The Purpose Of Giving

Scripture Reading

1 Corinthians 16:1 “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also:”

1 Corinthians 16:2 “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”

1 Corinthians 16:3 “And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem.”

1 Corinthians 16:4 “But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.”

Intro - We No Longer Tithe But We Can Learn From Tithing

Tithing was a tenth of everything!

Tithing - a tenth

Deuteronomy 14:22 ““You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year.”

Deuteronomy 14:23 “And you shall eat before the Lord your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always.”

Deuteronomy 14:24 “But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the Lord your God has blessed you,”

Deuteronomy 14:25 “then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the Lord your God chooses.”

Deuteronomy 14:26 “And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household.”

Deuteronomy 14:27 “You shall not forsake the Levite who is within your gates, for he has no part nor inheritance with you.”

Deuteronomy 14:28 ““At the end of every third year you shall bring out the tithe of your produce of that year and store it up within your gates.”

Deuteronomy 14:29 “And the Levite, because he has no portion nor inheritance with you, and the stranger and the fatherless and the widow who are within your gates, may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.”

We do not have any commandments to tithe in the New Testament

Today we are not absolved from giving but from tithing

Giving in the Church is for a purpose

The Purpose of Giving In Church Is For The Work of Ministry

Ministry Costs Money And Always Has

God used money to build his temples in the Old Testament.

God used money to maintain the Temple in the Old Testament

God used money to supply the needs of the Levitical Priesthood

God used money to feed the poor of God’s people and the people who lived within their gates.

God loves the rich

God loves the poor

God expects those of us who are blessed with more material things to share with those who don’t have among us.

Matthew 19:21 “Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.””

Luke 18:22 “So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.””

Their will always be poor among us

Galatians 2:10 “They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.”

Proverbs 22:2 “The rich and the poor have this in common, The Lord is the maker of them all.”

Galatians 2:10 “They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.”

James 2:5 “Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?”

The point of the offering has always been for the work of ministry

And for the unifying of the people of God

Ephesians 4:11 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,”

Ephesians 4:12 “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,”

Ephesians 4:13 “till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;”

Ephesians 4:14 “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,”

Ephesians 4:15 “but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—”

We have a scripture in the New Testament Church that talks to us about the purpose of giving.

The Purpose

1 Corinthians 16:1 “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also:”

The Christians in Jerusalem where suffering.

Acts 11:28 “Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar.”

Acts 11:29 “Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.”

2 Corinthians 8:2 “that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.”

The Purpose

1 Corinthians 16:2 “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”

When?

Acts 20:7 “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.”

Where?

Mal

Why?

Offering to the saints in Jerusalem to bring the Church together, Jews and Gentile Christians

Paul wanted to bring the Jewish and Gentile Christians together

And because the Gentile Christians at Corinth had money and the Jewish Christians were blessing them spiritually

Galatians 6:6 “Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.”

Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”

Galatians 6:8 “For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.”

Galatians 6:9 “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.”

Galatians 6:10 “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.”

Acts 11:29 “Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.”

Acts 11:30 “This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.”

2 Corinthians 9:5 “Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you ahead of time, and prepare your generous gift beforehand, which you had previously promised, that it may be ready as a matter of generosity and not as a grudging obligation.”

2 Corinthians 9:12 “For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God,”

People were poor

Acts 2:44 “Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common,”

Acts 2:45 “and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.”

Acts 4:32 “Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.”

Acts 4:33 “And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.”

Acts 4:34 “Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold,”

Acts 4:35 “and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.”

1 Corinthians 16:2 “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.”

Whomever you approve?

Why does he say this?

The letters to the Corinthians were written AD 54-56

The letters to Timothy and Titus were written from AD 64-66

The expectation was for the Corinthians to choose faithful men

Only faithful men should handle the money

1 Corinthians 16:3 “And when I come, whomever you approve by your letters I will send to bear your gift to Jerusalem.”

1 Corinthians 16:4 “But if it is fitting that I go also, they will go with me.”