Christian Giving

BS Lesson on Tithes and Love Offering

Compiled by Ate Nessie

Bible Study Lesson for Cell Groups : Christian Giving * Compiled by Ate Nessie *

TITHES & OFFERINGS

(Christian Giving)
PRAY INTRO The major parts of a worship celebration: 1. Adoration. Singing praises, dancing and lifting of holy hands. 2. Message. Listening (and obeying) Gods words / message. 3. Tithes and Offerings. Understanding the Doctrine of Stewardship: We are stewards of Gods resources. 1. Christian stewardship. It is the believers responsibility to manage that which God has entrusted to his/her care. 2. Understanding Stewardship. a) God is the owner and man is just a steward. Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lords, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground. b) Man shall give an account to God on everything he has done. We as stewards, should return (bring back) our tithes to God. 1. What is tithing? It means returning to God the tenth of our produce. (It is not a gift or an offering, in the strictest sense of the word.) Leviticus 27:30 A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belong to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. 2. When did the concept of tithing began? (Old Testament)

a) Abraham. Genesis 14:20b Abraham, after delivering Lot, give the priest Melchizedek a tenth of the spoil. Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. b) Jacob. Genesis 28:22 Jacob promised God, and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be Gods house, and all that You give me, I will give You a tenth.

2|Page

Bible Study Lesson for Cell Groups : Christian Giving * Compiled by Ate Nessie *

(1) Note the last statement: and all that You give me I will give You a tenth. This is the biblical concept of returning or bring back. (2) Tithing was an exercise of apportioning a part of a mans produce for offering to God even before the Law of Moses was established. Does the Old Testament law of tithing apply to modern-day Christians? If we impose the 10% rule on everyone, we will become legalistic. Ephesians 2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved Romans 6:14 you are not under law, but under grace. If we are not under law, but under grace, then how much should we give? John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. God gave His best! We should also give our best! Did Christ abolish tithing? (New Testament) Luke 21:3-4 I tell you the truth, he said, this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on. Does the Lord Jesus still watch people today in the manner He looked at the widow and her mite? Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. What in the Law should we not be subjected to? The holiness code feasts, sacrifices; ceremonial law which pertains to the dictates on how to be clean before God. The Moral and Ethical Law remains. What did Jesus say about tithing? Matthew 23:23 - Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practice the latter, without neglecting the former. Luke 19:8. Zacchaeus immediately gave 50% (not only 10%) and pledged to give back 400% to anybody he might have cheated. He said, Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount. What did Jesus say about him? In v.9, Jesus said to him, Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. Why was Abraham mentioned? He exemplified the act of tithing (Genesis 14:20b) Acts 4:36-37 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owns and brought the money and put it at the apostles feet. This perspective is of vital importance. Here, we learned that we must constantly realize that we are presenting to the Lord and not to men.

3|Page

Bible Study Lesson for Cell Groups : Christian Giving * Compiled by Ate Nessie *

Acts 5:1-11. In trying to emulate Barnabas, the couple Ananias and Sapphira made one fatal mistake! They pretended to give all. There was no necessity for them to do what they did. If they were not burdened by the Lord to give everything, they should have given what they were moved to give. But in telling a lie, they were not so much lying to their fellowmen but they were lying to the Lord. Since giving is an act of worship, they were wantonly false in their worship. And they paid the penalty for the sins death. 3. What is an offering? An offering is a gift over and above the stipulated one-tenth. It must come from a joyful and thankful heart. 2 Samuel 24:23-24 (Bible scholars dubbed this verse as the Cost of True Worship.) O king, Araunah gives all this to the king. Note King Davids reply in v.24 I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offering that cost me nothing. Mark 12:17 Then Jesus said to them, Give to Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is Gods. Relatedly, when we pay our income tax, we are not giving a gift to the government. It is our due or obligation as citizens of the country. In the same way, our tithes are not considered as offerings; there is only an offering when we present beyond the ten percent. Purposes of Tithing 1. To honor and revere God. Proverbs 3:9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Deuteronomy 14:23. The purpose of tithing is to teach us to put God first and foremost in our lives always. Note carefully the reason given: so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always. 2. For building faith. To reinforce our trust that God is the originator of our blessings. Psalm 24:1. (a) We should realize that our tithes are not offerings. When we tithe, we are simply returning or bringing back to God that which rightfully belongs to Him. (b) By bringing back to God a part of our income, we first of all acknowledge that everything we have comes from Him.

3. For the material support of the temple ministers. Numbers 18:24 Instead, I give to the Levites as their inheritance the tithes that the Israelites present as an offering to the Lord. That is why I said concerning them: They will have no inheritance among the Israelites. Levites = church workers 4. For the financial needs of the Church (Food in the House of God) 4|Page

Bible Study Lesson for Cell Groups : Christian Giving * Compiled by Ate Nessie *

Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house. When we find that church projects are not met in good time, His especially appointed servants are not cared for and supported properly, and/or a big crusade or seminar expenses are not met who is to blame? It is His children! Why do some believers withhold their tithes? 1) Ignorance 2) Distrust 3) Unbelief 4) Priority What results from withholding tithes? How did God characterize those who withhold their tithes? Malachi 3:10 Robbers Conversely, what are Gods promises to those who tithe? 1. An abundance of blessing (Malachi 3:10 / Proverbs 3:9 / 2 Cor 9:6) 2. Divine protection (Malachi 3:10) Gods Storehouse Where do we present our tithes? get spiritual nourishment.

Storehouse. The local church where you

CONCLUDING REFLECTIONS 1. A tithe is holy to the Lord. In tithing, we put God first and foremost in our lives always. 2. An offering is a gift that serves as an act of worship. In giving, we honor and worship God. (Done personally) 3. We are not really giving away our money when we give to God because all that we have belongs to Him. Giving becomes a joy when we recognize that God is the source of all we have. 4. We must realize that no matter how much we give, we can never pay in anyway what God has done for us. (John 3:16) 5. We can never outgive God! (Malachi 3:10 / Luke 6:38 Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 6. Giving is an eternal investment. (Matthew 6:20-21) 7. We must be prompted by love. Once we have learned to give sacrificially and experience Gods blessings as a result, the 10% will no longer be an issue. We will want to give more!

5|Page