What are the benefits of Giving?
II Corinthians 8:7
This morning I would like to speak a message that I believe the Lord has placed upon my heart.
How many here could use a financial miracle.
Well this morning I would like to speak a message on how to get it.
The title of the message is "What are the benefits of giving?"
Today we see God doing a lot of things within our Church from:
Lives being changed, souls being saved, Churches being launched out and families being restored...
Just yesterday I was at a beautiful wedding of a couple in our Church that God has done great things in their life.
There are great things taking place within our Church. and all this is being made possible through your giving!!!
Last but not least: In just a few months we will be hosting our second Victory Outreach International Africa Conference in our very own City - Cape Town, South Africa...
God is going great things here in our Church, but we can't get comfortable because there are more things that God wants to do.
How is this going to be made possible, through the giving of Gods people!!!
If we are going to accomplish what God has called us to do, then it is going to take a Church with a giving mentality. That is very important.
I wanted to encourage the Church this morning with this message about - there are benefits in giving to God.
Here is a true story:
Giving our Tithe
Charlie Page was a young man, broke, penniless and jobless. One day he stopped on the street to listen to a Salvation Army service.
When the tambourine was passed round for the collection, he told the girl who held it out before him that he would like to give something but had nothing himself, even for his food.
She gave him a dollar, saying, 'Take this: put ten cents in the offering, and hereafter give a tenth of all you get to God. Keep this up all your life, and you'll never be penniless again.' He did so, got a job, and began giving his tenth regularly.
By and by he became a millionaire, and gave much more than a tenth, building Hospitals and helping in many ways to carry on the work of the Lord.
See when you and I are faithful in our giving to God there are benefits.
1 - Giving draws us closer to God
How does giving draw us closer to God?
Well the Bible says "Where your treasure is there your heart will be also"
Wherever we put our money, that is where out heart is. If our money is in investments that is where our heart is, if our money is in our house that is where our heart is, if our money is in our career then that is where your heart is and if my money is in the house of the Lord then that is where my heart is.
See Money is like a magnet - where ever we put it, it tends to pull our hearts.
When I give money to God its like a magnet it pulls us closer to God.
So that means if my treasure or my finances is going to God, then my heart is getting closer to Him.
Every time we give - it draws us closer to God.
Giving is the nature and characteristic of God.
The Bible says in John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His One and Only Son. God gave His best because He loves you and I.
When we give we become more like God, God gave His best.
Giving also draws us closer to God because giving is an act of Worship and when you and I Worship God, it draws us closer to God.
Isn't that true.
Have you ever come to a service and you feel a little down, or you feel a little discouraged, or you feel a little far from God, but then you begin to sing and Worship Him and put your focus on Him the next thing you know you are feeling a little better.
Why because Worship draws us closer to God and just like singing is an act of worship, so is giving.
That is why we set aside a time to give unto the Lord - So we can worship God with our giving.
Just like we sing, we praise, we dance, we clap, and we sing worship songs. We also set aside a time to give, because Giving is an act of Worship.
Imagine - someone testifying after service this morning - I got my breakthrough during Tithes and Offerings.
Come On Somebody...
I don't know about you, but that has happened to me.
Some of the best times I've had in Church have not only come when I've danced at the Altar, or was broken by a powerful Worship song, or shouted real loud because of the excitement, but it was when I was able to give some finances to God when my finances were tight or when I was able to pay off a pledge that I committed to.
I am sitting there during the tithes and offering thinking man that was hard, but it felt good....
When we worship God with our giving it draws our hearts closer to Him.
Giving is like spiritual aerobics its good for the heart and it even makes it stronger...
We must remember something about money, God doesn't need our money.
He owns all the silver and gold and all the cattle on a thousand hill, but what He wants is what our money represents. - that is our heart..
See when you and I Worship God not only with song, words, or actions but also with our giving it draws us closer to Him.
Wherever your money is that is where you heart is.
So the first thing that you and I should remember about giving is that it draws us closer to God.
2. Giving strengthens our faith.
The next thing that giving does is strengthens our faith. See faith is like a muscle the more you and I exercise it, the stronger it becomes.
Our giving proves the reality of our faith.
Sometimes God will use finances to test our faith. Have you ever had to decide between paying a bill or giving your tithes?
You only have so much finances to work with and you are wondering how is God going to meet my needs if I put Him first. Well that is a test of our faith.
God may be saying do you think I can really meet all your needs or do you feel you need to take care of them on your own?
God says bring all the tithe into the store house and see if I will not open the flood gates of heaven and pour you out a blessing.
Basically God is saying -I Dare you to put me first and see how I will bless you.
Go ahead I Dare you to tithe - Go ahead I Dare you - tithe Go head and watch how I will bless you...
Give... go ahead Give... I Dare you... and watch and see how I will bless your life.
Quoted from Rick Warren - Did you know there are more promises in the Bible regarding giving than any other thing? Jesus talked more about giving than he did about Heaven or Hell. I believe this is because giving is the essence of being like Jesus.
When you and I give it shows that we trust God to meet our needs.
It shows that we trust God and we believe His promises to meet our every need.
Giving can and will strengthen our faith, God will stretch and God will test our faith..
God promises you and I blessings when we are faithful in our giving.
Now when you and I see God come through time and time again it should strengthen our faith.
Like I said earlier faith is like a muscle the more and more you and I excercise it, the stronger it becomes.
Tell your neighbor - you are only getting stronger...
