TITHING, OFFERINGS, ALMS

Tithe – to give a tenth of one’s income is a tithe.

There has been much confusion among people who don’t know the word of the Lord as it pertains to tithing. I remember when I was a brand new Christian and heard about tithing for the first time. It was a real shock!

Up to this point I had always put a very, very small token of my income into the offering basket. The church I had gone to all my life never mentioned anything about tithing. I look back and laugh now as I remember my husband saying. If I ever tithe, you know I’m saved.

I didn’t know how we could possibly give that much money to the Lord! There were bills to pay that couldn’t wait! But we took that step of faith, trusted God, and immediately began to tithe. We knew that God’s word was true; and according to His word, He would supply all our need if we were faithful with our tithe.

Phil. 4:19 “And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Also, in the book of Malachi, the Lord actually asks us to test Him in this! This is the only place in all of the Bible that God asks us to test Him.

Mal. 10:10 “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”

When we look at our monetary situation through our natural eyes, we say this is impossible. I can’t explain to you how and/or why it works…..it just does because we are being obedient to the Lord. But when we look with spiritual eyes, we know God is faithful to perform His word.

“Matt. 5:18 “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”

Ezek. 12:25 “For I am the Lord, I speak, and the word which I speak will come to pass……I will say the word and perform it, says the Lord God.”

The first thing we have to recognize is that everything belongs to God! We are only stewards of what He places in our hands.

Ps. 24:1 “The earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness, the world and they who dwell therein.”

Deut. 10:14 “Indeed heaven and the highest heavens belong to the Lord your God, also the earth with all that is in it.”

Deut. 8:18 “It is God who gives you the power to get wealth for His purposes.”

Another often used argument by those uneducated in the word of God is that tithing is only meant for those who lived in the Old Testament Biblical times, not for us today. This argument doesn’t have any foundation as we see Jesus speak of tithing in the New Testament, in Matt 23:23 and in Luke 18:12.

In addition, the writer of Hebrews speaks of tithing in chapter seven, verses 2, 5, and 9. Hence, it was not only meant for the Old Testament, but for today as well.

In Genesis 14:20, we see the first tithe when Abraham tithed to Melchizedek. In the book of Levicus 27:30, we see that the tithe is the Lord’s.

Levicus 27:30 “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s, It is holy to the Lord.”

Malachi, 3:8, 9, we see that God addresses those who don’t give their tithe as robbers of God! “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation.”

When the tithe was first spoken of in the Bible, people bartered as their main form of economic exchange. They traded goods, animals and produce.

The purpose of tithing is threefold:

1) It is obedience to God;

2) It is giving the most desired to God first;

3) It shows your heart and whom you put first in your life.

To whom should you tithe?

The tithe goes where you are being spiritually fed. In the majority of cases, it is your local church that is helping you to grow in the knowledge of the Lord along with teaching you how to live as a Christian.

Malachi 3:10a “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be food in My house…..”

OFFERINGS

Offerings are monies given to organizations or missionaries over and above the tithe. For example:
- Building funds
- Missions
- Pregnancy centers
- Television ministries like: CBN’s 700 Club; Billy Graham etc.
- Any ministries God puts on your heart.

ALMS

Money or food given freely to relieve the poor, also over and above the tithe. It could be given personally to a person you might know who is in dire straits; it could be given to organizations who feed the poor like World Vision etc.

Also, you could make a donation to your church if they have a pantry ministry that has food stocked for the needy of the congregation.

We know that the Word of God instructs us on how to give, and we must follow the instructions. But God is a loving God and has given us free choice in all things, including giving. We see in the book of Exodus, after the Lord set the people free from Egyptian slavery, He said in Ezekiel:

“Ex. 25:2 “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering.”

The Lord wants you to give with a cheerful heart not because you have to.

“2 Cor. 9:6,7 “But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”

Luke says in his gospel:

Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”

Many times, this verse 38 has been taken out of context and used to get people to give based on what they can get back. That is not God’s desire as we look at verse 35 which reads:

Luke 6:35 “But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great…..”

Those to whom you give will have to stand before the Lord and give an account for what has been placed in their hands. You are judged on the basis of the heart by which you give.

1) Tithing is giving what part of your income?

2) How will God supply all your need?

3) Where should the tithe go?

4) To whom does all the wealth you have accumulated belong?

5) Tithing is only meant for those who lived in Old Testament times.

6) Complete this scripture: Malachi, 3:8 “Will a man ________ God? ........"

7) The purpose of tithing is:

8) Offerings and alms are part of the tithe.

9) If you give to relieve the poor it is known as:

10) The Lord wants you to give:

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