The Christian Broadcasting Network

The 700 Club with Pat Robertson


Credits

Founder and President, Generous Giving

Senior Program Officer of The Maclellan Foundation;

B.A. in Business, Westmont College

Married to Cathy Maclellan


Address
Generous Giving
One Fountain Square
Suite 501, Provident Building
Chattanooga, TN 37402


Product

Ever wondered how you as a pastor can teach about giving to your congregation?

Get a hold of The Generous Church Toolkit.


It contains a leader’s guide, a copy of Randy Alcorn’s book The Treasure Principle: Discovering the Secret of Joyful Giving, a DVD and a CD containing sermon outlines, sample sermons, illustrations, multimedia tools, devotional materials, testimonies, and small group studies.



GUEST BIO

Daryl Heald Explains Generosity as a Lifestyle

The 700 Club

CBN.com A Legacy of Giving

Daryl Heald was the son of a veterinarian-turned-missionary. Daryl’s mom and dad had accepted Jesus Christ as adults. They soon led each of their children to the Lord. Daryl’s dad prayed with him and his brother every night. When Daryl was in elementary school, his dad announced he was selling his vet practice to become a full-time missionary with the Navigators. The children saw this as a normal next step in the family’s Christian walk.

Then the day came when Daryl’s dad called them together after church to pray. This wasn’t a normal family prayer meeting. Dad had to tell his family that the bank account was now empty and it was time to ask the Lord what He would do about that. So they all prayed.

That very afternoon, a relative and a skeptic of his father’s decision to sell the veterinary practice called Daryl’s dad. In abrupt tones, this relative told him how one of his investments had gone extremely well – so well that the relative's accountant said he made “too much money” and needed to get rid of some. The relative proceeded to tell Daryl’s dad that he really didn’t understand why the decisions had been made to leave a good job and be a missionary, but he would be sending a check for $10,000. God had mightily answered their prayer for provision through the generosity, albeit grudgingly, of another. Daryl was quite taken with the idea of giving.

Through the years, Daryl saw God continue to meet his family’s needs and saw that his parents were quick to give to others. When Daryl met and married Cathy Maclellan, he was marrying into a family with a strong heritage of giving. The Maclellan Foundation gives away millions of dollars to individuals and ministries whose work is advancing the Kingdom of God in some way.

Generous Giving grew out of the Maclellan Foundation and has as its mission to motivate followers of Jesus Christ toward greater biblical generosity. Their core message proclaims the joy of giving out of gratitude for salvation in Christ, rather than out of obligation or guilt.

Today, Generous Giving offers more than 900 charity projects in what it describes as "the world's largest database of faith-based funding opportunities" and offers donors the ability to communicate with organizations anonymously to avoid being placed on telemarketing lists. Their Web site also includes a "frequently asked questions" (FAQ) section with information on tithing, discipling of givers, and -- for pastors -- preaching to a church on giving.

Answer the Why Question

Daryl admits that giving does not come naturally to most Christians. And that very thing is one of the reasons that Christians are less than fulfilled. Daryl points out that the Bible shows that God is a Giver. John 3:16 says, “For God so loved the world that He gave…”. Daryl says there’s incredible wealth in evangelical hands and that God has poised His church for explosive, exponential growth worldwide. But since giving isn’t a natural human desire, we have to help people overcome their resistance to giving. People need to answer what Daryl calls the “Why” question. Why should we give?

The answer is fairly simple. While we might hear more that it’s more blessed to give than to receive, the fact is, the more we give, the better we feel. Daryl says, “Dig deeper – what really is joy? And the things we are all about getting, how much joy do they bring?” It’s a diminishing return rate. For example, you get a cell phone, and then you notice that the latest cell phones are also walkie-talkie enabled and that makes you feel out of it. That’s the getting side. When you give with the right heart, the gift really makes you want to focus on the other person.

Daryl points to 2 Corinthians 9: 9-11, where it says God is giving to us; you will be made rich in every way to give; be generous on every occasion. Daryl says we must debunk the thinking that “If I give, it’s gone” because giving is ultimately not about the giver or the receiver but about glorifying God.

Scriptures Command Giving

The Scriptures command us to give, but the parables show us that there is more to it than a command. We give not because God wants what we have, but because giving is designed to bring blessing, joy, and reward. Daryl says giving opens the windows of heaven because we are made in the image of God and He is a giver. We are at our best when we mirror Him, when we truly understand that giving is meant to fulfill us.

Daryl sites the famous scene from Chariots of Fire where Eric Liddell tells his sister, “He made me fast…. I feel His pleasure when I run.” It is that way with generous givers. They feel His pleasure. Even Ted Turner admitted two years ago when he received the Carnegie Medal for Philanthropy, “What the Bible says is really true. It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

All Givers Receive a Return

Sometimes the return we see here is only one-dimensional. It may be qualitative -- improved relationships, harmony in our homes and in our family or work. It’s sometimes a quantitative return, and it’s sometimes a requisite return. But the bottom line is, “You can’t get out of the way of God’s blessing.”

Daryl tells this story that touched him personally. Daryl was in Ethiopia sharing with the Young Life staff there. A 23-year-old girl named Yodit came up and said, “I’m so blessed with what you said. I came from a Muslim family, and when I became a believer, they kicked me out.” Her dad had been sending $12 per month for her college tuition and living expenses. Before he quit sending the money, her pastor modeled giving to his flock. The pastor gave his shirt to a bare-chested little boy playing soccer in the cold. She went on, “As I began to understand how much God had given, I wanted to give back to God.” So she started giving 40 percent of her $12. Before she gave away the 40 percent, the $12 was never enough. After giving 40 percent, God began to bless her in many little ways. The taxi driver wouldn’t charge her a fare or a friend would invite her for a meal. She said she never lacked for anything, even when her father’s money stopped coming. Then the Lord gave her a dream. She said, “I had as much wealth as a landlady, a wealthy landlady, and everyone who came to my door I was able to give.” Daryl told her he believed God had seen in her heart that she had been faithful in little so He would entrust Yodit with much. Daryl says he had never seen someone start out at 40 percent giving.

Daryl’s mom and dad are still with Navigators, and his mom is prolific women’s author Cynthia Heald.



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