The Bulletin
of the
Church of Christ at
New Georgia
Tim Johnson, editor
January 8, 2006
In
This Issue:
What
are Your Reasons for Giving?
by
Steve Klein
What
is Wrong with Today's Youth?
by
Bill Hall
What are Your Reasons for Giving?
How do you respond when someone asks you to give them money? Few people are willing to fork over hard earned cash without a reason. It's not that we expect something in return for charitable giving, it's just that we want to feel that our gift will accomplish some good purpose. When we don't feel that it will, the wallet will stay in the pocket. If we're pressured, we might take it out and give a little, but it won't be much.
Christians have a responsibility to give to support the work of the Lord's church. If our concept is merely that we have to give because it is expected, we will have a negative view of giving, and the amount that we give will not be what it should. But if we understand that there are good reasons for giving, our attitude will be positive and we will give abundantly.
God does not want us to give "grudgingly" or "of necessity" (just because we have to). He loves a "cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7). But that doesn't mean that the Lord is unconcerned about the actual amount that we give. He wants us to give liberally. Our giving should be a reflection of the abundance that He has given to us. Through God's blessings, we have been "enriched in everything unto all liberality" (2 Corinthians 9:11). In other words, God has given a lot to us so that we may give a lot also.
That brings us back to our reasons for giving. God is asking us to give cheerfully and abundantly, but we will have problems doing that if we don't see any good reason for it. Perhaps, to see the good reasons that there are for church giving, it would be helpful to think of what would happen if no one gave at all. Here are some of the consequences:
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No needy Christian could look to the church for help. If no one gave, there would be no funds available, no matter how dire the need or tragic the circumstances.
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Preachers would be hampered in the work of evangelizing the lost both here and abroad. While most would continue to teach and preach to the extent that they could, much of their time and energy would have to be devoted to earning a living at a secular job.
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There would be no church buildings for assembling to worship, no baptisteries for baptizing sinners, and no classrooms for teaching children.
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The church could not purchase aids for teaching and edifying such as Bible class materials, song books and tracts..
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The church could not provide sermon tapes, bulletins, web sites, or radio and television programs as means of getting the gospel message to the lost.
The Lord wants needy saints to receive help from churches (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). He expects churches to support preachers financially and has "ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:14). He desires that churches assemble for worship (Acts 20:7, Hebrews 10:25), support the truth (1 Timothy 3:15), and spread the gospel (1 Thessalonians 1:8) and to do these things in a way that is expedient. In short, the Lord has given us a cause that is worth the best of our giving. We have reasons to give. Let us do so cheerfully and liberally.
--Steve Klein
All along we hear questions raised as to what has gone wrong with today's youth. Recently, a brother expressed his concern along this line and then asked, "What advice would you give young parents to help them avoid mistakes that we have made in our generation?"
The first thing we would say is: All is not bad with today's youth. We see young people in the New Georgia church voluntarily attending special classes conducted for their benefit and studying diligently in preparation for these classes. We see them singing in the worship periods, listening to sermons, following in their Bible, obeying the gospel as they reach accountability, and living conscientiously before God. We see similar interest in young people in other congregations.
But all is not good. We are aware of drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, drinking, gambling, and crimes of all sorts among the youth of our day. We are appalled at the lack of self control exhibited by athletes in both college and pro ranks. What has gone wrong?
An article we saw in a Fort Myers newspaper helps to explain what has gone wrong. The opening paragraph says:
"A Fort Myers high school football player who was arrested and charged with hitting a 15-year-old in the face with a crowbar has his coach concerned and his mother worried about his football future."
Worried about what? When parents are more concerned for their children's football future than they are for their character; when they are more concerned for their children's financial well-being than for their eternal well-being; or when they are just not concerned, period, we can expect problems among our youth. Priorities are all wrong. Too many parents, in order to feed their own egos, push their children into positions that will bring honor and popularity, but give little thought to what will build character and integrity and responsibility within them.
"And ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath; but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord" (Ephesians 6:4).
What advice would we give to young parents? Bring your children to every service of the church; encourage them to form close friendships with other children who attend regularly; do not try to shield them from hurts and disappointments, but allow them to work through their disappointments; hold them responsible for the consequences of wrong-doings; make sure that your greatest desire for them is that they go to heaven and that they are aware that this is your greatest desire; pray with them and teach them how to pray; and love them, love them, love them some more. That's a good start anyway!
-- Bill Hall