Join us for live worship and an inspiring message from Bobbie Houston
and church testimonies in our evening service from the Hills Campus,
Sydney, Australia.
SONG LIST Dawn
I Exalt Thee
O Come Let Us Adore
We Exalt Thee
Bright as the Sun: https://youtu.be/B8l-MmjK6cQ
Every Breath: https://youtu.be/3czr08B6EwA
COMMUNION Good Grace: https://youtu.be/EhKSRIvDFI0
SONG LIST Dawn
I Exalt Thee
O Come Let Us Adore
We Exalt Thee
Bright as the Sun: https://youtu.be/B8l-MmjK6cQ
Every Breath: https://youtu.be/3czr08B6EwA
COMMUNION Good Grace: https://youtu.be/EhKSRIvDFI0
When we get born again, we soon learn the
significance of giving generously to make a difference in others’ lives.
The empowerment to be financially generous is part of who we are as
Christians. The world doesn’t understand giving and sees it as a loss
instead of a gain, and therefore fears it. However, because God has
blessed us with prosperity on all levels, we can bless others.
Under the Law of Moses, the people were required to give ten percent in order to be blessed; if they didn’t, they were cursed. “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation” (Malachi 3:8, 9). People gave out of fear of punishment if they neglected this requirement. A lot of people in the church still see financial giving through the lens of the law, but Jesus changed all that when He came.
When Christ ended the law, He removed all the curses associated with it but left all the blessings intact. Tithing is still to our benefit, but the curse brought on by not giving is gone. Because we’re no longer under the law, we’re free to give even more than what the ten-percent rule stipulated.
God isn’t asking us to give what we don’t have. Under the covenant of grace, we give according to how we’ve been blessed. Paul instructed the church at Corinth to give in this manner, and also to deliberately plan ahead and not just drop money into the offering as an afterthought. “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:2). If it’s true that money talks, then a generous offering makes a powerful statement.
Our level of giving reveals how much we rely on God. When we decide to rely on Him more than on physical wealth, we position ourselves for blessings not just in our finances, but in all other areas of our lives. “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38, NLT). Money has the potential steal our trust away from God. Trusting in Him more than in anything else allows Him to honor that trust by bringing increase where we need it.
To prosper is to succeed and to thrive; this is God’s will for us. Generously giving opens us up to the blessings we pass on to others, to a much greater degree. There’s no need to be afraid to give, because we eventually reap the financial seeds we plant in others’ lives now. A solid understanding of this enables God to abundantly bless, the way He wants to.
For more on how giving blesses the giver as well as the receiver, click on the link below to see the DVD series, Fight the Fear of Giving.
http://bit.ly/FighttheFearofGiving
Under the Law of Moses, the people were required to give ten percent in order to be blessed; if they didn’t, they were cursed. “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation” (Malachi 3:8, 9). People gave out of fear of punishment if they neglected this requirement. A lot of people in the church still see financial giving through the lens of the law, but Jesus changed all that when He came.
When Christ ended the law, He removed all the curses associated with it but left all the blessings intact. Tithing is still to our benefit, but the curse brought on by not giving is gone. Because we’re no longer under the law, we’re free to give even more than what the ten-percent rule stipulated.
Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. ‘For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.’ And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others (2 Corinthians 9:6-8, NLT).We can now give motivated by love and compassion for others, instead of by fear.
God isn’t asking us to give what we don’t have. Under the covenant of grace, we give according to how we’ve been blessed. Paul instructed the church at Corinth to give in this manner, and also to deliberately plan ahead and not just drop money into the offering as an afterthought. “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come” (1 Corinthians 16:2). If it’s true that money talks, then a generous offering makes a powerful statement.
Our level of giving reveals how much we rely on God. When we decide to rely on Him more than on physical wealth, we position ourselves for blessings not just in our finances, but in all other areas of our lives. “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back” (Luke 6:38, NLT). Money has the potential steal our trust away from God. Trusting in Him more than in anything else allows Him to honor that trust by bringing increase where we need it.
To prosper is to succeed and to thrive; this is God’s will for us. Generously giving opens us up to the blessings we pass on to others, to a much greater degree. There’s no need to be afraid to give, because we eventually reap the financial seeds we plant in others’ lives now. A solid understanding of this enables God to abundantly bless, the way He wants to.
For more on how giving blesses the giver as well as the receiver, click on the link below to see the DVD series, Fight the Fear of Giving.
http://bit.ly/FighttheFearofGiving
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