dollars and create jobs for Brothers and Sisters in need… Like a light bulb, it clicked instantly that I was to play a part in that. So on top of everything else we started ” www.AcrossCountries.com ” to sell products made by Christians in the 10/40 Window.
The argument is simple. Christians give 2% to the church - of which 0.01% goes to reach the most unreached. But Christians in the USA spend 50% of their money on discretionary products - game boys, bass boats, massage chairs, big screen TVs, giant homes. So, if that’s where their heart is, then we’ll just SELL THEM STUFF - and take the profits and give it to God. I’m convinced business professionals are the key to remaking this sick, dysfunctional system into what God wanted it to be all along.
Our website is just an expression of that yearning for stewardship and has become a place to educate about the HORRIBLE job we’re doing in the American church of spending our dollars wisely to get maximum yield in Heaven. I urge you, test yourself, your company, your church, your denomination, your charities. What is their true yield in Heavenly treasure? Seek maximum profit in the eternal currency.
I want my family, my employees, you and your family and a thousand thousand other Brothers and Sisters to be in a giant receiving line where we get to kiss and hug the souls brought into heaven by the labor of those on the field that we supported from the blessing of our wealth. If Heaven is forever, I want that line to stretch farther than I can see. I want that line to last for YEARS. Research the ministries. Be smart. Invest wisely. Demand accountability and efficiency. Visit www.ECFA.org and www.MinistryWatch.org [-These are financial “watchdogs” that report on the way that large ministries use their money]. If they can’t be trusted with the little things, they can’t be trusted with the big things. Would Jesus of Nazareth drive a Bentley or a Rolls Royce? There are some serious wolves out there amongst the sheep.
Whether entrusted with a little or a lot, we’ll all be called to account for our stewardship of God’s blessings.
~Doug Perry
Email - whwd@whathavewedone.org
Website - http://www.WhatHaveWeDone.org
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January 11th, 2005 at 12:08 pm
Wow. I suck.
What a thought-provoking article. I’m impressed with the spirit of Doug’s position & the data included in this article.
I say “AMEN” to: “The Bible says we’re to store up treasure in Heaven where it won’t rust and thieves can’t steal. If we are to covet anything, it is this. The eternal treasure is the thing.”
However, I do beg to differ with the application: “Don’t you get it? That’s what dollars are for! If God has blessed you with more than your basic needs, every single extra dollar should be used to purchase Heavenly treasure. Any other use of them is selfishness, apostasy and ultimately, idolatry.”
I do NOT think that the “treasure” Jesus tells us to store up refers to money. I think his point is that we are to put him first, love him with all we are and invest everything we are and have (talents, gifts, time, and, yes, money) into building his kingdom. It is not possible to “purchase heavenly treasure” with MONEY. We are to be heavenly-minded, not earthly-minded. This does NOT MEAN that every dollar beyond meeting our basic needs should be given to organizations or individuals who formally work as missionaries. “Eternal treasure” is NOT money.
This is obviously a huge topic. These are my last comments for now: I really get concerned when Christians preach extremes about money. Either live in squalor (i.e., flaggelate yourself materially/financially) so that you can be closer to God OR amass finances as “proof” of God’s favor. Neither being rich NOR being poor is “more spiritual.” Financial blessing is just ONE of the blessings God CAN give us. Economical poverty doesn’t mean God doesn’t bless us in other ways.
Whew. I’m going to think about all of this some more.
January 11th, 2005 at 12:18 pm
Wow Matrix,
I think that was your best work yet. I agree completely.
Doen’t it feel good to get a point across with out attacking “Dougie”.
January 11th, 2005 at 12:19 pm
It isn’t a simple issue that’s for sure.
But there does seem to be a movement among Christians who are opposed to how the American Church uses money. And the movement seems to be gaining momentum.
This article definately gives you something to think about.
January 11th, 2005 at 4:50 pm
To “give effectively” sounds like a term that a Pastor would use to promote his idea of “giving effectively”. I don’t think giving would be an issue in any church if the people attending could see the fruits of their gifts.
What is happening is that due to this new technological age, people have very many “distractions” out there. These “destractions” would include giving a couple months tithe to a family member in need, adopt a child sponsors, Habitat for Hunmanity, and an endless list of other danation programs. These “distractions” take money away from the church and divert it to other causes.
This is why I believe that CBC attacks its members constantly with this message of giving. They aren’t saying give your ten percent wherever you feel God directing you. They are saying give us your ten percent if you want to keep coming here. If you dont want to give, leave!
CBC only has so much room to house the people of God. If you aren’t giving, the church and people know. Your club membership revoked. Your family asked into private discussions. Your loyalty to the cause challenged. It is a club and that is why people go. That is also why people leave. Thank God, us who chose to leave have a place like this to vent.
January 12th, 2005 at 4:15 pm
Thanks, Christianfun, glad you liked my comments. Sorry if my comments about Dougie bugged you…do remember I didn’t bring him up, since he’s not my biggest concern @ CBC.
Magledon, I completely agree with your comments about CBC! Sounds like you’re speaking from experience, which is really unfortunate. My condolences. And congrats on getting out!
January 12th, 2005 at 8:02 pm
Sorry for intruding. Saw some clicks coming to my site from here and thought I’d check in.
