I think any critique of the commonly taught tithing doctrine needs to be balanced with a clarification of a good christian view of stewardship & giving. I wrote this Giving summary of this about 7 years ago (while working in a big, organised church). I reviewed it this week, & was happy to see I still agreed with most of it .... so with a few minor changes, I'll email this out next. (The danger is that many people toss out the tithing doctrines & end up not being generous givers at all .... this is sad/unfortunate/wrong).
You
can see the thing's I've changed .... some has been
ruled thru (deleted), & the bits in red are my recent additions.
Both stewardship & giving are acts of worship.
-
God is owner of all
things. When we give a gift to ministry,
it is one way to thank Him for His love & generosity shown to us.
-
We are called to
worship God with every breath, every ounce of energy, and everything we
possess. Our lives should be lived as
acts of worship to God, including our stewardship & giving.
· Genesis 28:16-22 Jacob realised that
all belongs to God, and used his tithe as a means of worship
· Leviticus 22:17-22, 29 God deserves only
the best of what we have to offer
· 1 Cor
10:31 Everything we do (including giving) should be done
for the glory of God
· 2 Cor
9:11,12 Our
giving results in thanksgiving to God
· Acts 20:35 It is more blessed to give, than to receive
Do we look after our personal needs first, and then give God a slice of the leftovers? NO!
The first
share of what we receive belongs to God, & then we live off the rest.
All of what
we have belongs to God. Lk 19:11-27
· Neh 10:3739 God is given the first fruits of all
produce
· Prov 3:9,10 Honour
God with the first fruits of your wealth
· Matt 19:16-24 If the rich cannot part with their
wealth, they are not following Christ
One reason God asks us to be stewards & give is to test our willingness to trust Him. Our God who created the universe doesn’t need the 10%, 20% or 100% of His resources that we return to Him. He can get the job done with us or without us, through us or in spite of us. His desire is for us to demonstrate that we are trusting, obedient and faithful in our relationship with Him.
· 1 Kings 17:7-16 The widow of Zarepath provided food for Elijah out of her depleted
reserves
· Luke 6:38 The measure you give will be
the measure you receive
· 1 Tim 6:17-19 Put your hope in God, not in your
possessions & money
· Eccl 5:10 Wealth is meaningless & unsatisfying
· Matt 6:19-34 Seek first the
The typical Kiwi attitude is that we are self-sufficient & responsible for all we possess.
The
Biblical perspective is different – we are merely overseers of God’s earthly
domain, responsible for taking care of His resources until Jesus returns. We are called to be the wise managers of
God’s wealth, rather than the creators and consumers of our own wealth.
· Genesis 14:17-24 Abram acknowledged that his
victory spoils were a gift from God
· 1 Chron
29:14-18 Everything
is God’s. We watch over it for Him. (also Psalm
24:1,2; 50:10-12)
· Luke 16:10-12 He will only trust us with
much after we prove ourselves faithful with a little
· 1 Cor 4:2 Paul exhorted those
who were being trusted to prove themselves faithful
· 1 Tim 6:6, Phil 4:10-13 Be content with what you have
· Matt 6:24 Master money by serving God with it
1. Generously Dt 15:7-10; Ps 37:21; Prov 11:24,25; 2 Cor 9:6
2.
Secretly Matt
6:1-4
3.
Strategically Acts
2:44,45;
4:32-37
4.
With Honesty Acts 5:1-11 (Ananias & Saphira)
5.
Sacrificially Mk
12:41-44; 2 Cor 8:1-9
6.
Joyfully 2
Cor 8:10-12; 9:7
7.
Setting an Example 2
Cor 9:1,2,13 (your giving
may encourage others to do the same)
8.
Investing in the
Future 2 Cor 9:6 you reap what you
sow – therefore sow bountifully
Matt 6:19-21; 1 Tim 6:18,19 gain treasure in
heaven – no moths, rust or thieves
Matt 19:16-24 This life is short, & then we face
God
9.
To Support Your
To Build the
Luke 8:2,3; Gal 6:6; 3 John 8; Luke 10:7; 1 Cor 9:9; 1 Tim
5:17-18;
As a wise man once said ‘While you have temples & priests, you need tithes &
offerings’. It costs money to
operate a structured local church – hence church members need to pay for the
running costs of that church.
10.
To Build the
11.
To The Poor 1
Tim 6:17-19, 2 Cor 9:6-12, Deut 15:11, Lk 12:33, Gal 2:10, Prov 19:17, 1
Jn 3:17-19
· Tithing is the giving of one tenth of your gross
income to God. Under Old Testament Law, God’s people were required to give a
tithes (10%) of their gross income to
God, which went to provide for the Levites (their spiritual leaders), to feed the poor, & to have
parties. [Gen 14:20; Lev 27:30; Deut 14:22;
Neh 10:37-39;
Mal 3:8-10]
· Now we are under New Testament grace
brought by Jesus. We are no longer under a Law to tithe, but it remains a
fundamental biblical principle, and in fact the NT principles go far beyond
tithing. (ie tithing is the easy
way). All that we have belongs to God
(not just the first 10%), and He commands us to give generously (ie much more than just tithing).
· Experience proves that we all
need to establish discipline in our lives.
Many people have the concept
of giving, but without a stated discipline or commitment, in practice they give little.
· Many Christians can testify to the
blessing of God, as they have established tithing as the starting place in their giving, with other offerings and gifts
given in addition to their tithe.
· 2 Kings 4:1-7 God’s blessing for obedience
· Matt 14:14-21 God can multiply the little we have
(feeding the 5000)
· 2 Cor
9:6-12 We will always have enough to be generous
· Lk 6:38 Give & you will receive, overflowing amounts
1. How committed are you to the work of God? Does this commitment extend into all areas of your life?
2.
What is your starting place for giving? ie
what regular commitment have/will you make?
3. In Nehemiah 10:39, the Israelites
decided “We will not neglect the house of our God”
What does this mean for you?
3.
George
Barna said “God expects each of us to fund the church
generously, He accepts no excuses for stinginess, and our lives are materially
affected by our generosity”. Do you
agree with this? What are your reasons?