Message 5: Use your wealth to take a joy ride!

Story elements: The Call to Adventure (Challenge)

• Biblical fundraising is about advising the donor to enjoy their wealth.
• Ordinary fundraising is about asking the donor to give away money.

1 Timothy 6:17-19, “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be high-minded or to set their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things for enjoyment: to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.”

What’s it for?

God richly provides all things including wealth. But why? What is it for? What is its purpose? This passage gives the answer. God gave it to us for enjoyment. The phrase “for enjoyment” is eis [for] apolausin [enjoyment]. Here,

“The construction eis plus the noun expresses purpose.”²⁰⁷

The purpose is enjoyment.²⁰⁸

The point of this passage is “for enjoyment.” Both the words and the poetic structure confirm this.²⁰⁹ Everything before this phrase explains why wealth holders should enjoy their wealth. Everything after it explains how they can do so.

The word used for “enjoyment” here is extreme. It’s used only one other time in scripture:

“By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy [apolausin] the temporary pleasures of sin,” (Hebrews 11:24-25).

In Hebrews, this word describes the enjoyment of “the temporary pleasures of sin.” In 1 Timothy, it’s not sinful, but it’s still material, party-time enjoyment.²¹⁰

Binge, bury, toil, or enjoy?

Being rich means accumulating more than enough for regular living. It’s far beyond the food, clothing, and shelter necessary for contentment. (1 Timothy 6:8). It’s extra. Once we’ve accumulated more than enough, what are our options? There are only four: binge, bury, toil, or enjoy. We can,

• BINGE on excess consumption and wild living.
• BURY the wealth and die with it.
• TOIL ceaselessly to stack up even more.
• ENJOY it (by using it to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share).

In this ministry, what is the ultimate challenge presented to the rich? What is it that we want them to do? If we say, “Give money,” then we might be missing the point. The point, the challenge, the call to adventure, is to enjoy the wealth.

Bingeing with it doesn’t lead to enjoyment. Burying it just to die with it doesn’t lead to enjoyment. Toiling ceaselessly to stack up more and more doesn’t lead to enjoyment. Enjoyment comes from putting it to work to accomplish the results described in this passage.

Flip the donor script

Put yourself in a wealthy donor’s shoes. Suppose you have extra. You have wealth. You have more than you’ll likely consume. You’ll leave behind an estate.

What feeling would you normally have walking into a fundraising office? Maybe something like this:

“Oh, no. Here comes the ask. I wonder how much they’re going to hit me up for. Their wealth screening probably says that I’m loaded. This could get uncomfortable.”

The emotion is resistance. People often avoid being asked.²¹¹ Many who would give if asked still avoid being asked.²¹² It can be uncomfortable, costly, or both.

Now, let’s flip the script. You, as a wealthy person, walk into a fundraising office. You see this banner on the wall. It reads,

“Mission Statement: We help rich people enjoy their wealth!”

Now, what feeling do you have? It’s not resistance. It’s not avoidance. Instead, it’s curiosity. It’s attraction. It leads to an obvious question: How?

That question allows for a discussion. It’s a discussion of how to enjoy wealth. We can put it to work to accomplish real good in the world. We can become rich in beautifully good works. We can live the life of a good, joyfully generous abundance sharer. We can live the life of a deeply connected fellowship-community member, always ready to share at an opportune moment. We can diversify our wealth by storing up treasure for our future.

This ministry of wealth enjoyment is scriptural. And it’s different. It’s different for the donor. It’s also different for the fundraiser.

The wealth enjoyment minister

Of course, being a wealth enjoyment minister isn’t how fundraisers usually see their work. Ask fundraisers about their work, and they’ll tell you about the charity. They’ll tell you about the cause. That’s fine. But actually, that cause isn’t their work.

Their work is not with the charity’s beneficiaries. Their work is with the donors. Their ministry is not to the charity’s beneficiaries. Their ministry is to the donors. And if they are in major gift fundraising, their ministry is, just as the passage says, “To the rich.” It’s a ministry to the wealthy. But it’s more specific than that. It’s the ministry of wealth enjoyment.²¹³

What might that sound like in conversation?

A: What do you do at the church (or ministry)?

B: I’m the wealth enjoyment minister.

A: The what!?

B: The wealth enjoyment minister.

A: What’s that?

B: I help people enjoy their wealth. I show them ways to enjoy it by doing good (making an impact). I build opportunities for them to enjoy it by becoming rich in beautiful good works. I help them to enjoy it by sharing with the fellowship community in ways that fit their values and life story. I’m also trying to help people avoid a bad result.

A: What’s that?

B: Just burying their wealth in the ground and dying with it. Jesus tells us not to do that. This just loses their wealth to death. It often leaves behind broken families – fighting over the money and bingeing on unearned wealth. That’s a bad result. There are better options than burying it and dying with it. That’s what I share with them.

So, what about you? What’s the most personally meaningful impact you could make with wealth? Are there any causes or ministries that have been important in your life?

This not only describes the ministry. It begins carrying it out.

Flip the fundraiser script

Most people react to traditional fundraising with avoidance. They react with resistance. In traditional fundraising, the job is to push through all those rejections to get the money. Get the money. That’s literally the job title. Fund = money. Raiser = getter. Get the money. It’s unpleasant, but someone has to do it.

For most people, being met with resistance is tough. Having others avoid you is tough. It’s tough work. It’s difficult emotional labor.

But what if things were different? What if things were the opposite? What if we were handing out amazing blessings? What if we were offering the best deal ever? What if we were offering the most amazing life experience possible? How might those interactions be different? How might that work be different?

