PROJECT TOPIC: GIVING

TEXT: MATTHEW 5:42, EXODUS 35:5, 2 CORINTHIANS 9:7

A PROJECT SUBMITTED BY

FADAMITAN BOLUWATIFE E

WITH THE MATRIC NUMBER: FFS/2020/010

TO

FIRM FOUNDATION SCHOOL CHRIST

APOSTOLIC CHURCH STUDENT ASSOCIATION

IN PARTIAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE SCHOOL.

CLASS: 3

TEACHERS:

MR GOODNESS TOMIWA AJISOLA AND

MISS OMOLARA AKINTOYE ADEMOLA

DATE: MARCH 2021.

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 DEDICATION

Dedicated to every believer and everyone who the Holy Spirit will call into the marvelous light

and family of God.

To the person of the Holy Spirit,

my source of knowledge and might.

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

My heartfelt gratitude goes to God, the very essence of my being and to my parents for

guidance and for setting my feet on this path of life and truth.

My special thanks to the Pastorate, the Executives, the Principal; Mr. Olawaye Oluwafemi,

the Vice Principal; Miss Oguntoyinbo Boluwatife, My teachers; Mr. Goodness Ajisola and Miss

Omolara Ademola for their efforts and sacrifices made to make this project a successful one.

I also wish to thank Mr. Oluwaleye Ibukunoluwa and Miss Akinloye Boluwatife for their all

round support, encouragement and motivation towards me in the course of this project. May God

bless and enlarge you richly.

To my FFS classmates, I appreciate the bond of love that unites us in Christ. To my friends

and everyone that has contributed to the success of this project, I say a very big thank you. God

bless you all.

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 CONTENTS

1. Dedication 2

2. Acknowledgement 3

3. Introduction 5

4. Giving 6

5. Sacrifice 10

6. Giving, one of the most powerful kingdom tool 15

7. “In what manner should we give?” 17

8. The wrong reasons why people give 20

9. Types of giving 24

10. Reasons people may not give 29

11. Highlights of our reasons to give as faithful stewards 31

12. Benefits of Giving 32

13. “the golden rule” 34

14. Conclusion 35

15. References 36

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 INTRODUCTION

Luke 6:38- “give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down and shaken

together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye

mete withal, it shall be measured unto you again”. Giving is one of the most underrated kingdom

principles in our world today. People go through a lot these days but most keep calm, smile and

still live their normal lives. A lot of atrocities and abnormalities going on in the world today can

actually be curbed. If only we make the difference by giving. Looting, corruption, poor security

system, poor infrastructural facilities etc. are all results of the inability to give. It might not

necessarily have to be to others for a start, it might even be ourselves. Give yourself that treat

that you deserve, find that peace of mind and joy in midst of that circumstance and see how

much God will also be able to give to others through you. This is not to encourage us to be

selfish. But, what happens when you try to give what you don’t have? Remember, you can’t pour

from an empty cup. Giving begins with YOU.

“if everyone gave a little more, our world would be a more peaceful, healthier and happier

place.”

 No matter your circumstance in life, you still have the ability to give.

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  Giving can make a positive difference to others.

 “You’re a conduit; the more you allow giving to flow through you to others, the more

sufficiency flows into your life.”

CHAPTER ONE

GIVING

Giving is the act of bestowing, conferring or transferring of something or a possession

without the expectation of receiving something in return. It is the habit of parting or doing away

with something freely and generously. You can give your time, knowledge, thoughts, ideas,

compliments, kindness, Goodwill, smiles, money, encouragement, love, talents and so on.

Proverbs 18:16, 11:25, 3:9, 2 Corinthians 8:12, Luke 6:38, Matthew 19:21, 10:8.

Giving is synonymous to love. When we give, we love; when we’re walking in the God-kind

of love, we give. Love gives. As Christians we must live to give. I have my teachers use this

illustration right from our first class, they say, “if God wanted salvation to be the end of human

race or the last thing that happens to us on Earth, after a man receives Jesus and confesses him as

Lord, God would have just ceased the person’s existence and bring the person into eternity. But,

this is not so. Why? Because our salvation doesn’t just end at the point of receiving it. We are

called to bring others to Christ. Matthew 9:37-38 we must live a life that pleases God and causes

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people to be saved.” We show others love by giving, we bring people to Christ by living a life

that attracts people to salvation. The love we can show to others by giving them any of our

possession be it abstract or materials can touch their lives and cause them to surrender to God.

