OFFERING - 1 CORINTHIANS 16:1-4
1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.
2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
3 And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.
4 And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me. KJV
This New Testament book was authored by the Apostle Paul to a church that he helped to established. Since the Apostle Paul was one of the founding fathers he took it upon himself to instruct them on giving financially toward a special offering for another church. Although this instruction was specifically for an offering collection for the church at Jerusalem (verse 3) we can use this teaching as a principle for other offerings also. Notice Paul starts with the very simple thought of "collections for saints" which reveals to us that this is not addressing an offering for a minister. The church at Jerusalem was in financial straights due to a great famine according to Acts 11:27-30. Therefore the desire of God, which the Apostle Paul was yielding to, was to help the church that was experiencing this great lack. We all know that the church of the Lord Jesus Christ is not a building but rather a congregation of people. So when Paul states that the church needs some financial assistance what we could readily deduce is that the saints who are a part of that church are in lack. We see this type of offering taken up for areas that have been devastated by tragedy. Sometimes this could be statewide or a city or a local rural area that needs financial aid or food and clothing due to a natural catastrophe. This is also the case when specific spiritual attacks are launched against Christians in a certain region under intense persecution. Since we are one Body of Christ each member of the body is expected to help other hurting members feel better in their time of need, if you can. Just like blood rushing to an infected area of the physical body that is experiencing pain or a cut to bring healing to the wound. We can see from verse 1 that it was the Apostle Paul’s desire for all the churches in the Galatia region to do the same thing. Since Paul taught this to all the churches in that region we know this is a principle to be taught as opposed to an isolated incident. The Apostle then moves on to teach the saints at Corinth three practical keys to consider when pondering an offering.
- When to collect
- What to do with what you collect
- Which account the collection should come from
The first issue of "when to collect" was the first day of the week which for the church at Corinth would be right after they were rewarded for their labor. This still applies to us today, our first day would be whenever we receive a pay check for our labors. In other words, start with your amount received minus the tithe first (10% given to God) and then minus all your needs and what ever is left over should equal your amount of prosperity for that period of time. If you have some prosperity for that interval (time frame between checks) consider using some of that for an offering to another church or ministry that feeds and/or clothes the poor. The only account you should consider using for an offering is your prosperity account which has extra funds in it. The prosperity account covers “which account the collection should come from”. You do not need to give all your prosperity, neither do you have to give any of your prosperity the thought here is that if you do separate an offering keep that offering in a separate storage place or prosperity savings account. It is God's Will for you to prosper therefore it is recommended that you always keep something in savings to handle future needs and unforeseeable emergencies. The Lord does not want all your money just a small portion to help those who are in need in His Church, the Body of Christ. If many believers give a little there will be a large gift given to the Jerusalem church that can help many believers. I need to re-emphasize this point that you are under no financial obligation to give an offering to another church or ministry it is always an offer in the Holy Bible, thus it is called “An Offering”. The biblical offering invitation comes with the understanding that your needs are met with extra in store that can be used to help another without causing you financial harm. It is not wise to deprive your own family grocery money to help someone else in need. Those who think that way are missing the point the Apostle Paul states in verse 2 that it should be “as God has prospered you”. If you are not at a place of prospering for your labors purpose to tithe first, then develop your financial stewardship to a place of prosperity, and after that start giving to others who are less fortunate. Remember the Holy Bible teaches, that if any man provide not for his own household he is worst than an unbeliever and has denied the faith of Jesus Christ.- 1 Timothy 5:8 The comment that there should be no gatherings when I come relates to not giving under compulsion or without the proper motive. Sometimes people get caught up in the moment and give an offering that they soon regret later because they gave more money than they should of. We all know once an offering is given to the minister it would be a disgrace to ask for a portion of it back. Another problem is what Jesus mentioned in Matthew 6:1,2 which is some people just like to flash large amounts of money in an offering to look good before other men. These two scenarios are both avoided by preplanning your contribution amounts and collecting several waves of offerings over a specified period of time. Then, by keeping the collection of offerings in a specific account at the church or one of the church bank accounts it stops an misappropriation of funds. Whenever the time comes for the offering to be given whatever is in the account is simply given to the other church or ministry. We do notice this today with various programs, auxiliary ministries and church benevolence funds. This explains “what to do with what you collect” by encouraging us to keep all offerings separate from our other expenses. Finally the Apostle Paul address the issue of financial security which means that at least two or three witness ought to be involved with any financial transaction. The Apostle very clearly states that the church giving the offering should use somebody they trust. The Apostle states that if you prefer for him to hand deliver the gift he will. However, if the church is content to send their own representatives that is fine by him too. The Apostle Paul shows here his wisdom in allowing all parties to be satisfied to negate anyone who would try to accuse him of foul play later on. He also shows us his submission to the church leadership to do whatever they wanted, even when he was one of the founding fathers of the church. If we could follow these principles when giving money or items in an offering we will also be wise and submissive to God’s Word. These verses let us see that there is a lot more to giving an offering than just money. Your love for others, your amount of prosperity, the way the offering is stored and the manner in which it is transferred are all important ingredients of giving an offering inline with God's Word according to the first part of 1 Corinthians 16. We give spiritually as giving unto the Lord but the natural processing of the offering by the church or the ministry should be handled with the utmost care, as if the two or three financial witnesses are Christian accountants because everything should be done decently and in order. Amen!
In His Love, Eric & Angela Foster
PS - Just in case you where wondering the Apostle Paul did hand deliver this gift according to Romans 15:25-28