According to George Barna’s research, Just 6% of born again households tithed to their church in 2002. How sad!
I believe most Christians judge themselves by what those around them are doing and by the world's standards rather than by God’s standards. For example: How many Christians today have sex outside of marriage? How many Christians today are prejudiced? How many Christians today are prideful? How many Christians today gossip? How many Christians today do not tithe? Yet God has much to say about each of these.
I remember a conversation I had with a friend in college. He was a member of the "Church of Christ, Scientist" (This was before I was a Christian and I didn't know it was a cult.) He had a serious girl friend and was sleeping with her. He told me that he believed it was OK because it was important that they were "compatible in bed." I was shocked to hear this from him. I remember thinking to myself - "He's a Christian and that's not what the bible teaches!" I had enough Bible teaching to know that that was not God's way!
Am I condemning this friend or anyone else who is self deceived in this, or any other area? NO! But my point is- most Christians judge themselves by those around them, or their own ideas, rather than by God's word.
God’s word is very clear on sex outside of marriage, prejudice, pride, gossip, tithing, and much more!
Surveys have shown that 19% of born again adults have a biblical worldview. And only 50% of all Christians firmly believe that the Bible is totally accurate. If we don't believe the teachings of God's word - we are basically making it up as we go along. And guess what - my flesh will always interpret things in my favor. My rules will always tend to justify my sin! Funny how it works that way…
God understands the danger of gold (“stuff”). He understands that it easily deceives our hearts and ends up being worshiped. I believe that is why He instituted the tithe. The tithe makes it clear to us where our heart is on this matter.
I believe tithing is simply God's principle of proof of ownership! The big question is – Whose money is it? And the biblical answer is – It is all God’s! Hag.2:8, “‘The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts.”
We are stewards who have been entrusted with some of what belongs to God. And the way He asks us to acknowledge this is through worshiping Him and giving Him the first 10% back - joyfully.
Abraham tithed to God over 400 years before the law was given, so tithing appears before the law. Tithing also appears in the age of the law. And tithing is mentioned in the New Testament by Jesus in Luke 11:42.
God asks His children to worship Him with a tithe (tenth) of their increase. If I can joyfully take the first 10 % of my increase (pay check, government check, etc.) and give that back to God, I am making a statement that I am truly a steward of what He has entrusted me with. And since I am doing this joyfully, it also proves He, not money, is on the throne in my heart. Luke 16:10-13 says- “If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of heaven? And if you are not faithful with other people’s things, why should you be trusted with things of your own? No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
If I give my tithes, with a sad heart - maybe thinking about the new car I could be driving if I didn't have to give God so much money - then I am not truly tithing to Him. (He looks at the heart not the hand.) He only receives gifts given joyfully from a willing heart. The church, or other Christian organization, will receive my gift and they will hopefully use it for the Kingdom. But God will not receive it if it is not freely and joyfully given. We don’t want our tithe to stop here we want it to also rise before God as a sweet, sweet, fragrance!
II Cor.9:6-7, “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”
Where should my tithe go? In the Old Testament it was always given to the priests for their support and for the temple – which was the dwelling place of God. In the New Testament we are not given a lot of specific instructions. We do see ministers receiving offerings:
I Tim.5:17-18, "Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer is worthy of his wages."
Elders are Christian leaders - apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. These can be men or women leading local churches or pare church organizations.
I believe we are to give tithes where we are being fed! For most believers this is primarily the local church. But God could speak to a person to give part of their tithe to a pare-church organization that has been instrumental in their Christian growth.
In the case of Kathy and me, we give 100% of our tithe to our local church (And we did that for years before I was a pastor). Then, beyond that 10%, we give offerings to our church and to pare-church organizations, and missionaries that God leads us to support. And we give alms to the poor as God leads.
The Bible talks about tithes, offerings and alms. It should all be joyfully done as a beautiful form of worship!
