Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. John 8:32 (NIV)
Quite often in human history, the enemy of faith creates arguments to confuse believers and mislead them away from the path of blessing. Each time, it happens, he maximises ignorance of the Word of God. There is Tsunamis of information everywhere but scarcity of truth.
The more information you goggle, the more confused you become. The solution to scriptural issues is in the Bible not Google. Only the truth can destroy falsehood. As you study what the Bible says about tithes, may you know the truth and may the truth set you free (John 8:32).
Why You Should tithe?
Tithes refer to a tenth of a person’s earning, income or gift voluntarily paid as a contribution for the support of a local church. The first practice of “tithing “was recorded in the Holy Bible over six thousand years ago before the Old and New Testaments. The Bible shows tithe as God’s idea for blessing man supernaturally . Melchizedek shared Holy Communion with Abram after collecting Tithes from him and blessed him.
That incidence happened before Moses came with the Law.
Tithing remains God’s supernatural idea to bless mankind across all generations (Malachi 3:10).
Has God or His purpose to bless human beings through the practice of “tithing” changed?
I will share with you 12 reasons why you should be tithing regularly in your local church.
(1) God commanded it
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 there will not be room enough to store it. Malachi 3:10 (NIV)
God instructed, in the Bible, all believers to tithe. It is the Lord’s commandment not a suggestion.
All believers are expected to obey God’s commandments (Isaiah 1:19).
There was no place in the Bible where God has withdrawn that commandment.
No man of God or organisation inside the Bible said anything contrary to God’s stand.
Those contesting tithing today are depending on personal logic and arguments.
Biblical principles (like tithing) are meant not to be debated or voted but to obey especially since there is great consequence for disobedience. God's instructions are not subjected to personal opinion or interpretation (2 Pet.1:20-21). Whatever is scriptural should not be open to debate!
Watch out for false prophets and teachers and save yourself from being misled (2 Pet.2:1-9).
Whatever God calls wrong is not subject to any man's personal opinion or interpretation.
(2) It is endorsed by Jesus Christ
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. Matthew 23:23 (KJV)
Have you heard the argument that, “there is no place in the Bible where Jesus ask us to tithe?” That is a lie. He told the Pharisees, it was right to tithe. Jesus Christ, the truth, will not tell anyone to do what is wrong or what he would not do. His integrity will not permit that. "And what he says to one to do, He says to all (Mark 13:37)". As a matter of fact, there is no place it is written in the Bible that Jesus Christ asked people not to tithe. In fact, Jesus would be a liar or hypocrites to commend people to do what he is not doing Himself.
Someone may say, “Bible never documented Jesus Christ tithing.” Yet Bible never documented Him not tithing either. The fact that Jesus Christ, was permitted to enter Jewish temples and partake in the traditions was a pointer to His acceptance as a correct Jew otherwise, the Pharisees and Sadducees would have rejected him from attending Jewish temples or reading the Word of God. He once paid the “temple tax” for himself and His disciple (Matthew 17: 24-27).
Jesus made it clear that He came to fulfil and not to break the law (Matthew 5:17).
(3) It is holy
Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD's; it is holy to the LORD. 31 If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. Leviticus 27:30-31 (ESV)
Paying your tithes makes the rest of your money holy. “For if the first fruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.” (Romans 11:16 NKJV.) The default mode of money is unrighteous but when you tithe to the Lord, the rest of it becomes holy. The Greek word for tithe, “Hallel Jah”, means “set apart to sanctify.” Hallel Jah also means, “Jah is God.“ 'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD (Lev.27:30.) Once you give your tithe – the God’s holy part of your income- the rest is blessed and the devil cannot touch it. What is holy thrives and multiplies. When you touch God’s holy tithe, it becomes "harem" meaning accursed and you expose yourself to defeat of the enemy.
You "give" tithe and do not "pay" it because it belongs to God, not you. That is why you do not determine the percentage or place you tithe by yourself. It is determined by God.
You give tithe to God (not to church or pastor).
(4) It is a proof of your trust in God
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 there will not be room enough to store it. Malachi 3:10 (NIV)
Faithful believers are still offering tithes to worship and honour God.
Tithe is not just meant to multiply your wealth or attract God’s blessing, it is meant to recognise God as your Lord and Source. It remains a covenant tool used to proof personal trust in God as the Source of all earth's resources (Genesis 14:17-24).
Tithe (and other types of giving) is a proof of trusting God. Proof me, said the Lord (Mal. 3.10)!
