THE BOOK OF ACTS MARCH 30, 2025
DEVOTED TO GIVING

GIVING GOD OUR TALENTS

God has given each of you a gift… Use them well to serve one another. 1 Peter 4:10

1/ Christians should give of their natural gifts.


2/ Christians should give of their spiritual gifts.

clcolumbia.com/sermon/discover-and-develop-your-spiritual-gifts


SCRIPTURE

God asks for our first and best. But Israel was giving their last and worst.

“I, the Lord, do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from My decrees and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’” And God replied, “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob Me.” “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing You?’” God said, “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nations—because you are robbing Me. 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. 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. “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:6-12


REASONS CHRISTIANS DO NOT GIVE FINANCIALLY

1/ Some do not know what the Bible teaches.

A tithe is 10% of one’s income. An offering is anything above the 10%.


2/ Some do not believe tithing is for today.


3/ Some do not have faith that God will sustain them.

“Sometimes we can’t truly understand the Bible until we obey it.” Eugene Peterson



4/ Some do not trust ministries due to bad experiences.

If you cannot trust your church with your money, you shouldn’t trust it with your soul.


5/ Some do not remember.


6/ Some do not care.



GIVING GOD OUR TREASURES

1/ The tithe is an expectation God has for His people. (v. 8)

Tithing is not about generosity. It’s about obedience.

“Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” Matthew 22:21


2/ The tithe is a full 10%. (v. 10)

Everyone tithes. Some give it to God, others to bills or Amazon. But everyone tithes.


3/ The tithe withheld removes the blessing of God. (v. 9)

Giving should never be motivated by fear or guilt or manipulation.


4/ The tithe unleashes a supernatural blessing. (v. 10)

Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10

We do not give to get. Tithing is not buying God’s blessing. We give to love and obey.


5/ The tithe establishes protection around our resources. (v. 11)

God doesn’t preserve us from any and all financial difficulty. But He will watch over.


6/ The tithe places favor on our efforts. (v. 11)

Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to. Deuteronomy 15:10


7/ The tithe is a partnership with God. (v. 10)

It is the plan of God for the people of God to fund the purposes of God.

When you take care of God’s house, God will take care of your house.


8/ The tithe reveals God’s commitment to us and to His word. (v. 10)

…all the animals of the forest are Mine, and I own the cattle on a thousand hills. Ps50:10


9/ The tithe reveals God’s faithfulness to others. (v.12)



GOD DOESN’T NEED YOUR MONEY

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21

1/ Giving is about deity.


2/ Giving is about devotion to God’s house.


3/ Giving is about destiny.



CLOSE

1/ For those who have been tithing so faithfully throughout the years…


2/ For those who haven’t started giving…