Four Ways To Give

24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.

There are four categories of giving in the Kingdom of heaven.

Each of these categories has distinct places, reasons, and faith connected to each of them.

We are going to uncover four different types of giving.

First Fruits

Tithe

Alms

Seed

All of these apply to money, and all of these apply to all areas of our lives.

First Fruits:

This kind of offering is the first and best.

It can be an honor.

Jesus was a first fruit, The first churches in acts and revelations were first fruits.

Holy Spirit was a first fruit.

This offering was and is done as a corporate celebration.

The feast of harvest.

Genesis 4:3–5 NASB95

3 So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. 4 Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry and his countenance fell.

This was the first mention of any kind of offering to God.

Cain was the first to choose on his own to honor God with an offering of his first and best. Saying I trust you for what ever comes next.

How much?

Firstfruits offering is 100% of your first fruit, harvest or return.

To who?

They brought the first fruits to the priests so they could provide for others. Eze 44:30

To the place that God uses to provide for you and those around you.

Why?

Proverbs 3:9–10 NASB95

9 Honor the Lord from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine.

So your barns and vats will have plenty of food and wine.

Barns filled with food is always more then just your immediate family. It about the village and city.

Same with vats of wine are for more that just your immediate family. Its about the entire village or city.

Food is the will of God happening all around you.

Wine is the anointing and glory of God being experienced all around you.

What Kind of Faith?

Your future fruit is all in His hands now.

Babies, money, results at work,

Examples.

First paycheck of job or year.

First client

First sale

First month

Story:

Hannah gave her son Samual to the service of God if she could have a baby? 1 Sam 1

Tithe:

This kind of offering is the foundation of our giving life.

Does Jesus talk about tithe?

Yes,

Matthew 23:23 NASB95

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

Jesus is telling us tithe is not only about money it is about more important things in our lives.

Give a tenth of mercy, justice, faithfulness, time...

The first tithe ever was with Abraham to a guy named Melchizedek after he had just won his nephew back and defeated 4 kings. Gen 14:18-20

Abraham knew that what had just happened was because of God and all his increase was from God. He found a man who represented Jesus to him and gave a tenth to him.

He gave all his increase away right after that.

How much?

Tithe literally means tenth

To who?

Where or who does Jesus show up in your life through? This is who you tithe to.

Why?

Malachi 3:10–11 NASB95

10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 11 “Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the Lord of hosts.

First, the purpose of tithe is so His place blessing flows from will have plenty to give.

Second so heaven will be opened to you and your family.

Third He will rebuke the devourer for you.

What Kind of Faith?

Faith for tithing looks like knowing everything you have came from Him in the first place. Your grateful

Looks like knowing what you need really comes from Heaven

Looks like trusting him to protect your income and incoming fruit of all kind.

Alms

Proverbs 19:17 NASB95

17 One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, And He will repay him for his good deed.

How much?

Any amount you choose or hear.

To who?

People who are in need.

Why?

For the ones who need and for God.

It comes back to you in the same way and amount.

What Kind of Faith?

Faith in God that He made a way for you to be able to give to those in need.

Faith that He takes care of your needs and other needs by sending people to give.

Examples:

The family who lost Rob at Ski to Sea

The flood victims in Everson

Seed

This kind of offering is very exciting.

I believe that we are being called to this kind of giving because He wants to blow us away with how good He really is.

He wants to bring a wealth transfer to the family of Christ to have the resources to bring real change.

2 Corinthians 9:6–11 NASB95

How much?

He provides seed to sow.

Generous with what you have in your hands.

To who?

Good soil.

What you sow into matters here.

If you want to see financial freedom sow into who has that freedom in God already.

If you want to see spiritual growth sow into who has that in God already.

Why?

To liberate

What Kind of Faith?

Faith that what you give will multiply.

You will have more seed to sow.

Faith that God is much better than we think or currently know.

Examples:

When you invest into a coaching training you get a coaching certificate.

When you invest into an internship you get the skills to become what you learned.

In the Kingdom:

When you invest into someone who supernaturally heals you get healing gifts

when you invest into someone who has a gift of finances you get back that gift.

Closing:

God wants to free you from feeling like you are serving money.

Four different types of giving.

First Fruits

Tithe

Alms

Seed

1. First Fruits

How much? = !00% of the first and best

To Who? = The place that feeds you and your village

Why? = So barns and vats will be full for others. Actions and Anointing will be full

Faith? = Honor God and trust Him there will be more.

