Dave VandeVere

Come with me as I travel back in time. Not very far, just to 2019, pre-COVID 19 pandemic. Our lives as believers were fairly consistent and unvarying: working hard, six days a week, welcoming Sabbath on Friday evenings, and then attending church with family members and friends on Sabbath morning.

Think back to that time. What was your favorite element of the worship service? Was it the challenging discussions of a Sabbath school lesson taught by an engaging teacher? Perhaps it was seeing the children have a special part in the Sabbath morning service. Maybe the time of musical praise where you were able to lift your voice with other believers in praise and gratitude to God stands out. Or it could have been a challenging sermon from God’s word presented in a compelling manner by the preacher of the week who was often used by the Holy Spirit to touch your heart.

I suspect, however, that in your thinking you would not have come up with “when the offering plate was passed” as a significant moment of the worship service. (Post-COVID, most giving is online.) Am I wrong on this? It may seem strange, but to me this is a highlight of the worship service, and maybe the most practical. Hang on, don’t turn the page with a shake of the head, saying, “Well, he is the union treasurer so of course he feels that way!” Let me explain further.

You see, I believe tithe and offerings are all about grace. Grace? Really? Yes! Listen to what Paul writes in Ephesians 2:6-9: God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages, he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

Plainly, God is in the business of showing you and me the “incomparable riches of his grace,” primarily through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. He so wants us to understand that we must trust in Jesus and His mercy—grace—this is how we are to be saved! And how does He teach us? Well, one way is by spending Sabbath with Him. In so doing, we learn that by devoting 1/7 of our time (versus scratching, striving, and exerting ourselves to either work for our survival or distract ourselves through entertainment seven days a week) that true rest, peace, and wholeness can only be found in His presence.

I freely admit that I cannot take care of myself and my family with unceasing activity; rather I must rely on Him for a joyous and healthy existence. In the same way, by giving tithes and offerings, I learn God’s lesson of grace that He will take care of my material needs. I cannot adequately take care of myself with 100 percent, but He will take my lesser portion and through His blessing, provide me with all that I need.

How important is it to God that I learn this lesson? Listen once again to the ancient and well-known message of Malachai 3:10. This is what he says: “Bring the whole tithe into the store house 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 blessings that there will not be enough room to store it.” Did you hear the challenge, direct from God Himself? Test me, He says … it’s the only place in His word where God INVITES me to test Him. When I hoard 100 percent of the resources God has blessed me with, I am saying that I will depend on myself, my works, to take care of my needs. However, when I return tithes and offerings to God, I deliberately place myself in a position where I must receive His blessing for my needs to be met.

Thus, I have learned that my salvation is also dependent on grace; there are no works that I can produce that will be sufficient to “provide for my salvation” any more than if I retained all financial resources and tried to adequately provide for my physical needs.

Finally, another aspect of this practice is that God trains me to live generously as a “new creation” and thus reflect the generosity of my Savior Christ Jesus. What a blessing and privilege this has been to me!

Let me share with you my personal experience. As I prepared to write this editorial it dawned on me that the divine lesson of grace in my stewardship of tithes and offerings had lessened over the last couple of years. As I thought about it, I realized that I had changed my giving process in a significant way. During COVID, I, along with many of you readers, took advantage of technology and began to return my offerings online. This was necessary because of pandemic-related church closures. Now, church services have resumed, but my new practice of giving online remained. And, I have concluded that for myself the deep impression of God’s lesson in grace was somehow lessened when I simply contributed online when paying my regular bills.

So, I have gone back to writing a check for my tithes and offerings and bringing it to God in person as part of my worship experience in church. (Yes, this is retrograde, and so I am not recommending, just sharing; and I do realize some might think that writing a check may not be the best environmental stewardship.) My point? Give some prayerful thought as to how you might adjust so to best experience the stewardship lesson of God’s grace.

I am not alone in finding joy in God’s grace of giving. In this issue you will be inspired by reading the stories of others who have learned through active stewardship that truly, “God’s grace is sufficient” not just for our daily needs but for salvation itself.

Thank you, Jesus, for your love and grace for me!

Dave VandeVere is vice president for finance of the Mid-America Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Republished with permission from the June 7, 2023, feature story in OUTLOOK Magazine.

Last year I wrote an editorial in which I set forth my conviction that returning a faithful tithe was all about grace—learning to trust God to provide for my material needs, and when He did so, seeing evidence that His grace was all-sufficient for my great spiritual need: “Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me!”

I received positive responses to the article. What I did not receive—but I know exists—was the response: “Yeah, that’s well and good, but why should I support the church organization with my tithe? The conference can’t even supply my church a full-time pastor! We have to share with another congregation or two. And when the pastor is present, well, the sermon isn’t very good. I think the money is just wasted or spent frivolously. In fact, it seems all the church cares about is money, money, money! I will just give my tithe to _____ ministry. They are doing God’s work, and my pastor isn’t doing anything—hasn’t even come to visit me!”

