The Gift Of God…. Tithing

. Leviticus 27:30,32: 30 “ ‘A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD. 32 Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the LORD.

Malachi 3:8-12 says: 8“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. 9“You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! 10“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the L ORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. 11“Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes,” says the L ORD of hosts. 12“All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land,” says the L ORD of hosts.

Matthew 23:23 he said: 23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

Acts 4: And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things were common property to them. 33 And with great power the apostles were giving testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. 34 For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales 35 and lay them at the apostles’ feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need.

6 Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”* 8 And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. 9 As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”* 10 For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity* in you. 11 Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. 12 So two good things will result from this ministry of giving— the needs of the believers in Jerusalem* will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. 13 As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. 14 And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you. 15 Thank God for this gift* too wonderful for words! 2 Corinthians 9:6-15

Now regarding your question about the money being collected for God’s people in Jerusalem. You should follow the same procedure I gave to the churches in Galatia. 2 On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned. Don’t wait until I get there and then try to collect it all at once. 1 Corinthians 16:1,2

Someone once said the most sensitive nerve of humanity is the cheque-book nerve.

1 Timothy 5: Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well,* especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. 18 For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”*

More Than a Financial Plan Someone said that tithes and offerings are not simply God’s plan for financing His work. Primarily it is a means by which the Lord develops His people. Giving is an acknowledgment that all we have and are belongs to God. What we possess has been entrusted to us to use for His glory. As His stewards we own nothing but are responsible for everything.

Generous to a Point One man asked another, “If you had a thousand hogs, would you give me half of them?” “Sure!” came the man’s rely. “Well, if you had a hundred hogs, would you give me half of them?” Again, “Sure!” was the answer. “Okay, if you had two hogs would you give me half of them?” “That isn’t fair!” came the reply. “You know I have two hogs!” The man was generous with what he did not have, but was miserly with what he did have.

You’ve Got It All Wrong During a stewardship preparation period a pastor preached several consecutive Sundays on giving. One member commented, “I’ll be so glad when the pastor quits preaching on money and gets back to preaching the gospel!” I have never heard a good steward say that. Giving is part of the gospel.

Billy Graham, in his sermon “Partners with God,” says: “One of the greatest sins in America today is the fact that we are robbing God of that which rightfully belongs to Him. When we don’t tithe, we shirk a just debt. Actually we are not giving when we give God one-tenth, for it belongs to Him already (Levt. 27:30). This is a debt we owe. Not until we have given a tenth do we actually begin making an offering to the Lord!”