2. Tithe

How much? = Tenth of all increase

To Who? = Where or who does Jesus show up in your life through?

Why? = First, the purpose of tithe is so His place blessing flows from will have plenty to give.

Second so heaven will be opened to you and your family.

Third He will rebuke the devourer for you.

Faith? = Looks like knowing what you need really comes from Heaven

Looks like trusting him to protect your income and incoming fruit of all kind.

3. Alms

How much? = Any amount you choose or hear.

To Who? = those who need

Why? = they will know God loves them and you will be sent the same in your need.

Faith? = That God is using you and other to be His blessing.

4. Seed

How much? = seed that is in your hands. Generous

To Who? = Good ground that matches why your giving.

Why? = To increase what you have.

Faith? = God is bigger than what we currently have.

Activation:

Offering and Time

Loose what has been loosed in heaven already.

First Fruit

Genesis 4:3–5 NASB95

Proverbs 3:9–10 NASB95

9 Honor the Lord from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine.

Romans 8:23

23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.

1 Corinthians 15:20

20 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.

1 Corinthians 15:23

23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming,

1 Corinthians 16:15

15 Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of Stephanas, that they were the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints),

James 1:18

18 In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

Revelation 14:4

4 These are the ones who have not been defiled with women, for they have kept themselves chaste. These are the ones who follow the Lamb wherever He goes. These have been purchased from among men as first fruits to God and to the Lamb.

Ezekiel 44:30 NASB95

30 “The first of all the first fruits of every kind and every contribution of every kind, from all your contributions, shall be for the priests; you shall also give to the priest the first of your dough to cause a blessing to rest on your house.

Tithe

Genesis 14:18–20 NASB95

18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; now he was a priest of God Most High. 19 He blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” He gave him a tenth of all.

Hebrews 7:1–9 NASB95

1 For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham as he was returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, 2 to whom also Abraham apportioned a tenth part of all the spoils, was first of all, by the translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then also king of Salem, which is king of peace. 3 Without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, he remains a priest perpetually. 4 Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. 5 And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest’s office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham. 6 But the one whose genealogy is not traced from them collected a tenth from Abraham and blessed the one who had the promises. 7 But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater. 8 In this case mortal men receive tithes, but in that case one receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives on. 9 And, so to speak, through Abraham even Levi, who received tithes, paid tithes,

Luke 18:9–14 NASB95

9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’ 13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

Matthew 23:23 NASB95

Luke 11:42 NASB95

42 “But woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithe of mint and rue and every kind of garden herb, and yet disregard justice and the love of God; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

Malachi 3:8–10 NASB95

8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9 “You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10 “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.

Genesis 15:1 NASB95

1 After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you; Your reward shall be very great.”

Alms

Matthew 19:21 NASB95

21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

2 Corinthians 9:9 NASB95

9 as it is written, “He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever.”

Acts 10:4 NASB95

4 And fixing his gaze on him and being much alarmed, he said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God.

Acts 10:31 NASB95

31 and he said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms have been remembered before God.

Seed:

2 Corinthians 9:6–15 NASB95

6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; 9 as it is written, “He scattered abroad, he gave to the poor, His righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God. 13 Because of the proof given by this ministry, they will glorify God for your obedience to your confession of the gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all, 14 while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

Hosea 10:12 NASB95

12 Sow with a view to righteousness, Reap in accordance with kindness; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord Until He comes to rain righteousness on you.

Isaiah 55:10 NASB95

10 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

Genesis 1:12 NASB95

12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.

Mark 4:3–8 NASB95

3 “Listen to this! Behold, the sower went out to sow; 4 as he was sowing, some seed fell beside the road, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 “Other seed fell on the rocky ground where it did not have much soil; and immediately it sprang up because it had no depth of soil. 6 “And after the sun had risen, it was scorched; and because it had no root, it withered away. 7 “Other seed fell among the thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it yielded no crop. 8 “Other seeds fell into the good soil, and as they grew up and increased, they yielded a crop and produced thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold.”

Others:

Deuteronomy 12:6–7 (NKJV)

6 There you shall take your burnt offerings, your sacrifices, your tithes, the heave offerings of your hand, your vowed offerings, your freewill offerings, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks. 7 And there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice in all to which you have put your hand, you and your households, in which the Lord your God has blessed you.

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