Chapter 11.1
The Tithe
Is this an Old Testament command or a
New Testament principal or just history?
Prosperity Message – What does God say?
Old Testament Promise
Right
out of the chute, the Bible talks about meditating on God’s Word and
doing what it says; followed by a promise that you will be prosperous and
successful.
Joshua 1:8 – Obedience
gives birth to Prosperity
8 Do not let this BOOK
OF THE LAW depart
from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may
BE CAREFUL TO DO EVERYTHING WRITTEN IN IT.
THEN YOU WILL BE PROSPEROUS AND SUCCESSFUL.
NIV
Old Testament Principal
Offerings are first
noticed in the Old Testament when Cain and Able brought offerings unto the Lord;[1]
and later after a battle, Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizidek, the Priest of God.[2] This was Abraham’s confession that God was
his Lord, and was the giver of his victory.
The tithe was a tenth of
ALL of his increase in assets.[3] Ten percent leveled
the playing field for the rich as well as the poor, they all gave the same.[4] This could be perfume, oil, wine, produce,
grain, fruit, sheep or camels;[5] it
was an everlasting ordinance[6]…
so a grain offering and a meat offering were both acceptable offerings to the
Lord.
“And if there is
among them a man that is poor or needy, and they have not an abundance of
necessaries, they fast two or three days that they may supply the needy and
their necessary food.” (The Apology of
Aristides) Skip two or three days of meals; give the money
to the poor.
New Testament Principal
The tithe was also
customary in the New Testament.[7] God gave the tithe to those that minister in
the church in return for their work.[8] The money was used to pay the Workers and for
the maintenance of the Church.[9]
Wouldn’t it have been wonderful if it had been your
donkey that was given to Jesus to ride?[10] What if you had been the woman at the well
who gave Jesus just a drink of water?[11] What if you were the little boy that gave your lunch to Jesus?[12] No matter how little you give or help,[13]
it’s still unto the Lord.[14]
Give what you have, NOT what you don’t have, don’t go into debt.
Pastor’s Commanded
The
Pastor of your church is “commanded” to collect the tithe; a “tenth” from
the members.
Gross or Net: Well, how do you want to be blessed; Gross or Net? The Government collects its portion on
Gross. Should God be treated with less
respect than the Government?
In OT times, the giving could be well over 25% when you add up all the sin offerings, drink
offerings, freewill offerings and feast offerings. Ten percent is a good deal.
Hebrews 7:5 – The
Tithe is a tenth; it’s the LAW
5 Now THE LAW REQUIRES
the descendants of Levi who become priests to COLLECT A TENTH from the people-that
is, their brothers-even though their brothers are descended from Abraham.
NIV
Pay the staff
The
workers must be paid to support their families or they will have to
seek work elsewhere and the Church will not be able to function. When you withhold your tithe, you are robbing
God, and losing your blessing.
Nehemiah 13:10-11 – The workers must be paid
10 I also
learned that THE PORTIONS assigned to the
Levites
HAD NOT BEEN GIVEN TO THEM, and that
all the Levites and singers
responsible for the service
had gone back to their own
fields.
11 So I rebuked
the officials and asked them,
"WHY IS THE HOUSE OF GOD NEGLECTED?" Then I called
them together and stationed them at their posts.
NIV
Malachi 3:8-9 – Should
you steal from God
8 "WILL A
MAN ROB GOD? Yet you rob me. "But you ask,
`HOW DO WE ROB YOU?'
"IN
TITHES AND OFFERINGS.
9 YOU ARE UNDER A
CURSE-the whole nation of you-because you are robbing me.
God says to TEST Him
Man
is inherently tight fisted with what he has. Giving has to be learned; you will put your
money where your heart is.[15] God has generously given to us;[16]
we should generously give back to His storehouse.[17]
God said to “TEST
HIM”
with the tithe and see if He will not throw open the flood gates of heaven and pour
out a blessing on us; this is the ONLY time God has said to test Him. It’s in the Book.
Many years ago I shared with a friend that
I was only earning 16k annually and a he told me to TITHE ON WHAT I WANTED TO EARN… so I started
tithing for 20k…
Within 3 months, I was promoted and got 20k. I
told my friend, he said I was SHORT SIGHTED;
I should have tithed for 24k….. So I did it again… and in another 3
months I was promoted again…. got 24k.
