BIBLICAL GUIDELINES FOR GIVING

Reference

1 Cor 16:1–2

Open Hands in Every Season

BIBLICAL GUIDELINES FOR GIVING

Intro: Over the last couple of weeks, we've been talking about the heart behind generosity. But eventually we have to get practical.

If I really want to become a generous person, how does the Bible tell me to give? Do the Scriptures give us any guidance? Yes. The NT doesn't give Christians a complicated formula. It doesn't give us a spreadsheet or tell every believer that the same amount is right for everybody. But it does give us some remarkably clear principles. And today I want to show you four characteristics of biblical generosity. And taken together, they give us a simple picture of what living with open hands actually looks like.

GIVE REGULARLY

1 Cor 16:1–2 “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper.”

Paul is collecting money to help believers in Jerusalem who are suffering. And what does he tell the Corinthian believers to do.

“On the first day of the week…” That's Sunday. The day Christians gathered for worship.

And the apostle tells them to make giving part of the normal pattern of their lives. Don't wait until Paul arrives. Don't wait for an emotional appeal. Don't wait until you happen to have some money left over. Plan it. That's the first biblical guideline. Give regularly.

There will always be a place for spontaneous giving. Sometimes God puts a need right in front of us and we respond immediately. That's wonderful. But spontaneous generosity should grow out of a life that is already intentionally generous.

Paul is teaching believers to build giving into the regular practice of following Jesus.

That's important because most good things in our lives don't happen accidentally. We don't accidentally become people of prayer. We don't accidentally know the Scriptures. We don't inadvertently develop healthy marriages.

We develop rhythms that help us become the people God is calling us to be. Giving works the same way.

If my approach is, “I'll give whenever I think about it…” I probably won't think about it very often.

If my approach is, “I'll give whenever I have plenty left over…” there will probably never be much left over. Somehow our money always finds somewhere to go.

Paul gives us a better way. “On the first day of every week…”

Make generosity a habit. Make it intentional. Make it part of worship. And I think there's something important here that can easily get lost in our world of automatic transactions.

There's nothing wrong with recurring online giving. In fact, for many people it's an excellent way to practice exactly what Paul is teaching here—regular, disciplined generosity.

But we never want the transaction to become so automatic that our hearts become automatic.

Jesus warned about doing genuinely spiritual things while our hearts are somewhere else:

Matt 15:8 “These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.”

And Paul says something specifically about giving:

2 Cor 9:7 “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart…”

The most important phrase is: “in his heart.”

Giving can be scheduled by your bank, but it should still be engaged by your heart.

So even if your gift leaves your account automatically, don't let it leave your heart automatically.

When you see it on your bank statement, thank God for providing.

When we receive the offering, remember that you're participating. Pray over what you're giving. Remember what it's accomplishing.

Remember the people being helped, the gospel being shared, missionaries being supported, children being taught, churches being planted, and lives being changed.

Regular giving isn't meant to turn generosity into a mindless routine. It's meant to turn generosity into a faithful practice.

That's the first guideline. Don't make generosity an occasional event. Make it part of the regular rhythm of following Jesus.

GIVE PROPORTIONATELY

1 Cor 16:2 “On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper…”

Let’s consider the words: “…as he may prosper.”

Paul doesn't prescribe the same dollar amount for everybody. He connects our giving to how God has provided our current income and net worth.

Some people have been entrusted with more. Some have been entrusted with less. Some are in unusually prosperous seasons.

Others are walking through painfully lean seasons.

Biblical giving recognizes those differences. That's why proportional giving is not the same thing as equal giving.

Two people can give the same percentage of their income, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're making the same sacrifice. A person with a smaller income may feel that gift much more significantly than someone with considerably more resources.

Jesus demonstrated that principle when He watched people giving at the Temple.

Wealthy people were putting large amounts into the treasury. Then a poor widow came along and put in two tiny coins.

Mark 12:43-44 “Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood.”

Obviously, she didn't put in more money. She gave more of herself.

That's why we must be careful about measuring generosity by dollar amounts. We see the gift. God sees the giver. We see what went into the offering. God also sees what remained afterward.

True generosity cannot be determined simply by the size of a person's gift. God sees what we have been entrusted with and what our giving represents in relation to it. That's proportional giving.

