PEOPLE OF POWER - Power Of Giving // One Church Podcast, 8th September 2025

We are one church. We love God, love.

People love his mission and love His church.

Welcome to the One Church podcast.

Hello 1 Church. My name is Sarah Hickman, I'm

part of the central site, and I'm the finance manager at One

Church. My name is Chris Wright.

I'm part of the North Side and I also work here at one church as

part of the finance team. Every year we devote a whole

message to the important area of giving, and today is that day.

Before an inspirational message from Phil John, here is a little

overview of what giving looks like here at One Church.

Firstly, giving on Sundays. On Sundays, during our

gatherings, we take a moment to bring our gifts.

This is a continuation of our worship to God.

People give by putting their details on the envelopes and

putting the gift inside. These are then placed in the

pots that are passed around the room.

The pots are then taken by at least two of our serving team

and emptied into a secure pouch. This is sealed and then brought

to the one centre and kept in our safe.

Offerings from every site are combined and then counted by two

people. The amount is recorded and any

gifts are taken to our church bank.

There is integrity at every step.

Secondly, giving online. Many people who call One Church

home choose to give online. In fact, nearly 90% of giving

takes place in this way. People often give by scanning

the QR code found on our envelopes and screens, or

directly visiting the One Church website.

This is very easy to do, providing the ability of paying

through a phone or other device and easily directing where

you're giving is going. You can clearly and simply give

to specific areas like open hands, different missions,

projects or special one off offerings.

For many people, a standing order is an easy and regular way

of giving. This is a regular payment you

set up directly with your personal bank.

This enables anyone to enter into the regular rhythm and

blessing of giving every month. It is also the most helpful and

cost effective method for us as a church as we plan ahead.

Thirdly, giving during the week. Of course, it's also possible to

give gifts at any time through the church office.

This could be a check through the post or a gift delivered in

person. When you're Auk taxpayer, you

can claim Gift Aid. This is support from the

government that boosts giving to charities like One Church by

25%. Last year, the total Gift Aid

claimed by One Church was 189,550 lbs, which is an

incredible blessing. If you've never given your

details for us to claim Gift Aid on your giving, we can claim

back an amount on your last four years, and it's far easier than

you think. To set this up, head to the

giving page of the website, fill in the declaration on a giving

envelope, or get in touch with the finance team.

Chris and I are the only people who know in total who gives

what, and we're consistently inspired by people's heart and

passion for God and for the house.

Thank you. Your giving has enabled the

continued building of his church and the growth of all our

groups, events, care, outreach and people.

You truly are playing your part. Now get ready for an

inspirational message about biblical giving that will

inspire you, challenge you, and speak into your life today.

Good morning. I'm Phil John.

I'm part of our Loughborough site and I'm also a trustee for

One Church. A short story to begin with.

In 2016 I spent a week in New Orleans and Chicago on business

and when I arrived back home I went straight up to the bedroom

to unpack them to rest. I put my suitcase on the bed and

started to unpack it. I was taking things out when I

dropped a sock on the floor and as I bent down to pick it up I

noticed a wooden box under our bed and I thought well that's

not mine so it must be Katie's but we'd always agreed no

secrets. In the end my curiosity got the

better of me and I opened the box at which point I was

staggered inside. There were three eggs and around

£100 coins. I decided to put it back and

stay quiet but as the weekend went on my curiosity got the

better of me and I chose to brave it out.

I just had to know. So I asked Katie, Look.

I found a wooden box upstairs under the bed.

I'm sorry, I couldn't resist looking in it.

Why are there three eggs in the box?

She replied. Well, over the years, every time

you gave a bad presentation or a poor conference paper or a

disappointing after dinner speech, I put an egg in the box.

So I thought, yes, 40 years and only three eggs.

This is tremendous. Feeling really good about

myself, I hastily asked. Well, what are the 100 LB coins

doing in there then? Oh, that's easy, she replied.

