Tithing -- I Don't Understand Why Not?

Are you as dismayed as I am regarding the number of people who tithe (give 10% of their income)? I read recently the results of a survey by The Barna Group regarding our giving practices. They truly sadden and concern me. They sadden me for the sake of the church. They concern me for the sake of individuals. I am concerned for those who consistently live in bondage to spending patterns that demonstrate a lack of fiscal discipline and trust in God. It seems to me that we do have a competing god (Matthew 6:24). I wonder what would happen if individuals and couples would enter into more biblically consistent financial management principles. So here are some of the basics from The Barna Group (2007 giving):

About 5% of adults tithe
Among the most generous Barna states that:
o 24% of evangelicals tithe
o 12% of conservatives
o 12% of those who have prayed, read the Bible and attended a church service in the last week
o 11% of Charismatics or Pentecostals
o 10% Registered Republicans
Among the least generous (less than 1% of the people in each of these groups tithed)
o Atheists and Agnostics (duh – my personal comment – not Barna’s)
o Singles adults who have never married
o Liberals
o And downscale adults

Barna also says that 9% of all those who claim to be Born Again Christians gave at least 10% of their income and Protestants were 4 times more likely to tithe as Catholics (8% versus 2%, respectively).

So here is my issue. I don’t understand why this is so. Why are Christians so stingy? Why are we not more generous? It seems to me that people who are recipients of God’s grace and forgiveness would be incredibly generous givers. Being a generous giver is a basic biblical principle. The Bible throughout the Old Testament teaches a basic foundation of giving of 10% and then much more giving added to that “first step.” My assumption is that those who are no longer bound by the law would want to respond with greater generosity than what was required (I guess I am wrong). Many authors and communicators of good financial practices (Dave Ramsey, Crown Ministries, and others) teach the basic foundational principle of giving 10 % of your income. It makes good fiscal sense to be a giver.

So I wonder why it is that most who claim to be Christians do not tithe their income to the local church or to anywhere for that matter. I wonder how many of us would find our financial situations greatly improved if we were trusting of God with our finances. I remember hearing Pastor Bill Hybels one time state that he found it amazing that people say they are trusting God for their eternity but that they were unwilling to trust God with their finances. There is a wonderful passage in Malachi 3:8-11. This is the only place in the Bible where God invites his people to test him. It is to test him regarding his part in pouring out blessings on those who are tithers. I know that this does not necessarily mean money, but I wonder how many of us would have improved financial management if we were faithful in our giving. I am inviting comments and discussion about this topic – I will respond as well.

I have one final comment. I am saddened for followers of Christ who find themselves unable to trust God with their finances. But I am even more saddened for those who are leaders in the local church; pastors, elders, and teahers who do not trust God with their finances. Maybe this is one of the reasons we are in such a weakened state as the church.
Your partner in the gospel,
Pastor Paul

P.S. For anyone from Hope Covenant Church (Grand Forks, ND) who would like to enter a Tithing Test, I will help you facilitate this test. For your own sake: I dare you! Email me.

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN - John the Baptist Post #4

I am impressed with what I read about John the Baptist. Even though you have to admit he was a bit of an odd character. He wore camel's hair clothing and ate bugs...not necessarily a candidate for bringing home to meet your parents. But his clarity about who he was and what his role was in the kingdom was absolutely profound. I would like to be more like him.

In John 1:20, we read that John the Baptist is completely clear that he is not the Christ, that he is not worthy to even untie Jesus' sandals (1:27). In John 1:23, he says that he is a voice of one calling in the desert.

Take a moment and read the gospel accounts of John the Baptist.

• Matthew 3
• Matthew 11:1-19
• Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29
• Mark 1:1-12
• Luke 1:5-25
• Luke 3:1-22
• John 1:1-42
• John 3:22-35

What do you notice about John's character?

How do you think he battled the desire for prominence?

Do you have trouble reconciling John's devotion to Christ and the work of God and how he struggled in prison (Matthew 11:1-19). And how John died?

What does John's life teach you personally?

Your partner in the gospel,

Pastor Paul

For this weeks complimentary cup of coffee at the Grounds for Mission Coffee Shop @ HOPE: What do you think the is meant by Matthew 11:16-20?

Say What You Mean and Say it with Love!