And there's another side to this. If God increases the income and resources in my life, it gives me an opportunity to increase my generosity.

That's easy to miss. Our natural tendency is for every increase in income to become an increase in lifestyle.

We make more...so we spend more. We get a raise...so we upgrade something. We pay something off...and before long we've found another place for that money to go.

Is there something inherently wrong with enjoying what God has provided? No. But Paul's words invite us to ask a different question when God prospers us: “Has God increased what He's put into my hands so that I can increase what flows through them?”

When income rises, believers can sometimes increase their giving substantially without even reducing their existing standard of living. That's worth thinking about. Maybe every blessing isn't meant to rai se my standard of living.

Sometimes God increases my resources because He wants to increase my capacity for generosity.

So Paul says: “…as he may prosper.”

Give in a way that reflects how God has prospered you. That's the second guideline. Give proportionately.

Also, God isn't only concerned about what we give or how much we give. He's concerned about how we give it.

GIVE WILLINGLY

2 Cor 9:7 “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity…”

Look again where Paul takes us. Back to the heart. “As he purposes in his heart…”

God isn't looking for people who must be dragged into generosity.

Do you think He wants us to give while inwardly resenting every dollar that leaves our hands? Does that sound like love for Him?

Paul says: “Not grudgingly…” In other words: Don't give while wishing you could take it back.

And then: “…or of necessity.” Don't give because somebody pressured you. Don't give because someone manipulated you. Don't give because somebody made you feel guilty. God wants willing givers.

But we need to be careful here, because it's easy to misunderstand what willingly means.

First, willing giving does not mean: “If I don't feel like giving, I shouldn't give.”

We don't say: “I'll read my Bible whenever I feel like it.” Or: “I'll love my spouse whenever I feel inspired.” Or: “I'll share my faith when it’s convenient.”

Should we obey God only when we feel like? Generosity is the same. It supersedes how we feel.

Voluntary giving isn't an excuse to give nothing whenever our hearts are reluctant. Rather, grace should increasingly move us beyond mere duty into willing generosity.

Sometimes the heart follows the obedience. You begin doing what God says is good...and over time God changes what you want to do. That's part of spiritual maturity.

There's a big difference between giving under pressure and giving with discipline.

Pressure says: “Someone is making me do this.” Discipline says: “I've decided before God that this is who I want to become.”

That's why Paul says: “…as he purposes in his heart.”

There is thought involved. There is prayer involved. There is intention involved. There is a decision of the will.

We're not manipulated into giving. We purpose to give.

And over time something beautiful begins to happen. What begins as obedience grows into desire. What begins as discipline often becomes delight. And that's exactly where Paul takes us next.

GIVE CHEERFULLY

2 Cor 9:7 “So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

That's where God wants to take us. Not only from not giving to giving. But from obligation...to willingness...and eventually to joy.

The word Paul uses for cheerful means hilarious gladness. God loves it when His children discover that generosity isn't something we have to endure. It's something we get to enjoy.

And that doesn't happen because we suddenly stop caring about money. It happens because grace changes the way we see it.

Consider the first Christians. When God's grace took hold of their lives, radical generosity began showing up almost immediately.

They shared what they had and cared for people in need. Their generosity became visible evidence that something had happened to them. That's the connection I don't want us to miss.

Grace produces gratitude.

The more clearly I understand what God has given me in Christ, the less giving feels like God is taking something away from me.

Think about the gospel. We were sinners who couldn't rescue ourselves. And God didn't reluctantly give us His Son. He didn't give grudgingly. He didn't give the bare minimum. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…”

Generosity is at the heart of the gospel because generosity is in the heart of God.

illus: When that grace gets down inside of us, something changes. Instead of thinking, “How much am I losing?” we begin thinking, “Look what God is allowing me to participate in.” I get to help somebody who is hurting. I get to help send the gospel somewhere I may never go. I get to help children learn about Jesus. I get to help missionaries stay on the field. I get to support those staff members who earn a living by serving the Lord and my family through the ministry of this church. I get to help our church make disciples. I get to take something temporary and use it for something that matters to God.

That's where cheerful giving comes from. It's not fake enthusiasm. It's not smiling while secretly wishing you could keep the money.

