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“Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.” Malachi 3:10
Those are strong promises the Lord gives us if only we are obedient to His commandment to tithe to His church. Please join me today in the sharing of my testimony to the faithfulness of God’s Word regarding these promises made.
In 1999 I bent the knee of my will to the Lord Jesus Christ and was born again!
“Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 – Jesus to Nicodemus, a man of the Pharisees, and a ruler of the Jews.
Thanks be to God for His mercy, grace, long suffering and especially His death on the cross for my sin. Since 1999 I have been walking this earth as an alien no longer feeling at home in this world, but longing to be home with my Lord in heaven. My purpose on this earth is now solely to yield my body a vessel of honor to the Lord for the work of His church.
Part of my duty as a Christian is to give of my first fruits back to the Lord’s church in the form of a tithe. That is, I am to give 10% of my earnings to the church in obedience to God’s Word. First fruits meaning we are to give 10% of our gross income, not net income. This tithing by God’s people is one of the ways the Lord funds his ministry here on earth. Does the Lord need our money? No, He can do anything He wishes any time He wishes, however the tithing of His people is the system He chose to implement and work through, so as Christians we need to faithfully give in this manner.
Have I tithed faithfully since my salvation in 1999? No, regrettably I have not. At times I have been a faithful giver, and at other times have been disobedient to my Lord and withheld my tithe for one reason or another. Today I want to give my readers a journal entry of my experience of both giving in obedience, and not giving in disobedience.
Looking back over the 9 years of my Christian life I can now see that the times of my greatest financially stability, regardless of how much money I was bringing in, were in direct correlation to when I was giving of my tithe to my local new testament church. Likewise, the times when I seem to have struggled financially were always in the midst of a titheless period in my life. Though I have always known I should tithe, the Lord has just recently revealed the utter and imminent importance of these things to me in all clarity of mind. I began faithfully tithing again at the first of this year (January 2009) and intend to never go another month of my life without giving to the Lord in this respect. Over these last two months I have been witness to Gods direct financial intervention in my life. To me it is both a blessing and a miracle. Before tithing I always seemed to be living paycheck to paycheck (sound familiar?), seemed to be slowly getting into more credit card debt, all while being unable to save much of anything. Why was this happening? My wife & I don’t have any kids. We don’t buy new cars. We don’t buy expensive toys. We don’t blow a lot of our money on frivolous purchases…so why was this happening to us?
In the Old Testament, when God’s people were not obedient in the giving of their tithe, one way or another He always seemed to part them with the money they were withholding from Him. In my life, while disobedient, it always seemed like random things were happening that would consume any extra money I had left over leaving me wanting again until my next paycheck. Now that the Lord has granted me repentance and has again turned me toward Him these things have changed drastically. Before tithing I would pay my bills on the last possible day they were due, sometimes even having to pay late fees, simply because I had to wait for my next check to be deposited before I could pay the bill. Now that I have been tithing, I am able to pay all my bills the day I get them in the mail. To summarize, let me give you some of my financial drawbacks I experienced before tithing, and what I am realizing now that I’m giving faithfully.
Before I was giving my tithe:
- I was living paycheck to paycheck
- I waited until the due date of my bills before I paid them
- Every single month I seemed to incur random expenses that consumed all my extra money and even pushed me more into debt
- Always broke even on my tax return or owed money to the government
- Bank fees: be they credit card over the limit, over-drawn checking account, late payments fees…you name it I paid it
- A guilty conscience
- A heavy heart
Now that I’m tithing, though no increase in salary this has been my experience:
- I’m able to save at least $200 every month
- I pay every bill the day it comes in the mail
- Random expenses have not been a part of my life for the last few months
- For the first time since we filed taxes Married Filing Jointly, my wife & I are receiving a sizable return of over $1,200
- No more bank fees
- A clear conscience and a happy countenance
- A peace that passes all understanding – Philippians 4:7
Please believe that the things listed above are just the tip of the iceberg. My obedience to God in my tithe opens the door to other areas of obedience and therefore more blessings of a peaceful spirit and fellowship with my God!
If you are a Christian, I strongly urge you to consider my experience and use it to transform your view upon Christ, His Church, and your tithe. Please give joyfully and liberally and experience the blessings of the Lord! He is challenging you today to prove Him now, how will you respond? If you are not born again, please consider Christ and His death on the cross for your sin. Look to Him and live.
