We give because of Jesus, to Jesus, and through the local Church.
The Bible says that God gave his only Son, Jesus, so that we would be saved. But not only did God save us, he lavishes on us uncountable blessings and an eternal inheritance we can’t comprehend. God’s generosity towards us compels us to be generous in return.
Everything we have belongs to God. Therefore, we do not really decide how much of our wealth to give, as much as we decide how much of God’s wealth we want to give back to Him. Generosity looks different for everyone.
Jesus is the head of the church, his body. The local church is the hands and feet of Jesus to a specific local community. The primary way that we give to Jesus is through His church! We believe that believers should be plugged into a local family of believers where they are fed with the word, encouraged, and held accountable. The ministries of the church shouldn’t be supported by big outside donors, but by the partnering believers that make up this local family. So if you’re a part of the family, support the family.
This is not to say Christians should not also contribute to other ministries they feel called to support, over and above their support to the local congregation.