John 3:16- A revelation of the heart of God and a summation of the meaning of the Christian

Life. The new testament teaches us that God is love and if we are true followers, we should love

God and one another as Christ has loved us. The message in John 3:16 here, specifically is that

love gives. Love isn’t covetous nor greedy. God also gave us the blessings we have in order to

give back to him and to touch lives around us. 1 Corinthians 4:7 “for who maketh thee to differ

from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not received it?” Everything we have,

everything we are is God given so, we must give freely since we’ve received freely too.

Psalm 24- “the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness there of” this means that God is the owner

of everything, ultimately and he alone should determine how things should be distributed

accordingly to everyone. God is the owner and administrator, we are like the managers, of all He

has. Out of the abundance he has given to us, we should do(give) likewise.

According to the scriptures, abundant blessings imply weighty responsibilities. Like 12:48

“…for unto whosoever much is given, of him shall much be required and to whom men have

committed much, of him they will ask more” the message in this scripture is clear- that we

should give according to the blessings of God upon us. Our possessions aren’t just to be used by

us, they are not for us to enjoy alone. The abundance of our wealth is as a result of the abundance

of God’s grace over our lives. As believers, giving should be our life style. Our life is a message

for many others to read. Will they read it and be brought to salvation?

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 Proverbs 11:25 “ the liberal soul shall be made fat and he that watered also watered himself”.

Giving is a “two-way” activity. Even though we don’t expect returns when we give, giving still

finds its way back to us in many ways. The word liberal can also be replaced with 'generous,

ample, abundant, unrestrained licentious'. A soul that gives in this manner will also be satisfied;

God himself promised so.

The fruits of giving can be in seen and unseen form.

Danny had seen one of the family that lived very close to his street sell off their properties

one after the other. They had their younglings drop out of school for the main time too as things

weren’t going well. He had paid them a visit, offering them the little financial support he could

give. The coarse but, broad smile that one of their children gave was something he kept thinking

about for the entire day. Even after days, Danny kept thinking about the offering he had made

until he received a phone call that his mum that had been sick for months has finally been healed.

What a great news!

We reap the fruit of the seed we sow in ways we can’t even imagine.

Giving comes with receiving

Giving is a major mood booster. The knowledge you have that you’re helping others by

giving can make you feel happier and elated. It is far better to give than to receive. Giving also

strengthens our personal values and principles. Acting on this powerful feeling is a great way for

us to reinforce our own personal values and live in a way that is true to our ethical and religious

beliefs. Having the ability to give is a privilege and opportunity to many people.

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 There’s a concept behind true giving that both the giver and the receiver have a sense of

fulfillment and fullness. In this case, the receiver is blessed and the giver is blessed too. Not as a

result of receiving something immediately due to the offering the person has given but due to the

fact that the person feels abundance in giving to another. 2 Corinthians 9:7 the willingness,

sincere and genuine heart used in giving makes the giver have a sense of abundance even without

expecting something in return.

GENUINE GIVING BIRTHS INNER SATISFACTION.

Giving is also a sign of spiritual maturity. It portrays that a believer has been purged and

nurtured by the Holy Spirit to take with a 'lighter' hand, the things of this world and to seek the

things of the Spirit. Spiritual Christians do not exalt the things of the world and this enables them

to give freely, not grudgingly and without holding back. A spiritual minded Christian doesn’t

esteem frivolities. Any Christian that esteems earthly things walks in the flesh and is carnal. A

mature Christian understands the concept of giving and doesn’t cleave to his resources. In any

way, he finds the opportunity to give. Hebrews 11:26. Setting earthly longings and pleasures in

our heart clouded our mind as other acts that does not glorify God creeps in too, greed, love of

money, selfishness and, self-centeredness. “To love the things of the world is enmity with God”

James 4:4, so we must flee from such as it ceases our ability to give. The ability to give that

which is valuable and most precious to you is called 'sacrifice'.

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 SACRIFICE

Sacrifice is another dimension of giving. It is a deeper, stronger, more powerful and effective

aspect of giving. Sacrifice is the act of doing or giving some things (that are precious) even in

inconveniences. Sacrifices moves the hands of God. God himself honors a true act of sacrifice

because God firstly sacrificed his son because of his love for us. “For God so loved the world

that He gave…” God demonstrated his everlasting and unconditional love for us that he gave his

son for our sin. Sacrifice is never easy, it isn’t something you to just get things over with, it takes

deliberation and one’s willingness and intentionality. God knew giving his son wouldn’t be easy

Jesus knew taking and coming in the form of man to pay the greatest sacrifice won’t be easy

either. Matthew 26:38-39 it shows how uneasy the act of sacrifice is. But, Jesus still have himself

in order to give us a new life of salvation and redemption. Who are we then to hold too tight unto

that which is not even ours? Are we genuine followers if Christ if we are unable to do those

things which Christ has taught as in deeds and in truth? Are we qualified to be called’ Christian’

if we don’t look into Christ as the perfect and complete example to follow?

