Lesson #13: Should the Christian Tithe?

Transcription

1 Lesson #13: Should the Christian Tithe? Genesis 14:18-20, Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him a tithe of all. Genesis 28:22, And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God s house, and of all that You give me I will surely give a tenth to You. Leviticus 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. Leviticus 27:32, And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the Lord. Numbers 18:21, Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work which they perform, the work of the tabernacle of meeting. Numbers 18:26, Speak thus to the Levites, and say to them, When you take from the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them as your inheritance, then you shall offer up a heave offering of it to the Lord, a tenth of the tithe. Malachi 3:8-10, 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 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? Matthew 23:23, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Luke 11:42, But woe to you Pharisees! For you tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass by justice and the love of God. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. No. Jesus is not commanding Christians to tithe in these verses. He is condemning the Pharisees regarding how they had kept (or not kept) the law of Moses. 79

2 Review of Lesson #4: The Purpose of the Old Testament 1. What system of law are we under? 1. God has spoken to us through His Son Jesus. Hebrews 1: Jesus was given authority from God. Matthew 28:18; John 5:27 3. All things were put under Jesus feet. Ephesians 1:22 4. Jesus is the Head of the church. Ephesians 1:22 5. Jesus words will judge us in the last day. John 12:48 6. The apostles delivered the commandments of Jesus. Mt. 28:18-20; 1 Cor. 14:37; 1 Th. 4:2. 7. Jesus testament (will) went into effect after His death. Hebrews 9: We are under the law of Christ today. 2. Are the laws of the Old Testament to be obeyed today? 1. The law of Moses was in force until the Seed came. Galatians 3:19 2. The law of Moses acted as a tutor to bring us to Christ, but we are no longer under the tutor. Galatians 3: Jeremiah and other prophets prophesied about a new covenant which would make the first covenant obsolete. Hebrews 8: The law of Moses was nailed to the cross with Christ. Col. 2:13-17; Eph. 2: When Christ came as a priest according to the order of Melchizedek, the priesthood was changed, and that necessitated a change of law also. Hebrews 7: If you are going to keep one part of the law of Moses, you must keep all of the law of Moses. Galatians 5:3 3. Do the examples of the Old Testament give authority for actions today? - The Israelites were commanded to give God a tithe of their prosperity. Does that mean that we should give a tithe of all that we possess? - David praised God with the sound of musical instruments. Does that mean that we can and/or should praise God with musical instruments? - 1 Corinthians 10:1-12 does teach us that the examples of the Old Testament should admonish us and motivate us to not make the same mistakes, but nowhere is it indicated that these examples can serve as authority for actions. - Christ is our authority. 4. What purpose then does the Old Testament serve? 1. Christ came to fulfill the law, not to destroy it. Matthew 5:17; Romans 10:4 2. Christians can learn great lessons from the Old Testament. Romans 15:4 3. The OT examples can motivate and admonish us. 1 Corinthians 10:6, The law prepared men for Christ. Galatians 3: The OT can be used to teach about Christ and the Gospel. Acts 8:35; Acts 13: The Old Testament can make us wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus and can make us complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:

3 God has blessed us so that we can give 2 Corinthians 9:8-11 It is more blessed to give than to receive Acts 20:35 Giving is not for show Luke 18:12 If we sow sparingly, we will reap sparingly 2 Corinthians 9:6; 1 Timothy 6:18-19 Giving is a Command 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 He should give in accordance with his prosperity 1 Corinthians 16:2; Acts 11:29; 2 Corinthians 8:12; Mark 12:41-44 Giving demands selflessness Acts 2:44-45; 4:32-37 Before you give, you must give yourself to God 2 Corinthians 8:1-5 Giving shows our love for others 2 Corinthians 8:8 We must purpose to give from our heart 2 Corinthians 9:7 We must have a willing mind and give cheerfully 2 Corinthians 8:3,12; 9:7 81

