Baptists for Africa

Discipleship Lesson 8 (John) – Giving

Discipleship Lesson 8: Giving

2 Corinthians 9:7 “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.”

Biblical Principles for Giving

  1. Our Heart Is Where Our Treasure Is

We will think about and live for whatever we spend all of our money on. Jesus said, “Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Luke 12:15). Our lives should be free from covetousness (Hebrews 13:5-6). If we love money, then our heart is not right in the sight of God (1 Timothy 6:10-11), and we will never be able to serve him, because “No man can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24).

Matthew 6:20-21 “20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”

  1. God Views Our Giving Proportionately, Not Comparatively

Someone should give according to their ability (Acts 11:29), “as God hath prospered him” (1 Corinthians 16:2; see also Galatians 6:10). Jesus said of the woman who poured an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard upon his head, “she hath done what she could” (Mark 14:8).

2 Corinthians 8:12 “For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath, and not according to that he hath not.”

God does not think of a rich man’s giving as more than a poor man’s giving. He sees our giving in proportion of what we have, and considers the sacrificial value of the giving as greater than the quantity value (see the story of the poor widow’s “two mites”: Luke 21:1-4).

  1. We Are Blessed When We Are Generous

God is very pleased when we give sacrificially (Hebrews 13:16), out of “deep poverty” (see 2 Corinthians 8:1-4). Giving to others is like sowing future blessings (2 Corinthians 9:6), or making wealthy friends (Luke 16:9-11). God promises that if you give in the right way, he will “reward thee openly” (Matthew 6:4; see Proverbs 19:17). However, the blessing could come in many forms: a spiritual blessing (2 Corinthians 9:8-11), a financial blessing (Matthew 6:33), or even a heavenly one (Luke 12:33).

Luke 6:38 “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.” (See Proverbs 11:24-25).

  1. Tithing

Tithing is the practice of giving the tenth part of all one’s earnings unto God. The word “tithe” literally means “the tenth.” God commands that we return to him our tithe: “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase…” (Deuteronomy 14:22). According to the Bible, 1/10th of our income is not our money, it belongs unto God.

Leviticus 27:30 “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord.”

Thus, when we fail to tithe, we are stealing from God:

Malachi 3:8-10 “8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, …”

Tithing In The Bible

Tithing can be figuratively seen in the offering of the “firstfruits” (Exodus 23:19; Deuteronomy 18:4): “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase” (Proverbs 3:9). Jesus described tithing as something which should not be left “undone” (Matthew 23:23).

  1. Abraham tithed to Melchizedek, an Old Testament character who was figurative of Jesus. In the same way, our tithe should be given unto Jesus’ body and institution upon earth: the local church (Colossians 1:24; Matthew 16:18).

Genesis 14:20 “And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.” (See also Hebrews 7).

  1. Jacob vowed to tithe unto God in Bethel saying it is “God’s house”. We must also tithe unto the New Testament house of God, the church (1 Timothy 3:15).

Genesis 28:22 “And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.”

  1. Joshua metaphorically tithed in the conquest of Canaan fought many battles. In the first battle against Jericho, all of the spoils of the city belonged unto God, and could not be taken (Joshua 6:18-19). The Israelites were in this way commanded to metaphorically “tithe” the spoils of these cities. We should not be as Achan––the picture of a man who fails to tithe––when he took the “accursed thing” in Jericho (see Joshua 7).
  2. The Israelites in the nation of Israel were commanded to pay tithes unto the Levites (Nehemiah 10:37-39; Hebrews 7:5). The tithes in the Old Testament were taken to the temple (Deuteronomy 12:5-6), and in the New Testament, the church is the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16).

Numbers 18:21 “And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve…”

Even as the tithe was used by the Levites and priests to subsist, so also in the New Testament the tithe of the church allows the leadership to minister full-time (1 Timothy 5:17-18; Matthew 10:10; Luke 10:7).

Galatians 6:6 “Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things.” (See also 1 Corinthians 9:1-14 for a Biblical discussion of this matter).

  1. Offerings And Gifts

Whenever we give more than we are commanded to the work of God, we are giving a special offering/gift. Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). God is the great giver, “who giveth us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Timothy 6:17). He fills our hearts with food and gladness (Acts 14:17); God upholds all things (Hebrews 1:3). Every good thing we have is from God (James 1:17), “… for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18). Thus, whatever we give unto God really came from God in the first place.

1 Chronicles 29:14 “But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee.”

 

Our Lord Jesus Christ himself forsook the glories and riches of heaven to save us (2 Corinthians 8:9), so we should have the same sacrificial character of generosity.

            Matthew 10:8 “… freely ye have received, freely give.”

Biblical Examples of Offerings

  1. The ministry of Jesus Christ: Jesus Christ had many people who gave of their own unto him to support his ministry (see Matthew 10:41-42).

Luke 8:2-3 “2 And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, 3 And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance.”

  1. The ministry of the Apostle Paul: Although Paul often worked a secular job making tents (Acts 18:1-3) to support himself (Acts 20:34) or to serve as an example (2 Thessalonians 3:7-9), he frequently lived off of the financial support of those like the Philippians.

Philippians 4:17 “Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.” (See Philippians 2:25; see also the example of Onesiphorus: 2 Timothy 1:16-18).

III. Almsgiving

Almsgiving is the act of donating one’s possessions or money unto the poor and needy. God cares for the poor, and makes many specific laws respecting them (Exodus 23:11; Leviticus 14:21; Leviticus 19:10; Leviticus 23:22). As Christians, we ought to help those in need if we can (Proverbs 3:27), otherwise, God’s love does not dwell in us (1 John 3:16-18). When we give money to the poor, we should do so privately, so that our good deed is not done for show (Matthew 6:1-4).

Who To Give Alms To

THE POOR MAN is a person who is a diligent and righteous individual (see Revelation 2:9; James 2:5). He works hard but either does not make enough money to meet his own needs, is temporarily unemployed, or cannot work because of some genuine physical handicap, as blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46), or lame Lazarus (Luke 16:20).

Proverbs 29:7 “The righteous considereth the cause of the poor: but the wicked regardeth not to know it.”

The cause of these people we must seek out (Deuteronomy 15:7-11), and help them in whatever way we can. The Bible commends the almsgiving of people like Job (Job 29:12, 16; 30:25; 31:16, 19), and the New Testament churches which gave unto the poor saints in Jerusalem (2 Corinthians 8-9; Romans 15:25-28). It makes the most sense to do most of our giving through the local church, and to those which are a part of it (Matthew 25:40). We are thus blessed if we consider those who poor (Psalm 41:1-3).

Proverbs 21:13 “Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.”

Proverbs 28:27 “He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.”

THE LAZY MAN is a person who is both idle and wicked. The slothful suffers need because of his refusal to work (Proverbs 21:25), his poor work performance and ethic (Proverbs 15:19; 22:13; 24:30-31), or his wasteful and sinful habits and addictions (Proverbs 12:27; Proverbs 18:9), or all three.

Proverbs 19:15 “Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.”

Typically, whenever the Bible speaks about begging, it is with a negative connotation (Psalm 37:25; 109:10; Proverbs 20:4); most beggars are sluggards. If we give to a slothful person, we are simply supporting their wicked lifestyle, and God will not respect this as alms.

2 Thessalonians 3:10 “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.”