The Restoration of Giving

by Harold V. Comer via Gospel Power, Vol. 14, No. 48, Dec. 2, 2007. This is a day of religious fundraising and money promotions. With all of the emphasis on pressure and gimmicks, there is a great need to restore the New Testament pattern of giving. The first-century practice would correct many of the abuses…

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Is it right to deduct contributions from your taxes?

Question: Is it okay to deduct the money that is given to the church each week from your taxes when you file each year? Answer: The Scriptures teach that Christians should pay their taxes. “Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor” (Romans 13:7).…

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If you get a raise, should the first check go to the Lord?

Question: I have been working for a year.  I just recently got a raise. I paid tithe on the check the raise was on, but someone told me the first time it appears on my check I was supposed to give the whole thing to the Lord as the first fruit. They use the scripture…

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Use of the Lord’s Money

Text: II Corinthians 9:1-15   I.         I received an interesting question from a brother in the Philippines, he wrote: “Here in our country brethren depend on planting tobacco for income. One brother has asked me if it is good for the church to use the Lord’s money to grow tobacco in order for the church to…

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Why is eating in the building an issue?

Question: I have a question I’ve never heard answered satisfactorily. Why is “eating in the building” even an issue at all? Where does that come from and how is the argument supported? Answer: “Eating in the building” is actually a misnomer. The issue is over having large social gatherings in a church-owned building where the…

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Christian Giving

by Richard Thetford Will a man rob God? There are some who rob God of what belongs to Him in the first place. In Malachi 3:8-9 we can read: “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are…

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How do you fund your church?

Question: I checked on your web site for anything new and read about your Church on its Home Page. The business model is very good. As you know I have a nonprofit as well. I had this fantasy that I could create this worldwide organization that I could call on when someone or organization needed…

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Should children contribute to the church?

Question: My daughter is now eleven years old. When we, in the church, lay by in store on Sunday she has always put in her small amount. I have encouraged this to teach her to give. However, some oppose this with the view that giving is for adults, for the baptized. Of course, we don’t…

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Does I Corinthians 16:1-4 apply to general collections?

Question: Good day to you all. A question has come up here, one that always does, and has to do with I Corinthians 16:1-4. The questioner appears to be denying that the text is an authority for the weekly giving we practice here on the first day of the week. Apparently that: the giving of…

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Is giving to the church optional?

Question: One of our members mentioned that he was not contributing monetarily to help support the local work. Upon hearing him make that statement I informed him that he was wrong, that his first responsibility is to help support the local work. As an individual, if he wanted to help provide support elsewhere that would…

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Would it be wrong to accept a donation from a non-member?

Question: I do need some advice concerning donations. We are working with our community by giving away clothes, books, etc.. that are in fairly good condition to those who are in need. We do not require any money from them to purchase it, but I was wondering if they are willing to give a donation…

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Giving: Some Things God Says

by Harry Pickup, Sr. via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 11, Sept. 1952. Many Christians are still squirmish about sermons on giving, even though the New Testament has more to say about this subject — with warnings against violations of the divine instructions concerning it — than the subject of baptism. The first sin scandal within…

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Giving

by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I.         We talk about giving of our best to the Master             A.        I tried to show that such an idea was not about physical appearance, but spiritual service.                         1.         We need to give the best of our time, the best of our effort, to God.                         2.         We need to also support the church in doing…

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Worship

I.         At times I am amazed at the vagueness that has entered our beliefs             A.        I’m sure the wishy-washy-ness of the denominational world has much to do it.                         1.         To define something crisply means you are dividing people into two groups — those who are right and those who are wrong.                         2.         And “Heaven forbid, if we actually charge…

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The Silver Thermometer

by Homer Hailey via The Preceptor, Vol. 1, No. 2, Dec. 1951. It is easier to describe and evaluate the tangible than to describe or evaluate the intangible. Because this is so, the Lord’s churches are often led to place undue emphasis on numbers added to their membership and to the size of their weekly…

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Are Christians to tithe?

Question: Is tithing a New Testament standard? In other words, is it our responsibility to tithe or just to give what God purposes in our hearts? Answer: The concept of tithing is giving ten percent of your profits to God. It was a requirement for the Israelites living under the law of Moses to give…

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Now Concerning the Collection: I Corinthians 16:1-2

by Wayne S. Walker Through the years some have been heard to ridicule the idea of “five acts of worship.” When we understand that the Biblical concept of “worship” involves “an act of homage or reverence to God” (see W. E. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, Vol. IV, p. 235) then we can…

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Can the church sponsor the growing of tobacco to raise funds?

Question: Some people depend on raising tobacco for income. Is it good for the church to use the Lord’s money to sponsor this kind of agriculture? Answer: I found this question particularly intriguing because of the underlying assumptions. In order to answer the question well, I need to address several related issues. How may a…

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