Giving Options

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Giving

1. What is a step in giving?

Giving is our way of saying thank you to God, a sign that we trust Him with what we've been given. Everything we have really belongs to God, we're just looking after it, and giving is one way we put that into practice for something bigger than ourselves. We love being part of a community of faith, and helping resource the mission to reach the people of Sydney.

3. How to take this step?

Here's some guidance for taking this step.

  • The Bible talks about setting aside what you're going to give ahead of time, so it's already put apart for God rather than an afterthought (Proverbs 3:9).

    "On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made." — 1 Corinthians 16:2

  • 1 Corinthians 16:2 confirms your giving should be "in keeping with your income." The amount we give is different for everyone, because our incomes are different.

  • A tithe just means giving 10%. In Genesis 14:20, Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedek, honouring God as an act of faith. As Christians today, we're not required to tithe under Old Testament law, but Abraham's example is still a great starting point, a real, generous response of faith, which is exactly the kind of generosity we're encouraged toward in the New Testament (Acts 2:45).

  • Some people give weekly, some fortnightly. Some use eftpos, others cash. We'd encourage direct debit if you can, it's simple, keeps your giving consistent, and avoids extra transaction fees. However you do it, what matters is the heart behind it, gratitude and generosity, so choose whatever works best for your finances.

  • We believe God gives us finances for a few different reasons, food, living expenses, investing in the future, and giving. 2 Corinthians 9:10 says, "God provides seed for you to sow and bread for you to eat." There might be moments you feel led to give sacrificially, if so, talk it through with someone you trust first. Even in a sacrificial gift, your giving shouldn't come out of your rent, mortgage, or food budget.

2. Why do we give?

  • God gave us everything first. John 3:16 says, "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son." Giving back is our way of saying thank you for that, and a way to be part of what God's doing in the world.

  • Giving is one way we put God first. Proverbs 3:9-10 says, "Honour the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce." When we give, we're honouring God with our money, with a grateful heart for everything He's given us.

  • Giving is also simply about following what Jesus taught. He confirmed the importance of giving in Luke 6:38, and even praised a widow for giving everything she had, just two small coins (Luke 21:1-4). It's a theme that comes up again and again throughout the Bible: 1 Corinthians 16:2, 2 Corinthians 8:9-15, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, Acts 20:35, 1 Timothy 6:17-19 and Matthew 6:1-4.

  • Giving also does something for us, it loosens money's grip on our hearts (1 Timothy 6:6-10). It's easy to put your sense of security in money, and giving helps shift that trust back to God, keeping us generous rather than guarded with what we have.

  • We want to look after well whatever God's given us, our jobs, our finances, all of it. Jesus taught that how generously we give shapes what God entrusts to us next (Luke 6:38), an idea Paul echoes too (2 Corinthians 9:6).

  • Giving should never feel forced. We give freely and cheerfully, out of gratitude for what God's already given us (2 Corinthians 9:7)

  • 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, "God is able to bless you so that you can have all you need and abound in every good work." God blesses us so we have what we need, but also so we can help others who don't. We're called to be generous in every situation (2 Corinthians 9:11), feeding the hungry and looking after those in need (Proverbs 22:9).

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