The message of Biblical fundraising is the message of donor benefit. Our passage doesn’t just mention enjoyment. It explains the process for achieving that enjoyment. It lists donor benefit after donor benefit after donor benefit. It shows the best way to live life. It is, quite literally, the best deal ever. Nothing can compete. The point of the Biblical fundraising message is positive. It’s exciting. It’s fun. It’s “Enjoy your wealth!”

Paul’s own fundraising script

In this passage, Paul tells Timothy how to fundraise. In 2 Corinthians 8 & 9, Paul himself is fundraising. Does Paul mention donor benefits? Yes – and in many ways.

Is Paul commanding them to give? No. He makes that clear. He writes,

“I am not saying this as a command … I give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage” (2 Corinthians 8:8a, 10a).

Paul is not commanding a donation. He’s giving an opinion [gnōmēn].²¹⁴ Other translations explain that he’s giving “advice.” ²¹⁵ He’s giving some “counsel.”²¹⁶

Why is he doing this? He’s doing it to help the donor. Various translations read,

“And in this matter I am giving advice because it is profitable for you,”²¹⁷

“Now I am giving an opinion on this because it is profitable for you”²¹⁸

“I am giving you my opinion on this matter because it will be helpful to you”²¹⁹

Paul is giving counsel that benefits the donor. It is profitable²²⁰ or helpful²²¹ to them. It is to their advantage. Other translations describe this as

• “good for you”²²²
• “benefits you”²²³
• “beneficial for you”²²⁴
• “to help you”²²⁵

What advantage or profit does giving provide to these donors? Paul explains point by point. He gives an exhaustive list of benefits:

• It proves the sincerity of their love in response to Jesus’s grace. (2 Corinthians 8:8-9).
• It completes their leadership role as the first who started to support this fundraising project. (2 Corinthians 8:8-9).
• It is not a hardship for them. It is equality in sharing with others in the mutual fellowship community. (2 Corinthians 8:13).
• It is sharing with those who will benefit the donors in the future. (2 Corinthians 8:14).
• It fulfills their leadership role as having already motivated others to give generously. (2 Corinthians 9:2).
• It avoids public embarrassment for the donors. (2 Corinthians 9:3-4).
• It will allow them to “reap generously”. (2 Corinthians 9:6b).
• It responds to God, who “is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that, always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” (2 Corinthians 9:8b).
• It responds to God, who will “multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.” (2 Corinthians 9:10b).
• Put bluntly, “you will be enriched in everything for all liberality.” (2 Corinthians 9:11a).
• It will produce in others “many thanksgivings to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:12b).
• It will cause others to “glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the Gospel of Christ” (2 Corinthians 9:13b).
• It will cause others to “glorify God … for the liberality of your contribution” (2 Corinthians 9:13b, d).
• It will cause others to pray on the donors’ behalf. (2 Corinthians 9:14).
• It will cause others to “yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God to you.” (2 Corinthians 9:14b).
• It responds to God “for His indescribable gift!” (2 Corinthians 9:15b).

That’s a long list! What use of wealth could ever compare with that set of benefits? What is a better way to enjoy wealth than this?

Paul’s fundraising instructions to Timothy are all about donor benefits. Paul’s own fundraising letter is all about donor benefits. Both messages are all about helping, profiting, and benefiting the donor.

The “fun” raiser’s new script

Now suppose you were a fundraiser in that crazy fundraising department. You remember the one. They have the banner on the wall that reads,

“Mission Statement: We help rich people enjoy their wealth!”

Think about it. What would it feel like to do that? What would it feel like to actually help rich people enjoy their wealth? Doesn’t it seem kind of … fun?

Consider this. Suppose you asked someone the following:

“I have a rich friend. I’m going over this afternoon to help him enjoy his wealth. Do you want to come along and help, too?”

Sounds fun, right? Now, try this instead.

“I have a rich friend. I’m going over this afternoon to ask him for a big donation. Do you want to come along and help, too?”

Does that sound fun? Probably not. What’s the likely response now? Probably a bit less positive. The first description actually matches scriptural fundraising. The second one might not.

The “fun” raiser’s new goal

In scripture, the goal isn’t just to get a big donation. The goal is “party-time” enjoyment. (1 Timothy 6:17). It’s donor happiness.²²⁶ God doesn’t want just a donation. He wants a cheerful, glad, joyful, hilarious giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7b explains that God loves a “hilaron” giver. Various translations read,

“not of reluctance, or of constraint: for God loves the hilarious giver.”²²⁷

“not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”²²⁸

“not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly.”²²⁹

“not according to grief or of compulsion, for God loves the joyful giver.”²³⁰

Giving is supposed to be fun! It’s supposed to be more blessed or happy than even receiving a gift. As Acts 20:35 explains,

“the Lord Jesus himself said, ‘There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.’” (GNT).²³¹

That fundraising mission statement hanging on the wall might seem crazy. It’s certainly provocative. It might even be offensive. But it’s also scriptural. If the wealthy person is not using their wealth for the purpose of [eis] enjoyment [apolausin], they aren’t following the text. If we aren’t helping them to do this, we aren’t following the text.

Do the work!

God wants cheerful givers. So, how can we make that happen? By being passive? By doing nothing? No. We do it by creating an enjoyable donor experience. We create an enjoyable use of wealth. We create a giving experience that matches Paul’s words.

