Wednesday 31 July 2013

Read: Exodus 36:1–7; Mark 12:41–44

Imagine one morning in church, an announcement is made."Enough! We have enough! Stop making your offerings!" I don't know about you, but I'd love to hear this happen in our churches. Why? Well, it's not because I want to stop giving to the church, rather there a million other Kingdom investments I'd love to support throughout the world. What's interesting is that this is actually a possibility in the Western church, whether we see it or not, where we possess the wealth to support our local churches and then some.

Such a situation mirrors the Israelites and the building of the Tabernacle. You see, during the Exodus, the Israelites plundered their Egyptian neighbours of articles of silver and gold and clothing (Exodus 12:35–36). A portion of this plunder now provided the materials for which the Tabernacle would be built. They gave without reservation out of their generosity, and all the materials required for the Tabernacle were provided.

Fast forward to Jesus' day and we see a very different picture. Social class and economic distinctions now exist, the social services God set up in the time of Moses have been ignored (Deuteronomy 14:28–29). As a result, we find a poor widow giving the last of her finances as her final act of worship, in contrast to the rich who gave a pittance of their wealth. I wonder where we would fit in Jesus' scheme and judgment of the rich and the poor widow?

While we may dream of the day a church says, "Enough, stop giving," the reality that the church will always have a work to accomplish until the coming of Christ. However, what we must consider is whether we will play a part in investing in the Kingdom, whether in our local church, or in ministries and missions elsewhere. The resources of the Kingdom have been given into our hands, whether we have plenty or a pittance, we must seriously consider how they are used in our care.

Prayer:
Write down your prayer points in the space provided. Use today’s reading to help you get ideas.

Adoration:

Confession:

Thanks:

Supplication:

 Pray for Rhonda Cox who is still unwell and has recently been in hospital. Pray that God would encourage her and that she would find strength and peace in Him. Pray that God would heal her and that she would recover quickly and fully.

 Pray for the MOPS (Mothers of Pre Schoolers) group which is meeting at ChristLife this morning. Pray that God would soften the hearts of the community mums and that they might hear the gospel message through these gatherings. Pray that many would come to know about Christ through these gatherings around the world.

My Additional Prayer Points.
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Discussion Questions For Families and Groups
1. Discuss among your group your understanding of tithes and offerings in the church. What’s the purpose of it? How do you think it should be used? If you’re stuck, read Exodus 35:20–29; Deuteronomy 14:28–29; Matthew 23:23; 1 Corinthians 9:13–14.
2. What sort of attitude should we bring our tithes and offerings? What is God concerned about in your tithes and offerings? Read Psalm 51:16–17; Micah 6:6–8.