The Grace of Giving

Last Sunday I had the privilege of sharing God's word in our church. It was a late request so I was nervous about my own preparation. I remember Rhodah asking matter-of-factly on Saturday whether I was ready and I answering rather incoherently that I was 'kind of' ready and immediately realising that you never quite 'get there' in sermon prep. There is always a bit of uncertainty and self doubt that lingers on even after hours in study and prayer.

I was going to teach from 2 Corinthians 8 & 9 on the grace of giving - radical text that changes our traditional views on Christian giving that I knew it could potentially disturb many including me. This is especially because NT giving is different from the OT system of assorted sacrifices, tithes and offerings. The most radical statement is what Paul tells us in verse 5 of chapter 8 that the Macedonians had first given themselves to the Lord and then their gifts  followed. And that was striking for me.

We live in a world where gifts are an easy form of manipulation. People give in order to receive (the whole panda mbegu philosophy rides on that) and what they want to receive varies from a phone, passing an exam, getting a spouse to  forgiveness for their guilt-laden souls. When a gift precedes a relationship one might want to ask a few questions - is this genuine love or manipulation?  Is it an advance payment for a 'good or service' or is it a ransom, 'hush money' or  a 'placation'? Often times it is one of those.

Sadly, we bring these worldly views into our worship of God with our treasures.  We use tithes and offerings as 'check boxes' of our godliness or as means to another end rather than an overflow of our relationship with the Lord. When relationship (Grace) precedes giving then quantities and 'labels' [Tithe, offering, First fruit etc] do not matter as much as the quality of the relationship.  It gets to a point where the gift can be everything (Acts 4:32ff) or almost nothing (2 Cor 8: 2). It doesn't matter anymore if it is a tithe or a third, a freewill offering or first fruit. The object of affection means much more than the gift.

The closest image I had to illustrate this is two lovers. When they are deeply in love with each other, even a straw of grass picked in their romantic walk and given to the gracious lady will be treasured dearly just as that huge bouquet of roses. It is no longer about the gift, it is now a matter of the heart. Things could however go bad very quickly if a young man thought they can buy their way to the heart of the lady through flashy gifts without truly loving her.  It is offensive, cheapening and rude to do that by/to any self-respecting person. It is comparable to trade and is a huge offense to relationships.  Sadly that is how we can be tempted to go about our relationship with God - sending our gifts before our hearts. It may look tactful like when Jacob sent gifts ahead of his meeting with his offended brother but it is clearly not the gospel of Grace.  The example of the Macedonion church teach us otherwise. For God so loved that He gave...

Perhaps we might want to evaluate our own service/desire to serve in light of this. Verse 9 is a helpful reason for all that Paul had said before...'For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ....' this really is the basis of all our stewardship. Dare I call it the 'acid test' of our giving/serving motives. If it is not done in light of the incarnation, then perhaps it is not worship but rather one of those worldly tools above. May we excel in this grace of giving. 

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But what should we do with the obligatory requirement to tithe in our churches today? My answer is simple. If we are to teach tithing as a separate requirement for NT believers, then we must teach the entire mosaic law and implement it to the letter. But we can't do that as Christ alone fulfilled the law and all its requirements. There is freedom in Christ - freedom to commit ourselves to a regular discpline of tithing and freedom to give liberally as one is enabled and cheerful enough to do. To impose a requirement of tithes from Christians is manipulative and indeed repugnant to the gospel.So no, we are under no obligation in the new covenant to pay tithes. 

But tithing precedes the law. This is perhaps the worst argument I ever heard for tithing/against the OT. It goes like - tithing was first seen in the great father Abraham [who gave a tenth of his war spoils to a mythical king of Salem in Genesis 14] Hebrews tells us this was a Christophany and so Abraham gave a tithe to Christ. What this argument does is to teach an obligation from an example. But it is not consistent beacuse it does not teach animal sacrifices or circumcision which also pre-dated mosaic law. It is weak on its understanding of OT/the law and the prophets as foreshadowing of Christ and does a 'convinient-pick-and-mix-' of ideas from the OT and apply them to NT believers. 

So should we tithe? No and Yes. It is all a question of the heart [motives]. If we are tithing to fulfil a requiremet then No. Tithing is instituted and deeply rooted in the mosaic law and Christ has fulfillled it perfectly and hence no need to try and go back to fulfil it. You and I cant anyway - it is an affront to the Grace of God in Christ Jesus. And where would we take the tithes anyway? To the temple in Jerusalem where the 'house of the Lord' is?