It's the joy and maturity of realizing: “God has provided for me, and now He's allowing me to become part of His providing for somebody else.” That's a completely different way to look at giving.

And here's something else. You really can grow in this. Maybe you're not there yet. It could be that giving still feels more like discipline than delight.

That's okay—but don't settle there. Keep obeying. Keep remembering the grace of God. Keep praying to grow in generosity.

The goal isn't simply to become somebody who gives. It's to become somebody who loves to give.

Conclusion: So there it is. Paul gives us four simple guidelines for biblical generosity: Give regularly. Give proportionately. Give willingly. Give cheerfully.

And maybe the best question to leave with today is simply: Which one needs to grow in me?

--------------------------------- Transcription -------------------------

The text that I'll be preaching from today, the verses are First Corinthians chapter 16, and Second Corinthians, chapter 9. If you want to be ready and to help us in the fight against biblical illiteracy, this week, our church will read together Genesis chapters 31 through 36, beginning tomorrow through Saturday. Genesis 31, 36. That's also listed in the bottom of one of the pages in your worship guide, if you were looking for that. Today is the final installment in our three week series on open hands about generosity.
I preach on generosity and giving once a year and we ask for commitments and then we move on. Because God touches the hearts of believers and he takes care of us financially and it changes people's hearts. And that's how that kind of works. We don't beg for money. We don't harp on it all the time, but we do teach about it unapologetically because of how often Jesus taught about money and possessions today.
Well, over the last couple of weeks, we've been talking about the heart behind generosity. It's the foundation work we've been laying. But eventually we must get practical. And if I really want to become a generous person, how does the Bible tell me to give? So today is nuts and bolts.
Yes or no? Do the Scriptures give us any guidance on how to give? Yes. The New Testament, though, doesn't give Christians some complicated formula. Aren't you glad it doesn't give believers a spreadsheet to tell every Christian that the same amount is right for everybody to give?
But it does give us some remarkably clear principles. And today I want to show you four characteristics of biblical generosity. And when we take them all together, they give us a simple picture of what living with open hands looks like. Are you ready? Number one, the Bible teaches us to give regularly.
And we read in First Corinthians chapter 16, verses 1 and 2, Paul writes, Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also on the first day of the week, let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper. Is that verse found in your Bible, yes or no? Is it true? Is it the word of God? It is also easy to understand.
Paul is collecting money to help believers in Jerusalem, and he's collecting that money from churches not in Jerusalem. And the Jerusalem believers are suffering. And what does he tell the Corinthian believers to do, he says, on the first day of the week, what do we call the first day of the week in the days of the week? Sunday. And so Sunday was the day that Christians gathered to worship.
So he's saying, hey, when you come together, don't forget this. When you gather, don't neglect this. On the first day of the week, do the same as all the other churches. I've told. I love it that the Bible.
When Paul's talking to churches, he doesn't say, you guys, I need you to do this. And y' all over here, I guess they spoke in, you know, with y', all, y' all over here, you do something different. He says, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, do the same as all of them. The apostle tells them to make giving part of the normal pattern of their lives. You are sitting around Christians in this room that they never miss this.
They do it every month, every week. However often they get paid, God gets the first. It's just a part of their routine. Paul says, don't wait till I arrive. Don't wait for me to give an emotional appeal, and don't wait until you have some money left over.
Paul is telling believers, plan this. Make a plan. That's the first biblical guideline. Give regularly. There will always be space for spontaneous giving.
When sometimes God puts a need right in front of us, and we respond immediately, and it's fantastic. But listen to me. Spontaneous generosity should grow out of a life that's already intentionally generous. In other words, if you're spontaneous in your generosity, and that's the only time you're doing that, you're not generous, you're kind of lucky. But Paul is teaching believers to build giving into the regular practice of following Jesus.
Do you guys feel guilted right now? Okay, good. That's important. Because most good things in our lives do not happen accidentally, true or false. We don't accidentally become people of prayer.
Like what just happened in this room. We built that for three years. And from the human perspective, God used us to do it, but he's the one that prompted us to do it it, and he's making it go. We don't accidentally become people of prayer. We don't learn the scriptures by accident.
We don't inadvertently develop healthy marriages. We develop rhythms that help us become the people that God intends for us to be. And let me tell you, giving works the same way. For example, if my approach is, well, I'll give whenever I think about it, well, I probably won't think about it very often. If my approach is, I'll give whenever I have plenty left over.
Well, there will likely never be much left over. Somehow our money always finds somewhere else to go. Have you noticed? Well, Paul gives us a better way on the first day of every week. So you make generosity a habit.
You make it on purpose. You make it part of worship. Listen, when I give money and my wife and I give money to the Lord, we're worshiping God when we do that. And I think there's something important here that can easily get lost in our world of invisible automatic transactions. Listen to me very carefully.
