One of the things that has never changed about the Lord’s church, nor will it ever change, is that it has financial needs.  The reason for this is that the Lord gave the church work to do that involves evangelism, benevolence, and edification, and that work needs to be financed.  So, the question is, how did the early church fulfill needs in those areas?  The Bible tells us.

1 Corinthians 16:1–2 (NKJV)
¹ Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: ² On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come.

This is a reference to local churches fulfilling a need in the realm of benevolence.  Gentile churches were gathering financial help to relieve the poor saints of Judea (Romans 15:25-28).  How did they attempt to fulfill this need?  We learn how in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2.  They did so by laying something aside on the first day of the week.  Doing this on the first day of the week was an apostolic order given by Paul.  Given the fact that this is the only passage that shows us how the early church raised money to fulfill the financial need necessary to carry out the work of the Lord, it is the pattern we must follow.

The first thing to notice in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 is that there is no mention of tithing.  Most preachers and pastors in denominational churches demand that their so-called parishioners tithe every week.  The problem is there is no New Testament command for the church to engage in tithing.  Tithing was a command under the Law of Moses, but the church is under the law of Christ (1 Corinthians 9:21).  The Law of Moses was given to the Jews exclusively, and this would include the command to tithe.

Leviticus 27:30–34 (ESV)
³⁰ “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. ³¹ If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. ³² And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the Lord. ³³ One shall not differentiate between good or bad, neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.” ³⁴ These are the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.

In the church today, we do not have a specific percentage of our income that we have to give.  The New Testament command is to give as we have prospered.  Each Christian decides how much that is.  It is wise for us to remember that we will all have to answer to God regarding our giving. I have often pointed out that while we are not obligated to give 10% of our income to God, we know, since that was the amount He commanded in the past, it is a pretty good benchmark for our giving.  I am not going to be condemned by God if what I give ends up being 8% of my income, but if it is 3%, I am in trouble.  That amount would not fulfill the requirement of “storing up as he may prosper.”

We must also remember that God cares about our attitude when we give to Him, not just the amount.

2 Corinthians 9:6–7 (ESV)
⁶ The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. ⁷ Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Again, we see that how much we give today is decided by individual Christians, not preachers or pastors.  Paul says that “each much give as he has decided in his heart.”  But do not miss the fact that God loves a cheerful giver.  We should be thankful that we have something to give, knowing that what we have is a blessing from God in the first place (James 1:17).  Let us all determine to sow bountifully.  God will reward us in the end.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.