• The goal of the ministry of major gift fundraising is to get the rich person to enjoy their wealth. It’s to get them to enjoy their wealth by doing good, being rich in good works, being generous and ready to share. The goal is joyful giving. It’s giving with emotion and heart.
• This goal excludes some fundraising approaches. Using guilt, duty, pressure, obligation, or compulsion can work to get a gift. But they rarely produce joyful giving. They don’t match with Biblical fundraising.
• Yet, this does not mean we’re supposed to be passive. It is not scriptural to say,
• “We only want joyful givers, so we don’t try to motivate others. That way we know they aren’t giving it out of compulsion, pressure, or obligation. We just sit back and wait for them to act.”
• That’s not Biblical. It’s just lazy.
• The Biblical role is intensely active. 1 Timothy 6:17 describes constant, ongoing, nonstop instructing, advising, and encouraging [parangelle]. This nonstop action motivates good [kalos] works [ergon]. Hebrews 10:24 also directs doing good [kalos] works [ergon]. In Hebrews, how do we make that happen? By sitting back and waiting for people to feel moved? No. The verse explains:
• “Consider how we may spur on one another”²³²
• “Think of ways to motivate one another”²³³
• “Consider how to stir up one another”²³⁴
• “Consider one another to provoke”²³⁵
• “Consider how to encourage one another”²³⁶
• This work is intensely active. It requires instructing, advising, encouraging, provoking, stirring up, and motivating. It is an ongoing, continual, nonstop ministry.
• The goal is joyful giving. Some approaches don’t work because they produce giving that is not joyful. Other approaches don’t work because they don’t produce giving of any kind. Avoiding the first approach is not an excuse for embracing the second.

The great inversion

The goal is cheerful giving. In Biblical terms, fundraising that fails to create this is bad fundraising. It’s bad fundraising, even if it gets the money. This can sound burdensome. We might think,

“It’s hard enough just to get the gift! Now, I’m supposed to make sure it’s fun for the donor, too? That’s exhausting!”

If it feels burdensome, we’re missing the point. A scriptural approach isn’t an addition to traditional fundraising. It’s an inversion of traditional fundraising.

Traditional fundraising is about getting from the donor. Biblical fundraising is about giving to the donor. It’s about blessing the donor. It’s about delivering an experience that is worth the gift. It’s about helping the donor to enjoy their wealth. It’s about delivering a fundraising message “because it will be helpful to you.” (2 Corinthians 8:10a). It’s about massive donor benefits. It’s about an ongoing ministry to and for the donor.

This great inversion leads to big gifts. It leads to big, joyful gifts. It’s not just money-getting. It’s a scriptural ministry that leads to joyful donors and joyful fundraisers.

In 1847, Robert Murray M’Cheyne encouraged giving by explaining,

“It is not your money I want, but your happiness.”²³⁷

What about us? Is our fundraising mission focused on donor enjoyment? Is it focused on donor joy? Is it focused on donor happiness? If not, we might be doing it wrong!

Hooray! It’s a stewardship sermon!

• It has to be done. Everyone knows it. There’s no use putting it off any longer. The church member steels himself. “Alright, let’s get this over with,” he thinks. The preacher feels the same. It has to be done. “Alright, let’s get this over with,” he thinks too.
• Yes, it’s time for the stewardship sermon – or series. And, yes, it has to be done. The data shows it. Just ignoring the topic leads to weak giving.²³⁸ But why is this so uncomfortable? Does it have to be that way? Actually, no. There is a better way. A positive stewardship message is possible. It’s also scriptural.

It’s not yours!

• The goal is valid. We want people to see themselves as stewards. We want their giving to reflect this. We want to teach stewardship. That’s fine. The problem is often how we try to get there.
• Suppose you’re carrying a purse, bag, or briefcase. Someone points to it and says, “That’s not yours!” How would you react? Maybe you’ll grab the bag tighter. Maybe you’ll try to move away. We often get that same reaction to a traditional stewardship message. It’s the same reaction because it’s the same message.
• That stewardship message starts negative. It begins with an attack. It begins with,
• “That stuff you think you own? It’s not yours! It belongs to God.”
• Starting with “It’s not yours!” is negative. A negative opening usually triggers a negative reaction. And that’s often how stewardship messages go. But that’s not the only way to approach the topic.

Fun stewardship

• Stewardship doesn’t have to start negatively. It doesn’t have to start with,
• “It’s not yours!”
• Instead, it can be positive. This positive stewardship message is entirely scriptural. But it’s different. It starts positively. It ends positively. It says, “You know, that stuff you own?
• It’s part of an ongoing gift intended for enjoyment. So, enjoy it!
• It’s yours, but it’s disappearing. So, enjoy it!
• What prevents enjoyment?
• Bingeing with excess consumption is not an enjoyable life.
• Burying it and dying with it is not an enjoyable life.
• What leads to enjoyment?
• Putting it to work to do lasting good in the world.
• Putting it to work to bring great beauty into the world.
• Embracing your identity as a joyful sharer, connecting to the fellowship-community family.
• Making God happy by showing all the good you did with what He gave you.
• That’s grabbing hold of real life!
• This is a positive message. It’s not trying to take away the enjoyment of things. It’s doing the opposite. It’s increasing the enjoyment of things.

A gift is more fun!

• The traditional stewardship message starts negative. The message is this:
• “That stuff you think you own? It’s not yours! It belongs to God.”
• This places God in the role of the taker. Paul’s message does the opposite. It places God in the role of the giver. In 1 Timothy 6:17, Paul writes of,
• “God who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”
• God’s not reaching into your wallet to take your stuff. He’s reaching in to put it there in the first place. And this isn’t just about money. It’s about all things. It’s all a gift.
• It’s a gift made with love. That makes it more enjoyable. It’s a gift made with a purpose. That purpose is enjoyment. Enjoying it is fulfilling the desires of the one who gave it. That makes it easier to enjoy.
• Consider these stewardship messages from the past. In 1714, Matthew Henry commented,
• “To be religious, is to enjoy God in all our creature-comforts; and is not that pleasant? It is to take the common supports and conveniences of life … as the products of his providential care concerning us, … The sweetness of these is more than doubled, it is highly raised, when by our religion we are taught and enabled to see them all coming to us from the goodness of God, as our great benefactor, and thus to enjoy them richly, 1 Tim. VI. 17, while those who look no further than the creature, enjoy them very poorly, and but as the inferior creatures do.”²³⁹
• Recognizing God as the source can be a reason for enjoyment. Stewardship doesn’t have to be a message of burden and obligation. It doesn’t have to be part of a guilt trip. In 1832, Charles Simeon wrote,
• “There is then … no disappointment in the use; no grief in the loss; no dread of the responsibility attached to it. On the contrary, ‘God has given to his people all things richly to enjoy:’ and they have a rich enjoyment of every thing, because they enjoy God in it. They receive it all as his gift: they taste his love in it.”²⁴⁰

