STEEMCHURCH: GIVING
GIVING
"Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give unto your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again" Luke 6:38.
INTRODUCTION: Giving is one of the principles Jesus left for the church. It is an act of worship which is accepted unto God. The fact that giving has been abused by some christians does not change the fact it is a kingdom principle and that we as partakers of that kingdom is expected to give. As we study, may God open our eyes to understand kingdom giving.
WHAT IS GIVING?
- Giving is an act of offering something to someone who is in need of it.
- It is an act of worship to God which he instructs believer to abide by.
PRINCIPLE OF CHRISTIAN GIVING
- Giving should be free. In matt 10:8, Jesus instrucyed us to freely give because we recieve freely. All that we have is from God and he commands us to give freely.
- Giving is to be in secret (matt. 6:3-4). Those who give to be seen by men have forfeited their eternal reward and joy in exchange for temporal recognition by men.
- Christian giving should be done according to our ability/means Ezra 2:68-69, 2cor. 8:3, 12
- Christian giving is an obligation Isa. 58:10-11, Luke 3:10-22, 1Jn. 3:17, Pro, 14:21. Helping those in need is one of the major themes of the bible and of Jesus ministry on earth. Througj service, we order the things they lack and we find meaning and fulfilment to our own lives.
- There are times God will move us to give beyound our own ability 2cor.8:3. When God makes such demand, we need faith to be able to obey. This is one of God's ways to cause us to experience growth in christ Jesus through an increasing need to rely upon him in faith. This type of demand when obeyed unlocks the unusual.
CONCLUSION: Each of us has something to give. Some have wealth, some have talents and some have time.
We have an obligation to help the needy, especially members of household of faith. 1Tim.5:8. There is a reward for giving. Whatever gift we have been given big or small, we should give generously.
Always remember, GIVERS DO NOT LACK (Luke 6:38).
SHALOM!
Giving is Receiving
Proverbs 11:25
“Whoever brings blessing will be enriched,
and one who waters will himself be watered.”
God wants us to be blessed. He has provided many ways to bless us, one of those ways is giving a financial offering at church.
Some people complain when the pastor talks about an offering before the offering plate is passed; they says things like “all they want is money” or “all he talks about is money”. I say, thank you for reminding me and giving me an opportunity to receive a blessing from God by blessing others, and to do what God has told us in the Bible He wants us to do.
Does God, the creator of everything need my money? Couldn’t he simply provide the needs of the church? Of course he could, so why the offering? So WE can be blessed! He is giving us an opportunity to get his blessings…Thank you, God, and thank you Pastor for providing the opportunity and reminding me about a blessing waiting for my action.
2 Corinthians 9:7
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
God loves a cheerful giver! What more needs to be said?