Your tithing, giving, and offerings are all about the condition of your heart and your relationship with Jesus Christ.
When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, a conversion takes place as you begin your new life, living for Christ as a new creation.
“There are three conversions necessary: the conversion of the heart, the mind and the purse. Of these three, it may well be that we moderns find the conversion of the purse the most difficult.” –Martin Luther
“When it comes to giving, some people will stop at nothing.”– Jimmy Carter
“A religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.”– Martin Luther
“Tithing is not giving 10 percent; it’s receiving 90 percent.”–Dr. Larry Gilbert
“I have tried to keep things in my hand and lost them all, but what I have given into God’s hands I still possess.”–Martin Luther
The subject of giving is a difficult area within the body of Christ. We live in a world of selfishness, materialism, and greed. If we allow it to influence us and fail to keep our priorities straight, it will affect our giving. Some of you are struggling financially so your giving is limited. Some of you have such a tight grip on your finances, you don’t want to let it go. For some of you, giving is a controversial issue because you have trust issues, and you wonder what is happening with the money you give to your local church.
There are five types of givers:
1. Those that give nothing because they think they can’t afford it, or they believe their church does not need it.
2. Those who give grudgingly because they feel guilty or obligated to do so.
3. Those who give a little and feel good about themselves because they have done their ‘duty’.
4. Those who give JUST to get, and they make sure everyone knows what they are giving.
5. Those who give liberally because they know and understand the grace of God.
Regarding the last kind of givers, Dr. Larry Gilbert said, “Motive is the key to giving and receiving. The proper motive is giving to receive in order to give again. Their motive for giving is always to further the work of God.”
In John 3:16, you will see that “God so loved the world that He gave….” You can honor God and show your love for Him by giving (offering) to Him so His church can do His work. Proverbs 3:9-10 (NIV) Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the first-fruits of all your crops; then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. As a Christian, the FIRST thing you should do with your paycheck is give to the Lord!
You honor God with your wealth through your tithes and offerings. A tithe is defined as a tenth of one’s annual income contributed voluntarily, especially for the support of the church. A tithe can also be a tenth of any property or produce. The tithe is basically giving 10% of what you have to God. An offering is anything over and above the tithe.
To God, tithing and giving is not about money, it’s all about His relationship with you. He wants you to trust Him and be obedient. He knows money and possessions can form a wedge in His relationship with you. Malachi 3:7-12 (NIV) says, 7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from My decrees and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ 8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob Me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing You?’ “In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing Me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. Test Me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty. In verse 8, the Lord says “you are robbing Me”, we should not think of tithing as giving 10% as much as we should see it as receiving 90%, the 10% belongs to Him. God is keenly aware of the negative effects money can have on His relationship with you. He feels so strongly about this matter that this is the ONLY time in the Bible He asks us to test Him (verse 10). He desires a loving relationship with you and if you bring Him His tithes and offerings, He promises to pour you out more blessing than you have room for. Unfortunately, most Christians never get to enjoy these kinds of blessings because only about 3% of the church actually tithes.
Some of you will read this and have already decided you don’t have to tithe because that is a Jewish tradition from the Old Testament and we are under the New Covenant. You will say we are no longer under the law, but we are now under grace. You are correct that we receive our salvation by the grace of God through our faith in Jesus Christ. Please also realize the Old Testament Law still plays a role in the life of the modern day Christian.
According to what you’re saying about ‘THE LAW’ we should not keep the Ten Commandments or we should forget that Jesus said the greatest commandments were to love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, strength and soul; and love your neighbor as you love yourself. I’m positive He wants us to keep these ‘LAWS’ to this very day. I’m sure you understand that we are no longer ‘under the law’ according to the new covenant. But, that means we will not be condemned for breaking the law (Romans 8:1). The Bible is clear about the role of ‘THE LAW’ in our present day Christian walk:
Matthew 5:17-19 (NIV) Jesus says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have NOT come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until EVERYTHING is accomplished. ANYONE who breaks one of the least of these commandments and TEACHES OTHERS to do the same will be called LEAST in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever PRACTICES and TEACHES these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
Romans 3:31(NIV) Paul says, ‘Do we, then, nullify the law by this faith? NOT AT ALL!!!! Rather, we UPHOLD THE LAW.’
Another misunderstanding about tithing is most Christians have been taught or told it is not mentioned in the New Testament. This is false. Jesus clearly addresses tithing in Luke 11:42 and Matthew 23:23. Matthew 23:23 (NLT) tells us, How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you ignore the important things of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. YOU SHOULD TITHE, YES, but you should not leave undone the more important things,. Jesus wants you to know that tithing is important, but following His other commandments is just as important. Jesus rebukes the Pharisees because He wants to show us that giving money isn’t all there is to the Christian life. The Pharisees had a legalistic attitude that caused them to put their faith in their own works including giving precisely 10%. However, they disregarded the other commandments which involved showing love to others. Jesus doesn’t want you to make the mistake of defining your faith, salvation, or relationship with Him by how much money you give.
God values YOU, and He loves YOU dearly. He will bless you for your obedience, generosity, faith, and trust. As you give, you become more and more Christ-like. God will be pleased, God will be glorified, and you will Live The Victory!!!
Go Live The Victory!