Professor Gordon Fee explains,

“The reason everything may be enjoyed lies in the recognition that everything, including one’s wealth, is a gift, the expression of God’s gracious generosity.”²⁴¹

• Tilly Dillehay explains 1 Timothy 6:17 this way,
• “Their enjoyment is not the clutching enjoyment of the glutton or a miser; it’s the enjoyment of a child sitting in front of something his father made for him especially. It’s freely felt, free in the knowledge that because of the Father we have, there’s more where this came from.”²⁴²
• It’s a gift. We’re supposed to enjoy it. This is not a new idea. Deuteronomy 26:11 gives a “thou shalt” in the King James Version. In modern language, this reads,
• “you shall rejoice in all the good things the LORD your God has given to you and your household.”
• Enjoyment is mandatory. It’s commanded.
• God provides all things. He gives wealth. He gives the ability to produce wealth.²⁴³ What’s the origin story of our wealth? It’s God’s gift. And how should that make us feel? It should make us rejoice. As Deuteronomy 12:7 commands,
• “There you and your households shall eat before the LORD your God, and rejoice in all your undertakings in which the LORD your God has blessed you.”

A gift is more fun to share!

• God richly supplies us with all things. Recognizing that it’s a gift changes the experience. This makes things more enjoyable to share. We can say,
• It was a gift to me, so I’m happy to share it with you.
• It was a gift to me, and I’ll be getting much more where that came from, so I’m happy to share it with you.
• It was a gift to me, and this will make the one who gave it to me happy, so I’m happy to share it with you.

Each of these makes sharing more enjoyable.

• Paul is not giving a message of asceticism. It’s not a message of painful giving. It’s the opposite. It’s a message of enjoyment.

Use it or lose it!

• Paul’s message doesn’t start with
• “You’re not the owner!”
• Instead, it starts with
• “Your ownership is going to disappear.”
• This might seem negative. It’s not. It’s just simple reality. In 1 Timothy 6:7, Paul writes,

“For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it, either.”

He’s making an obvious statement. It’s not even particularly Christian. His pagan contemporaries said the same things.²⁴⁴

A person might be an atheist, a Buddhist, or a humanist. It doesn’t matter. Paul’s statement is undeniably true. This is not a matter of faith. It’s not a matter of argument or persuasion. It’s an obvious truth.

We know we’re going to die. We know we can’t keep our stuff. We also know we might lose it even before we die. Either way, our ownership is going to disappear.

• Starting with, “It’s not yours!” is a tough sell. It can trigger resistance and even tighter grasping of one’s things. Saying, “It’s not yours to keep” is obvious. It’s impossible to deny.
• But facing that reality changes our role. It means we are only temporary managers. We’re stewards. That’s not a matter of choice. It’s not a matter of religion. It’s a necessary consequence of our temporary lives.
• Recognizing that we’re only temporary managers makes it easier to share things. It removes the pain and loss from giving. We don’t get to keep it anyway. We might as well use it because we’re going to lose it. Whether it’s our money, our stuff, our time, our health, or our earthly lives, the same reality applies.²⁴⁵ It’s ours, but it’s not ours to keep.
• We are temporary managers of our stuff. This is an observable reality. But what if our stuff is also a gift from God? What if He gave it to us for a purpose? That changes everything. That leads to the principles of Biblical stewardship. It separates good stewardship from bad stewardship.

What is bad stewardship?

• The question is not, “Are we temporary managers?” (That fact is biologically inescapable.) The question is, “What kind of temporary managers are we going to be?” Are we going to be foolish or shrewd? Are we going to be good stewards or bad stewards?
• So, what is bad stewardship? There are two ways to be a bad steward: bingeing and burying. Jesus gives examples of bingeing bad stewards. He gives even more examples of burying bad stewards. Both stewards are bad. They’re both bad for the same reason. They never use the money for its intended purpose.
• Focusing on a message of “It’s not yours!” is not just a tough sell. It also doesn’t work. It doesn’t actually lead to good stewardship.
• Consider the bad stewards. In Matthew 25, he took what the master gave and buried it in the ground. In Luke 19, he hid it away in a napkin.
• Did these bad stewards know that it wasn’t their money? Yes. They knew that it belonged to the one who gave it to them. They knew they were only temporary managers. Did they know they would have to account back to the owner at the end? Yes. In fact, they carefully planned their report back to the owner.
• They deeply embraced these modern stewardship messages. And yet, they were bad stewards. They took what they were given, and they hid it. They buried it. Why were they bad managers? Because they never used the money for its intended purpose.
• What about us? We can make this same mistake. We can believe,
• “It doesn’t belong to us.”
• We can believe,
• “It all belongs to God.”
• But we can still be bad stewards. The temptation to bury it in the ground remains. We might reason,
• “I’m managing this for God. But even so, I should probably just hold on to it – for now. I would feel more anxious and stressed without it. If something happened, I’m afraid I would regret not keeping it.”
• This same reasoning motivated the bad stewards. Why did they bury it in the ground?
• “and I was afraid” (Matthew 25:25).
• “for I was afraid” (Luke 19:21).
• We might reason,
• “Either way, it’s all His anyway. He’ll control it all after I’m gone. I’ll be sure to keep it protected in the meantime. Good stewards protect things, right?”
• What report did the bad stewards give? They protected it.
• “See, you still have what is yours.” (Matthew 25:25).
• “here is your mina” (Luke 19:19).
• The bad stewards protected what they had been given. They didn’t want to lose it. They were cautious. In fact, they were afraid. Their goal was to keep it protected and then give it back, intact, to the real owner.
• That all sounds good. It sounds reasonable. But they were bad stewards. Why? Because they never used the money for its intended purpose. They never used it for any purpose.
• Jesus tells the Parable of the Rich Fool. He was blessed with enormous wealth. And he just stacked it up in a barn. Luke 12:20 gives God’s reaction:
• “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?”
• The man was a fool. He never used the wealth for its intended purpose. He never used it for any purpose.
• A bad steward never uses the wealth for its intended purpose. We can do this by not using it for any purpose. We can also do this by using it for the opposite purpose. We can take something intended for enjoyment and instead use it for self-destruction. We can use it to fuel a life of abuse on a path of ruin. This is the bingeing bad steward in Matthew 24:48-50.²⁴⁶ He, too, is a bad steward. He, too, never uses the money for its intended purpose.

