Giving to the Lord Part 4: Where to Give
In part 1 of this 4-part series on giving, we explored what the Bible said about giving. You can read Part 1 here.
In part 2, we discussed how much to give. You can read Part 2 here.
In part 3, we discussed how to get started giving. You can read Part 3 here.
In this, the fourth and final article of the series, we’ll discuss where you should give.
Let’s get started.
First some Definitions:
Tithe: This is the amount that you give regularly every week or every month. Formally, tithe means one tenth or 10 percent, but it can be any amount, more or less than 10 percent, that you give regularly.
Offering: An offering is something that you give to the church for a special purpose, above and beyond your tithe. This could be to support a special project in the church, a special missionary, or some other special church-sponsored activity. Offerings are not usually given regularly, but only as special needs arise.
Alms: This is the financial support that you provide to the poor and needy among us. This is above and beyond your tithe and would generally be given to an organization other than your church.
Where We Should Give:
Our Local Church: Our tithes and offerings should go to support those that teach us the gospel. In most cases, this is our local church. Paul instructs us to support those who teach us the gospel.
In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the Good News should be supported by those who benefit from it. (1 Cor. 9:14, NLT)
Those who are taught the word of God should provide for their teachers, sharing all good things with them (Galatians 6:6 NLT)
Your local church should also have some programs where they help the poor and needy in the community, spread the gospel out in the community, and contribute to world-wide Christian missionaries. Thus, by contributing your tithes and offerings to your church, you are also supporting these key areas of ministry in addition to supporting those who teach you the gospel.
Our local church is also home to our “Church Family.” These are the people who encourage and nurture us on our walk with Christ and who are there for us in times of trouble. Don’t underestimate the importance of your church family. They are often superheroes, especially to those suffering from long-term health issues. By supporting your local church, you are also indirectly supporting your church family.
If you have another organization that is instrumental in teaching you the gospel, then feel free to give some small portion of your tithes and offerings to them. However, the major portion of your tithes and offerings should always go to your local church.
Other Charities: Our alms should go to charitable organizations outside of our local church that specialize in helping the poor and the needy, both locally and around the world. This giving should not come from our tithes, but be in addition to our tithes.
God wants us to help the poor and the needy and to take the gospel to remote areas of the globe. Although some portion of your tithes to your local church usually go to support these things, you may feel called upon to provide additional support to causes that touch your heart. This is where giving can bring a whole new level of blessings into your life because you can often actually see lives transformed right in front of your eyes.
Today, there are many areas of need vying for Christian support. As you are able to increase your giving over time, consider giving something to outside charitable organizations in areas that you are compassionate about.
However, do your due diligence research before giving. There are many scams out there preying on Christian generosity. And many charities are inefficient, using much of their income to run the organization and pay themselves extravagant salaries rather than to help the people they claim to support.
CharityNavigator.org provides respected reviews of the effectiveness of different charities and provides a good starting point for your research.
For helping the poor around the world in Jesus’ name, Samaritan’s Purse is an excellent organization. Franklin Graham is the president and CEO of Samaritan’s Purse and it does a lot of good work. CharityNavigator.org gives Samaritan’s Purse a top rating.
Summing Up:
Giving generously to the work of the Lord is a crucial part of being a follower of Jesus Christ. We are to give of our time, talents, and financial blessings.
However, giving of our financial blessings is often the hardest for most people and in this four-part series, we have provided followers with a roadmap to guide them in their financial giving.
We have learned what the Bible says about tithing and giving and then gone on to define how much we should give and where we should give.
We’ve also learned the importance of establishing a Biblical mindset about our money and giving, so that we can give faithfully and joyfully and never out of a feeling of obligation or coercion.
The goal of every follower should be at least to tithe, to give at least 10 percent of their gross income to support God’s work. Another goal should be to become better managers of God’s money so that they can not only get to 10 percent, but to go beyond 10 percent. Remember, 10 percent is the minimum amount we should be giving.
Put your faith in God and make giving an integral part of your walk with Christ. Jesus has given us an incredible gift. Give out of love and gratitude for what you have already been given.
Winston Churchill put it well when he said:
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
God loves joyful givers and promises blessings to all who give. Give faithfully. Give generously. Give joyfully.
God will bless you for it in incredible ways!
