community group discussion guide
introduction
We continue in our series looking at the practices of the Christian life. These practices are not ways we earn God’s approval, but ways we experience, grow in, and enjoy the love we already have in Christ. Today we turn to the practice of generosity. The way we view and use our money, possessions, time, and resources reveals much about what we trust, what we treasure, and how deeply we have been shaped by the generosity of God.
What is one of the most generous things someone has ever done for you? How did that generosity affect the way you viewed that person and your relationship with them?
read Matthew 6:1-4; 2 Corinthians 9:12-15 (NIV)
Matt 6:1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
2 Cor 9:12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?
But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ.
13 Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel. 15 But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me, for I would rather die than allow anyone to deprive me of this boast.
Take a few moments to reflect on the Scripture. Share some insights, questions, or points that strike you. Then read what follows.
context
To understand biblical generosity, we look at two distinct yet beautifully complementary New Testament settings. In Matthew 6:1-4, Jesus delivers his Sermon on the Mount, teaching directly on the nature of discipleship. In this section, Jesus discusses three practices that should mark the life of his followers: giving, prayer, and fasting. Notice that Jesus does not say if his disciples give, pray, or fast, but when — he assumes these practices will be part of the normal rhythm of life with God. His focus is not simply on whether someone practices generosity, but on the heart and motivation behind it.
In 2 Corinthians 9:12-15, the apostle Paul provides a real-world case study of this instruction in action. He is organizing a financial collection from the geographically and culturally distant Gentile churches to bring urgent economic relief to Jewish believers suffering from famine and persecution in Jerusalem. For Paul, this financial collection is a tangible expression of fellowship that solidifies the unity of the church across cultural divides, proving how deeply the givers have been transformed by the gospel.
the motivation for generosity
In Matthew 6, Jesus locates giving directly alongside prayer and fasting as the three core disciplines that shape a disciple. He doesn’t say if you give, but when you give, establishing generosity not as an optional extra, but as an integral outward expression of our inward grasp of gospel grace. The act of giving, however, is not enough; the motivation behind the practice makes all the difference. Jesus sharply exposes the corrupt desire to give simply to be seen by others and secure a reputation. Those who turn charity into a public performance are labeled “hypocrites” — a Greek term for actors playing to an audience — and Jesus warns that their theatrical pursuit of human approval is utterly repulsive to God.
This warning strikes at the insidiously corrupting power of sin, which is so pervasive that it follows us directly into our spiritual practices and right into the presence of God. Sin works to corrupt our spiritual practices, transforming an act intended for godly devotion into a vehicle for self-glory. When we give out of a craving for reputation or a desire for control, generosity becomes less about loving God and neighbor and more about maintaining a polished image of ourselves as righteous, benevolent people. To counter this internal trap, Jesus commands his followers to give “in secret,” using the striking hyperbole that the left hand should not know what the right hand is doing. This even means avoiding self-congratulation, refusing to keep an internal scorecard of our own moral merit, and being completely content with absolute anonymity. For those who insist on human praise, Jesus uses a precise commercial term to declare that their reward has been “paid in full.” True biblical generosity, however, is driven by a desire to glorify God and love others, and the ultimate reward is the joy of God himself: bringing delight to the One we love, and experiencing a deeper, untainted intimacy and shared purpose with our Father who sees in secret.
Ultimately, the deepest and truest motivation for Christian generosity is found in the logic of the gospel itself. True biblical generosity is never driven by guilt or manipulation, nor is it a legalistic attempt to earn God’s favor or secure a higher standing in his eyes. Instead, it is a relational, reactive explosion of gratitude: we give freely because we have already received the ultimate act of generosity. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians, Jesus Christ was rich beyond all telling, but he willingly became poor for our sake so that we, through his poverty, might become rich. When this radical grace takes deep root in a person’s heart, it completely reshapes how they view their life and possessions. They realize that absolutely everything they own is an underserved, open-handed gift from God, shifting their posture away from anxious, selfish hoarding and into a life of unbounded gratitude and joyful generosity toward others.
“We tend to think of sin as we see it in its rags and in the gutters of life. We look at a drunkard, poor fellow we say: there is sin… But that is not the essence of sin. To have a real picture and true understanding of it, you must look at some great saint, some unusually devoted and devout man. Look at him there on his knees in the presence of God. Even there self is intruding itself, and the temptation is for him to think about himself, to think pleasantly and pleasurably about himself, and really to be worshiping himself rather than God. That, not the other, is the true picture of sin.”
