The Evangelical Covenant Church

Loving
and
Giving

A Biblical Perspective
on Stewardship
Introduction...
As God’s people, we recognize that creation
is a gift from God. God calls Christians to be good
stewards of His creation, ensuring that all His
resources are available to grow God’s Kingdom. God’s
call to stewardship is a transformational journey that
involves our head, our heart, and our hands.
God’s Word explains the why, when, how, and
where of Christian giving. Because He has given
the Church the task of teaching those scriptural
guidelines, let’s explore God’s Word for instruction in
how we should be loving and giving.
Why We Give...
■ To Reveal His Likeness In Us
We are made in God’s image. God so loved that He gave. God
gives Christians the Holy Spirit to move them to give with glad
hearts, just as He does. God created us to reveal the reality
of Himself to the world—loving by giving. “Follow God’s
example, therefore, as dearly loved children.”—Ephesians 5:1

■ To Grow in Our Dependence on God

God promises to reward our faithful stewardship by meeting
our needs (Philippians 4:19), and by giving us even more to
give (Luke 6:38). Our giving opens the door to that promise-
keeping power—and it is when we experience His power at
work in our lives, that our faith grows stronger. It will extend
into other areas in our journey with God as well, and make us
better disciples. “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so
that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will
abound in every good work.”—2 Corinthians 9:8

■ To Fulfill the Mission of Christ’s Church

The body of Christ makes it possible for the many to do
what individuals cannot. In covenant with the Lord and with
one another, each of us commits our gifts and invests our
resources for His work in the world. Covenanters have pledged
themselves to The Evangelical Covenant Church as their
primary ministry arm of mission in the world. “...to equip his
people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up.”—Ephesians 4:12

■ To Share the Giving Love of a Living Savior

Christ calls us to model His love for a needy world by giving as
Jesus did. Some form of giving is behind every act of Christ’s
love. Giving and loving cannot be separated…not in the Bible
and not in the life of a disciple of Christ. This consistent and
giving love is a testimony to the reality of Christ’s resurrection
and life-changing presence, and it continues to be the
basis for effective evangelistic efforts everywhere. “By this
everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one
another.”—John 13:35
How We Give...
■ Cheerfully
It was God’s “good pleasure” to give us all we are and all we
own. Our desire to give in joyful gratitude to God’s plan is not
just a command, but it is also the fruit of salvation. Through
the pleasure of giving, we affirm that God made us in His
image. By giving, we participate in and reflect God’s own joy
in giving. “Each of you should give what you have decided
in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for
God loves a cheerful giver.”—2 Corinthians 9:7

■ Regularly
The love God has for the world and its people is steadfast. Our
faithfulness in stewardship shows itself in steadfast regularity.
Faithfulness in giving is another reflection of God’s character
in us. It is doing God’s work as he Himself does it. “On the
first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a
sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so
that when I come no collections will have to be made.”
—1 Corinthians 16:2

■ Proportionately
Our giving is to be a reflection of our abundance (1 Corin-
thians 16:2). Since all of life is God’s gift to us, we might
expect God to ask for a large portion in return. Instead, the
Bible teaches that the standard for our giving is 10 percent
(“tithe”) of our income (Malachi 3:10). What a small
response we are called to make as grateful children of God!
“Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the
Lord your God has blessed you.”—Deuteronomy 16:17

■ Sacrificially
God’s gift of His only Son is the costliest sacrifice ever made.
We, as Christians, are the beneficiaries of that sacrifice,
and we are to respond by giving sacrificially. For many, this
will mean giving “according to the blessing of the Lord”
(Deuteronomy 16:17) and by the leading of the Holy Spirit.
God doesn’t ask the same gifts from each of us, but He does
ask the same spirit of sacrifice. “Truly I tell you,” he [Jesus]
said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All
these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out
of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”—Luke 21:3-4
What We Give...
■ Our Time
Our willingness to serve God through our church, our
community, and world, demonstrates good management
of life’s gifts...our “tithe” of the hours and days God has
allotted each of us. “Redeeming the time” by offering it to our
Redeemer is another mark of a disciple. “Teach us to number
our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”
—Psalm 90:12