Hebrews 10:4, 10:14. Jesus' sacrifice surpasses all sacrifice as it quenched the fiery darts of

sin and gave eternal life. His sacrifice fulfilled and brought to pass all that has been written and

said by God in centuries past. It also bridged the gap between God and humanity as we now have

direct access to God the Father, through Jesus Christ. The power of sin has been dealt with and

conquered once and for all and through him we have freedom from the power of death into

eternal life. What a great sacrifice! Nothing compares to it.

Show me a believer that doesn’t give and I will ask you how you even got saved.

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 The life that we have now, (ZOE) is not ours but if God. 2 Corinthians 5:17. The life that

we’re given is to the end that God be glorified. Matthew 5:16' “…that men may see your good

works and glorify your father which is in heaven…”

Genesis 22:1-13

Verse 3 “and Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his ass, and took two of his

young men with him and Isaac his own son and clave the wood for the burnt offering and rose up

and went unto the place which God had told him”

Abraham didn’t doubt God or think twice when God asked for Isaac for sacrifice. He

willingly, without hesitation took him unto God for a sacrifice. A sacrifice made from a willing

heart, the Lord respects. Genesis 22:16-18 “that in blessings, I will bless thee and in multiplying,

I will multiply thy seemed as the stars of the heave and as the sand which is upon the sea shore:

and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies”. God rained abundant and powerful blessings

on Abraham after he had seen his faith and readiness to give anything, everything and to go any

length with and for God. The blessings of Abraham is as powerful that it’s still effective till date;

we are Abraham’s generation and partakers of that great blessing.

God is not a wicked God, he longs for a relationship and fellowship with us where we can go

any length with him with a rethought. Sacrifice gladdens the soul to also produce result for the

person that made the sacrifice. Hebrews 7:8.

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Forms of sacrifice.

Sacrifice can be in any form. It can be in form of material wealth (money, properties…),time,

praises and Thanksgiving, physiological support (mental and emotional support)…etc. One could

also live one’s life as a sacrifice unto God. “…for we are living sacrifices unto him…”. For God

we live, we move and have our being.

1 Samuel 1:11- Samuel was dedicated unto God even before the time of conceiving him to the

time of his birth and he lived all this life to serve God and through him did God raise a king for

Israel (Saul) and through him did God ordain David king of Israel. 1 Samuel 10:1

God also heard the prayer of Hannah and opened her womb also because of her offer of

sacrifice. Her sacrifice made God quickly answer her prayer and even after dedicating Samuel to

God, God still blessed her womb and gave her many sons afterwards. When you give your life to

He who has given it unto you, watch God mold you into perfection. Isaiah 64:8.

Sacrifice in form of Thanksgiving (praises and/or worship). On a faithful day, I sat in my

room, the four corners of the room seemed so cold and silent as I kept a very gloomy face. I had

thought about countless happenings in my life which I wasn’t pleased with. And instead of acting

on it and shaking off those blues, I comfortably relaxed and gave in to melancholy. I thought

about it over again and cried profusely but it was of no help. I finally gathered the strength to tell

the Holy Spirit about it. On talking to him, He directly told me to start praising God. It wasn’t

easy to engage your physical body in activities when you feel so weak from the inside. But, I

gathered enough strength as I stood up. I thought about 'assisting' the Holy Spirit by plugging in

my earphones and listening to music while praising him but he told me to put away the
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earphones and sing praises from my heart unto God. One wouldn’t have actually imagined this

type of dimension the Holy Spirit was opening for me at that moment. Singing praises and

almost dancing without music and just producing your own Melody as the spirit leads? Well, to

cut the long story short, I came out of that room as a different person. The hand of God touched

me in an entirely different way. Different from what I’ve ever experienced in my life.

There are times that we just plan on entering the place of prayer to spend a stipulated time but

the spirit of God takes us deeper in worship or praises even with dancing that one could spend

hours in the place of prayer. I know many Christians can attest to this. And sometimes, even if

the result of this sacrifice isn’t physical, if we search within us, we’ll see that God is always

pleased with our sacrifices of praise and he accepts it as he opens dimensions of doors for us

both seen and unseen.