—Martin Lloyd-Jones
- What are some common motivations for giving in our world today? Why do you think Jesus places so much emphasis on the motivation behind our generosity and not just the act itself?
- Consider Lloyd-Jones’s insight that sin can follow us right into the very presence of God and into our spiritual practices. When it comes to being generous — with your money, but also with your time, skills, or other resources — what does the temptation to seek self-glory or keep an internal scorecard look like in your own heart?
- Christian generosity is a natural response to God’s generosity toward us — Jesus becoming poor so we could become rich. How does grasping the gospel impact the way you decide to give away your own hard-earned money or time?
resisting money’s power and participating in renewal
Generosity acts as an incredibly potent, formative spiritual practice that trains us to recognize and resist the idolatrous grip money can hold over our hearts. Money itself is a good gift from God meant to be stewarded for community, but our fallen human nature easily twists it into an object of greed. Our founding pastor, Tim Keller, frequently reminded us that idolatry isn’t simply desiring bad things — it is turning good things into ultimate things, in this case looking to wealth for our identity, security, control, or significance. The Book of Proverbs vividly warns how easily this desire can corrupt our personal integrity and erode local community through selfish hoarding (Proverbs 11:1, 11:26). It warns against treating wealth as a “fortified city,” where we imagine our bank accounts to be an unscalable wall of protection (Proverbs 10:15, 30:8-9). Regularly and willingly giving away our resources is the practical, tactical weapon by which we daily dethrone the idol of Mammon, forcing our hearts to remember that our possessions do not own us and that God alone is our ultimate security.
Furthermore, this open-handed release of our resources directly connects us to the grand work of renewal God is bringing to the world. We see this pattern clearly in Exodus, where the Israelites gave so abundantly and sacrificially that they raised the resources needed to build the tabernacle. They weren’t just funding a construction project; they were intentionally creating a space where the presence of God could dwell visibly in their midst, anchoring their worship and their mission to the surrounding nations. In the very same way, our generosity today creates vital spaces for people to encounter Jesus, funds the relief of real human suffering, and actively demonstrates the tangible goodness and hope of the gospel to a watching world.
Finally, Paul’s appeal to the Corinthians reveals that true generosity carries a transformative power that extends far beyond the financial value of the gift itself. The collection for the Jerusalem church was designed to meet urgent economic needs, but Paul notes that its ultimate harvest would be a massive overflow of praise, thanksgiving, and worship directed to God. Because there was a massive racial and cultural divide between the Gentile givers in Corinth and the Jewish recipients in Judea, this act of radical kindness became the bridge that closed the gap. Paul promises that the recipients’ hearts would go out to their benefactors, knitting these separated communities together in deep affection and mutual prayer. When we practice biblical generosity today, we similarly display God’s love across barriers, foster deep community reconciliation, and invite others to experience a profound sense of care, hope, and true belonging in the family of God.
“Jesus gave up all his treasure in heaven, in order to make you his treasure. When you see him dying to make you his treasure, that will make him yours… Think on his costly grace until it changes you into a generous people.”
—Tim Keller
- In what ways do you most feel the luring and ruling power of money — as a source of security, or identity, or control, or significance, enjoyment? How does the temptation to trust in money for these things lead you to depend less on God? How does the act of generosity directly confront that?
- When you look at how you currently invest your money, time, or skills, are you giving in a way that “creates space” for others to encounter Jesus and see suffering relieved? What is one practical way you and your family can lean further into this?
- Paul highlights how the Corinthians’ financial gift would bridge a massive racial and cultural divide, knitting separated communities together. How can our community group use our collective generosity — whether through our finances, hospitality, or time — to break down modern social, cultural, or economic barriers in our own city and foster gospel reconciliation?
announcements
- Wednesday, June 17 | RWS Annual Congregational Survey Deadline
Please take a moment to complete our church survey this week. Your feedback is valued and essential for our staff’s evaluation of this past ministry year. Thank you in advance! - Sunday, June 28 | Prayer Walk, 1:15 pm
Join us for an afternoon prayer walk to see our neighborhood through God’s eyes. - Nominations for Elected Leaders (Last day for elder nominations: June 30)
Nominate a fellow church member to roles of elder, deacon or deaconess. Training and discernment will begin this summer to prepare them to stand for election in May 2027. Visit the link for more details and church members may submit nominations online.
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All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. Th
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