Getting More Out of Giving: Tithes and Offerings

Psalm 100 calls God’s people to serve the Lord with gladness, to come before his presence with singing, and to enter his gates with thanksgiving. The truth of God endures to all generations, but every generation does not automatically keep that truth. Obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings cursing, so careless church-going can make a believer miss the very good God intended to give.

The house of God should not feel like a box to check. The thought of church should stir anticipation, not boredom. The call to gather with God’s people includes singing, praying, hearing the word, fellowshipping with believers, and giving in a way that honors the Lord. Familiarity can breed contempt, and regular attendance can slide into a slump when the heart stops expecting God to meet with his people.

Giving tithes and offerings belongs inside that worship. Proverbs 3 teaches that the Lord is to be honored with substance and with the firstfruits of all increase. The tithe is the Lord’s, one tenth of every increase, before bills, before deductions, before personal enjoyment. An offering is anything given beyond that tithe, freely chosen from the substance God has left in a believer’s hand.

First Corinthians 16 shows that the New Testament church had a weekly collection. Every one was to give as God had prospered him. Second Corinthians 8 shows that the Macedonians gave during affliction and deep poverty because the grace of God was working in them. Their secret was not wealth, but surrender. They first gave their own selves to the Lord, and then the gift in the hand followed the life already on the altar.

The grace of giving is seen supremely in Christ, who though he was rich became poor for the sake of others. The principles for offerings are plain: give as God has prospered, with a willing mind, according to what a person has, as purposed in the heart, and cheerfully, not grudgingly or of necessity. The law of sowing and reaping still stands. Sparing sowing brings sparing reaping, and bountiful sowing brings bountiful reaping.

The offerings collected in the church meet financial obligations, care for those who labor in spiritual things, and forward the work of the ministry. Giving is not just a way to raise funds. Giving expresses grace, deepens fellowship, produces joy, and keeps money from sticking to the hand and ruining the heart. The call to serve the Lord with gladness reaches even the offering plate, because glad worship gives the whole self to God first.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The tithe is the Lord’s The tithe is not a donation a believer decides to be generous with. The tithe belongs to God before the hand ever treats it as spendable, because every increase came through life, strength, and ability God gave. The question is not whether a believer can afford to tithe, but whether God will be honored as God in the firstfruits. [17:32]
• 2. Grace makes poor hands generous The Macedonians did not give because their lives were easy or their pockets were full. Deep poverty and great affliction became the very place where joy and liberality met. Grace does not wait until giving is convenient, because grace has already learned that God’s worth is greater than comfort. [29:49]
• 3. Surrender comes before the gift The key was not first an opened wallet, but an offered self. When God has the whole person, nothing in the hand has to be protected from him. A divided life argues over amounts, but a surrendered life asks what would honor the Lord. [33:26]
• 4. Cheerful giving guards the heart Money can stick to the hand and then start working its way into the heart. Cheerful giving breaks that grip before treasure becomes a master. The issue is not the size of the bill, but whether the heart is becoming freer toward God or darker around possessions. [40:09]
• 5. Generosity invites God’s care Psalm 41 ties blessing to the one who considers the poor. God takes care of the person who can be trusted to care for others, because that life becomes a conduit of his goodness. Selfishness shrinks a soul, but generosity places a believer under the watchful care of the God whose resources never run dry.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:34] - Psalm 100 and Serving Gladly
• [03:06] - Church Is Not a Checkbox
• [04:36] - Glad to Go to God’s House
• [07:14] - The Danger of Going Through Motions
• [13:22] - Getting More Out of Giving
• [14:49] - Tithes and Offerings Defined
• [23:30] - Weekly Collections in the Church
• [28:42] - Sacrificial Giving and the Macedonians
• [35:41] - How Much Should Offerings Be?
• [41:43] - Sowing and Reaping
• [43:36] - How Offerings Are Used
• [54:12] - Understanding the Grace of Giving
• [61:47] - Learning the Blessings of Giving
• [67:10] - Experiencing the Joy of Giving

Bible Reading

Psalm 100
“Make a joyful noise to the LORD, all the earth! Serve the LORD with gladness! Come into his presence with singing! Know that the LORD, he is God! It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.” [00:34]

2 Corinthians 9:6-7
“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” [41:43]

2 Corinthians 8:1-5
“We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints— and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us.” [29:26]

1 Corinthians 16:1-2
“Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.” [24:19]

Proverbs 3:9-10
“Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.” [15:14]

Observation questions

1. In Psalm 100, what actions are tied to coming before the Lord—especially in gathered worship—and what heart attitudes are named along with those actions?
2. In Proverbs 3:9-10, what two things are believers told to honor the Lord with, and what promise is attached to that command? [15:14]
3. According to 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, when was the collection gathered, who was included in it, and what standard was used for deciding what to give? [24:19]
4. In 2 Corinthians 8:1-5, what details stand out about the Macedonians’ condition, their attitude, and the order in which they gave? [33:05]

Interpretation questions

1. Psalm 100 connects gladness, singing, thanksgiving, and praise with entering God’s presence. What does that suggest about the kind of spirit believers should bring into gathered worship, rather than treating church like a routine? [03:40]
2. Proverbs 3 says to honor the Lord with the firstfruits of all increase. Why does giving first matter so much? What does it reveal about whether a person sees what he has as his own or as something received from God? [18:42]
3. The Macedonians were in affliction and deep poverty, yet their joy overflowed into generosity. What does that show about the difference between giving by circumstance and giving by grace? [29:49]
4. Paul says each one should give as decided in the heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion. How can giving be both heartfelt and still taken seriously as a real act of obedience before God? [40:00]

Application questions

1. When the next church service begins to come into view, what usually rises first in the heart—anticipation, weariness, distraction, or indifference? What might need to change so that entering God’s house feels more like “we get to” than “we have to”? [04:48]
2. Regular church attendance can slide into a slump when familiarity takes over. Has worship in any area started to feel mechanical—singing, praying, listening, fellowshipping, or giving? Where has that been showing up most clearly? [07:14]
3. The tithe belongs to the Lord before the money is treated as spendable. Is there any hesitation, fear, or resistance in honoring God first with increase? What thoughts usually fight for first place when money comes in? [17:17]
4. The Macedonians gave themselves first to the Lord, and then their gift followed. Is the deeper struggle really about money, or is it about surrender? What part of life still feels guarded or off-limits before God? [33:26]
5. Cheerful giving helps keep money from sticking to the hand and then ruining the heart. In this season of life, is money making the heart freer toward God or tighter around possessions? How can that be honestly recognized? [40:09]
6. Giving is meant to be part of worship, not just a way to cover expenses. What would it look like to treat giving with the same seriousness and joy as singing, praying, and listening to the Word? [01:14:00]
7. It is more blessed to give than to receive, but many believers do not really know that joy because they rarely step into it. What is one practical way to grow in regular, willing, joyful generosity this week or this month? [01:07:44]