Meeting guide · command 14

Give in Secret

Give to people in need for the Father’s pleasure rather than for public praise.

Read

Read the complete passage aloud.

Primary passage

Matthew 6:1–4

1 “Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. 2 Therefore, when you do merciful deeds, don’t sound a trumpet before yourself, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get glory from men. Most certainly I tell you, they have received their reward. 3 But when you do merciful deeds, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand does, 4 so that your merciful deeds may be in secret, then your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

World English Bible

Jesus warns against practicing righteousness to be seen and uses almsgiving to expose how a good action can be redirected toward personal recognition.

Discuss

Listen carefully to what Jesus says.

  1. What does Jesus command?
  2. What does this passage reveal about Him?
  3. Where do we resist this command?
  4. What is difficult or unclear?
  5. How can we give transparently and responsibly when needed without turning generosity into a performance?

Practice

Choose one specific act of obedience.

Meet one genuine need without announcing it or arranging to be thanked. Give in a way that protects the recipient’s dignity, and let God alone know the full cost.

Return

Come back and discuss what happened.

What did secret giving reveal about your motives, and how did removing recognition change the way you saw the recipient?

Close together

Pray. Then prepare to teach.

Pray

Father, purify our giving. Make us attentive to real needs, protective of others’ dignity, and content with your unseen approval.

Teach

Teach that Jesus does not condemn visible accountability; He confronts giving designed to purchase admiration.