The Bible teaches that giving is an act of obedience and worship. When people are taught to give as worship and honor to God through the obedience of tithing, both the people and the house of the Lord are blessed. This principle forms the basis of this book.
Romans 10:17 says: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (KJV) Through the practice of reading and hearing the Word of God concerning giving, God?s children will give; both as worship and in obedience to the Scriptures. As a result great blessings will come. The giver will be blessed because of their obedience. And, the ministry of the church will increase due to the abundance of finances for ministry projects.
How To Use This Book
This book is laid out in Biblical order; that is Genesis through Revelation. To locate any verse of scripture on giving contained in this book simply flip through its pages as you would your Bible. You will find the Scripture passages listed at the top corner of the right hand page. A Table of Contents listing the title, Scripture and page number is provided on pages 5 through 7. At the back of the book on pages 119 through 121 a Subject Index is available. Here you can find the different Scripture meditations group according to giving themes. Each tithe and offering meditation has seven sections. They are:
1. Title
- The title is the subject of the giving meditation. If you are looking for a certain idea for receiving the offering, a good place to start would be the Table of Contents; where all the titles are listed in Biblical order or the Subject Index in the back of the book.
2. Theme
- The theme is a sentence or two that states the thought of the giving mediation. It is this theme that you are wanting to leave in the hearts and minds of the people as they learn and worship through the obedience of giving. It is helpful to read over this theme several times prior to studying the rest of the meditation.
3. Scripture Reading
- Here you will find the Bible text in its entirety. The version used in this book is the KJV. These meditations are compatible however, with any version you prefer using. When it proved helpful, other translations were included to add clarity to the text. It is very important that during the presentation of the tithe and offering meditation, you have the congregation open their Bibles and read along with you. The power of the Scripture is directly related to the members of the congregation reading and seeing for themselves, God?s teaching concerning giving. Faith for tithing and giving will only come into people?s hearts as they are exposed to and receive the Word of God. When the people get accustomed, at offering time, to opening and reading the Word (concerning their finances), this will become a favorite part of the service.
4. Relating to the Scripture
- This section gives a mini teaching on the giving Scripture. Often insight from Bible study aids are also given here. The main focus of this section however is to bring the Scripture to a place of relevance in the lives of believers concerning giving. You may read this section as it appears. But, it is best to use this section only as a reference tool, glancing down at it only occasionally; and to be familiar enough with the text to speak from the heart.
5. Offering Admonition/Confession
- This is a faith filled transitional statement based on the Scripture being used. It is designed to get you from the teaching of the Scripture to the actual receiving of the offering. It is best used just before the prayer/blessing of the offering. It may be used as an admonishment or a confession for the people to repeat. If used as a confession, substituting first person pronouns will be more personal and meaningful for the members of the congregation.
6. Personal Notes
- This space is available so that you may record your notes, thoughts, and spiritual insights as you study the Scripture text. A great deal of study, with a computer and a vast Biblical resource library, was used for the creation of each meditation. This being already accomplished, these meditations are designed to be used with a minimum of preparation time. That being said, you must “own the text” for your presentation to be effective. Plan to spend 15 minutes or so with each Scripture meditation. During this time jot down any insights or real life examples you feel will be helpful to share with your congregation.
7. Ministry Use Log
- These Scriptures are not intended to be used in order. You will however need to know what Scripture was used and when. This section is for you to record the date, day, and service that you used each Scripture.