When and how often should Christians contribute to support the work of the local church? What does the Bible say?When and how often should Christians contribute to support the work of the local church? What does the Bible say?1 Corinthians 16:1,2 - "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders to the churches of Galatia, so you must do also: On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come."
This passage tells us when to give to support the work of the church: on the first day of the week. But it also tells us how often to give. When the Bible tells us an act should be done on a certain day, it is necessarily implied that the act should be done as often as that day occurs.
For example, when the Old Testament told Israel to keep a feast on a certain day, they were to observe that feast as often as that day occurred. Some feasts were observed on a certain day of a certain month, just as often as that day of that month occurred (Exodus 12:18; Leviticus 16:29; 23:5,6,24,34). But the Sabbath was the seventh day of the week (Exodus 20:8-10). This meant it should be kept just as often as that day of the week occurred - every week.
In the New Testament we are told to have the Lord's Supper and collection on the "first day of the week" (Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2). The necessary conclusion is that these should be done on that day, as often as it comes: every first day of every week.
We use the same kind of language today. If a sign in a store window says "Closed Sunday," you expect it to be closed every Sunday, right? If you are hired on a job and the employer says, "Payday is Friday," you would expect to be paid every Friday.
Likewise, the language of 1 Corinthians 16:2 so clearly means to give on the first day of every week that several translations actually put the word "every" in the translation (New American Standard, English Standard Version).
So each of us as Christians, if we truly appreciate what God has done for us and we seek to please and honor Him in return, we should realize our responsibility to give to support the work of the church regularly. Every week on the first day of the week we give as we have prospered.
How much has the Lord prospered you? Do you give every week in a way that truly reflects your gratitude for the blessings God has given?
(c) Copyright David E. Pratte, 2017; gospelway.com
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Scripture quotations are generally from the New King James Version (NKJV), copyright 1982, 1988 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. used by permission. All rights reserved.