The Bible says, “He that is faithful in little is faithful in much.” If you cannot trust God in the least thing (unrighteous Mammon) how can you trust God for your promised blessing of healing, promotion, mercies, eternity etc. (Luke 16:11)? Tithing is an exercise of your faith in the Lord. And “It is to you according to your faith (Matthew 9:29).
The righteous must live by his faith (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 3.11; Heb.10:38).
(5) It is to provide for the House of God
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house." Malachi 3:10a
From time immemorial till the present, a major purpose of tithe is to provide for the house of the Lord. This way, the people of the Lord can be blessed as they remain blessing to others.
Tithe is used for helping the needy (poor, disabled, widow, orphans, foreigners, etc.)
Tithe is used to take care of the temple and those workers serving there. Tithe is used for church administration. It is used to run church programs and pay pastors who in addition to spending many years in professional training invest their lives daily for the well-being of the local Church. It is not fair to deny your church labourers of income.
"You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain (Deuteronomy 25:4). Non- tithing is simply robbing your local Church of her resources to offer her services. It is an act of irresponsibility for a believer to refuse to render his or her financial stewardship to the Lord.
It is robbing the Kingdom of God by denying local churches of the resources needed for offering their services to the people of the Lord.
(6) It is your Kingdom responsibility (financial stewardship)
But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. Luke 12:48
Tithing is a financial stewardship required of every mature believer. You are a parasite wherever you share in the blessing without sharing in the cost. It costs big amount of money to run every organisation, even your church family. Giving to the poor or to your family is not a substitute or replacement to giving to God and the local church (Matthew 26:11; Luke 14:26).
Failing your responsibility in the house of the Lord in the name of helping your family or the poor is an irresponsible conduct (Luke 14:26). Jesus said we will have the poor with us always (John 12:8) so give to the poor what belongs to them (arms), give to God what belongs to God (Tithes and offerings) and give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar (tax). None of these giving contests or replaces or substitutes another. That you pay tax to government or tithes to church is no reason not to pay rent to your landlord. No wonder, Jesus Christ teaches us to, "Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and To God what belongs to God (Mark 12:14-17)."
We are all stewards of God’s resources and will one day be called to give account to Him.
Nobody dies by tithing in the last 4000 years of the history of tithing. Yet many churches and great programs of God for His people have been shut down by tithe defaulters.
(7) It delivers you from greed
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage - with great patience and careful instruction. 3 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. 5 But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. 2 Tim 4:2-5
Tithing confusion and argument are not about New Testament or grace but simply about greed.
The ugly conversation going on in our time was not like that in the days of our faith forefathers otherwise tithing would not have survived over 6000 years!
Non-Tithing is a sign of the end time spirit of greed (2 Tim 3:1-9; Gal 5:13-23).
No way will a greedy man honour tithing (It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God (Mark 10:25).
In fact, God had to warn children of Israel about greed before setting them free from captivity and leading them into a land flowing with abundance (Deuteronomy 8:12-18).
Greed is a product of human selfish nature and no wonder it is growing in this last day when people have lost their love for God. We now live in a predicted time when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear (2 Tim 3:4).
Refuse to be part of that anti-Christ move of the end time.
(8) It is to personally attract supernatural supply at will
Test 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. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the Lord Almighty. Malachi 3:10b (NIV)
Tithe is meant to attract “Open Heaven” upon your life at will.
You however initiate your harvest through your seed. It is in connection to tithing that God asks man to test and prove Him? What a great opportunity and privilege to be able to provoke God to connecting you to His abundance through your faithful giving to His house- the Church.
God does not need any person’s money but God's people-the Church- does. God supplies every man’s need through other people on earth. He determines who takes custodians of His gifts, grace, blessings, ideas etc. and one of the areas to tap into God’s limitless resources is through obedience of tithing. I notice that those who are habitual tithers are hardly poor or needy.
It is those who faintly or hardly practise tithing that are mostly complaining. Such complaints, I guess hardly bothered God who stated in the Bible that, "if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches (Luke 16:11)?"
(9) It initiates you into New Testament “Giving lifestyles”
Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means "son of encouragement"), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. (Acts 4:36-37)
Giving is a New Testament lifestyle (John 3:16; 2 Cor. 9:7). Joseph of Cyprus did not give a tithe of what he earned from selling his field, he gave it all. He sets the standard for other New Testament believers, in response to the unconditional love Jesus Christ demonstrated by giving His life on the cross in exchange for ours. Giving exists where there is love (John 3:16).