What is good stewardship?

• A good steward uses the money or property for its intended purpose. He pursues the goals of the one who appointed him. God gives us all things as a gift. It’s a gift with a purpose. That purpose is “for enjoyment.” That’s why he gave it.
• We can’t accomplish that purpose by burying the gift. That leads to anxious hoarding and inevitable loss. We can’t accomplish that purpose by bingeing with it. That leads to addiction or depression.
• We accomplish that purpose by putting it to work. We use it to do some lasting good before it disappears. We enjoy it. The next words of scripture tell us how. We enjoy it by using it
• To do intrinsically good works
• To become rich in beautifully good works
• To become a good, joyful, abundance sharer
• To become a connected fellowship-community sharer
• That’s not just effective stewardship. That’s enjoyable stewardship. That’s grabbing hold of the life that is really life.
• Must we do this perfectly? No. In Jesus’s Parable of the Minas, one steward earned twice as much as the other.²⁴⁷ Both were rewarded enormously. We don’t have to stress too much about perfect stewardship. Either way, the rewards are fantastic.
• Good stewardship doesn’t have to be stressful. It’s not supposed to be. We don’t need to stress because there’s plenty more where that came from. We don’t need to stress because the whole purpose of the gift is for enjoyment. Good stewardship is fun. It’s the most fun we can have with what we’ve been given. Good stewardship is joyful stewardship!

Good stewardship increases ownership

• God had richly blessed us. It’s a gift. It’s given for the purpose of enjoyment. The proper response is not to bury the gift. That leads to a life of stressful protection and inevitable loss. That’s not enjoying it.
• The proper response is also not to reject the gift. Paul fought against this. He fought against self-righteous asceticism. That’s not enjoying it either.
• The goal is not to bury or to reject. Instead, it’s to enjoy. This means holding it open-handedly. It’s holding it lightly.²⁴⁸ Why can we hold it lightly? Because we know it’s all disappearing anyway. Why can we hold it lightly? Because we know it’s a gift, and there’s plenty more where that came from.
• The traditional stewardship message often starts with, “It’s not yours!” It’s about giving up ownership. Paul’s stewardship message is the opposite. It increases ownership. It increases ownership by creating abundance.
• In 387 A.D., John Chrysostom explained this. He wrote of 1 Timothy 6:17,
• “The hoarder is a keeper, not a master, of wealth; a slave, not a Lord. For he would sooner give anyone part of his own flesh, than his buried gold. It’s as though he were ordered and compelled of someone to touch nothing of these hidden treasures. So with all earnestness he watches and keeps them, abstaining from them, as if it were another’s. And certainly, they are not his own. For what he can neither decide to share with others, nor distribute to the needy, even on pain of infinite punishments, how can he possibly account his own? How can he be a real owner of those things, of which he has neither free use, nor enjoyment?”²⁴⁹
• A hoarder is not truly an owner. It’s not his to use. It’s not his to give. It’s not his to enjoy. Again, John Chrysostom explains,
• “A greedy man is one thing, and a rich man is another thing. The greedy man is not rich; he is in want of many things, and while he needs many things, he can never be rich.”²⁵⁰
• The greedy, the miser, the hoarder – they never live in abundance. They never have “extra.” They never have wealth that they can hold open-handedly. They never have wealth that they can use freely.
• That wealth is not really theirs. They’re not free to use it as they want. They’re not free to enjoy it. They can only anxiously protect it. They bury it just to die with it.²⁵¹
• That’s foolish. And it’s not fun. The only two outcomes are loss during life or loss at death. The goal is not living rich; it’s dying rich. Except this goal is foolish. It’s logically impossible. No one dies rich. Everyone dies with nothing. People may ask,
• “How much did he leave?”
• The answer is always the same.
• “All of it.”
• As Paul reminds us, we can’t take it with us.