Reverend Ole was the pastor of the local Norwegian Lutheran Church, and Pastor Sven was the minister of the Swedish Covenant Church across the road. I saw them yesterday standing by the road, pounding a sign into the ground, that reads:'Da End iss Near! Turn Yourself Aroundt Now! Before It's Too Late!'

As a car sped past them, the driver leaned out his window and yelled, 'Leave us alone, you religious nuts!'

From the curve we heard screeching tires and a big splash...

Rev. Ole turns to Pastor Sven and asks, 'Do ya tink maybe da sign should yust say 'Bridge Out'?

I received this in an email and it made me lol . I thought it was good humor. But I had to laugh because I have been a part of conversations where the individuals are trying to say something and won't actually say it. They cloak what they are saying in religious language which often makes it more confusing. The truth is, in some of the cases, they use the "religious" language because they want to avoid taking ownership for what they were saying.

Ephesians 4:15 the Apostle Paul says, "...speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ." It is an act of courage to speak the truth. But it, when done well, truth helps us "grow up."

And the Bible is clear that "truthing" well is doing so with LOVE! Lets be honest, it seems that some "Christians" are better at speaking truth, but not so good at the love part. Others of us are good at the love portion and thin on the truth telling. The Bible says that we are to do both and if I add the teaching from Ephesian 4:29 to speak so that others are built up. Imagine if we took those three speaking guidelines to heart: truth, love, and building.

Be blessed! Your partner in the gospel,
Pastor Paul

One last thought: Just because something is true doesn't meant it has to be spoken. We all know that, right?

We all deserve hell!

Bonnie and I just finished attending our small group. I think we are in our fifth week of chapter one of our book study. Tonight we never even cracked it open. But we had great discussion and caring for one another. It is really exciting...I feel God knitting our hearts together as we allow one another to see more and more of who we are. Tonight, much of our discussion was centered on the idea of hell and fairness.

Gary Thomas (author of The Beautiful Fight, Authentic Faith, Sacred Marriage, and other wonderful books) was our guest speaker this morning in church. He has been in the Grand Forks area this last week. It was a full and enriching week. One of the things that provoked our discussion tonight was something Gary said. I may not quote it exactly but...

We all deserve hell. The Bible is clear about that. So any day that we are not in hell is a good day and one that we can be grateful for... Even a really bad day is better than any day in hell.

This quote led us to a discussion about fairness, God, and hell. The gist of our time was the solemn realization and affirmation of the truth that if God were to act "fairly" with all of humanity, we would all spend eternity a part from him -- in hell. How amazing it is that we get to know Him. How grateful we are for us wonderful and amazing grace toward us. This truth also makes me want to pray much more fervently pray for and seek to love into the kingdom those that do not know him, yet.


It was a great day of worship and a great evening spent with my small group. And now I get to crawl into bed next to a woman that I love! "Father, thank you! Thank you for allowing me to live, to breath, to love, and to be loved. With love from an undeserving but grateful child, Paul."


a partner in the gospel,

Pastor Paul

The Gospel of John 1:14-18 Post #3

And the Word became flesh. and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father full of grace and truth. John 1:14

I don't know how to express the importance of this passage. It may be one of the most significant sentences in the Bible. I know that is a dangerous thing to say 'cause every passage is significant, but...

The incarnation is what is being described here. There are several key thoughts mentioned here: flesh, dwelling, glory, One and Only, grace and truth. Take a few moments and contemplate each of these words. How do you understand these words? Give us some of your thoughts in the "comments" section of this blog.

Take a moment and read Philippians 2:5-11 and read the Apostle Paul's description of the incarnation. In the "comments section," describe for us how you understand the incarnation. How would you describe it differently to someone who does not have a "Christian" background?

your partner in the gospel,

Pastor Paul

P.S. For a cup of coffee at the GROUNDS FOR MISSIONS coffee shop @ HOPE: What is another way to translate the word "dwelling?" In what ways does this word have Old Testament connections or illusions?

UND Hockey and Marriage

I am not going to cry. But last night was a tough loss for the UND Hockey Team and for those of us who are UND Hockey fans. 6 to 1 is a trouncing. The guys gave us a great season. I was hoping, and "planning" on a win. This was our fourth trip to the Final Four. I was thinking that it was our time. After the first period my hopes and plans were being dashed by the Boston Eagles aggressive and quick offense. My misery was cut short, before the game was finished I had to head to church for a group session for couples planning on being married.

