This chapter will address the recipients of giving, fundraising methods, the proper use of funds, and how to identify worthy ministries.

If it comes down to it, biblically I think we’d do better to “err” on the side of generosity, not stinginess.

When I read the Bible, it appears that tithing is the biblical minimum, the starting place, the floor of giving, not its ceiling. Tithes were to keep from stealing from God. Offerings were the beginning of giving.

Giving infuses life with joy. It interjects an eternal dimension into even the most ordinary day. That’s just one reason you couldn’t pay me enough not to give. The joy Nanci and I experience comes in envisioning what God is doing in people’s lives for eternity through what we’ve given to Him.

The Treasure Principle: You can’t take it with you, but... you can send it on ahead.

Over the last ten years, I’ve been suggesting that we learn how to share testimonies about giving in order to help the body of Christ grow in the grace of giving. 

While getting out of debt is a high biblical priority it is as much a wisdom issue as a righteousness one, and requires discernment and good strategy not just a single act of obedience.

To say that churches should receive the firstfruits does NOT mean they should keep them. They should set the example for their people by giving more to missions and the poor than they keep.

However, not all of those funds will be used wisely, and some will end up being used corruptly. That comes with the territory. The solution is not to give less, but to give carefully.