Matrix, I can see you’re chewing hard on this. That’s good! This message didn’t come easy to me either and I’m not really happy about it, but truth is truth. I stand condemned along with the churches. (American’s average 50% of our income on discretionary products (purses, gameboys, bassboats, etc.) and just 1.5% to charity/church. We are all guilty of bad stewardship.)
Believe me, I certainly NEVER meant to imply that eternal treasure in heaven IS money! Far from it! But you have to understand that money CAN be used to help accumulate it. That is, we are “to work SO THAT we can share” (Eph. 4:28). Or I Timothy 6: “17Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 IN THIS WAY they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.”
Because I’m a business guy, I think of it like this. When we’re born God opens two bank accounts for us. One is a checking account and the other is a retirement account. As soon as we are old enough to know better our sin immediately begins to overdraw the checking account. We might do good works and care for the sick, orphans, widows, etc. - and we DO get credit for that, but it gets locked into the retirement account. The checking account is unaffected. NOTHING, nothing, nothing can redeem us of our indebtedness and overdrawn status on our checking account - except the blood of Jesus. We are bankrupt and condemned because of the checking account. The retirement account can’t be used to pay our debt. When we accept Christ and lay our lives at the feet of the Cross, He instantly brings us back up to zero. We are debt-free! Praise God! We’re redeemed. But … mostly we are too stupid and stubborn and sinful to be able to stay at zero. Before long we start sinning and our debt accumulates again. Now, we might be doing good works throughout and tithing and feeding the poor and maybe even doing great miracles and preaching our hearts out - but all that does is store up in our retirement account. Sooner or later, we realize our indebtedness again and repent and Jesus zeroes out the checking debt again. Holiness is living at zero. There is no positive balance possible in the checking account. We can’t exceed holiness - the best we can hope for in this life is a lack of sinfulness (debt) that keeps us at zero.
Only those who are debt-free in their checking account will be counted as worthy - and ONLY THEN can they cash in their retirement accounts. There will be many on that day that say “Lord, Lord, look at my giant retirement account!” and He will say, “Yep, but that wasn’t the main point. Get your goatishness out of here.” (Or something like that.) MANY will have done good works that they will never be able to cash in.
For me it’s really simple. Try to stay at zero (holiness/purity) and repent ALL the time, just in case. Then, if I have an hour of my time to spend, do I rack up more treasure in heaven mowing the lawn at the church or visiting someone in prison or feeding the homeless? If I have just ONE dollar to give, do I get more treasure in heaven for helping buy a chandelier for the sanctuary or feeding an orphan in Ghana? And if I help a servant of God and thereby get a share of HIS reward, then who is the hottest stock around and how can I get in on it? (Matt. 10:40-42) That is, who has the biggest pile of treasure and how can I help them get more? Is it my megachurch pastor, the televangelist with a new book out or the barefoot native pastor in India that has planted 100 churches among the most unreached?
I’m not saying you “flaggelate” yourself. I’m saying EVERY dollar is God’s - so you ask Him, “Lord, can I buy an ice cream with this dollar? Lord, should I feed an orphan with this dollar? Lord, should I help buy a million dollar chandelier for the sanctuary?” Sometimes He says it’s OK for me to have ice cream, or a newer car, or whatever. Sometimes He wants His money spent according to HIS priorities. He cares for His own. He doesn’t want me to starve. If you’ll listen and then be obedient, even if it’s hard, it’s likely He’ll decide you can be trusted with more and more money. We’re to be good stewards, not just to hand it over to any schmo with a seminary degree without asking any questions.
My business is up 5000% in five years. What do I have to show for it? Hardly any “stuff”, but everything the Lord says I need - and LOTS of treasure in heaven. Obedience is better than sacrifice.
If you’re interested, there is LOTS more on this thread on another board - http://p203.ezboard.com/fherbsdiscussionboardfrm43.showMessage?topicID=350.topic
You’re right, there is a MAJOR momentum shift coming. Money is the greatest IDOL in America. But some folks are getting wise to it. God has had just about enough of us. Judgement is coming. Get your heart right. Get debt-free. Stay pure. Be holy.
Bless you, Brothers and Sisters. Thanks for letting me spout in your space. Most of what I write is “a bit long” … but I hope still worth reading.
Doug Perry
whwd@whathavewedone.org
January 12th, 2005 at 8:09 pm
Oh, just for the record, I’ve never heard of City Bible Church and have no opinion whatsoever on any of that stuff. I’m just addressing issues raised with my article posted here.
Doug
January 13th, 2005 at 11:14 am
Thank you to Doug Perry for encouraging word. We really
need to encourage one another to keep our foucs on Him, on the cross. We need to encourage one another to remember that knowing Him is the great reward, it’s what we are longing for, so we might be know him better and better, and hopefully end up imitating Him. Well,
I really want to just say thankyou.
I also am a bussiness person and have seen great increase this past year, and I am happy about that, but
it is not my main focus or goal. It is just another thing in a long line of things, I really only want to
know His great love and know how to share it in an every day way.
Thank you.
Cheryl Morton
October 13th, 2005 at 2:41 pm
I appreciate your information on Start A Business. I just bookmarked your site and will be back regulalry to keep on top of it. Please check out my blog on Start A Business Exposed - I’d really appreciate it