God Is Triune:  There is one God: infinite, eternal, almighty, and perfect in holiness, truth, and love. In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, co-existent, co-equal, co-eternal. The Father is not the Son and the Son is not the Holy Spirit, yet each is truly Deity. One God - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - is the foundation of Christian Faith and life.

John 14:16-17

16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever—17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.

Isaiah 48:16-18

16 Draw near to me, hear this: from the beginning I have not spoken in secret, from the time it came to be I havebeen there.” And now the Lord GOD has sent me, and his Spirit. 17 Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you toprofit, who leads you in the way you should go.

God The Father:  God the Father is the Creator of heaven and earth. By His Word and for his glory, He freely and supernaturally created the world. Through the same Word He daily sustains all His creatures. He rules over all and is the only Sovereign God, His plans and purpose will come to pass. He is faithful to every promise, works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose and in His unfathomable grace  gave  His  Son, Jesus  Christ, for mankind’s redemption. He  made man for fellowship with Himself, and intended that all creation should live to the praise of His glory.

Genesis 1:1 “1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Matthew 6:8-13

8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

11  Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and theglory forever. Amen

James 1:17-18

17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is novariation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kindof firstfruits of his creatures.

Jesus  Christ:     Jesus  Christ,  the  only  begotten  Son  of  God,  is  the  eternal  Word  made  flesh,  supernaturally conceived by theHoly Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.   He was perfect in nature, teaching, and obedience.   He is fully God and fully man.   He was alwayswith God and is God.   Through Him all things came into being and were created.  He was before all things and in Him all things holdtogether by the Word of His power.  He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation, and in Him dwells the fullness of thegodhead bodily.   He is the only Savior for the sins of the world, having shed His blood and died a vicarious death on Calvary’s cross forall mankind.   By His death in our place, He revealed divine love and upheld divine justice, removing our guilt and reconciling us to God. Having redeemed us from sin,  the third day He rose bodily from the grave, victorious over death and the powers of darkness, and for aperiod of 40 days appeared to more than 500 witnesses, performing many convincing proofs of His resurrection.   He ascended intoheaven where, at God’s right hand, He intercedes for His people and rules as Lord over all.   He is the Head of His body, the Church andshould be adored, loved, served, and obeyed by all.

John 1:1-4

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning withGod. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, andthe life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

John 1:14

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from theFather, full of grace and truth. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He whocomes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’”) 16 For from his fullness we have all received, graceupon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

The Holy Spirit:  The Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life, convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment.  Through the proclamation of the gospel He persuades men to repent of their sins and confess Jesus as Lord.  By the same Spirit a person is led to trust in divine mercy.  The Holy Spirit unites believer to Jesus Christ in faith, brings about the new birth, and dwells within the regenerated.  The Holy Spirit has come to glorify the Son, who in turn came to glorify the Father. He will lead the Church into right understanding and rich application of the truth of God’s Word. He is to be respected, honored, worshipped as God the Third Person of the Trinity.

John 14:26

26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.

John 15:26

26 “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. 27 And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning.

John 16:7-11

7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

Man:   God made man - Male and female - in His own image, as the crown of creation, that man might have fellowship with Him. In being created in the image of God, male and female, the covenant union of marriage is between man and woman.

Tempted by Satan, man rebelled against God.  Being estranged from His Maker, yet responsible to Him, he became  subject  to  divine wrath,  inwardly  depraved,  and  apart  from  a  special  work  of  grace,  utterly incapable  of  returning  to  God.    This  depravity  is radical  and  pervasive.    It  extends  to  his  mind,  will  and emotions.   Unregenerate man lives under the dominion of sin and Satan.  He is at enmity with God, hostile toward God, and hateful of God.  Fallen, sinful people, whatever their character or attainments, are lost and without hope apart from salvation in Christ.

Genesis 1:26-28

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

** Also TWBC Bylaw Article 2.02 Marriage and Sexuality Policy states: We consider Marriage as such:

(a) Marriage. The testimony of the God-breathed Holy Scriptures is that the marriage covenant shall be reserved only for one (1) man with one (1) woman. The idea that marriage is a covenant only between one (1) man and one (1) woman has been the traditional definition of marriage for all of human history (“Traditional Definition of Marriage”). Because of the longstanding importance of the Traditional Definition of Marriage to humans and their relationships and communities, and, most importantly, the fact that God has ordained that marriage be between. one (1) man and one (1) woman, as clearly conveyed in God’s inerrant Scriptures, including for example in Matthew 19:4-6 where in speaking about marriage Jesus referred to the fact that “he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, the Church hereby creates this policy, which shall be known as the “Marriage and Sexuality Policy.” 

