What is the gift of giving?

The New Testament teaches that believers should give out of thankfulness and gratitude to God – not obligation – for all of the blessings he has bestowed upon us.  Saint John explains how God gave the gift of everlasting life for all who believe in him with the words, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 NIV)  Scripture teaches believers are entrusted to be good stewards of their time, resources, talents and gifts, as an expression of their love toward God.  As for the giving of our monetary resources, the Apostle Paul teaches believers should collectively give back a portion of their money to the work of the Lord.  “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (II Corinthians 9:7 NIV)

 

As for the spiritual gift of giving, the Apostle Paul includes this gift in his letter to the Romans.

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many from one body, and each member belongs to the others.  We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.  If a man’s gift is…contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously….” (Romans 12:4-6, 8 NIV)

The spiritual gift of giving, or imparting, is when the Holy Spirit guides a believer to generously contribute to the needs of others from the abundance of his or her resources.  An individual entrusted with the spiritual gift of giving feels led by the Holy Spirit to generously give of his or her resources, in a sincere manner, to the needs of others for the ultimate purpose of glorifying God.  Believers who have the gift of giving often remain discreet in their actions, to avoid bringing attention to themselves…so God gets the glory.  Saint Matthew records how Jesus Christ himself warned people against the hypocrisy of drawing attention to themselves while giving to the needy.

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them.  If you do, you have no reward from your Father in heaven.  So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men.  I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret.  Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4 NIV)

In other words, the Holy Spirit has entrusted many believers with the spiritual gift of giving, which is often alive and well in many churches.  Although, many people often do not even realize that the gift of giving is present within their churches, since believers who are entrusted with this gift often prefer to keep their anonymity.  Nevertheless, God can accomplish many wonderful things through believers, entrusted with the gift of giving, who understand the significant monetary contributions they can make to the work of the Lord…be it helping start new churches, financially blessing struggling churches, giving land for a church building, purchasing building materials for a new church building, or whatever cause the Lord may lay on their hearts.        

What is the gift of faith?

Faith, or the reliance upon God, is an intricate part of every believer’s life.  The author of Hebrews explains this very principle with the words, “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)  However, the spiritual gift of faith involves the Holy Spirit entrusting a believer with a surmountable amount of belief for overcoming seemingly overwhelming obstacles.

The Apostle Paul includes the gift of faith in his letter to the Corinthians.

“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.  Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.  To one there is given though the Spirit the message of wisdom…to another faith by the same Spirit…and to still another the interpretation of tongues.  All of these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. (I Corinthians 12:4-11 NIV)

In the New Testament, we find a man who approached the disciples for healing his son from seizures, but the disciples were unable to heal the boy.  The same man later approached Jesus Christ in a crowd and asked him to have mercy on his son.  Jesus Christ had the man bring his son to him and Jesus healed him at that moment.  The disciples later approached Jesus Christ in private and asked him why they could not drive out the same demons from the boy and Jesus responded with the following words.

“Because you have so little faith.  I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move.  Nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20-21 NIV)

Jesus Christ later used a similar analogy about faith after his disciples questioned him about a fig tree he withered in front of them.

“I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done.  If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.  (Matthew 21:21-22 NIV)

 

Jesus Christ compares a believer’s initial faith to the relatively small size of a mustard seed.  As a mustard seed grows, much like a believer’s faith, it grows into one of the largest of the garden plants.  Believers with the gift of faith our great visionaries for the local church, since they can envision God doing the impossible…such as starting churches in the least likely of places, restoring the lives seemingly unremorseful criminals, or changing the hearts of one our loved ones.  In other words, a believer can start out with very little faith, but as the Holy Spirit entrusts him or her with the gift of faith he or she can help others realize God’s sovereign providence in fulfilling His will on earth.