Expert: Cooper P. Abrams III - 10/20/2007

Question
I read your answer to the letter about the poor paying tithes and I have a hard time understanding how people who are christians will try to make other christians feel bad if they can't afford to pay tithes to a church that is suppose to be for anybody that loves Jesus.I want to let you know all of us poor people who love the lord would love to be able to pay tithes and often do when we can.When I was searching for a place to worship I went to a lot of churches and most of them made me feel like I was wearing a sign that said I had leporsy or somethig because I didn't have that well to do look.I can't understand why people who say they are christians think that church is only for the rich.I have found a church that makes me feel welcome but about 80% of the church is as poor or poorer than I am and we still manage to keep the bills paid, take care of the pastor have get togethers and do missionary work because the ones who have the means give and the ones who don't do when they can and no won is made to feel bad or like they are not welcome if they can't because everyone gets a blessing out of seeing others worship Jesus and people are better people if they feel they are part of a church family. Most churches that I have read about started from poor people and when they grew it seems as though the rich would move in and push them out just so they could say they active members of a church.I also rember back in the late seventy's when minimum wage was about 3.00 an hour we were able to pay our bills,buy groceries,gas,give to the church and have enough to go see a movie or out eat on the weekend but that was when a loaf of bread was about .25 cent gas was about .75 cents a gallon and you could get a coke a bag of chips and a candy bar all for a quater but now minimum wage has only gone up about 2.00 and bread is over 2.00 a loaf and gas is over 3.00 dollars a gallon and just a coke is over a dollar. I'm supprised how many people can even afford the gas to get to church I know some weeks I just get there on fumes it seems like and I get paid 15.00 dollars an hour at my job but I have a daughter and two small grandchildren and a sick husband I have to support.my husband has emphazema and high blood preasure and the father of my grandchildren abanded them and doesn't help any with their support and I believe it is more cost effective for my daughter to stay home with the children than to pay close to 200.00 a weak for day care at least untill they get in school because she probally couldn't even make that a week.I don't know if you are going to answer this letter I feel better but I hope you understand poor people aren't just a bunch of nobody's and Jesus loves us just as much because he said he came for everybody and doesn't want anyone to parish he didn't say just those that pay their tithes.

Answer
Dear Sandra,
   Thanks for writing.   I think if you carefully read the article you will see I am not trying to make poor people or anyone else feel bad.  I am simply representing what God says about giving.   I re-read the article and cannot find where what I said would make anyone feel bad at all.   The article is clear about what the Bible teaches about giving.  The New Testament principle on giving is "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:7-8)
    That's God's instruction is that a person is to give what he "purposes to give in his heart."  One is not to give because he/she feels that they have too.  God gives a Christian the liberty to do as he/she wills.  God wants people to give as the verse says, "cheerfully" whatever they desire to give.
    However, God also says, "But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully." (2 Corinthians 9:6)  The principle is that a Christian should give sacrificially to the Lord whether they are rich or poor.   The amount is not important, but one's attitude in giving is.   If you read both of my responses to the questions about giving I think you will understand that.  God blesses abundantly those who give sacrificially any amount.  
     No one in my church is rich.   We all struggle to get along and most of my congregation work in factories and the pay scale here is not high at all. You are amiss by suggesting that I might think anyone is a "nobody."  We are simply a group of people who love the Lord and each other.  Certainly no one in our church belittles anyone...ever. I sympathize with your situation....but there are folks in my church who are struggling as well.  My wife and I live a very little.  We too have family that we have to help a lot.   So you are not alone. In fact you if you make $15 an hour you make more a year than I do and most of the people in our church.
    Again thank you for writing.  I am sorry you were offended at my answer to the man's question about giving. I do wish you well and prayed for you this morning that God would provide for you and your family.
Cooper Abrams