2 Samuel 6:14- “…and David danced before the Lord with all his might…” David offered his

dancing to God as a sacrifice for ordaining him King and being true to his promises. David

wasn’t ashamed neither was he of a proud heart but he praised God as he pleased.

When we see others making sacrifices for God or going 'extra miles' for the things of God, we

shouldn’t try to discourage them. We should rather encourage them and if we can’t, we should

learn to bridle our tongues and control our emotions no matter how tempting it may be to react to

such. Milcah rebuked David for dancing unto God and she became barren till her death. 2

Samuel 6:23. There are no limits to appreciating God. One shouldn’t rebuke people when one

sees them going lengths that doesn’t seem 'normal' to the human sense to praise God. What is our

definition of 'normal’?

Hebrews 13:16- “…with such sacrifices, God is well pleased”

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 Verse 15: “therefore, let us offer sacrifices of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of

our lips giving thanks to his name…” what happens when God is well pleased with us ? He

blesses all that concerns us. You notice that even if it’s not a tangible asset, you still find inner

peace, joy and satisfaction. As Christians, I want to urge us to always long for a relationship with

God where nothing is too big or small to give unto God as this fosters our relationship with him.

Sacrifice in form of material wealth. Mark 12:41-44, “…for as all they did cast in of all their

abundance, but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living…”. The poor

widow the Bible talks about gave all she had not withholding anything. Even in the state of her

poorness and pity, she gave. Jesus chose to speak about her act because she didn’t do it in

abundance but in little that she had and her willingness to partake in the work of God.

No matter how poor, no matter the severity of lack,

Sincere gift offered to God even the slightest counts a lot.

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 CHAPTER TWO

GIVING, ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL KINGDOM TOOL.

Giving is one of the most powerful tools that God uses. Even our God used 'giving' for the

benefit of mankind as a whole and for his own advantage (purpose) too. After the fall of the first

man, by his erring, sin and death became part of the story of mankind (which wasn’t the initial

plan of God). 1 Timothy 2:14. What could God do to redeem mankind from the state which his

choice had made him fall into? By 'giving’ his own son.

However, in giving, God also received. He gave his own son to receive many more. Hebrews

2:10. “for it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many

sons unto glory, to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings”. Through the

God’s gift of Jesus, he was able and is still able to get more people into the family of God. For

every giving, there must be a correspondent receiving. If you’re always sowing, you’ll always be

at the receiving end. Ecclesiastes 11:1 “cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after

many days.” If you keep giving, eventually, you’ll have something coming your way. One of the

most important change in our lives is that we give. Giving is the power of multiplication.

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 You haven’t given all you can until you’ve given all you have”

Matthew 19:16-22 talks about a man that came to Jesus to ask counsel. To do that which is

right, he talked about the 10 commandments given by Moses in the old testament. Exodus 20.

Jesus asked the man if he kept the law and abided by it. And the man answered, he said he had

been keeping those laws from even the time he was young. Keeping the law and doing that

which seemed right to him should make him feel good already but still, he didn’t. Something was

missing, something very powerful. Matthew 19:21-“…and give to the poor, thou shall have

treasures in heaven…”. Jesus instructed him to give. As Christians, if we are not giving, we

aren’t doing the right thing. You can obey all the commandments of the law and declare yourself

saved by Christ and still not give because you have not come to certain understanding of the

levels giving takes you to. Give freely to others, help those in need, help the poor, sow into the

household of faith, help and encourage other believers…give, give, give!!!

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 IN WHAT MANNER SHOULD GIVING BE DONE?

 In Love.

Proverbs 18:16-“a man’s gift(given in love or courtesy)makes room for him and brings him

before great men”. Giving should be done in love and courtesy, giving should be done with a

cheerful heart. 2 Corinthians 9:7- “every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him

give; not grudgingly or of necessity: for God loves a cheerful giver”. God sees our heart and he

sees the manner in which we give. We should always endeavor to give cheerfully, in charity and

compassion.

 Willingness.

Let’s go back to the sacrifice Christ made for us. A Thorough study through the help of the

Holy Spirit will also show us that Jesus was “willing”. One of the most important manner of our

giving is our willingness. When God sent his beloved son, the power of salvation wouldn’t have

been gotten if Jesus was not willing to do the will of the father. In giving, there must be

willingness, we shouldn’t give as if we are being compelled to but out of a willing and grateful

heart unto God.

