Should we still give when money is tight?
Give as a child, not as a person buying favor.

Anton Brown • Senior Pastor
September 30, 2026

3 Minute Read

Yes, if you belong to Jesus. Give as a child, not as a person buying favor.

Money can be tight and faith can still open a hand. Sometimes the gift is small. Sometimes this month the gift is time, a meal, or an honest conversation with a pastor because the numbers do not stretch. We will not shame the poor. God does not.

The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8, ESV)

Paul does not name a church tax. He names a decided heart. Cheerful. Not under compulsion. God is able to make grace abound so you can keep doing good work. That includes lean weeks.

The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article XIII, says God is the source of all blessings. All that we have and are we owe to him. Christians have a binding stewardship in their possessions. We serve him with time, talents, and material things, for his glory and for helping others. Then it says this: Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth.

Read those five words again. Cheerfully. Regularly. Systematically. Proportionately. Liberally. Proportionately matters when the paycheck is thin. A proportionate gift from a tight month may look tiny next to someone else's. The Lord sees the proportion. He sees the heart.

Article XIII lists older texts about firstfruits and the tithe in its Scripture proofs. The article itself never locks a percentage. We will not invent one here. The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 has no stewardship chapter that binds a tenth. Its chapter 19 says the ceremonial law is fulfilled and taken away in Christ. The moral law still teaches us not to steal and not to covet. Chapter 16 says good works are the fruit of living faith, done from the Spirit, accepted in Christ even when they are mixed with weakness.

So we do not treat giving as the price of God's smile. We treat it as worship. We treat it as trust. We treat it as love for the household of faith and for neighbors in need (Baptist Faith and Message, article XV).

If you have been using giving to bargain with God, stop. If you have been hiding from giving because shame got loud, come back with a small, honest plan. If you cannot give money this month without failing a bill you already owe, say so. Honesty is part of stewardship too.

One next step with Jesus

Decide in your heart, before the Lord, what a cheerful next gift looks like in this season. Write it down. Pray over it. Then do it on purpose, as worship of Jesus, not as a fee. If you need help sorting "proportionate" from "panic," talk with a pastor. We would rather sit with the real numbers than leave you alone with guilt.

New to Jesus? He gave himself first. Start there.

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From this Collection: Help & Hope
September 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Is it greedy to want a better job?
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September 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
Should we still give when money is tight?
Yes, if you belong to Jesus. Give as a child, not as a person buying favor. Money can be tight and faith can still open a hand. Sometimes the gift is small. Sometimes this month the gift is time, a meal, or an honest conversation with a pastor because the numbers do not stretch. We will not shame the poor. God does not. The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. (2 Corinthians 9:6-8, ESV) Paul does not name a church tax. He names a decided heart. Cheerful. Not under compulsion. God is able to make grace abound so you can keep doing good work. That includes lean weeks. The Baptist Faith and Message 2000, article XIII, says God is the source of all blessings. All that we have and are we owe to him. Christians have a binding stewardship in their possessions. We serve him with time, talents, and material things, for his glory and for helping others. Then it says this: Christians should contribute of their means cheerfully, regularly, systematically, proportionately, and liberally for the advancement of the Redeemer's cause on earth. Read those five words again. Cheerfully. Regularly. Systematically. Proportionately. Liberally. Proportionately matters when the paycheck is thin. A proportionate gift from a tight month may look tiny next to someone else's. The Lord sees the proportion. He sees the heart. Article XIII lists older texts about firstfruits and the tithe in its Scripture proofs. The article itself never locks a percentage. We will not invent one here. The Second London Baptist Confession of 1689 has no stewardship chapter that binds a tenth. Its chapter 19 says the ceremonial law is fulfilled and taken away in Christ. The moral law still teaches us not to steal and not to covet. Chapter 16 says good works are the fruit of living faith, done from the Spirit, accepted in Christ even when they are mixed with weakness. So we do not treat giving as the price of God's smile. We treat it as worship. We treat it as trust. We treat it as love for the household of faith and for neighbors in need (Baptist Faith and Message, article XV). If you have been using giving to bargain with God, stop. If you have been hiding from giving because shame got loud, come back with a small, honest plan. If you cannot give money this month without failing a bill you already owe, say so. Honesty is part of stewardship too. One next step with Jesus Decide in your heart, before the Lord, what a cheerful next gift looks like in this season. Write it down. Pray over it. Then do it on purpose, as worship of Jesus, not as a fee. If you need help sorting "proportionate" from "panic," talk with a pastor. We would rather sit with the real numbers than leave you alone with guilt. New to Jesus? He gave himself first. Start there. What is the Gospel? Biblical counseling Next Steps

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September 30, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
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September 30, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
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Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

September 30, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
The pills started as pain. Now I cannot stop.
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Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

September 30, 2026 • 4 Minute Read
My phone runs my life. How do I get free?
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Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

