I want to focus specifically on what the Bible has to say about

why, when, and where to give. A biblical perspective in these

three areas would stop this silliness.

First, the motivation behind your gift is more important than

your gift. This is the point being made in 1 Corinthians 13:3,
which says,

“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though
I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth
me nothing.”

The reason you give is more important than what or how much
you give.

Any presentation that says you can buy God’s blessing or the
salvation of a loved one or some other positive result with your
financial gift is using the wrong motive to get you to give. It is
true that the widow gave Elijah all she had and that her needs
were supernaturally supplied for the next three years as a result.
But 1 Kings 17:9 says, “I have commanded a widow woman
there to sustain thee.” The Lord had commanded her to sustain
Elijah. This wasn’t about getting her needs met, although that
did happen; she was giving to help the man of God.
It’s also true that Cornelius’ gifts came up before God as a
memorial (Acts 10:4), but it was his faith that pleased God (Heb.
11:6). His giving was just a manifest token of his faith and trust
in the Lord. God’s blessings cannot be bought (Acts 8:18-20).

It is true that when we give, the Lord will give back to us a

hundredfold in this lifetime (Mark 10:30), but giving only to get
is the wrong motivation. God prospers us so we can establish
His kingdom (Deut. 8:18), give to those in need (Eph. 4:28), and
abound unto every good work (2 Cor. 9:8). We do need to
expect to receive when we give, primarily so we will be
resupplied and able to give more. However, the emphasis should
be on giving, not receiving. It is more blessed to give than to
receive (Acts 20:35). We should live to give and not give to live.

Second, there has been a lot of misunderstanding about when we

should give. Many Christians only give after all their needs have
been met. But the Scriptures teach that our gifts are first fruits
(Prov. 3:9). That means the first thing we do when we receive
money is to honor the Lord by giving a portion of it to His work.
Anything less is not honoring the Lord.

Also, some of us are taught only to give at the specific command

of the Lord. Of course, God’s Word is His instruction, and we
shouldn’t have to have an audible voice to give us further
direction. There are times when the Lord will specifically direct
our giving, but it’s not all the time.

The Scripture says,

“As he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or

of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7).

What if the only time our children ever told us they loved us was
when we told them to tell us? It is true that we have to teach our
children to say things like “Thank you” and “I love you.” We do
lead them into things like that, and the Lord does lead us to give
at times. But all parents long for the day when those responses
come out of their children’s hearts spontaneously. Likewise, the
Lord wants us to give as we desire to give, not under pressure.

So, when we are condemned into giving or made to feel guilty if

we don’t give, that’s the wrong time to give. I had a friend who
once gave $1,000 to a minister just so he and everyone else
could leave. The minister said he wouldn’t let anyone go until
their goal was reached. After three offerings, they were still
$1,000 short, so my friend gave the $1,000 just to get out of
there.
I would never give in a situation like that. That’s rewarding
negative behavior. It’s like casting a vote and saying, “I like it.
Do it again even more.” Every time we give to a minister who is
manipulating us, it’s like casting a vote for that type of
treatment. We have no right to murmur and complain when we
voted for the thing we are upset about.

Third, concerning where we should give, that’s the easiest one

of all. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:7-11, Galatians 6:6, 1
Timothy 5:17-18, and many other scriptures, that you are to give
where you are fed. You don’t eat at McDonald’s but go over to
Wendy’s to pay. You pay where you eat. Likewise, you are to
give where you are fed.
Malachi 3:10 reads,
“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be
meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the
LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven,
and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough
to receive it.”
I’ve heard many ministers use that verse to teach that your tithes
belong to your local church, and offerings above your tithes go
to other ministries and benevolence work. I agree with that if
your church is truly a storehouse. A storehouse is where you
keep your food or go to get food.
The local church is the backbone of God’s work here on earth.
There are ways that a local church can feed you that no other
ministry can. You can’t call me in the middle of the night or
have me perform your child’s wedding or help counsel them.
You need the fellowship of other believers. I can’t offer you
that, but the local church can.
But, how many of us realize we don’t live in a perfect world
where every church is meeting the needs of the people who
attend? There are people who go to church every week and
never get fed. In fact, I have many people tell me they are
starving or being poisoned in their local churches, and they are
living off my teaching.

It’s wrong to get fed in one place and give your tithes and
offerings to another place. If you aren’t in a local church that
truly feeds you, then get out of there and find a good one. Then
give your tithes to that church and your offerings to other
ministries. But if you can’t find a good church or, for other
reasons, are staying put in a dead church, don’t give your money
there. You are subsidizing them.

I can guarantee you that those who use gimmicks and

condemnation to manipulate are not truly feeding God’s people.
Mainstream religion is not feeding people. If the body of Christ
was to purify their motives in giving, give only when they can
do it cheerfully and not out of guilt, and give where they are
truly fed, then those who aren’t feeding God’s flock would have
to repent or go out of business. Also, true ministers and churches
that are actually feeding the body of Christ would have more
money than they needed.

For instance, our Gospel Truth television broadcasts are

available to three billion people on the planet. If only 1 percent
of them actually watched our programs, that would be thirty
million people. If only 10 percent of them actually received, that
would be three million people per day who are blessed. A one-
dollar-per-month gift would nearly double our income. It’s that
simple.

Every ministry that is truly reaching people would have similar

results. The only exception I can think of is the ministries that
minister to those who can’t give, such as missionaries or those
helping the poor. Those are what I call benevolence ministries,
and they need gifts from those who aren’t fed directly by them.

I used my chapel hour in Charis Bible College this week to teach

on this very subject, “Why, When, and Where to Give.” It really
blessed the students. I think this teaching would bless you and
help you be more discerning in this area. Also, I’m sure you
know some people who have bad attitudes about giving because
of the abuses they’ve seen. I think this would be a great way to
get them past these hurts and help them to begin receiving God’s
best in this area of finances.