There's nothing wrong with recurring online giving. We love it. We make it so you can do that. In fact, for many people in this room, it's an excellent way to practice what Paul is teaching here. Regular discipline.
Giving goes so much easier if you can just automate it and go do this so I don't have to remember. Isn't that true? Let me give you some stats. At Great Commission Church, the stats are 70%, 30%, and I bet you it's the one you don't think it is. At our church, 70% of our people give offerings with checks and cash, and 30% give automated digital.
I bet you thought that was reversed, didn't you? One of the reasons that happens is our people are awesome. And it's not that we're not tech savvy. It's just we started doing the tech and there's fees incurred in some of those, and they're like, well, instead of just me paying it and the church's paying and I'll just write a check and there's no fees. Does that make sense?
So we kind of. But look, if you give digitally, it's fine. It's good. We never want the transaction to become so automatic that our hearts become indifferent. We need to feel our giving.
That's why we do Global Offering Sunday and ask you if you give digitally. Bring an empty envelope. Feel that sucker. Look at that thing. See what it represents.
Jesus warned about doing genuinely spiritual things while our hearts are somewhere else. Do you remember this verse, Matthew 15, 8? He says, these people draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts, their heart is far from me. So we don't want to get mouth close to God, heart away from God. And then Paul says something specifically about giving, like what Jesus said.
We're going to look at this more closely in another point, but second Corinthians 9, 7. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart.
The most important phrase in that verse is in his heart. So I'm going to put this on the screen so you'll remember it. Giving can be scheduled by your bank, but it should still be engaged by your heart. Give regularly. That means.
So even if your gift leaves your account automatically, don't let it leave your heart that same way. So when you see it on the bank statement, oh, I gave to the church this month, you should thank God for providing for you and for your church. At our church, when we receive the offering, remember something. You're participating. So pray over what you're giving.
God, is this what you want me to give? Does this honor you? Pray over what you're giving. And remember what you're giving is accomplishing. Remember that people you don't know yet are being assisted.
And also some people that you do know. Remember that when you give, the gospel is being shared. Remember that missionaries are being supported. Remember that children are being taught. And I don't know if you know this, our children are expensive, right?
Your children are being taught. Remember that churches are being planted. We have a daughter church down the road that we planted and we're supporting them. And remember that lives are being changed. Look, giving is good.
It's not a dirty little secret. The church does get that idea and that attitude out of your heart if you have it. It's not weird. It's faithful. Regular giving isn't meant to turn generosity into some mindless routine.
It's meant to turn generosity into faithful practice. That's the first guideline. Don't make generosity an occasional event. Make it part of the regular rhythm of following Jesus. Give regularly.
Alright, all these are so simple. Number two. The Bible teaches us, give proportionately. The Word will be on the screen if you can't spell it.
Also, First Corinthians 16:2 that we read earlier on the first day of the week. Let each one of you lay something aside. Storing up. As he may prosper. Everybody repeat these words after me.
As he may prosper.
Look, may sometimes you don't prosper. Right. As he may prosper. Paul doesn't describe, prescribe. Paul doesn't prescribe the same dollar amount for everybody, does he?
He connects our giving to how God has provided for our current income and our current net worth. True or false, some people have been entrusted with more. True or false, Some have been entrusted with less. Some are in unusually prosperous seasons. Others are walking through painfully lean seasons.
Biblical giving recognizes those differences. That's why proportional giving is not the same thing as equal giving. You know, two people can give the same percentage of their income to the Lord and that doesn't necessarily mean they're making the same sacrifice.
A person with a smaller income may feel that gift much more significantly than someone with considerably more resources. And the Lord Jesus demonstrated this principle when he watched people giving at the temple. Now, how would you like to go to the temple that day? You're a first entry Jew. And there's that new rabbi sitting over in the corner of the room.
And he's just watching everybody at the treasury collection receptacles, there were 13 of them. Jesus went to church and watched people give. Listen to me. He's still doing it, still watching. And so when he's watching, he saw that the wealthy were putting large amounts in the treasury.
How did he know? Because they used coins and not notes. And you could just hear all the coins just dropping in. So he sees the wealthy putting in large amounts. And then a poor widow came along and she put in two tiny coins worth less than an American penny.
And this is what he said. Mark 12, 43 and 44. Assuredly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury. Now, mathematically, is that true or false? It's false mathematically.
Jesus isn't talking about math.
For they all put in out of their abundance, but she, out of her poverty, put in all that. She had her whole livelihood. You realize she still had a choice. She had two. She could have given one and left and said, I gave half of everything I had to the Lord that day.
And we would still be impressed by that. In her choice, she just gave it all. She said, lord, what little I have is not going to take care of me much anyway. I'm going to trust in you. So you just get it all.
Show me how you multiply it. Obviously she didn't put in more money mathematically, but listen to me, she gave more of herself.
