Give

This is church! A body of believers! People who have said yes to Jesus and have become the extension of His ministry until He returns!

Your faith in Christ… is what makes you a part of the body of Christ. When you made the decision… when you decided to follow Jesus… you became a part of something VERY SPECIAL.

You became a part of what I have referred to in message past as… an uncommon community… a community that is unlike anything else in this world.

This community is brought together and held together by Jesus. He is CENTRAL to the existence of this community. We stand forgiven and set free because of His death on the cross. We are filled with new life because of His resurrection!

This community is commissioned and given purpose by Jesus… who is the head of the church. We are to make disciples… tell the good news! We have been instructed to tell the world that Jesus saves!

This community is an empowered community. Jesus has given us the power we need to live out our faith and to spread the gospel message. That power is found in the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts and baptizes with power from on high!

This uncommon, counter-cultural community is to stand out in this world… not to gain attention for ourselves… but for the very purpose of being the salt and light of this world! We are more than a weekly gathering in a worship facility… we are God’s church… the body of Christ!

Our series has been talking about how God builds this body. And yes… I believe God wants to build us up throughout the course of this next year. And I believe this is going to happen through specific avenues.

One, God is going to build this body through prayer. If we desire to be a strong and growing body… then we must be a praying body.

Two, God is going to build this body through mission. If we desire to be a strong and growing body… then we must be a missional body.

Three, God is going to build this body through serving. If we desire to be a strong and growing body… then we must be a serving body.

Today, we unpack yet another building block that is essential to what God is wanting to do in this church this year. It is another topic that moves us beyond our self… and into what the Lord has for us.

You see, prayer moves us from depending on self… to depending on our Savior. Missions moves us from personal agenda to God’s redemptive plan. Serving moves us from personal conveniences to compassionate ministry. All of these points move us beyond our self to what God has for us. And… this is what we see take place in the earliest days of God’s church.

Acts 2:42–47 NIV

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

As I read this passage, I see a people who were not about themselves… but were all about Jesus. They ate together, learned together, believed together, worshipped together, prayed together, praised God together and they saw DAILY growth in the church!

And… there was one more thing they did together that we have not studied yet… THEY GAVE TOGETHER. Look at verse 45 - they sold personal possessions and gave to anyone who had need. This brings us to our building block for the day: If we desire to be a strong and growing body today… then we must be a giving body.

There are many forms of giving we can focus on but we are going to zoom in on one: the giving of financial resources. This morning we are going to talk about tithes and offerings! Can I get an excited amen?

So what does giving money have to do with becoming a strong and growing body of believers?

Similar to the other points… giving moves us beyond… SELF. In fact… it is a tangible test of our trust in the Lord. It keeps our hearts in check… and further aligns our walk with direction of the Lord. How so? Our God… is a GIVING God. He was willing to give His Son to pay the price for our sins… and sometimes we struggle to give to pay the price so someone can eat a hot meal that day.

Listen church… part of what made the Acts 2 church an uncommon community was their uncommon commitment to giving! They gave God their best and trusted Him with the rest! And we are going to unpack what that means today. We are going to look at what God expects regarding giving… and how He blesses our generosity.

We need to understand that...

Giving is Obedience to God.

God has instructed His people to give! We know this instruction or form of giving as the tithe.

So what is the tithe?

Tithe simply means tenth. God instructs His people to give the first 10% of their increase to Him. We see this instruction given in passages such as Leviticus 27:30-32 and Numbers 18:21-32. These passage speak of the tithe and its use.

As we talk about the tithe, let’s first make clear what the tithe IS:

The tithe is undesignated offering given to God - brought to the storehouse. In Numbers 18, God instructed for the tithe to be given to the Levites for two reasons:

One, they did not receive a land inheritance like the other tribes of Israel and...

Two, the tithe received would provide their living as the reward for their work in the tabernacle.

The tithe… kept the ministry of the tabernacle in operation.

Today, when we bring our tithe to the storehouse… to God’s church… we release that part of our income to the Lord.

One, it is an act of worship… it is a way to say thank you to the Lord for His provision. Our money… is not our money! God has given us the increase and has called us to be good stewards of what He has given us! (REPEAT LAST LINE)

Two, it is an act of obedience to what the Lord has commanded. Yes… I believe this kind of giving is still commanded of God, we’ll talk about that in a moment. But ultimately, tithing is direct obedience to God’s commands.

Three, it is giving God’s way. It is not up to us to determine what tithing is… or isn’t. God’s Word clearly points out what tithing is: giving a tenth to the Lord - undesignated and brought to the storehouse. Giving outside of that is an offering.... but not the tithe. If you find yourself saying “I tithe in this way” or “this is how I give my tithe” then I give you this word of caution: are you giving as God commanded or are you trying to give on your terms?

Lastly, tithing is a test of our trust. When we give God that first ten percent… we are trusting God to bless the remaining ninety percent. God is not so much interested in what’s left over… He’s more interested in your trust. He knows your needs… and He is faithful to provide for all your needs. If you find yourself questioning that truth… before you doubt the Lord’s faithfulness… first you need to reflect on your faithfulness in giving.

When the tithe is brought into the storehouse… it goes directly for the cause of ministry.

The tithe that comes into HWC is used to keep the ministries up and running and going strong.

The tithe helps pay the propane bill - and I’m glad we’ve been able to pay that bill in these cold winter months!

The tithe helps keep the lights on, the water running, the grounds kept clean, and the building maintained. It feeds the hungry, puts gas in people’s cars, and helps with utility bills. It keeps our buses full of fuel and in good repair, our classrooms full of discipleship material, our office well supplied and kitchen ready for fellowships. It keeps our men’s and women’s conferences free, our youth rallies free, and our special events… FREE. It keeps our ministry staff paid and taken care of. The tithe that comes in… helps keep the ministries of HWC moving forward!