I started tithing for 30k and shortly after that I got
FIRED;
but on that very last day at 5:00pm, just as I was leaving, I received phone
call; an unsolicited job offer. I never
applied and was never interviewed and I never spoke to or met the man before,
it was the best job in my whole life and I got a fifty percent increase to boot. He said “I have heard about
you”. I stand so
blessed; God is so faithful.
WHEN YOU TITHE YOU ARE ACTUALLY
GIVING TO YOUR SELF.[18]
Malachi
3:10-12 –
Test God’s blessings with your tithe
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 you will not have room enough for it.
11 I will
prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not
cast their fruit," says the LORD Almighty.
12 "Then
all the nations WILL
CALL YOU BLESSED, for yours will be a delightful land," says
the LORD Almighty.
NIV
Proverbs
11: 25 –
Give and it shall be given to you
25 The generous soul will be made rich, and
HE WHO WATERS WILL ALSO
BE WATERED HIMSELF. NKJV
2
Corinthians’ 9:6 – Generously give; you
will generously receive
6 Remember this:
Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and
WHOEVER SOWS GENEROUSLY WILL
ALSO
REAP GENEROUSLY. NIV
Sell some Stuff
Today
most things are convertible to cash, but some may be worth more to the
ministry than the cash received from the sale.
A golf cart aids in the parking lot, a car for a visiting missionary, a
condo or a house, for a furloughed missionary, a freezer for the church
kitchen. A keyboard for the Praise Team.
If your asset
offering is physically too big to take to the church, sell it and give the
money.
Instead of trading in my van, I heard
about a Wycliffe
Bible Translator in Texas who was
in need of a Van. We hooked up and he
traveled 1200 miles to South Carolina and got it and drove it home.
I see ministries today trying to get folks
to put them in their “Will”, so when they die the ministry will get
their house and assets to continue the work of the ministry. This is a hard
one for me to swallow.
Scriptures tell us we should leave an inheritance
for our children. But,
should we leave an inheritance to wayward kids that are just plain lazy, won’t
work, stingy and self-centered; what if they are immoral druggies? Lots to think about.
Proverbs 13:22 – We are to leave an inheritance
to our kids
22
A GOOD MAN LEAVES AN INHERITANCE
FOR HIS CHILDREN'S CHILDREN,
Deuteronomy 14:24-25- You can sell your assets to get money
24 But if that
place is too distant and you have been blessed by the LORD your God and cannot
carry your tithe (because the place where the LORD will choose to put his Name
is so far away),
25 THEN EXCHANGE YOUR (stuff) TITHE FOR SILVER, and take the silver with you and go to the place
the LORD your God will choose.
Find a Storehouse
So
many of the TV preachers teach the power of positive thinking; these are just FEEL GOOD churches
teaching that life is about YOU getting a
blessing… Separate
yourself from them.[19]
Find a church that teaches from the Bible,[20]
precept upon precept, line upon line[21]
and bring your tithe there;[22]
the workers need to be paid every week. Bring what you have every Sunday.[23]
Give with Excitement
We
are to give with excitement and love, not with a grudge or because it’s
something we have to do; God loves a “cheerful” tither. The Hebrew word “Cheerful” actually means hilarious.
Give generously on every occasion
2 Corinthians 9:7-11 – God loves an ecstatic giver
7 Each man
should give what he has decided in his heart to give,
NOT
RELUCTANTLY OR UNDER COMPULSION,
FOR
GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER.
8 And God is
able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times; having all that
you need, you will abound in every good work.
9 As it is
written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor;
His
righteousness endures forever."
10 Now he who
supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase
your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
11 You will be
made RICH in every way
SO THAT YOU CAN BE GENEROUS ON EVERY
OCCASION,
and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
NIV
Many Storehouses
The
next thing I say will be HIGHLY CONTROVERSIAL, especially to
pastors, but in my Belief System, it
seems to me that there are many storehouses[24]
for the tithe with different overseers.
In my BS,
it seems good to give into storehouses that take care of the stranger,[25]
the orphan and the widow.[26]
It seems right to me to divide the
tithe.
I have now been with my church for over 20
years, but before I became a member, I was tithing to a Missionary in the Dominican
Republic and still do. I divide my tithe:
whatever we do or give, we should do it as unto the Lord, not
unto men.
Blessings – Prosperity Message
God has promised
a blessing to those who
keep his statutes.[27] He will even use other men to
bless us. He will give health as we operate
in his Word. We will be lenders and borrow from
no one. We will be the head and not the
tail. We will be blessed when we come in
and when we go out, in the city and in the country, and whatever we set our
hands to will prosper.[28]
He will bless us with children, livestock,
meat and groceries. He will even protect
us from an enemy that raises his hand to our efforts. We will spend our remaining years in contentment.
It would be my prayer that every believer
would be BLESSED SO MUCH that he could
have a good life on just 10 percent and give the remaining 90 percent to the
Lord.
Jesus
Christ fulfilled the 615 Laws and
that included the LAW of the tithe, so when you give NOT because
of a law,
but out of desire,
you are truly more than blessed.
I can attest, that when you EXCEED the tithe, your giving is now from your
heart and not out of bondage or obedience to some law or tradition; it’s sweet and you are FREE.
RAISE
THE BAR
Deuteronomy 28:1-8 – Blessed coming in and going out
1 IF YOU
FULLY OBEY THE LORD YOUR GOD and carefully follow all his commands I give you
today, the LORD your God will
set you high above all the nations on earth.
2 ALL THESE BLESSINGS WILL COME UPON YOU and accompany
you IF you OBEY the LORD your God:
3 You will BE BLESSED IN THE CITY and blessed IN
THE COUNTRY.
4 The FRUIT OF YOUR WOMB will be blessed,
and
THE CROPS OF
YOUR LAND
and the YOUNG OF YOUR LIVESTOCK--the CALVES OF YOUR HERDS and the LAMBS OF YOUR FLOCKS.
5 Your BASKET AND YOUR KNEADING TROUGH will be blessed.
6
You will be blessed
WHEN YOU COME IN
and
blessed
WHEN YOU GO OUT.
7 The LORD will grant that
the ENEMIES who rise up
against you will be defeated before you.
THEY WILL
COME AT YOU FROM ONE DIRECTION
BUT FLEE
FROM YOU IN SEVEN.
8 The LORD will
send a BLESSING
ON YOUR BARNS
AND ON EVERYTHING
YOU PUT YOUR
HAND TO.
The LORD your God will BLESS YOU in the land he is giving you.
NIV
Deuteronomy 28:12-13 – He will bless the work of your hands
12 The LORD will
open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in
season and to
BLESS ALL
THE WORK OF YOUR HANDS.
You
will LEND TO MANY NATIONS
BUT WILL
BORROW FROM NONE.
13 The LORD will
make you the
head, not the tail.
IF you pay attention to THE COMMANDS of the LORD your God that I give you this
day and CAREFULLY FOLLOW THEM, you will
always be at the top, never at the bottom.
NIV
2 Corinthians 9:10-11 – You will be made rich so
you can give
10 Now he who
supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and INCREASE
YOUR STORE OF SEED and
will enlarge the harvest of your
righteousness.
11
YOU WILL BE MADE
RICH IN EVERY WAY
SO THAT YOU
CAN BE GENEROUS ON EVERY OCCASION,
and through us
your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
NIV
Rules
a)
Give
Liberally
and you will “receive liberally”[29] and
look forward to getting
to do it again.[30] Excel in giving; share sacrificially,[31] open
up your tight fist,[32] don’t
give with a grudging heart.[33]
b)
Eager: Willing, excited[34]…
Give what you have, not what you don’t have. [35] Don’t go into debt.
c)
Give
Often: Set aside your money for the Lord on the
first day of each week.[36]
d)
Secretly: When you tithe or bless someone, do not announce
what you are going to do. [37] Let it just be discovered… Give proportionally
to your blessings[38]…
Practice hospitality[39]
e)
It
must cost you something: Don’t offer to
God what belongs to someone else.[40]
f)
Family: If you
are able, take care of the elderly in your extended family so that they won’t
be an additional burden on the church.[41] The love of God is in you when you are a
giver.[42]
g)
If you
are living in deliberate sin: You will not
receive a blessing at all for your offering.[43]
Jesus raises the Bar
The
law said “do not murder” Christ said, don’t even be angry in your heart.[44] The law said “do not commit adultery”, Christ said
don’t even
look at a woman with lust.[45] It is said an eye for an eye but Jesus said, Turn the other cheek.[46] Someone sues to take your tunic, Jesus said, give him your
cloak too.[47] Forced to go a mile; Jesus
says, go a
second mile.[48] They say hate your enemies;
Jesus said pray
for your enemies.[49]
It is said don’t break your oath, but Jesus said, don’t even swear at all, just say Yes or No.[50] Give to someone who asks;[51] look
for opportunities,[52] giving gives
hope, it raises the spirit.
The Tithe is the beginning, RAISE THE BAR.
The Take Away
The tithe is an
Old Testament principal. The Israelites gave THREE TITHES.
THE
FIRST;
the Lord’s tithe, ten percent of their money and produce.
THE
SECOND:
paid three times a year when they went to the sanctuary.
THE
THIRD
tithe paid once every three years which was left at the city gate for the
Levites to distribute to the orphan, widow and stranger. This was about 13 percent of
their total income. This did not include
the free
will offerings or the burnt offerings,
cereal
offerings, peace offerings, sin offerings, heave offerings
and trespass
offering; then there was the temple tax.
Dual Intent: 1) Demonstrating
thankfulness for what God had given them; and 2) demonstrating
trust that He would continue to bless them.
Tithing is a New Testament principal. However, nowhere
in the New Testament are we commanded to tithe; all eight of the NT scriptures about tithing point back
to the OT principal; scripture says this principal is forever. WE ARE NO LONGER UNDER THE LAW; we are blessed,
so therefore we give. God says, “Well done my good and faithful servant”.
Alms: asked for by the
unfortunate; given to the poor. Given
freely without public show; it is
rendered an act of righteousness.
Basic to tithing is the acknowledgement of
God’s ownership of everything on earth.
We are to be faithful stewards of all that has been given to us. We are
blessed, therefore we give. Tithing is
our confession of our dependence on God and that we are a faithful steward of
His creation. We give of our time
“first”, we write His check “first”, and we consider others
“first”. We give the best; the “first”
fruits. Those that are faithful in
tithing are usually found faithful in service to the Lord.
The pastor is charged with collecting the
tithes for the storehouse. There are many
storehouses. We can divide
our tithe to where God moves on us to give it.
The tithe is one tenth of our increase from year to year. We are to give it once a week on the Lord’s Day.
We are participants in changing the
lives of people in need.
God
has told us we can TEST
him
concerning our giving and that we will receive a blessing. God will supply all our needs, but not necessarily all our wants. Cast your finances upon the waters of humanity
and after a time, you will see it coming back on every wave.
Everything we
set our hands to, will proper.
God will keep
Satan from derailing the efforts of our hands.
Ten percent is
just a beginning; we have the opportunity to
“Raise the Bar”
[1] Genesis 4:2-4 – Cain and
Able give offerings to God; CAIN brought
some of his fruits and ABEL brought
some of his fat portions
[2] This MELCHIZEDEK
WAS KING OF SALEM
and ABRAHAM GAVE HIM A TENTH OF THE PLUNDER! -- Genesis 14:18-20 – Abraham
gave a tenth of EVERYTHING to Melchizedek
[3] Leviticus 27:30-32 –
Tithe WHETHER GRAIN FROM THE SOIL OR FRUIT FROM THE TREES from the fields and
herds.
[4] Deuteronomy 16:17 – BRING A GIFT
IN PROPORTION TO THE WAY THE LORD YOUR GOD HAS BLESSED
[5] Deuteronomy 14:22 – Tithe
a tenth of PRODUCE -- Leviticus 27:30 – Tithe a tenth of GRAIN and FRUIT -- Nehemiah 13:12 – Tithe
a tenth of GRAIN, NEW WINE AND OIL -- Luke 11:42 – Tithe a
tenth of your MINT, RUE AND ALL OTHER KINDS OF GARDEN HERBS
[6] Numbers 18:23-24 – THIS IS A
LASTING ORDINANCE FOR THE GENERATIONS TO COME -- Hebrews 7:1-4 – A tenth of
your increase -- Luke 18:11-12 – Even Teachers of the law give a tenth.
[7] Matthew 23:23 – The tithe
is a New Testament principal; GIVE A TENTH of even your spices-mint, dill and cumin -- Proverbs 3:9-10 – Honor the lord with your wealth with the first fruits of all your crops
[8] Nehemiah 10:38-39 – Do
not neglect the Church Building Bring a tenth of the
tithes your contributions of grain, new Wine and
Oil
[9] Numbers 18:21 – TITHES given to the Levites overseers in the Church in return for the work they do while serving -- Nehemiah 13:5 – Tithes for paying the
workers of Grain, New Wine and Oil for the Levites, singers and gatekeepers, as well
contributions for the Priests
[10] Matthew 21:2-3 - Go to the village and find
a donkey, then say that the Lord needs them
[11] John 4:6-10 - There came a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus
saith unto her, Give me to drink.
How is it that you being a Jew, ask drink of me, who am a Samaritan woman?
