SHARING GOD’S WAY

“MORE Q&As”

KEY VERSE

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 pout out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Malachi 3:10

IMPORTANT INTRODUCTION!

The questions and answers presented below are from many different sources and reflect a variety of opinions as to what the Bible has to say about “Sharing God’s Way.” As you will see, some authors provide a scriptural reference for their answer and some do not. I will say that I agree with most of the answers but some I do not. The purpose of this exercise is for you to prayerfully determine and act on what you believe and what you do not believe based on your prayerful study of God’s Word and conversations with its Author. This is a Microsoft Word document so feel free to change it for your personal use as you and the Lord agree.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What is the tithe?

A tithe is defined as the “tenth part.” The tithe is the “firstfruit” of your increase. The principle behind your tithe being your first fruit is you are recognizing God as your source of supply; He is the cause of your prosperity. Therefore, the tithe is not any tenth of your income; it is the first tenth of your income. (Leviticus 23:10)

What is an offering?

An offering is a financial gift of any amount as God has prospered you over and above your tithe.

Why should you tithe?

  • It is a spiritual command from God
  • To walk in obedience to God’s Word
  • To support the work and vision of your church
  • To cause the windows of blessings to open for you because of your alignment with the Word of God
  • It’s God’s way of ensuring you have a blessed life by including Him in your finances.

How much should you tithe?

A biblical tithe is 10% of y our pre-tax income (gross income) and could be as much as God leads you to tithe above 10%. The 10% tithe is just the starting point.

Do you tithe only on income from your employment?

No. You are to tithe on all income that comes to you—for example your salary, dividends, interest income, insurance proceeds, inheritances, profits from businesses, tax refunds, etc. (Proverbs 3:9)

Where should you tithe?

Into the “storehouse.” The storehouse in Israel was the temple and cities of the Levites; but today it would be the place where you receive spiritual food and help for example your local church. (Malachi 3:10 and Deuteronomy 12:11)

What happens if you don’t tithe?

  • God calls you a robber and your disobedience causes you to live under a curse. (Malachi 3:8-9)
  • When you don’t tithe you “rob” God of the opportunity to bless your life
  • When you don’t tithe you limit what God can do in your life and limit the impact the local church can have in your community and around the world.

Is tithing all that’s required?

God’s Word commands tithes AND offerings. (Malachi 3:8-15)

What are the benefits of tithing?

  • Provision for the house of God; no lack of means or money to carry out God’s Work.
  • Opening the windows of heaven to pour out a blessing so great that there will not be room enough to receive it.
  • God will rebuke the devourer (the devil) so that the devil will not destroy your harvest.
  • You will be recognized as blessed by men
  • You will enjoy God’s favor on your life. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

Isn’t tithing an Old Testament law?

No, tithing was introduced in the Old Testament, but still was observed and practiced in the New Testament.

What should your attitude toward tithing be?

  • You should have an attitude of joy and willingness that God has blessed you to send back into the ministry. (2 Corinthians 9:7)
  • When money comes into your hands your first thought is not, “Look at the money I have,” but instead, “Look how much money I have to tithe with.”

What is the spiritual impact of tithing?

  • Start now! The moment you come into the knowledge of the truth make the necessary changes to obey the Word of God.
  • Start now where you are even if it’s less than 10%, but ask God to grow your personal obedience and discipline.
  • This change will require repentance to God for your disobedience, but one definition of repentances is to “think again” or to have a radical change of mind.
  • The product of repentance is God’s forgiveness and blessing

What is the tithe used for?

In the Old Testament, the tithe was used to support the priests. (Numbers 18:20-21)

Does God need your tithe?

No, (Psalm 50:10-12)

Why should you tithe?

Tithing is a way of teaching you that God must be your first priority. (Deuteronomy 14:22-23)

When should you tithe?

You are to return the tithe to God first—before you start spending money on other things. (Proverbs 3:9)

Did Jesus endorse tithing?