What we give in offerings… goes even beyond that! Offerings are given above and beyond our tithe. This includes giving to missions, donating to the youth ministry, giving to the building fund, sponsoring a student to go to camp, and so on.

Faithfulness in tithing grows our trust in the Lord… and strengthens the resources of the body.

God expects obedience in our giving. God commands for His people to tithe. And… He expects something else when it comes to our giving today… and this is absolutely essential.... Giving IS obedience to God and...

Giving is a Reflection of our Heart.

What do I mean by this today? Simple. The motive and heart behind your giving… matters to God. God desires for you to give for the right reasons.

Paul said this in 2 Corinthians 9:6-8

2 Corinthians 9:6–8 NIV

6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.

Again… God desires for us to give for the right reasons! So… What would be some wrong motives for giving today?

As the text just said a moment ago… reluctantly or compulsion. We are not passing the plates again at the end of service because your pastor doesn’t want you giving under pressure, because of guilt or compulsion. I pray this message will result in generous, cheerful, obedient givers. The heart behind your giving matters to God!

Another wrong reason would be for personal glory or recognition. Jesus warned us in His Sermon on the mount to not announce our giving for the rewards of others, but to give in secret… Matthew 6:4

Matthew 6:4 (NIV)

4 ...Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Don’t be concerned with how others view your generosity… but concern yourself with how God views your generosity. Jesus flat out said that giving for personal glory… is hypocritical!

Now let’s look at what giving for the right reasons looks like.

Give what you have decided in your heart… what does that mean? We know what God expects us to give… but should our giving stop there? The Word is not necessarily talking about the quantity of our giving… so much as the quality of our heart’s desires and motives.

In a culture driven by materialism and convenience, it is not always easy to give in a sacrificial way - but if we stop at giving that which is convenient, it is not really a sacrifice and requires little effort… or generosity. God wants His people to show His generosity by gladly giving so that others can do and receive ministry.

God said give with a cheerful heart.

This is opposite of reluctant or compulsive giving! This is giving knowing that God will utilize that resource for the expansion of His kingdom! This is not giving out of obligation. This is giving because God and His ministry is worth giving to! We see and understand the value of giving to God!

And never forget… we give… because God gave first. If you’re not giving cheerfully… then you are missing the greatest blessing in giving.... you’re making it about you and not God.

But when we worship the Lord through our giving… we honor Him and open the door for great things to happen!

When we give for the right reasons… Paul makes clear what will come to the cheerful giver!

God is ABLE to bless you abundantly! Giving generously unlocks God’s ability to BLESS YOU! In fact, God instructed us to test Him in this way!

Malachi 3:10–11 NIV

10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty.

Bottom line is: God blesses those who give generously… with a cheerful heart. Why? Because God blesses those who are faithful and obedient to Him. God blesses those… who trust in Him. When we give… we trust God to provide and to bless the rest… and God PROMISED.... say that word with me… God PROMISED to bless cheerful and obedient givers!

So in light of these biblical truths today...

What kind of giver do you desire to be?

When it comes to giving… God expects obedience, and blesses generosity. When it comes to giving… it’s not so much about what we have in our wallet… so much as it is about the position of our heart. God deeply cares about the position of your heart.

And I get it… maybe you think tithing is an Old Testament thing… a teaching no longer expected under the new covenant. But consider this:

In His sermon on the Mount, Jesus brings up two well-known lawful commands… thou shalt not kill, and thou shalt not commit adultery. We still believe that murder and adultery are sin. In His teaching… He expands on the original idea of both commands.

Jesus expanded the meaning.... He went to the heart of the matter regarding these two sins.

Adultery begins in the mind… murder can take place with words.

In other words… grace expands what the law demands - it goes deeper to the heart of the matter.

When it comes to giving… we should expect the same - God cares about the position of our heart… about our level of generosity and trust. Let me show you…

Look at Jesus’ words in Matthew 23. Jesus is giving the Pharisees some warnings as He speaks of the end times… and look at what He says.

Matthew 23:23 NIV

23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

The Pharisees gave their ten percent… but failed to give in the areas of justice, mercy and faithfulness! Their generosity stopped at what the law demanded… but Jesus was clear on how grace expanded the law… IT ALL COMES BACK TO THE HEART OF THE GIVER.

So I ask again… what kind of giver do yo desire to be today? It’s not a matter of whether or not God has called us to give… it’s a matter regarding the position of our hearts.

God LOVES a cheerful giver… someone who responds to His generosity… with generosity. Our God is a very generous God!

If you want to make 2024 your best fiscal year yet… put God first in your giving. God will bless the rest.

If you truly trust the Lord with your finances… put God first in your giving. God will provide for all your needs.

If you truly desire to obey the Lord in all things… put God first in your giving. God will honor your faithfulness and obedience.

So here is out prayer call… If you are struggling in your heart regarding giving… but desire to experience a change in this area… then we start by asking God… to change our hearts.

Heads bowed, eyes closed… how many today would say you struggle sometimes in this area? This is not a judgement call… its an honesty call. If you raised your hand and you truly want God’s help… than ask Him to begin to change your heart. “Help us Lord, to be generous givers. Help us, Lord, to give in a way that honors you. Help us, Lord, to be good stewards of what You have given us, In Jesus’ name.”

And lastly… as the Spirit would lead you… give unto the Lord… and see if the Lord will not throw open the floodgates of His blessing upon you! As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 9:8

2 Corinthians 9:8 (NIV)

8 ...God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.