Yes — the gift of giving is a God-given ability that some believers have, and it is meant to be put to active use.
Les Feldick names the gift of giving among the differing abilities God distributes to believers. He teaches that God imparts each person's gift and gives the ability, so giving is not just having resources—it is a capacity God has placed in certain believers to use for His work.
Romans 12:8 — This verse specifically mentions giving among the grace-given gifts and tells the giver to do it 'with simplicity.'
Romans 12:6 — Paul says gifts differ according to grace, which is the foundation Les uses to show that not everyone has the same gift.
Romans 12:6 states that believers have 'gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us.' This shows that spiritual gifts are not all the same; they vary according to God's grace. Romans 12:8 then lists specific gifts, including 'he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity,' indicating that giving is one of the gifts God gives to some believers. In Exodus 36:1, Scripture records that the Lord put wisdom and understanding in Bezaleel and Aholiab to know how to work for the service of the sanctuary, showing the biblical pattern that ability for God's work comes from Him.
Les Feldick stresses that every believer, whether or not they realize it, has been given a particular gift by God. In Romans 12:6, he points out that gifts differ and that God is the one who imparts each person's gift. He then lists examples: ministry, teaching, prayer, administration, giving, and visiting the sick. The gift of giving, therefore, is not something everyone has in the same way; it is one of several capacities God gives to believers. Les also teaches that a believer should not beg for a particular gift or force a role that is not his or her gift. Instead, each person can determine what they are comfortable with and put that gift to use. He emphasizes from Exodus 36 that the ability to give or to work for God comes from God: 'Where do you get the ability to do what you do? God gave it to you.'
Les makes clear that God controls gift-giving. In Romans 12:6, he notes that gifts differ 'according to the grace that is given unto us' and asks, 'Who's in control of the gift giving? God is.' He also uses Exodus 36:1 to show that the Lord put wisdom and understanding in those who worked for the sanctuary. A believer should not beg for a particular gift; it is discerned and given as the Holy Spirit wills.
No. Les says in Romans 12 that 'we're not all going to have that same gift.' He lists different abilities among believers: some can visit the sick, others have the gift of prayer, some have the gift of giving, and some are good administrators or teachers. Believers can determine what they are comfortable with and do not have to force something.
Les teaches that believers should determine that the gift is his or her gift and put it to use. He stresses that all ability, including the ability to give, comes from God: 'Where do you get the ability to do what you do? God gave it to you.' He also notes that this begins with the heart—God puts the desire and ability in people to do the work.
God Controls Gift Giving
Les teaches that God imparts each believer's particular gift and that gifts differ, so giving is one of the differing abilities God gives.
The Gift of Giving Named
Les explicitly includes the gift of giving among the different gifts believers have, alongside prayer, administration, and teaching, and says believers should use what they are comfortable with.
Do Not Beg for Gifts
Les warns believers not to beg for or demand a particular gift; gifts are discerned and given according to the Holy Spirit's will, not the believer's choice.
How the Holy Spirit Gives Spiritual Gifts — 1 Corinthians 12 Explained
Those are the three basic gifts that the Church needs today. Men who are evangelists and can preach salvation, and probably going from place to place. We all understand the role of an evangelist. And then there�s the man who is a gifted person to be a pastor. Not all of God�s men can be pastors, and not all can be teachers. But these are the three basic gifts that are explained here in Ephesians.
Every Believer Has a Gift
Les says every believer has a role and a gift, even those who think they are untalented; the desire to serve begins in the heart, as with those who gave for the tabernacle.
Why Prophecy Is Greater Than Tongues - 1 Corinthians 14 Explained
Gifted men. And they had to be gifted to the point that they could now teach people the Pauline doctrines and not that which was still coming out of the Old Testament, or they'd have had pandemonium. And so Paul realizing, by inspiration of course, that this was by far the most important thing the local church could have was men who could proclaim the truth of God's Word without benefit of having …
Ability Comes from God
Les teaches that the ability to give and to work for God is given by God, so believers should never lose sight that their capacity to give comes from Him.
How the Holy Spirit Gives Spiritual Gifts — 1 Corinthians 12 Explained
Now whether you know it or not, if you�re a believer here today, or if you�re a believer out there in television, where did you get the wherewithal to believe the Gospel? From the Holy Spirit. It�s a gift. And so as we exercise that gift of faith, we respond of course by believing. And so some have greater faith than others, and there�s nothing wrong with that.
Romans 12:6: Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Sets up the list of differing gifts and is the verse Les comments on in the clips.
Romans 12:8: Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Contains the specific instruction for the one who gives, connecting giving with simplicity.
Exodus 36:1: Then wrought Bezaleel and Aholiab, and every wise hearted man, in whom the LORD put wisdom and understanding to know how to work all manner of work for the service of the sanctuary, according to all that the LORD had commanded.
Shows that skill for giving and working in the sanctuary comes from the Lord, a pattern Les applies to all abilities.
Yes. In Romans 12:8, giving is listed with other gifts and includes the instruction to do it with simplicity. Les Feldick also includes the gift of giving when he lists the different capacities God gives believers.
Les teaches that believers should not beg for a particular gift. Gifts are discerned and given as the Holy Spirit wills, not as the believer determines.
God. Les points to Exodus 36:1, where the Lord gave wisdom and understanding to the workers, and asks, 'Where do you get the ability to do what you do? God gave it to you.'
Watch the Teaching: Be Not Conformed: What Romans 12:2 Really Means for You