Bible Verses on Giving and Money: Giving Matters

Giving Matters

WHY? Giving Is A Spiritual Thermometer
Cold: “not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of…greed…not even to eat with such a one. (1 Cor 5:11)
Hot: “they had everything in common. (Acts 4:32) (also Acts 2:44)

Stealing from God: Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. (Malachi 3:8)
Pleasing to God: the gifts you sent, a fragrant offering, a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God. (Philippians 4:18)

Too Little: how does God's love abide in him? (1 John 3:17)
Too Much: So the people were restrained from bringing (Ex 36:6)

HOW: Prioritize God in Your Giving. Give…
Generously: give, and it will be given to you. … For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you. (Luke 6:38)
Proportionately: 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. (1 Corinthians 16:2)
Sacrificially: for in a severe test of affliction…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, (2 Corinthians 8:2-3)
Cheerfully: Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7)
Regularly: 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. (1 Cor 16:1-2)

HOW MUCH? Aim for the Tithe.
1. A tithe is not a tip. 
2. Tithe and trust.
3. The Tithe is a Joyous Floor, Not a Legalistic Ceiling.

5 Bible Truths About Money: Money Matters

1. It Is His Money: It All Belongs to God

“In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” (Gen 1:1)

2. Budget & Be Responsible

For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? 29 Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’ (Luke 14:28-30, ESV)

3. Spend Less than You Earn:  Pay Your Bills

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8, ESV)

“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 7:12, ESV)

4. Work Hard To Live

Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is walking in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us. …10For even when we were with you, we would give you this command: If anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. 11 For we hear that some among you walk in idleness, not busy at work, but busybodies. 12 Now such persons we command and encourage in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work quietly and to earn their own living. (2 Thessalonians 3:6,10-12, ESV)

5. Work Hard to Give
In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20:35)

Is Jesus the Messiah? Jesus' Fulfillment of Biblical Prophecies

Have you always wanted to see the prophetic connections between the Old and New Testament?  Here are some biblical connections that show that the Story of Scripture is the Story of Christ!  Take some time and look up these passages...predictions that are historically evidenced and separated by hundreds of years!!  We have an amazing God in Jesus!!

Prophecies and Fulfillment of Christ

• Offspring of a Woman – Genesis 3:15, Luke 2:7, Revelation 12:5
• Offspring of Abraham – Genesis 18:18, Acts 3:25, Matthew 1:1, Luke 3:34
• Offspring of Isaac – Genesis 17:19, Matthew 1:2, Luke 3:34
• Offspring of Jacob – Numbers 24:17, Genesis 28:14, Luke 3:34, Matthew 1:2
• Descended from the Tribe of Judah – Genesis 49:10, Luke 3:33, Matthew 1:2-3
• Heir to the Throne of David – Isaiah 9:7, 11:1-5, 2 Samuel 7:13, Jeremiah 23:5, Matt1:1,6, Luke 1:32-33
• Born in Bethlehem – Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:1, Luke 2:4-7
• Time of Birth – Daniel 9:25, Luke 2:1-2, 2:3-7
• Born of a Virgin – Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:18, Luke 1:26-35
• Slaughter of Infants – Jeremiah 31:15, Matthew 2:16-18
• Escape into Egypt – Hosea 11:1, Matthew 2:14-15
• A PROPHET, LIKE MOSES – Deuteronomy 18:15, John 1:45, 16:15, Acts 3:19-26
• Ministry in Galilee – Isaiah 9:1-2, Matthew 4:12-16
• Priest Like Melchizedek – Psalm 110:4, Zechariah 6:12-13, Hebrews 6:20, 5:5-6, 7:15-17
• Rejected by Jews – Isaiah 53:3, Psalm 2:2, John 1:11, 5:43, Luke 4:29, 17:25
• Characteristics – Isaiah 11:2, Psalm 45:7, Luke 2:52, 4:18
• Triumphal Entry – Zechariah 9:9, Isaiah 62:11, John 12:13-14, Matthew 21:1-11
• Betrayed by a Friend – Psalm 41:9, Mark 14:10
• Sold for 30 Pieces of Silver, Potter’s Field – Zechariah 11:12-13, Matthew 26:15, 27:6-7
• Judas’ Position Replaced – Psalm 109:7, Acts 1:18-20
• False Witnesses’ Accused Him – Psalm 27:12, Matthew 26:60-61
• Silent When Accused – Isaiah 53:5, Matthew 26:62-63
• Struck and Spit Upon – Isaiah 50:6, Mark 14:65
• Hated Without Cause – Psalm 69:4, John 15:23
• Suffered Vicariously – Isaiah 53:4, Matthew 8:16-17
• Hands and Feet Pierced – Psalm 22:16, John 20:27
• Crucified With Sinners – Isaiah 53:12, Matthew 27:38
• Mocked and Insulted – Psalm 22:6-8, Matthew 27:39-40
• Given Gall and Vinegar – Psalm 69:21, John 19:29
• Hears Prophetic Words Used As Mockery – Psalm 22:8, Matthew 27:43
• Prays for His Enemies – Psalm 109:4, Luke 23:34
• Side Pierced – Zechariah 12:10, John 19:34
• Soldiers Cast Lots for His Clothes – Psalm 22:18, Matthew 15:24
• Not a Bone to Be Broken – Psalm 34:20, John 19:33
• Buried With the Rich – Isaiah 53:9, Matthew 27:57-60
• Resurrection – Psalm 16:10, Matthew 28:9
• Ascension into Heaven – Psalm 68:18, Luke 24:50

