Top 7 Bible Verses About Raising Money or Fundraising

Here are seven Bible verses concerning raising money or fundraising.

Third John 3:5-8 “Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.”

If not for the Gentiles, many of the Jews would have never heard the gospel but it was because of “strangers” who supported the work of God that they were able to share the gospel with the Jews so the Apostle John reasons “we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth” and by their effort, through for example the Scriptures, we are reaping what others have sown.

First Corinthians 16:1-3 “Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come. And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem.”

The Apostle Paul apparently wanted the collect for the saints to occur during their worship services and so when they gathered together on Sunday, the first day of the week, they were directed to make a collection for the persecuted and starving Christians in Jerusalem. Apparently Paul had directed the churches in Galatia to do the very same thing.

Second Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Here is evidence that there is not a specific amount that we must give. The Old Testament taught, and some still believe, that we should give 10% of our income to God. If someone asks, “Is that gross or net,” I doubt they understand. Everything is God’s. None of it is ours, including our money. Name one thing we did not received from God (1st Cor 4:7). We should give, not out compulsion, guilt or that we “must tithe,” but out of a cheerful heart. Let each one decide for themselves what to give and they won’t be doing math; they’ll be giving cheerfully. It might be more than 10% or it might be less. That is up to them. It may depend on what they’re able to give.

Matthew 19:22 “When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.”

The rich man who came to Jesus to find out what he must do to receive eternal life didn’t get it. It’s not about what you do but about what Jesus did. Many of the world’s religion are “do, do, do” or “do this, this, this and then that.” It is only in Christianity that it is “done” in Christ; once for all time (Eph 2:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1st Pet 3:18). Instead of following Jesus, the young man followed his own god…money. The young man had money and Jesus, knowing his heart, may have known that money was his god and by not helping the poor, it was sin since “whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin” (James 4:17).

Luke 8:1-4 “Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.”

Most people might not realize that the primary financial supporters of Jesus weren’t the disciples or other men but women. These included “Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager, and Susanna, and many others.” How many is not clear but many would mean more than were just mentioned. In God’s eyes, even the widow’s mite was more than all the others since she gave all that she had. That is a sacrificial giving that the rich never had to experience. What was worse, they gave so that everyone would see them. No one noticed the poor widow who gave so little, yet she out-gave them all!

First Timothy 5:18 “For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”

If you have ever seen an ox at a grain-grinding mill, you might notice that they don’t put a muzzle on them. Some cultures do but God’s law forbids it because it’s inhumane to expect an animal to work producing food and not be able to eat at least some of it. If someone is obviously laboring for the Lord, why would we not want to support him or her? It seems cruel to send out a missionary and then not give them any provisions on which to live.

First Corinthians 9:13-14 “Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.”

Here is where Paul clearly indicates that those who proclaim the gospel should receive their living by the gospel as Paul wrote, “If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you” (1st Cor 9:11)? There were times though that Paul had to work, as a tentmaker, and today we’d call a pastor or missionary, bi-vocational. That’s a hard road to travel because Paul, after working all day, then likely taught the believers in the Scriptures till late at night; especially knowing Paul (Acts 20:9).

Conclusion

Jesus tells us that what we treasure the most is what is closest to our hearts. Our priorities can be far from right though (Matt 6:33). Sometimes, our hearts can be tied to our wallet. Jesus said, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matt 6:21) and so He tells us, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal” (Matt 6:19-20). I hear the security system up in heaven is second to none; your treasures are safe.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.