Living Free from Mammon: Three Challenges for Your Generosity

Introduction

This week, Quentin wraps up the God or Mammon series he has carried with Yann throughout the summer. After laying out the great biblical principles about money, he now gets practical: what does a life of generosity look like when it moves from convictions to your wallet?

To answer that, he opens three Old Testament texts and offers you three challenges for the summer. One for how you plan your giving. One for how you celebrate what God is doing. One for how you invest in people. Three simple challenges that, taken together, sketch out what it means to live free from Mammon.

Sermon Outline

1. Planning your giving: the tithe as a discipline (Deuteronomy 14:22-27)

Quentin starts with the question asked most often in this series: so when do we talk about the tithe? Answer: now. He opens Deuteronomy 14 at verse 22.

"You shall tithe all the produce of your seed that comes from the field year by year. And before the Lord your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always." (Deuteronomy 14:22-23)

Two things stand out in the text. First, the tithe serves a very concrete purpose: supporting the Levites. They take care of the temple around the clock. They have no field, no livestock. They live on what the people bring them. The community takes care of everyone's spiritual needs, and in return, it takes care of the physical needs of those who serve it.

Then there is joy. Verse 26 says, "And you shall spend the money for whatever you desire, oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household." The tithe is not a sad tax. It is the occasion for a feast before God, as a family, with gratitude.

Does the tithe still apply to you, a twenty-first century Christian? Quentin's answer is clear: no, but. No, we are under the new covenant. The Bible no longer prescribes a precise amount. But the role the tithe used to fill is still there. Paul reminds us of this: "those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel" (1 Corinthians 9:13-14). And in 1 Timothy 5:17-18: "Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor... the laborer deserves his wages."

Quentin says it plainly: in our country, most pastors are paid from across the Atlantic or across the Channel. The buildings too. That is a shame for the Church in France. The biblical calling is for the community to take care of its own members. The first line item of your generosity is your local church. And that is something you plan for.

How much? Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, did not give a figure. He gave a principle: "Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven." The standard is not a percentage, it is generosity. Pastorally, if you are just starting out, aiming for 10 percent is an excellent goal. But depending on your situation, 10 percent can be too little, or on the contrary, already a bold step. It is a one-on-one conversation with God, guided by the Spirit, not by your emotions.

And there is not just one tithe in the Bible. Verse 28 reveals another one: "At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe... And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled." A tithe planned for the poorest among us. Do you also have a portion you set aside to give to those who have less? Not just out of a passing emotion, but thought through, reserved. That is exactly what the church in Acts sets up as early as chapter 6, organizing the distribution of food for the widows.

2. Celebrating the firstfruits: generosity as gratitude (Deuteronomy 26:1-11)

Second text, second principle. Deuteronomy 26 describes bringing the firstfruits: when the first harvests come in, the Israelite takes the very first fruit, puts it in a basket, and brings it to the temple.

"You shall take some of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you harvest from your land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you shall put it in a basket, and you shall go to the place that the Lord your God will choose." (Deuteronomy 26:1-11)

What makes this text beautiful is the speech the Israelite must recite. He recalls that he had nothing: his fathers were slaves in Egypt, they cried out, God delivered them, he gave them a land. Gratitude does not stop at words, it takes shape in a basket of first fruits. It is celebrated: "You shall rejoice in all the good that the Lord your God has given to you and to your house, you, and the Levite, and the sojourner who is among you."

It is both an act of gratitude and an act of faith. Gratitude for what has already grown. Faith for what will grow again. Giving first, before securing the rest, is telling God, "I trust you. Whatever comes first belongs to you."

How do you live that out today? Quentin does not give a command, but examples he has seen lived out:

• Giving at the start of the month rather than with whatever is left at the end.
• Giving a significant portion of your first paycheck of the year, some even give their entire year-end bonus.
• When God opens a door (a new job, a passed exam, a place to live), gathering those who prayed and celebrating, praising God together.

In this country where money is taboo, we sometimes deprive ourselves of the simple joy of celebrating what God is doing in our lives. Gratitude always works against the enemy's plans. And by being grateful with your money, you fight concretely against the grip of Mammon.

3. Investing in people: generosity as commitment (Ruth 4)

Third text, third principle. Quentin introduces you to his favorite woman in the Bible: Ruth. It is a short story, you can read it this summer. Ruth the Moabite has lost everything: her husband is dead, her mother-in-law Naomi is also a widow, they are two women alone in a context where that is almost a death sentence. But Ruth chooses faithfulness: "Your people shall be my people, and your God my God."

In chapter 4, they decide to sell Naomi's field. The law requires that the land stay within the family. Two candidates come forward: a close relative, and Boaz, a more distant relative. The first is willing to buy back the field. Then Boaz adds a condition.

"The day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you also acquire Ruth the Moabite, the widow of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance." (Ruth 4:5)

The relative immediately backs off: "I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I impair my own inheritance." When it comes to doing business, there is a crowd. When it comes to taking on responsibility, there is hardly anyone left.

Boaz, for his part, takes on both. He does not just bail Ruth out. He marries her. He builds her a future. He invests in her, because he admires her devotion, that faithfulness he recognizes as the very faithfulness God himself has for his people.

One of the great ways to counter Mammon in this world is knowing how to invest in key people or ministries. Not just bursts of generosity, not just spontaneous gestures. A long-term commitment. The generosity plan that the home groups started writing this summer serves exactly this purpose: naming those you want to give to over the long haul, even if you start small (10 euros a month), but for your whole life.

Quentin shares a testimony that moved him deeply: someone who is not a member of their church, not even from the same neighborhood, wrote, "As long as you keep going like this, I am ready to support you, for my whole life." That is an investment in the manner of Boaz.

Key Takeaways

• The tithe is no longer a required amount, but its role remains. Your local church stays the first line item of planned generosity: supporting those who serve, taking care of the poorest.
• There is not just one tithe in the Bible. There is also a portion for the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, planned, not just emotional.
• The firstfruits are an act of faith. Giving first rather than with what is left is trusting God for what comes next.
• Gratitude works against Mammon. Publicly celebrating what God is doing frees your heart from its grip.
• Investing beats merely attending. In the manner of Boaz with Ruth, commit for the long term to people and ministries that carry God's work.

Personal Application

Here are the three challenges Quentin gives you for this summer:

1. Plan your giving for the fall. If you do not give regularly, September is the time to start. Take a moment with God: your local church, how much, at what rhythm? Is there a portion you set aside for urgent needs?
2. Celebrate what God has done this year. It is barbecue and cookout season. Can you invite the people who prayed for you, and give thanks together for a new job, an exam, a place to live, a deliverance?
3. Commit to a long-term generosity plan. Finish this plan with your home group. Name the people, the missionaries, the ministries you want to invest in, not just once, but for the long haul.

Verses Cited

• Deuteronomy 14:22-29 · the tithe and the portion for the Levites, the sojourner, the fatherless, the widow
• Deuteronomy 26:1-11 · the firstfruits as gratitude and an act of faith
• Ruth 4 · Boaz invests in Ruth's future
• 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 · those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel
• 1 Timothy 5:17-18 · the elders who rule well are worthy of double honor
• Matthew 6:19-21 · lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven
• Acts 6 · the church organizes the distribution for the widows

FAQ

Is the tithe (10 percent) still required for Christians?

No. We are under the new covenant, and the Bible no longer prescribes a precise amount. But the role of the tithe remains: supporting those who serve the church and taking care of the poorest. Jesus did not give a figure, he gave a principle. If you are just starting out in generosity, aiming for 10 percent for the Lord is an excellent starting point.

Why bring the firstfruits, the first portion, rather than what is left over?

It is a double act: gratitude for what God has already done, and faith for what he is going to do. Giving at the start of the month, honoring God with the first paycheck of a new year or a new job, celebrating with others what he makes possible, these are concrete ways to live it out today.

What is a generosity plan, and why have one?

It is deciding in advance whom you want to give to and for how long: your local church, a ministry, a missionary, an organization. Unlike a spontaneous gift, it commits you for the long term. Boaz did not just bail Ruth out, he invested in her future. Your generosity plan moves you from a one-time gesture to an investment in the kingdom.