When you give to the local Church, often you will not experience the blessings of that donation personally. Your financial gift is a blessing to others. 

Some of your money will be given to people in need. Benevolence is a considerable part of the Church budget. Your gift will provide other people with food, clothing, and shelter for people worldwide.

Some of your money will be used for mission work. The goal of spreading the Gospel across the globe is happening because of generous people whose gifts pay for the expenses of someone going to a foreign mission field. 

Some of your money the local Church will use for itself. This may be to pay current bills, but often, it has one of two purposes. One is to educate people in the Gospel found in scripture. That means the people leading the local Church today were trained years ago. Donations made several years before bought lesson materials and teaching aids and sometimes paid the teacher. And all that happened before you arrived.

Two, the gift went into a building and all the needed supplies. Each week, I preach in a facility that I did not help pay for, sit in a seat I did not give money toward, and come to land I did not assist in purchasing. Every week, my participation in the local Church ministry results from people who gave their resources 10, 20, 30 years ago, and more. 

Frequently, I find it difficult to talk to Christians about giving. It is not because I am scared to talk about money; rather, I know the people giving will never be blessed by their gift. Everyone likes to use their hard-earned money for something that impacts their life. Giving is an action that primarily affects the future. One day, someone you do not know will come to know Jesus because of the money that you gave this Sunday.

Our Church is here today as a gift from those who gave their money in the past.

If that is true, what will the future look like based on YOUR gifts?