Last Sunday I began a two part series entitled "Questions about Tithing." Today, as we conclude this study I want to ask and then answer the last three (of six) questions about tithing. With that in mind lets look at three verses of scripture from Malachi 3. "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. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove 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.” vs. 8-10 NKJV
Fourth question: What is the place to give your tithe?
In Malachi the place to carry the tithe was the storehouse. The storehouse was exactly what the name implied. They stored food and other items in the storehouse. This material was used in providing for the priests.
In studying the Bible you will find that people contributed their material possessions at other locations, depending on the historical context. In Mk. 12:41-44 we read about an occasion when Jesus sat and observed people bringing their gifts to the Temple. He watches as people drop their gifts into the treasury. By His actions He acknowledges the temple as a worthy place. With the temple as His stage Jesus teaches the importance of sacrificial giving. Jesus indicated the rich people were bringing gifts to the temple from their overflow. Jesus highlighted the actions of a poor widow who gave a sacrificial gift at the temple. Jesus did not rebuke her for giving at the temple. Jesus did not criticize the temple.
In Acts 4 we find another location where people gave. In verse 35 the believers brought their gifts and laid them at the apostle’s feet. The apostles were the administrators of the believers gifts. At that point there was no organized church group. They trusted the apostles to manage their gifts.
Where should the tithe be given? I want to share my belief. I believe the regular, proportionate and disciplined giving of your tithe should be through your local church. Why do I believe this to be true? I believe this to be true because of the exalted position of the church. Consider these verses.
"Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” Acts 20:28 NKJV
“And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body” Eph. 1:22-23 NKJV
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it“
Eph. 5:25 NKJV
“I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” I Tim. 3:15 NKJV
In addition, about 1/3 of the New Testament books are written directly to local churches. Other New Testament books are written to address issues that were affecting local churches.
You may ask, is it okay to give my tithe to support a television ministry or some other ministry outside of the local church? My answer would be, no, the local church is the depository of the Lord’s work. I admit there are many organizations that are a part of the body of Christ. The universal church consists of all believers of all denominations and of all evangelical work. However, Jesus entrusted the local church to be the steward of His work. It is okay to support other ministries but the tithe should support “the body of Christ.”
Fifth question: What is the Purpose of tithing?.
A. In Malachi they gave to support the priests. The priest represented God and God’s work (vs. 10). God’s work is not limited to supporting clergy. It is supporting evangelistic endeavors. It is supporting missionaries. It is supporting relief efforts such as Katrina. It is teaching Bible studies and discipleship studies. It is providing a place to worship. It is providing discipleship literature. It is providing Vacation Bible School for children. The only way to build a consistent, purposeful work for God is for God’s people to be consistent, disciplined and regular in their giving. It cannot be a hit or miss proposition.
Ill- Some years ago a man named Edwin Bond contributed a story to a magazine that perfectly illustrates this point. Mr. Bond said a minister went to the shop of one of his members to get a haircut. In the course of conversation the minister suggested that, since the barber’s business was prospering, he hoped the church could count on his liberal support of the budget. This seemed to irritate the barber. “All I hear is money, money, money!” he exclaimed. “I think a person should give what he pleases instead of hearing about all those systematic and proportionate amounts you’re always preaching about.” The minister said nothing, but when the haircut was finished he gave the barber thirty cents. The barber declared with indignation that it wasn’t nearly enough. The minister said, “I thought I should give as I felt inclined.” “But,” the barber protested, “I can’t pay my expenses if people just give me any amount they happen to have in their pockets.” Producing the rest of the fee, the minister said, “Neither can the church carry on the Lord’s work unless the people appreciate his blessings and give back to him what is rightly his.”
By giving a tithe we are able to regularly, systematically and proportionately support and carry on God’s work.
The apostle Paul gives us a wonderful example of this in I Cor. 16:2 "On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come."
This verse teaches three important principles about giving.
1. It should be regularly...each "week."
2. It should be systematically..."lay something aside." Make it a habit.
3. It should be proportionately..."as he may prosper." By giving a tithe you maintain the proportion of what God blesses you.
This text from Malachi raises a common question. Should ministers be paid for their work? There are some people who believe ministers should not be paid a salary but should hold a full time job, like all other “normal” people. I want to share a verse that speaks to this issue. “Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.” I Cor. 9:13-14 (NKJV)
B. The ultimate purpose of the tithe is to honor God. We can honor God in many ways. We can honor God through worship. We can honor God through our lifestyle. We can honor God with our love. We can honor God through prayer. We do not pick and choose how we will honor God. It becomes a lifestyle for us. It becomes the desire of our hearts to honor him.
Last week I pointed out how we tend to be self focused. The natural inclination of the human heart is to be selfish. We want to honor ourselves. We want to pamper ourselves. We want to spend our money and our lives on selfish things. However, we were created to bring honor and glory to God. Until you make a deliberate decision to honor God with your life, then you are missing a good portion of the purpose of life. Failure to live for God is a strike against you. You hurt yourself by refusing to honor God. The Bible instructs us to “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase“ Prov. 3:9 NKJV
Sixth question: What are the requirements for tithing?
A. The first requirement is obedience. Obedience is not always easy. For instance, you are encouraged to receive Jesus Christ by faith. You are told that it is easy. It is a simple act of faith. You decide to obey God and receive His son as your Lord and Savior. After making that decision you are instructed to be dunked in water. That is the first test of obedience. Then, you are instructed to pray to a God you cannot see and trust Him by faith. That requires obedience. As you study your Bible you find many challenging instructions. Jesus instructed us to put our faith all things and all people. That requires obedience. Jesus instructed us to be willing to lose our life for Him. That requires obedience. According to church history most of Jesus disciples died a martyrs death. That required obedience. My point, obedience is not always easy.
Ill- Last September Judy and I put our oldest son and his wife on a plane for Southeast Asia. They plan to spend their lives serving the Lord and the people of that region. Judy and I cried our eyes out as we waved good-bye. Obedience is not always easy.
B. This brings us to a critical requirement in tithing. Tithing requires trust. Notice verse 10 from Malachi 3. God instructed the people “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove 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.”(NKJV) God has promised that He will bless us if we tithe. That requires that we trust. All acts of faith begin with trust.
Ill- I heard a story of a missionary in Africa who received a knock on the door of his hut one afternoon. Answering, the missionary found a native boy holding a large fish in his hands. The boy said, "Reverend, you taught us what tithing is, so here. I’ve brought you my tithe." As the missionary gratefully took the fish, he questioned the boy. "If this is your tithe, where are the other nine fish?" At this, the boy beamed and said, "Oh, they’re still back in the river. I’m going back to catch them now."
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Joseph Rodgers)