Every time I collect 10 eggs, I sell them for a pound.

Well, I'm not going to talk about eggs today, but I am going

to talk about money. The world tells us that the last

things we should talk about are death, money, sex, and politics.

God disagrees, at least about money.

There are over 2000 references in the Bible to wealth, money,

and possessions, and experts estimate that 25% of what Jesus

taught relates in some form or other to money and wealth.

Let me pray briefly. Holy Spirit, speak into all our

hearts this morning as we consider everything we've been

given and how you would have us respond.

For those taking notes, this message could be called Whose

money is it? This question is a crucial

starting point to the whole topic.

And what would your answer be? James 117 tells us that every

good and perfect gift is from the Father.

That's our house, our money, our family, our skills, our

possessions and more. And Psalm 24 verse one tells us

that it's all His. The earth is the Lord's and

everything in it, the world and all who live in it, and in

Matthew 25, Jesus tells the power of the talents which were

large sums of money in those days.

It's clear from this teaching that Jesus expects us to steward

all that we've been given, whether it's a small amount or a

large amount. Simply put, a steward is someone

who manages someone else's affairs, and as God's stewards,

we are to manage everything that God has given us with great

care. So when it comes to everything

that you have, and specifically money, ask yourself this

question. Am IA steward or am I an owner?

Your answer will determine how you behave with money, just as

your behaviour with money will reflect your heart.

So let's have a look at the heart of giving for a few

moments. And the Bible has a lot to say

about the heart. In fact, there are over 700

references to it throughout. In Deuteronomy 6 verse 5, we're

Deuteronomy 6:5

called to love the Lord our God with all our heart.

And in one Samuel we discover that God looks at us differently

to the way that other people do. The Lord doesn't look at the

things people look at. People look at the outward

appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

So what does he want to see when it comes to the heart of giving?

Well, the answer can be found in Two Corinthians 9, verse 7.

Each of you should give what you've decided in your heart to

give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a

cheerful giver. You see, giving starts with the

decision of the heart and should always result from an obedient

and cheerful heart full of gratitude.

In the same way that a doctor uses an ECG to check the

condition of our hearts, one Chronicles 28 nine tells us that

God searches all hearts and understands every thought and

desire. Have you checked the condition

of your heart recently? Is there a healthy rhythm to

your giving? Let's move on to the amount or

the extent of giving. How do we decide how much we

should give and to whom? The first time the word tithe

appears in the Bible is in Genesis 14 verse 20.

Genesis 14:20

Abraham's nephew Lot got caught up in the crossfire between the

king of Sodom and some other kings, and as a result he lost

all his possessions and his freedom.

Word of this reaches Abraham who sets off immediately to rescue

his nephew and against all odds, Abraham defeated all the kings,

plundered all they had, rescued Lot, and recovered everything.

Then out of the blue, Melchizedek, King of Salem and

priest of the Most High God, appears, bringing bread and

wine, blessing God, and then blessing Abraham.

Abraham's response by his own choice was to give Melchizedek a

tithe of all he had gained, A tithe being 10%.

He did this gratefully, voluntarily, and systematically

out of a true sense of gratitude.

It was then over 400 years before God told the children of

Israel to give their ties to the Levites.

This was to be 10% of their agricultural produce and

livestock. It was important because the

light the Levites were not allocated any land in the same

way that the rest of the tribes were.

They had no other means of income but were dedicated to

temple service. But more was expected.

Numbers in Deuteronomy described 3 ties which the children of

Israel were commanded to give, though one of these was only

every three years. So in fact they didn't just give

10%, they gave more like 23%. And tithing was seen as a

serious matter in the Old Testament, as failure to do so

can be considered as robbing God.

In Malachi 3 verse 8, we read Will a mere mortal rob God?

Malachi 3:8

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're robbing me.

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be

food in my house. So what then, does the New

Testament teach about giving? We don't find any direct command

to tithe, but we do find some very clear directions on giving.