“For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement.” Romans 5:6-11
Please give your own testimony in the comments.
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You never received a tax refund before? That’s no good. I’m hoping to get a decent one this year. We’ll see.
What things would happen to prevent you from saving?
@Jeffrey:
When I was single, I ALWAYS received a refund. Now that I’m married, I never had until this year! That’s our gov’t for you…penalizing the married folk!
I was prevented from saving because there was always something coming up in my monthly budget that would consume my savings. That coupled with undiscipline caused me to save very little if any at all over the last few years.
Now that I’m tithing, God is blessing my efforts, as Malachi 3:3 says, and is providing the opportunity to save. Also, now that I’m taking a more disciplined approach to my budget, it forces me to make a conscience decision to save or not to save every month.
These two things together are currently allowing me to save $200 every month, which will only increase over the next few years. I am setting up an “Emergency Fund” that I hope to have $18,000 in by January of 2011. I will be able to fund this in much greater chunks once I pay off my remaining $5,000 in CC debt (which God willing will be before the end of 2009).
Talk about our government, it has been corrupt from the word GO. My comment is why do the people sit in ignorance about federal laws that don’t concern them? Take the federal income tax. The tax is on federal income. Do you earn wages that the federal government pays you by federal payroll? Does your private employer have the federal government to give you your check from the federal payroll? If no, then why pay the tax you are not liable for. Where in the Internal Revenue Code is the nonfederal citizen made liable for the federal income tax? Why sign the federal tax form under penalties of perjury when you know that you are not reporting federal income? Perjury is a crime and a federal crime at that because the tax form is federal. If you are a christian, then there is no way you can sign the form and admit to something that is not so. The Lord God has said that there will be no LIARS in Heaven. If everyone owed a tax to the Internal Revenue bunch, then the tax would be just a federal tax on incomes. But that’s not the case. The tax is on all incomes that exist within federal jurisdiction (federal government).
Thanks for you comment Alvis, but it doesn’t really deal with the content of the post.
True story! Sometimes things just work out like that. I remember being like “the math makes sense and somehow i still have $100+ dollars every check” or whatever the case was. i have heard this from many ppl
@Mallory:
It is amazing the way “the math just works out” once you take the leap of faith to tithe in obedience to God’s Word.
Often times it takes a leap of faith, but that is EXACTLY what God wants from us. He wants to prove our faith, and wants us to take that leap of faith truly believing that He will be faithful to His promises!
This is my testimony that He does EXACTLY what He promises!
The only way to be blessed by tithing is by observing all 600+ commands of the OT law which is impossible.
Malachi 3:10 has been replaced by Galatians 3:10; 1:8-9; 3:1-2 and 2 Cor 3:10.
Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
See Deuteronomy 28-29. The entire law was a TEST. Obey and be blessed; disobey and be cursed.
NT giving is primarily sacrificial with no set limit up or down.
For over 150 articles on tithing see: http://www.tithing-russkelly.com
Thank you for taking the time to comment Russell. I will study this out thoroughly.
I would like to add at this point, I am giving liberally under the New Covenant of grace but do not find it detrimental to follow ordinances in the Old Testament as a guideline for obedience to God.
Although I am not under the law (I am under grace) I do not believe according to the scriptures that I am errantly practicing giving to the Lord.
I also give gifts to missionaries, and give of my extra money to needs that arise in my church according as God has blessed me. The tithe I give is simply the foundation for my giving.
Hey Russell,
Those curses are still valid. Try committing murder and see what happens. I doubt anyone will say you are under grace and over look the incident.
.-= EnnisP´s last blog ..Tithing Develops Life Skills =-.
EnnisP,
We are no longer condemned by or under the Law. Christians are obligated to follow the law of Christ through guidance by the Spirit. If we live out Christ’s teachings, we will fulfill the purpose and intent of the entire Law.
Being under grace doesn’t mean we’re free to murder and steal whenever we feel like it. It means we are no longer condemned by a set of laws no one could ever fully keep. The sacrifice for our sins has been made and we now live under grace and the law of love. Why would you choose to put yourself back under the Law when Jesus has already fulfilled the Law and provided us with a better covenant?
Giving compelled by love rather than requirement is so much better, but the Church keeps focusing on percentages instead of sacrifice and generosity. Why do we choose the old and inferior way of faith to the superior way Jesus taught?
.-= Paul Williams @ Provident Planning´s last blog ..Personal Finance Bible Study: Work (Summary) =-.