 Quietly (in secret). Matthew 6:1-4

“Take need that when ye do not your alms before mean to be seen if them: otherwise,

ye have no reward of your father who is in heaven. Therefore, when thou doest thine

alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in

the streets that they may have the glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their

reward. But, when thou doest thine alms, let not thy left hand know that they right hand
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 doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and they father which seeth in secret will himself

reward tee openly.” The manner at which we give must not draw the attention of others to

what we’re doing either intentionally or unintentionally. Since we’re deliberate about

giving, we shouldn’t give room for mistakes.

When you do something for someone, don’t call the attention of others to yourself.

When you help someone out, don’t think about how it looks or feels, just do it quietly and

unobtrusively. That is the way our God operates too, he loves us and does everything

secretly by working behind the scenes for our favor.

GIVING SHOULD BE DONE THROUGH THE LEADING OF THE HOLY

SPIRIT.

1 Kings 17:9-“…I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.” God also puts the

act of giving in our mind when he tugs at our heart. When God leads us to give, we should not

turn away. God is the owner of our hearts, he could lay something in our hearts for his purpose

by pressing at our hearts or giving us direct words on things to/not to do. Whichever way God

directs you to, do not ignore.

Giving this day is now something people sometimes take deeps thoughts on depending on the

situation that warrants the act. If a believer finds him/herself in a position where he/she

contemplates on giving or not, he/she should seek directions from God before giving. When a

desire(to give) is laid in one’s heart, one should pray over them first to discern if it’s from God or

just a mere desire of the flesh. If our reasons for giving goes out of the will of God, it is a mere

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desire of our flesh. God never laid it in our hearts initially. For example; giving to show off, to

receive honor and to receive approval (of man).

As believers, we should not be quick to follow our desires even if it’s good, PRAY first,

submit yourself to the leading/conviction the Holy Spirit gives. HE leads and we diligently

follow.

Let’s consider the various wrong reasons to give.

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 WRONG REASONS WHY PEOPLE GIVE.

The following are all wrong reasons why people engage in the act of giving and the scriptures

disapproves them. 2 Corinthians 9:7

1. Giving out of guilt.

Some people give in order to relieve their conscience which is eating them out over

some personal issues, set backs, problems or wrongdoings. In this case, giving is mostly

done out of the feeling of remorse or regret of a past action. The implication of this

reason for giving is that there is almost no end to the amount of giving that must take

place to ease the person’s guilt. The person keeps giving for the wrong reason and his

guilt persists.

2. Giving out of obligation.

It is not right to give because one feels obligated to. In this case, people give in order

to adhere to personal or religious conviction to fulfill a directive. This is dangerous

because in this category, people that give see it as a law and obligation. It is more like

just paying a bill or tax. One must have the understanding of giving and tithe paying in

order not to fall into this category.

3. Giving to receive something in return.

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 This is can also be illustrated with popular quote “ I’ll scratch your back, if you

scratch mine in return”. It is dangerous because this type of giving births anger, hatred,,

wrath, regrets and bitterness if the gift is not reciprocated or the person doesn’t get in

return, what he/she had hoped for.

4. Giving in order to get noticed.

Some people give in order to get attention from others. This type of person goes out

of their ways to ensure that they are noticed for every type of service they render. This

wrong aspect of giving is also done by people to an end of receiving praises, pat on the

back, honor, appraisal or approval by others. In this case, the goal of giving becomes

about just receiving vainglories and not about meeting the needs of others or bringing

glory to the body of Christ. Examples of such people are the Pharisees and Scribes as

mentioned in the Bible, eye servicers and men pleasers. Matthew 6:1-4

5. Giving out of only abundance.

In this category, people give only if they are in abundance. They do this just to

“fulfill all righteous” and in order to avoid “guilt trips”. They only give sparingly most

likely to ease the feeling of guilt or obligation. These type of people avoid giving when

the situation is not palatable and they find it extremely hard to make sacrifices.

6. Giving out of one’s remains.

This is similar to giving only out of abundance but it has terrible implications. People

who practice such can be termed as 'selfish' and 'self centered'. They only give what is
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 left of what they have. They have no plans on giving at all until all other of their own

needs have been met and they are satisfied. These people focus solely on themselves

and giving, for them, is an afterthought. How bad!

7. Giving to get into heaven.

Christian faith is all about God’s grace and giving comes out of the result of our

response to God’s grace, love and generosity towards us. Some Christians however,

believe that if you don’t compulsorily give, that you can’t enter the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 2:8-9; “for by grace, are ye saved through faith; that not of yourselves: it is

the gift of God. Not of works, lest any man should boast”. Every Christian must

understand that no matter what, it is not only in the aspect of giving but even in every

other aspect, eternity is not bought by our works but by grace. This misconception is

not only on giving. It could also be through self-righteousness (trying to please God

through actions and words, trying to leave a holy life by the law under the influence of

the flesh).

