Opening Doors to the Gospel Through Generosity

Did you know that generosity can often be a way to open doors to the gospel? Just as God created us both body and soul in His image and likeness, God cares for both our practical needs and spiritual needs. By showing the love of God to meet people’s practical needs, the Holy Spirit can open new and unexpected opportunities to share the gospel.

Through this tool, discover how living a life of generosity could lead to meeting someone’s practical and deep spiritual needs.

1. Grow in your understanding of generosity.

Read Deuteronomy 24:10-22. Notice the “cost” of compassion and generosity. For example, if you owned a field, Scripture commanded you not to harvest to the edges. The idea was to help others survive rather than to maximize your profit.

By trusting in His provision for us, God gives us the privilege to be a part of His redemption, restoration, healing, and help. So we simply make available what we do have: a dollar, our time, a favor, a conversation, a relationship, a prayer, a significant gift, a guest room, or a cold drink.

2. Pray for a posture of generosity.

Find a quiet place and write a prayer of generosity.

• Write down how you’ve seen the Lord’s abundant provision in your life, expressing gratitude. You might even ask God to give you eyes to see His provision more fully.
• Then pause to ask for the Lord’s help and wait for God to prompt you on how to practice biblical stewardship and increasing generosity.
• Finally, watch for how God moves through your posture of generosity to build relationships and share the gospel with those around you.

3. Establish a rhythm of generosity.

Here are some suggestions for establishing a rhythm of generosity. Choose one to try over the next month.

• Give to someone anonymously this week. Let the act of giving to the Lord be its own reward (e.g., leave a bag of groceries on a doorstep or a thoughtful treat on a coworker’s desk, add another hour to an expired parking meter, etc.). 
• Take a Saturday morning and learn the name of at least one unhoused person in your community. Bring a bag of socks, food, a coat, or coffee. Ask their name and the question: “What’s one thing you’ve accomplished or are good at that most people don’t know?”
• Help someone (like a new neighbor or coworker) pack (or unpack) or move. Enlist a small group of friends as support.

Content adapted from Small Batch Disciplemaking: A Rhythm for Training the Few To Reach the Many, by David Sunde. Copyright © 2024 by NavPress. Used by permission of NavPress represented by Tyndale House Publishers, a Division of Tyndale House Ministries. All rights reserved.