“If we live out Christ’s teachings, we will fulfill the purpose and intent of the entire Law.”
I think we can all agree on that fact Paul… great point and thank you for bringing Jesus – the Master of peace, love, & wisdom – to the forefront. Always a wise decision.
I really enjoyed your story, Matt, and find it to be true. I have always wondered about the direct donation via titheing at church and donations to charities. I do both but I donate a great deal more to charitites, some supported and part of a church and others independent. I give about 10% of my income to a combination of both but of my net, not my gross, which is a substantial difference and something I had never really thought about before. What are your thoughts on this? Better yet, I know you are much more familiar with the Bible than I am these days. Does God discuss the difference and what is considered tithe versus charitable donation? Here’s an example of why I ask. I donate to an organization that is a senior center connected to (physically and in name) a church in Detroit. They feed seniors and the homeless 365 days per year, provide housing for some, etc. I donate not only money but time as well. Are these donations considered titheing or is it necessary that they be above and beyond a thithe in the envelope every Sunday? If it’s the latter of the two I think my donations will likely not change but simply how I make them. I would hate to not have some type of control over where my donations go which is why I donate separtely and directly to causes I am most passionate about, like the elderly and children. I’d love to hear your thoughts. It’s always great to hear from old friends.
Hi Charity. It’s great to hear from you, and good to hear the Lord is burdening your heart to serve Him in this matter of giving.
Regarding where to give, I myself focus my giving on things centered around Christ, namely His church, and view it the church’s responsibility to distribute these funds to the poor and afflicted. I should faith that God is directing the elders to distribute scripturally. I figure it this way, as a Christian I’m living to serve Christ’s purpose on this earth. Since “Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it” Eph 5:25. by and large I ought to support this entity of the Church.
Giving according to faith does not mean that you should not be ignorant concerning the church you give to. It is important for the giver to be fully knowledgeable concerning the distribution of the monies collected. If you don’t know where your church is distributing its funds…find out. If their distribution is unscriptural, you may want to find a new church.
The most important thing for individuals to do is to seek God’s counsel on these personal matters through prayer & meditation on His Word. He reveals different things to different people at different times, so no one answer is going to be perfect for all of us all the time. Follow the still small voice of the Holy Spirit and your spirit will be blessed of God.
More regarding the question “Can You Give Outside your Church”…ChristianPF.com has an excellent post in their forums on this very topic that you should read when you get a chance. Here is the link. Enjoy!
Personally I believe you can give outside your church (definitely w/o a doubt) as long as you already gave your tithe (10%) to your church. This would then require your secondary giving to be over & above 10%. We MUST KNOW that God will reward us for such giving. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 says, “…He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”
I really enjoyed your article on the tithe, Matt. Not only enjoyed it, but was convicted by it. I have not been a regular church goer or tither for over a year now. I have tried to submit myself to the Lord in other ways and I have experienced mega growth in some areas. But, financially I do continue to struggle. I can relate to what you said about random expenses slowly draining the life from the budget. I just had an experience with a tow company that set me back $250 and it was a completely ridiculous and unnecessary expense! However, that experience and your article have got me to thinking…..it is very important to be in obedience to ALL of Gods ordinances. We tend to think that we know best but He always knows best. He will be faithful and bless us for our obedience in ways that are small and large! Why should He bless me financially if I am not faithful to tithe the first fruits of His provision for me? He actually does bless me, but He also sends me messages in the form of that little incident with the tow company, just for instruction. The choice is ALWAYS mine, and He is certainly longsuffering and very loving and patient with us!
Hey Mom. Praise God that He may use any feeble words by any feeble man to persuade believers to follow Him more diligently.
Over the years the small unexpected expenses incurred while not being faithful to God cost me more than what a faithful tithe would have amounted to…I’m sure of it. The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away!
Praise Him that He takes time to spiritually counsel each of us individually!
“Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
My own experience with tithing was this – we had never regularly tithed because we always felt like we were short every month. Once we started budgeting after taking a Dave Ramsey class, we started tithing 10% right off the top every month. Once we started tithing my income started growing as well.. it was strange how that first month I tithed fully 10%, my blog income actually grew by almost the same amount. I wouldn’t always expect that to happen, but at the same time it made me realize – God will provide.
I don’t think God needs us to give, he is all powerful and can do whatever he wants without our help. I think it’s an act of obedience and worship that allows us to become closer to God.
