One of the most difficult conversations for most churches that I have been associated with, is the conversation related to the use of money. It is ironic because this has often been one of the objections by people who have been part of a church and have since left, saying that they felt like all the church ever talked about was money.

But in the majority of churches where I have been, it is spoken about, at most, once per year, usually around the time that the church is setting its budget for the year. Possibly in that time that was the point at which we would hear a message about tithing, or it might even be just a practical discussion about the plan for the budget.

But I have also heard other people simply say that there is no reason to talk about money in the church, that God would provide all that is needed.

Yet there is one signficant problem with this point of view: Money, and the use of money, is one of the most common themes for instruction throughout the course of the Bible. It was one of the main themes that Jesus used in the course of his teachings.

Why would that be?

It wasn’t that Jesus was trying to collect more money. It wasn’t that the early church was trying to build a new building. No, the main reason for these discussions was the condition of the heart of the people who were to give. The question was, at that time, and is even still today:

Where is your treasure?

In what are you placing value?

Do you value the things of this earth? Do you, essentially, value that which money can buy today? Or do you place your treasure in heaven, valuing those things that are beyond this earth?

Paul was direct with the churches with whom he was working with regard to the discussion about money. The church in Jerusalem was suffering and they were the original church, the “mother” church, we could say. So Paul felt that it was important that the other churches contribute to help the church in Jerusalem continue on, relieving their burden, even from far away.

So to do this, he looked to each church to contribute:

Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.

1 Corinthians 16:1-4

Paul is writing to the churches and telling them that they needed to contribute to the collection for the church in Jerusalem. Even further, he even went on to tell them how to do it. This would be a sacrifice for them, but that sacrifice should be made regularly, on a weekly basis, not all at once, probably so that it wouldn’t seem like such a burden to give a lot of money in one pressure-filled moment.

So Paul is clear, not only in the need to contribute, but even also in the manner in which the collection should be done.

In our churches today, we need to teach about the need for using the funds that the Lord has given us as well. We need to explain even how it should be done, just as we see with Paul in this circumstance. Of course, we should also be clear about how the funds should be used for the kingdom of God, not only for the building of ever-larger buildings or other questionable expenses. Instead, let’s teach the use of money, helping those who wish to follow Christ learn to do so with all that God has given us, including the sum of money that the Lord has called us to use for his purpose.