THE GENEROUS LIFE

Week 3: His, Not Mine · Newsong Community Church · September 27, 2026

1. The first tithe was an act of gratitude Genesis 12:1–3; 14:19–20
2. God’s promise came before any law. He blessed Abram so that Abram would be a blessing, first to his family, then to the nations. The blessing was always meant to flow through us, not stop with us.
3. Before Abram gave anything, Melchizedek named God the Possessor of heaven and earth and the one who had won the victory. 
4. It was all His, and the win itself was a gift.
5. Only then did Abram give a tenth, with no commandment requiring it. 
6. The first tithe in Scripture was worship offered up, not a bill sent down.
7. Something happened to our hearts. Matthew 6:24
8. Abram gave freely because his heart already knew whose it was. Ours resists. Somewhere along the way, "His" quietly became "mine."
9. Jesus says we cannot serve two masters. 
10. Money is not a neutral tool; it is a rival lord that wants to own us.
11. The question is never how much we have. It is who owns whom. 
12. The response we feel the moment giving comes up is the fingerprint of that rival owner.
13. Freedom looks glad and generous. Acts 2:44–47; 4:32–37
14. When the Spirit fell, the early church gave with glad and generous hearts. 
15. No one was robbed; generosity simply poured out of them.
16. "No one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own." 
17. When "mine" died, need died with it, and the blessing reached every person in the room.
18. Where Your Treasure Is (Matthew 6:21)
19. Your heart follows your treasure, not the other way around. So you can act on what you know to be true and watch your heart come after it.
20. The portion we return is a testimony that all of it is His. 
21. The rest He entrusts to us on assignment, for His glory, for our family, and for a world in need.
22. The last question is not how much will you give. 
23. It is this: where do you want your heart to be? 
24. Whatever you do with your treasure this week will quietly decide.

Reflection/Application Questions

1. Abram gave a tenth with no law requiring it, purely as gratitude for a victory God had won for him. When you think about your own giving, is it more often a response to God's goodness or a response to obligation, guilt, or pressure? What would have to change for gratitude to become the driving force in how you view your finances and resources?
2. Jesus says the problem is never how much money you have, but “who owns whom”. If someone watched how you actually spend, protect, worry about, and talk about your money for a month, what or who would they conclude is your master?
3. We said mammon rules by one word: “Mine.” Where in your life do you feel that grip tighten the most when generosity comes up? What is that response trying to protect, and what does it reveal about where you've quietly slid from "His" back to "mine"?
4. Jesus promises that your heart follows your treasure, not the other way around, which means you can send your treasure ahead of your heart on purpose and watch your heart come after it. Is there a specific place you could direct your resources this year, not because you already feel like it, but to move your heart toward God? What is it?
5. We said the 90% you keep isn't "yours" either; it's entrusted, on assignment, for God's glory, your family, and a world in need. Does the money you don't give away actually feel like it's on assignment from God, or does it feel like it reverts to being simply yours the moment it clears the offering? What would stewarding the whole hundred percent look like this week?

QUESTIONS TO ASK WHILE READING SCRIPTURE

What does this reveal about God?

What does this reveal about you in relation to God?

What do you need to do about it?