On Getting and Giving (Part Two)
Part One, on the biblical case for self-support, ended with the well-known advice given by flight attendants: If the oxygen masks drop down, put yours on first so you can assist others—such as small children—who need help with theirs. In a similar way, supporting ourselves frees us to extend aid to others.
Should you earn more than you need for yourself, your family, and any other dependents? Getting more does not have to be motivated by greed. Instead, you can aim to make enough to be able to share with others. What “others” need your support? People and organizations who depend on the contributions of those with the means to give. Those means are generated by enterprises that turn a profit.
What “others” can rightly receive what you give? Consider these four:
• The Poor
• Gospel-extension workers
• Need-meeting organizations
• God’s government workers
The Poor
From what God has revealed in the Bible, we know which of the four he stresses most: giving to those in need. In the NIV translation, “the poor” appears 124 times. For example, “Generous hands are blessed hands because they give bread to the poor” (Prov. 22:9, MSG).
I have often struggled to understand how to be generous to “the poor.” The campers and makeshift tents of those we call “homeless” are all around. Sad-looking people stand at intersections holding up cardboard signs asking for money and food. Knowing nothing about the real circumstances of these people, I ask myself: will giving them money actually help? Or will it enable them to continue in some harmful lifestyle? The book, When Helping Hurts, by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert, reminds us giving can sometimes do more damage than good.
Rwandan Egg Story. Yesterday, someone handed me a DVD with the video series, “Poverty Cure,” from the Acton Institute. Near the beginning of the first video, the host of the series asks: “How do we connect our good intentions and desire to help with things that actually work?” He went on to say that what “we do may actually cause harm.”
Co-Author Peter Green told the story of a friend in Rwanda. After the genocide there, a church in the U.S. began had begun sending large quantities of eggs to a small Rwandan community. The eggs just kept coming. But, unknown to the church, a few years before, a man in that village named Johno had begun an egg business. He had invested in hens and equipment, and his new venture was starting to sustain itself.
Then came the summer when that egg surplus arrived from the church in the U.S. Although the eggs did meet a need, the glut of eggs put Johno out of business. A year later, that same U.S. church decided to focus its giving in another part of the world. So the community again faced an egg shortage. But now its once-thriving local producer was out of business.
Dignity-Preserving Giving. Not long ago an unemployed friend of ours (I’ll call him Mike) phoned to tell me he had no way to pay the rent on his room. He needed several hundred dollars quickly, or his landlord would evict him. As I thought and prayed about how to respond, I concluded it would be unwise to simply hand him the cash. Doing so would subtly change our relationship. Afterward, he would feel himself in my debt. What to do?
Then came an idea. I called another friend who owned a business, told him the problem, and explained my reluctance to simply give a handout. Would he, I asked, be willing to hire Mike for some kind of work if—without Mike knowing about it—I provided the funds? My business-owner friend agreed, saying he had some outdoor, groundskeeping tasks that needed attention. So, without giving a handout, I was able to help Mike while preserving his dignity. And my business-owner friend had some needed work done.
To sum up: it’s all too easy to give money or things to the poor as a way to help us feel better about ourselves. But giving to the poor takes some careful thought and prayer to make certain—in light of all the circumstances—that our gifts actually benefit the recipients.
Gospel Extension Workers
“The Master directed that those who spread the Message be supported by those who believe the Message” (I Cor. 9:14, MSG). So those who preach and teach make up a second group that has a right to expect monetary support from those with the means. As Paul explained to Timothy, “The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching” (I Tim. 5:17).
How much should these gospel-extension workers receive? There is, of course, no standard answer to that question. But it seems to me that any church might develop a useful guideline by asking: “What is the typical income within our congregation?” This information could help the church set a salary that compensates the leader at a level that fits in with a normal income in that assembly.
Some church leaders though, like Paul, preach and teach without drawing their support from those who hear them. Our word “tentmaker” comes from his practice of working at making tents to support himself so as not to burden churches financially. We Christians hold Paul in high esteem. This suggests to me that we should respect bivocational pastors and teachers just as much as we do those whose compensation comes from churches.
Need-Meeting Organizations
Our Christian world includes a great many organizations that depend on giving to pay their expenses and their employees. Focus on the Family, World Vision, and Evangelism Explosion International all rely on donors to fund what they do.
But how can you know whether an organization is worthy of your support? Its headquarters is probably located far away and you likely do not know any of the leaders personally. Fortunately, Ministry Watch can help you evaluate. They maintain a massive list of Christian organizations and provide giving recommendations based on an extensive rating system.
For example, Focus on the Family (Score: 100. Give with Confidence); World Vision (Score: 78. Give with Confidence); Evangelism Explosion International (Score: 49. Give with Caution).
Ministry Watch also offers a free downloadable booklet, “75 Red Flags To Consider Before Donating To A Ministry.” You may access Ministry Watch here.
God’s Government Workers
Who among us has never complained about paying our taxes, whether income taxes, property taxes, or sale taxes? But we Christians would do well to keep in mind that God himself tells us to give some of our money to the government. “You pay taxes,” Paul explains, “for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing” (Rom. 13:6).
Every government on earth in its present state is flawed. Each of us can easily point to many wrongs imposed by government officials. But is the answer no government? Imagine what it would be like to live in a state of total anarchy—complete lawlessness. With all its imperfections—including the glaring ones—government is still God’s gift to us, a hedge against unbridled chaos.
Recap
So does God want us to make money? Are wages and salaries and profits legitimate in his Kingdom? Yes. Through what we earn, we are able to support ourselves and our families, share with the poor, stand behind gospel-extension workers, donate to need-meeting organizations, and pay our taxes that support God’s servants in government.
Seen in these ways, making money is yet another Kingdom-of-God reason to get up and go to work.
God’s Kingdom Reasons for Working
Three chapters focus on working Christians and the money they make—its pitfalls and possibilities.