Great post!
Bible Money Matters’s last blog post..First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit of $8,000 in 2009 Economic Stimulus Package
My wife & I have experienced the same thing. For the two months we’ve been giving consistently now we have noticed a positive impact on all areas of our lives, especially financially.
I am in utter agreement with this comment! The Lord does not need our money. As BBM said, it is a privilege for us to be able to get closer to Christ by giving to further His purpose.
Thanks!
I do believe in tithing. Thanks for sharing this.
However personally I prefer to get not too many refund on my tax return. Tax return is not free money from government. You get tax return because of over payment. I don’t want to give free loan to the government. I can use the money somewhere else.
If you know that there will be change in your life in that year (ie: married, new child, buy home, etc), I’d suggest you to change your witholding numbers so that over a period of year government doesn’t take your money more than they should.
Thanks for your comment JS, you bring up a very good point! I actually believe as you, and do not want the gov’t to have my money any longer than they have to! I just didn’t know it was going to happen this year because it hadn’t in years past & nothing much changed.
That being said, people who are not good savers may actually benefit from letting the gov’t hold on to it for them, that way they get a large check that they may have piddled away otherwise.
Amen brother! I love tithing testimonies – it just gets me more encouraged about it!
Totally believe in tithing. My wife and I will have been married for twenty years in a few months. We have always tithed and have seen God do some pretty incredible things in our life.
With regard to tax returns, this year I had to pay $172 to the federal gov’t. It actually felt pretty good knowing that I didn’t give the gov’t an interest free loan this year. I always try to get the number to $0, but always seemed to get a couple hundred dollars back.
Tying tithing and taxes together, I use TaxCut software. When I enter the amount I give back to God (Charitable Giving), the software kicks up a dialog box that says “That’s a very large number. Are you sure it is correct?” Kind of sad that there is no expectation of someone giving away more than 10% of their income.
Greg Keene’s last blog post..Is it ok to ask for a discount?
why doesnt tithing seem to work for me? my mum and i have been tithing from my teenange years and from then to now(am in college)i have never seen this promise come to pass in our lives. we are always short of money while everybody else seems to be on a roll. why is this coz it seems that it works for you?
That seemed like me not too long ago, me and my husband were jobless what little bit of money we got we would pay tithe and nothing seemed to happen I got very disappointed and even mad. That’s when I thought to myself I’m either gonna give up or start telling God out loud “thank you” for everything I said “thank you for what you give us and what you don’t” FOR THE DEVIL TO HEAR ME AND REALIZE WE WILL NOT SURRENDER. 2 hours after I said that I got a $2,000.00 blessing. Plz never give up I would really like to see the blessing(s) that’s coming your way if in fact you have been faithful and paying your tithes. Praise God outloud so the devil will flee and God will deliver… he promised.
I appreciate your testimony and it corresponds perfectly with my last post on the topic of tithing, “Tithing Develops Life Skills.” What I find surprising is the number people who reject tithing and the rationale that comes with it.
.-= EnnisP´s last blog ..Tithing Develops Life Skills =-.
We are all in different phases of our Christian walk, so it is important that we all focus on Jesus and His word for individual wisdom and guidance. Giving to Christ’s work with a pure heart and a motive of charity is always profitable.
Thanks EnnisP
Well, I have long been a believer about tithing. For me, one of the “best” parts was actually praying over the check before giving it. Thanking God for His giving to me first. Asking Him to bless it and use it to advance His purpose. To request that it be used in some way as to bring someone to the faith.
God loves a cheerful giver! It’s awesome to be able to have the privilege to give back to Him what He already gave us!
i was wondering…what if you have discovered your church to be living in disobedience, and your leaders keeping truth about their lives from the people? has God been keeping His blessings from us because our church has been disobedient to His calling on our very lives? is it possible to find a church without any secrets, living in God’s will? do we continue to tithe and hope that God’s work is done anyways? or do we hold onto our tithe, or give it to someone else who is living out God’s plan, until our church gets back on track?
EXCELLENT question Deanne!
I have wrestled with this one myself. My advice is to seek out a church that is most inline with SCRIPTURE, and continue giving according to God’s Word.
If you know your church is in disobedience the uproot yourself and go to another… but do it quickly and continue giving. If you are in between churches for a few months then give to your local rescue mission.