We're to ensure that those who preach the gospel and oversee

the church have the means by which to live. 1 Corinthians 914

reads in the same way. The Lord has commanded that

those who preach the gospel should receive their living from

the gospel, and in one Timothy 5 verse 10, it indicates that we

should give not only to make a living possible, but as a

standard of double honour. The elders who direct the

affairs of the church well are worthy of a double honour,

especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.

For Scripture says don't muzzle an ox while it's treading out

the grain and the worker deserves his wages.

You see, God doesn't need your money, but His Kingdom does.

In the absence of a fixed amount that we should give, I see

tithing or giving 10% as the absolute minimum based on

scripture. Abraham saw that this was a

fitting amount to give to demonstrate his gratitude when

blessed by Melchizedek. And in fact, in Hebrews 7, we

read that Melchizedek is a figure of Christ, like the Son

of God. The writer there quotes Psalm

Psalms 110:4

110 verse 4 for telling Jesus you are a priest forever, in the

order of Melchizedek. So like Abraham with

Melchizedek, I choose to demonstrate my gratitude to

Jesus by tithing as an act of worship because I'm indebted to

God for his radical generosity towards me.

My tithe does the following six things.

It provides for God's house. It tells God that I trust Him.

It reminds me that I'm not my source.

It connects my money to a Kingdom purpose.

It transforms my money into a seed.

And it reminds me to keep God first in my life.

So, in light of His amazing gifts to us, is 10% enough to

explore this further? Let's look at the grace of

giving. Now growing up I was taught 2

useful ways to understand grace. The first was that it means

unmerited favour, and the second was that it stands for God's

riches at Christ's expense. And these two explanations have

stood me in good stead ever since.

Now the Greek word for grace is charis and this appears over 140

times in the New Testament, 10 of which can be found in Two

Corinthians chapters 8 and 9 where Paul uses this very

special word intentionally to talk about the grace of giving.

Two of the 10 instances of Karis in these chapters clearly relate

to the gift of his son. Firstly, in Chapter 9 and verse

15 we read thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.

So where is karis in this verse you might ask?

Is it the word gift? No, it's the word translated

here as thanks. So this verse could equally be

translated as grace be to God for his indescribable gift.

Did you realise that you could give grace to God?

I've always assumed that grace was one way from God to us, but

Paul wants us to grasp that we afford grace to God in our

Thanksgiving and worship for his indescribable gift.

And then in chapter 8, verse 9, Paul writes for, you know, the

grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for

your sake he became poor so that you through his poverty might

become rich. Paul is clearly talking here

about grace in terms of spiritual richness and poverty,

but in addition, he's making a very clear connection to

physical riches and poverty. How do I know that?

Well, we need to look at the themes throughout chapters 8:00

and 9:00, which are all about giving.

Now, we don't have time to read both chapters this morning, but

I urge you to do so later today. In place of that, I've made a

summary of these chapters, which includes the 10 instances of the

word Claris. We want you to know about the

grace that God gave the Macedonian churches who urgently

pleaded for the opportunity and privilege of giving thanks be to

God for the completion of an act of grace which Titus started,

grace in which you should excel. You have chosen Titus to carry

this offering and God is able to bless you abundantly so that you

have everything you need and more.

This is a surpassing grace that God has given you.

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though

he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor so that you

through his poverty might become rich.

You see, Paul uses the exact same word not only to describe

God's grace in sending us Jesus, but in eight of these instances

Paul uses carries to identify monetary giving, saying that

that is a surpassing grace from God to be able to give.

It's an opportunity and privilege for us to give.

Offerings are an act of grace in which we are called to excel.

And when we act in the grace of giving, God blesses us

abundantly. Paul's context for giving here

is the grace which we've received in Jesus, the

indescribable gift which is way beyond anything that we could

think or imagine. So when it comes to giving, the

grace with which we are called to demonstrate is beyond tithing

and even beyond generosity. The Macedonian Church gave

beyond their means in the midst of a very severe trial.

