Sunday: Together We Fund the Mission
Jesus commands us to “preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15) and to “make disciples”, “teaching them to observe all things” (Matt. 28:19-20, NKJV). Thus, God wants us to be involved in the most important work on earth: bringing people to Jesus.
Image © Review and Herald Publishing Assn. Goodsalt.com
Funding this mission from resources entrusted to us by God is the steward’s responsibility. Participation deepens personal commitment in presenting Christ to others. Every disciple, steward, and worker is to bring the entire tithe for this sacred work. We must pray for unity to be faithful in funding the mission, just as a successful mission strengthens our unity of faith.
What is God’s approved financial plan for accomplishing this mission? What does “the whole tithe” mean? (Mal. 3:10, NIV). What does the phrase “that there may be food in my house” mean? (Mal. 3:10, NIV).
As we have seen, people have been paying tithe since the days of Abraham and Jacob (Gen. 14:20, Gen. 28:22) and probably before.
Tithe is part of a system that funds God’s church. It is the greatest source of funding and the most equitable method for carrying out His mission.
In today’s cultures, the majority of Christians give relatively little to fund the mission of God. If every Christian gave an honest tithe, the result would be “almost unimaginable, simply astonishing, nearly beyond comprehension.” – Christian Smith and Michael O. Emerson, Passing the Plate (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), p. 27.
In every age God has had people who were willing to fund His mission. All of us have a responsibility to understand and work together to finance this global task. We cannot afford to be disorganized, careless, or haphazard about funding the mission. Our challenge is far greater than when the people and the Levites said to Nehemiah, “We will not neglect the house of our God” (Neh. 10:39, NIV), and more daunting than what faced believers in the 1800s. Today members and clergy must be united spiritually and pull together financially in a way that meets global objectives and funds the mission.
| Think about the vast extent of the Adventist mission in the world (see Rev. 14:6-7). How should each one of us understand his or her own responsibility in regard to helping fund this work? |
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There is a lot of work before us and if we all played our little part in giving tithe, the work of the three angel's message would be spread.The tithing method is indeed equitable give each one of to give back to the proportion that God has blessed us financial.There is usually temptation among the less privileged to think the rich should give in other causes like philanthropy eg environment and poverty alleviation but in God's work we are all expected to pay our part in the equal way with whatever we have. God never ask more than what he has given us, it should be a privilege that God has given all of opportunity to give him what belongs to him. As David would say; "But who am I, and who are my people, that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." 1 Chron29 verse 14
Is it really true that Jesus "commands" us to preach the gospel and make disciples?
Mathew 28:19, the great commission.
The second paragraph proposes that "funding this mission" is what "deepens personal commitment in presenting Christ to others".
Question: Would not my personally presenting Christ to others that I meet in my daily life deepen my personal commitment to bringing people to Jesus?
I suppose you got it the other way round, "your personal relationship with Christ deepens your commitment to presenting Christ to others and tithing is among the many ways to accomplish this."
May I consider this that in 2 Corinthians 5:19 that God was in the Son reconciling the world to Himself. And that is the TRUTH about God.That is what the History book the Bible states.
God so loved the world, and that if God is for us who can be against us and if you have seen Jesus you have seen the Father,
So this is telling me that God is love, the source of all good, life, and health
God is not the source of pain, suffering and death.
Romans 2:13-15
For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.
14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law,
15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts
So in Sunday lesson: Who's making this statement: God or man: “WE cannot afford to be disorganized, careless, or haphazard about funding the mission.”
I have a question about tithe. I am on social security retirement, so is 10% of those funds to be given to the church? I do not have a church home. I am Adventist but have not been in a church for years. I worship at home by watching 3abn on my iPad.
Emma Bowens, I have heard of people sending their tithe directly to the conference you are in. I would believe that 10% of your social security would go toward your tithe.
I was debating with what was told to me years ago by a Baptist minister that seniors paid only what they could afford. As a senior I always debated with this. I don't want the wrong decision to keep me out of heaven.