Is Jesus God? Biblical Evidence!

Have you ever heard someone claim that 'Jesus never claimed to be God'?  Have you ever wondered if Jesus was just a prophet, a good teacher, or a miracle worker?  Here are some amazing biblical truths that clearly point out that Jesus is God!

The Deity of Christ: Jesus Demonstrates and Says He Is God

• Fulfillment of Prophecies – Psalm 22, Isaiah 53:1-12
• I AM Statements – Mark 14:62, John 4:26, 8:58, 18:6, Exodus 3:14, Isaiah 4:45
• Immanuel – Matthew 1:23
• See God – Matthew 5:8
• Claim of Disciples – John 20:28-29 – Thomas
• Image of the Invisible God – John 1, Colossians 1:15-16
• Seen Me, Seen Father – John 14:7
• Father and I Are One – John 10:30
• Alpha and Omega, Beginning and the End – Revelation 1:8, 22:20
• Making Self Equal with God – John 5:18
• Angels Worship Him – Hebrews 1:6
• Without Sin – Hebrews 4:15
• Forgives Sin – John 9:2-6
• Transfiguration – Matthew 17:1-13
• Baptism – Mark 1:9-11
• Raising Others from the Dead – John 11:1-46
• Resurrection and Ascension – Matthew 28:1-15, Acts 1:4-11, Luke 23 & 24
• Virgin Birth – Matthew 1:18, Luke 1:26-35
• Reception of Worship – John 9:38, 20:28
• Shares God’s Glory – John 17:5-6
• He Is the New Temple – John 2:18-19
• He Is the Law Giver – Matthew 5-7
• Great High Priest – Hebrews 4:14

Biblical Fasting - Why Should I Fast? How Should I Fast?

Have you ever wondered about the purpose of fasting in the Bible?  Have you ever been confused on how to go about fasting?  Here are some biblical reasons and ways to go about fasting!

10 Reasons to Fast

From Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life by Donald Whitney
1. Strengthen Prayer
2. Seek God’s Guidance
3. Express Grief
4. Seek Deliverance or Protection
5. Express Repentance or Return to God
6. Humble Oneself Before God
7. Express Concern for the Work of God
8. Minister to the Needs of Others
9. Overcome Temptation & Dedicate Yourself to God
10. Express Love and Worship to God

7 Ways to Fast

Normal Fast – fasting from all food, not from water
o Jesus’ temptation (Matthew 4:1-11)
Partial Fast – limitation of your diet
o (Daniel 1:12 – vegetables to eat and water to drink)
o (Matthew 3:4 - John the Baptist - locusts & wild honey
Absolute Fast – fasting from all food and all water
(Ezra 8:21-23, Esther 4:12-16, Paul Acts 9:9, David 2Sam12:15-23)
Supernatural Fast – requires God’s intervention to survive
o Moses (Deuteronomy 9:9), Elijah (1 Kings 19:8)
Private Fast - in a way not to be noticed (Matthew 6:16-18)
Congregational Fast – united focus (Joel 2:15-16, Acts 13:2)
Other than food - “a voluntary denial of a normal function for the sake of intense spiritual activity” - Richard Foster

(Ezra 8:21-23, ESV) Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods. 22 For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.” 23 So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty.