Lesson
Nine
Salvation of the Soul (Sanctification Process; Walking in the Spirit)
continued
TITHES;
OFFERINGS; GIVING
Giving is at the
heart of God. God so loved the
world that He GAVE His only begotten Son.
God gave unselfishly, knowing that Jesus the Man had the right to tell
the Father that He just could not go through with it. But Jesus had lived His life as a reflection of the Father,
so He also had giving as His primary purpose. Jesus was obedient to the cross, because He knew that giving
His life was the only way sinful humankind could be restored to fellowship with
God. Since we are to be like Him,
we must have giving in our hearts.
The tithe is 10%
of a person’s income - off the top (first fruits) before any other bills
are paid or items purchased. An
offering is in addition to the tithe.
An offering can be finances or an item, such as clothing, etc. The Lord also expects us to give to
individuals when there is a need and we have the means to provide it (James
2:15-16).
Tithing is a sensitive
subject to both the believers and those who “run” the church
organizations. The Lord makes it
very clear in His Word, that the tithe does not belong to us; it belongs to the
Lord. Now, the Lord does not need
our money because He owns all the gold of the universe. Consider the fact that we must give the
Lord permission to lead us and bless us, so this is one way to give Him
permission to bless our finances.
Abraham was the first person recorded to give tithes when he gave tithes
to the King of Salem, the priest of the most high God (Genesis 14:20).
But my God shall supply all
your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19.
Paul wrote the
above message to the church in Philippi to commend them for their giving attitude. They were the only church up to that
time that had responded freely to the needs of Paul’s ministry. It was because of their sacrificial
giving that he could confidently declare that God would meet all their needs
according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. It is not stated whether Paul made his needs known or if
they discerned his needs through the power of the Holy Spirit. James stated, that if you see a brother
or sister in need and you do nothing, that your faith is without works and is
dead (James 2:15-16). Notice that
Paul knew that their giving was sacrificial - they also had needs, but they
gave anyway.
There are many
exhortations to tithe in scriptures.
Some argue that, because most of the scriptures are in the Old
Testament, that the command to tithe does not apply to Christians. But there are several New Testament
scriptures. Hebrews 7:5-8 command
the ministers of the Lord to receive tithes; Matthew 7:2 and Luke 6:38 reveal
that giving opens the way for God to bless us:
Give and it shall be given unto
you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall
men give into your bosom. For with
the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. Luke 6:38.
Think about the
word “measure” in the above scripture. If you give a teaspoonful, you will be blessed with a
teaspoonful in return. If you give
a bucketful, you will be blessed with that same measure in return. This measure is actually based on the percentage
that you give of what you have, not the specific size or amount. If you have a bucketful and you give a
only a teaspoonful, you are limiting your return. Incidentally, some people think that the tithe should be on
your gross income, and others believe that it should be on your net
income. Remember that the
Scripture says that the tithe is on the first fruits - the gross, before any
bills are paid, etc. Now look at
Mark 12:41-44 and Luke 21:2-4 that relates a story about a poor widow who gave
all she had. The story does not
say what kind of a blessing she received, but according to Luke 6:38, she put
herself into position to receive that good measure, pressed down, shaken
together, and running over.
And Jesus sat over against the
treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that
were rich cast in much.
And there came a certain poor
widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing.
And he called unto him his
disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow
hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury;
For all they did cast in of their
abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her
living. Mark 12:41-44.
The widow’s
2 mites represented all she had. This was obviously more than a tithe. It was an offering (perhaps including a
tithe), and she gave because she was in need. She must have known that the Lord returns blessings much
more abundantly than they are given.
Now, the Lord does not often require us to give financially all that we
have, but we should be willing if He asks. The point is, be willing. And always be led by the Holy Spirit. There may be a rare time when the Lord
will tell you not to give an offering.
But the tithe is always required, and there is a specific place for the
tithe to go.
There is a great
promise from the Lord that he will restore to us what we have lost. Even though this scripture partly
refers to future events, we can believe the Lord to fulfill it for us here:
And I will
restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the
caterpillar, and the palmerworm, my great army which I sent among you. Joel 2:25.
In addition to
finances, the above scripture can also be applied to restoring peace, joy,
health, victory over habits, and any other blessing you feel you have lost.
Read the New
Testament a story about a couple named Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5:1). They announced that they were going to
sell their property and give it all to the Apostles to further the Kingdom of
God. However, they decided to keep
back a portion under the deception that they were giving all. It was revealed to Peter by the Holy Spirit
what they were doing, and they lost their lives. Notice that Peter did not accuse them of lying to him or the
other brethren; they lied to the Holy Ghost. Our attitudes about giving are very, very important. The Lord loves a cheerful giver (II
Corinthians 9:7), but He also wants truth from the giver. Do not give deceitfully or to be noticed
or applauded by men.
Malachi 3:8-11 is
a key scripture in understanding why God requires us to tithe and give
offerings:
Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed
thee? In tithes and offerings.
Ye are cursed with a curse: for
ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
...Bring ye
all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and
prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the
windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room
enough to receive it.
And I will rebuke the devourer
for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither
shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of
Hosts. (Malachi 3:8-11).
God states that
if a believer does not tithe and give offerings, that the believer is a robber. Strong, isn’t it? Anyone who would steal from the Lord
brings the curse upon himself. Are
you always in a “jackpot” about your finances? If you are, are you tithing? If you are tithing and giving offerings
and your finances are not yet blessed, are you walking in faith that the Lord
will fulfill His Word? Are you
exercising patience that the Lord will reward you in His time? Or are you really being led by the Holy
Spirit in giving offerings? Are
you being a good steward of the money that the Lord does provide for you? All of us have seasons of financial
strain and financial blessing.
There are principles about finances in the scriptures that will impart
wisdom to anyone who will look for them.
Sometimes we just need patience, (standing in faith) to receive the
blessings promised by the Lord.
Verse 10 of the
above scripture says to bring the tithe into the storehouse. A storehouse is a place in which food
is stored - in this case, spiritual food.
It is, therefore the place where we worship regularly. The purpose is so that there will be
rich spiritual food for our souls and spirits. The tithe keeps the lights on and the plumbing working so
that we and new believers can come to learn about God. It also supports the pastor who can be
set free from other employment so that he has time to seek the Lord on our
behalf. The storehouse is NOT your
favorite TV ministry. OFFERINGS,
not tithes, go to TV ministries to support the work of God around the
globe. Your local place of
worship, your church, is where your tithes go.
Contained in
verse 10 also is the wonderful promise that the Lord will open the windows of
heaven over us and pour out blessings upon us that we cannot even contain. You can imagine that windows in heaven
would be large. Verse 11 contains
the promise that the Lord will rebuke the devourer for our sakes. Remember that in Jesus’ earthly
ministry he rebuked devils and they fled, so we have seen that anything the
Lord rebukes has to go. Therefore,
we can be certain that when we give tithes and offerings that the Lord will
protect our finances, and we will not suffer permanent loss.
The Lord
challenges us to prove Him by giving our tithes obediently. He will fulfill His Word.
Be prepared to
answer the following questions:
1. What was Jesus’ primary purpose?
2. What is a “tithe”?
3. What is the difference between a tithe
and an offering?
4. To Whom does the tithe belong?
5. How do we give God permission to bless
our finances?
6. Why did Paul tell the Philippian church
that God would meet all their needs?
7. Who was the first man in the Bible to give tithes?
8. Where should the tithe always go?
9. What does the phrase “windows of heaven” mean?
Challenge: Find a scripture in the Book of
Proverbs that gives financial wisdom.