And yet we can tithe. By adopting the principle and not the practice of tithing and running it through the prism of the cross[2 Cor 8 'in light of the incarnation']. The principle behind tithing is worshipping the Lord with the fruits of our hands/land and supporting those those who give all their time to the Lord's service as their daily work. Paul clearly points to that. But the NT uses the langauge of gifts rather than tithes hence my inclination towards a 'gift' rather than tithe. Tithes are defined and technically limited to a tenth or 10% exactly. Working out the right tithe has been a source of controversy and many a soul have been spiritually abused by their leaders on this. Gifts on the other hand are an overflow of generosity ranging from two copper coins to whole estates - all a matter of the heart. So even though a Christian chooses to exercise their liberty and commit to a regular discpline of tithing, that language is odd, a carryover from the law. Tithes were paid [notice the obligation, more like taxes] but gifts are given freely and without compulsion [1Cor 9]

I do not think I have the last word on this touchy subject that often rubs pastors and church treasurers like myself the wrong way. But I also know why we love the law in all spheres of life [obligations, policies and requirements]. We find it hard cope with grace, we would rather the law which we think is straightforward and easy but that is not the case otherwise Christ needed not to redeem us from the law and all its requirements - that is why grace is so amazing. 

Give graciously for the Lord's work -  'What you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver' - 2Cor 9:7ff

Prayer Letters - Why Bother?

In an age of so much information at very fast speeds, it may appear as if writing prayer letters is a ritual or a motion one has to go through while in ministry. Self description is not the most natural thing for us to do, not least to the detail that a prayer letter deserves. The fear that nobody really cares or bothers to read our letters can also make us hesitant to write them and this can be evidenced by the far too few responses that we get. Multiplicity of communication tools, especially social media can also cast doubt on the relevance of prayer letters. The truth however is that prayer letters are of great benefit both to the sender and the receiver. I will try and give you 3 solid reasons to keep up this discipline.

1. Purpose. The main reason for your prayer letters is in the name – prayer letter. We to tell the story of your ministry, share our vision and connect your partners to that vision so that they can pray from an informed position. We write prayer letters in order to get buy-in for your desire and decision to serve in ministry. The only way others can come behind you in prayer, gifts and encouragement is if they know what you are doing. People are more driven by vision not needs, passion not person. How clearly you are able to communicate that vision determines how successful you will be in winning their support. A simple, clear and focused prayer letter is a great aid to that end. Whereas it is true that some people will support your work simply because of who you are and how they know you, sustained ministry support over the years will call for more than just familial relationships – A vision for the gospel transcends social ties and is much more sustainable. Your partners need clarity of vision and encouragement that your ministry is worth investing in. Learning to tell the story of what God is doing in your ministry will make them look forward to your letters and effectively participate in what God is doing in and through you.

Learning Point – Focus more on ‘ministry’ rather than ‘personal’ news. It is great to share some personal quips but that is not the main purpose of the prayer letter. Too much emphasis on personal news will elicit wrong feelings. People are supporting you to do the work of ministry not to merely live. Remember they have their lives too. However since ministry is a real life experience, do share personal news – but the weight/emphasis should clearly be on the ministry side of things.

2. Accountability: It is true that when we ‘go’ we don’t do it alone. There are others obeying the great commission as much as we do in different ways – Giving, Praying or supporting in other practical ways. We need to be accountable to them – are we using the resources given for the gospel for that very purpose. They deserve to know how we are doing, the challenges we are facing, the victories we are experiencing and what we might be looking forward to in the near future. The good thing about this is that it keeps you humble – aware of the need for others and your own need to report. Accountability keeps us from a worldly sense of independence [ I am self contained, I work with my own hands, I don’t need anybody] kind of thinking to a gospel-minded sense of inter-dependence [I can’t do it on my strength alone, I need others beside me, this is God’s work that he has called us to do as a community of believers] and it has massive character benefits. For this reason alone, even if nobody reads or replies to your prayer letters, keep writing them. Accountability is a discipline that won’t come naturally to all of us – it is learnt, it is cultivated and nurtured. Hence, the office might insist on so many prayer letters. But like all things discipline – it is not sweet at initial stages but when fully learnt, it has great benefits for the recipient.

Learning Point: Writing Prayer Letters is an important ministry discipline. Schedule a regular pattern of when to do them and even when you don’t feel like doing it – do it anyway. It is very humbling to look back prayer letters from years back and to see the Lord’s faithfulness over the years. Writing things down clarifies our thoughts and focuses our minds way better than a social media post.

