Giving for September 10-16, 2023: $20,497.11

2023 Weekly Need: $23,076.44

Every Sunday each of you make an offering and put it in safekeeping. Be as generous as you can.

When I get there you’ll have it ready, and I won’t have to make a special appeal.

1 CORINTHIANS 16:1–4 MSG

At Journey Christian Church, we practice tithing for the support of Christ’s body, the church, as God commands. 

We recognize that giving 10% of our income is the Biblical standard for giving.

Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year.

DEUTERONOMY 14:22 NIV

Giving is one of the central themes in the Bible. Jesus talked more about this subject than Heaven, Hell, or prayer. 

To understand what it means to be a Christ-follower, we must also understand what it means to be a cheerful giver.

1. Tithe

The tithe, or “first fruits” of our labor/income belong to God. We find this principle all through God’s Word. Tithing, giving God the first 10% of our income to the local church, is the primary, practical way we acknowledge that God is first. (Proverbs 3:9–10)

2. Offerings

An offering is giving over and above the tithe. The Bible says that by giving generously, we are able to “take hold of the life that is truly life.” 

You aren’t really living unless you are freely giving. (1 Timothy 6:18–19)

3. The Gift of Generosity

The gift of giving is a spiritual gift that God gives to some people. (Romans 12:8)

It is a Spirit-given capacity and desire to serve God by giving of your material resources, far beyond the tithe, to further the work of God.

Many people love to give to God and as they do, they want to feel confident in the organization through which they give. At Journey, we want people to understand they are giving to God through the church, not giving to the church. As we openly share the honesty, integrity, and spiritual values that guide the financial practices of Journey, we believe people can focus on what God is calling them to give and trust that He is leading our church to steward it well.

The giving of tithes and offerings is worship to Jesus and an expression of the relationship between the individual giver and the Lord. This is why we don’t have people fill out pledge cards or make faith promises. Funds are not “income only,” they are worship and are not considered to be a business transaction, but an expression of gratitude toward God.