The Scriptures:   We accept the Bible, including the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament, as the written Word of God.  The Bible is the essential and infallible record of God revealing himself to mankind.  It leads us to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.  Being given by God, the scriptures are both fully and verbally inspired by God.  Therefore, as originally given, the Bible is free of error in all it teaches.  Each book is to be interpreted according to its context and purpose and in reverent obedience to the Lord who speaks through it in living power.  All believers are exhorted to study the Scriptures and diligently apply them to their lives.  The Scriptures are the authoritative and normative  rule and guide of all Christian life, practice, and doctrine. They are totally sufficient and must not be added to, superseded, or changed by later tradition, extra- biblical revelation, or worldly wisdom.  Every doctrinal formulation,whether of creed, confession, or theology must be put to the test of the full counsel of God in the Holy Scripture.

II Timothy 3:16-17

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and

for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

Hebrews 4:12

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Matthew 24:35

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

The  Gospel:  Jesus  Christ  is  the  gospel.  The  good  news  is  revealed  in  His  birth,  life,  death,  resurrection,  and ascension.  Christ’s  crucifixion  is  the  heart  of  the  gospel,  His  resurrection  is  the  power  of  the  gospel,  and  His ascension is the glory of the gospel. Christ’s death is a substitutionary and propitiatory sacrifice to God for our sins. It satisfies the demands of God’s holy justice and appeases His holy wrath.   It also demonstrates His never- ending love and reveals His amazing grace.  We always remember the cross and because of the cross we can live in the glory of the Father. Jesus Christ is the only mediator between God and man. There is no other name by which men are able to be saved.

Romans 1:16-17

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”

John 3:16-17

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Luke 4:18

17 And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written,

18  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 20 And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

Man’s  Response  to  The  Gospel:     Man’s  response  to  the  gospel  is  rooted  and  grounded  in  the  free  and unconditional choosing of Jesus for his own pleasure and glory.   It is also true that the message of the gospel is only effectual to those who genuinely repent of their sins, and by God’s grace, put saving faith in Christ.   The gospel of grace is to be sincerely preached to all people in all nations.  Biblical repentance is characterized by a changed  life,  and  saving  faith  is  evidence  by  kingdom  service  or  works.    While  neither  repentance  nor  works save,  unless  a  person  is  willing  to  deny  himself,  pick  up  his  cross  and  follow  Christ,  he  cannot  become  His disciple.

Romans 10:6-13

6 But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) 7 “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

Hebrews 10:38-39

38 And,“But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” 39 But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.

Salvation:    Salvation,  the  free  gift  of  God,  is  provided  by  grace  alone,  through  faith  alone,  because  of  Christ alone,  for  the  glory  of  God  alone.  Anyone  turning  from  sin  in  repentance  and  looking  to  Christ  and  His substitutionary  death  receives  the  gift  of  eternal  life  and  is  declared  righteous  by  God  as  a  free  gift.  The righteousness of Christ is imputed to him. He is justified and fully accepted by God. Through Christ’s atonement for sin an individual is reconciled to God as Father and becomes His Child. The believer is forgiven the debt of his sin and through   the miracle of regeneration liberated from the law of sin and death into freedom of God’s Spirit.  Salvation  is  a  true  encounter  with  God  Himself  and  at  that  moment  you  inherit all  the  benefits  of  the kingdom forever.

Acts 4:12

12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Ephesians 2:1-10

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us,

5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

II Corinthians 5:17

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.

The Church: God by His Word and Spirit creates the Church, calling sinful men out of the whole human race into the  fellowship  of Christ’s  Body.  By  the  same  Word  and  Spirit,  He  guides  and  preserves  that  new  redeemed humanity.   The Church is not a religious institution or denomination. Rather, the Church universal is made up of those  who  have  become  genuine  followers  of  Jesus Christ  and  have  personally  appropriated  the  gospel.  The Church exists to worship and glorify God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It also exists to serve Him by faithfully doing His will in the earth. This involves a commitment to see the gospel preached and churches planted in all the world for a testimony. The ultimate mission of the Church is the making of disciples through the preaching of the gospel.  When God transforms human nature, this then becomes the chief means of society’s transformation. Upon conversion, newly redeemed men and women are added to a local church, in which they devote themselves to teaching, fellowship, the Lord’s Supper, prayer, time, and tithes.   All members of the Church universal are to be a vital and committed part of a local church.  In this context they are called to walk out the  New  Covenant  as  the  people  of  God and  demonstrate  the reality  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  The  ascended Christ has given gift ministries to the church (including apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors and teachers) for the  equipping  of  Christ’s  body  that  it  might  mature  and  grow.  Through  the  gift  ministries,  all  members  of  the Church are to be nurtured and equipped for the work of the ministry.   In the context of the local church, God’s people receive pastoral care and leadership and the opportunity to employ their God-given gifts in His service in relation to one another and to the world.

Matthew 16:18

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

1 Corinthians 1:2

To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.

Ephesians 3:10

10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.

