#1: Why Should I Give Money to Christ and His Church?
God commands those who follow Christ to give financially to Jesus and the local church. Contrary to what we may have experienced in some churches or on television, God does not want his people to give out of guilt or out of pressure. God does not want his people to give in order to get or give in order to receive his favor. God wants his people to give for the right reasons. He wants his people to give because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Because God has graciously given to us we respond in worship by graciously giving to him.
2Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” (See also 2Corinthians 8:1).
This passage is found in the middle of Paul’s letter to the Corinthian church as he is encouraging them to follow through on their giving. In the same chapter we see that God not only wants us to give in response to his grace, he also calls us to give because we are his people.