Sacrifice, Faithfulness, and Spiritual Vitality: Lessons on Offerings

God requires the same level of sacrifice and offerings from His people today as He did from the ancient Jewish nation2T 599.1. Those whom the Lord has prospered with means, as well as the widow and the fatherless, should be mindful of the blessings they have received and not appear before Him empty-handed2T 598.1+1.

The Requirement of Offerings

• Spirit of Self-Sacrifice: Individuals should come before the Lord with a spirit of self-sacrifice, bringing offerings that are in proportion to the blessings He has bestowed upon them2T 599.1.

• Revealing the Heart: The nature of one's offering reveals the condition of the heart; those who truly appreciate God's mercies bring liberal gifts, while those blinded by selfishness bring meager offerings2T 598.1.

• A Warning Against Worldliness: Many who are prospered by God mistakenly use their increase as cords to bind themselves to worldly possessions rather than using them to honor the Giver2T 599.1.

Prioritizing Religious Privileges

• Neglect of Devotion: It is a grave mistake to allow worldly business to take possession of the affections to the point where religious privileges and devotion are neglected2T 599.1.

• The Yearly Gathering: Some feel they cannot afford to leave their business cares even once a year to attend sacred gatherings, but this turns God's blessings into a curse by serving temporal interests over His requirements2T 599.1.

• Faithfulness and Blessing: The Lord has promised that if His people are faithful to His requirements, He will bless them in all their increase and in all the works of their hands2T 598.1.

Remaining faithful in returning tithes and offerings is a personal obligation to God that should never be neglected due to the mistakes or mismanagement of others.

The Responsibility of Giving

• A Personal Duty to God: Tithes and offerings are the property of the Lord and are set apart for a specific work, not the property of any human being2SAT 74.4.

• Avoiding the Curse: Withholding what belongs to God out of dissatisfaction with church leadership is a sin that brings a curse upon the soul Malachi 3:8-92SAT 74.4.

• Individual Accountability: If conference business is managed poorly, the sin lies with the one making the error, but you remain responsible for your own faithfulness2SAT 74.4.

• The Reward of Faithfulness: Paying tithes gladly and freely results in spiritual prosperity, while selfish withholding leads to poverty of the soul 1 Chronicles 29:142SAT 74.4.

Overcoming Discouragement

• The Remedy for Gloom: When pioneers or members feel disheartened, the only remedy is a combination of faith, prayer, and work2SAT 74.1.

• The Example of Christ: Jesus serves as the ultimate pattern for those facing difficulty, for He did not fail or become discouraged in His mission Isaiah 42:42SAT 74.1.

• Character Transformation: One must fall upon Christ, the Rock, to be broken so that He may fashion the character after His own likeness Matthew 21:442SAT 74.1.

• Ending Conflict: When we are broken before God, discord and strife die a natural death because they no longer have anything to feed upon2SAT 74.1.

Spiritual Vitality and Fruit-Bearing

• Connection to the Vine: Those truly joined to Christ will naturally produce the same kind of fruit that He produced as the pattern minister John 15:52SAT 74.2.

• Sharing the Truth: Genuine belief in Christ cannot be kept secret; it compels the believer to tell others what the Lord has done for them2SAT 74.2.

• Danger of Backsliding: Neglecting God's Word leads to terrible consequences and a loss of the Spirit of Christ2SAT 74.3.

• The Need for Repentance: There is a deep necessity for humiliation of soul, confession of sins, and restitution among those who have communicated murmuring or dishonesty2SAT 74.3.

• Discouragement as an Enemy: Speaking discouraging words pleases the enemy and produces a harvest that no believer can afford to reap2SAT 74.3.