Yes. (Matthew 23:23)

How does Paul say the gospel ministry is to be supported?

1 Corinthians 9:13-14

Does tithing help you remember that God is the owner of everything?

Yes (Psalm 24:1)

Is God the source of all your wealth?

Yes (Deuteronomy 8:18)

Do you rob God if you don’t give tithe AND offerings?

Yes (Malachi 3:8)

Do you tithe when you are in debt?

Yes. You should pay what you owe to God first, and God will help you take care of your debts. (Psalm 50:14-15)

What if you can’t afford to pay the tithe?

God promises to richly bless you if you are faithful in tithes and offerings. (Malachi 3:10)

Who is the owner of all the money in the world?

God (Haggai 2:8)

Does God ask you to give voluntary offerings for His work in addition to the tithe?

Yes (Psalm 96:8)

Should you give to God’s work willingly?

Yes (2 Corinthians 9:7)

What if you think your church is corrupted, are you still required to tithe and give offerings?

Yes. The temple practices were corrupt in Christ’s day, but Jesus still recognized the offerings as for God. (Luke 21:3-4)

Can you out-give God?

No (Luke 6:38)

Should you give in proportion to the blessings God gives you?

Yes (Deuteronomy 16:17)

The Christian practice of tithing is one of the most controversial topics both within and outside the Church. Most of this controversy springs from a misconception of what tithing really is. Before you can appreciate what tithing is, then, you must understand what it is not.

1. Tithing is NOT payment for services rendered. When you take your car to the garage to have some work done, you expect to pay for all the necessary parts and the time it took for the mechanic to complete the work.

Some people view tithing like that: paying for services rendered. They “tithe” according to their perceived value of the personal services or benefits they receive. That, however, is not what tithing is.

2. Tithing is NOT an admission fee for attending church.When you go to the movie theatre, you expect to pay an admission fee before you are allowed in. When that mindset is applied to tithing, though, it becomes self-serving instead of God-honoring.

If you profess to be a Christ-follower, then everything you have belongs to God. It’s not your money; it’s His money. So you must use it in God-honoring ways. That is true even on weeks when you are sick or out of town. Even though you may not attend the worship service at your church on a particular week, the tithe still belongs to Him. You should honor Him with it at your earliest opportunity.

You do not tithe to the church as an admission fee; you tithe to God as worship.Even though you may give that money to God through the church, it remains God’s money. As such, the church is responsible use it appropriately to carry on His work.

3. Tithing is NOT a membership due. You are entitled to no special privileges at your church just because you tithe. You do not buy an extra vote at church meetings or get to sit in the comfy chairs just because you tithe. There are no “membership perks” that you acquire.

4. Tithing is NOT a get-rich-quick investment strategy.The “Prosperity Gospel” tells you that, if you give to God, He’ll make you prosper financially. Give him $100; He’ll give you $1000. Give Him $1000; He’ll give you $10,000. But God does not make that promise to you, nor is He under any obligation to you when you give.

Plus, there are plenty of examples in the Bible and throughout history of God-honoring people who were poor and stayed poor, including Jesus. True,the Old Testament book of Malachi does promise blessings will be poured out on tithers. However, this does not necessarily mean financial blessing, so it should not be understood as a guarantee that He will make you rich.

5. Tithing is NOT a Church-devised system to pay the bills. Giving your tithe to God through the church is not something churches invented in order to get your money. Rather, it is a practice rooted in the Bible, both the Old Testament and the New Testament. It was instituted by God, not by the Church.

So with those misconceptions out of the way, let’s turn to what tithing really is.

A. Tithing is a step of obedience. God has asked each one of us to give to Him first. We don’t wait to see what’s leftover at the end of the week; we give to Him off the top. The question is, will we do it? “On the first day of each week, you should each put aside a portion of the money you have earned” (1 Corinthians 16:2, NLT).

