Thousands of working class poor came to faith — people for whom the Church was a closed door and a completely alien environment. When churches barred him from preaching his messages of new birth, he took to the fields and streets. This was a brilliant move. Most of his audience would never have been accepted and welcomed in the churches. He grouped them into small communities called bands and classes where they began to be transformed by the gospel.
These small groups were greenhouses for change. People who were previously completely ignorant of the gospel began to discover and work out a discipleship that transformed every area of their lives.
The movement mushroomed. Hundreds of thousands of working-class poor became Jesus followers. And as they did, some very significant social and economic changes occurred in the fabric of British society.
Their growing faith established a strong work ethic and a freeing from addictions such as alcohol and gambling.
This made upward mobility almost inevitable. As they worked harder and spent less of their money on damaging and wasteful pursuits, families discovered they were able to save and dramatically improve their physical circumstances. Their thrift and work lifted substantial numbers of these Christians out of poverty and into a burgeoning middle class. One could easily assume that John Wesley would have been well pleased with this upward mobility.
And to a degree he was pleased. But he also became increasingly disturbed. By the time of his death he was still living on little more than he had been spending decades earlier. And he died with little left over.
What kind of lifestyle do we think Christians are called to pursue? On the one hand, developing a good work ethic is very much a part of our call to follow Jesus. It is important for us to be industrious and conscientious and to utilize well our gifts — and our ability to create, to add value and to make a difference.
If we have a gift of creating wealth, then certainly we should use and develop it. And of course the result is likely to be that we will earn more than we need. How does this fit in with what we know about the call of Jesus — to give away our lives for his kingdom?
And how does it fit in with the question we asked in the previous chapter? There we pondered how much of our time and energy we should give to the creation of our wealth. Now we face the question of what we should do with our wealth. How do we use the excess over and above what we consider to be enough? Rockefeller one of the famous family of bankers and entrepreneurs. Placing limits on our consumption goes against everything our society is bellowing out at us. The messages — some of them half-truths and others just patently mistruths — tell us:.
You need this. You deserve this — treat yourself. This will make you happy. This will make your life better. It was your hard work and intelligence that created your wealth. Which includes far more than just our family and friends! It is simply not appropriate or helpful to suggest some sort of calculation or rule. Some of the following perspectives may be helpful, as will the questions at the end of the chapter. A new focus in our reading of the Bible should have an effect on our thinking.
While there is no one consistent attitude in the scriptures regarding wealth, nevertheless the Prophets, the Gospels and the New Testament letters carry strong language about it. These books are full of warnings to the rich, and support for the poor and marginalized.
There ought to be things we should like to do and cannot because our charitable expenditure excludes them. How much am I to give? Enough that it matters. Enough that I am sacrificing some comforts and some experiences I would otherwise enjoy. What the Lord teaches those who give this way is that the joy of giving, both now and eternally, far outweighs what we could have had instead.
So many Christians can attest that there is a powerful, humbling kind of delight in tallying up the giving for a previous year and thanking the Lord for allowing so much to be given away. That car or kitchen or house pales in comparison to the joy of making so small a sacrifice to the One who sacrificed all for us. It is suggested that of this 10 per cent half is offered as a gift to the Church.
This level of giving would ensure not only a secure future for the Church but enable real growth in mission and outreach. We recognize this recommendation is a challenge. Please be assured we are grateful for and careful with every donation made to the Church, mindful of our duty to use your gifts wisely to grow the presence of God and the Church in our communities.
Whatever you do give, we ask that it is a considered, prayerful expression of your faith in action. It is designed to help you easily see what this means in terms of a regular monthly donation for various levels of income. Before Tax Monthly Donation. After Tax Weekly Donation. The best way of doing this is through the Parish Giving Scheme if your church is a member.
In addition a house is provided to ensure a vicar is able to live in a suitable location within the community they are called to serve. The actual cost for each full time paid vicar includes the costs of recruiting, training, housing and also providing a pension in addition to the stipend. Also included in this cost are the shared diocesan and national costs.
The Cost of Running the Church of England. There have been a number of reasons for the significant increase in the cost of running the Church of England. A series of measures through the s and s sought to ensure a fairer treatment of clergy; addressing stipend levels minimum stipends introduced , pensions current pension scheme introduced and housing Church Commissioners led reform of housing provision.
The introduction of new pension Legislation in recent years has had a significant impact on the cost of Clergy pensions. All of these important improvements and reforms mean that, in real terms, it now costs roughly three times what it did in the early s to fund a full-time Vicar. The contribution from the Church Commissioners In the early s the Church Commissioners paid for 75 per cent of stipends. Today they fund around 10 per cent of the cost of parish clergy nationally, but in many dioceses and parishes there is no ongoing support.
It is an open question why this has happened but it is clear that the Church has been living beyond its means for a number of years and funding from the Commissioners can no longer be the comfort it once was. As Christians we belong to something much greater than ourselves, we are part of the Church, which is the body of Christ. God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us [as we deliver your gift] will produce thanksgiving to God. It may be a good idea to practice tithing as a crutch until we get used to giving larger sums than we gave before, but then we should look forward to leaving the crutch behind because now we will have formed the Christian habit of giving more than 10 percent.
He authored numerous books, including the classic best seller Knowing God. Sign In. Christian giving is both a spiritual gift and a discipline of discipleship to our Lord Jesus Christ. Weakness Is the Way J. Packer J. Leland Ryken. Faithfulness and Holiness.
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