ETERNITY IS NOT BOUGHT BY OUR WORKS.

It’s so easy to do the right things for the wrong reasons. Matthew 6, Jesus is warning

us against giving for the wrong reasons, truly if we do, we may get the commendation

that we might want, the honor and the appraisal but we will miss out on something

deeper.

Nothing is wrong in getting commendation after our act of giving but when it

becomes our motivation and our reason forgiving, it becomes a problem that needs

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 immediate attention. We ought not to boast of even our private act of giving and we

ought not to avoid public applause only to applaud ourselves for doing so. We are

also not to look down on people we have helped in one-way or the other and see

ourselves as superior to them or applaud ourselves for helping them. That is still,

another way of show-off.

God doesn’t just want us to do the right things but to also do the right things with

understanding of the right reasons to.

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 CHAPTER 3

TYPES OF GIVING.

Giving is biblical and the scriptures talks about the ways in which we can give. In this

category, we’ll be considering four(4) types of giving.

1. ALMS.

Alms is any form or act of giving that requires transferring anything to relieve the

poor. It could be in form of anything ( material wealth, clothing, water, shelter etc.)

God expects us to fulfill the needs of the needy(could be widows, orphans or

physically challenged persons) according as his spirit leads us to.

Providing for food for someone that is hungry and as no means of provision can also

be called alms. Paying the transport fare of someone that has been stranded due to one

factor or the other is also alms. Clothing a minor to protect him/her from cold is alms.

Providing Financial support quietly for a family in need ( just as Danny did in Chapter

one) is also a form of alms.

When was the last time you saw a need and quietly fulfilled it?

Matthew 6: 1-4. “…but, when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy

right hand doeth: that thine alms may be in secret: and thy father which seeth in secret

shall reward you openly'

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 Luke 10:30-35; the parable of the good Samaritan. The service he rendered selfless

unto the wounded man is a good example of alms giving. As the man was in need and

the Samaritan helped him and took care of him without expecting a return.

2. TITHING.

Leviticus 27:30 “and all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the

fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord”

Abraham tithed even before the law was written by Moses. Moses penned the law in

the old testament for the use of the children of Israel. Jesus commended tithing in the

new testament. Yes, as a believer, you should tithe. Tithe is the 10% portion of your

increase/income. Your tithe belongs to God because by him, you first acquired it.

Sincerely, everything we are and have belongs to God. He allows us to keep most of

our increase, but the tithe is still not ours. We are given the privilege of returning the

tithe to God in our local Church’s offerings.

In the old testament, each people were blessed or cursed based on their obedience to

the payment of their tithes. Malachi 3:8-11; “…will a man Rob God? Yet he have

robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and in offerings. Yes

are cursed with a curse…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 the windows of heaven and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room

enough to receive it and I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes and he shall not

destroy the fruit of your ground: Neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time

in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.”

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 The curse and blessings stated in that Bible passage availed to the Israelites

according to their faithfulness in tithing in the old testament. However, today, the

curse is made ineffective in the new testament through the power of the blood of Jesus

in the new covenant (made by Christ’s atonement). Galatians 3:13; “Christ hath

redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. For it is written,

cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree.”

So, Christ’s atonement purged us from every curse of the law(including the curses

of not tithing according to Malachi 3) as long as we have been brought into the new

family of God, we have been redeemed. Thus, this question: is everything mentioned

in Malachi 3:8-11 rendered useless? The answer is NO. God still honors and fulfill the

blessings of tithing as stated in Malachi. Therefore, the blessing is ours to enjoy in as

much as we are faithful in tithing.

We should learn to trust God with our tithes. God dares us to prove him by the

diligent payment of our tithe. Put God first and he will bless your obedience with true

riches that money cannot buy. God will enable you to do much more with 90% of

your income after you have tithed, than you can do with 100% of your income after

robbing God.

Facts we must know about tithing.

 Tithing is not a debt you’re paying.

 Your tithe secures favor for you with God.

 Tithe is a seed of gratitude not a duty if painful obligation.

 Be faithful in tithing. If you are not a faithful tither, God is not authorized to bless you.

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  Prayer is not the seed to financial breakthrough. Prayer is the key for fellowshipping with

the spirit, spiritual awakening and activation of spiritual authorities. But, your tithe, your

sowing, your giving, activates prosperity.

Giving activates prosperity.

 Unfaithfulness in tithing permits “on and off” blessings. It’s easy to blame people for our

financial instability whereby, the fault lies within.

