Sacrificial Giving!

For Wednesday, July 23, 2025:

Mark 12:44 NLT, Jesus speaking: “Most gave a tiny part of their surplus, but this widow, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.”

How much should we donate to our home church? The Old Testament teaches that the first 10% of everything already belongs to the Lord. That’s a good starting point.

The New Testament teaches us about sacrificial giving. People sold their land or their animals and donated the proceeds to the church. On the Day of Pentecost, 3,000 new believers came on board. Most were from out of town and would require food and housing right from the start. The first church, The Way, took care of them. Jesus and many others taught that the Kingdom was at hand; heaven was quite close. And those living in God’s Kingdom would have no need for worldly assets.

So what does God want? Many Christians are blessed with abundance, enabling them to help others. God wants each of us to be successful. Prospective Christians should be able to look at the flock and say, “They’re doin’ OK. They’re having fun. Life for them seems to be good. I want to become part of it!”

It’s good to save for when you can no longer work, and it’s good to have a rainy day fund. But it’s bad to hoard money, to become a miser. A delicate balance is required. It would be easy to prioritize money over God, and that would be wrong.

My advice is to pray about the matter, and then follow through with what God puts on your conscience!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Sacrificial Giving!

For Sunday, March 23, 2025:

Leviticus 27:30 NLT: The Lord said to Moses, “One-tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain from the fields or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord and must be set apart to him as holy.”

It takes money to keep a church running. I once worked for a church with a tall sanctuary. Its walls were mostly big windows, composed of multiple small pieces of colored, single-pane glass. Paying the winter bills for heat was always a challenge! I remember leading second-effort financial campaigns, having to ask for a smidge more to bail us out of debt! The congregation always came through for us!

In Leviticus ch. 27, the Lord speaks to Moses about sacrificial giving, over and above the 10% tithe that already belongs to God. Nowadays, people can donate money, but 3,000 years ago they donated “stuff:” livestock, grain and produce, real estate and even humans who became Temple workers. Money is easier. No one has to herd a heifer to the priest!

With most churches, you can donate on their website. There’s often a QR code. Sometimes you can pay with Venmo or PayPal. Visa and Master Card are options, although it’s best to settle up with them right away. Don’t ever enter Satan’s hell of late fees, penalties and interest.

God has been very good to Christians, sending his Son Jesus to blot out our sins and to rescue us from eternal damnation. Jesus even said that he would go to God’s house ahead of us and prepare a place for believers. I hope you’re “in!” If not, today is the best day to claim Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

An understanding of God’s goodness opens our wallets!

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship

Offering!

For Friday, March 7, 2025:

Leviticus 7:28-29 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. When you present a peace offering to the Lord, bring part of it as a gift to the Lord.”

3,000 years ago, everyone had to raise their own livestock and harvest their own grain. You couldn’t just stop at Cub on the way home. Here, the Lord is telling Moses to tell the people to bring a little extra for the Priests. Not more fat to burn on the altar, but the breast, good meat, something of sustenance for the religious workers.

Nowadays we give mostly dollars. Cash and checks in the offering. Visa and Mastercard on the web site. Venmo and Paypal for direct deposits. The Old Testament suggested a tithe, 10%, for the Lord’s work. The good news is that we got to keep 90%! The New Testament suggests sacrificial giving. Don’t stop at 10%. Put a little extra towards God’s work.

In Jesus’ day, the mindset was that their Savior would be taking believers to heaven soon, so they really wouldn’t need money or property. Many in the first church, called The Way, sold their homes, their land, their livestock and donated the proceeds to the church. As the saying goes, “You can’t take it with you!”

So prayerfully consider what the Lord would have you do. Talk it out with God. You don’t have to decide this minute. Take this project home, and let the Lord determine your direction, your commitment to growing the church and to making disciples of all nations. What is your piece of God’s project? Then do what the Lord calls you to do.

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus In the City Fellowship