THE RISK OF

WITHDRAWN PLEDGES

(Based on “Counsels on Stewardship, chapters 59-61)

The Risk of
Withdrawn
Pledges
 What if Members
Neglect Their Vows?
“A church is responsible for the pledges of
its individual members. If they see that
there is a brother who is neglecting to
fulfill his vows, they should labor with him
kindly but plainly…” Counsels on
Stewardship, p. 310.
 Withdrawn Pledges

“… you withdrew your offerings, and

God withdrew His blessing from you.”

Counsels on Stewardship, p. 310

 DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES?
Conditions for God to Help with Paying Pledges

“… had they [1] not murmured and [2] withdrawn their hearts
from their pledges, God would have worked for them, and
would have opened ways whereby everyone could have paid
what he had promised….”

Counsels on Stewardship, p. 311

 Why Some Reconsider Their Vows

“… But Satan… led some to question the motives and the spirit which
actuated the servant of God in presenting the call for means. Some felt
that they had been deceived and defrauded. In spirit they repudiated
their vows, and whatever they did afterward was with reluctance, and
therefore they received no blessing.”

Counsels on Stewardship, p. 311.

 Reason for Struggles

“… But none need think that they will

be allowed to fulfill the promises then
made, without a protest on the part of
Satan. He is not pleased to see the
Redeemer’s kingdom on earth built
up….”

Counsels on Stewardship, p. 318.

 Once Decided, It Is Consecrated!

“… But when the heart is stirred by the

influence of the Holy Spirit, and a vow is
made to give a certain amount, the one
who vows has no longer any right to the
consecrated portion….” Counsels on
Stewardship, p. 318.
 Who Shall Dwell There?

“Lord, who may abide in Your

tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your
holy hill?... He who swears to his own
hurt and does not change.”

Psalm 15:1, 4.
Ananias
and Sapphira
Their Sin…

“… After they had made the pledge,

they drew back, and determined not to
fulfill it….”

Counsels on Stewardship, p.312

 The Professed Proportion

“… While professing to give all [100%], they kept

back part of the price. They had practiced fraud toward
God, they had lied to the Holy Spirit, and their sin was
visited with swift and terrible judgment….”
 Why was this Judgment
so Harsh and Immediate?

“… to guard others against incurring the

same guilt. … as a warning to the young
church, to lead them to examine their
motives… to beware of robbing God.”
 God’s Omniscience
is Highlighted

“… It testified that men cannot deceive God,

that He detects the hidden sin of the heart,
and that He will not be mocked…”

Counsels on Stewardship, p. 312

 Satan’s Rational for not Paying Pledges

“… ‘You were foolish to pledge that money, you need it to

invest in your business, and you will meet with loss if you
pay the pledge.’”

Counsels on Stewardship, p. 313

 Common Human
Negative Reactions
(Counsels on Stewardship, p. 313)

• Murmur
• Criticism of the Lord’s
messages/messengers
• “I pledged under excitement”
• “I didn’t understand the matter”
• “The case was overstated”
 Spiritual Implications
for Modern “Ananias”

“… Men do not lie to man, but to God in

their disregard of the pledges which His
Spirit moved upon them to make….”