How We Manage our Money is an Issue of Discipleship

Posted by: Joel Gardner

“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” Matthew 6:19-21

                Why do we resist Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6?  Why are so many evangelicals less than generous?  What makes pastors and church planters reluctant to teach about money?

                To be completely honest, we struggle with truly believing that God has our best interests in mind.   We think God is taking something away from us that would bring us true happiness.  We think, “I would be happy if I just had (INSERT SHINY THING THE DEVIL TEMPTS YOU WITH)”.  When God seeks to turn our hearts in a different direction, we get upset, “I worked hard for this money, it’s mine and I’m going to use it how I wish”.  While we might not say this with our lips, we say it with our actions:

“Christians worldwide had personal income totaling more than $16 trillion in 2007 but gave only 2 percent to Christian causes”¹

 “9% of American “born-again” adults tithed in 2004”²

                We submit our finances to God because he is God, and not only is he God, he is a giving God who gave his very best for our salvation (John 3:16).   He knows what is truly best for our souls.  Our Lord Jesus himself taught that it is better to give than to receive (Act 20:35).  He not only taught this truth, he demonstrated it through giving up the riches of heaven to come to earth to die for us.  Paul reminds the Corinthians, “You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”  (2 Cor 8:9). God always has our best interests in mind.

                Jesus explained the reason for his command in Matthew 6:19 by saying, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and wealth” Matthew 6:24-25.  How we use our money is a test or whether we are serving God or serving an idol or our heart.

In his excellent guide to discipleship called The Walk:  Steps for New and Renewed Followers of Jesus, Steve Smallman notes that “how we handle our money is part of our discipleship.”  He reminds us that Jesus taught how we manage our money trains us for something greater, “If you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” (Luke 16:11).

                Pastor or church planter, are you being faithful in teaching all aspects of discipleship, including money?  It is interesting that in a multi-denominational study of church plant survivability and growth, Ed Stetzer found that proactively teaching biblical stewardship not only correlated with church plant survivability, but also with higher attendance and more conversions. 

For more on this topic visit, including some videos to spur you on: http://generousgiving.org/trends

¹  David B. Barrett, Tom M. Johnson, Peter F. Crossing. "Missiometrics: Creating Your Own Analysis of Global Data," International Bulletin of Missionary Research, Vol. 31, No. 1, 2007, p. 8.

² April 25, 2005 "Americans Donate Billions to Charity, But Giving to Churches Has Declined," http://www.barna.org. The Barna Group, Ltd. California. April 25, 2005.