■ Our Talents
We are part of a body which functions fully only as its
members exercise their God-given gifts in service. Our
individual spiritual gifts, talents, and abilities are intended to
compliment those of the other members of the body. We are
not our own, as the Apostle Paul reminds us. We are “bought
with a price.” “Each of you should use whatever gift you have
received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in
its various forms.”—1 Peter 4:10

■ Our Testimonies
By giving each of us a “faith story,” God has made us
stewards of a gift that is able to lead others “out of darkness,
into His marvelous light.” What an honor to be entrusted with
a gift no other person but you can give. God doesn’t say our
testimonies must be eloquent—just real and ready (1 Peter
3:15). “This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants
of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has
revealed.”—1 Corinthians 4:1

■ Our Treasure
As Christians, we are not to substitute trust in God’s ability
to meet our every need with our own ability to provide for
ourselves . The Bible says that such attitudes can even create
the very shortages they anticipate: “Remember this, whoever
sows sparingly will also reap sparingly” (2 Corinthians 9:6). In
our finances, as in all other areas of our lives, “we are laborers
together with God.” “For where your treasure is, there your
heart will be also.”—Luke 12:34
Where We Give...
■ To Our Church
From the Tabernacle Moses erected in the wilderness to the
house churches Paul nurtured in his journeys, God has urged
His people to participate in a worshipping, local fellowship,
and then to regular tithing through that fellowship. God has
given the Church all the resources needed to impact the world
He has called us to reach—but only as we respond together
is that reach strengthened and lengthened. “...In the midst
of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme
poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave
as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability...”
—2 Corinthians 8:2-3

■ To Spirit-Revealed Needs
God gives each of us unique opportunities to show our
Savior’s love by giving our time, talents, testimonies, and
tithes. This openness to human need is one of the highest
forms of witnessing. However, believers are called to exercise
discipline and discernment so that such giving will not
be impulsive, but rather will further the Gospel without
impairing local church commitments. “Therefore, as we have
opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those
who belong to the family of believers.”—Galatians 6:10

■ To Preserve God’s Creation

All of creation is a gift from God. Christians are the people
God has called to be managers of these gifts: the world
and our lives (Genesis 1:28). Therefore, we give through our
lifestyles and thoughtfulness to care for creation until Christ
comes again and all things are made new (Revelation 21:5).
“Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what
they produce. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city
to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it,
because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”—Jeremiah 29:5,7
Will You Give?
Because giving is so critical to Christian growth, to the
maintenance of Christ’s Church, and to the furthering of the
Gospel, it is certain to come under attack by “the powers
of this dark world” (Ephesians 6:12). Those attacks may be
expressed in remarks like,“There is too much emphasis on
giving in the Church.” But, as we have seen, the words giving
and loving are scripturally synonymous. Can there be too
much emphasis on love?
As disciples of Christ, we overcome such attitudes
through an understanding of God’s Word and through wise
stewardship of His gifts. When we do, God promises to honor
our faithfulness by extending His kingdom.
God has given us all the resources needed to accomplish
His work. He trusts our stewardship to reflect the love
modeled in Christ...the love of the Holy Spirit who indwells us.
How are we making the things that matter most to God the
things that matter most to us?
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there
may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord
Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of
heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be
room enough to store it.”—Malachi 3:10
Will you join us on this transformational journey that
involves our head, our hearts, and our hands? Will you allow
God to transform us from people “living to get” into people
“living to give”? Once our hearts were for getting; for getting
our own way...forgetting God’s love and ownership of all of
creation. Now our hearts are for giving; for giving as God’s
Spirit leads...forgiving others as we have been forgiven.
May we journey together in stewardship—God’s resources
deployed through God’s people to accomplish God’s mission.
Each of you should use whatever gift you
have received to serve others, as faithful stewards
of God’s grace in its various forms. If you speak,
you should do so as one who speaks the very
words of God. If you serve, you should do so with
the strength God provides, so that in all things God
may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the
glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 4:10-11

The Stewardship Commission of

The Evangelical Covenant Church
5101 North Francisco Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
www.covchurch.org/stewardship
(773) 907-3375