The Grace of Giving
Just as you excel in everything else—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness . . . see that you also excel in this grace of giving. (2 Corinthians 8:7 NIV)
Why does God want you to excel in the grace of giving? It’s because he influences the world through his people. God gives to you so he can give through you. The Bible tells us that everything we have is a gift from God (1 Chronicles 29:14). As you give both faithfully and faith-fully, the world is changed for the glory of God: the gospel is preached, lives are touched, people are fed, bodies are healed, churches are built; and you, in turn, are blessed by God so that you can give again.
Tithes & Offerings
What is a tithe and how is it different from an offering? The word, “tithe” literally means tenth or 10%. A tithe is the first 10% of your income. An offering is anything you give above and beyond the 10%.
Why do we tithe? The Bible says, The purpose of tithing is to teach you always to put God first in your lives. (Deuteronomy 14:23 TLB) Tithing is a reminder that God is the supplier of everything we have. It is also God’s personal invitation to an outpouring of his blessing in your life.
In Malachi 3:10 (NLT), God says this: “Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” This is the only place in Scripture where God tells us to put him to the test. In other words, he’s saying, “Go ahead. I dare you. See if you can out-give me.”
Is God wise? Do you trust him? These are two fundamental questions behind the act of giving. If God is wise, then you should listen to what he says about financial stewardship. If you trust him, then you should trust him with all aspects of your life, including your finances. So go ahead. Accept God’s invitation to put him to the test. Start tithing faithfully and watch what he does in and through your life.
TITHE
Giving Beyond Tithe
PEACE Relief
Prepares and enables people at Saddleback to bring comfort and hope to people in crisis following
local and global disasters. We seek to comfort the hurting, give hope to the hopeless and to move the survivors from
relief to development with care and compassion.
At this time all relief contributions are focused on the crises in Haiti.
Saddleback PEACE Fund
This fund supports the strategic and powerful launch of PEACE efforts around the world,
which are equipping local churches to address the biggest problems in their communities.
The Persecuted Church
Help stop the persecution of millions of Christians around the world. This fund provides support
for issues such as:
- The genocide in Orissa, India - helping pastors and church members to reconstruct
churches and homes that were burned down during the genocide of 2008
- Somali Christian refugees in Kenya – relocating refugees into camps on the
Sudanese/Kenya border
- The Every Country Strategy - sending teams that are going to countries with
religious persecution in 2010
Orphans and Vulnerable Children
The local church is the most influential source of care and support for orphans and vulnerable children. Saddleback
partners with local churches to provide wholistic care and support including sponsorship of children in transition homes
and adoption assistance.
HIV/AIDS
Empowers churches to care for those who are infected and affected with HIV/AIDS. This includes powerful tools
and simple training that focuses on prevention, treatment, care and support.
Purpose Driven Training
Trains Pastors around the world in church health topics such as: Purpose Driven© Church, Purpose
priven© Life, Small Groups, S.H.A.P.E. and Celebrate Recovery©.
Rwanda Healthcare
In the country of Rwanda PEACE is working to empower Churches to identify developmental needs
themselves and build plans to improve the health of their communities. This effort is also providing church health
training for thousands of pastors across Rwanda. “This unparalleled program represents an innovative approach to
decentralizing healthcare and increasing its access for the poor by using local churches in an unprecedented partnership
with the Rwandan government’s Ministry of Health.” Pastor Rick.