Their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in

rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as

much as they were able and even beyond their ability.

So the very least we can do is give beyond our tithe, but

sometimes God will call us to give in faith beyond our means.

As we have seen, there is a real grace in giving, but there's

also a very real blessing in giving to be discovered.

There are many verses which speak of blessing that we

receive when we give our lives and our money back to God.

They're both His already. These Scriptures speak of the

riches we receive when we act in faith, and these riches may

relate to money and the meeting of our physical needs, or to

eternal riches, some of which we receive now and some of which we

will receive in times to come. We're called to trust God's Word

and obey, not to seek the benefits that come from giving.

So, as we saw at the outset, our heart posture is all important.

Let's take a look at 3 verses. In Luke 638 we read give and it

will be given to you. A good measure pressed down,

shaken together, and running over will be poured into your

lap, For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

And then in Malachi 3, verse 10, bring the whole tithe into the

Malachi 3:10

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.

And finally, in Matthew 6, verse 33, we have a great promise,

Matthew 6:33

which from the verses which precede it, refer to our

clothing, to our food and drink, the things that we need to live.

But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these

things will be given to you in each of these verses that we see

that we have to act first. In Luke, we're called to give

first. In Malachi we're called to tithe

first, and in Matthew we're called to seek first His

Kingdom. So how do we go about responding

to God's indescribable gift? Well, let's look at the practise

of giving and I want to share with you 5 quick thoughts and

some personal testimony here. We've just talked about the

first Proverbs 39 reads Honour the Lord with your wealth and

with the first fruits of all, your produce.

This verse emphasises the importance of giving God the 1st

and the best of what we have. As an act of worship and in

recognition of His provision, I've chosen to set up a standing

order to pay my tithe as soon as my pension comes in every month.

If you give your first fruits to God before you do anything else

with your money, you'll soon find that you don't notice the

outgoing payment because it becomes like you never have it.

Secondly, a story on seeking first His Kingdom.

Listen carefully to what God did in response When I prioritised

His Kingdom over my career. After seven years in business

with four promotions in as many years, I was on a great track.

However, God called me to be an administrator for the Navigator

Student Ministry in the Midlands.

My parents, my director, and the group Human Resources Director

of the company that I was working in were all concerned I

was being LED astray and ruining my career.

Nevertheless, I believed it was God's leading and so I went

ahead. After five years serving this

way, I thought it was right to move back into a business role.

17 years later, I found myself as a Treasury Director for Mars

in my final year of work before retiring, I earned 100 times as

much as I had as a graduate trainee in my first year of

work. Furthermore, I'd spent 30 years

in finance in a global blue chip company without a single finance

qualification. The career break that I had

taken had had absolutely no negative impact whatsoever.

I had sought His Kingdom and God had kept His promises.

Now as an aside, some of you may be thinking, well Phil, you've

been given plenty, so it's easy for you to give.

But you see, I don't have what you have.

Well, remember this. Jesus taught that when someone

has been given much, much will be required in return.

The biblical principle of giving is about proportion rather than

specific amounts. Thirdly, a story which I've

never told anybody, not even my wife.

Why? Because Matthew 6 verse 3 and 4

Matthew 6:3

calls for giving in secret. When you give to the needy,

don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so

that your giving may be in secret.

And then your Father who sees what is done in secret will

reward you. I decided that I would share it

with you today as it illustrates what God can do when you sow a

small seed in His Kingdom. Back in my 20s, I was saving to

buy my first house and eventually had enough of the

deposit which was required by the building society.

