People
at BCA have asked some legitimate questions about tithes and offerings.
These questions must be answered in order for a person to give up their
hard-earned money in faith. The Word says that anything we do that is
not done in faith is sin, so we need to learn to give in faith.
Common Questions:
1. Is tithing New Testament?
The apostle Paul said that he worshipped God according to his fathers
and believed all the things that were in the law. (Acts 24:14) Jesus
said, "Not one jot or tittle of the law will pass away." (Matthew
5:18.) Abraham tithed before the law. Tithing
is a example of giving, setting the height of the bar, so to
speak. However, a born-again believer does not get their righteousness
from obeying the law.They are under a higher law, the law of Life. All
of the truth of the Old Testament is true. It is not however, our source
of righteousness. It does not make God love us more. Doing the things
in the law can never give us what Jesus died to give us. Our righteousness
was given by grace and is ours by faith,
not by any works on our part.
2. Am I robbing God when I do not tithe?
Yes, but He still loves you.
3.
Will I go to hell for not tithing?
No, you won't, but someone will. It takes money to get the gospel to
the world.
4.
Will God curse me if I do not tithe?
Galatians 3:13 says that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law.
Our failure to tithe or do anything else will not put us back under
the curse. God, who sent His own Son to redeem us from the curse, will
certainly not violate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus because
we fail to obey some part of the Word.
5.
Why is 10% so important?
God did not just randomly pull a figure out of the air. It takes about
10% of the income of a group of people to provide adequate ministry
to the families involved.
6.
What should the tithe be used for?
First and foremost the tithe is used to provide for those involved in
the work of the ministry. (Malachia 3:10) It is impossible for those
who minister to do so if their needs are not met.
Next,
the tithe is used to bring meaningful ministry to the local church body.
It costs money to bring worthwhile ministry to children and teens. The
church has to compete with MTV, video games and all sorts of multimedia.
Statistics
show that children who do not become disciples by the age of 18 will
probably never walk with God. A great portion of finances is required
to provide staff and programs to which children of this generation will
respond.
The
Bible pattern was that finances for outreach and buildings should come
from special offerings. Those who minister the word should not be robbed
to meet these needs.
7.
Is the tithe 10% before or after taxes?
That is a matter to settle in your own heart. Whatever you decide do
it faithfully with joy and thanksgiving. Don’t do it begrudgingly.
8.
What's the point in tithing?
Tithing is an expression of our love and trust for God. He gave all
He had for us. He sent His Son, Jesus, to become our sin, take the curse
of the law, conquer sin and obtain righteousness. Giving is one of the
ways we have of expressing our love for God.
Tithes
and offerings are also an expression of trust. We all want God involved
in our finances, but we don’t want to trust Him. Through our giving
our heart is expanded in our ability to trust Him in this area. Refusal
to give is a clear expression that we do not trust God’s word
in the area of finances and provision.
Failure
to tithe and give would be tantamount to praying, "Father I do
not trust you and I do not want you involved in my finances. I prefer
to live by the sweat of my brow, rather than to be empowered by your
grace, Amen!"
Tithes
and offerings are also one of the places that we express our concern
for the world. God’s Word says that He gives us the power to get
wealth so His covenant can be established in the earth. (Deuteronomy
8:18) God wants us to be channels through which He can pour His love
out on the world.
9.
What benefits do I get from tithing?
The benefits of tithes and offerings are many when they are done in
faith and love. God works from the heart. His capacity and power for
wealth can only flow through a generous heart. The word grace means,
power, ability or capacity that works through the heart. God wants us
to have His capacity for wealth and success.
We
can only get the grace to receive what we get the grace to give. As
we develop a generous heart, we are simultaneously developing a heart
that has the capacity to receive. Giving, in love and faith develops
a heart of generosity in us. Many people seek God’s ability to
prosper, but never experience it. The secret to real, abiding prosperity
is found in generosity. The generous or "liberal heart" as
the Bible calls it has the ability to see how to prosper in every situation.
Proverbs
11:23-26 describes how one person withholds what he should give and
never has enough and another person gives more than required, yet they
have abundance. The key is a generous, liberal heart.
The
person who has their heart established in the area of grace of giving
and receiving faces difficult times with confidence in God’s provision.
He/she stands sure in the promises of God.
10.
What if I am in debt? Should I pay my bills or tithe?
I have had people ask, "Should I rob my creditors or should I rob
God? I don’t have enough to pay both." It is unlikely that
we have observed the principles of God and found ourselves in debt.
So, should we cause the Kingdom of God to suffer because we have been
poor stewards? The truly generous person with a prosperous heart will
not steal from either; he/she will find a way to be responsible in both
areas.
11.
What did Jesus ever say about money?
Jesus taught more about stewardship than heaven, hell, faith or eternal
life. Nearly every parable was about stewardship. Stewardship is the
way we manage our life, time and resources for the Kingdom of God. If
we are disciples of Jesus we manage our life, time and resources around
His priorities.
Jesus’
taught that the way we viewed money would affect the way we view everything
in life. It would cause us to be divided in our loyalties. Matthew 6:21-24.
In truth we will never become true disciples of Jesus until we settle
the money issue.
The
proper handling of money is to not something you do when you reach a
high level of faith and spirituality. It is the starting place of God
granting His trust to us. It is the place that, until we get past it,
we will never be entrusted with the true riches of God. Luke 16:9-13.
Many people deceive themselves into thinking they will become generous
when they have more money. Paul taught people to be faithful with what
they had, not what they did not have. 2 Corinthians 8:12.
In
other words, if you are not generous with what you do have, you will
not be generous when you have more. Studies show that as the income
levels rise, people tend to justify giving smaller
and smaller percentages.
12.
How and where should I give?
In the Old Testament offerings were brought to the priest who served
you. In other words you should give to the place where:
a. You are receiving personal ministry
b. Your family is receiving ministry
c. You believe in what they are doing
Always
make giving an act of love, worship and faith. Get your heart involved.
Remind yourself of why you are giving to the ministry you are giving
to.
Do
you want your church to be effective?
Do you want quality programs for you and your family members?
Do want to bring stability to your community?
Do want to have God involved in your finances?
Enlarge your heart through faithful,generous,
loving giving!
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