Can I Have Your A-Tenth-Tion Please Series

St. Peter opens the suitcase to inspect the worldly items that the man found too precious to leave behind and exclaims, "You brought pavement?"

- It encourages self discipline and thrift, checks greed, testifies to our faith, and promotes God's work in the world.

- Although tithing is not a condition for salvation, it is an important sacrifice for Christians to show their love for God and their church.

*** Our love for God

How many here love God?

When you and I pay our Tithes faithfully it shows that our heart is in the things of God.

The Bible says "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also"

One thing I have learned is - I can say I love God all day long, but the reality of the fact is where ever I place my money on a consistent basis, is where my heart is.

Where ever you and I put our finances, it shows you and I where our heart is.

*** Our love for our Church -

How many here love your Church?

When you and I pay our Tithes faithfully at our Church, it shows that we have a love for our Church and the truth is when you and I spend money on something we value it more. Can I hear an amen.

Example:

Rental Car... Eat in the car, go over speed bumps, don't really take care of it.

Why because we didn't pay for it.

Car you paid for... Don't eat in my car, drive carefully, clean it, and take care of it.

Why because we paid for it.

You and I usually value where we spend our money...

So it is when you and I give to our Church. We love it, value it, and take care of it, why because we have put money into it.

So when you and I love our Church - we give and because we give we value what God is doing in our Church. We value the condition of our Church and we value the image of our Church.

Someone once said - you can give with loving, but you can't love without giving.

Another reason why we should Tithe

- In sparing 10% of our income for the Lord’s work, God promises us that we will receive far more than that amount in our everlasting reward:

God says "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse...Test me in this...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" (Malachi 3:10).

Now there are those who oppose tithing and they do so by taking Jesus out of context, starting with this passage from Matthew:

Matthew 23:23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices... But you have neglected the more important matters of the law–justice, mercy and faithfulness." They stop there, deliberately failing to finish the verse: "You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former".

Jesus obviously meant for the Old Testament practice of tithing to continue.

3. How Should We Tithe?

Cheerfully - II Corinthians 9:7 - Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

When you and I give it should be done with a heart of gratefulness, a heart of thanksgiving, and a spirit of joy. When you and I give it should be cheerful.