The Undercover Adventist

  In Mark 12:41–44, the account of the widow's offering is described as follows:  The Widow's Offering Amount Given The widow gave two small copper coins, known as "mites" or "lepta." These were of very little monetary value, equivalent to a fraction of a penny. Jesus' Response: Jesus observed people putting money into the temple treasury and noticed the poor widow's offering. He called His disciples and said, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on." (NIV) Lessons from the Passage True Generosity The widow's offering demonstrates that true generosity is measured not by the amount given, but by the heart and sacrifice behind it. Jesus commended the widow not because she gave a large sum, but because she gave all that she had, showing complete trust in God. Sacrificial Giving The widow...

So you just finished a great series on "Stewardship." You are now pumped up for the cause. Adventists are feeling recharged and ready to open their pocketbooks. Well, at least that was the goal. Back in 2015, the good people that run the Adventist Church, decided we needed a reboot. That giving was not up to snuff, and by golly, they were bound and determined to do something about it. They created stewardship directors for each division. Thirteen in all. They were given salary, benefits, and travel to shepherd the masses. They wanted to teach every man, woman, and child in the church about stewardship. In other words, you gotta spend money to make money. Of course it fell flat. Local churches and pastors were not really on board. It was a perfect storm, really. The GC had troubles with the strong dollar, less tithe money coming in, and a few questionable business practices. Something had to be done. We need to get people on board to start tithing! In the Fall o...