First Fruit Offering
Our First-fruit Offering is drawn from the Feast of First-fruits found in Exodus 23, 34 and Leviticus 23. This was part of the Feast of Passover that was celebrated once Israel entered Canaan and began planting their own crops. At the Feast of First-fruits each family would harvest the first grain that would appear ripe and offer it to the Lord. This offering was to be representative of the crops remaining in the fields that had yet to ripen. Thus, everything the farmer was hoping for in the coming year was represented in the First-fruit Offering, asking God for His provision and protection.
We don'’t do this because we believe we are obligated to keep any part of the Old Testament law. We do it simply because it symbolizes principles for giving that are found in 2 Corinthians 8-9. These are the premier New Testament passages on giving. First-fruits is an opportunity to present our personal and church finances to the Lord for His inspection. It’s an opportunity to examine whether or not we are growing in the “grace of giving” (2 Cor. 8:7) as we are instructed. It’s an opportunity to stretch, and thereby strengthen, our faith in God to provide for our households in the coming year. The greatest growth that can take place in a church is not in attendance, buildings or budgets, but in the level of faith (the ability to hear God speak and a willingness to obey at all cost!). That is why we do this every year. We must grow in faith. It is a vital root that empowers our life in Christ Jesus. If you don’t stretch a muscle and put it under stress on a consistent basis it will weaken and certainly never increase its strength.
The same goes for faith!
