You might say well they have got the money to give. And the whole topic of giving has been thrown on its head by the doctrine of Prosperity.

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1 Des Burrows Home Church Giving (Generously) Examples of Generous Givers Bill and Melinda Gates $40 Billion The Ford Foundation $10 Billion J Paul Getty Trust $10 Billion The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation $10 Billion W.K. Kellogg Foundation $8 Billion You might say well they have got the money to give. And the whole topic of giving has been thrown on its head by the doctrine of Prosperity. Prosperity basically says that when you give God has to give back. It places an expectation on the giver and when the expectation is not met hurt follows. And I know that this is a contentious topic. The Bible said it would be. Matthew 6: 21 For where your treasure is there your heart will also be. Don t mess with a man s heart! Try taking something that belongs to someone else, especially money, and you will experience their wrath. So we need to look at a balanced approach. Because Balance is the Key to Life. 1

2 Essentially the world has an unbalance in this area. The I want outweighs the I give especially here in Africa where the culture is one of an open hand to take. So is giving a Biblical instruction or is something created by man to get rich? What does the Bible say? We should give according to our Income. Deuteronomy 16:17 Each of you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed you. We should give without flamboyance. Matthew 6:3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. We should give freely. Matthew 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive our demons. Freely you have received, freely give. We should give with generously. Romans 12:8...if it is contributing to needs of others, let him give generously. We should give regularly 1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collection will have to be made. 2

3 We should give cheerfully. 2 Corinthians 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 6 points from the bible that clearly show that giving is biblical. I believe that giving should be an exciting prospect for every one of us. It should not be a routine that we dislike and find a burden on us. And I know that if you choose to make giving part of your life that you will find in it a life of great joy. "A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed." Proverbs 11:25 I have personally found this. You see our attitude should be; Not what s in it for me but how can I bless (help) someone else. If you give to others in whatever form it is pleasing to the soul. BUT it starts with this understanding. God gave first 3

4 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. How generous was his example? God s desire is that you will learn the joy and fullness of life that come from giving with all your heart. Generosity is more than a message; it is a critical part of God's plan for you. Embracing a life of generous living enables you to grow more intimately in your relationship with Him. And growing your relationship with him is what is important to God. 2 Corinthians 8:7... But just as you excel in everything in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us see that you also excel in this grace of giving. Luke 6:38 (The Message) Give away your life; you'll find life given back... given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way... Giving brings joy; But the greatest joy of giving comes as you experience the alignment of your heart with God's will for your life. But first; Matthew 6:33 (New King James Version) But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 4

5 When the pursuit of God's kingdom replaces the pursuit of possessions or wealth, margin is revealed in your heart. Contentment flows into spaces that once stood shallow, harbouring emptiness or dissatisfaction. Shifting from an earthly perspective to an eternal perspective makes your journey of generosity both easier and more exciting. You will be less conflicted about sharing your' funds and your' possessions, because you will recognize that you have been blessed with the opportunity to share the funds and possessions that were actually God's all along. The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; Psalms 24:1 (New International Version) SO what are your barriers to giving? The Generous Giving Organisation has 41 barriers and answers to the barriers on their Web Site 1. My giving is a private matter between God and me, no one else. 2. The Bible is about religious and moral issues, and not about money at all, let alone charitable giving. 3. The Bible commands us to give in secret, so we shouldn t be talking about this. 4. The tithe does not apply to Christians today, only to Old Testament Israel. 5. Christians are under grace, not under law, so the obligation to give does not apply to me. 5

6 6. The Bible says that each man should give what he has decided in his own heart to give. So I am free to give as much or as little as I choose, even not at all. 7. I m saved, so it doesn t matter how much I give, or even whether I give at all. 8. God loves a cheerful giver, but I am not cheerful about giving, so it s better not to give at all. 9. I don t owe God anything. 10. I don t owe my church anything. 11. I don t owe the poor anything. 12. If I were to give to the church, it would only contribute further to the greed and corruption among church leaders. 13. I don t have the spiritual gift of giving. 14. There s a good chance my donation would be misappropriated or wasted. 15. My donation will only encourage the poor to rely on handouts, rather than earn a living for themselves. 16. God doesn t need my money. 17. The church doesn t need my money. 18. I don t agree with my church s teachings. 19. I m not going to support my church s endowment because that money just sits there. 20. My pastor ought to get a day job, like the apostle Paul; that s a more biblical way to minister. 21. Money is the root of all evil; it has no place in the church. 22. I m only one person. My gift is no good if no one else is giving. 23. I have more than I need. But I am not prepared to live like a pauper. 24. I have spent a lifetime securing my financial independence. I can t throw it all away now. 25. I would like to give, but I d have to work another job or drastically cut back my standard of living. 6

7 26. We would give, but we are a young couple with no nest egg. (Or) We would like to give. But we are only a few years from retirement, paying for two kids in college, and have very little saved. (Or) Next year I have a promotion coming. We will give then, but right now the budget is pretty tight. 27. I m too young to give; I really just need to focus on being a student. 28. I am in the lower or middle income bracket. Giving is really the responsibility of wealthy people. 29. I ll leave some money in my will. But I can t give right now. 30. My financial advisor says I shouldn t give anything this year. 31. I am already a generous person. 32. I already tithe out of my paycheck; I can t afford to tithe out of my gross income. 33. I already tithe out of my income; my assets are my safeguard. 34. I already gave at the office. 35. I don t give to my church because I already give to another ministry. 36. Stewardship is a lot more than money. I give my time and talents by teaching Sunday school and opening my home. I consider that to be my giving. 37. I've already given more than enough in the form of taxes. 38. As long as I don t misuse, waste or steal money, it doesn t matter whether I give. 39. I don t give to the poor because I already give to my church. 40. I ve already maxed out my tax deductions for this year. My gifts won t count until next year, so I ll give then. 41. Small gifts don t really matter. 42. No one ever seems to appreciate my gift. So there is an answer to your barrier for giving. 7

8 And each of these answers can be confirmed by one fact. God gave first and we cannot out give Him. Fact: Jesus gave His life so that you could have and experience abundant life. This you cannot argue against Amen 8