What if one struggles with releasing the money to God and they keep it all and use it for their families needs? They may say something like: "After all we don't have extra money and I believe God understands my position." I would say, first, and unfortunately, one who does this is in the majority today, as most Christians don't tithe. But second, I would say- they are robbing God of what is truly His and are robbing themselves of much more.
Mal.3:8 (God speaking), “Should people cheat God? Yet you have cheated Me! But you ask, ‘What do you mean? When did we ever cheat You?’ You have cheated Me of the tithes and offerings due to Me.”
Kathy and I have tithed for many years and we tithe off the top. We can’t tithe before the government takes their part but when we get a pay check we write a tithe check off of the gross amount of the check, not the net paid to us. By tithing off the gross we feel like we are putting God first. And we do it with joy!
When Kathy and I first heard about tithing we were new Christians and were already spending more than we were making each month (our credit card debt was slowly rising). So we could not just start giving God 10%. But we heard the teachings and believed they were true and we determined that we would be tithers. By the end of the first year we were giving God about ~5% of our net income. By the end of the second year we were giving God 10% of our net income. By the end of the third year we were worshiping God with 10% of our gross income. And we did not stop there. Through our tithes, offerings and alms giving, we always go beyond 10% - and wish we could give much more. We don’t do this to “look good.” We don’t do it out some dreadful fear of what might happen if we didn’t do it. We do it out of love and to honor our great God!
A person must first get the revelation that all that they have is really not theirs - it is God's. He graciously gives all - but then asks for 10% back. And when we understand His deep love for us and the unimaginable sacrifice Jesus Christ made for us - we can joyfully become true tither’s!
When a person can joyfully release their tithe, with no strings attached, they have taken a huge leap in the direction of intimacy with God - because now they have released their stuff to Him - so their stuff no longer rules them.
Luke 12:15-21, “And He said to them, "Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses. Then He spoke a parable to them, saying: The ground of a certain rich man yielded plentifully. And he thought within himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no room to store my crops?’ So he said, ‘I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build greater, and there I will store all my crops and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God."
No one will ever be forced to give to this church. My purpose in writing this is to encourage you to consider the tithe. Consider why God established it and what it means to Him. And hopefully, if you don’t already have it, you will get a revelation of it and get excited to start giving Him what is rightfully His – with great joy!
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Reply to Pastor Tom Steinen
ReplyDeletehttp://pastortomsteinen.blogspot.com/2010/03/why-tithing-is-so-important.html
Edited for key remarks.
Tom: I believe tithing is simply God's principle of proof of ownership! … God asks His children to worship Him with a tithe (tenth) of their increase. If I can joyfully take the first 10 % of my increase (pay check, government check, etc.) and give that back to God,
Russ: Tithing was only a minimum beginning point “standard” for food producers who lived inside Israel. Tithes could not come from what man’s skills produced or from outside Israel. Not even Jesus could give a biblical HOLY tithe.
Believing the teachings of God’s Word requires one to ask “To whom is God speaking and in which Covenant?” The entire Old Covenant vanished in Heb 8:12 –commandments, ordinances and judgments –all of the Mosaic Law. That which was eternal and moral was restated after Calvary to the Church in terms of grace and faith. And tithing was not repeated.
God instituted the tithe to replace land inheritance for the Levites and priests who would serve in the temple. Yet today most pastors who want the tithe also want to own and inherit property contrary to the tithing statute of Numbers 18.
The Levitical tithe was not a matter of the heart. It was a matter of cold hard law for food producers inside Israel.
It is not a proof of ownership except for the Levites and priests who could not own land because God was their inheritance. God owned the world even then but did not accept tithes from outside Israel.
Tom: We are stewards who have been entrusted with some of what belongs to God. And the way He asks us to acknowledge this is through worshiping Him and giving Him the first 10% back - joyfully.
If I can joyfully take the first 10 % of my increase (pay check, government check, etc.) and give that back to God,
Russ: Tithes were never the same as firstfruits per Deut 26:1-4 and Neh 10:35-37a. Firstfruits were very small token offering. Paul wrote to Timothy to give the first to care for the medical, food and shelter needs of his/her family per 1 Tim 5:8.
