Giving at Barabbas Road Church in San Diego

The subject of giving is always filled with lots of pitfalls. Many ministries have abused the biblical mandate of giving throughout church history. Therefore, the subject of giving can often times present challenges for a church to discuss. Even though there are pitfalls and challenges surrounding this subject, it is very important for believers to understand what the Bible says about giving. At Barabbas Road Church in San Diego, giving is an important distinction of the church because it provides the church the opportunity to corporately worship God.

In 2nd Corinthians we see a general rule regarding giving in the New Testament (2 Corinthians 8:1-15; 9:1-15).An underlying theme of these scriptures is that the giving in the New Testament is never done under compulsion. This means that a believer gives whatever their heart instructs them to. This is different from the way giving is taught in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament the Israelites were commanded to give a tithe. A tithe, which means a tenth, was required and was treated like a tax. The nation of Israel was a theocracy, so the tithe was given to the priesthood to help run the country and to take care of it. This is why giving was a command, which is similar to our mandate to pay taxes to the government to help our officials run and take care of the country.

Even though giving in the Old Testament is different from what we see in the New Testament, the importance of giving is the same in both testaments. In the New Testament we see this idea of grace giving. By looking at a few principles of grace giving in 2nd Corinthians 8 and 9, we can see why giving is so important to New Testament believers. Oneprincipal is that we are supposed to give generously from a joyful heart. The joy in our hearts dictates that giving is an act of worship, which is something that we do because we love God. The perfect example of this is the example of giving that we have in Christ. Jesus gave everything. He was rich and made himself poor. He did it all with a joyful heart (Hebrews 12:2).Therefore, we give sacrificially with our full hearts for the joy that is set before us as Christ did.

Another principal is that giving is a regular disciplined act. We see in the New Testament that the believers gave regularly. There are three important things to remember about giving regularly. First, giving is to be an act of joy for all believers. Second, it is to be done sacrificially and in a discipline matter.Third, it should be understood as an act of worship for our Lord.

It is also important to understand that even though giving is not a specific command, itshould be treated as an expectation like baptism. A believerwho is saved with a new heart and new nature will instinctively want to give sacrificially to God. Giving in the New Testament is a tremendous opportunity and privilege for the believer. That’s why at Barabbas Road Church in San Diego giving is celebrated corporately at the end of each service to worship God in a tangible way.

At Barabbas, the church must lean upon God’s grace and provision when budgeting for the year. The church is budgeting for God’s miraculous act of giving to Barabbas. The people of Barabbas Road Church in San Diego are invited to be a part of something spectacular and wonderful. If you have never been a part of giving to the New Testament church in a New Testament way then you have the opportunity to be a part of something spectacular at Barabbas Road Church.If everyone can jump on board and understand the privilege that we have through giving, imagine what God can do through our faithfulness.