September 30, 2026 • 5 Minute Read
I cannot stop looking at porn. Is there a way out?
Yes. There is a way out. His name is Jesus. If you are reading this after another night you swore would be the last, you can still tell the truth. God already knows. He is not shocked. He is holy. And he saves sinners. You do not have to clean yourself up first. Come now. You are not only tired. You are not only wired. Porn trains the body. It also trains the heart. You keep going back because the old nature loves darkness. That is sin. Sexual immorality. Lust that uses people as images. The Second London Confession says all actual sins rise from that first corruption. We are biased against what is good. We are inclined toward what is evil (1689 6). The Baptist Faith and Message says the same in plainer words. By free choice man sinned. We inherit a nature and an environment inclined toward sin. As soon as we can act, we become transgressors (BFM III). Only the grace of God can bring a person back into holy fellowship. Mayflower will not call this a private hobby. BFM XV names pornography among the forms of sexual immorality Christians should oppose. We oppose it first in our own lives. Then we help a brother or sister tell the truth. Scripture that does not flatter you, and does not leave you. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, ESV) Hear both halves. The sexually immoral will not inherit the kingdom. And some of you were that. Washed. Sanctified. Justified. In the name of the Lord Jesus. By the Spirit of our God. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9, ESV) Confession names the sin to the God who already paid for it in his Son. What repentance looks like here 1689 15 says saving repentance is a gospel grace. The Spirit makes you see the evils of your sin. You humble yourself. You hate it. You ask for pardon and for strength. Then you endeavor, by the Spirit, to live in a way that pleases God. You repent of each specific, known sin specifically. Not "I struggle." The site. The hour. The lie you told. The person you used in your mind. If you belong to Christ, remaining corruption can still prevail for a time. Sanctification is a war. The flesh against the Spirit. The Spirit against the flesh (1689 13). Some weeks you will lose a battle. That does not mean Christ lost you. It does mean you need the Word, the Spirit, and the church. You need to present your body to God, not to lust. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. (Romans 6:12-14, ESV) Marriage is not a shortcut The Confession says marriage was ordained for mutual help, for legitimate offspring, and for the prevention of immorality (1689 25.2). That is true. A husband and wife, in covenant, are a mercy against this fire. Marriage will not baptize you. Marriage will not kill lust by itself. A single person can be clean in Christ. A married person can still hide a screen. If you are married, stop stealing from your spouse. Tell the truth. If you are not married, do not treat a wedding as the gospel. One next step with Jesus Tonight, before you sleep, speak to him out loud. "Lord Jesus, I have loved porn more than I have loved you. I have used people. I cannot stop myself. Wash me. I trust your death and your resurrection. I will not hide this anymore." Then tell one mature believer at Mayflower. A pastor. A counselor. Not a vague hint. The real thing. If you have never trusted Christ, start at the gospel. He died for the sexually immoral. He rose. He calls you to turn and live. Come further The gospel Biblical counseling Next steps Baptism, if you have trusted Christ and have not yet obeyed him in baptism You can walk in tomorrow. You can write tonight. Do not wait for a cleaner Monday. Christ saves sinners. He can save you from this.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

September 23, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
I Cannot Get Out of Bed: Is this still grief?
Yes. Grief can pin a body to the mattress. Days blur. Food tastes like nothing. The phone feels heavy. Shame will call you lazy. Come as you are. If you are in danger tonight, get emergency help now, then talk with us. If the body is failing, tell a doctor too. We will walk with you. This can still be grief after a month. After a year. After a holiday you did not want. The heart and the body travel together. You may also be sick. Both can be true in one morning. The Lord stays near crushed people. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18) He comforts so that comfort can move, even if today it only moves an inch. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) Nothing in this bed can cut you off from the love of God in Christ. Paul said that while he still suffered. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39) Chapter 14 of the Baptist Confession of 1689 says saving faith can be weak or strong. Even weak faith is different from a show of faith. It may be attacked. It still looks at Christ. The principal acts are accepting, receiving, and resting on him alone. You do not have to feel strong to rest. The Baptist Faith and Message, article IV, says salvation includes regeneration, justification, sanctification, and glorification. Sanctification is a long work. Glorification is still ahead. Chapter 31 of the 1689 says the righteous wait for the full redemption of their bodies. Your body matters to God. This mattress is not the last word. Christ was crucified. Christ is risen. That is the hope under the sheet. One next step with him: sit on the edge of the bed if you can. If you cannot, stay where you are. Say this: "Lord Jesus, I have no strength. I rest on you." Then read Psalm 34:18 once. Text one person that you are still here. Come talk with us. Read about the gospel when you can keep a page open. Ask for help from biblical counseling. When you can take a next step, next steps are ready. If tonight is unsafe, get emergency help first.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor

September 5, 2026 • 3 Minute Read
How do I help a friend who is grieving?
Show up. Bring food. Sit down. Use their loved one’s name. Do not explain the death. Do not make their grief a speech. If they are in danger tonight, get emergency help now, then stay with them and talk with us. You are not their Savior. You can be a neighbor. We will help you carry this. As a church family, it is what we do. God comforts people so they can comfort others. That is ordinary church life. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (2 Corinthians 1:3-4) You may fear saying the wrong verse. Start with nearness. The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. (Psalm 34:18) If they ask about the dead, point them to Jesus. He died. He rose. He will raise the dead. Paul told a grieving church to hold that, and still to grieve. But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. (1 Thessalonians 4:13-14) Do not invent a verdict on a soul. Chapter 31 of the 1689 says the soul goes to God at death. The righteous are with Christ. The wicked are reserved for judgment. Chapter 32 says Jesus will judge the world on a day the Father has set. That is his work. Your work is love. Do not hide the gospel to keep the visit light. The Baptist Faith and Message, article IV, says there is no salvation apart from personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord. Offer that freely. Chapter 14 of the 1689 says faith rests on Christ. Your friend may have weak faith this week. Rest is still rest. Article XV of the Baptist Faith and Message calls Christians to provide for the needy, the aged, the helpless, and the sick. Grief makes people needy. Take a trash bag to the kitchen. Watch the kids. Drive to the airport. Keep doing it after the casserole week ends. One next step with Jesus: pray for your friend by name today. Then ask them, "Can I sit with you this week?" If they say yes, go. If they want more help than you can give, walk with them to biblical counseling. Share the gospel if they are ready for the hope we have. Next Steps are there when they can take a step. Christ crucified and risen is the help you actually have to give.

Anton Brown

Senior Pastor