Givology – Scripture: 1 Kings 17:8-16
I hope you had a God-centred, Jesus focused, and Spirit led Easter. I want to introduce you to our new series for the month of April Givology – Understanding the Blessing in Giving.
Fourteen chapters into the Bible, the tithe is introduced when Abraham gave Melchizedek – that mysterious king and priest of God – ten percent of all he owned. So God introduces the tithe in the first book of the Bible; and it’s there again in Malachi, the last book in the Old Testament. Jesus spoke more about our money and how we use it than He did about prayer, Bible study, or heaven and hell.
When the tabernacle was built God asked his people for money, when the temple was built God asked his people for money, and when the temple was rebuilt God asked his people for money.
It’s the giving of God’s people which allows the church to exist. It’s the tithes of God’s people that provides outreach into the community. God provides for his church through people who he has provided for. It has been said that God’s multiplication begins with our subtraction. Matthew 25:23 says, “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’”
God will provide when we trust him and demonstrate that trust through obedience. Proverbs 11:24 says, It is possible to give freely and become more wealthy, but those who are stingy will lose everything.
“We don’t have a money problem, we have a giving problem.”