Both stewardship &
giving are acts of worship.
-
God is
owner of all things. When we give
a gift to ministry, it is one way to thank Him for His love & generosity shown
to us.
-
We are
called to worship God with every breath, every ounce of energy, and everything
we possess. Our lives should be lived as
acts of worship to God, including our stewardship & giving.
·
Genesis
28:16-22 Jacob realised that all belongs to God, and used his tithe as a
means of worship
·
Leviticus
22:17-22, 29 God deserves only the best
of what we have to offer
·
1 Cor 10:31 Everything
we do (including giving) should be done for the glory of God
·
2 Cor 9:11,12 Our
giving results in thanksgiving to God
·
Acts 20:35 It is more blessed to give,
than to receive
Do we look after our
personal needs first, and then give God a slice of the leftovers? NO!
The first
share of what we receive belongs to God, & then we live off the rest.
All of what
we have belongs to God. Lk 19:11-27
·
Neh 10:3739 God is given the first fruits
of all produce
·
Prov 3:9,10 Honour God with the first
fruits of your wealth
·
Matt
19:16-24 If the rich cannot
part with their wealth, they are not following Christ
One reason God asks us
to be stewards & give is to test our willingness to trust Him. Our God who created the universe doesn’t need
the 10%, 20% or 100% of His resources that we return to Him. He can get the job done with us or without
us, through us or in spite of us. His
desire is for us to demonstrate that we are trusting,
obedient and faithful in our relationship with Him.
·
1 Kings
17:7-16 The widow of Zarepath provided food for Elijah out of her depleted
reserves
·
Luke 6:38 The measure you give will
be the measure you receive
·
1 Tim
6:17-19 Put your hope in God, not in your
possessions & money
·
Eccl 5:10 Wealth is meaningless
& unsatisfying
·
Matt
6:19-34 Seek first the
The typical Kiwi attitude
is that we are self-sufficient & responsible for all we possess.
The Biblical
perspective is different – we are merely overseers of God’s earthly domain,
responsible for taking care of His resources until Jesus returns. We are called to be the wise managers of
God’s wealth, rather than the creators and consumers of our own wealth.
·
Genesis
14:17-24 Abram
acknowledged that his victory spoils were a gift from God
·
1 Chron 29:14-18 Everything
is God’s. We watch over it for Him. (also Psalm 24:1,2; 50:10-12)
·
Luke
16:10-12 He
will only trust us with much after we prove ourselves faithful with a little
·
1 Cor 4:2 Paul
exhorted those who were being trusted to prove themselves faithful
·
1 Tim 6:6,
Phil 4:10-13 Be content with what you have
·
Matt 6:24 Master money by serving God with it
1.
Generously Dt 15:7-10; Ps
37:21; Prov
11:24,25; 2 Cor
9:6
2.
Secretly Matt
6:1-4
3.
Strategically Acts
2:44,45; 4:32-37
4.
With
Honesty Acts 5:1-11 (Ananias
& Saphira)
5.
Sacrificially Mk
12:41-44; 2 Cor
8:1-9
6.
Joyfully 2 Cor 8:10-12; 9:7
7.
Setting
an Example 2 Cor
9:1,2,13 (your giving may encourage others to do the same)
8.
Investing
in the Future 2 Cor 9:6 you reap what you sow – therefore sow
bountifully
Matt 6:19-21; 1 Tim 6:18,19 gain treasure in heaven – no moths, rust or
thieves
Matt 19:16-24 This life is short, & then we face
God
9.
To Support Your
To Build the
Luke 8:2,3; Gal 6:6; 3 John 8; Luke 10:7; 1 Cor 9:9; 1 Tim
5:17-18;
As a wise man once said ‘While you have temples & priests, you need tithes & offerings). It costs money to operate a structured
local church – hence church
10.
To Build the
11.
To The Poor 1 Tim 6:17-19, 2 Cor
9:6-12, Deut 15:11, Lk 12:33, Gal 2:10, Prov 19:17
·
Tithing is
the giving of one tenth of your gross income to God. Under Old Testament
Law, God’s people were required to give a tithes (10%) of their gross income to God,
which went to provide for the Levites (their spiritual leaders). [Gen 14:20;
Lev 27:30; Deut 14:22; Neh 10:37-39; Mal 3:8-10]
·
Now we are
under New Testament grace brought by Jesus. We are no longer under a Law to
tithe, but it remains a fundamental biblical principle, and in fact the
NT principles go far beyond tithing. (ie
tithing is the easy way). All
that we have belongs to God (not just the first 10%), and He commands us to give
generously (ie much more than just tithing).
·
Experience
proves that we all need to establish discipline in our lives. Many people have the concept of giving, but without a stated discipline or commitment, in practice they give little.
·
Many
Christians can testify to the blessing of God, as they have established tithing
as the starting place in their
giving, with other offerings and gifts given in addition to their tithe.
·
2 Kings
4:1-7 God’s blessing for obedience
·
Matt
14:14-21 God can multiply
the little we have (feeding the 5000)
·
2 Cor 9:6-12 We
will always have enough to be generous
·
Lk 6:38 Give & you will
receive, overflowing amounts
1.
How
committed are you to the work of God?
Does this commitment extend into all areas of your life?
2.
What is youy starting place
for giving? ie what regular commitment have/will you make?
3. In Nehemiah 10:39, the Israelites
decided “We will not neglect the house of our God”
What does this mean for you?
3. George Barna said “God expects each of us to fund the church generously, He accepts no excuses for stinginess, and our lives are materially affected by our generosity”. Do you agree with this? What are your reasons?