B. Tithing is an act of worship. When the Wise Men traveled from an eastern land to find the newborn Jesus, what did they tell Herod they had come to do? Worship Him. When they finally found Jesus, how did they worship? They gave Him gifts. Giving gifts is a legitimate act of worship. You’re not really worshipping Him until you’re worshipping Him completely, with everything you’ve got.

C. Tithing is an expression of trust.Perhaps the primary reason many people find it difficult to tithe is because they have a trust issue. Trust is about letting someone else be in control, and it can be difficult to trust anyone else—including God—in an area as personal and powerful as our finances. YetJesus said, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need” (Matthew 6:33, NLT). When you tithe, you are placing your trust in the truth of those words.

D. Tithing is a catalyst for spiritual growth.As soon as you break the hold your money has on you, you are set free to grow in the grace of God. When you learn to trust God instead of money, you are enabled to reach new depths in your relationship with Him.

How you handle your money has a direct correlation to your spiritual growth. When you refuse to honor God with your finances, you are limiting your growth potential. But when you choose to put God first in every area of your life including your finances, you begin to grow exponentially. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21, NIV).

E. Tithing is an opportunity to participate in God’s ministry.We are privileged to partner with God through tithing, investing in His Kingdom-building work. He gives us a tangible role in transforming lives.

The Christ-followers in Macedonia understood this. The apostle Paul wrote about how the Macedonians—even as they were facing a time of financial hardship—expressed tremendous generosity toward the work of God. “For I can testify that they gave not only what they could afford, but far more. And they did it of their own free will. They begged us again and again for the privilege of sharing in the gift for the believers in Jerusalem” (2 Corinthians 8:3-4, NLT).

Tithing is a God-designed way for His people to participate in His work, but the greatest beneficiaries are the tithers themselves. If you do not currently give a tithe to God in worship, consider starting today.

Giving as Christ Intends
Though the tithe is not a requirement for the Body of Christ, we are still instructed to give. What changed from the Old Testament to the New is our motivation for giving. In the Old Testament, giving was compulsory – a tenth (tithe). In the New Testament we are to give with joy as we are led to give (2Corinthians 9:7), not by compulsion.
Our attitude about giving should be like that of the poor widow who Jesus esteemed in Mark 12:41-44. She put 2 small copper coins, worth a penny, into the temple treasury. They were all the widow had to live on. She understood that God owns everything and was willing to give all that she had with cheer as God had prompted her to do.
It is time to invest cheerfully in what is eternal, specifically in God’s children for the completion of Kingdom work (Matthew 6:19-21). The children must be fed, clothed and equipped to carry Christ’s gospel throughout the whole world and to make the Bride of Christ ready for her soon returning Savior. Imagine what it could be like if we resumed giving and sharing as Jesus intends. Surely we would rediscover the same abundant and powerful living as the early church enjoyed!
On the topic of giving, John 8:36 might seem like a strange scripture to cite: "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed". While it is true that Jesus set us free from the curse of the law (Galatians 3:10-13), sin and death (Romans8:2), our failure to give as Jesus taught us has kept the Church in financial bondage, and has prevented the Church from completing the work of Christ on earth. How many children of God fail to reach their full potential as ministers of the Gospel because they lack provision? It is through our giving and sharing that we equip the Church for service, eliminate hunger and poverty, and realize the fullness of our freedom in Christ.
We can no longer afford to misuse our offerings for church buildings, parsonages, conference centers, multi-purpose buildings, air conditioning, padded pews, pipe organs, and the like, all of which will soon be forgotten, while God's children go hungry, poor and ill equipped to minister the Gospel. Instead, like Abel, we should give our best gifts to the true Church – the people – because we love God and want to see God's work accomplished on the earth.
On concluding my study, the Lord asked one final question: What building ever won a person to Christ?
Ask the Lord to show you what to give and to whom, and remember that His words "Feed my sheep" (John 21:17) go much deeper than a pastor's sermon on a Sunday morning. His words are spiritual, and they are literal.

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