Jesus told His disciples to give.
But what does that actually mean?
Does Christian giving simply mean putting money into a church offering? Is it mainly about supporting pastors? Is it about helping poor people? How much should we give? And what does the New Testament actually show the first followers of Jesus doing?
Two very useful starting passages are:
- Luke 6:38 — Jesus teaches His disciples to be generous.
- Mark 12:41–44 — the widow demonstrates costly, sacrificial giving.
But these passages tell only part of the story.
When we look across the New Testament, at least four major purposes for Christian giving become clear.
Instructions: Click on the '▶' to expand and collapse the paragraphs.
💰 First: What does “Give” mean?
Christian giving is much bigger than putting money into an offering plate.
Giving is the generous stewardship of what God has entrusted to us for His purposes.
That can involve money, possessions, food, hospitality, practical resources and other forms of material help.
Jesus said:
“Give, and it will be given to you.” — Luke 6:38
The issue is therefore much deeper than: “How much money do I have to give?”
A better question is:
“What has God entrusted to me, and how can I use it generously for His Kingdom and for other people?”
⚠️ Giving does NOT simply mean “give money to the church”
This distinction is important.
New Testament giving is not primarily presented as giving money to a religious institution.
It is generous stewardship of what God has entrusted to His people — directed toward God's Kingdom, Gospel workers, fellow believers, people in need, and the shared mission of faith communities.
That does not mean giving through a church or faith community is wrong.
In fact, the New Testament sometimes shows believers pooling resources and trusted leaders helping distribute them.
In Acts 4:34–35, believers brought resources to the apostles, who distributed them according to need.
In 1 Corinthians 16:1–2, Paul instructed believers to regularly set money aside for a collection for needy Christians.
So the issue is not:
“Church giving is bad.”
The issue is that we should not reduce Jesus' command to give into:
“Put money into the church organisation.”
The New Testament picture is far wider.
The money is a tool.
People matter.
Need matters.
Gospel mission matters.
God's Kingdom matters.
1️⃣ Give to honour God and invest in His Kingdom
Christian giving begins with God.
Our possessions are not meant to become our master or our security. Jesus repeatedly taught His disciples to think beyond temporary possessions and invest in what has eternal value.
📖 Matthew 6:19–21
Jesus contrasts treasures on earth with treasures in heaven.
He then gives a powerful diagnostic:
Where our treasure goes reveals where our heart is.
📖 Matthew 6:33
Jesus tells His disciples to seek God's Kingdom first.
That includes how we view and use our material resources.
📖 2 Corinthians 9:7, 11–12
Paul describes generous giving as something that ultimately produces thanksgiving to God.
Key idea: We give because everything we have ultimately comes from God, and His Kingdom is more important than accumulating possessions for ourselves.
2️⃣ Give to support those doing Gospel ministry
The New Testament clearly teaches that those who devote themselves to Gospel ministry may legitimately receive material support from other believers.
📖 Luke 10:7
When Jesus sent out His workers, He told them that “the worker deserves his wages.”
📖 1 Corinthians 9:13–14
Paul makes the principle especially clear:
Those who proclaim the Gospel may receive their living from the Gospel.
📖 1 Timothy 5:17–18
Those who labour faithfully in teaching and leadership are worthy of honour and appropriate support.
📖 Philippians 4:15–18
The believers in Philippi financially supported Paul's missionary work.
Paul viewed their gift not merely as money given to him, but as an offering connected with their worship of God.
Key idea: Christians may use their resources to enable other disciples to devote time and energy to Gospel work.
3️⃣ Give to care for fellow believers who are in need
One of the strongest patterns in the early church was believers taking responsibility for one another.
They did not merely say: “I'll pray for you.”
When real material needs arose, they shared.
📖 Acts 2:44–45
The first believers voluntarily shared possessions so that needs within their new faith community could be met.
📖 Acts 4:32–35
Believers shared what they had, and resources were distributed according to genuine need.
📖 Romans 12:13
Paul simply commands: “Share with the Lord's people who are in need.”
📖 1 Corinthians 16:1–2
Paul organised a practical collection to help needy believers.
📖 2 Corinthians 8:13–15
Paul explains that Christian generosity should help address serious inequality when one group has abundance while another is experiencing genuine need.
Key idea: Christians don't simply say they love one another. They share when another believer genuinely needs help.
4️⃣ Give to the poor and others in need
Christian generosity does not stop at the boundary of our own congregation or faith community.
Jesus repeatedly directed His disciples toward people in need — including those who could offer nothing in return.
📖 Luke 12:33–34
Jesus connects generosity toward the poor with storing treasure in heaven.
📖 Luke 14:12–14
Jesus tells His followers not merely to be generous toward people who can repay the favour.
He specifically points toward the poor and others who cannot repay them.
📖 Ephesians 4:28
This passage gives an extraordinary Christian view of work.
We do not work merely so that we can accumulate things for ourselves.
Paul says a person should work honestly so that they “may have something to share with anyone in need.”