And no sooner had I achieved this goal, but God prompted

prompted me to give these savings anonymously to a friend

as a deposit for his house that he would use as a student

ministry base. My friend ministered to students

for decades in three different places, and he and his wife

still connect with people across the world who they led to

Christ. Discipled, equipped, counselled,

unloved. We reconnected recently after 35

years apart and spent the day explaining God's faithfulness to

us. My friend acknowledged God's

provision throughout his life and cited the story of how it

all began when he received an anonymous gift to help buy a

ministry house. 40 years on and he still had no idea where the

gift had come from. My heart let with joy as I

listened. Acts 20 verse 35 proved true

Acts 20:35

again in my life. It truly is more blessed to give

than to receive, just as Jesus taught.

And doing it in secret is so much fun.

It means all the focus is on God the real giver, and not on the

Courier. Here's another story about

sowing a seed in God's Kingdom. Recently I wanted to sow into a

children's summer mission camp abroad, and I wrote and asked

the leader how I could do this. The reply came back as follows.

If you would like to send money, I cannot withhold your blessing.

These are the bank details. And then after a number of days,

I heard back on how things were going at the camp.

Fantastic children experience many miracles.

There's an extraordinary divine presence, something amazing.

Hearing God's voice is really important when giving in John

10, Jesus says my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they

follow me. For the last few years I've been

recording audio messages about one church finances and one day

I ordered a drink at Wake Coffee and I didn't know the person who

will serve me, so I inquired after her name.

She told me and then said, but I know who you are by your voice.

And then at a prayer meeting during one of our fasting times,

I sat next to somebody else that I didn't know.

I asked their name and they told me and then added, but I don't

know your name. I do know your voice.

And a few minutes later, after I'd read a verse out loud in the

meeting, someone else came running across the room and

said, I didn't realise that you were here, but I recognised your

voice. You see, we can hear God

speaking to us. He's speaking all the time.

We can recognise His voice. He may prompt us to make a gift.

He will also guide us on how much to give.

When I believe God is stirring my heart to make a gift, I ask

Him how much. I often have an amount straight

away, but if I'm unsure, I decide on an amount and wait and

pray for a few days to see if I hear differently.

It's always an act of faith and as Hebrews tells us, without

faith it's impossible to please God.

I sent a couple of friends a gift last year when God moved my

heart to. I got this message back.

Hello Phil Blessings, blessings, blessings you here God, thank

you so much. Our roof has a hole in it and

the quote for repairs is just under the amount that you sent.

Wow. As I finish, let me recap

quickly. Firstly, the heart of giving.

Decide in your heart whose money it is, yours or God's determined

to be a steward, not an owner. Check the condition of your

heart and renew your mind as necessary.

We eagerly say He's worthy of it all.

If so, surrender it all to Him now.

Remember, God doesn't respond to those who seek the benefits of

giving, but to those who seek His Kingdom as they give.

On the extent of giving, if you're already tithing, review.

If it's all going to those who serve you week in week out,

check the amount is equal to or greater than 10% of your current

income. And if you're not tithing yet, I

urge you to get started as an act of worship and discipleship.

Seek His Kingdom 1st and He promises you will have all you

need. Thirdly, the grace of giving.

It's out of God's grace that you give with a heart of gratitude.

It's an opportunity and a privilege.

Go beyond the minimum of tithing and be generous.

Fourthly, the blessing of giving.

Don't miss out on His blessing. If you haven't already

discovered the truth of Acts 20, verse 35, that it's more blessed

Acts 20:35

to give than to receive, then you're missing out.

This divine principle always delivers when our hearts are

right. And finally, the practise of

giving. Observe the principle of first

fruits. Give first, spend later.

Seek first His Kingdom, give wherever possible in secret.

Sow into His eternal Kingdom and see what he grows from a small

seed. Listen to the Holy Spirit and

obey Him. When He prompts you to give, ask

Him how much and obey even when it costs.

In closing, I'll leave you with a quote from John Mark Comer.

Is giving something that you do or is it someone you are or who

you are becoming? The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you.

The Lord turn his face towards you and give you peace.