6. Where my money goes, my heart always follows.

22. 8:1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Our giving and God’s grace are inseparable. Our giving is an extension of God’s grace. It can be appropriate to point to other people’s examples of giving.

23. 8:2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.

25. How much of our giving can only be explained by the supernatural work of God’s Spirit? As thunder follows lightning, so giving follows grace. The more God gets a hold on you, the more you give. The more you give, the more God gets a hold on you.

26. 4 They urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing … When we stand before Christ, will any of us think, “ I wish I’d given away less ”?

28. Rom. 12: gifts of prophecy, serving, teaching, encouragement, giving, leadership, mercy. Gift of teaching: you get better at it as you use it; people know what it looks like. Gift of giving: you get better at it as you use it; people don’t know what it looks like.

29. We know the prayer warriors. Who are the giving warriors? What are we doing to identify, mentor and train them to excel in their gift of giving?

32. 2. Tithing isn’t giving. 3. Tithing is ceasing to rob God. (Of the tithe; can also rob of freewill offerings.) 1. Tithing isn’t giving’s pinnacle. 4. Tithing is the training wheels of giving. Tithing should be so over-shadowed by grace, it’s moot.

33. Does grace lower the bar of giving set by the law? Or does it raise it? Don’t call it “grace giving” if it’s a fraction of what God required under the law. Giving less than a tithe?

35. 8 I want to test the sincerity of your love comparing it with the earnestness of others. We need to hear each other’s giving stories , so we can stimulate one another to love and good works. ( MPE, Appendix E: Should Giving Always be Kept Secret? )

40. John Wesley Stanley Tam R.G. LeTourneau

42. In my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple. Now, who is willing to consecrate himself today to the LORD? 1 Chronicles 29

43. Then the leaders of families, the officers of the tribes, the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds, and officials in charge of the king’s work gave willingly. They gave toward the work on the temple of God five thousand talents and…gold, silver, bronze and iron.

45. David the king also rejoiced greatly. Formula for community-wide joy and praise to God: people seeing their leaders give generously and joyfully

46. David praised the LORD in the presence of the assembly: Praise be to you, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and power and glory and majesty and splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.

47. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all. Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.

48. But who am I, and who are my people , that we should be able to give as generously as this? Everything comes from you, and we have given you only what comes from your hand.

49. We are aliens and strangers in your sight… O LORD our God, as for all this abundance that we have provided for building you a temple for your Holy Name, it comes from your hand, and all of it belongs to you.

50. God, you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things have I given willingly and with honest intent. And now I have seen with joy how willingly your people who are here have given to you.