Baptism: Baptism is only intended for the individual who has received the saving benefits of Christ’s atoning work and become His disciple.   Therefore, in obedience to Christ’s command, and as a testimony to God, the Church, oneself, and the world, a believer should be immersed in water in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.   Water baptism is a visual demonstration of a person’s union with Christ in the likeness of His death and resurrection.  It signifies that his former way of life has been put to death.  It also vividly depicts a person’s release from the mastery of sin.  He has been raised in newness of life and becomes a new creature in Christ.

Matthew 3:13-15

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.

Matthew 28:19

19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:48

48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

Baptism In The Holy Spirit:   The Holy Spirit empowers believers for Christian witness and service.   Being in- dwelt  by  the  Holy  Spirit  and  being  baptized  in  the  Holy  Spirit  are  distinct  experiences,  though  the  latter  may occur in close proximity to the former. The promise of the Father is freely available to all who believe in Jesus Christ.  While the Holy Spirit baptizes the believer in Christ’s Body,  Jesus baptizes the believer in the Holy Spirit thereby enabling him to exercise the powers of the age to come in ministry and mission.  The Holy Spirit desires to continually fill each believer with power to witness, and imparts his supernatural gifts for the edification of the Body  and  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  the  world.  Speaking  in  tongues  is  an  immediate  evidence,  but  not  the necessary evidence,  that  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Spirit  has  been  received.    Believers  are  therefore  encouraged  to expect, receive, and use the gift of tongues in their private devotional life.   This results in the exaltation of God, effective prayer, and personal edification. All the gifts of the Holy Spirit at work in the church of the first century are available today and are earnestly to be desired and expected.  They are essential in the mission of the Church in the world today.

Acts 1:4-8

4 And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority.

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

Acts 2:1-4, 38-39

2 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

Acts 19:1-6

19 And it happened that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. 2 And he said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” They said, “Into John's baptism.”

4 And Paul said, “John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 And when Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began speaking in tongues and prophesying.

Sanctification:  The Holy Spirit is the active agent in our sanctification and seeks to produce His fruit in us as our minds are renewed and we are conformed to the image of Christ.  Though sin remains a reality, as we are led by the Spirit we grow in the knowledge of the Lord, freely keeping His commandments and endeavoring to live in the  world  that  all  people  may  see  our  good  works  and  glorify  our Father  who  is  in  heaven.    All  believers  are exhorted to preserver in faith, knowing they will have to give an account to God for their every thought, word, and deed.   The spiritual disciplines, especially Bible study, prayer, worship, and confession, are a vital means of grace until the end, which is most certain.

Matthew 5:48

48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Romans 12:1-3

12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

2 Thessalonians 2:13

13 But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth.

The Consummation:  The Consummation of all things includes the visible, personal, and glorious return of Jesus Christ, the resurrection of the dead and the translation of those alive in Christ, the judgment of the just and the unjust,  and  the  fulfillment  of  Christ’s  kingdom on  the  new  heavens  and  the  new  earth.    In  the  consummation, Satan  with  his  host  and  all  those  outside  Christ  are  finally separated  from  the  benevolent  presence  of  God, enduring eternal punishment, but the righteous in glorious bodies, shall live and reign with Him forever.  Married to Christ as His Bride, the Church will be in the presence of God forever, serving Him and giving Him unending praise and glory.  Then shall the eager expectation of creation be fulfilled and the whole earth shall proclaim the glory of God who makes all thing new.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore encourage one another with these words. 5 Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. 2 For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. 3 While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 4 But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. 5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. 6 So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. 8 But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 10 who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Revelation 19:6-9

6 Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

Revelation 21:1-4

21 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away

every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Tithes and Offerings: Financial giving is an act of worship that is expressed throughout the Bible from beginning to end. Biblical tithing is the act of returning the first tenth of one’s income as the Bible says it belongs to God. Tithing is not and was never based upon Old Testament Law, in fact, giving tithes was established by Abraham in Genesis 14, hundreds of years prior to the law of Moses. Giving an offering is anything given above and beyond the tithe. True giving cannot take place until one has tithed. Tithing and giving are not meant to decrease financial gain, rather God’s promises that His blessing and protection are in place over the life, household, and possessions of those who do so regularly and obediently. Receiving the tithes and offerings corporately is the Church’s way of providing an avenue for believers to exercise this act of worship. While all believers are encouraged to engage in this act of worship there are those who have the Spiritual gift of giving. When this gift is in manifestation, the giver follows the leading of the Holy Spirit to give in what may be considered extraordinary ways. Giving to the Lord is to be done as an expression of one’s love, faith, and trust in God, not as a means of trying to obtain a blessing. While one gives selflessly, they also give expectantly as God is always faithful to His Word. 

Malachi 3:8‐12 

“Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’  “In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

Philippians 4:17‐19 

I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account, have more than enough. I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. of his glory in Christ Jesus. 

Romans 12:6‐8 

6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead,[b] do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

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