Practical Partnership in Action. The last argument I will put in for prayer letters is that it is a practical necessity. This is by no means no less important than the other two but actually shows real value in doing regular prayer letters. Here I gather several reasons;

1)      My partners are encouraged to give – they may drop my support if I don’t send letters.

2)      My organisation requires me to do them. I am in trouble if I don’t.

3)      They help my readers to pray for my ministry, personal or family needs.

4)      They keep communication open as partners write back with encouragements.

5)      They offer a chance for my partners to give practical or technical advice on an issue.

6)      Other Christian workers may offer ministry advice when they read my letters.

7)      My letters could inspire others to join ministry or evangelize where they live.

8)      Regular writing lets me look back on events with new perspective.

9)      Writing openly and honestly keeps me accountable.

10)   Writing regularly causes me to evaluate my own spiritual progress.

11)   Prayer letters can inspire partners with interesting or humorous stories.

12)   They demonstrate God’s goodness, faithfulness and power.

Learning Point: Go ahead and do your prayer letters.  

Raison d'être

 Critical needs that iServe Africa Seeks to meet

A new apprentice recently confronted me demanding to know the real reason why iServe Africa exists. I managed to get a few reasons together to his satisfaction but deep within I knew there was more to say than we could in that short moment. So, Omenda , here is a list of 12 [significant number?] reasons why you should stick through the programme for the [12!] months.

• The need for ‘taster’ training. Many young people are not sure whether gospel ministry is for them. They need some elementary training and experience that would expose them to what it really means to be a Christian worker. iServe Africa is an ideal place to ‘test the waters’ before  further commitment in Bible School.
• The youth are at a critical stage in their lives when they are exploring what they would like to do with their lives; it is therefore timely to help them develop a mission vision which will impact whatever they end up doing in life. The immense potential of the youth – full of energy, daring to explore new things, and often available. iServe Africa seeks to tap into this huge potential.
• Africa is a youthful continent with some countries with over 50% of the population under 15 years old. iServe Africa is therefore a move to invest in the youth if we are to have a strong African Church and African mission in the future.
• The need for faithful Bible teaching. This has been described as the most urgent need in Africa today. Through the Ministry Training Course (MTC) iServe Africa seeks to equip future leaders with basic Bible handling skills.
• The challenge of Cross-cultural living. Most Young people grow up in mono-cultural contexts with no experience outside their own. iServe Africa offers opportunities for cross cultural living, helping break down stereotypes and develop social skills. This is especially helpful in fighting tribalism and other forms of ethnic prejudice prevalent in Kenya.
• Many fresh graduates spend a long time before landing a first job. Such young people have a lot of free time and unfortunately it is not always spent productively. iServe Africa offer a structured way of spending a year out for Christ.
• The need for trained gospel workers in Africa. This has been a great challenge due to lack of affordable training opportunities. iServe Africa’s Ministry Training Course is a low cost, easy entry and time sensitive programme that offers targeted training for practical use.
• Young people are "adventurous" - They are interested in having new experiences and are keen to be involved in a variety of activities. Unfortunately there have not been structures in which this energy, skill and time can be properly channeled in much of Kenya. iServe Africa apprenticeships provide constructive adventure for the youth.
• Churches especially in the rural areas are heavily deprived of resources. The work is huge but the churches cannot afford extra workers. An apprenticeship model is one solution to the problem of shortage of staff, not as cheap labour but as a win–win situation where both the church and the apprentice mutually benefit.
• There is insufficient ministry to the youth and children in much of Africa. Many young people have become disillusioned and lost focus in life. Many turn to drugs and sects in their search for identity. iServe Africa sees sending workers to work with the young people as one possible intervention.
• Local Mission: There is a notion that the African Church is thriving.  Many churches are full and this reinforces the impression that Africa is generally reached. As such, mission is not adequately emphasized in the typical church even large swathes of the continent are unreached with the gospel. iServe Africa seeks to encourage apprentices into mission.
• World Mission: The African church is rising up to the challenge of world mission and slowly emerging as senders.  iServe Africa is a first step into further involvement in world mission. iServe Africa recommends apprentices for further involvement in world missions and exposes them to available opportunities.[1]

I think the list is not exhaustive. Any thoughts?

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[1] iServe Africa Concept Paper, 2007. [unpublished]