2 Corinthians 9:6-8 NKJV
“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 8And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.”
Freewill Offerings
As best as I understand this, under the Old Covenant God had
with his people Israel, they were required to tithe 10% of their income to
support the Levitical priesthood, the needy, and other temple needs. But under
the New Covenant, where the believers in Christ met from house to house, and in
the temple courts, the Christians were not required to give 10% of their income
to the ministry of the saints, and to the poor, but they were to give freely as
they each purposed in their hearts to give, and not as a grudging obligation.
But the important thing to remember here is not just that
they should give freely from their hearts, and not as under obligation, but to
what they should be giving. Their giving was to meet the needs of the poor
within the Christian community, but it was also to help support those who were
serving as full-time ministers of the gospel, to meet their basic needs for
food, clothing, and shelter. But in our world today that is not the picture I
am getting of what so many people’s offerings are really going to, sadly so.
The Temple Today
The Temple of God, after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and
ascension back to heaven to be with The Father, was no longer the temple of the
Jews, but now it was and is we the people of God via biblical faith in Jesus
Christ. We are those who by faith in the Lord Jesus were crucified with Christ
in death to sin and raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no
longer to live as slaves to sin but now as servants of our Lord and of his
righteousness. We the people of God are that temple in whom God dwells by his Spirit.
No building called “church” is the church. And all buildings
called “church” are not the temple of God. They are not God’s house. God does
not dwell in buildings, but he dwells in human hearts and lives. So the church
is not something we go to, for we are the church. But the church does gather
together in various places. But it is not for entertainment and for our “weekly
fix” until the next week. We the church are to gather together daily for mutual
encouragement and edification, as EACH PART does its work.
Where is the Money Going?
If we are part of any gatherings of the church, i.e. of the
people of genuine faith in Jesus Christ, we are NOT under biblical obligation
to tithe 10% of our income to support those gatherings. But we should give freely
from our hearts to the work of the ministry (by biblical standards) and to the
needs of the poor among us. Sadly there is so much corruption in so many
gatherings of what are being called “churches,” and there is enormous misuse
and abuse of the offerings gathered which are going to non-essentials and to the
extravagant things of this world which are not approved by God at all.
For the church is for the purpose that we should be
encouraging one another in our walks of faith in obedience to our Lord. And “ministers”
of the gospel are all of us who are sharing the truth of the gospel with the
people of the world. And “full-time ministry” is working full time for the Lord
in ministering to the people as Jesus did, and as his New Testament apostles
did, not in building huge buildings for large crowds, and for entertainment,
and for marketing, but actually working full-time in sharing the true gospel
and in ministering to the physical and spiritual needs of the people of God.
Sowing and Reaping
So, sowing and reaping isn’t about giving money to “the
church” so they can build big buildings and entertain the world and market “the
church” to the world, and so that they can pay their pastors enormous salaries
so that they can give their time to marketing and entertaining and not to
spreading the truth of the gospel full-time. And it isn’t just about giving
money and seeing what that produces in other people’s lives. But it is about
sharing the gospel with the people so that many will believe in Jesus and
follow his leading.
But this is also about how we spend our time and what we
spend our time on, and what that produces in our own lives, and what that
produces in how we impact other people’s lives, either for good or for evil. Are
we living for the Lord full-time? Doing what his word teaches us that we must
do? And are we sharing the truth of the gospel with the people of the world? Or
is all our spare time spent on what is of the flesh, and on entertaining
ourselves, and not on what is of God and ministering God’s love and grace to
others?
[Matthew 5:13-16;
Matthew 7:21-23; Matthew 28:18-20; Luke 9:23-26; John 4:31-38; John 10:27-30;
John 13:13-17; John 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 26:18; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14;
Romans 10:14-15; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians
5:3-14; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:9,21,24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:1-6; 1
John 3:4-10]
Servant of the Lord
Based off Romans 1:1-17
An Original Work / July 26, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
Servant of the Lord;
For the gospel
you’re set apart.
Promised through the
prophets of old:
Jesus, Son of God.
Through Him, and for
His name alone,
We receive His grace
To call people, Him
to obey;
Coming from their
faith.
You belong to
Christ;
Loved by God, and
called to be saints;
Serving God with
whole heart and mind;
Preaching Jesus
Christ;
Always praying for
others’ needs;
Helping hand to
lend;
Giving courage to
others’ faith,
For the praise of
God.
Servant of the Lord;
Of the gospel, I’m
not ashamed;
For salvation, power
of God
To those who have
faith.
In the gospel find
righteousness:
Being right with
God.
Turn from sin, and
trust Jesus Christ.
By faith, live in
Him.
God Loves a Cheerful Giver
An Original Work / June 19, 2026
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love