I listened as the panel of veteran married folks talked about working through struggles, forgiveness, dealing with disappointments and even the blessings of being together. I was blessed and reminded that I want to continue to work on my relationship with the one I love. It was a great session. I hope the young couples take it to heart. I hope they allow the struggles, difficulties, and blessings to be used to build a foundation for a great life together.

Today I opened up the paper and the reporters were analyzing and commenting on UND's trouncing. One of the pieces that impressed me was what the guys and the reporter said about Phil Lamoreaux. "He's a stand up guy,"said Chorney, "and he's not going to hide behind anything." Lamoreaux talked about the goals he would like back. He didn't make excuses. There were a few split second decisions that ended up in goals being scored against him. The Grand Forks Herald reporter also mentioned that Phil was the first UND guy in line to shake hands with Boston and the last Sioux player to leave the ice after he shook the hands of the referees.

I don't want to stretch the connection too much between my activities last night; hockey and pre-marital counseling, but...

There are, in every marriage, the moments that we would like to take back. But we can't. This is a time to be "stand up" people. A time to be people who are willing to take ownership for our behavior, the successes as well as the things we "wish we could get back." I wish we could all learn to not "hide behind things" and to stand tall through our struggles and difficulties. If we could do this, I think there would be more couples who choose to not "leave the ice" early.

Your partner in the gospel,

Pastor Paul

The Gospel of John 1:1-15

The Apostle John has set out several themes in this preamble to his gospel . These themes are repeated throughout his book and are meant to support of his thesis (John 20:30,31).

John 20:30, 31
Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John states that his desire is that the people who read his text will believe that Jesus is the Christ. He makes no apologies for his biased. He has been with the risen Christ and knows Him.

Here are some of the themes you will pick up in this introduction by John and throughout the rest of the book:

• The diety of Jesus
• The Word
• Creative power
• Life
• Light and Darkness
• The World
• The lack of recognition

Questions for discussion:

1. Do you think we can trust an account from someone like the Apostle John? Why or why not?
2. John is clearly saying that the Word (Jesus) is God. As we look at John's Christology what else is John claiming is true regarding Jesus?
3. In what ways do you notice that the world does not recognize Jesus (vs 10)?
4. The phrase "The One and Only" is used two times by John in this passage. What do you think John is saying with that wonderful phrase?
5. As we think throughout this book about the word "believe" what do you think John means when he uses it in John 20:31?

your partner in the gospel,

Pastor Paul
P.S. Congratulations to Jay K. for answering the question about the Eagle from The Gathering. Jay, I will be buying your coffee on Sunday.

Invitation to the Gospel of John

Michael Card writes in his book, The Parable of Joy, Reflections on the Wisdom of the Book of John:

“Realize, as you listen to the text (he suggests reading out loud – me too), that you are sitting at the feet of the last living contemporary of Jesus. Give him the respect he deserves. Pay close attention as he takes you aside and whispers explanations in your ear, things he only realized years after the fact. None of the other Gospel writers will do this for you.”

I am going to be reading the gospel of John over the next few weeks (maybe months). We will also be studying it at The Gathering, our Wednesday evening Worship service at the church that I pastor.

I am planning on writing some of my thoughts regarding my reading here in my blog – Spotlights. I would like to invite you to do the same in the COMMENTS section. This is an invitation to sit at a “virtual table” or in a “virtual stuffed chair in front of a fireplace” and discuss a wonderful book. We won’t all read the gospel at the same pace, or the same time, and all won’t have the same level of involvement -- that is fine. Whenever you are available, grab a cup of coffee, your bible, and a nice comfortable chair and let’s discuss our reading. About once a week I will do a post under the symbol of the Eagle, which through much of Church history has represented the Gospel of John, and I will invite you to comment, ask questions, or just be present at the virtual table.

Some of you, I would guess, are ready to jump in! If you would like, let us know who you are by adding a COMMENT to this post.
Your partner in the gospel,
Pastor Paul

(καταρτίζω) Restoration - The Church's Test continued...

