Chapter 4
C. Deceitful statements.
1. Misleading statement #1 — Saying that a Faith Promise Offering is not a pledge.
2. Misleading statement #2 — Saying that you are not held responsible for the amount that you set as your Faith Promise Offering.
3. Misleading statement #3 — Strongly insinuating that promises made to God are not as binding as promises made to man.
4. Misleading statement #4 — Saying that a Faith Promise Offering is not a commitment to a local church, but only to God.
5. Misleading statement #5 -- Saying that no one will ever try and collect from you the Faith Promise Offering.
Note: Notice, once again, the following statement: “An effort is normally made to collect the pledge. No attempt is ever made to collect a Faith-Promise. If at the end of the promise period (usually one year), the person is unable to fulfill his/her faith-promise commitment, the matter is wholly between the person and God.” (Globe Missionary Evangelism http://www.gme.org/giving-fpg.shtml)
That statement is not made in spirit and in truth, because a pastor has heard
church members severely rebuked in Faith Promise Missions meetings when the
previous year’s promised totals were not met. The people are preached at that they
“...lied to God last year.” They “...robbed God,” and they need to “...pay up to God
what you promised!” No, the average church using Faith Promise Giving will not come
to your door demanding that you “PAY UP!”, but you will surely hear it from the pulpit,
if the money is not coming in like was promised. That is a deceitful means of trying to
collect the money that was emphasized the previous year as being “no strings attached.”
D. Unscriptural Results.
Note: Many methods are accepted and followed by people because outwardly they seem to be successful, but some things take time to show the bad side effects from them.
1. Pride is a result of the Faith Promise Giving system.
a. Pride amongst preachers.
Note: Consider Oswald J. Smith’s statement again: “I WOULD NEVER GO BACK TO THE CASH OFFERING. With a cash offering I COULD ONLY GET VERY LITTLE, but with a Faith Promise Offering I CAN GET MUCH.” Since when did God ever call preachers to raise money? How does Oswald J. Smith’s statement fit in with the qualifications for a pastor?
1.) 1 Timothy 3:1-7 says, “This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to __________; Not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not ________________; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with __________ he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.”
Was there any qualification listed there that said a preacher must be
good at raising money? No. He is to be “apt to teach,” but it never says
that a church should look for a pastor who is “apt to raise a lot of money.”
Note: In fact, when money is mentioned in regard to the pastor — a warning is given: “Not greedy of filthy lucre…” Consider Oswald J. Smith’s statement again, “I WOULD NEVER GO BACK TO THE CASH OFFERING. With a cash offering I COULD ONLY GET VERY LITTLE, but with a Faith Promise Offering I CAN GET MUCH.”
What is the definition of greedy? “Having or showing a selfish desire for wealth and possessions” (Merriam-Webster’s 11th Collegiate Dictionary). Someone will immediately point out that Oswald J. Smith was not greedy, but just wanted to raise the money for missions. His motives are not what is being judged here, but his method is, and the outcome of his method. To see if Oswald J. Smith’s method produces the spirit of the definition of the word greedy “a SELFISH DESIRE for WEALTH,” or whether it brings glory to God, let us do a little test. In his following statement, count how many times the word God appears and is glorified, and how many times the word I or we appear.
“I would never go back to the cash offering. With a cash offering I could only get a very little, but with a Faith Promise Offering I can get much. In our Annual Missionary Convention we never get more than $7,000 in cash, but we get a quarter of a million or more in Faith Promises.”
How many times was the word God used in his statement? Zero times.
How many times was the word I or we used? Five times. When worldly means
are used to raise money, the glory always goes to man, and not to God. The money
raised may be used for God, but the glory clearly goes to man. Read his statement again.
2.) Proverbs 11:2 says, “When __________ cometh, then cometh __________: but with the lowly is wisdom.”
3.) Proverbs 16:18, 19 says, “__________ goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a ________. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, than to divide the spoil with the __________.”
Illustration: A pastor began noticing how common it is today in promotional literature from churches, to advertise the value of the church property where a special speaker pastors, or did pastor. The same is true of Faith Promise Giving. It may mention the amount that that particular church raised a year for missions before that pastor came, and how much it presently is (or was when he left).
Whether knowingly, or unknowingly, financial matters in the church today are being used
to glorify man, instead of God. It is showing us that there is a problem in the church,
when the success or failure of a pastor is measured by the amount of money that he
has raised in his years’ of ministry, instead of his faithful preaching of the Word.
4.) Acts 6:4 tells us what the early pastors were going to do, “But we will give ourselves continually to ____________, and to the ministry of the ________.”
Note: Did you notice anything said there about raising money for the church or church projects? No.
Prayer is one of the answers for financial needs — not fund-raising schemes.
Preaching the Word is one of the answers for financial needs, that God may
stir hearts to give and lay up treasure in heaven, instead of treasure upon earth.
Spirit-filled preaching, and prayer to the Lord of the harvest is what is
needed to help the missionary effort — not fund raising schemes.
The same is true when a church needs to build.
1. Pride is a result of the Faith Promise Giving system.
a. Pride amongst preachers.
b. Pride amongst church members.
1.) Here is one more reason that filling out Faith Promise Giving cards is not Scriptural. How does that fit with Matthew 6:1-4? "Take heed that ye do not your alms before ______, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no ____________ of your Father which is in heaven."
2.) It continues on, "Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy ________ hand know what thy __________ hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly."
Note: A person is not to give money in front of others to impress them, or there will be no heavenly reward. But also, great care is to be taken to NOT GLORY in PERSONAL AMOUNTS given to the Lord. “But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret:”
How can you give with one hand, and your other hand not know about it? What does that mean?
When you COUNT MONEY, you normally use BOTH HANDS to do it (one hand holds the money,
while the other hand is used to take the individual pieces of money one by one and count it).
If your left hand does not know what your right hand is giving, then it means that YOU ARE NOT
COUNTING THE TOTALS. You are just giving as there is a need, and as God enables and leads you to give.
That is the exact opposite of what Faith Promise Giving teaches. In that system, your left hand does know what your right hand is giving, because you set the amount a year in advance. There would be a definite amount firmly in the mind, and would tempt the person to boast about the amount given (whether just in the heart and mind, or outwardly with the mouth), which would then take away any heavenly reward for giving. These verses are clear about giving — if we want earthly praise, then that is our reward, and there will be no heavenly reward for it. “Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.”
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