Emma, My husband and I are both 'seniors' living in a country that pays a monthly pension equivelant to US$102.00 (the decimal is in the right place!). There are no 'food banks' as in the States but the Lord blesses.... My husband (78) still has work... In fact, 3 aviation maintenance companies appreciate the old man over the younger generation! God is faithful... just return what is His and He will see to your needs.
First of all Emma, we are saved by grace and not by how much tithe we pay. Secondly tithe should be paid with a glad heart.
I think tithe shouldn't be "paid" at all. 😉 Since it is just returning to God 1/10 of what is already His, I think "returning tithe" is a better way. 🙂
Emma, God did say, "Try me." So I challenge you to "try Him" in the matter of returning tithe.
If you do not attend a local church, the conference would be the proper "house" to which to return tithe and offerings. Many conferences now have a way to give online.
Is it social a return of what has been deducted from your salary all those years and did u tithe back then? If u save money from your income that u tithe monthly when u draw your savings u don't need to tithe again however if u received interest on that savings u would tithe the profit made. Pls note this only applies if you tithe the income u saved from when u were saving. So now u could pay offerings from the savings tho.
I agree that we as Christians giving one tenth of our earning is a fair way of our measurement of faith in Christ. Looking on the other side of things in reference to us living a godly life and leading souls from darkness into the marvelous light. Could it be possible that the tithe and offering that faithful Christians are giving to the church is mismanaged which can prevent the gospel from spreading globally to areas that aren't reached? Let us all be real about this.
I suppose we should be focused on the commitment to the mission, for in one of the parables after planting the wheat, somebody came and planted weeds amongst the wheat, but we are told they all were left to grow to maturity. If the weeds were to be uprooted they would have gone with part of the immature wheat.
Still with all such challenges the gospel has spread across the world, so let's not worry rather obey God's word.
I am an African - not by birth but by circumstances! It was thanks to missionaries that Africa was evangelized, but it was through God's guidance that He led me out of my homeland - now considered 'post-christian' into a country where the Huguenots and Calvinists fled and held on to the faith of their Fathers. It was in my second home - South Africa - that God spread the Word through a dedicated Californian, Br. Hunt, who inspired two diamond diggers to accept the Sabbath and who spread their new-found belief and growing wealth so that the message could spread in South Africa. Unfortunately in our country of South-West Africa (Namibia) the focus was on the Afrikaners rather than on all the language and ethnic groups. In the Eastern Cape, near Grahamstown, lies an abandoned graveyard. The church building has gone and in the place of the pulpit is a memorial plaque in commemoration of the little church in the countryside. Many pioneer missionaries to Africa lie in waiting for their Lord's return in the little graveyard.
Why do I share this? Because, God blessed the missionaries who moved north and over 90% of the membership in Namibia are ex-pats from our neighboring countries i.e. Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania, etc. etc. whereas less than 1% can claim European heritage and the rest are of mixed blood. The tithes and offerings of the early pioneers accomplished more than can ever be evaluated by man. I believe Ellen White mentioned in her writings that in a vision she had seen a stream of people from Africa enter the Holy City. Can anyone help me with the reference please.
Dear Brethren
I write seeking a statement over the picture on this lesson . Pictures can be interpreted at times when they appear with a lesson. I looked at the whole picture and the division thereof and was not at all please with the message your picture is sending. May you please clarify and justify the use of your picture selection . I am finding it difficult to understand how on earth a Christian brother/ sister can clearly show that we are different in the way scriptures apply to us .
Yours in the Lord
Elder J Muchina
In the picture I see church members in the global North giving offerings (possibly mission offerings) while in their mind seeing these offerings spreading the gospel to people in the global South. I think it helps to remember that what the image portrays is how the global South was originally evangelized. Of course, today members in the global South also give offerings to benefit those in other areas, including the global North. (Images can say only so much, and the person who chooses our images has to work with the resources she has.)
Now I have a couple questions for you:
1) What do you see in the image that accompanies this post that concerns you so?
2) What would you show in a picture that would better illustrate the concept of giving to "missions"? (Or perhaps we should just eliminate all images from our blog? Would you see that as an improvement?)
I am not the one that chooses the pictures that illustrate the lesson study as presented on SSNET. However I can tell you what the picture does mean to me.
