Posted Jan 11, 2021 |
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“‘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 you will not have room enough for it.'” Malachi 3:10
When I was a young Christian, I believed that after the death and resurrection of Christ, that the Old Testament law of “ten percent” no longer applied.
Everything is God’s.
We are to use all that we have, to glorify God, by being better stewards of what He has blessed us with.
I even believed that you didn’t have to send your tithe to the church you are a member of.
As a young minister, a group of church members met with our pastor about the financial struggles of the church. The appearance of the church makes people believe that it is doing fantastic but it is just an illusion. Not intentionally but still an illusion.
Someone brought up the point that the church we attend is our home. Just like we take care of the bills and expenses of our personal home, we also need to support our church home. Ministers need to be more proactive about informing the church body what tithe is, what it is for, and how to do as God commands. People are confused, as I once was, and need guidance. Some even misinterpret an offering for a tithe.
Interestingly, we expect people to follow the “Ten Commandments” which were written in the Old Testament but not follow the tithe teaching.
Read for understanding and then follow it, not what seems right to the world.
Why do we support all kinds of charities, chalking it up to supporting God’s Kingdom? “Bring the whole tithe to the storehouse” means the place you are being spiritually fed. Anything above and beyond can be given to charities (those in need) but it is an offering, above what is required of us.
If we love the Lord, why not show it because tithing is a form of worshiping Him. He doesn’t tell us to give what we can but to take from the top of all we receive and then live off the rest. We are still to be stewards of the other 90% by making wise, God sought out decisions.
Once I heard of a man who did the opposite. He lived off the ten and gave the 90 to God. Can you imagine worshiping like that?
In the past, I would automatically have $38 a month taken out of my bank account every month for Compassion International. It is a Christian organization that helped support poor families, in poor countries. That was ten percent of my monthly earnings from my part-time job.
Any extra money I received from additional resources would still be accounted for. I would take 10% of it and just drop it into the offering plate at church. About a month ago, God laid it on my heart to change my way of thinking. The storehouse I am fed at will receive my tithe instead of just extra money.
I nearly didn’t stay for the meeting the pastor had with the group of church members but I had a pull on my heart that said I was meant to be there. After hearing what our pastor had to say about the church finances, I knew that I was following what was commanded of me. Thank you God for giving me the additional confirmation. Sometimes, I can be a little dense and need a slap in the face, with reality.
I know this is an extremely touchy subject for most people. Let’s face it, money in general is a touchy subject but mix that in with Biblical principles and wow! This is why a lot of churches do not go into detail about the difference between tithing and offering, according to the Bible.
On Sunday the 3rd of this month, my Lead Pastor did! It was an amazing sermon, that needed to be taught from the pulpit. Feel free to check it out Here.