That's why we have to be careful about measuring generosity by dollar amounts. Because we can see the gift, but God sees the giver. We can see what went into the offering. Maybe God sees what remained afterward. So true generosity cannot be determined simply by the size or the amount of a person's gift.
God sees what we've been entrusted with and he sees what our giving represents in relation to what we've been entrusted with. That is proportional giving.
And look, there's another side to this. If God increases the income and the resources in my life, it gives me an opportunity to increase my generosity. And that's easy to miss. Our natural tendency is for every increase in our income to become an increase in our lifestyle. We make more, so we spend more, we get a raise, so we go upgrade something, we pay something off, and before long, we found another place for that money to go.
Now, Pastor, is there something inherently wrong with enjoying what God has provided? What's the answer to that question? No, but Paul's words in our verses today invite us to ask a different question. When God prospers us, and some of you have been being prospered, and you hadn't even thought about this, here's the question. Has God increased what he's put into my hands so that I can increase what flows through them?
Has God increased what he's put into my hands so that I can increase what flows through them? Because here's what I believe about God. If he can get it through you, he'll give it to you. And sometimes we look around and we go, why do I still have as little as I always had? Well, you hadn't been generous.
You haven't given God anything to bless. You just kept it all for yourself. And you're wondering why you're still suffering. You haven't tested God on the this. And so give proportionately.
Think about it. When income rises, believers can sometimes increase their giving substantially without ever reducing their existing standard of living. Isn't that worth thinking about? Maybe every blessing isn't meant to raise my standard of living. Sometimes God increases my resources because he wants to increase my capacity for generosity.
So Paul says, as he may prosper, friends, give in a way that reflects how God has prospered you. That's the second guideline. Give proportionately. Also, did you know that God isn't only concerned about what we give? And he isn't only concerned about how much we give, he's concerned about how we give it.
Principle number three, give willingly.
Second Corinthians nine, seven. I told you we would return to it, he says, so let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity. So look where Paul takes us back to again. The heart as he purposes in his heart. Is God looking for people who have to be dragged into generosity kicking and screaming?
Do you think he wants us to give while inwardly resenting every dollar that leaves our hands? Does that sound like love for him to you? Paul says, not grudgingly. In other words, first, don't give while wishing you could take it back.
And then he says, or of necessity.
You know what he means. Don't give because somebody pressured you to. That's why we don't use pressure tactics. I trust God better than my ability to squeeze money out of you. Don't give because somebody manipulated you.
Don't give because somebody made you feel guilty. Look at me. God wants willing givers.
Well, we need to be careful here because it's easy to misunderstand what willingly means. First, let me tell you what willingly does not mean. Willingly does not mean, if I don't feel like giving, I shouldn't give. I'm off the hook.
Try that other ways. We don't say, well, I'll read my Bible if I feel like it.
You would never offer that to God. We don't say, I'll love my spouse on Wednesday if I feel inspired.
We don't say, I'll share my faith when it's convenient. Yes or no? Should we obey God only when we feel like it? No. Well, look, generosity is the same.
It supersedes how we feel.
New Testament Grace Giving for Christians is voluntary. It's of your will. Does that make voluntary giving an excuse to give nothing when our hearts are reluctant, the answer is no. See, that's the opposite of grace. That's greed.
Instead, grace should increasingly move us beyond duty into willing generosity.
Let me make a special note here. Sometimes the heart follows the obedient. Everybody say that. The heart follows the obedience. For example, you begin doing what God says is good.
And over time, God changes what you want to do. That's part of spiritual maturity. Let me illustrate that. Here's one way to think about it. Let's say you're a single guy of marrying age.
Everybody pretend you're that. Some of you guys, you don't have to pretend. Alright, here's one way to think about it. Suppose your dad has a longtime friend who has a daughter your age. And he says.
Your dad says, hey, why don't you take her out sometime? I think you'd really like her. Stop looking at people in your row.
But look, you hear that from your dad, but you're not interested. But you respect your dad. So you finally say, all right, I'll ask her for a date. So you ask her out. Not at the moment because you're excited about it, but because dad talked you into it.
But then you spend an evening with her and you find out you enjoy her company. She's funny and you love her character. And then you realize, man, she's also very beautiful. I just never looked long enough. And soon dad doesn't need to suggest another date because you're already on the mission for yourself.
Your first motive was not your final motive. Sometimes obedience gets us moving before our desires catch up with that. And let me tell you, giving can work that way. You begin to give your church to the Lord because Scripture teaches you to give. Maybe there's more discipline in it than delight in it at first.
But as you obey God and as you see what generosity does in you, and as you see what generosity does through you, your heart begins to change. What started out as obedience becomes something now that you genuinely love. Did you get that? Look, there's a big difference between giving under pressure versus giving with discipline. Pressure says, someone's making me do this.
Discipline says, I've decided before God that this is who I want to become.
