Tithes and Offerings

  • Jason Elder
  • Oct 26, 2007

 

". . . Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand." 1 Chronicles 29:14.

 

What We Think About God

God is the giver of all good gifts and is the supplier of all our needs. He is benevolent, gracious, and knows everything that we need before we even ask! He provides family to guide and love us. He gives us friendships that challenge and encourage. He gives us life, joy, and the ability to cope with what may come. He also gives skills and talents whereby we build our income. Before we do anything, he has been gracious to us and has given us more than we could need. God is Lord over everything and everyone. He owns everything. He has streets made of gold and a city that outshines anything on earth! We must know that God loves us and has his benevolent gaze upon us every moment. That gives us confidence that we can trust him.

Why We Give

We give in acknowledgement that our income is God's. God is not interested in 10% of our income, just like he is not interested in having just 10% of our time and attention. God wants us to be satisfied in glorifying him in everything that we do and that, of course, includes how we allocate our resources.

Giving gives us an opportunity to trust God, because when we give we are saying that we trust Him to do more in our life with less! Jesus was spot on--we can't serve money and God. Our check book often tells where our commitments lie. Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).

Our giving helps fuels God's work in and through the church! Paul calls it the "grace of giving" in 2 Corinthians 2:7. Together, as we give, we are able to minister to one another within the church and to those outside the church, thus giving grace to all.

How We Give

Wait! Before you get that check book out, do something else--Give yourself to God! In 2 Corinthians 8 Paul describes the Macedonians Christians, "They did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God's will." Paul was taking up a freewill offering for the destitute believers in Jerusalem and had made an appeal to the Macedonian and Corinthian believers. Their response was overwhelming. Before giving of their income they gave themselves to the Lord because they had a burden for the love of Jesus to be spread. We hope you give because of gratitude to God and because of a burden for those who do not know God.

God desires for us to give from a full and thankful heart! When we realize the trustworthy nature of God and his gracious designs for us, we can give as a part of our worship. God is not seeking the gift, but an expression of devotion from the giver. He doesn't necessarily care about the commas in our tithe check. He cares about our hearts and wants us to be satisfied in him. Jesus reveals this principle in Luke 21:1-4, when he says that the widow who gave a few pennies was looked on with favor because she gave out of her lack.

Who Should Give

Let's talk about who should not give. If you are new to Neighborhood Church and are still checking us out, we ask that you do not give. You are neither obligated nor expected to give. We're glad you are with us.

If you consider Neighborhood Church as "your church" or your spiritual family, then we ask that you do give of yourself and your income. You know that we love to serve and to give of ourselves and that means that we equally share the weight of ministry. The money that you give helps us provide ministries and services to you and your family. It also helps us leverage opportunities to make Jesus' love known to others.

How Can I Give?

There are several ways to give. The first way is during our Sunday evening worship gathering.  There is a box at the front of the chapel.  You are welcome to give before or after the gathering, or when you come up to receive communion.

You can also give via the website. At the bottom of the home page is a "Donate" button, which will direct you to Paypal. If you have ever purchased through Ebay they you are well aware of Paypal. If not, please rest assured that it is perfectly secure.

Finally, you can give by writing a check and mailing it to us at PO Box 40682, Memphis, TN 38174.

Neighborhood Church is a 501(c)3 non-profit, which means that any gifts that are given can be written off at tax time.