"HOW MUCH SHOULD I GIVE?"

INTRODUCTION

1. During His earthly ministry, Jesus challenged His disciples to give...
1. As recorded by Luke - Lk 6:38; cf. 12:13-34 b As stated by Paul - Ac 20:33-35
2. In his epistles, Paul commanded Christians to give...
1. To lay by in store weekly, for the needs of the saints - 1Co 16:1-2
2. To work, so that we might give to those in need - Ep 4:28
3. To be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share - 1 Ti 6:17-19
4. To do good and share - He 13:16
3. A question that often comes up is "How Much Should I Give?"...
1. The Law of Moses was very explicit (tithing commanded of Israel)
2. The New Covenant is not as explicit (there is no command for Christians to tithe)

[Yet Christians are not left without assistance regarding giving. Consider first that we have...]

1. EXAMPLES TO INSPIRE US
1. FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT...
1. Abraham gave a tithe (ten percent) to Melchizedek - Gen 14:20
2. Jacob promised to give a tenth to God on his safe return - Gen 28:20-22
3. Israel's freewill offerings for the tabernacle - Exo 35:4-5,21, 29; 36:5-7
4. David and Israel's freewill offerings for the temple - 1 Chr 29:3,9-15
5. Israel's tithing to God
1. One tenth to the Levites (who in turn gave a tenth to the priests) - Num 18:21-28
2. One tenth for the festive celebration - Deut 12:5-18
3. One tenth every third year for the poor - Deut 14:28-29
6. Israel's guidelines for the land
1. Leave that which grows of itself in the seventh year to the poor - Exo 23:10-11
2. Allow people to satisfy their hunger - Deut 23:24-25; cf. Lk 6:1
3. Leave the corners and gleanings for the poor - Lev 19:9-10; Deut 24:19-22
7. The Lord's release: debt release for the poor every seventh year - Deut 15:1-4
-- The Old Testament provided Israel with a rich history of giving, though some did not give as they should - cf. Mal 3:8-10
2. FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT...
1. Zacchaeus, who gave half to the poor - Lk 19:8
2. The widow and her two mites - Lk 21:1-4
3. The meticulous tithing of the Pharisees - cf. Mt 23:23
4. The Christians in Jerusalem - Ac 2:44-45; 4:34-35
5. Barnabas, who sold land - Ac 4:36-37
6. The disciples in Antioch - Ac 11:27-30
7. The churches in Macedonia and Achaia - Ro 15:25-26; 2Co 8:1-5
8. The brethren in Philippi, who helped Paul once and again - Php 1:3-5; 4:14-18
-- The New Testament provides us with a rich history of giving, the greatest example being the gift of Jesus Christ - cf. Jn 3:16; 2Co 8:9

[With such examples to inspire to us, we should want to give! But again we ask, "How Much Should I Give?" Instead of any set percentage (e.g., ten percent), in the New Testament we have...]

2. PRINCIPLES TO GUIDE US
1. AS WE PROSPER...
1. Paul charged Christians to give as they prosper - 1Co 16:1-2
2. He instructed them to give according to what they have - 2 Co 8:12-13
-- Our giving should be in keeping with the level of our prosperity
2. SEEK TO EXCEL...
1. Paul called for Christians to abound (excel, ESV) in the grace of giving - 2Co 8:7
2. With God's aid, we can abound in every good work - 2Co 9:8-10
3. Jesus tells us to surpass the righteousness of the Pharisees (remember their meticulous tithing?) - Mt 5:20; cf. Mt 23:23
-- If the Pharisees gave tithes (actually 20-30%), do we surpass them by giving any less?
3. DO SO WILLINGLY...
1. There must be a willing mind prompting our giving - 2Co 8:12
2. We cannot give with a grudging obligation or of necessity - 2Co 9:5,7
-- We must give because we want to, not because we have to
4. AIM FOR EQUALITY...
1. Paul did not expect others to be eased at our expense - 2 Co 8:13
2. Rather, that our abundance supply others' lack - 2Co 8:14
3. Moving in the direction of more equality between brethren - 2Co 8:14-15
-- Giving should be in the direction of the greater to the lesser (both as individuals and as congregations)
5. SOW BOUNTIFULLY...
1. Again, our giving should seek to excel (abound) - 2Co 8:7
2. If you sow bountifully, you will reap bountifully - 2Co 9:6
3. Not for personal gain, but to abound for even more good works - 2Co 9:8-10
-- Seek to give bountifully, that you might give even more!
6. GIVE PURPOSELY...
1. Each one is to give as they purpose in their heart - 2Co 9:7
2. That is, with careful planning and intention, not as an afterthought
-- Budget beforehand to give purposely and willingly (see below)
7. WITH CHEERFULNESS...
1. God loves a cheerful giver - 2Co 9:7
2. Giving cannot be with a begrudging spirit, or sense of obligation
-- If we cannot give cheerfully, then our giving is not acceptable to God!