📖 James 2:15–16
James challenges believers who offer religious words to hungry or poorly clothed people but do nothing practical to meet their needs.
📖 1 John 3:17–18
John asks how God's love can remain in someone who sees another person in genuine need, has the means to help, but closes their heart against them.
Christian love must move beyond words into action.
Key idea: God gives His people resources not only for themselves, but so that they can become a blessing to others.
❤️ HOW should a disciple of Jesus give?
The New Testament does not only tell us where to give. It also says a great deal about how we should give.
🤲 Give generously — Luke 6:38
Generosity should become part of the character of a disciple.
🪙 Give sacrificially — Mark 12:41–44
Jesus noticed something other people may easily have missed.
Wealthy people gave large amounts, but a poor widow gave two tiny coins.
Jesus said she had given more because her gift represented genuine sacrifice.
God does not measure generosity merely by the size of the amount.
😊 Give willingly and cheerfully — 2 Corinthians 9:6–8
Christian giving should not be produced by manipulation, guilt or pressure.
Paul says each person should give what they have decided in their heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion.
📅 Give thoughtfully and deliberately — 1 Corinthians 16:1–2
Generosity does not always need to be spontaneous.
Paul encouraged believers to deliberately and regularly set resources aside according to their circumstances.
🤫 Don't give to impress people — Matthew 6:1–4
Jesus strongly warned against giving in order to be seen, admired or praised by other people.
Christian generosity is directed toward God, not toward building our own reputation.
🪙 What does the widow's mite teach us?
Mark 12:41–44 is one of the most memorable passages about giving.
Jesus watched people placing money into the Temple treasury. Wealthy people gave large amounts. Then a poor widow contributed two very small coins.
Yet Jesus said she had given more than the others.
Why?
Because Jesus was not simply measuring the amount placed into the box. He was looking at what the gift cost the giver.
A large donation can involve very little sacrifice. A tiny gift can represent extraordinary faith and generosity.
Giving is not measured only by what leaves your hand, but by what remains in your heart.
❓ Does the New Testament command Christians to give exactly 10%?
This question deserves some care.
Tithing — giving a tenth — was an important part of Israel's life under the Old Testament covenant.
Christians disagree about exactly how that principle should apply under the New Covenant.
Some Christian traditions teach that ten percent remains a useful or continuing baseline for Christian giving.
Others point out that the New Testament does not give Christians a universal command saying: “Every Christian must give exactly ten percent.”
What the New Testament repeatedly and unmistakably commands is:
- generosity,
- willingness,
- sacrifice,
- care for people in need,
- support for Gospel ministry,
- wise stewardship,
- and giving without compulsion.
2 Corinthians 9:7 is particularly important: each person should give what they have decided in their heart, “not reluctantly or under compulsion.”
So the better discipleship question may not be:
“What is the minimum percentage I have to give?”
But:
“Jesus owns everything I have. How does He want me to use it?”
📖 GIVE — S.O.S. Bible passages
You do not need to study all of these at once.
Choose a passage, read it carefully and use S.O.S.: What does it SAY? What will I OBEY? Who will I SHARE it with?
Luke 6:38 — Give generously
Look particularly at the kind of generous character Jesus is teaching His disciples to develop.
Mark 12:41–44 — Give sacrificially
Compare how people normally measure a gift with how Jesus evaluated the widow's gift.
2 Corinthians 9:6–8 — Give willingly and cheerfully
Look for what this passage says about generosity, personal choice, pressure and God's provision.
1 Corinthians 9:13–14 — Support Gospel ministry
What responsibility do believers have toward those devoting themselves to Gospel work?
Acts 4:32–35 — Meet the needs of believers
What did generosity look like within the first Christian community?
Ephesians 4:28 — Give to those in need
Notice Paul's surprising reason why Christians should work.
Matthew 6:19–21 — Invest with eternity in view
What does the way we use our treasure reveal about our heart?
🧭 Bringing it all together
The New Testament gives us a much bigger picture of giving than simply putting money into a church offering.
A disciple of Jesus learns to use what God has entrusted to them:
- to honour God and invest in His Kingdom,
- to support Gospel workers and Gospel mission,
- to care for fellow believers who are genuinely in need,
- and to care generously for poor and needy people.
Sometimes that giving will happen personally.
Sometimes it will happen through a house church, congregation, ministry or other faith community.
Sometimes it will support someone carrying the Gospel. Sometimes it will put food on someone's table.
The important thing is not merely which organisation receives the money.
The bigger question is:
Is what God has entrusted to me being used generously, wisely and obediently for His Kingdom and for people?
That is much closer to the New Testament picture of: GIVE.
📝 S.O.S. — What will you do?
SAY:
What did the passages actually say about why, how and to whom followers of Jesus should give?
OBEY:
Is there something God has entrusted to you that He wants you to use more generously?
Is there a person, need, Gospel worker or Kingdom purpose you should practically support?
SHARE:
Who can you share what you have discovered with?
Better still: who can you help discover these passages for themselves?
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