PERFECTING THE SAINTS

SERIES ONE
FELLOWSHIP FOR THE CHINESE-SPEAKING SERVING ONES IN NORTH AMERICA – 02.15.2026

Message Two

Financial Offering for the Spreading

Scripture reading: Matt. 6:19-21; Luke 16:9; 2 Cor. 8:9; 9:6-7; Phil. 4:18; Mal. 3:10; 1 Cor. 16:1-2; Acts 20:35

I.The Lord Jesus was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor; this is grace to us; in the same principle, when we are willing to offer our substance for the sake of others, this is also grace to them—2 Cor. 8:9:

A.　Supplying the saints in need with material things is an act of love; this grace of the believers is the result of their being motivated by the grace of God—2 Cor. 8:7.

B.The believers in Macedonia, by this grace, which is the resurrection life of Christ, overcame the usurpation of transient and uncertain riches and generously supplied the saints in need—2 Cor. 8:1.

C.The believers in Macedonia entreated the apostles that they might have a part in this grace of supplying the saints in need; it was not that men requested them, but they themselves entreated to have a part in this matter; they considered this a grace and asked the apostles to allow them to have such a part—2 Cor. 8:4.

D.This indicates that when believers offer their substance to the Lord, regardless of the purpose, it should absolutely be a matter of grace and not of human instigation—2 Cor. 8:7.

II.The Lord Jesus charged us to lay up our treasure in the heavens, which is to spend our substance on the heavenly Father, such as helping the poor, caring for the saints in need, and for the Lord’s servants—Matt. 6:19-21; Acts 2:45; 4:34-35; 11:19; Rom. 15:26; Phil. 4:16-17:

A.All the material riches and enjoyment in our life are God’s rich gift and supply to us; therefore, we should not set our hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who affords us all things for our enjoyment—1 Tim. 6:17-19.

B.For the spreading of the gospel of the Lord’s kingdom, we should be prudent stewards in giving to the Lord and use our money properly so that some may gain and be saved in the Lord; they will welcome us into the eternal tabernacles in the coming kingdom age—Luke 16:1-13.

C.To lay up the surplus of our living on earth is to hold on to and use our natural life; to lay up this surplus of our living in the heavens and spend it on God is to hold on to and apply God’s eternal life—1 Tim. 6:17-19.

D.Laying up treasure is what one accumulates after all the needs of life have been met from one’s income—Luke 12:16-21.

III.The spreading and increase of the church depend entirely on the wide spreading of the gospel; to spread the gospel widely, we cannot just talk about it; we must find practical ways to carry it out—Matt. 28:19; Acts 5:42; 2 Tim. 4:2:

A.We must not only promote everyone preaching the gospel and every home preaching the gospel, preaching the children’s gospel and the gospel to all walks of life; for the sake of the gospelization of Taiwan, we need people to go out; we need full-time ones to go to the towns and villages to preach the gospel—Matt. 28:19; 24:14; Rom. 1:16; 2 Tim. 4:2.

B.There is a need to produce full-timers and to take care of the financial supply; according to the basic principle of the Bible, in the type of the Old Testament, God required a tenth from His people—Rom. 12:1; Deut. 14:22.

C.Currently, on the island of Taiwan, there are at least nine thousand brothers and sisters who regularly meet; according to the Old Testament principle, eleven supply one; according to the New Testament principle, nine supply one; and historically, twenty saints produce one full-timer—Rom. 12:1; Eph. 4:16.

D.The full-timers are not hired workers of the local church; the full-timers produced in the local church are supplied by the local church, but the church does not hire them to do things, nor can it direct them at will; the authority to direct rests with the co-workers in the various localities, as it was in Antioch; the sending out of the apostles was borne by the prophets and teachers—Acts 13:1-3.

IV.The salvation of men is related to the offering of our substance; in the matter of financial offering, according to the teaching of the Bible, every one who belongs to the Lord should take out a tenth of his income as a regular offering—Luke 16:9; Deut. 14:22; Mal. 3:10:

A.Throughout the ages, none of the saints who have offered a tenth according to God’s word have not been blessed by God; I exhort everyone that even if the money you earn is just enough for your meals, you should give the tenth that you should offer to the Lord on the first Lord’s Day—Mal. 3:10; Luke 6:38; Deut. 14:22.

B.Malachi chapter three tells us: “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now in this…if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing, until there is no more need”—Mal. 3:10.

C.The Lord Jesus said, “Make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles”; Who are these friends; they are the sinners who have been saved through the gospel preached by those who went out with the money we offered—Luke 16:9.

D.When our substance is offered to supply the full-time ones to preach the gospel, and as a result, whenever we hear that someone has been saved, we will say, “These are my joy and my crown”; when the Lord returns, He will settle these accounts very clearly—Phil. 4:1; 1 Thes. 2:19-20.

V.The first day of the week is a sign of the Lord’s resurrection, the day the Lord was resurrected from the dead, and is called the Lord’s Day; on this day, the day of the Lord’s resurrection, the New Testament saints gather and offer their substance—1 Cor. 16:2:

A.This signifies that they have been resurrected with the Lord through His resurrection and signifies that they gather in resurrection to remember Him and to worship God with what they have offered, which is by His resurrection life, not by their natural life—1 Pet. 1:3; Eph. 2:6.

B.Offering substance on the first day of the week indicates that the offering of substance should be in resurrection, not in our natural life—Matt. 6:1-4.

C. 　Supplying money and substance in resurrection is a strong indication that we are in resurrection, under God’s administration, and have overcome the usurpation of material riches—1 Cor. 16:1-3.

D.The apostle regarded the substance supplied to him by the Philippians for his need as an acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God; Paul appreciatively pointed out that what the Philippians had done to him, they had done to God—Phil. 4:18.

VI.If we are willing to dispense and give our substance to those in need for God’s sake, God will surely give to us; a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be given into our bosom; it is rich and overflowing, not in our hands, which is small and limited; what a profitable transaction this is!—Luke 6:38; Deut. 15:10; Prov. 19:17:

A.”Remember the word of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive”; God’s highest way of blessing us in substance is to give, not to receive, just as He Himself has done to us—Acts 20:35; Luke 6:38.

B.”He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully”; this is a natural law established by the Lord in the biological realm; this law also contains the Lord’s promise—2 Cor. 9:6.

C.If we offer to God all that we should give to Him, so that the church has a rich supply, God will surely open for us the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing upon us, until there is no more need—2 Cor. 9:7-8.

VII.If we know the resurrection life and the power of resurrection, we will overcome money and substance; these will have no power over us, nor will they usurp or possess us—Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-35:

A.Money or substance will not hinder or frustrate our functioning in the Body—Acts 4:32-35; 11:29-30.

B.All that we have will be used for God’s administration in all the churches—1 Cor. 16:1, 3; Rom. 15:26.

C.If this is our situation, the Lord God will have a way to carry out His administration among us—Rom. 15:26; 1 Cor. 16:1-3.

VIII.We need to seize the opportunity to offer our substance for the Lord’s present move and the spreading of the church—Luke 16:8-9:

A.Who knows whether you have received the blessing of substance for such a time as this—Esth. 4:14.

B.Make friends for yourselves by means of the mammon of unrighteousness, so that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal tabernacles—Luke 16:9.

C.Our substance should be offered again and again according to the Lord’s need as the Lord leads; do not be afraid of offering too much—1 Tim. 2:1; Luke 6:38.

D.The saints’ financial offerings must keep up; the more we promote the small groups, the more the number of saved ones will surely increase; as soon as the number of saved ones increases, the more full-timers will be produced—Eph. 4:16.