 Even when your needs seems enormous, tithe your way out of it.

 You can tie a season you want to close in your life to a seed and as you sow that seed, the

season closes.

 In this kingdom of God, you’re not empowered by your action rather than by the

understanding that supports your actions. You can do many things and that supports

obedience but not benefit from it because of lack of understanding. Understand why you

tithe.

3. OFFERING.

An offering is anything given over and above the tithe. An offering is a freewill gift.

God doesn’t set the amount, but he does encourage us to give something. Exodus

35:5;” take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing

heart, let him bring an offering of the Lord; gold and silver and brass”. World

missions (support for evangelism- through funding or voluntarily services), church

initiatives (building of churches, contributions to the growth of the church in any

which way) etc. Are all examples of offerings. Deuteronomy 16:10- “and thou shall

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 keep the feast of weeks unto the Lord thy God, with a tribute of a freewill offering of

thine hand, which thou shalt give unto the Lord thy God, according as the Lord thy

God hath blessed thee.” We should offer unto God our sacrifices according to how

abundantly God has blessed us.

4. GRACE GIVING.

Grace giving is when God supernaturally enables you to give beyond your power. It

happens when God knows that he can bless others through you without you keeping or

hoarding God’s blessings. This should be a goal for every Christian, that the Lord

blesses other people through us. The Macedonians were able to give by grace in spite

of deep poverty and great affliction. God wants us to also learn that he can work

mightily through us when we yield to him. Grace giving is the supernatural gifting and

giving empowered by God. 2 Corinthians 8:7, 2 Corinthians 9 :7-9…”and God is able

to make all these grace to abound towards you; that ye, always having all sufficiency

in all things, may abound to every good work: as it is written, He hath dispersed

abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remainth forever.”

 Sowing and reaping is a basic kingdom principle.

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 CHAPTER FOUR

REASONS PEOPLE MAY NOT GIVE.

1. UNBELIEF

Generally, Christians give because they have been given a new life in Christ and

as time goes on we respond to Christ’s love by giving and because of our belief in

God. However, some Christians still doubt giving and the don’t believe in it. If

this keeps happening to you, you should run a check up routine on your spiritual

health. If as a believer, you don’t give, the first question you really need to ask

and provide answer to is: “do you believe in Jesus?”

2. IGNORANCE

Hosea 4:6- “my people are destroyed because of lack of knowledge…”

 For believers: when we become firstly born again, we are still naïve to

the things of God but through the help of the Holy Spirit within us and

constant communion with him, we advance, we grow more in wisdom, the

word of God, prayer and in fellowship. Romans 8:26. Things that we

didn’t do in the past due to ignorance become clearer to us, gradually. It

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 takes eternity to learn how to live, give and love like Jesus. Matthew

28:18-20 but through diligence, we become more mature in Christ.

 For unbelievers: Ephesians 4:18- “having their knowledge darkened,

being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them,

because of the blindness of their hearts.” A lost person has no

understanding of the in depth things of God. A person that is not save

cannot give with understanding of the kingdom principles. The person

might still do good deeds but it’s just a mere act from virtues that have

been built overtime or social ethics not because the person has the

understanding.

JESUS

LOVE

GIVING

 If you know Jesus, you love and when you love, you give.(for the right

reasons). Giving for the right reasons can only be done by the power of the

love of God that resides in us.

3. DIFFICULT FINANCIAL SEASON.

Let’s face it. Many of us have either gone through or still go through financial

rollercoaster of highs and lows and giving no matter how little can be so difficult

in times like this. In this type of situation, Christians should always be reminded
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 to focus on stewarding what they have and not what they don’t have. 2

Corinthians 8:12-“…for if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to

that a man hath not according to that he hath not.”

“You can’t give what you don’t have.”

If you genuinely don’t have, reminding yourself of 2 Corinthians 8:12 will help to

overcome fear, anxiety, discontentment and depression due to inability to give.

HIGHLIGHTS OF OUR REASONS TO GIVE AS FAITHFUL

STEWARDS.

The following are the right reasons to give; for everyone searching for

reasons that they should give, check out the following contents.

1. Everything comes from God. 1 Chronicles 29:11-14, Philippians 4:19

2. God gave first. Timothy 6:17, Acts 14:17

3. We honor God when we give. Proverbs 3:9

4. We will give an account of ourselves into God. Romans 14:12; “each of us will give an

account of himself to God”. We will give an account of the time spent, wealth and

everything God has given to us. Matthew 25:14-30 (parable of the 8 talents)

5. It shows our maturity in Christ. 2 Corinthians 8:7

6. It shows our obedience ( to God and to his word). Malachi 3:10, 1 Timothy 6:18,

Matthew 5:42

7. Giving shows our love. 1 John 3:17-18.

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 CHAPTER FIVE

BENEFITS OF GIVING.

