Did you know that using the spiritual gift of giving can further God’s Kingdom through the next generation? It’s true! And yet, giving isn’t given the attention it should within the body of Christ. Let’s talk about why this needs to change and how you can use this spiritual gift to make an impact.
Why the Gift of Giving Needs to Be Strengthened
Allow me to introduce you to one of my favorite people in the world—my wife, Megan. She’s an amazing woman of God and has blessed me with three beautiful children. She is literally the strongest person I have ever met. One of the greatest displays of her strength during pregnancy was the incredible transformation her body went through. This transformation actually affected her abdominal muscles. What I didn’t know about pregnancy was that as Megan’s belly grew, her abdominal muscles separated. As a result, she’s had to go through physical therapy to retrain the abdominal muscles to work the way they are intended to work. It’s vital they are retrained because the abdominal muscles connect to everything. In fact, if a postpartum woman doesn’t retrain these muscles, it’ll throw off the way the rest of her body functions.
In many ways, the spiritual gift of giving is much like my wife’s abdominal muscles. In the same way, this gift needs to be retrained and restrengthened in the body of Christ. I’d like to suggest in recent years, the body of Christ has grown in its value for worship through song, discipleship, and the evangelism of the nations, but the giving muscle has become weak. It needs to be reintegrated into the ministry of the body of Christ.
The spiritual gift of giving doesn’t often hold the mic on stage. Sometimes because of this, it can be easy to devalue its potential to advance the Kingdom. But, like the abdominal muscles, it’s connected to everything.
Paul explains this in Romans chapter 12.
Along with…
- Encouraging
- Prophesying
- Showing mercy
- Leading
- Teaching
- Serving
…giving is listed as a vital expression of the body of Christ. It’s time we acknowledge and celebrate the spiritual gift of giving in the same way we would other expressions of the body of Christ. And like a postpartum woman, imagine the consequences for the rest of the body of Christ if giving is forgotten.
I’ve been traveling as a speaker with Forge since 2018. It was at this point in my life in which I left my job managing a coffee shop and started itinerant speaking with the Forge Firebrand program. Very quickly, I realized the power of having people come alongside the ministry I was doing. I experienced the gift of giving and discovered how powerful it was. It is another important unique ministry expression many laborers can walk in.
As a speaker, I learned it wasn’t me doing ministry with the help of financial supporters, but it was me joining the giving ministry of my financial partners. Hand in hand, side by side, we would march forward in ministry together, in tandem, advancing the kingdom step-by-step. Brothers and sisters in arms—I’ll say it one final time. Giving is irreplaceable.
3 Ways to Apply the Spiritual Gift of Giving
Here are 3 ways to use the spiritual gift of giving to advance God’s Kingdom.
- Give a “small” gift in faith.
“I don’t give very much, but at least it’s something!” Unfortunately, we hear this all too often. Sometimes financial partners that give 10-25 dollars per month disqualify themselves from the impact they make through their consistent giving. Because it’s not a number that seems big in their mind, they feel as if they aren’t making a difference.
It’s not the size but our faith that makes a difference.
To the boy with 5 loaves and 2 fish, he had more than enough for his meal. To him, it was a lot. To the disciples thinking of the crowds, it was a little. Regardless of what size the boy or the disciples saw that it was, Jesus saw that it was just the right amount because it was given in faith. And He multiplied it!
Think about it, even if you gave $25 a month to the Forge Fund, because you gave it in faith, Jesus would multiply this for His Kingdom. You may think you can’t give much with your $5 bill, but if you give it with faith, imagine what Jesus can do!
- Provide a scholarship to Deep Camp or another Forge Equipping program.
This is a wonderful ministry I am able to be part of. Because God has blessed us, we were able to get a high school student to Deep Camp this summer. Sometimes finances intimidate people and keep them from participating in Deep Camp or an equipping program. But by providing a scholarship, you are able to fast-track someone’s opportunity to experience a profound, life-transforming experience.
- Give a product or asset.
Meet Mark and Vicki. I changed their names for their privacy, but I want to introduce you to them because they understand part of the spiritual gift of giving more than most. Though they live in low-income housing, every Sunday, they show up and take tissue boxes from the local food pantry and fill our church pews with them.
Resource giving often goes overlooked in the financial partnership world because it’s not cold, hard cash. Significant Kingdom advancement can occur if we take time to think creatively about the resources we do have. Perhaps it’s airline miles on a credit card or food you have available from the business you own. Maybe you have a beach or retreat house you can lend to a minister for the weekend. Connect with our CFO, Todd, by contacting Forge if you’d like to financially partner this way. With decades of ministry accounting and business experience, he’d love to help you share your resources.
Use the Spiritual Gift of Giving to Advance His Kingdom!
However you utilize the spiritual gift of giving, know this: You are a “core” part of the body of Christ (pun intended). We need you. Giving is a vital, valid, and important part of advancing God’s Kingdom. Everyone can do it no matter the size gift, and through giving, everyone can affect generations to come.