All the money needed to send and support an army of self-sacrificing, joy-spreading ambassadors is already in the church. But we are not giving it.
In 1916, Protestants were giving 2.9% of their incomes to their churches. In 1933, the depth of the Great Depression, it was 3.2%. In 1955, just after affluence began spreading through our culture, it was still 3.2%. By 2000, when Americans were over 450% richer, after taxes and inflation, than in the Great Depression, Protestants were giving 2.6% of their incomes to their churches.
Moreover, “If members of historically Christian churches in the United States were giving an average of 10% in 2000, there would have been an additional $139 billion a year going through church channels.”
Don't Waste Your Life - John Piper
If I get the job I'm going for, they said the salary is $62500. 10% of that is $6250. That leaves $56250 dollars. That is still better than most people's whole salary! When you look at it like that, it seems ridiculous not to give at least 10%.
Granted I don't have my own house, my own bills, my own lady friend or my own kids like many Christians do. But I have been overseas, and that cost me about $6000 just to go. $6250 is not too much of God to ask of me.
I'm writing this down in the hopes that I'll remember this truth if I do get the job.
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