Good stewardship is great gain

• Holding open-handedly doesn’t decrease ownership; it increases ownership. We have real ownership only over those things that are “extra.” If it’s a necessity, then we can’t use it for whatever we want. We have to hold it tightly. We can’t enjoy it. We can’t share it with others.
• Biblical stewardship increases abundance. It increases what is “extra.” We don’t have to hoard up for every possible danger. Why not? Because we’ve set our hope
• “on God, who richly supplies us with all things” (1 Timothy 6:17b).
• We respond to God’s ongoing rich supply. We respond with trust in God as the ongoing provider. We’re in an up-close and personal relationship with God. He’s in the ongoing process of richly providing us with all things. We already have the ultimate security blanket for our future.
• If our only hope is in wealth, then we’ll never have extra. There is no limit to possible future catastrophes. Theft. Taxes. Ransom demands. Communist revolution. Confiscation. Uncovered health expenses. Dementia. Market crash. War. Hyperinflation. Divorce. Lawsuits. It never ends. We can never use our wealth because we might need it someday.
• Only by placing our trust in a richly providing God can we have extra. If God is providing for our tomorrow, we become free to enjoy more of what we have today. This is a great gain.
• Paul opens his discussion of wealth with this great gain. He explains,
• “But godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it, either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” (1 Timothy 6:6-8).
• When our future is fully and richly provided for, we don’t need that much to be content right now. We don’t need to hoard up for every possible future event. This converts so much of what we have into “extra.” It becomes an abundance. It becomes a gain. This gives us freedom to use it. We don’t get less ownership of our stuff. We get more!
• We’re temporary managers. That’s not theological. It’s biological. We’re stewards because our ownership is temporary. The hoarder is a steward for death. He can’t use or enjoy his wealth. He’s saving and protecting it to give to death.
• The binger is a steward for his addictions. He’s not free to enjoy his wealth either. He must give it all to the destructive passions that are his master. Neither the miser nor the addict experience abundance. Neither experience real ownership.
• Biblical stewardship is different. Holding open-handedly increases ownership. It allows the owner to take control of what he has. It allows him to enjoy it. Holding open-handedly increases abundance. It’s not saving it up for death. It’s increasing abundance for life.

Party-time stewardship!

• A Biblical stewardship message doesn’t have to be negative. It doesn’t have to start with, “It’s not yours!”²⁵² It doesn’t have to be about losing what’s ours.
• Biblical stewardship can be a positive message. It can be a message about God’s ongoing, loving provision. It can be a message about how best to enjoy God’s rich provision. It can be a message about living the best life ever.
• This approach is not just more effective. It’s essential. It’s essential because giving is not the goal. Yes, that’s right. The goal of teaching stewardship is not giving.
• God doesn’t want giving. Nope. God wants only a specific kind of giving. He wants giving only with the right emotion. He wants a cheerful, “hilariously” joyful [hilaron] giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7). He wants giving that is even happier [makarion] than receiving a gift. (Acts 20:35). He wants giving that overflows from abundant joy. (2 Corinthians 8:2). He wants giving that is “party-time” enjoyable [apolausin]. (1 Timothy 6:17).
• If the gift doesn’t have positive emotion, He doesn’t want it. If it’s not accompanied by joy, happiness, and love, He doesn’t want it. It doesn’t matter how much it is. Without that positive emotion, it’s all pointless. (1 Corinthians 13:3).
• Stewardship teaching can create a sense of obligation or even guilt. And yes, that can lead to giving. But it leads to giving that God doesn’t want. It leads to giving that God won’t bless. (Deuteronomy 15:10). If our teaching results in painful giving, it’s a failure. Good stewardship is supposed to be fun.
• Understanding this goal changes the stewardship message. A positive stewardship message isn’t just more effective. It’s mandatory. A positive giving experience isn’t just nice to have. It’s required.
• These are essential because giving isn’t the goal. Giving with positive emotion is the goal. Enjoyment is the goal. That’s why God richly provides us with all these things in the first place.
• If we don’t pursue His goal, we’re being bad stewards. If we don’t use the money for its intended purpose, we’re being bad stewards. If we don’t use it “for enjoyment,” we’re being bad stewards. Good stewardship isn’t just impactful. Good stewardship must be enjoyable. Good stewardship must be fun.

Donor joy in fundraising

Paul describes giving as a means of enjoying wealth. This is not just a matter of ancient Greek semantics. It’s how effective fundraising actually works. It’s how the best major gift fundraisers do their jobs.

A sample of books and articles from top fundraisers makes this clear. (My emphasis in bold throughout.) Richard Perry and Jeff Schreifels explain,

“This whole major gifts thing is not about the money. It is about bringing joy and fulfillment to donors.”²⁵³

Hank Rosso was the founder of the School of Philanthropy at Indiana University. He defined fundraising this way:

“Fundraising is the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving!”²⁵⁴

One book on fundraising explains,

“They have the opportunity to learn to give through you ... You are helping them experience the joys of giving.”²⁵⁵

Another explains,

“Motivating donors comes through understanding that philanthropy brings joy to the donor.”²⁵⁶

Yet another explains,

“Motivating donors does not mean persuading donors to do something that they don’t want to do or that is not in their best interest. Motivating donors comes through understanding that philanthropy brings joy to the donor and that if the donor really believes in the mission, motivation is simply a tool to bring about the donor’s wishes.”²⁵⁷

A book on “Fired-Up Fundraising” puts it this way,

“Donors experience joy when they see the results of their gifts.”²⁵⁸

The book “10 Simple Fundraising Lessons” shares this guidance,

“When you’ve been in this field long enough, you recognize and experience the exhilaration felt by donors of time and money. It’s a genuine treat to witness the joy they derive from doing good works. It’s evidenced by their smiles and their eagerness to hear about the impact of their gifts.”²⁵⁹

The wisdom of real-world experience is consistent. Effective fundraising is about donor joy. It’s about delivering donor enjoyment. Donors experience joy by using their wealth to do good. They experience joy by using it to become rich in good works.

Donor joy at each fundraising step

Effective fundraising is about delivering donor joy. This is true for the overall fundraising process. It’s also true for each step within that process.