4 Ministers and Parishoners Disagree over Giving and Tithing Practices 3/8/06 Research results being released for the first time in the March/April edition of Facts & Trends magazine show most Protestant ministers believe Christians are supposed to tithe - or give 10 percent of their income - to their local church. Unfortunately for these ministers and churches, most people in the pews of the local church do not agree with them. Facts & Trends is published bimonthly by LifeWay Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Two studies were conducted by Ellison Research (Phoenix, AZ). One was a representative sample of 811 Protestant church ministers nationwide, and the other was a companion survey of 1,184 people who attend Protestant churches at least once a month. In the study, 56 percent of all clergy say Christians are under a biblical mandate to tithe 10 percent of their income to the local church, while another 12 percent feel Christians are under this 10 percent mandate, but the gifts do not necessarily have to go to the local church. Twenty percent believe there is a biblical mandate to give, but not any specific amount or percentage. However, among the people who attend Protestant churches, only 36 percent feel there is a biblical command to tithe 10 percent to their local church, while another 23 percent believe there is a biblical mandate to tithe, but not necessarily to the local church. Twenty-seven percent feel the Bible commands Christians to give, but not a set proportion or amount, while 10 percent believe Christians are under no mandate to give anything. Among both clergy and laity, Pentecostals, Southern Baptists, and people from other Baptist denominations are the ones most likely to believe in tithing to the local church, while Presbyterians, Methodists, and Lutherans are the denominational groups least likely to hold this opinion. Among people who do believe in tithing (whether to the local church specifically or to any type of organization), an ongoing debate is whether the 10 percent should be figured on gross income or on net income (after taxes). Churchgoers who believe in tithing are equally split over this, with 48 percent believing the tithe should be figured on net income, and 52 percent saying it should be on gross income. Clergy fall much more into the "gross income" camp (72 percent, versus 28 percent who believe the tithe should be calculated on net income). The study also found that most people -- both clergy and laity -- believe that Christians' giving does not have to be limited to religious causes or organizations. Just 3 percent of clergy and 1 percent of laity feel that Christians should only support Christian causes. Three out of ten clergy and one out of ten churchgoers feel Christians should give preference to Christian causes or organizations in their giving, and another third of each group feel Christians should support Christian causes when they can, but should be free to support non-religious organizations when there is no religious equivalent (such as cancer research or animal welfare). One-third of all clergy, and a majority of all churchgoers (55 percent), feel Christians should be free to support any type of cause or organization, regardless of whether it has a religious connection. In fact, ministers and laity are equally likely to have supported a non-religious cause or organization in the last year. Fifty-seven percent of each group have given money to an organization with no religious connections in the last 12 months. 82

