Welcome to a new week. May it be a refreshing and rewarding one in all areas of our expectations in Jesus’ precious name!
As Christians, we need to understand the purpose of biblical giving. We need this because many of us misunderstand giving in the church as another smokescreen for pastors to enrich themselves at the instance of the worshippers.
What is biblical giving?
Biblical giving is the kind of giving as described and instructed in the scriptures. John 3:13-16: “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man [a]who is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should [b]not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”.
God gave us His only begotten son so that nobody should perish. In Isaiah 9:6, we are made to know that unto us a child would be born, who shall be called “wonderful, counselor, mighty God, everlasting father, and prince of peace”. Here, we understand that God gave the very best to the entire world. He offered Jesus, the very best of God, to redeem humankind and give the world peace and joy. He gave eternally and without reservation.
It behooves us to return the Lord’s great gestures and honor Him with our best, which the scriptures call “our substance or possession”. This implies honoring God with the best things that we have- our hearts, our time, our services, skills, strength, labor, property, the first fruits of all our increases, and so forth (Proverbs 3:9-10). God expects the very best of all that He has given to you in return. He does not request you to return everything that He has given you, but He wants heartfelt gratitude for that which He gives you through tangible resources (time for Him, labor in His vineyard, wealth to expand His gospel, and so on).
Hannah offered to God all her very best- her one and only son to serve in God’s vineyard- and by the reason of this, got five more children from God (1 Samuel 2:21).
What is the purpose of giving?
The purpose of giving is not that we look at what God can do before we give. As children of God, the essence of giving is to glorify God. We should be thinking about how our time, service, and money can glorify God in diverse ways. What special skills do I have that can grow God’s house and word? What do I do as a career or work that can be extended to God’s kingdom service? How can my being able to sing advance the message of salvation and glorification of God in worship? These and more are the purpose of giving.
In Luke 16:1-13. Jesus shares the parable of the shrewd manager. This story teaches us that God is the giver of the key to wealth, as well as ideas and wisdom to multiply it. The parable continues that such money or wealth is to not only save or invest but also in trustworthy service (stewardship) and spending in such a way that it would multiply.
God has blessed us with money to help others and one of the ways to do so is investing in kingdom service. Through His vineyard, multitudes are blessed. If He can trust us to spend our money to meet the needs of others, then the money we ourselves need will also be provided. Through giving, we are stewards in God’s house and co-laborers in the vineyard.
If God blesses you with a good career or job, He is calling or giving you a signal to use it to bless His kingdom in return. When God blesses you with wealth, it is a signal that He wants your stewardship with that wealth. He does not give us these resources just for our own selfish ends or pleasures. As God would not produce the cash or resources Himself, He raises wealthy and talented people on His behalf for heavenly stewardship. This is why, the more we use our blessings for His cause, our blessings come back multiplied.
If you are not faithful with the money God has committed into your hands for another man, why would He give you yours? (Luke 16:12). The wealth He gives us today is for advancing the cause of human progress. If we are blessed and do not use those blessings for humanity through God’s work, He may not multiply those blessings, but take them. No man can serve two masters: you either love/serve money or love/serve God (Luke 16:13). When we hold back our money when we are supposed to boost kingdom service, we show that we love and serve money. However, when we use the substance of our wealth to advance kingdom service, it means that we love and serve God.
The main purpose of giving is that God’s work moves forward. He has given us the power to get wealth, life, and a sound mind. He is a doer of all good things. Every good thing we have comes from God. If therefore He wants just a token from what He has given, give it without hesitation.
Friends, let us understand that just giving is not the message, but being a committed and unconditional giver is the key message. In addition, it is instructive to note that money is not the only resource that Christians should give in the church, but also every resource that God has blessed us with, such as skills or talents, time, strength, wisdom, etc. May God grant us the understanding of this message and the grace to be committed givers from the best that He has given us, in Jesus’ precious name. Amen!
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- Pastor Sam Adelusimo is the Resident Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Chapel of Praise Parish, Northwest Arkansas, United States of America