How might we open a conversation about giving? We open it by learning what kind of giving experience brings this person the most joy. Different fundraising experts suggest openings such as

“What gift did you make that has brought you the most joy? Why?”²⁶⁰

“What philanthropic gift has given you the greatest joy? How?”²⁶¹

“What part of philanthropy gives you the most joy?”²⁶²

Why do we ask such questions? Expert fundraisers explain,

“By engaging donors in exploring their philanthropic goals and charitable interests, planned giving staff can effectively help donors along their philanthropic journey and work to secure major and planned gifts. This journey enables a donor to give joyfully—meaning that the donor is able to visualize the result of his or her philanthropy, while still being able to feel financially secure.”²⁶³

In technical fundraising language, this part of the donor journey is called “cultivation.” There’s an even better name for it. We can

“redefine the fundraising cycle with cultivation as ‘creating the joyful giver,’”²⁶⁴

We’re getting the donor ready. We’re getting them ready for joyful giving.

The next step in the donor journey is the call to adventure. It’s the “solicitation.” It’s the ask. And how do we do that? One book about the ask explains,

“Best of all, the Ask can and should be fun. If it is fun for the asker, it will be a fun and positive time for the person being asked. People should see and experience the joy their prospective gifts will bring to the group’s beneficiaries.”²⁶⁵

Another book explains how to prepare for the ask. It suggests,

“In your mind’s eye, sit with the donor and propose what you’ve come up with as a place he can help. Is he thrilled? Has he found fulfillment and joy? If not, start over.”²⁶⁶

And what about after the ask? We’ll want to send a thank you note. One book lists “The ten essentials of a perfect thank-you letter.” Rule number one is this:

“1. Joy.

You want, first and foremost, to make the reader—the donor, your friend, your supporter—experience a genuine sense of joy when they open your letter … Suddenly, your donor is a hero.”²⁶⁷

After the thank you note, we still want to maintain the donor relationship. In technical fundraising language, this next step is called “stewardship.” One book describes its best “stewardship technique” as

“Bring the person to the organization … let them ‘experience’ the joys and benefits of their gift or investment.”²⁶⁸

What about writing a newsletter? What’s the best way to do that? Another book explains,

“A properly prepared donor newsletter will add heaps to your bottom line, bring a tsunami of joy to your donors, and boost the lifetime value and retention rates of your organization’s donors to new heights.”²⁶⁹

There are multiple steps in the fundraising process. They have different technical names, but each has the same goal. Each is about delivering donor joy.

Donor joy in managing boards and volunteers

Often, fundraisers need to work with their boards. And what if those board members don’t like fundraising? What can we do? How do we, in Gail Perry’s words,

“transform a board member’s negative perspective on fundraising?”

She suggests teaching them that

“Giving Is a Joyous Experience.

We will introduce them to the joy and pleasure donors feel when they make a gift that can create a change for the better. How did the board members themselves feel the last time they made a contribution to a nonprofit organization? Was it pleasurable? Was it powerful or joyful?”²⁷⁰

Ultimately, we may want board members to encourage others to donate. How can we do that? Again, Perry explains,

“Board members begin to see that if they can get over their feelings of distaste and fear, then they can bring important and positive experiences to their friends and associates.”²⁷¹

Others report this same transformation. Volunteers initially fear fundraising. Later, they find that they’ve enjoyed the experience. Why? Dr. Stuart Grover explains,

“They discovered that they were giving others the chance for joy.”²⁷²

In other words,

“Your request for your friend to join you simply gives him or her the chance to feel joy through supporting a good cause.”²⁷³

In our fundraising efforts, we might work with board members. We might work with volunteers. In either case, the goal is the same. It’s to transform their understanding of fundraising. Effective fundraising is all about delivering donor joy.

Donor joy in different gift types

These same ideas apply to all kinds of gifts. What about raising money through gifts in wills? How does that work? The book “Legacy and In-Memory Fundraising” explains,

“A legacy gift offers people real joy; nobody would leave a legacy if it did not.”²⁷⁴

Others describe the motivation for legacy societies this way:

“A bequest to a non-profit is often a donor’s single largest, most thoughtful charitable gift in their lifetime, and it should be joyous.”²⁷⁵

What about more complex planned gifts?²⁷⁶ A guide on charitable gift annuities explains,

“Professionals who market and discuss these giving arrangements should make a point of linking the gift annuity with the joys of and motivations for giving.”²⁷⁷

And what about giant gifts? Suppose we want a million or multi-million-dollar gift. What do those look like? The book “Million-Dollar Moments” explains,

“In all cases of which I am familiar, million-dollar gifts were the result of a deep belief in the cause, long involvement of the donor with the organization, and a feeling of satisfaction and joy on the part of the donor.”²⁷⁸

Jerold Panas conducted in-depth interviews with more than 50 “mega” donors. Each had made gifts in the millions of dollars. He writes,

“it was a persistent theme dominating nearly every interview. It was true with every single donor. It dealt with the joy of giving, the sheer ecstasy... A recurring pattern was the towering gratification they received from making the gift.”²⁷⁹

We can also learn about giant gifts from others. Financial advisors are often part of the process. One advisor to ultra-high net worth families explains of these donors,

“It is the experience of joy and meaningful accomplishment that comes from fulfilling their passions that inspires them to commit more of their time and money to organizations that allow them to fulfill their passions.”²⁸⁰

And suppose we want these major donors to then refer us to other major donors. How do we do that? One book offers this example dialogue,

“‘You just made a generous commitment to _____ … How do you feel about your decision?’ followed by asking, ‘Who do you know that might enjoy the same sense of fulfillment you are experiencing right now?’”²⁸¹

Joy works. Joy sells – and it refers!

Donor joy and fundraising failure

Delivering donor joy leads to success in major gift fundraising. What leads to failure? One book asks, “Why do Major Gift Officers fail?” The first listed reason is:

“Failure to understand the joy of giving.”²⁸²

The authors explain,

“It bears repeating that if you think fundraising is ultimately only about the money, you will fail.”