5 Finally, the studies evaluated what types of causes and organizations church leaders and churchgoers have actually supported through donations in the last 12 months. With the plethora of natural disasters over the last year, it's probably no surprise that the number one category for both laity and ministers is disaster relief. Eight out of ten ministers and 54 percent of laity have personally supported an organization working in disaster relief in the last year. Among pastors, there is a clear hierarchy of causes. After disaster relief come three others that are very popular: evangelism (66 percent), denominational causes or programs (51 percent), and specific schools, colleges, or universities (49 percent). Eight other types of causes or organizations have received donations from between onefifth and one-third of all pastors: literature (such as Bibles and tracts), international poverty relief and development, domestic poverty relief and development, health (such as medical research and hospitals), educational causes, broadcast stations or ministries, political causes or organizations, and social/moral causes (such as pornography, supporting or opposing abortion). Five other types of causes are less popular among clergy, finding financial support from fewer than 20 percent: individual political candidates, veterans' causes, cultural (such as museums or the opera), the environment, and animal welfare. There are substantial differences between what evangelical and mainline Protestant ministers support out of their own pockets. Evangelicals are more likely than mainline ministers to contribute to evangelism, literature, and social/moral issues. Mainline Protestants are more likely than evangelicals to have supported disaster relief, denominational programs, specific schools, international and domestic poverty relief, health, education, the environment, and cultural issues. The people in the pews, on average, have supported fewer causes outside of their own church over the past year than have their church leaders. In fact, disaster relief is the only cause to have received donations from a majority of Protestants who attend church. Second to disaster relief among laity is evangelism (33 percent), followed by veterans' causes, denominational programs, health, and educational causes (all supported by 20 percent or more in the past year). Virtually all clergy in this study have financially supported their own church in the past year. And for the typical churchgoer, a majority of the money they give does go to their local church. On average, Protestants estimate 69 percent of their giving in the last year went to their church, while 31 percent went to organizations outside of their church. Two percent of all clergy and 16 percent of all churchgoers say they have not financially contributed to any organizations (outside of their local church) in the last year. Ron Sellers, president of Ellison Research, noted the irony in some of the findings. "What's really sad is that six out of ten churchgoers told us they believe the Bible commands them to tithe 10 percent or more of their incomes, yet other studies have consistently shown that under one out of ten actually do that," Sellers said. "In other words, at least half of all Protestants are clear on what they believe they're supposed to be giving, but consistently don't give it." Sellers also noted that Christian organizations and ministries need to understand that many religious people are supporting non-religious organizations. "When we work with individual charitable organizations, there's often an assumption that Christians support Christian ministries over non-religious organizations," he said. "This study conclusively shows that assumption to be false, and that in fact over half of all Protestant churchgoers don't even give any preference to Christian organizations in their giving decisions. It's critical that Christian organizations really understand this about their target market," Sellers stated. 83

6 To Tithe or not to Tithe? Churches differ on whether giving 10 percent of your income is God's plan 8/22/14 Many churchgoers hear it during Sunday worship service: Be generous in your giving. It s a wonderful day to give. God loves a cheerful giver. But nowadays, it seems the price of faith may be a little too high for some Christians at least, when it comes to giving a biblical tithe of 10 percent of their income to God. Tithing is like making a deposit in your bank account with God and being able to withdraw blessings later, said Apostle Jessie Bates with Abundant Life Christian Center in Decatur. It is not natural to work all week long and come to church on Sunday and not give 10 percent (of your income), he said. Opponents of tithing are saying it s a misreading of the Bible and a practice created by man, not of God, according to Wall Street Journal reporter Suzanne Sataline in a Nov. 23 article, The Backlash Against Tithing. Proponents echo Bates belief that blessings follow giving. And, not too surprisingly, those proponents are usually members of the clergy, not the laity, said Ron Sellers, president of Phoenix, Ariz.- based Ellison Research, which conducted surveys on tithing in Beliefs about tithing seem to fall along denominational lines. A number of studies done have showed relatively few Christians actually tithe. The average Christian might tithe more than 2 percent (of their income), Sellers said. Pentecostals, Southern Baptists and those from other Baptist denominations are more likely to believe in tithing. Presbyterians, Methodists and Lutherans are least likely to hold the same opinion, according to Ellison s findings. The Rev. Jim Montgomery of First Presbyterian Church in Decatur said Presbyterians on a national average give 2½ to 3 percent of their income to the church. Montgomery said that, while he tithes faithfully, he knows many members at his church don t. We have some generous givers in our church who, with their talent, time and money, have kept this congregation afloat, he said. Montgomery said he doesn t challenge his 560 congregants to tithe; instead, he challenges them to step up their giving each year. First Presbyterian members usually give pledges toward the end of the year, which helps with the church s annual budget and expenses, Montgomery said. First Presbyterian Church has always had a keen sense of Christmas generosity. By that, I mean our congregation increases their giving very significantly at the end of every year, he said. Looking at what people gave, we did not make up all the money from pledges for the year, he said; however, he said members still gave generously in December, as they usually do. Contribution envelopes are available to parishioners at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, Decatur. The envelope has the amounts of $15 up to $50 or more that a person can mark off that they gave. Baskets also are passed out during Mass for an additional offering, the Rev. Rick Welton said. We just encourage people to give, Welton said of his growing congregation. Sataline s Wall Street Journal article said some churches encourage regular tithing by placing ATMs and giving kiosks inside the church or through credit card payments, automatic deductions from checking accounts and financial seminars on tithing. Many religious leaders, Sataline reports, say tithing is not just a theological issue but a financial one, in order to keep the doors open. It is up to the individual to tithe or be convicted, said the Rev. Mitchell Flesch of Calvary Baptist Church, Decatur. However, as a warning to those who don t tithe, Flesch cites the biblical story of Ananias and his wife, Sapphira, who were struck dead for their dishonesty in tithing (Acts 5:1-10). The Rev. Norm Etnier of Christian Fellowship Church, president of the Ministerial Alliance of Decatur, laughs about what he tells many of his members when they ask about tithing. I usually ask them, Do you want a gross blessing or a net blessing? Etnier sees tithing as part of God s plan. It s an opportunity for us to sow a seed and be blessed, he said. Without sowing, you cannot reap. Every Sunday, Etnier reads a scriptural passage regarding tithing before the collection plate is passed. He said at least 95 percent of his church members tithe. Tithing, however, remains a personal decision for churchgoers. JoAnne Wilson of Decatur said she didn t tithe until after she became a member of Abundant Life Christian Center. When I first started going to the church, I heard the minister preach from the book of Malachi. It made me see that tithing was something God called us to do, said Wilson, 28. Wilson and her husband, Terrance, continued to tithe even when both of them went through a stretch of being unemployed. One day we got this unexpected check in the mail from our insurance company. And someone else gave us some money, Wilson said, helping the family pay the mortgage and catch up on other bills. It wasn t long before her husband was called back to work. We are doing good financially, she said. A lot of people say they can t tithe, but in reality you can t afford not to tithe. 84

