The Generosity Matrix

I receive an email request like this one, about once a month: "Glenn, please send me a Bible study that will make people tithe and give to the church generously."

A couple problems here:

1. No lesson is going to make people do anything.

2. Generosity from the heart cannot be compelled.

3. I don't give out Bible studies, but coach teachers on how to create and deliver great Bible teaching.

A simple Google search will lead you to many example studies (on whatever topic you care to teach), but you'll need to adapt it to your class or group.

On the topic of giving, I highly recommend a new blog post by J.D. Greear, "The Generosity Matrix" He does a terrific job outlining all the key elements of Scriptural guidance on giving and related issues -- so this is a terrific place to start for lesson-building.

Also, the author makes a very important point that we need to stress in our teaching: "I find that a lot of biblical wisdom works this way... we like rules, formulas, and black and white prescriptions. Instead, the Bible gives complementary principles we are to hold in tension."

If you only taught from one verse on giving, you wouldn't be giving people the complete biblical picture -- we must teach from the whole counsel of God. If you'd like to learn more about preparing to teach this way, I recommend my course on biblical frameworks.