Should Christians Tithe?
Hi folks and welcome to this week’s message. Today I want to talk about something that is discussed more times in the Bible than almost any other subject. This reminds me of a story I heard some time ago. There was a mother who was hysterical because her little son Johnny had swallowed a quarter. She turned to her husband and told him to call the doctor. He picked up the phone and called their pastor. She became upset and said “We don’t need the pastor, we need to get some medical help” The Husband replied, “Hey, our pastor can get money out of anyone!”
Today’s subject is about our money and tithing. First thing we need to understand is that it is not our money, but it is God’s money that He gives to us and He expects us to do the right things with His money. Should we gamble it? Buy things on credit? What about a mortgage on our homes? Are we supposed to tithe? What if we cannot afford to tithe? These are all important questions that Christians ask and seek answers for.
Let’s take a look at these questions? I know a woman in NJ who had $5.4 million dollars and now lives in a trailer. One man in Pennsylvania had over $16 million and now lives on Social Security. Another person had over $4 million and is now in debt. Another man had over a million dollars but filed bankruptcy. One more person had over $18 million and also filed for bankruptcy. Can you guess what all these people had in common? They all won there money in a lottery. In my research, I have yet to find a person who turned their winnings into something bigger. Why is that? The answer is simply. God does not want us to win our money; He wants us to work for it. Just read Proverbs 10:4, 13:3, 13:11, 22:29 and many more scriptures to back this point up. So no, we should not gamble God’s money.
What should we do with God’s money? Let’s take a look at Matthew 25:14 - 29. In that passage, what happened to the slave that did nothing with the money that was entrusted to him? Now the Bible also talks about and lending and borrowing in other passages (Mat 18:23 - 35) Debt is talked about a lot more in the Old Testament. When we are in debt we become slaves to our creditors and that is not something God wants us to do. (Look at Romans 13:8) So I believe we should not have credit card debt but I believe a mortgage on a house is OK as long as we are stewards of the house that God has given us. We should also try to pay off that mortgage. A home can be seen as an investment in that over the long run, the value of that home will rise. (Yes I know that home prices have fallen but in the long run, the price of a home increases.) If you have debt, work to become debt free. Stay tuned to for more webinars and radio shows on this issue.
Now onto a very controversial issue, that some pastors have problems with my feelings on this matter, should Christian tithe? First what is a tithe? A tithe is the giving of 10% of your income or assets to God. The Law of Moses required tithing and your can read about in Numbers, Deuteronomy, and Malachi 3:8-12. So does the New Testament require us to tithe? My answer is no. The New Testament does not mention tithing by name except when Jesus corrected the Jews (Matt 23:23 and Luke 11:42) It was also talked about by the Author of Hebrews in Chapter 7:1-4. So I do not believe that Churches should require a tithe. But should Christians give? Yes! We should give to help the poor and the ministry. (Acts 20:35, 1 Cor. 9 1-18, Gal 6:6 and many more)
So with that all being said, should you help the poor? Yes. Should you support your church? Yes. Should you support ministries? Yes. Should you get out of debt? yes. Should you work for your money? Yes
I pray this will help you with your questions about money. We will be providing more help for you via web seminars and radio shows to help you be good stewards of God’s money.
May our most Awesome God bless you and your family and give you the strength to handle God’s money in a Biblical way. I love and care for you all!
In Christ’s Most Precious Name,
Pastor Bob
PS
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September 24th, 2008 at 5:54 am
I’m a firm believer in tithing to your local church. Many people say “I can’t afford to tithe”. I’ve learned over the years that “I can’t afford NOT to tithe”.
Years ago we were doing rather well. We were tithing and faithful to church. At the same time we acquired our first credit card, had a new house built and started going on expensive trips. Soon we got into credit card debt so we quit tithing so that we can pay off the credit cards. Finally we had to refinance our home in order to pay off the credit cards. We refinanced ourselves out of a home. We had to settle on many of our credit card debts which ruined our credit. We lost the house, moved into an apartment and began to penny pinch. We could not keep up. Finally we gave in to God’s plan and started tithing. We were able to purchase a used mobile home with money that my mom left when she passed away. Now we ae tight but fairly comfortable considering the economy.
Through all our ordeal, we learned that we needed to tithe. We also learned to manage our finances God’s Way as taught in God’s Word. That’s one thing great about God’s Word. It has an answer to everything including financing. That meant that we had to get rid of our credit cards and pay for what we could afford when we can afford it. When I built our budget in excel, and I use that to pay bills, the first thing on the list is my 10%. Before I make any payment online or write any checks, I write the check to my local church.
Which brings me to another subject. I believe we should tithe to our local church before we give any money to any other religious organization.
September 24th, 2008 at 11:53 am
I wanted to follow-up my comment with a link to a website which have loads of help for people facing financial difficulties. It teaches you GOD’S PLAN for financing including how to tithe and how to plan your estate.
[url]http://www.crown.org/[/url]
October 1st, 2008 at 2:33 pm
Pastor Tom says:
If everyone would tithe we would have strong churches and ministries. A Tithe is 10% that is $1 out of $10, $200 out of $2000, $5000 out of $50000 and $20000 out of $200000.
Some should give more or less. Our dependency is on God. We need to be dependent on God. Try giving till it hurts. He will bless your giving and make it possible. The remaining 90%
He gives to you that you may enjoy all the blessing of life.