7 BE READY TO GIVE A DEFENSE Am I Giving Enough? Matthew T. Oglesby He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (2 Corinthians 9:6). Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life (1 Timothy 6:18-19). Paul draws a connection between my giving and my eternal habitation in each of these verses. Therefore, I need to give serious consideration to how much I give. Have I given myself to God? In 2 Corinthians 8, Paul cites the example of the churches of Macedonia to help urge the Corinthians to give to help the needy saints in Jerusalem. According to Paul, the Macedonians had given even beyond their ability. They had given more than Paul could have imagined. In vs. 5, Paul identifies the key to their liberality: they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. Before I can give appropriately, I must give myself to the Lord. This means that serving God is my life. I realize that I am nothing and have nothing without God. With an emphasis on seeking after real treasure, giving away some of my earthly treasure won t be that big of a deal. Am I giving in accordance with my prosperity? God doesn t expect me to give more than I am able. He expects me to give according to my ability (Acts 11:29) and as I have prospered (1 Cor. 16:2). It is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have (2 Cor. 8:12). It is true, however, that sometimes we think we haven t prospered much and we have, or we think we don t have anything to give and we do. The early Christians sold their possessions so that they could give to those in need. Am I only giving out of my abundance? Just because I may give what I think is a large amount of money does not mean that I am giving what I should. One day Jesus sat at the temple and saw people as they put money into the treasury. He watched as many rich people put in a lot of money, and then He watched as a poor widow put in a very small amount. Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood. The point is not to give everything that we have, but rather it is that we should not feel proud to give just what we have left over. Am I freely giving cheerfully from my heart? So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Cor. 9:7). God wants me to decide what to give with my heart and to offer it cheerfully. He doesn t want me to moan and groan over having to give a certain amount. I could give a million dollars to the church, but if I am doing it for the wrong reasons (have to, for show, etc.) it does no good. You have to decide in your own heart what you should give. Give yourself to God, look at your prosperity and decide upon a commensurate amount and offer it cheerfully. Only then will you have given enough. 85