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| God has called us to be generous givers!
This is an important topic to God, and while the exact number depends
on the references you cite, there are well over 2,000 verses dealing
with money and /or stewardship in the scriptures. We have two excellent church building examples in the Old Testament, those of building the tent of the tabernacle and the building of the Temple. We also have the examples of giving for rebuilding the Temple and rebuilding the walls around Jerusalem. • In Exodus 25 God instructs Moses to take up an offering (above the tithe and other offerings) specifically for the building of His sanctuary. this appeal was so effective that in chapter 35, we see that giving had to be restrained as they had given more than enough. ï In 1 Chronicles 29, we see King David taking up an offering for the building of the temple. This chapter provides a wonderful example of leadership setting the example and exhorting others to follow. ï In Ezra, Nehemiah, and Haggai we see examples of giving for the work of rebuilding the temple and the walls around Jerusalem. The New Testament is also filled with examples of stewardship principals and giving to accomplish God's will. The biblical basis for sacrificial giving is well established. As stewards of God's provision, He calls us to give sacrificially to accomplish His will and has promised abundance from which to do so. God's way of getting things done is through His people. Jesus has left the earth for a time, and the Holy Spirit now works through us as his vessels of grace - His hands and feet. God meets our needs and gives us abundance for every good work. He pours into our lives so that we can pour into others - showing His grace to a lost world through our generous giving. |
