Give

Thank you to everyone that has gave and continues to give. In 1 Corinthians chapter 16 Paul writes to the people of Corinth telling them a specific way to give that has 5 principles to be taught. In verses 1-2 he writes "¹Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. ²On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned, as he may prosper. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once."

The 5 Principles we can take from Paul:

1. Giving should be repeatedly "On the first day of each week..." Now days you may not get paid every week but your giving should still be periodic.

2. Giving is personal "....you should each..." In John 3 verse 16 it says that God GAVE his only begotten son, so what do your tithes and offerings do? They help us get God's word to all parts of the world. For some people this is their job, to be in the field spreading the news of Jesus to people who have never heard.

3. Giving must be planned "...put aside a portion of the money you have earned..." For some people giving can be emotional, meaning that they will give if hearing a "heart wrenching" story or give on impulse. At Candler Church we DO NOT want sporadic, impulsive gifts. We want you to pray about it and make a plan for what you can give.

4. Giving should be proportionate "...as he may prosper..." Later on in 2 Corinthians Paul writes in chapter 8 verse 3 people should give "according to their means" meaning people were to give according to what he or she possessed. In other words it would mean people with greater wealth could give more than those with less. But you must decide how much you should give.

5. Giving should be plentiful "... Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once." Paul was saying that if there is enough giving that he would not have to go around and collect more if people would give plentiful. Unfortunately there are always expenses that comes with having a place of worship as well to send people to other countries or even downtown Asheville to feed the homeless. A true Christian, to be Christ like, a person who's heart is dedicated to Christ cannot help but be generous to God and his people everywhere.