November 6, 2013

The Church is Not a Charity

The title of this article may seem odd to you. It seems that most people – both religious and non-religious – view churches as, at least in part, charitable organizations. Many churches have programs and “ministries” that are designed to provide aid to the poor in their communities. Often these churches also conduct “mission trips” to various parts of the world to provide food, clothing, medicine, and more to those in third world countries. Such practices are so common that people with either ongoing or immediate financial needs seek assistance from churches in their communities.

The congregation where I preach has no program, no funds, and no intention to provide such charitable help to those in the community. The reason for this is not that we have no concern for the poor. Instead, it is because we are concerned with following the pattern found in the New Testament (cf. 2 Timothy 1:13; Colossians 3:17). Below are the reasons why the church is not a charity.
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September 23, 2013

Audio: The Church and its Money

Each first day of the week we take up a collection. This money is then used by the church. The method of collecting funds in our text is the only way we find that is authorized in the New Testament. However, instead of focusing on that point in this lesson, we’re going to focus on how to handle the money after it has been collected.
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June 20, 2013

The Mission of the Church

Church building

There are many different churches all over the world. Why do these churches exist? What is their mission? That answer will vary from church to church as men fashion their churches according to their own desires. We will consider a few possible answers later in this article.

But what is the mission of the church of our Lord? The answer to this question will not be found in human opinion or tradition, but in the word of God that has been revealed to us in the Scriptures. So let us see what the Scriptures say about the mission of the church.
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May 8, 2013

What Do the Numbers Tell Us?

Chart

There is often a great deal of emphasis placed upon numbers in a congregation – membership, attendance, converts, etc. This is somewhat natural. We tend to want some way to gauge success or progress in our efforts. Yet numbers rarely tell the whole story and, in many ways, can even be deceiving. Rather than being quick to jump to conclusions based upon numbers, we should look to God’s word to gauge our success in carrying out His will.
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October 5, 2006

“Now Concerning the Collection” – Part 4: Institutionalism and the Sponsoring Church Arrangement

Collection Plate

As we noticed in the previous section, there are many who use funds from the church treasury for things other than just the works of the church – evangelism, edification, and limited benevolence. Some use money from their treasury for these works, but they do so by sending funds to another organization (either a human institution or another congregation) so that organization can carry out these spiritual works. We often refer to this practice as either institutionalism or the sponsoring church arrangement, depending on the nature of the organization to which the funds are sent. Does God authorize this in His word?

First we need to be sure we understand what exactly is being done before we can compare the practice with Scripture. Institutionalism refers to the forming or use of organizations separate from the church to carry out the works of the church. The sponsoring church arrangement has to do with one or more churches sending funds to another church that collects funds from these various churches and uses that money to do the work of the church. Much could be said about these issues; but so as to not divert too much attention away from our topic of the collection, we will briefly compare these concepts with the word of God.
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October 5, 2006

“Now Concerning the Collection” – Part 3: Use of the Treasury

Collection Plate

Some question whether we even have Bible authority for a church treasury. While the term “church treasury” is not used in the New Testament, the concept certainly is. In Acts 4:32-35, aid was provided for those in need using funds that had been pooled together. This collection of donations was, for all intents and purposes, a treasury. We clearly see that the church in Jerusalem had a treasury into which individual Christians deposited money. The apostles then used this treasury to distribute to those in need.

The concept of a church treasury is also found in Paul’s instructions to the Corinthians. Paul was coming to take money they had raised to Jerusalem to benefit needy saints (1 Corinthians 16:3). In order that the “gift” would be ready and that “no collections be made when I [Paul] come” (1 Corinthians 16:2), the church was to take up a collection “on the first day of every week.” These funds that were collected every week were saved so they would be ready when Paul arrived. Where were they saved? In the church treasury. Again, the term “church treasury” is not found in the New Testament; but as we have noticed, the concept certainly is. Congregations have Bible authority to have a treasury into which they can collect funds for safe keeping until the time when these funds are to be used.

But do we have authority to use the church treasury for just anything or are there certain things to which we must be limited? That is certainly an important question. We have authority for a treasury, but do we have the right to use that money for anything we choose? No! Ultimately, the money in the church treasury belongs to the Lord. After all, the church itself belongs to Christ. He “purchased [it] with His own blood” (Acts 20:28). He is the “head over all things to the church” (Ephesians 1:22). He possesses “all authority” (Matthew 28:18) – we possess none. Therefore, we must use the funds from the treasury of His church in the ways He has authorized.
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October 1, 2006

The Purpose of Preaching

Man with Open Bible

From the beginning of the New Testament we read about preaching. First we see John the Baptist “preaching in the wilderness of Judea” (Matthew 3:1). A little while later “Jesus began to preach” (Matthew 4:17) and went “throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom” (Matthew 4:23). Jesus commanded His disciples on different occasions to go out and preach the gospel (Luke 9:1-6; Mark 16:15; Acts 1:8). Throughout the New Testament, this is what we see – the gospel being preached. Though men may see this as foolish, this is what God desires (1 Corinthians 1:18-21).

God designed preaching to accomplish certain things. Let us notice the purpose of preaching.
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