[12] Matthew 14:17 - We have only five loaves here and two fish
[13] Mark 12:42-44 – Give what
you can out of your poverty; even a penny
[14] Matthew 25:40 – Your
giving is unto the Lord; whatever you did for one
of the least of these brothers of mine, you did
for me
[15] Matthew 6:21 – Where you
put your money, so is your heart.
[16] Genesis 28:22 – Jacob
says everything he has, came from God -- 2 Corinthians’ 9:8 – We will have all
that we need
[17] Leviticus 27:32 – Every
tenth animal will be holy to the LORD --
Matthew 6:19-21 – You are storing up treasures in heaven
[18] Proverbs 11:24-25 –
Tithing is actually giving to yourself
[19] 2 Corinthians 6:17 - Come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD
[20] Deuteronomy 12:5-6 – Seek
out a Bible teaching Church. There bring your burnt
offerings and sacrifices, YOUR TITHES AND SPECIAL
GIFTS your FREEWILL
OFFERINGS
[21] Isaiah 28:10 – Church
must teach PRECEPT MUST BE UPON PRECEPT, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a
little
[22] Malachi 3:10 – BRING THE WHOLE
TITHE into
the storehouse -- Matthew 10:8 – God has been generous with you; FREELY YOU HAVE RECEIVED, FREELY GIVE.
[23] 1 Corinthians 16:2 –
Bring your tithe ON THE FIRST DAY OF EVERY WEEK every Sunday
[24] Nehemiah 12:44 – There
are MANY STOREROOMS and many overseers. -- Colossians 3:23-24 – Work
and give as unto the Lord; IT IS THE
LORD CHRIST YOU ARE SERVING
[25] Deuteronomy 14:29 – Give
to the stranger.
[26] Deuteronomy 26:12 – You
should give to the orphan and widow.
[27] Job 36:11 – If they obey and serve him, you will spend your years in contentment
[28] Malachi 3:11 – Satan
can’t come against your efforts; I will prevent pests
from devouring your crops
[29] 3 John 2 – I WISH ABOVE
ALL THINGS THAT YOU MAY PROSPER -- Luke 6:38 – MEN SHALL GIVE INTO YOUR BOSOM; for with the same measure
that you give, it shall be measured back to you again -- Ecclesiastes 11:1 –
Give and after a while you will see it come back to you
[30] 2 Corinthian 9:6-7 – Give
Liberally; WHOEVER SOWS GENEROUSLY WILL ALSO REAP GENEROUSLY.
[31] Romans 12:6-8 – If your
spiritual gift is giving, then give generously. -- 2 Corinthians’ 8:7 – Excel
in the grace of giving
[32] Deuteronomy 15:7-8 –
Don’t be tight fisted toward the poor rather be
openhanded
[33] Deuteronomy 15:10 – Give generously to him and
do so without grudging
[34] Acts 20:35 – IT IS MORE
BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE, the blessing is in the giving;
[35] 2 Corinthians’ 8:11-12 –
Give what you have, the gift is acceptable
according to what one has, not according to what
he does not have
[36] 1 Corinthians 16:2 – Set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, give your offerings and tithes on the first day of every week
[37] Matthew 6:1-4 – Give in
secret; when you give to the needy, do not announce it. Do not let your
left hand know what your right hand is doing,
[38] Deuteronomy 16:17 – Give
in proportion to your blessings.
[39] Romans 12:13 – Practice
hospitality
[40] 2 Samuel 24:24 – I will not sacrifice to the lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing
[41] Hebrews 13:16 - Share
sacrificially; do good and share with others, for with such
sacrifices God is pleased -- Proverbs 19:17 – When you give to the poor,
you are lending to the Lord.
[42] 1 John 3:17 – The love of
God is in you when you give
[43] Deuteronomy 23:18 – If
you are in Homosexual sin, you will not be
blessed, your gifts are abomination unto the LORD thy God
[44] Matthew 5:21-22 – Don’t be angry, raise the
bar
[45] Matthew 5:27-28 – Don’t lust after a woman;
raise the bar.
[46] Matthew 5:38-39 – Turn the other cheek,
raise the bar.
[47] Matthew 5:40 – Give him your cloak too,
raise the bar.
[48] Matthew 5:41 – Go the second mile, raise
the bar.
[49] Matthew 5:43-44 – Pray for you enemy, raise
the bar.
[50] Matthew 5:33-37 – Just say yes or no, raise
the bar.
[51] Matthew 5:42 – Give to one who asks,
raise the bar.
[52] 1 Timothy 5:16 – Reduce burden on the church – Raise
the Bar
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