I will be faithful to God. I will follow Jesus. I will be loyal to Wesley Chapel and uphold my church with my gifts. Read Exodus 25:1-8. When building a new society, there is a lot to establish. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible to give the people an identity and to form them into a new society to include leadership, a legal system, and a system of worship. God gave Moses direction on how to properly worship in their new society. One of the essentials was establishing a tabernacle so proper worship could be practiced by the priests and people. A tithe was used to fund the priests, but a second offering was needed to build the tabernacle. God said, “You are to receive the offering for me from each person whose heart prompts him to give.” I love this. This is not a law. There is no arm-twisting or shame giving. Simply, give from your heart to God. Today, we pledge our loyalty to God and promise to uphold our church with our gifts. First we give to the General Offering to ensure worship, faith development, hospitality, and our outreach to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. This first offering is in line with the Biblical purpose of tithing so that the Levites are supported to lead worship and pray for the people. The tabernacle is the second offering from the heart. At Wesley Chapel, our second offering is for the Mortgage Fund which pays off the loan for our place of worship. God said, “Have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.” God emphasized the importance of his people giving from the heart so that we can come together to worship God. God reminded us in Exodus that when we gather together as the family of God to worship God in a place designated for God, God is with us. We have just begun our Mortgage Fund Drive to raise $90,000 to pay the mortgage for 2026. If your heart is prompting you to give today, you can go to https://www.wesleychapel.org/give to make a donation.
