Financial Awareness Day 2025

Financial Awareness Day 2025

Financial Awareness Day, observed annually on August 14th. Financial awareness is important because we navigate through life using money/finance as one of the tools. As part of the awareness, there is one practice, we all need to stay clear off - Financial Impropriety. The term Financial Impropriety encompasses a range of unethical behaviour related to handling money. And this was the first sin of the church and is something that is most overlooked. We see this story in Acts 5 

Ananias and Sapphira

The story of Ananias and Sapphira is told and interpreted where the couple paid for their lies (related to money). While this is true, most people don't investigate why this came about. This didn't originate with this couple. The church violated a principle, which is the root of this problem

But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing (Matthew 6:3)

The church decided acknowledge Barnabas' contribution to the church from the proceeds of land sale. (Acts 4:36-37). There was special honour as the "son of encouragement" and special mention in the book of Acts. This prompted Ananias to seek the same glory/status in the church. It is unfortunate that Peter with the Holy Spirit insight, could see only Ananias' sin and not the Church's sin of making public Barnabas' giving. This behaviour of finding fault while overlooking our own, could fit this description 

5 Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye. (Matthew 7:5)

This church was not able see the log and went after the speck. When you don't address sin, in its totality, you get a multilayering of sin - Financial Impropriety layered with it's Hypocrisy - to repeat itself 

Pattern Repeated

The churches under Paul, continued this financial impropriety. Paul compared the giving of different churches. His justification for this action, was to the test of their love. And in the process allowed for left hand to know what the right hand is doing.

8 I am not commanding you to do this. But I am testing how genuine your love is by comparing it with the eagerness of the other churches. (1 Corinthians 8:8)

This comparison is repeated again, with the Philippians Church. In his view, unless he mentions their giving in his letter, God will not reward them for their kindness. 

17 I don’t say this because I want a gift from you. Rather, I want you to receive a reward for your kindness. (Philippians 4:17)

Conclusion

The pattern of publicizing offerings persists in many churches today, often justified as a means to inspire greater giving. However, this practice can inadvertently encourage unhealthy competition, pride, or even resentment. The sins of Peter and Paul serve as a warning, so that we will stop this repeated pattern. 

6 These things happened as a warning to us, so that we would not crave evil things as they did (1 Corinthians 10:6)

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