While “Tithe” remains a fundamental teaching of the New Testament, we go through it now with new attitude. In the New Testament, we do not give out of fear but out of love to God who invested the life of His Son to save us eternally. It is not a debt we owe but seeds we sow in love. Our service and giving cannot be separated from love for the Lord. (Where your treasure is, is where your heart is Matt.6:21). Tithing is the least you can do as a believer operating in love. Under the Law, we are taught the minimum standard of relating to God. Under the dispensation of grace , Jesus as an expression of God's limitless love to mankind came to release us to express our maximum appreciation to the Lord beyond the limited standard of the Law. You should give more than tithe in appreciation to God for your salvation and far more to empower your church to seek the salvation of many other lost souls yet to locate their ways back home. We give tithe not out of law or obligation but out of appreciation and celebration of God who saves us, protects us and is able to provide for all our needs according to His riches in glory.
(10) It is to enter a covenant with God
But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:18
Our Lord is a promise giving but covenant-keeping God.
Though His promises are forever, it can only be enjoyed by “whosoever” shall claim it by faith.
God always blesses those who actually take steps of faith to convert His promise to covenant. Yes, there is always something to do to convert God’s promises to reality. It is playing the expected part in God’s plan that converts His promise to a covenant that He confirms by all means (Psalm 89:34). Only a person who is willing to take responsibility to do all required of the promise of the Lord can commit God of the covenant to perform.
God asked us to prove Him through obedience. Disobedient conducts deactivates God's blessing.
Tithing is an act of obedience that attracts God's blessing to faithful people (Deut. 12:5-6).
(11) It is a source of Supernatural Blessing
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. He was priest of God Most High, 19 and he blessed Abram, saying, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. 20 And praise be to God Most High, who delivered your enemies into your hand.” Then Abram gave him a tenth of everything. Gen 14:18-20 (KJV)
Malachi 3:10 says concerning tithe, “test 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. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the Lord Almighty. Tithe is a supernatural way of keeping the windows of heaven open upon your head.
It is a major way God purposes man to attract the type and amount of blessings such desire at will (Luke 6:38). "As long as the earth endures, seed-time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night will never cease (Genesis 8:22)."
Unfortunately, human focus on the responsibility of giving has blurred our focus from receiving from God who is able to bless each person according to His own unending riches in glory.
The purpose behind tithing is God’s supernatural blessing - such a blessing that your stores can not hold. All determined by you through faith.
(12) It is to acknowledge God as your Permanent Source
The king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the people and keep the goods for yourself.” 22 But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “With raised hand I have sworn an oath to the Lord, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, 23 that I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the strap of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’ 24 I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me—to Aner, Eshkol and Mamre. Let them have their share.” Gen 14:21-24
God wants to be your source. Tithe is about making God your Source.
Abram through his tithes chose to make God, rather than any man or anything, his Source (Gen. 14:20). After taking that decision, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward (Gen.15:1).
God suddenly became Abram’s Source- a very great reward!
Unfortunately, a greedy person will prefer to make his or her resources the source. Such a person believes that it is wiser to trust the resources that is at hand than the Source, that exists forever. What an utter foolishness. Some people's faith operate at that foolish level. Only when people trust God with their resources and make Him their “Source”, that they allow Him to provide for them beyond what their limited resources can provide. It is only when you trust God with the resources He entrusted you with that He assumes role of “Source.”
Our giving should however be beyond money (offering, tithing or vows.)
We should love God enough to give our everything to Him - our love, heart, time, entire lifetime! Only then can we attract His true and unending abundance into our lives.
Conclusion:
God does not change (Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 13:8).
His truth, plan and purpose for the well-being of mankind remain forever (Jeremiah 29:11).
Argument against tithe is catching like wild fire because of the ever increasing population of non-believers, doubters, faith critics and cynics with no love for God or the truth of His word (Matt. 24:10-12; 2 Tim. 3:1-8). As a believer, you should not take your cue to serve God from the world. You should rather lead the world to observe the supremacy of the authority of the word of God. It’s “Sola scriptura” or nothing! Only the Word of God should be your final authority on any issue of life. Only the word of God will stand forever.
The present confusion will also pass away but the word of God will stand forever.
Do not be misled by common sense, personal logic, public opinion, and Google arguments.
No human stand, however brilliant can stand the test of time.
Only the Word of God can set free from the ignorance and blindness the enemy is unleashing on the world to destroy ignorant people. If Jesus return peradventure tarries for another thousands year, the truth of tithing (like other truths of the Bible) will continue to prevail and perform the purpose God created it for- to build and sustain a powerful and self-independent body of Christ.
God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? Numbers 23:19 (NIV)