with five loaves and two fish?

Transcription

1 do you do with five loaves and two fish? To open up to the gospel is to open up to another way of thinking. It is to start letting go instead of keep hanging on and to experience the joy of giving instead of the security of owning. International Christian Community

2 Introduction When you tell people that you belong to a free church, you often get the question, whether you are forced to give a large portion of your income to the church. The quick and most natural answer to this would be Of course not, it is totally up to me, how much I will give. In some way it is true too. We will not put up amounts or percentages for each other, because we think different and that is what this little leaflet is about. When we get the gospel into our lives, and the life changes Jesus brings us, the starting point is not how much do I have to give but rather how much can I spare or how much can I do for others. That is the reason why most free churches have a fairly good economy, because everybody knows, that the life of a free church is based on the fact that everybody carries the load according to their capacity. This goes for money, practical help, prayers and commitment. In the gospel we find several times the speaking of being good keepers. This goes for our earth and its resources our time, money etc. The bible is full of examples of the rich lives the people, who were good keepers and cheerful givers, had. Peter Götz Stranvejskirken, Humlebæk, november 2009

3 My life is not mine When we meet the love of God for real and open up our lives for Him, we will not only get a new relationship to him. We also start to think of other areas of our lives in a new way ourselves, our fellow human beings and our material goods. This among other things is what Jesus taught his disciples including us. With both his lifestyle and teachings, he shows us, how we can live with the riches we get. All that we own and have, is talents that we have been entrusted with something that we have because we should bring it into richness for others, says Jesus (mat. 24, 14) The one, who has given us these talents, is the master of life. Things like time, money, strength, education etc. are things that he would like to bless for us. The condition is, that we will use the talents as if they belong to Him, and not to us, and under his guidance. We have been entrusted the gift and talents to manage them like the planet we live on. In the famous sermon on the mountain, Jesus says that you cannot serve both God and mammon (mammon=money). That means if you chose Jesus as your guide, mammon will lose its power. Instead you will be given authorization to manage what you have been entrusted. Money and other worldly goods will now become a tool in our hands, to enrich others, because we know that this is not our real wealth. Five loaves and two fish When we talk about giving to a good cause, it will not go beyond our responsibilities towards our family and daily life, because this is something that we have been entrusted by God too. It is also not about how much we own, and how much we have to give, but what we do, with what we have. This is what Jesus demonstrates in the parable of the 5 loaves and 2 fish. Here the 5 loaves and 2 fish of a little boy becomes enough to feed a big crowd. The moral of the story is quite clear: If we give what we have and allow God to bless it, and are willing to let go of it, at can grow into something big. When we experience Gods endless love and his promise to take care of us, we will be willing to open our lives, our talents, time and money for God; because we know that he is capable of doing the most incredible things with almost nothing. The condition is that we are willing to set what we have at Gods disposal. We should not see ourselves as owners but keepers or renters of something that actually is not ours. At the moment where we understand to let go and become givers, we will experience ourselves as more rich than we have ever been before. Jesus also says give and there shall be given to you.

4 Seven good reasons to choose a giving lifestyle 1. Our wealth is not what we own. When we meet Jesus we learn, that all that we are and have, is His. Wealth is not to have but to be. To be rich is not to have a lot but to give a lot. 2. To choose giving lifestyle gives you spiritual maturity. We do not give for his sake or to please him it is about our priorities. A lot of people have experienced this as an important step in their spiritual maturity. 3. Jesus talks about to give as a natural thing (mat. 23, 23). 4. To let go keeps us in reality. What we call ours, is really not ours. To set a portion of our salary aside every month is a good help to our struggle against materialism (1. Tim ) 5. The work of others in the ministries is dependent of my contribution. That is one of the reasons for me to give, and give regularly. 6. The life and growth of a church is based on gifts. If we should take the Great Commission seriously, it calls for both people and financial resources. 7. Billions of people are waiting to hear of the love of God. The big mission assignment to reach all nations is totally dependent of that every Christian in every church will participate also financially.

5 When it comes to realization... A natural question for a person, who want to put the church on the budget would be can I afford it can I live of what s left of my salary? and how much should I give? Let's take the last part first. It is not first and foremost about the size of the amount, but our attitude about giving. We give in gratitude towards God, and are happy about the fact that we can be part of many great things. It is always a question about faith, can I afford it? Do I believe that God will take care of my needs? Will he help me to administer my money, so I have enough for my own needs? Will I become rich? Yes there is no doubt about that! You can question in what way you will become rich, though. In all that Jesus says, he puts a distance to the perception that money is equal to wealth. You can have all the money in the world without being rich. The real wealth of life is on a total different level. That's why it is not the message of the gospel, that you will get financially rich by giving towards the kingdom of God. How should I give? If you have chosen to give off your means, it is good to get it into the other regular payments every month. If you choose to wait until you can afford it it will become a burden for you that will destroy the joy of giving. Where should I give? If you want the church where you go to be a dynamic and life giving community, I should give mainly towards that. Besides that, there could be other projects which you would like to support too, and that is of course ok.

6 It is useful for the society to give... If you pay your taxes in Denmark, you can get a deduction of the tax of what you give to the church. You can either make a gift contract for 10 years with a fixed percentage of your salary or a fixed amount each month.. This gift contract can be terminated if you leave the church, or you can give up to DKK a year and get tax deduction for DKK. Please see brother Ib or Ulf for more information regarding the tax deduction and they can help you out with that part. Tithe Tithe is first seen in the Old Testament, where it was an offering to give thanks to God for the harvest and livestock. Both Abraham and Jacob gave tithe in this way. It was also put into the Jewish law for the Jews, and tithe was considered a kind of tax to cover the daily needs of the priests and social needs. In Mal. 3,6 it says that tithe belongs to God, and that he will give you blessings if you are faithful to give this offer. Not only 10 percent Jesus says It is not only 10% of your harvest, that belongs to God everything that you own,belongs to God; your maker and provider. Tithe symbolizes that everything belongs to Him. In the New Testament there s not an exact description of tithe. Paul talks a lot about giving and financial matters in general in the 2nd letter to the Corintians, but he mainly talks about giving according to your capability, and about some people giving beyond that. A good proven thumbrule That said, the experience of many people is, that 10% is a reasonable portion to set aside some people sees it as much; for others it becomes a joy of giving even more. International Christian Community Ryesgade Copenhagen East info@getintouch.dk Original in danish by Peter Götz, Strandvejskirken, Humlebæk. Translation and layout by ICC, Copenhagen.