Giving offerings in the church is crucial to upholding one as a believer in Christ. It is a way of getting blessings from God. According to 2 Corinthians 8:12, God is after our heart and not how much we give. The scripture states, “For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has and not according to what one does not.”
This article focuses on the importance of giving offerings in church and I will discuss them as follows:
It attracts God’s blessings – James1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” Everything that we have comes from God, and it is only practical if we give back as appreciation. Giving will open more doors to the believers and bring more breakthroughs. In Genesis 22, God asked Abraham to give his only son Isaac as an offering, and he did not question but went ahead, but before he sacrificed his son, God directed him to a sheep that was tied that he was to use as the sacrifice. What followed was blessings, and God made him the father of all nations. In Luke 6:38, God has commanded us to give for we shall receive
and he says it will come back to us in total, pressed down and shaken down together.
Offerings relate to God our level of loyalty and gratefulness to him as Christians: Giving back to what God has given us shows gratitude, and he blesses us with more. Our offering speaks more than our words can when it comes to thanksgiving. In Mark 12:38, a lady gave all that she had. God then accepted her offering since it was from the heart as it was all that she had. She did not worry about where she would get her next, but she had faith that God would provide.
It increases our faith in God: We as Christians don’t give because we have more than enough. We offer because we are grateful for what has been shown to us. In 1 King 17-16, this widow that Elijah met and gave all that she had to Elijah with the faith that the act of giving is blessed. The Lord then blessed her, and she never lacked again. We as Christians should give until it turns to a sacrifice, and it builds on our faith as it provides us with the assurance that God Is going to bless us. In Malachi 3:10, “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. Test me in this says the Lord Almighty and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so many blessings that there will be no more room to store it .”
It is a good way of saving up your wealth in heaven –Matthew 6:19-21 says, “Do not store up riches for yourselves here on earth where moths and rats destroy, and robbers break in and steal. Instead, store up riches for yourselves in heaven where moths and rats cannot destroy, and robbers cannot break into and steal. For your heart will always be where your riches are .” By giving offerings and paying tithe, we are building our heavenly wealth.
What we give to the church helps the church grow: So many needs need to be met. For instance, many constructions exist, maybe for the church itself, halls, schools, priests’ houses, or even the lavatories. By giving offerings, levies, and any other contributions that are both monetary and non-monetary, we help the church. The needy, the old, the less privileged will be permitted from our offerings. Through our offerings, the gospel or the word of God will be spread as we will help sponsor the evangelists, and by this, the kingdom of God will continue to prosper.
Giving offerings brings a sense of happiness and fulfillment. By giving, we get that spiritual satisfaction. It lets us know that we have helped someone we know or don’t, and we are sure it will make a difference. After giving cheerfully, we leave God’s presence with joy in expectations of loads of blessings coming our way.
It is a sign of total obedience to God: Matthew 6:2 states when you give and not if you pass. Giving should be done cheerfully and not reluctantly. It is part of God’s instruction to us to provide. In Malachi 3:10, God asked the Christians to bring 10% of their monthly earnings. Not giving this is total disobedience to God.
It is a good step towards salvation and detachment from money and material things…In Matthew 24:1, “And I say to you again, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” The only thing that can save a greedy man is giving, and that is why The scripture says it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle because the rich think they have it all and do not Gods help or even salvation. Surprisingly, the poor give more than the rich do. In Mark 10:17-30, Christ explains that for one to enter the kingdom of God, he must leave all the worldly pleasures and worldly riches.
Giving is a form of worship: During offering in holy mass, it implies we are walking forth in his altar with gifts he has given us. Proverbs 3:9 says, “Honour the Lord with your wealth, with the fruits of all your crops.”
The offering is a sure bank of Grace: We draw God’s Grace upon us by giving. It is very well known to all Christians that the secret to the Grace we enjoy is through sharing our offering in church. When you don’t owe God your offerings or tithe, he will award us with abundant Grace.
The offering allows God to act on our behalf: Do you close and lock your windows at your home? Of course, you do. Suppose I were to ask 100 people why they shut their windows. . . I’m sure the unanimous answer would be to keep thieves out. To keep thieves from stealing what doesn’t belong to them. That’s precisely what God is doing. He has the windows of heaven locked to keep thieves out. Malachi 3:8 in the Classic Amplified Bible says: “Will a man rob or defraud God? Yet you rob and defraud Me. But you say, In what way do we rob or defraud You? [You have withheld you] tithes and offerings.” Now let’s carefully read Malachi 3:10 in the Classic Amplified Bible: “Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.”
Your giving of tithes and offerings requires God to open the windows of heaven over your life. If you don’t tithe and give offerings, the windows of heaven are closed, but if you tithe and give offerings, the windows of heaven are open. Opened or closed. . .it’s your choice.
Our giving thwarts the plans of the enemy. I think it’s fair to say when your giving is spirit-led, scripturally accurate. . .let me express it in modern vernacular it ticks off the devil.
The enemy wants you to think that sowing works for some people but not you. He wants you to believe that you will never receive a harvest. He knows if he can get you to doubt. . .he can keep you from receiving a crop. . .thus neutralizing your financial effectiveness for the Kingdom of God. The enemy knows that when you begin receiving harvests. . .you understand the potential you have for blessing others. He does not want that to happen.
Conclusion: Giving is essential but while you give, give in a manner that pleases God. Do not be boastful about your offering and deliver according to what you have. Give cheerfully, and blessings God had promised to a cheerful giver shall be yours. Always give with an open heart, and we will receive it back. We should also, as Christians, pray that God blesses the offering we offer as a symbol of love to him. There are four types of offerings which are tithes, which is 10% of our income according to Leviticus 27:30, the seed, which is technically what we give during a mass or church service, the first fruits for every new blessing we receive Deuteronomy 12:22 and lastly Alms-giving which is compassionate for the poor and the less privileged in the society.