[These principles are the guidelines that are given the Christian to govern his or her giving. They are more than adequate to guide us to give as we should. But in the spirit of He 10:24, here are some...]

3. SUGGESTIONS TO STIMULATE US
1. MANY SUGGEST AT LEAST TEN PERCENT...
1. This is often suggested as a bare minimum
1. Yet even the Pharisees gave 20-30 percent to the Lord and to the poor!
2. Paul appealed to the example of sacrificial giving (Macedonians and the Lord) when he sought to motivate the Corinthians to give - 2Co 8:1-9
2. Consider these statistics (taken from GenerousGiving.org)...
1. The average donation by adults who attend U.S. Protestant churches is about $17/wk
2. Among church members of 11 primary Protestant denominations (or their historical antecedents) in the United States and Canada, per-member giving as a percentage of income was lower in 2000 than in either 1921 or 1933
1. In 1921, per-member giving as a percentage of income was 2.9 percent
2. In 1933, at the depth of the Great Depression, per-member giving grew to 3.3 percent
3. By 2000, after a half-century of unprecedented prosperity giving had fallen to 2.6 percent
3. Overall, only 3 to 5 percent of Americans who donate money to a church tithe (give a tenth of) their incomes though many more claim to do so
-- We have so much for which to be thankful; should we give any less than what God's people gave in the past?
2. BUDGET OUR GIVING...
1. We must give as we have purposed in our hearts - 2Co 9:7
2. As we prosper, plan our budgets accordingly
1. Include a special place in our budgets for our planned giving
2. To follow the principle of giving God the first fruits, calculate our giving on pretax amounts, not on what is left after the government takes its share - Pr 3:9
3. Budget not just what we give to the church, but to others as well - cf. Ga 6:10
1. E.g., 8 percent for the church
2. E.g., 2 percent for other charitable giving
-- Cheerful giving is easy when we have already set aside what we planned to give
3. SEEK TO EXCEL IN THE GRACE OF GIVING...
1. Certainly when we sow bountifully, we reap bountifully - 2 Co 9:6
2. God is willing to multiply the seed we have sown and increase the fruits of our righteousness, that we might have an abundance for every good work - 2Co 9:8-10
3. As income increases, why not increase the percentage of giving on additional income?
1. E.g., 10% on the first 30K, 15% on the next 10K, 20% on the next 10K, etc.
2. Or increase the overall percentage of your giving by 1% more each year
4. When we are enriched for all liberality (i.e., blessed to give more), it produces much thanksgiving to God by those who are the beneficiaries of our giving) - 2Co 9:11-14
-- We should seek to excel in giving, to increase thanksgiving and praise to God by those who see the work of God's grace in our lives!

CONCLUSION

1. "How Much Should I Give?" is not an easy question to answer...
1. There is no set percentage given to Christians in the New Testament
2. It is really between you and God as to how much you should give
2. But we have considered in this lesson...
1. Examples to inspire us
2. Principles to guide us
3. Suggestions to stimulate us
3. Based on the above, my personal recommendations are these...
1. Budget your giving to the Lord and to the poor, making it a priority item in your budget
2. Start out by giving ten percent of your gross income
3. Gradually increase the rate of your giving as your income increases
4. Give, not to be seen of men, but to glorify your Father in heaven - cf. Mt 5:16; 6:1-4
5. Give, not to earn salvation, but to lay up treasure in heaven - cf. Tit 3:4-7;1Ti 6:17-19; Mt 6:19-20

Have you given much thought lately to how much you should give? I hope in some way I have encouraged you to consider how you might excel in the grace of giving...