That's why Paul says as he purposes in his heart. That means that there's thought involved, there's prayer involved, there's intention involved. Basically, there's a decision of the will. That's why we say give willingly. And finally today, last principle is give cheerfully.
Same verse, 2nd Corinthians 9, 7. Give cheerfully.
So let each one give. Give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity. For God loves a cheerful giver. So that's where God wants to take us. Not just from not giving to giving, but from obligation, then to willingness and eventually to joy.
The word Paul uses for cheerful means hilarious gladness. It means you think about how God allows you to give and impact the world for his kingdom, and it just makes you laugh. God loves it when his children discover that generosity is not something that we have to endure. It's something we get to enjoy. And that doesn't happen because we stop caring suddenly about money.
It happens because grace changes the way that we see money. Do you remember what happened to the very first Christians in Acts chapter two, when God took hold of their lives? You have all these verses about how they just started giving to the poor and anybody in the church that had need, they covered it. God's grace took hold of their lives and radical generosity showed up immediately. They shared what they had.
Their generosity became visible evidence that something had happened inside of them. That's the connection that I don't want us to miss. Write this down. Grace produces gratitude. They're basically the same word.
It goes something like this. The more clearly I understand what God has given me in Christ, the less giving feels like God is taking something away from me. Let me say that again. The more clearly I understand what God has given me in Christ, the less giving feels like God is taking something away from me. Think about the gospel.
We were sinners who could not rescue ourselves. Isn't that true? And God didn't reluctantly give us his son. He didn't give grudgingly. Neither did he give us the bare minimum.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son his one of a kind son.
Generosity is at the heart of the gospel because generosity is in the heart of God.
And when that grace gets down inside of us, something changes. Instead of thinking, how much am I losing when I give to the Lord through the church, we begin thinking, look what God is allowing me to participate in. Can you believe this? I get to help somebody who's hurting. I get to help send the gospel somewhere I may never go.
I get to help children learn about Jesus. I get to help missionaries stay on the field a little longer. I get to support those staff members who earn a living by serving the Lord and my family through the ministry of this church. Let me preach a little bit about that. Look, God's put a great team around your pastor, and they're all great at what they do.
And I can't believe I get to work with them. And it is okay for me to tell you, you ought to be generous to this church so that they can make a living. You ought to be thankful for it. You ought to pray. God, would you increase our church's budget so that my favorite staff member, not named Trevor, can get a raise?
Don't pray about that for me. God will take care of me. You think? Use me to take care of them. Well, Pastor, is there some kind of shortfall?
No. That's why I can preach to you about this right now, because it's all good. Unless you don't love our staff pastors. And if you don't love Jen Jones, you're not going to heaven, right? I thought there'd be some amens on some of those.
And it wasn't nothing, man, just okay.
I get to help our church make more and better disciples. I get to take something temporary and use it for something that matters to God. That's where cheerful giving comes from. It's not fake enthusiasm. It's not smiling while secretly wishing you could keep the money cheerful.
Giving is the joy and the maturity of realizing God has provided for me and now he's allowing me to become part of his providing for somebody else.
The goal is not simply to become somebody who gives. The goal is to become somebody who loves to give. Give cheerfully. Alright, so there it is. Paul gives us four simple guidelines for biblical generosity.
Give regularly. Give proportionately. Give willingly. Give cheerfully. And maybe the best question to leave with today about giving is simply this.
Which one of those four needs to grow in me?
What's the most famous verse in the Bible? John 3. What? 16? I don't even think it's the best verse in John 3 though.
I don't think it's the verse in John 3 we need to hear over and over. It's true. I think John 3:36 is the one we need to hear. Whoever believes in the Son has life. Whoever does not believe in the Son does not have life and the wrath of God remains on him.
Look, if you're not a Christian, we're not asking for your money today. That was a sermon for believers. What we're asking for you today is to ask yourself, do I have life? Do I have the Son? Or do I still have the wrath of God resting on me?
If you would like to have eternal life, we want to talk with you about that. We got a slide on the screen. I think that there's a number you can text to. We have that. Yeah.
If you'll text the word life to 662-3. 623-622.
First time I've ever said that number out loud. If you'll text life to that number, it'll let us know. Hey, there's somebody that's interested in knowing the Son. We want to evangelize you and let you know what it means to become a Christian. So some of you need to do that today.
Text the word life to that number. Whoever has a Son has life. Whoever does not believe in the Son does not have the life, but the wrath of God remains on him. Would you stand with me today? Did you receive that word?
I hope it didn't make you feel guilty, but I hope it made you want to give. Be generous. Prayer Ministry team if you'll come to the front, we'll pray for people after the service too.
It's a holy moment. As these servants come forward, matters to me grateful for them.
Would you say this prayer with me? Repeat after me this prayer to the Lord and just say, Lord Jesus, it's good to be with your people today. Thank you for the Lord's day. Thank you for eternal life. Thank you for a generous church.
Praise Jesus. Amen. To the mission field you go. Prayer lines are open.