There is a wonderful word in the book of Ephesians about how the church is to function and the role of certain gifted people within the church. It is described in Ephesians 4:11-13:

It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

The key word I would like to focus on is this wonderful word "prepare." The passage says that there are those who are to do the work of "preparing" God's people so that they can do works of service. In the New American Standard version of the Bible the word used is "equip." I like that word even better! That God's people are to be "equipped" for works of service. The word that is being translated prepare or equip is from the root word: καταρτίζω. Kä-tär-tē'-zō and is translated in several ways in the bible. I would like to explore some of the ways katartezo is translated and used in the context of the Scriptures. This will take several entries. Hopefully through this exploration we can gain a better understanding of what it means for us to be equipping people or doing the work of discipleship. I see this as a significant test for the church; do we "katartezo" well?

The first occurance of this word in the New Testament is early in the gospels. Jesus sees James and John in their boat and they are mending their nets (Mark 1:19). The word for mending is καταρτίζω. The idea here is that the disciples are mending the holes in their nets so that the nets could be put back into use. When thinking of the work of discipleship in this context, it is like saying that part of the work of the church is helping repair the holes in people's lives so that they can be put back into service.

What an image! I love it. The Church, mending people's lives. Think about all the various ways people tear holes in their lives or how people tear holes into the lives of those around them. The repairing, or mending of these holes, is the work of the church. Discipleship, it seems, is about this work of mending. 1 Peter 2:11 says, "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul." When a soul has had war waged against it the damage is significant, whether it is self-inflicted or inflicted by another. The work of the church is to help those holes be filled or mended so that that life, an individual made in teh image of God, can again bring glory to Him.

Maybe as we think of whether a church is doing what God has designed her to do we should do more than ask whether they have "this or that" program. Maybe we ought to ask "how are they doing at mending lives.

a partner in the gospel,

Pastor Paul

A Big Day for Grand Forks, North Dakota

The radio announcer got it right this morning; "This is a big news day for Grand Forks." It is and I find it really exciting.


This evening we will be hosting two huge events. The opening ceremonies for the Men's World Curling Championships and the North Dakota Democratic Convention with keynote speakers Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton all in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Who would have thought it? These are big events, international and national, for our community and we get the opportunity to showcase our city and the character of the people who live here.


I know that some who read this will have mixed emotions about both of these events. There are some of us who are unaware that there is a sport other than hockey that can be played on ice. We are after all the home of the finest hockey arena in the United States. And, we will know after next week for sure, the finest college hockey team in the United States. But there are many in the world who enjoy an ice sport called curling. And many of them will be in our city for the next week or so. What a great opportunity for us to learn more about the sport and to offer a friendly welcome to those who are visiting here.

The other big event is the North Dakota Democratic Convention with two presidential candidates speaking here tonight. You don't have to agree with these candidates to appreciate this event. Agree or not, the convention highlights one of the beauties of our political system. We have a system that allows for varying opinions to be voiced in the freedom of public forum. With all of its flaws, I believe that we have the best political system in the world. It should not be overlooked that we will be hosting these two candidates on the anniversary of the death of Martin Luther King, Jr. You can bet that the nation will be observing tonight. But this is not my main point in writing.

I would like to encourage us in the Greater Grand Forks area to raise the bar of our courtesy and friendliness to all those who will be visiting our great region. We are a wonderful city and many of us are followers of Jesus Christ. This evening there will be many lights on, spotlights shining all over. I pray that the brightest lights will not be at the Ralph Engelstad Arena nor at the Alerus Center but that the brightest light will be the Church of the Greater Grand Forks area -- shining with the love of Jesus Christ.

Your partner in the gospel,

Pastor Paul

April Fools Day - Backfired :-(

Several years ago a friend and I were playing practical jokes on each other -- it was all meant to be good fun. But we got out of hand. So we agreed not to do that anymore. Well my high play ethic and my spontaneous impulsiveness got the better of me today.

It was the continuation of an April Fools joke played on me and I encouraged the individual to play it on others as well. And, of course, I helped with the deception. This wasn't one of those April Fools jokes where you switch the salt and the sugar type pranks. This was one that too closely mimicked real life. It took advantage of the goodness of other individuals and also squandered trust amongst friends. What's more, I ignored the check in my spirit (probably a prompting from God) that said, "this isn't right."

No one was physically hurt and we didn't mean harm, but . . .
I am confident of forgiveness and grace from all involved, but I am saddened that I used, as a joke, the trust of friendship. I remember someone saying when I was a kid, "well it is all fun until someone pokes out an eye." Well, I feel like I pokes some friends in the eye today and to be honest -- it wasn't that fun.

a partner in the gospel
Pastor Paul