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Gentile churches which would not be familiar with the Old Testament, so if he believed they should tithe
as commanded in the Old Testament, should he not have mentioned it to them?

There were many verses I came across about giving in the New Testament. Here are some of them:

I Cor 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered
him, that there be no gatherings when I come. Tells me when to give; Sunday when I meet with other
believers to worship the Lord.

II Cor 8; 3-5; For I testify, they gave according to their means and beyond their means. They did so
voluntarily, 4 begging us with great earnestness for the blessing and fellowship of helping the
saints. 5 And they did this not just as we had hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us
by the will of God. Tells me that giving is more that giving money, but it is giving of myself as a sacrifice
to the Lord.

But when I came to II Corinthians 9, I “hit the mother lode” so to speak. The passage was filled with
principles about giving given to the New Testament church.

8. Make sure you understand the book in the Bible from which your verses are taken.

I discovered that the church in Jerusalem was in tremendous financial need. Paul was going around
sharing their need, and many churches in Turkey and Macedonia responded with many gifts, some at
great sacrifice. The church at Corinth had responded with a pledge but had never really fulfilled their
pledge. Paul was about to depart and was asking them to fulfill their pledge. That’s the background on
II Corinthians 9. Here are some insights I discovered from this one chapter alone:

9-10. Compile your results with insights listed for each verse. Organize your information in logical
sequences and decide how much to teach at one time.

A. You will reap what you sow…even in the area of giving. You may have heard the
quote, “You cannot outgive God!” What this means is that when God gets a hold of
your heart and pocketbook, and begins directing you toward giving, He will honor
obedience with blessings. It may be a return on the gift. He may give you more
money to give away, and even give you a special bonus of something you need. But
this verse promises that your faithfulness will be rewarded by God in a tangible way. Our motive to
give is not to get, but to express our love for our Savior. Giving to get a return demonstrates a false
motive and does not apply to the promise of a blessing.

6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously
will also reap generously.

8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need,
you will abound in every good work

10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your
store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

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