The best time to give is when it hurts: -
Quote - Sunday School Times
A group of churches was raising a fund of $30,000 to finance missionary projects in Africa and South America. A little church whose members lost nearly all their property in a terrible disaster sent a check for $209. The secretary of the missionary society sponsoring the work was reproached for accepting the gift: "Doesn't it hurt your conscience to take money from a people that are struggling financially?"
The secretary replied, "Did the Lord tell the widow to come back and take her two mites out of the treasury box?
Hello Somebody..
Talking about the best time to give is when it hurts reminds me of the widow woman in I Kings 17 -
I Kings 17:12 And she said, [As] the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I [am] gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
1Ki 17:13 And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go [and] do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring [it] unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
1Ki 17:14 For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day [that] the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
She was down to her last meal, but she gave and God met every need that she had. She never lacked again.
You and I would think that being in such a difficult situation God will excuse her from giving,right?
Well I came across a list of those who can be excused from giving to God's work and Christian missions... This list was compiled from Horace Bushnell, the great new England preacher...
He says the only ones who may be excused from giving are the ones who are listed below:
1- Those who believe that men are not lost in sin and do not need a Saviour.
2- Those who believe that Jesus made a mistake when He said to His followers: "Go into all the world, and preach the Gospel to every creature."
3- Those who believe the Gospel is not the power of God, and that faith in Christ cannot save.
4- Those who wish that missionaries had never come to our ancestors, and that we ourselves are still unsaved.
5- Those who believe that it is "every man for himself" in this world, and, with Cain, ask: "Am I my brother's keeper?"
6- Those who wish to have no share in the final victory of Christ.
and last but not least
7-Those who believe they are not accountable to God for the money and talents entrusted to them.
The question is Are You Excused?
See even though our situation may not be the best to give, we are not excused, because that is the best time to put God to the test.
It is called sacrificial giving. Sacrificial giving is giving when it hurts.
It strengthens our faith, when we see God come through.
Raise your hand if you have given in a situation that didn't seem the best to give, but God came through...
We should be willing to sacrifice - because we want to keep growing - and it develops our spiritual faith muscles.
- we can get stuck in the past if we don't keep stepping out by faith in our giving.
The Bible says in II Corinthians 8:7
But since you excel in everything--in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you --see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
See gifts are good, speaking in tongues is good , evangelizing is good, dancing is good, teaching is great, but we need to also excel and continue to grow in the gift of giving.
3. Giving blesses us in return.
Time and time again God says in the Bible if you give I will unto you.
Luke 6:38
Malachi 3:10
Deuteronomy 15:10 - Give generously to him 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
Proverbs 11:24-25There is one who scatters, and yet increases all the more, and there is one who withholds what is justly due, and yet it results only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, and he who waters will himself be watered.
Matthew 25:29
Philippians 4:19
Proverbs 3:9
II Corinthians 9:6
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
Over and over in the Bible we see that there are benefits in Giving to God.
Just like you and I want a job that has good benefits, well there's no better benefits than to giving to the Kingdom of God..
How does God bless us:
***- by giving us a raise at our job...
*** - decreasing our expenses
*** - by keeping us healthy
Giving feels good!!! - It feels good to give.
Let me just share with you one of many testimonies that I have heard from our people that are faithful in their giving:
1 - a brother came up to me and said Pastor Dre I just want to share a testimony with you. My dad had a debt of over R500,000 and he didn't know what to do. He started tithing and was believing God, the next thing you know the he gets a notice saying that the R500,000 had been cancelled.
2 - a sister not too long ago says Pastor Dre I just want to let you know I got me a new car.
3 - another person came up to me and said - I wanna let you know that I will be getting the settlement that you help me pray about and the first thing I am going to do is tithe.
Hello Somebody!!!
Tell your neighbor - there are benefits in giving to The Lord
.
In closing there are 2 types of people in life - there are givers and then there are takers.
There are people in life that are constantly giving and then there are people in life that are constantly taking.
Which one would you like to be classified as this morning, a giver or a taker?
Let me ask a question - "Are there any givers in The House this morning?"
I know we have givers here this morning - you say how do I know, because a lot of you have been getting blessed.
Think about it - many of you have gotten - new cars, new houses, new jobs, promotions, and on and on.
I remember when we were in the PPK there may have been maybe 15 to 20 cars in the parking lot, but now we some of you are fighting for parking spaces.
Come on Somebody...
Now on the other hand there may be some here this morning that have come for a free ride, you are not experiencing what the ones who have sacrificed are experiencing.
Well I have a secret for you this morning and don't tell the person next to you.
In order to receive the blessings you and I need to be a blessing.
See givers are the ones who walk into The House of God and they get Joy to see what The Lord is doing through their giving.
When they walk in to The House of The Lord there is a spirit of excitement.
Why because they see and experience how their giving has and is making a difference in the lives of people
See the blessings don't only come in material ways, but the blessing also come in spiritual ways.
When you and I see a couple restored like I just saw this Saturday ¬- it bring joy to your heart.
When you and I see people getting saved at the altar it brings joy to our heart.
When you and I pay our tithe and give in The House of God knowing that God is changing lives here, it brings joy and excitement to you and I.
In just a few months - people are going to be coming from all over the world to see and experience what God is doing here in South Africa.
And guess what - It is a privilege for you and I to be a part of what God is doing through our giving.
Why do you say that - well because you and I have the privilege of being able to be a part of what God is going to do through our giving.
Isn't it amazing how God can take a people that were no people - save them, sanctify them, and use them for His Glory and Honor.
Now If you and I are going to continue to do what God has called us to do, it is going to take finances and that means God has to bless His people.
In order for God to bless you and I, that means we need to step out in our giving.
***
Remember - If you can afford it - it doesn't take a miracle.
Let's all stand...