Another reason for failure is “Failure to ask.” They explain,

“Even many bold and assertive MGOs will sometimes back away from making the actual request for funding, forgetting that the act of giving is a real joy for donors.”

Sometimes, the problem is not failing to ask for a gift. Sometimes it’s failing to respond to a gift. One book on fundraising explains,

“The donor who is excited because he is giving more will be waiting for your response of gratitude. If the fundraiser fails to acknowledge that increase, he takes away the joy the donor has in giving more.”²⁸³

In examining both failed and successful capital campaigns, Dr. Stuart Grover asked,

“What are the attitudes that ensure success?”

His number one answer was

“Key attitude #1: Giving is joyful”²⁸⁴

He explains,

“People give because it expresses their deepest values and desires. The result of a gift is joy to the person who gives.”

When fundraising is about delivering the experience of donor enjoyment, it succeeds. Otherwise, it fails.

Donor joy and the fundraiser’s career

The focus on donor joy is practical. It works. It works for fundraising. But it also works for the fundraiser. It changes the fundraiser’s experience. It changes the fundraiser’s occupation. Another book on fundraising explains,

“I like raising money. I like everything about it … Helping a successful executive find new meaning and joy in life from a charitable gift.”²⁸⁵

Yet another book shares this story. A new fundraiser had just closed her first major gift. She called her fundraising mentor, exclaiming,

“‘She said YES! My donor said yes!’ She was practically screaming into the phone.

‘One million dollars, Richard! Can you believe it?’

‘Yes, I can,’ I said.

‘And here’s why I can believe it. You were prepared. You were focused on your donor and her desires. You knew exactly where you were going. And what mattered most to you was not the money but all the joy the donor would experience by helping in this generous way and all the help people in need would get.’”²⁸⁶

How do fundraisers stay motivated in their careers? One expert suggests,

“Take the time to reflect on the gifts you helped close that made you feel good, and the joy that donors felt in making those gifts.”²⁸⁷

Donor joy works in fundraising. It works for donors. It also works for fundraisers.

Donor joy in Christian ministries

Donor joy is essential for success in fundraising. It’s even more important for fundraising in Christian ministries. A book on ministry fundraising advises fundraisers to

“exchange the stress and drudgery of fundraising for a joyful ministry”.²⁸⁸

Pastor Chip Ingram writes,

“Giving is meant to be joyful and fulfilling … It isn’t rooted in guilt, self-righteousness, or a martyr complex. It’s rooted in joy.”²⁸⁹

This understanding is powerful. It also leads to big giving. Another book on ministry fundraising explains,

“but remember it is the heavy givers who most likely have discovered the joy of generosity.”²⁹⁰

Delivering donor enjoyment works. It works to produce major gifts. And more importantly, it works to produce the kind of giving that God wants. God doesn’t just want giving. God wants only a specific kind of giving. He wants joyful giving.

Other approaches might work to get money. But they don’t work to get joyful giving. A book on “Conversational Fundraising” explains,

“It is true that some gift decisions are made out of guilt, obligation, pressure, duty, or fear. Unfortunately, these negative reasons do not produce the kinds of gifts that we are looking for: those that are heart inspired and joyfully made.”²⁹¹

Delivering donor enjoyment works. It works to produce big gifts. That’s great. But as a ministry to the donors, something else is even better. It works to produce joyful gifts.

Donor joy in scientific research

What works in fundraising? Books from successful fundraisers make it clear. It’s all about delivering donor enjoyment. It’s about giving as a means of enjoying one’s wealth. That’s not just scripture. That’s real-world fundraising practice.

But what about science? What can we learn from academic research on this topic? We learn the same thing. We get the same answers. Giving is a means of enjoying one’s wealth.

Professor Sara Konrath summarizes a wide range of research findings explaining,

“When fundraisers help givers give, they may not realize that they are bringing these givers more happiness and better health.”²⁹²

Professor Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson put it this way:

“The association between generous practices and personal well-being is strong and highly consistent across a variety of types of generous practices and measures of well-being … generous practices actually create enhanced personal well-being.”²⁹³

They summarize,

“The more generous Americans are, the more happiness, health, and purpose in life they enjoy.”

Other researchers summarize the scientific findings this way:

“happier people give more and giving makes people happier, such that happiness and giving may operate in a positive feedback loop (with happier people giving more, getting happier, and giving even more).”²⁹⁴

Beyond such summaries, we can look at statistical results from individual studies. For example, one study of a capital campaign for a Christian school found

“a significant relationship between charitable giving behavior and self-reported enjoyment during the campaign activity.”²⁹⁵

Another study compared church members. It looked at those who gave much (9% or more of income). It compared them with those who gave little (0 to 2%). It measured biological responses to a mentally stressful task. It found,

“the Give Little group had significantly higher anger and hostility measures, lower forgiveness levels, and poorer stress coping strategies than the Give Much group. The Give Much group generally had baseline and stress response indices that were more consistent with good health than the Give Little group.”²⁹⁶

Giving builds both health and happiness. It even creates strength. One study found that

“participants who had donated to a charity were able to squeeze a handgrip for more than 20 seconds longer than were control participants. Participants also reported happier moods after donating, but their enhanced strength did not stem from their elevated happiness. Thus, prosocial spending may have independent positive effects on both emotional and physical vitality.”²⁹⁷

The scientific research may be new. The results are not. In the fourth century, John Chrysostom called charitable giving

“the foundation of health, the abundance of light and the origin of joyfulness.”²⁹⁸

In the first century, Seneca taught that

“The good man therefore finds happiness in the mere act of giving benefits.”²⁹⁹

We see the same answers in practice, science, philosophy, and theology. The point is this. The Bible is true. The offer Paul is telling Timothy to make is scientifically legitimate. This is, indeed, the way to enjoy wealth. It is, indeed, the way to grab hold of a better life experience.