Doubt this response? Don’t! Just spend some time on various social media and special interest church-related websites reading editorials and comments. This is a common, and I dare say growing, sentiment. So, let’s spend some time with an event in Jesus’ ministry that Mark recorded:

Jesus sat down near the collection box in the temple and watched as the crowds dropped in their money. Many rich people put in large amounts. Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small coins.

Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on” (Mark 12:41-44).

Now why did Jesus highlight this widow who gave literally everything she had to support a religious/church structure that in many cases was corrupt and even preyed on individuals such as herself? Jesus knew this and even registered His disapproval of it:

Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and love personal greetings in the marketplaces, and chief seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets, who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation (Luke 20:46,47).

Yet Jesus does not condemn the widow for supporting a very imperfect system. How can this be? Maybe He should have urged her to redirect her offering as a protest, a cry for justice, or at least a plea to receive her just due of service and support from “the church.”

But instead, Jesus celebrated her! He drew a sharp contrast between her sacrifice and apparent humility and those who gave very large (but not sacrificial) gifts, and again, with an apparent lack of humility.

Additionally, it seems that Jesus loved her sincere heart. In line with what I wrote previously, the widow was completely committed to experiencing God’s grace—His provision for her very real needs—through the practice of giving to support God’s organized system of worship, marred as it was in human hands. Because Jesus called her out as a shining example, we are still retelling this story thousands of years later.

God Works Through Humans

But what about the “lousy” organization? Well, it was originated by God Himself. Aaron (Moses’s brother) and his family would be the priests. The tribe of Levite were to serve as religious ministers. Then God set up a financial structure of tithes and offerings to support the priests and Levites in their religious ministry. Interestingly, he instructed the Levites who received the tithe to participate themselves through the practice of tithing (Numbers 18). God puts forth a strong ethic: if a leader receives support from a system, they must also participate in supporting the system.

So how did this work out? Often, not very well. The divine record reveals that many times the Levites and priests failed in their leadership responsibilities (example: Hophni and Phineas). Nor would we say the Levitical system was “efficient,” at least according to our current culture. There were literally thousands of Levites. Only a handful at a time could serve in the sanctuary services. Those not serving lived in specific towns designated for them. There is no record of them being spread out evenly, providing direct spiritual leadership in every town and village. So, what did they do? It’s not entirely clear, and certainly not very accountable by today’s standards. And not all tithe and offerings were for “frontline workers” as there were certainly administrative layers in the system to organize the daily temple services, annual festivals, and, later, the local synagogues.

There were some excellent, godly, priestly leaders of course. Samuel, Joshua, and the father of John the Baptist come quickly to mind. And God did provide accountability. He intervened directly when two of the first priests drunkenly profaned their religious duties (Numbers 3). He sent prophetic warnings to Eli regarding his sons (1 Samuel 2). Inspired by a copy of the Book of the Law, King Hezekiah called the Levites together and held them accountable to rectify temple worship abuses and neglect, as part of his reform efforts (2 Chronicles 29). Finally, God plainly warned the religious leaders through Jeremiah of dire punishment that would fall; partly because the religious leaders had turned their backs on Him (Jeremiah 32: 28-33).

A perfect, organized religious system for mission and governance? No … because God chooses to work through weak and sinful human beings. And it’s the same for the Seventh-day Adventist Church today.

Following God’s example, the Seventh-day Adventist Church, called into being by His prophetic word, has organized itself with similar principles. Men and women, called by God, are employed and asked to lead in the making of disciples—the calling of individuals to new and/or deeper relationships with Jesus Christ. This includes preaching, teaching, administrating, and coordinating with fellow church leaders around the world. And the financial system of tithes and offerings is used to support those called both in our local mission territories as well as in world regions where there has been little penetration by the message God has given the church to proclaim.

Higher Standards of Accountability

Does all go well? Not always. We do hear of and sometimes witness misguided decisions, misuse of funds, unprofessional leadership, and, occasionally, even wicked behavior and attitudes. But God has also led us to higher and higher standards of accountability. Regular ministry reports and financial statements are presented at church boards, conference executive committees, and constituency meetings. Audit and compensation committees carefully review important financial and employment records. And when misdeeds or immoral actions come to light, they are dealt with appropriately. Finally, following King Hezekiah’s example, we call for ever increasing levels of spiritual, professional, and ethical behavior on the part of our leaders (pastors, teachers, administrators, etc.).

A perfect, organized religious system for mission and governance? No. But one led by imperfect human beings who God, in His incredible love and grace, chooses to work through.

So, here’s why I give tithes and offerings to the Seventh-day Adventist Church:

• Because Jesus Christ died for me and adopted me as God’s beloved child.
• Because I must learn to trust the reality of God’s grace; He will provide for me.
• Because God has invited me to test Him with this specific practice.
• Because He has fulfilled His promise to bless me when I have tested Him with this practice.
• Because, as a leader in the Adventist Church, I have an ethical as well as spiritual duty to participate in the system that provides my livelihood.
• Because God has chosen and called the Seventh-day Adventist Church, even though led by sometimes erring men and women, to proclaim a last message to this world.

I urge you, dear reader, to prayerfully do the same.

Dave VandeVere is vice president for finance of the Mid-America Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Republished with permission from the April 2024 edition of OUTLOOK Magazine.