In Australia, one of our mission responsibilities was to support the mission work in Papua New Guinea (PNG) represented in the picture. We were encouraged to support particularly the health and education work there. As a teacher I have taught people from PNG who in their childhood were living in villages where they shared their houses with pigs, oblivious of the problems of hygiene. They learned of the Gospel in a very practical way, and as a result now live hygienically. These folk are grateful that we took an interest in their welfare and used our tithes and offerings to reach out to them. They are now Church administrators, ministers, teachers and accountants. I have taught them, I know the transformation that has taken place in their lives and I am glad to be part of that transformation process in a small way. Only the other day, one of my former PNG students asked me for a reference so that he could continue his studies as a PhD student. Just being asked to provide a reference was a blessing to me.
The picture tries, I think, to show that our tithes and offerings have been part of that transformation process. I know the picture is somewhat old but it does represent something that happened in a real way in this part of the world.
I hope that helps you understand the picture just a little better.
Dear brother Muchina. The picture is a very good depiction of how the gospel got to reach the world... As I mentioned in my message above, without the offerings from our American Pioneers we in Africa would still be in the dark.
Elder, I see a rich contribution from the members, may God bless you all.
All of us have had and read that a picture gives the best illustration that spoken words. I have few points regarding the picture above:
1. In Luke 21:1-4, “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” The only person who saw what the widower gave was Jesus. She showed "humility and meekness that only God count see and approved her contribution."
We have all been instructed that when you are paying tithe or offering, do not let your left hand know what you gave with your right hand. The person placing his tithe was a shower man wanted everyone close to him to see what he was giving. His attitude teaches us to be aware of the hidden messages we are sending to others especially the lady to his right and lady behind him. The best way to pay tithe is to put your tithe in the provided envelopes, so no one sees what you are giving.
3. I have come to realize that there places in this world I will not be able to visit. The brothers from the "South Pacific holding his spear" was evangelized because we are faith by returning our tithes to the storehouse of God.
The moral of the picture:
a) do not let your brothers and sisters see what you are giving, only let your heavenly Father see it.
B) It is an educational opportunity to teach new members as to how to return their tithe to the Lord, it is between you and Him no body else.
c) Acts 20:35 "......It is blessed to give than to receive." Since we cannot go to all this others place around the world to preach the word, let us be faithful in returning our tithes and offering to God to support the "Global Mission and support all missionaries around the world.
I appreciate the points you made, but I'm not sure how you can read the man's heart from this picture. 😉 To me, he just seems to be quite happy to give. With open offering plates, there's really no way to give totally "secretly." Maybe that's one of the reasons that offering bags have become popular?
Happy Sabbath my brethren!
I'm truly happy for this portal. It has helped me a lot and I come here religiously every Friday night or early Saturday morning. I jot down the points and shared them in my Sabbath School. Even so there are comments that send me researching as well. Above all many persons here has prayed for me and I'm eternally thankful!
But here's why I'm commenting- for me personally, I'm an object lesson person. I see pictures diagrams on this site and a lot of times it explains what the scripture is saying. Many times the questions in the lesson are not answered on here but as soon as I see a picture associated with the topic; it sheds light on the topic because there's no picture on our daily lesson in our quarterly and we all learn differently. The person who cited the comment of the picture please dont take my comment as a direct denunciation against you because I'm aware that's also our perception of things etc. I'm just sharing how the pictures/illustrations have helped me a great deal. Those who keep this thread/website going- May God continue to empower and imbue you all with His Spirit as men and women comes to a knowledge of our Savior. God bless!
It’s been a joy to see how God uses what is given in His work. It’s not only in the countries of Africa but as Jesus stated, God has used our collective funding in Europe, Asia and in the uttermost parts of the world.
I’m very thankful that God doesn’t regard our stereotypes, ignorance and bias when it comes to His service. When we are in close relationship with Him it becomes clearer and clearer what our (God given) duties are to our brothers and sisters any and everywhere.
I’ve found over the years that God is faithful to His promises of care. As my tithe and offerings are given, He has supplied my needs without fail.