Tom: Abraham tithed to God over 400 years before the law was given, so tithing appears before the law. Tithing also appears in the age of the law.
Russ: Abraham’s tithe was not the same as a holy biblical tithe. It was in obedience to the law of the land and the Bible does not say it was freewill. If Abraham were the Christian’s example then 90% should go to the equivalent to the King of Sodom.
Tom: And tithing is mentioned in the New Testament by Jesus in Luke 11:42.
Russ: Luke 11:42 (Mt 23:23) is not New Covenant because it is before Calvary and is in the context of matters of the law. Jesus could not have commanded his Gentiles disciples to tithe because it was illegal.
Tom: God asks His children to worship Him with a tithe (tenth) of their increase.
Russ: Not true. Tithing was only commanded to OT national Israel. It was never commanded to the Church after Calvary.
Tom: 2 Cor 9:6-7
Russ: This is a discussion of freewill sacrificial giving to help famine relief in Judea. It is not a discussion of tithing or church support.
Tom: 1 Tim 5:17-18
Russ: This is in the context of discipline, not salary. The elder is worthy of double caution while being disciplined. See from verse l.
NT giving is: freewill, generous, sacrificial, joyful, not by commandment (or percentage) and motivated by love for God and lost souls. For many that is more than 10% but others are giving sacrificially even though less than 10%.
hing is simply God's principle of proof of ownership! The big question is – Whose
God defined His tithe in Leviticus 27:30-33, and if you read the scripture, you will find that God NEVER required the FIRST to be tithed. In fact, it was the tenth animal, not the first. This notion that you tithe the first is wrong as tithes and firstfruits have nothing to do with each other.
ReplyDeleteNext, you bring up Malachi 3:8, robbing (or cheating) God. However, you ignore Malachi 3:7 where God makes it clear He is speaking about not following His ordinances. Since the ordinances were nailed to the cross, Malachi no longer applies.
Next, you say that God requires a tithe on "your" increase. Not so. Under the Old Testament, God commanded a tithe from His increase - crops and animals (ASSETS), not from man's income or increase.
You have cheapened God's tithe from the miracles of God to the income of man.
The New Testament teaches sacrificial giving, from the heart, not under compulsion. Spirit-led giving. Grace giving. The Lord's tithe was a PAYMENT, not a gift. Jesus made that perfectly clear in Matthew 23:23.
Since you quote Malachi 3:8, you must be able to answer this question: Where are the ordinances in God's Word that He is talking about in verse 7? The answer is, they are in Numbers 18. Now go to Hebrews 7.
In Hebrews 7:5 we are told that Levi (the Levites) took the tithes under the law.
In Hebrews 7:12 we are told that when the priesthood changes, the law will change.
In Hebrews 7:18 we are told that the law was disannulled.
In the first nine verses of Hebrews 7 the words tenth or tithes appears SEVEN TIMES. The ONLY place in the Bible, after Calvary, that tithing appears is in Hebrews 7.
Hebrews 7:18 is telling us that Numbers 18 was disannulled. Numbers 18 established the Levitical priesthood, and part of that establishing included tithing. When the Levitical priesthood ended (at Calvary, or at least in the year 70AD when the temple was destroyed), all laws that established that priesthood were canceled.
Tithing today is bringing legalism back into the church and diminishes what Jesus did on the cross.
We are under a BETTER covenant. Why would anyone want to bring forward something that didn't work (and still isn't working, and never will work because it is NOT God's will) into a better covenant?
I would like to know whether Pastor Tom's views about this has changed. It may be good to set aside 10% as your bare minimum for giving but should in no way be a yardstick based on the laws you refer to in your discussion. If your view still remains as you have written, then that would be quite unfortunate as it is obvious that you teach your congregation this.
ReplyDeleteI am shocked at the statements made without scriptural support about "tithing"!
