Build the Church
ICS Daily Devotions
Exodus 35:29 (NKJV) The children of Israel brought a freewill offering to the Lord, all the men and women whose hearts were willing to bring material for all kinds of work which the Lord, by the hand of Moses, had commanded to be done.
God has given mankind free will to make choices. Before we were saved, we used to make decisions based on our preferences and what we believed was best for us. However, after we have been saved through the redemptive blood of Jesus, we are under the Lordship of Christ and are stewards of all the resources that God has entrusted to us, including our finances.
Whether we are full-time ministers or serving and worshipping God through our work in the marketplace, we must trust and depend on God for everything we do.
If we want to walk out the lifestyle of faith, we need to have absolute dependence on God and faith in Him. We need to seek His face, receive a word of confirmation, and have a witness in our spirit before we step out on our journey with God. Then, we need to live the consecrated life by walking in His will.
The difference between tithing and freewill offering is that tithing is a payment required by the Lord for a twofold purpose—a form of worship and to provide for the livelihood of the Levites, whereas freewill offering is based on our decision and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when it comes to giving freewill offerings, we need to respond to His leading. Often, these promptings are tests of our willingness and obedience so that we are proven to be faithful, dependable, and willing channels of His blessings.
The Israelites’ journey from Egypt to the promised land parallels ours from being saved to taking hold of our abundant life. While their greatest challenge was to get “Egypt” out of their hearts, ours is to get the worship of mammon out of our hearts.
There was a practice by the children of Israel to bring freewill offerings to the Lord for the building of the Tabernacle. They could bring anything as long as it was from a willing heart. Likewise, in the New Testament, we are expected to give freewill offerings for the development of the church and the preaching of the Gospel.
Because we are the body of Christ, He would use us to express His love to people within and outside the church. Jesus has love and compassion for the lost, the sick, the little ones, and the poor and needy—He wants them to be saved. As individuals and as a church, we can give towards all these causes including supporting preachers and missionaries on the field.
Although the Gospel was given to us freely by the love of God through Jesus’ death on the cross, the ministry of the Gospel needs money. While the Old Testament saints were building the Tabernacle, a temporary place of worship, believers today are called to give freewill offerings to build the Church of the Living God.
Sermon Series: Freewill Offering
