GIVING FOR THE WRONG REASONS CANNOT ATTRACT THE ATTENTION OF HEAVEN NOR COMMAND THE RESPONSE OF HEAVEN
IF EVERYBODY STOPS GIVING, GOD IS NOT SHAKING NEITHER IS HIS WORK SCRATCHED
MOST TIMES, THANKSGIVING AND GIVING GO TOGETHER
THE LACK OF GIVING IS PROOF OF INGRATITUDE
WHEN PEOPLE ARE GRATEFUL, THEY’RE NOT COERCED OR CAJOLED TO GIVE
GIVING AND SACRIFICE IS AN ACT OF WORSHIP
YOU DON’T JUST WORSHIP WITH YOUR SONG, YOU WORSHIP WITH YOUR SEED
GIVE UNTO GOD THE GLORY BUT DON’T FORGET TO ATTACH THE OFFERING WITH THE GLORY
WE CONFIRM OUR HONOUR TO GOD BY OUR GIVING
ANYTHING YOU DO WITH FAITH ANSWERS LIKE FIRE.
WHEN YOU STRUGGLE TO RELEASE TO GOD FROM YOUR SUBSTANCE IT IS CONFIRMED THAT YOUR LIFE IS NOT TRULY TOTALLY SURRENDERED.
THOSE WHO DON’T UNDERSTAND GIVING WILL GIVE THE TITHE TODAY, FORGET IT TOMORROW, REMEMBER IN APRIL AND START AGAIN. THAT NEVER PRODUCES RESULTS.
TO GIVE ON PURPOSE MAKES YOU A CHEERFUL GIVER AND GOD’S LOVE IS PROVOKED.
GIVING ON PURPOSE IS GIVING EXCITEDLY AND THAT PROVOKES THE HARVEST.
CONSISTENCY IS KEY TO RESULTS.
GIVING IS PROOF OF SURRENDER, IT’S PROOF OF CONSECRATION.
– Dr. Pastor Paul Enenche on “REASON FOR GIVING (1)” || Midweek Power Communion Service || Dunamis International Gospel Centre || Glory Dome, Abuja.
I welcome everyone into this very sober service tonight, I believe that not one person among us will leave here the same way we came in Jesus’ name. Church Gist. We are in a season of very drastic supernatural manifestation of God. We will show a clip shortly in the course of this service.
Quickly tonight, I’m going to start a message titled, “REASON FOR GIVING”. It’s so crucial that I’m sure it will continue into Sunday Service. Church Gist. So, this will be part one. We shall be understanding the purpose of giving, especially to God.
2 Corinthians 9:7. So, Scriptures make it clear that giving must be done on purpose. Church Gist. Giving must be done on purpose to command both the attention and the response of Heaven.
On a general note, there are many reasons why people give and I will itemize some of the general reasons why people give offerings, tithes, sacrifices and so on.
1. Some give as a matter of religious obligation. That is, you’re in Church and offering is passing, you give. Church Gist. They just give as a matter of religious obligation.
2. Some others give as a product of habit or duty. They have developed this habit of dropping something in the offering. Church Gist. Hence, you will see people who don’t even, he’s a drunkard, he’s a smoker, everything but he will still drop something in the offering as a product of habit or duty.
3. Some give in order to appear like others so as not to be left out of the action. That is why you can see many people who came for service and didn’t remember to take offering. Church Gist. Then, they see somebody giving and they realize, “oh, let me look for something” because there’s no purpose attached.
4. Some others give as an act of favour to God or Church. They’re doing God favour or doing Church favour. Some call it contribution, donation, it’s more like a favour. God is being favoured. Church Gist. They get offended, they withdraw their offering, which actually amounts to nothing. That may annoy some people that’s practical reality. If everybody stops giving, God is not shaking, His work is not scratched.
5. Some give for recognition or applause. I know of those in places, “how many will give a million?” “I have to be there. Oh, somebody else there, let it not look like I don’t have that amount”, that kind of a thing. Recognition, applause.
All these reasons mentioned are not likely to attract the attention of Heaven, they can’t command the response of Heaven. Church Gist. What then is the most reasonable reason or purposeful purpose for giving? If it doesn’t sound tautological. I will itemize four of them today and we continue with them on Sunday.
1. Giving as an act of gratitude for the supplies of God and possibly help of God. You got a supply from God, you got a help from God and then you decided to embark on giving. 1 Chronicles 29:13-14. Church Gist. That is, “there’s nothing I have that you didn’t give, so, I am giving you because you gave to me me in the first place”. Psalm 50:14. Most times, thanksgiving and giving, they go together. Thanksgiving goes with the giving of resources. So, every thankful person is a giver. The lack of giving is proof of ingratitude. Church Gist. When you see someone who is very stingy with giving, that person is actually ungrateful. There’s a connection between gratitude and generosity towards God. So, giving as an act of gratitude. Church Gist. When people are grateful, they’re not coerced to give, they’re not cajoled to give, they are not pressured to give. Thanksgiving as an act of gratitude.
– Somebody say a loud Amen.
2. Giving as an act of praise or worship. Genesis 22:5. Abraham was going to sacrifice his son and he called it worship. Church Gist. Giving and sacrifice is an act of worship. You don’t just worship with your song, you worship with your seed. Every true worshipper is a giver.
– somebody say a loud Amen.
– say, “I am a worshipper and I am a giver”.
Psalm 96:7. Give Him glory, attach the giving of glory with an offering. Church Gist. There are many people who like to sing and dance during service, wait until it is s offering time, that is when you’ll know the sincerity of that dance. Church Gist. Give unto God the glory but don’t forget to attach the offering with the glory. “Praise the Lord oh my soul, oh my pocket, don’t forget”.
– Praise the Lord.
That is why for some of us, giving is life. It’s just so effortless. Church Gist. You don’t crack your brain, you don’t struggle, it’s just effortless.
– somebody say Amen.
3. Giving as an act of honour.
We give God because we honour Him. Proverbs 3:9-10. Show that you honour Me by what you drop in my hands. Malachi 1:6-8. Church Gist. Goat with catarrh coming out of the nose continuously with eye wax. He says: ‘Your Excellency, I just brought this to appreciate your tenure of office’. (Laughing). He will look at you. Will he be pleased with you? In the days where there was giving of sacrifice and people brought sacrifice a lot during construction, I think Area 1 times and those times. Church Gist. There are people who will bring vehicles that they are tired of. This car suffered him until he doesn’t know what to do, he says: ‘Sacrifice! Let me give it to Church’. And God is saying: ‘Really? So you think deserve this? Non-serviceable, not usable. Shoe that retired, coat since the days of Mungo Park. Church Gist. And people don’t know that with God actions are weighed. What you do is not as important as the motive with which you did it, God is just weighing you. He’s just weighing you! Honour, as a sign of honour. We honour our parents, we honour prophets which is correct. When Saul was looking for his father’s missing donkey in 1 Samuel 9. His servant suggested that they go and meet the Prophet. He said: “There is an honourable man in the City, let’s go and meet him so he can show us our way”. And then in the next verse the Man said: “But what shall we bring to the Man”? If you say he is an honourable man, you don’t meet honourable people just like that. What can we bring to this honourable man? If a human being was going to meet a mortal man in the name of a prophet and he said he couldn’t just go like that because that doesn’t appear honourable. Church Gist. How much more the Lord of the Universe? How much more the Owner of the Earth? We confirm our honour to Him by our giving.
What is the reason for giving?
1. Act of gratitude.
2. Act of praise and worship.
3. Act of honour
4. Giving as an act of surrender or consecration.
What is the meaning of that?
It means: ‘You own me, Lord! So You own everything I have’. 2 Corinthians 8:1-5. So there was a trial that this Church was passing through even in the midst of that trial they were exploding in joy. And then they had scarcity. But that combination still at that exploded liberality, they were givers in the midst of that kind of setting. So, some people were confused. 2 Corinthians 8:3. They were giving gifts to Paul the Apostle for their ministry and also for the welfare of the brethren. Then Paul began to explain in 2 Corinthians 8:5. Church Gist. Why did they do that? They blew our minds, they exceeded our expectations but this was why they did it. But first, they gave their own selves to the Lord and then unto us. When a man has totally given himself to God, there is nothing he has that he can hold back from God. When you have given your life and given yourself to God there is nothing you have or you are that you hold back from God. Giving is proof of surrender, it’s proof of consecration. I don’t know whether that was what Paul the Apostle had in mind when he said in Romans 12:1-2. ‘That you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God…’ Present your bodies, your whole life, a sacrifice. A sacrifice that is alive, sacrifice in motion, that is what it is. When you struggle to release to God from your substance it is confirmed that your life is not truly totally surrendered. Hallelujah!
What is the impact or result of giving on purpose?
1. Giving on purpose provokes the love and interest of God on a man’s life.
2 Corinthians 9:7. Church Gist. To give on purpose makes you a cheerful giver and God’s love is provoked.
2. Giving on purpose is giving excitedly and that provokes the harvest.
2 Corinthians 9:7. So when you give on purpose you are giving excitedly, you are giving cheerfully; that provokes the harvest. Church Gist. How do I know? Joel 1:11-12. When you don’t give with purpose you give unexcitedly and that never provokes the harvest. Giving on purpose is giving excitedly and that provokes the harvest.
3. Giving on purpose facilitates consistency of action which is key to result.
When you give on purpose, when you know why you are giving. Nobody advises you to give and so you give like that and the result is guaranteed. Philippians 4:16. Paul, the Apostle was talking to the Philippians, he said: ‘For even in Thessalonica, you sent once and again to my necessity’. Once and again is the opposite of once and for all. Those who don’t understand giving will give the tithe today forget it tomorrow, remember in April, start again. Church Gist. That never produces results. When you understand the reason why you do what you do, you are not begged to do it. So once and again means: ‘Again and again and again, you are doing this thing and Philippians 4:19 happens – ‘But my God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory’. There are people who are trying to quote Philippians 4:19 without doing Philippians 4:16. ‘Once and again’. Again and again. You are giving and giving, you have done it again and done it again and the outcome of it is: ‘My God will not keep quiet when your needs arise’. Giving on purpose is giving, it assists consistency. When you know why you do what you do, you are consistent and consistency is key to results. Somebody say Amen.
4. Giving on purpose which is actually giving with understanding facilitates faith.
When you are giving on purpose it means you are not giving blindly you know what you are doing. There are some people, they say: ‘Church brainwashed you, you are just giving and giving’. Well! There are people who could be brainwashed who are doing things without knowing why they are doing it. Hebrews 11:1-3. He said: ‘Through faith we understand’. So there is a link between faith and understanding. Understanding leads to faith and faith deepens understanding. Church Gist. You remember the Ethiopian Eunuch? Philip saw him reading and he said: ‘Understandest thou what thou readest’? He said: ‘How can I understand except one teaches me’. And after Philip had taught him and he now understood. He said: ‘Do you believe’? He said: ’I believe’! Understanding leads to belief. And everything you do with faith answers like fire. In the village, our people give tithe, they say ‘one over ten’ but they don’t understand what they are doing, so it’s a religious duty. Anything you do with faith answers like fire. I’m talking from experience. You do it because you know what you are doing, no devil can sit on your harvest. Hallelujah!
We have talked about the Laws of Supernatural Supply but I don’t know whether at any time we have talked of: ‘The reason why we give’. Most of the time we talk about: ‘Give and it shall be given to you’. Which is one of it but the deeper reasons why we give? This! Run with it! Church Gist. Your life will become so… Charles Spurgeon said: ‘God divided the hand into fingers so that things that enter it can go through it and then they return’. It is not like a bunch like this so that it becomes like an evilstick. Life is calculated for inhalation and exhalation, you take in, you breathe out. Ingestion and excretion! You are so much in love with the food you ate that you don’t want to go to toilet? That is an emergency. Somebody say a loud Amen!
—–PRAYERS—–
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