ReplyDeleteWhere in the New Testament does it ever state that: "..tithing is simply God's principle of proof of ownership".? That is totally absurd and even more shocking coming from a "pastor"?
The principle proof of Christian ownership is Jesus Blood Shed at Calvary!! We are bought with a price, His death and the seal is the Holy Spirit of God in us!! And I hope in you too.
Tithing WAS a "Levitical ordinance" of the Mosaic Law and was foundational to the function and operation of the Temple and all the food, drink, holydays, sacrifices, that fall under it's jurisdiction. There was even a "festival tithe" every three years directed by the Levites as part of the ordinance for Temple services. Listen carefully--unless the jingling of coins and rattling of bills has deafened your ears, THE COMMANDMENTS CONTAINED IN ORDINANCES THAT WERE AGAINST US, WERE NAILED TO THE CROSS BY THE LORD JESUS HIMSELF AND WERE "TAKEN OUT OF THE WAY". In otherwords--ABOLISHED. It was replaced by the NEW COVENANT foundationed alone on the BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST!! (Col. 2:14-16)(Eph. 2:15)
Where in the world do you find the ordinance of tithing ANYWHERE TAUGHT in the New Testament? It plainly does not exist because the Lord Jesus killed it! Abraham's tithe was voluntary; not forced or commanded by God and was given only AFTER Melchizedek blessed him. The goods were not even his, he took them in battle from someone else and gave back the rest to the King of Sodom! To use this single event in Abraham's life as a precedence for NEW TESTAMENT tithing is simply a dishonest manipulation of the scriptures.
There are clear guidelines for NEW COVENANT giving found in 2 Corinthians 9:7 and the principle foundation for it is "AS A MAN PURPOSETH IN HIS HEART". It is "not of NECCESITY" (FORCED). The OT tithe was FORCED! Therefore there is no such thing as a "tithe" commanded for the church today. Christ hath redeemed us from the CURSE of the Law, being made a curse for US! (Gal. 3:13)
What right do pastors or preachers have to run back to Calvary and extract the nails from Jesus and demand the tithe be exempted from eradication! Funny thing, those who condenm those who DO NOT tithe are themselves smitten with a curse of the LAW! WARNING: The Love of money is the root of ALL evil!
If I was a clergyman demanding the tithe of the OT for myself I would change my doctrine REAL FAST and apologize to my congregation!
Thanks Pastor Tom for Shedding Light on the Tithing issue. You hit the nail on the head when you stated that Tithing is simply God's Proof of ownership. I agree 100% with that. That is the Simple Truth! Praise the Lord!!! I have read what some posters have stated but I pray that their spiritual eyes be opened.
ReplyDeleteSilver is Mine, Gold is Mine says the Lord of Host. The Psalmist prayed that God should open his eyes that he may behold wondrous things out of the Law of God.
In Malachi 3 verse 6, before the Tithing issue was brought forward by God, He said He Doesn't Change and further went on to say even our Forefathers have neglected this Law of His.
This tells us even some of the ancients have simply disobeyed this Law ans that is still what is happening to day.
Stay Blessed Pastor.
Olawale.
Jews tithed 23.3 % and not 10%. Tithing never referred to earned income or wages. Only food, agricultural products, livestock, wine, seed, nuts, olive oil and garden herbs were tithable.
ReplyDeleteAlso any form of tithing outside the promised land is not valid.
Russell Earl Kelly...are you a Pastor? I want to attend your sermons!! If you are not, then you better start considering... I love the way you put this, it totally explains how I have been feeling for such a long time concerning tithes and I love the tone and manner of your reply to Tom's article. If he does not get the revelation after this, than he never will (I pray that he does get it). I strongly believe that 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 is proof that tithing is no longer relevant.
ReplyDeletethank you for this.
ReplyDeleteSo blessing to have chance to say thanks to almighty God through tithe.
ReplyDeleteSo blessing to have chance to say thanks to almighty God through tithe.
ReplyDelete