Go

Contact Us

  • Phone: 250-828-8222
  • Email:
  • Mailing Address: 454 Columbia Street, Kamloops, BC V2C 2T5

 

 

Give to First Baptist

Giving is a vital part of spiritual formation and maturity.  It requires two things of us:  faith and faithfulness.

Faith

Giving is an active expression of our faith.  It recognizes God as our true provider, the One who takes care of us and provides for our every need.  It also affirms our confidence in His ability to supply all we need.  It is an act of gratitude and dependence, and it allows us to partner with God and His work through our church locally, regionally, and globally.

Faithfulness

Giving requires the highest standard of personal integrity and discipline.  It is not a casual or an occasional thing.  In 2 Corinthians 8-9, the bible teaches we are to give willingly, generously, and cheerfully.  Our pattern should reflect a regular and systematic plan. Through our tithes and offerings, we prove faithful in the stewardship and careful management of all God has provided for us.

With these two principles in mind, a new avenue for giving is being provided at First Baptist Church through online giving.  It is an easy way to simplify and prioritize your personal plan for giving.

Giving Honours The Lord

"As you excel in everything - in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you - see to it that you excel in the act of giving also." - 2 Corinthians 8:7

As Christians, we are in a constant process of spiritual growth.  We grow spiritually and learn to yield more and more to the lordship of Jesus Christ in our daily lives, and we learn to obey His commands.  Like the spiritual disciplines of prayer, worship and Bible reading, regular giving is a simple act of obedience to be used in that spiritual growth process.  It is in obeying God that we as Christians find a more abundant life.

How Much Should We Sacrificially Give?

In the New Testament, we do not find explicit teaching on an exact percentage of one's income, but we do find that Christians are to give a percentage of their income in proportion to their means. In 2 Corinthians 8:3, we learn that giving should be "according to [our] means," and that it should be "beyond [our] means." These two statements produce a tension in the believers' life. Giving should be in proportion to your income, but it should also be sacrificial. Giving should be significant enough that it requires the believer to make personal sacrifices for the worship of God. We also learn that giving should be "of [our] own accord." Giving should not be compulsory or forced. All giving should be voluntary, as an act of the heart in worship and devotion to God.

Knowing that giving is voluntary, proportionate and sacrificial, the question remains: how much should we give? While the New Testament offers no exact amount, 10% of a person's income is the best place to start. In Malachi 3:10, we learn God’s standard of the tithe for the nation of Israel. In Malachi 3:10, God asks that the "full tithe", or the first tenth of income, be given to Him as a gift. Jesus affirmed this principle of a "tithe" when he confronted the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23. He encourages tithing or giving as part of the ordinary Christian life in addition to paying attention to matters such as justice and mercy. The word "tithe" means one tenth (1/10).  It refers to giving 10% (1/10) of one's income to the Lord. You may find that giving 10% is easy, and in order to sacrifice to God you may choose to give more. To the contrary, you may find that you struggle to give 10% and still have the ability to pay for groceries and rent. In this instance, you may choose to give less. While no exact amount is mentioned in the New Testament Letters to the churches, 10% seems the best place to start as one strives to make a proportionate and sacrificial gift to God on a regular basis.

Making a Sacrificial Gift Honours the Lord

1 Samuel 2:30 says, "Those who honour me will I honor, but those who despise me will be disdained."

How do we honour God?  Proverbs 3:9-10 says, "Honour the Lord with your income, with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will brim over with wine."  This was written in a time where society was based on an agricultural economy, when believers took the first and best of all their produce or crops and gave it to the Lord, a full one tenth or 10%.  While our system of exchange is different today, we can apply the same principle in giving to the Lord the first of our income, or 10%, before any earthly financial obligations.  But can you afford that?  If you love and fear God, you can't afford to hold onto your money.  If you will write that first cheque each week, or that first cheque of the month to the Lord, then upon the authority of His Word, He will make sure you have everything you need.  God never promises to give you all you want, but He does promise to give you all that you need.

Give to First Baptist Church

 

Thank you for supporting the ministry of the Word and the proclamation of the Gospel with First Baptist Church! May God richly bless you.