Stewardship Research Results

 

Restated Hypotheses: The lack of spiritual formation and growth of faith produces a decreasing desire to be faithful stewards of what God gives!  

The results of this dissertation of exegetical concepts as compared to gathered facts, research, samplings of Christians who say they are committed to the faith and understand the Bible furnishes a completed and fulfilled affirmative hypotheses. From the evidence collected it is clear that my hypothesis is supported! These results clearly state that the more mature the person is in their spiritual formation, the greater sense to conform to Biblical principles and a greater cheerfulness to give. The formation and growth of faith produces a firm desire to be faithful stewards of what God gives. Once a Christian forms a more mature faith, and develop a strong sense of gratitude for the grace flowing in them (John 3:30; Rom. 12; Gal, 2:20-21; Phil 3:10-14), the mature believer is concerned about stewardship and acts faithfully on it. However, the sad news is finding mature Christians those who prayer more than ½ hour a day, read Scripture regularly, and exhibit the Fruit of the Spirit, is becoming increasingly rare!

They reasoned that giving and stewardship from personal feelings and experiences and not from Biblical precepts. The common postmodern thinking on this subject matter is skewed understating from what the Bible clearly teaches or subjects were misinformed by their church. Few participants and interviews gave satisfactory answers based on Scriptural principles. The thinking tends to be focused on “read in” assumptions; careful analyses to one’s own thinking was the crucial issue for the subjects. At the same time a casual attitude to self investigate facts arose. The focus was on preconceived truth over established knowledgeable sources such as a Bible, a Bible resource, a Bible commentary or asking a person who has more experience, knowledgeable and educated.

Restating: The research clearly indicates that Christian giving is not a natural act. There is a wall of the will that separates ones beliefs to ones wallet. In the few examples of giving, it appears a supernatural act of God directly in one’s life is what it takes. Whereas Scriptures call is for us to give in response to our gratitude of what Christ has done for me. It comes down to our spiritual formation. How deep does our faith and trust in our Lord go? Does God’s grace and love give the average Christian the ability to give and share according to what He’s given them? The answer is a clear affirmative; however, postmodern thinking will rationalize in their presumptions. The end results of these presumptions, is a clear refusal to check out the Scriptures in context and veracity for themselves or trust in another to do so on their behalf. The act of Christian stewardship is to be more of a delight than drudgery. But the focus is on the drudgery! The fact that stewardship is the outward authenticity of our faith because it is a privilege is absent. In replacement to Biblical thinking of gratitude to a pressure is becoming incredibly popular. The lessoning call to the Church and the Minister is to show the love of Christ and how are anticipation is what He has done. In this way this lessens the apprehension, thus the person’s anxiety may be elevated.

The Hypothesis from this research has moved from conjecture to stated fact beyond statistical significance. The proof is, growth in faith determines growth in stewardship. That is, the formation and growth of faith produces a firm desire to be faithful stewards of what God gives.

The Hypothesis Conjecture is that the formation and growth of faith produces a firm desire to be faithful stewards of what God gives. The findings clearly show the more time in spiritual formation the increased joyful giving of the individual.

These results clearly state that the more mature the person is in their spiritual formation, the greater sense to conform to Biblical principles and a greater cheerfulness to give. The reason why the statistics are not more favorable to this hypothesis, is the people in the third sampling state they are in Christian work already and see their time and talent already going fulltime and do not have the funds to contribute more.  

Findings and Discussion

Suggestions to better enable our financial giving:

• The bottom line focus on discipleship and not numbers, focus on preaching Christ and not trends, focus on expository and exegetical preaching and not trendy feel good topics!
• Church and faith should and must be about growing in Christ yourself and as a leader your people and they will in turn give out of their gratitude and in abundance because it is not out of obligation!

 Appliance of Relevant Scriptural Passages

• Proverbs 28:20: A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished.
• 1 Corinthians 2:9: However, as it is written: “No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.”
• Ephesians 1:18:  I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints.
• Hebrews 10:35:  So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded.
• Revelations 21:1-4: Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning…