ANCC BIBLE STUDY · FOUR STUDIES
Opening the
Windows of Heaven
Explore Malachi 3 in context and discover how faith in Christ can shape our work, money, giving and care for others.
Begin with the God who gives
Money decisions reach into ordinary life: the work we accept, the commitments we make, the people we support and the future we imagine. Following Jesus invites us to bring those decisions into our relationship with him. God cares about how resources are earned and used, and about the people affected by our choices.
This ANCC guide explores Malachi 3:7–12 alongside Jesus’ teaching and the New Testament’s call to generosity. It is written for personal reflection, households and small groups. The aim is to grow in trust, practise honest stewardship and use what we have to serve God and our neighbours.
The image of heaven’s windows comes from a promise God gave to his covenant people. We will take that promise seriously in its setting and consider its significance through Christ. God’s generosity gives us reason to pray for provision and to become generous ourselves. Our giving cannot purchase his love or put him under an obligation to make us wealthy.
Read one study each week, or work at a pace that suits you. Keep a Bible and notebook nearby. Each study includes teaching, questions, an example, a practical response and prayer. Keep personal figures private unless you freely choose to discuss them with someone appropriate.
At a glance
- Four studies
- Personal or group use
- Suggested group time 60–75 minutes
- Seven daily readings
- Personal stewardship worksheet
Choose a study
STUDY 1
Entrust your whole life to God
Read: Psalm 24:1–2; Matthew 6:19–24; Luke 19:1–10. Read the whole passage before working through the study.
Psalm 24 begins with God’s ownership of the earth and everyone in it. Stewardship starts with receiving life as a gift. Our abilities, opportunities, belongings and capacity to work can be used with gratitude and care. This includes ordinary decisions that may never appear in a church offering.
Jesus’ teaching about treasure asks where our deepest security lies. Possessions can become a source of identity: we may feel successful because we have more, or ashamed because we have less. Neither judgement tells the truth about our worth before God. Jesus calls us to love and serve God with our whole lives, including the part expressed through money.
In Luke 19, Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus leads to generosity and a willingness to put wrongs right. Jesus welcomes him before Zacchaeus can present a record of financial improvement. The response then becomes visible in his treatment of others. Where there has been dishonesty or exploitation, repentance includes practical steps towards repair.
Consider how resources come into your hands as well as how they leave. An employer’s treatment of staff, the accuracy of a claim, the fairness of a price and the honesty of a business record all belong within Christian discipleship. A donation cannot cancel the harm caused by withholding wages or misleading another person.
Money pressure also needs truthful attention. Job loss, illness, caring responsibilities and rising costs can leave a responsible household struggling. Begin by naming what is happening. Ask God for courage to address choices that need to change and for help with circumstances you did not choose.
An everyday example: Ruth runs a small business. She has been generous in public but has delayed paying a supplier without explaining the situation. Her next faithful step is an honest conversation and a realistic arrangement she can keep. She also reviews the business figures. Her worship begins to shape how another person is treated.
Reflect and discuss.
- What does God’s ownership change about the way you think of your work, time or possessions?
- Where are you tempted to measure your worth by what you own or earn?
- What do you notice about the order of welcome and response in Zacchaeus’ story?
- Is there an honest conversation, correction or act of repair that you need to consider?
Practise this week: Choose one area—earning, spending, saving, giving or sharing time. Write down what gratitude and integrity would look like there. Complete one specific action, and arrange appropriate help if the issue is complicated.
Prayer: Father, everything I have rests within your care. Teach me to receive with gratitude and act with honesty. Help me face what needs attention, repair what I can and trust you with the parts I cannot control. Let my treatment of people reflect your goodness. Amen.
Continue: Use ANCC’s Christian habits guide to build a repeatable pattern of reflection and action.
STUDY 2
Hear Malachi in its setting
Read: Malachi 3:5–12; Deuteronomy 14:22–29; Nehemiah 13:10–13. Read the whole passage before working through the study.
Malachi 3 verses 6 to 12
6 “For I, the LORD, don’t change; therefore you, sons of Jacob, are not consumed.
7 From the days of your fathers you have turned away from my ordinances and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the LORD of Armies. “But you say, ‘How shall we return?’
8 Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings.
9 You are cursed with the curse; for you rob me, even this whole nation.
10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and test me now in this,” says the LORD of Armies, “if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there will not be enough room for.
11 I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast its fruit before its time in the field,” says the LORD of Armies.
12 “All nations shall call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says the LORD of Armies.
World English Bible, public domain. Read the whole chapter.
Malachi addresses a covenant community whose worship and conduct have become unfaithful. The chapter includes God’s concern for workers who are mistreated, widows, orphans and foreigners. That wider setting matters. Returning to God concerns justice and faithfulness across the community.
In Malachi 3:7, God invites his people to return. The following verses expose their withholding of tithes and offerings. A tithe means a tenth. Within Israel’s covenant life, tithes supported worship and those appointed to serve, while the wider provision also included people without secure access to land or income. Read Deuteronomy’s instructions to see the social responsibilities surrounding the practice.
The storehouse belonged to that setting of temple provision. Nehemiah describes a failure of support that led Levites and singers to leave their duties for their fields. Resources had a practical purpose: people needed food and the community’s worship needed support. Malachi’s language about withholding should be heard against those responsibilities.
The promise of opened windows is followed by references to crops, vines and protection from the devourer. God speaks to an agricultural people about restored provision. The passage presents material blessing as part of covenant renewal, with a community whose life becomes a witness among the nations.
Christians read these words within the whole Bible and in the light of Jesus. Churches differ on whether the Old Testament tithe remains a required percentage for Christians or provides a pattern for generous giving. The New Testament clearly calls believers to support ministry, meet needs and give willingly in keeping with their means. Study those passages carefully rather than using one verse to settle every question.
Malachi’s invitation to test God belongs to this particular covenant promise. It does not authorise a preacher to promise that a named donation will produce a named financial return. We may pray confidently for daily provision while leaving the timing and form of God’s help in his hands. Neither a bank balance nor a difficult season can reveal the whole story of someone’s faithfulness.
An everyday example: Daniel reads Malachi 3 after hearing an appeal promising that a gift will double his income. He pauses and reads the whole chapter. He notices its concern for worship, justice and shared provision, then reads 2 Corinthians 8–9. He decides to discuss giving prayerfully and responsibly rather than act on a promised return.
Reflect and discuss.
- What concerns appear in Malachi 3:5 before the discussion of tithes?
- What did the storehouse and agricultural promises mean for the first hearers?
- How do Deuteronomy and Nehemiah deepen your understanding of provision for worship and people?
- What should we ask before applying an Old Testament promise directly to an individual today?
Practise this week: Read Malachi 3 twice. Make two columns in your notebook: “What the passage says to its first hearers” and “What faithful response could look like today.” Keep the original setting visible as you pray about your response.
Prayer: Faithful God, give me a willing heart and a careful mind as I read your Word. Show me where worship and daily conduct have become disconnected. Help our church support its ministry, care for people and bear truthful witness to your generosity. Amen.
Continue: Read ANCC’s explanation of tithes, offerings and generosity.
STUDY 3
Let grace shape your generosity
Read: 2 Corinthians 8:1–15; 2 Corinthians 9:6–15; 1 Corinthians 16:1–4. Read the whole passage before working through the study.
2 Corinthians 9 verses 6 to 11
6 Remember this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
7 Let each man give according as he has determined in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in everything, may abound to every good work.
9 As it is written, “He has scattered abroad. He has given to the poor. His righteousness remains forever.”
10 Now may he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness,
11 you being enriched in everything for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.
World English Bible, public domain. Read the whole chapter.
Paul’s teaching about giving grows from the grace of Jesus Christ. In 2 Corinthians 8, he directs the church to Christ’s self-giving love. Generosity begins with what God has done for us. As we receive his grace, we learn to notice and respond to the needs of others.
The collection Paul discusses was a practical expression of fellowship between churches. Believers in one place shared resources with believers facing need elsewhere. Money could become a means of care across distance and difference. The goal was relief, gratitude to God and a strengthened bond between people.
Paul recognises willingness and actual means. In 2 Corinthians 8:12–14, he explains that a willing gift is accepted according to what someone has. He does not intend that one group should be relieved while another is crushed. These verses give us language for generous commitment that takes real circumstances seriously.
Planning helps that willingness become dependable. In 1 Corinthians 16, Paul asks believers to set something aside regularly in proportion to how they have prospered. A thoughtful rhythm can support the church’s work and help avoid decisions made only in response to an emotional appeal. Households with changing income may need to review what is possible as circumstances change.
In 2 Corinthians 9, the language of sowing and reaping points towards an enlarged capacity for good works, generosity and thanksgiving. Read through to verses 11–15. The people receiving help matter to the meaning of the passage. Turning it into a promise of personal profit loses that shared purpose.
Faithful generosity can involve sacrifice. It also calls for wisdom and freedom from coercion. A person should be able to ask what a gift supports, take time to decide and decline an appeal without humiliation. Care for dependants remains a Christian responsibility. If money is tight, acts of service, encouragement and practical help can still express love, while financial difficulties receive suitable attention.
An everyday example: A household with irregular income wants to support its church and help a neighbour. They review their commitments together, choose an amount they can presently give and offer practical help with the neighbour’s permission. They set a date to review their plans. They can explain their decision without making promises about income they do not yet have.
Reflect and discuss.
- How does beginning with Christ’s generosity shape your reasons for giving?
- What difference do the words “according to what a person has” make in 2 Corinthians 8?
- Who benefits from the collection described in these chapters?
- What would help your giving become thoughtful, willing and dependable?
Practise this week: Identify a real need you can respond to. Consider your means and responsibilities, decide freely and follow through. If you choose a financial gift, use the organisation’s verified giving route and keep an appropriate record.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, your grace teaches me how to love. Give me a generous heart and sound judgement. Help me share willingly, support your work and honour the responsibilities entrusted to me. Let someone experience practical care through my response. Amen.
Continue: ANCC’s giving page explains how to ask about current giving arrangements. Visitors are welcome without making a donation.
STUDY 4
Grow a life that bears fruit
Read: John 15:1–8; 1 Timothy 6:6–10; 1 Timothy 6:17–19; Titus 3:14. Read the whole passage before working through the study.
Jesus describes a fruitful life as one that remains in him. The branch receives life from the vine. This keeps our attention on relationship with Christ as we consider work, resources and generosity. Our activity needs the life that comes from listening to him and responding in faith.
Fruitfulness includes the character of our love and its effect on other people. A fair decision at work, a dependable act of service, a repaired relationship and a gift that meets a real need can all express that life. Some fruit will be visible quickly. Other growth takes patient attention and may remain largely unseen.
Paul’s words to Timothy address both the desire for wealth and the responsibility of those who have it. Contentment helps us resist the belief that more possessions will finally make us secure. Those with resources are called to put their hope in God, do good and become generous and ready to share.
Titus 3:14 brings good works close to urgent needs. It invites a useful question: who needs something that our time, skills or resources could help provide? Begin by listening. An offer should respect the other person’s dignity and choices. Ask what would help rather than assume that you already know.
Trusting God for provision and practising careful stewardship can grow together. Pray about work and daily needs. Attend to records, commitments and conversations. Seek qualified help for particular debt or financial decisions. When provision comes, receive it with thanks and consider how it can support a life of faithful service.
The language of overflowing fruitfulness becomes concrete when love reaches another person. At ANCC, we can seek a church life in which people are welcomed, Scripture shapes decisions and resources serve the good of others. Progress can include accepting help, learning contentment and becoming more dependable, even while a financial problem is still being resolved.
An everyday example: Joseph has been looking for work for several months. He continues seeking suitable opportunities and accepts help with his applications. He also gives a manageable amount of time to support someone who is isolated. His unemployment deserves practical care, while his life continues to bear the fruit of love.
Reflect and discuss.
- What does remaining in Jesus look like during an ordinary working week?
- Which part of 1 Timothy 6 challenges your present attitude towards money?
- What actual need have you noticed, and how could you listen before responding?
- What fruit would you hope to see in your character and relationships over the next month?
Practise this week: Choose one habit of dependence on Christ and one act of service. Keep both realistic. After a month, review what you have learnt, who has been helped and what needs to change.
Prayer: Jesus, keep me close to you. Grow contentment, patience and practical love in my life. Provide for our needs and teach us to receive help with humility. Make what you entrust to us useful in your kingdom and a blessing to our neighbours. Amen.
Continue: Explore A Fruitful Life with Jesus and The Prayer of Jabez for further study on growth and becoming a blessing.
Seven days of prayer and practice
Use this short plan after the four studies, or alongside them. Read the full passage, sit with the question and choose a manageable response. You can repeat a day when it needs more time.
Day 1 — Receive with gratitude. Read Psalm 24:1–2. What have you received that you tend to take for granted? Name three gifts, including something that cannot be bought. Pray: Father, help me receive today with gratitude and use its opportunities well.
Day 2 — Bring your needs honestly. Read Matthew 6:25–34. What concern would you like to bring into prayer? Name it plainly and identify one useful next step. Pray: Father, you know our needs. Give me wisdom for today and help me seek the support I need.
Day 3 — Let worship reach your conduct. Read Malachi 3:5–7. Where do fairness and faithfulness need attention? Review one commitment to another person. Pray: Lord, help me respond to you in how I treat people and keep my word.
Day 4 — Look again at Christ’s grace. Read 2 Corinthians 8:9–15. How does grace affect the way you receive and share? Consider one freely chosen act of generosity. Pray: Jesus, let your love shape my motives and my decisions.
Day 5 — Make room for contentment. Read 1 Timothy 6:6–10. What comparison is making life feel smaller? Pause one unnecessary purchase or comparison habit while you reflect. Pray: God, free my attention for what is good and teach me contentment.
Day 6 — Meet a real need. Read Titus 3:14 and Hebrews 13:16. Who might welcome practical help? Ask what would be useful before making an offer. Pray: Lord, make me attentive, respectful and willing to serve.
Day 7 — Remain and review. Read John 15:1–8. What has helped you stay close to Jesus this week? Record one lesson and one habit to continue. Pray: Jesus, let your life keep producing love through mine. Amen.
For a longer daily pattern, continue with ANCC’s 31-day devotional and prayer journal.
Your personal stewardship worksheet
Use a notebook, or print this page and write your responses on a separate sheet. This is a private reflection tool. You do not need to give ANCC your financial figures to use the guide or ask for prayer.
1 — What is entrusted to me? List your present responsibilities, opportunities, skills, time and resources. Include the people who depend on you. What are you grateful for, and what is difficult at present?
2 — What needs a clear picture? If helpful, record income, essential household commitments, amounts owed and any deadlines on a separate private sheet. Mark unknown figures as unknown. For questions about managing debt, bring that information to an appropriate adviser.
3 — Where is integrity calling for action? Name one commitment, record, conversation or relationship that needs attention. What can you realistically do, and whose help might you need?
4 — What generosity is possible now? Identify a need and a willing response that fits your means and responsibilities. This may involve a financial gift, a useful item, time or a skill. Ask whether the person or organisation can use what you propose.
5 — What will I practise? Complete these sentences: “This week I will…” “I will ask for help from…” “I will review my next step on…” Choose actions specific enough to carry out.
6 — What fruit will I look for? Consider honesty, contentment, reliability, love and a real need being met. At your review, record what happened, what you learnt and what needs adjusting. Bring the unfinished parts back to prayer.
Leading a thoughtful group conversation
A suggested 60–75 minute gathering can include five minutes to welcome people and pray, ten minutes reading the passages, twenty minutes exploring the teaching, twenty minutes of discussion, ten minutes choosing a personal response and five minutes praying together. Adapt the timings to the group.
Read the Scripture before drawing conclusions. Ask what the passage meant in its setting and how it fits the wider biblical witness. Make room for questions about tithing and for participants who have encountered different teaching. Distinguish the text’s clear instruction from a particular church tradition or someone’s personal testimony.
Let participants pass on any question. Keep discussion focused on learning and personal response rather than comparing incomes, debts or donations. Do not collect financial pledges during the study or treat prayer as conditional on giving. Personal stories should be shared with permission and without promising confidentiality beyond safeguarding responsibilities.
If someone describes serious money pressure, offer a private route to pastoral conversation and appropriate specialist help. Do not prescribe an individual debt solution. A helpful response may be to listen, identify a suitable service and help the person prepare to contact it. If someone describes coercion, exploitation or abuse, follow ANCC’s safeguarding arrangements.
At the next gathering, ask what participants learnt and what support would help them continue. Leave room for small progress and honest setbacks. Close by praying for provision, wisdom and love in the circumstances people are actually facing.
Read ANCC’s safeguarding policy and use the pastoral enquiry form for an appropriate first conversation.
Questions that often arise
Does the promise in Malachi guarantee that giving will make me rich? The passage promises restored provision to Israel in a particular covenant setting. Read it alongside the New Testament’s teaching about contentment, hardship and generosity. Christians may pray for provision without treating a gift as a transaction that guarantees wealth.
Should every Christian give exactly ten per cent? Christians differ on the continuing application of the tithe. Read the Old Testament passages together with 1 Corinthians 16 and 2 Corinthians 8–9. Discuss your questions with a trusted church leader. Willingness, generosity, actual means and responsible care for others are central to the New Testament teaching.
What if I am already struggling with bills or debt? Take the situation seriously and seek suitable advice early. Avoid making a rushed commitment under spiritual pressure. ANCC welcomes you whether or not you give. Prayer and pastoral support can accompany the practical work of addressing the problem.
Can I ask how a gift will be used? Yes. A thoughtful gift includes understanding the purpose it supports. Ask ANCC’s team about current arrangements, records or a particular appeal through the contact route on the giving page.
How do I recognise growth? Look for a deeper trust in Christ, honesty about your situation, care for people and dependable action. Financial circumstances may change gradually. A willingness to receive help can also be part of a fruitful response.
Continue your journey with ANCC
For practical reflection on money pressure, read Money, Debt and Daily Bread and the Christian money stewardship guide. If debt is causing concern, ANCC’s debt support page offers a further starting point.
MoneyHelper’s free debt advice locator can help you find a trained adviser by an online, telephone or face-to-face route. Raise urgent deadlines promptly rather than waiting to finish this study.
To deepen your prayer life, visit ANCC’s prayer resources. For a conversation with the church, use the pastoral enquiry form. To explore church in person, plan a visit to ANCC.
It emphasises God’s claim on our lives and practical financial obedience, and applies tithing directly to Christian giving. This ANCC guide develops original Bible teaching, questions and exercises. Read Malachi in its covenant setting and consider the New Testament teaching in 2 Corinthians 8–9. Giving is a willing response to grace, with no promise of a fixed financial return.
Bible reading: Full passages quoted in Studies 2 and 3 use the World English Bible (public domain), linked to eBible.org. Other reading links open the World English Bible on Bible Gateway. Read each passage in context. Reflections and prayers are original ANCC study material.