“Now Concerning the Collection” – Part 5: Correlation Between Giving and Fellowship

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Various works are carried out using the funds collected by the church. Since all the brethren at a local congregation make contributions into the treasury, they are working together in these activities. In Scripture this is called fellowship – joint participation. Paul warned, “Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11, KJV). […]

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“Now Concerning the Collection” – Part 4: Institutionalism and the Sponsoring Church Arrangement

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As we noticed in the previous section, there are many who use funds from the church treasury for things other than just the works of the church – evangelism, edification, and limited benevolence. Some use money from their treasury for these works, but they do so by sending funds to another organization (either a human […]

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“Now Concerning the Collection” – Part 3: Use of the Treasury

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Some question whether we even have Bible authority for a church treasury. While the term “church treasury” is not used in the New Testament, the concept certainly is. In Acts 4:32-35, aid was provided for those in need using funds that had been pooled together. This collection of donations was, for all intents and purposes, […]

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“Now Concerning the Collection” – Part 2: The Act of Giving

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Before beginning a study, we must first have a clear understanding as to what is under discussion. What sort of giving are we talking about? The giving under consideration here has to do with the monetary contributions that are made to the church. We read of this when the church in Jerusalem was engaged in […]

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“Now Concerning the Collection” – Part 1: Introduction

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While Paul was journeying back to Jerusalem, he stopped in Miletus and “sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church” (Acts 20:17) and reminded them of the work he had done among them in preaching the gospel. He was able to confidently say that he was “innocent of the blood of […]

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“Now Concerning the Collection” – A Study of Giving

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In February 2006 I was asked to present a lesson on the topic of giving. This was to coincide with our discussion in the adult Bible class on the subject. We were studying 1 Corinthians 16 and decided to spend some time talking about this seemingly oft-neglected subject. We spent two or three classes, followed […]

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A Preacher and His Support

God’s intention is for those who devote their time to the preaching of the gospel to receive financial support for their work. Paul taught this in his first letter to Corinth: “So also the Lord directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14).

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