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Join us this Sunday at Great Commission Church for a welcoming and uplifting worship experience. If you’ve been searching for a church near you, you’ll discover a warm, authentic church family ready to help you grow in faith.

We are a family-friendly, non-denominational Christian church in Olive Branch, serving individuals and families throughout DeSoto County and the greater Mid-South. People looking for Christian churches in Olive Branch often discover a vibrant community where faith comes alive and lives are transformed through the Gospel.

Whether you’re new to faith or have followed Christ for years, you’ll find welcoming Sunday services, practical Bible teaching, and a place to belong. We are more than a congregation — we are a church family united by a mission to follow Jesus and live out the Great Commission.

A Place for the Whole Family

Families searching for a church with strong children’s programs love our engaging Kids Ministry and safe, caring environments. Students can connect through our Youth Ministry, and adults of every stage can find community through groups, prayer, and discipleship opportunities. As a multi-generational church, we love seeing every age grow in faith together.

Meaningful Worship

Experience contemporary worship with modern Christian music, heartfelt prayer, and Gospel-centered messages designed to help you encounter God personally. If you’re looking for vibrant worship near Memphis, you’ll find a place that feels both authentic and inspiring.

Grow in Your Faith

We offer Bible studies, small groups, and discipleship opportunities that help you understand and apply God’s Word to everyday life. If you’re looking for a place to grow spiritually, you’ll find support and encouragement here.

Connected to Our Community

We are passionate about serving our neighbors through outreach and local partnerships, making a positive impact in Olive Branch and beyond.

Conveniently located in Olive Branch, we serve families from surrounding communities, including Southaven, Germantown, Collierville, Lewisburg, and Byhalia.