In addition to being the senior pastor of First Assembly Community Ministries, I’m also a financially contributing member.  Beyond tithing, I give regularly to missions and other projects, and I want to share with you why.

First, I believe in the mission of this church.  I’m grateful to be a part of a church that cares about reaching people far from God. I’m happy to be a part of a place where the mission is to build a community where waves of people are transformed by the love of God.  Every time I hear a story about a family put back together or a teenager who decides to follow Christ or a man who finally gets back in church, I know that my contributions played a small part in that. People’s lives are being changed, and this church is a part of that.  Jesus said that our treasure would follow our heart, so because my heart is with this church, I want to financially support it.

Second, I want to be an example to my children.  I’m so tired of hearing people complain about the younger generation…they are just following our example!  I don’t want selfish children, caring only about their iPods, clothes, cars, and friends.  I want my kids to care about other people. That’s not going to happen by accident…I have to be intentional about modeling that. I cannot tell them to care about others and then spend 100% of my paycheck on our own needs and wants. Parents, we’ve got to be responsible for teaching our kids to be generous, and we can’t do that if we are not generous ourselves.

Third, I give because God commands me to give.  In the scriptures, God commands his people to tithe, and obedience isn’t an option.  Jesus talks a lot about giving and money.  Paul writes about money.  He tells Christians this: “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  Every month, we automatically give to our church because that honors God.  We want to honor God, even when it’s difficult, even when things are tight.  There have been times that we’ve gone without something, but we never cancel the contribution to the church.  I’d rob the mortgage company before I robbed God.