1. Giving establishes and brings to fulfillment God’s covenant. Deuteronomy 8:18

“…for it is he that giveth the power to get wealth that he may establish his

covenant…”

This Bible passage refers to three dimensions:

I. God gives the power of wealth to you

II. God will bless whatever you put your hands to.(Deuteronomy 15:10;”…when

thou give to him, because of this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all

thy works, and in all thou put thine hand unto.)

III. God establishes his covenant with you.

So, firstly, God makes rich in order to establish his covenant with you when

you give back to him. Not only will you experience great turn around in all

areas, it also puts in work God’s covenant in you.

2. Giving can be used as a portal to break free from certain problems/crisis. It has the

ability to force “closed doors” to open. Giving is a very vital key in opening and

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 revealing kingdom mysteries. If God could redeem humanity by giving, we can

redeem ourselves from tough situations by giving too. 1 Kings 17:10-24

The widow unlocked the gates of open heavens through giving. She didn’t need to

have had a previous encounter with Elijah before entertaining him. She did

accordingly without taking thoughts about her life or her son’s. She gave without

expecting returns but her return afterward was great. Apart from provisions, her son

was made whole again. Giving has the ability to open portals that will never be shut

again. 1 Kings 17:16 “the barrels of meal wasted not, neither did the Cruse of oil fail

according to the word of the Lord”

Everyone has something to give, it could be anything.

3. God will increase you so that you will keep being generous. 2 Corinthians 9:10-“now

that he that ministered seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and

multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness”

4. You will receive a reward for your giving. Matthew 10:42-“ and whosever shall give

drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple,

verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.”

5. Giving protects us from an evil attitude. “For the love of money is the root of all evil.

Some people, eager for money have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves

with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:10.

Ecclesiastes 5:10-“ he that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver nor he that

love abundance with increase: this is also vanity.” Our character becomes more

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 unselfish as we follow Christ’s example of giving; and we do not hold strongly unto

our own desires.

In conclusion, let’s consider “the golden rule”.

“the golden rule” is one of the spiritual laws that governs the invisible dimensions of

the kingdom. Luke 6:31, 35-38. Matthew 7:12. The golden rule is the principle of

treating others as one wants to be treated. It can be considered as “an ethic of

reciprocity”. Following this “rule”, we are encouraged to:

 Treat others as you would like others to treat you.

 Do not treat others in ways that you would not like to be treated.

 What you wish upon others, you wish upon yourself.

Jesus portrayed and lived the “golden rule” to the people that were around him. He had

compassion and showed generosity on 5,000 men including their wives and children when he

fed( gave) them from a handful of fish and bread. Matthew 14:13-21. Jesus also knew what it

was like to be hungry, so he also gave according to that compassion that he had.

Jesus should be our everyday example for living out “the golden rule” He always treated others

the way he wanted to be treated and his disciples did the same. Even though, Jesus didn’t do all

these in order to receive the same favor and advantages.

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Matthew 7: 13-14 “enter ye in at the strait gate for wide is the gate and broad is the way that

leadeth to destruction and many they be which go in therein…”

Verse 12- “therefore, all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even

so to them: for this is the law and the prophets”.

These two verses were spoken by Jesus consecutively because he was making a point; if you

aren’t practicing “the golden rule”, then you’re walking through the wide gate. Please, if this is

you, turn around and change your ways. Christ never promised everything will be easy when we

follow him; treating others how you want to be treated isn’t easy either but we keep serving

others and giving freely to others because of the love of Christ in us.

In conclusion, I encourage you to make an effort to live your everyday life for God, to die to

yourself and love others in order to enable sincere and genuine act of giving. Everybody also

loves to be on the receiving end. How can you then receive (be treated well) if you don’t

give(treat others well)?

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 REFERENCES.

1) The Bible.

2) “Benefits of giving” by Bishop David Oyedepo.

3) “You version” ( Bible inbuilt phone app).

4) “Understanding tithing and seed sowing” by Apostle Joshua Selman.

5) Giving and receiving by Kenneth Copeland.

6) 4 keys to unlock the power of Giving by Greg Wendschlag.

7) The power of Giving and tithing by Daniel A. Brown.

8) The power of Giving by Harvey Makinron.

9) Google.

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