01/22/2012  Bring It, Don't Give It:  Four Principles for Tithing

The church is not exempt of materialism. We all struggle with greed in some capacity. It could very well be that the powerless state of the Western church is due to her lack of prayer and her adulterous affair with the god of materialism. Personal as well as national debt are at astronomical levels. In order for one to grow in maturity with Christ, one must give over all control to Him including one's finances. Four Principles for Tithing helps us understand God’s view of money.

We tithe because:

God owns it all and sustains it all. (Psalm 50:9-12; Acts 17:28; Colossians 1:16; 1 Peter 1:18-19)

Not only were we made by God we were made for God and purchased at a price. We are no longer “free agents” He owns everything about us.

We tithe because:

He calls us to bring the first and the best to Him just like Abel (Genesis 4:1-5).

We tithe because:

He commands us to bring the whole tithe into His storehouse.  Abram and Jacob set the precedence 500 years before the Law was established that what was normative is giving God a tenth of everything (Gen 14:17-20; Gen 28:20-22). David sets a powerful example for us in that we are not to bring to God that which costs us nothing (2 Samuel 24:18-25). Bringing to the Lord is not an issue of convenience but obedience (Mal 3:1-11) and He expects us to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. “Test me” God says and see if I don’t bless beyond your ability to store it all.

We tithe because:

Jesus said so. As Jesus rebuked the Pharisees the instruction was that they were bringing the tenth of their spices as their offering but were neglecting to practice justice, mercy and faithfulness. Jesus says you should be doing the latter without neglecting the former. Jesus says, “Bring the tenth” and practice justice, mercy and faithfulness (Matthew 23:23).

It really is that easy.

What is hard?

Trusting God to provide and simply letting go.

Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)