Money, The Believer, and The Lord

PSSBC School 9

Lesson Outline 69

Money, The Believer, and The Lord

Tithe is 10% of your total income. It is taken out, separated and given to the Church of Christ for the work of priesthood. It is a commandment from God to all His Children. It sanctifies your income thereby enabling you to accomplish more with the money.

Offerings

Offerings are freewill gift in appreciation for the work, which God has done and is doing in our lives. The kind of gift you give to a person determines how important the person is to you. It is very essential to bring something as an offering when we come into the presence of God. This demonstrates how much we appreciate Him and will ultimately determine how He responds to us. Someone once said “that if all failed, try giving an offering “. We read in the bible how men like David and Noah touched the heart of God through their offerings (2 Samuel 24:24; Genesis 8:20-22).

TYPES OF OFFERINGS

i. Freewill offering (Luke 6:38, 2Corintians 7:6)

ii. Collection and contribution (Exodus 35 :4-9, Acts 4:32-37)

We do this often with welfare cases in GSWMI. on our Welfare group, CSR Group and Scholarship Scheme group, we pool our resources together to meet the needs of many who are struggling financially every month

iii. Giving to the poor (Proverbs 19:17, Leviticus 23:22)

We have a widow’s purse where we contribute monthly to give stipends to the widows who are on our database

iv. Seed offering (Psalm 126:1-6) We give seed offerings as led by the Holy Spirit to other ministries

v. Partnership (Philippians 4:15, Colossians 1:1-4) Partners of GSWMI have their own group from where they contribute financially to the growth and development of the ministry

vi. Prophetic seed (1Kings 17:7-16, Ezekiel 44:30) Usually given as led by the Holy Spirit to a man or woman of God whose words or pronouncement are valued in our spirit as discerned by the Holy Spirit

vii. Others (Thanksgiving offering, offering at the alter, offering for dedication, offering for naming etc).

FIRST FRUIT (Proverbs 3:9-10, Exodus 34:26, Romans 11:16 Ezekiel 44:30)

The first fruit is the first and the best. It’s the first income or an addition you receive at a certain time, which could be at the beginning of the year or after promotion. It’s holy to God and it involves your life and walk in the Holy Ghost

Jesus is the first fruit of our salvation

Jesus said “I assure you: Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains by itself. But if it dies, it produces a large crop. ICB -John 12:24

The fruits of Jesus’s death and resurrection are souls. Not money.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit will instruct you to give your first income or first increase in income to his work, please do so but be sure the Holy Spirit has led you to do this

There is a religious giving or a carnal-minded giving by many which is done to impress pastors, get ordained or promoted in church to further human ambition or done in ignorance due to the manipulation of men or a lottery mindset

This kind of giving is not acceptable to God

The firstfruit as an offering (Financial) must be divinely instructed by

God

More important is the firstfruit of souls

When you win souls, you are reproducing the reality of Jesus 

Let souls be the fruit you offer consistently 

GIVING INCREASES YOUR GRACE TO RECEIVE;

“As long as the world exists, there will be a time for planting and a time for harvest. There will always be cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night”(Genesis 8:22).

One of the most profound principles in the Word of God that guarantees continuous increase in finances is the principle of giving. Your giving is a channel to facilitate your receiving, for there can be no receiving without you first giving. 2 Corinthians 9:8 gives us divine insight into what your act of giving propels: “And God is able to make all grace (every favor and earthly blessing) come to you in abundance, so that you may always and under all circumstances and whatever the need be self-sufficient [possessing enough to require no aid or support and furnished in abundance for every good work and charitable donation]” (AMP).

Another thing your giving does is that it helps to establish your righteousness: “Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness…” (2 Corinthians 9:10).

Our lives as Christians should depict our heavenly Father’s character, who gave His precious Son, Jesus for our salvation: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). Make up your mind today to be a big giver like your Father, and activate the grace for receiving in your life.

Finally, do not feed the chaff!

Matthew 13

The Parable of the Weeds

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. 26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

If you know a ministry is not preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ do not be moved to support their work or validate it with your resources no matter how manipulative the message or intimidating the threat issued to force you to 

It is like encouraging cancer to spread by feeding it

That the wheat and the chaff are growing together does not mean you should put your resources in the one that will be thrown into the fire at the end of the day

Give to the right gospel, for therein lies your eternal reward and earthly blessings

This includes tithes, offerings and all giving

If your local church is not feeding you, do not give to them out of sentiment

Give to the ministry where you are being fed and nurtured consistently

Be conscious of the gospel of Jesus Christ and ensure that your resources goes into the establishment of its righteousness all over the world