Question for you…. I am not attending church right now, long story….. but did found out much of the money that had been given to my previous church was used unscrupulously. It’s going to take a lot for me to TRUST a church again! I haven’t really found one yet… I need to, I know, but until I DO find one, if I am convicted about tithing – where to tithe? I am an avid Charles Stanley listener, do I send to him since I have gotten MUCH from his teaching, or do I give to individuals who might need financial help, as I’ve had the opportunity to? I know this is not a permanent solution, but just until I find a church. I just can’t seem to get it together financially, and i think this would be a positive step for me (though I know finding a church would be too…. trust me I have gotten all the lectures, but in this area, and especially as a single person, easier said than done!)
Great question Sharon, I empathize with your situation. Not too long ago my wife and I spent years looking for a solid church we could trust. We attended one church for about a year but found it just wasn’t for us, and have finally landed where we think we belong – and it feels great… we have a lot of opportunity to worship, give, and minister there.
To address your question (maybe I should actually dedicate a post to this great question) I would give to other believers who have need. I encourage you to read the Book of Acts right now. Pay special attention to chapters 1 – 8. In those chapters there is great information about how the early church viewed giving.
Church members sold their possessions and gave to every man as he had need. I would encourage you to seek out needs among your born again family and friends, and give to them as they have need – not to buy new toys… but to buy food and/or necessities.
If I were you, that is what I would do until you can find a church you believe in and trust. And on that topic, when you find a decent church… make sure you ask to see the budget and the books – an honest group of believers will have NO problem filling that request, as they should.
Hey Sharon,
Matt is right. Your question is a very good one especially given the tendency for churches to get a little off track these days. And also, I don’t believe too many people would have a problem with Matt’s answer. Can’t disagree.
But I would add this. The answer could be “all of the above.” You recommended several possibilities all of which are legitimate. Think and act as if you were in the position of leadership and you were looking for the most beneficial use of the money. With the economy taking strain and many folks with it, finding ways to help people through the difficult times is a great idea.
Also, don’t be too quick to commit to the next church. Relax, take your time and enjoy the ride. Consider it an adventure in which you are searching and God is guiding. He never leaves us and is always very ready to lead us.
In fact, I think it is a good idea for people to visit different kinds of churches, not necessarily to join but to get a feel for how others relate to God. It won’t change your theology but it does give you a different perspective on how God can use different types of churches to minister to all kinds of people.
All the best as you grow through this experience.
A few months back I may have disagreed with EnnisP about the “trying out different types of churches” thing, but I think he is correct.
My wife and I just stopped going to an “Independent Fundamental Baptist Church” and started attending a non-denominational church.
Many of the issues I had w/the Baptist church are not an issue at our new church, yet their doctrines are all just as sound and just as solid. They focus more on ministering to and serving others where they are in their walk as opposed to simply handing out tracts and hoping people will come. They use the culture to minister to people despite the culture – if that makes sense… they don’t expect non-believers to conform to some religious look or behavior, simply because of tradition.
Also, there are multiple elders so authority is spread upon many as it should be… and believers are much more active in service as opposed to the clergy/layman feel of our old church.
In saying all this, I am saying that before going to this church I would have discounted them as “liberal”, but really they are not at all – so we have to get past our differences as Christians and focus more on salvation and preaching Christ to the lost. So exploring other church options is a good thing – just make sure their doctrine fits the bible!
I have been wanting to fix the frame on my Hyundai for about 13 months now but couldn’t because it was roughly $2;000.00 to fix including the other things that broke when the frame dismantled. My husband and I started paying our tithes recently and I got a letter in the mail today saying that there is a recall on my car because of thin frames that break due to too much exposure to road salt. I called and my car is completely covered. God says he will reward your tithes and give you more than you can ask or think. I didn’t even think to ask God to help with that car even as bad as I wanted it fixed, he did it because he already knew it was a desire I had but just couldn’t afford it. He could have found me a cheap mechanic but no he didn’t, he went far beyond that and made it were I would get it fixed for free. I am so happy! Thank you God.
God is amazing… far beyond words. All we have to do is believe him and obey his word… everything else always false into place more perfectly than we ever could have managed without him!
That is a great testimony Angel! Thanks for sharing.
We began faithfully tithing in 2004.
In 2005, in pursuit of Christ, I quit my job (our only visible source of income), we sold our home and gave all of our possessions away to benefit the poor.
We’ve not asked anyone for a place to stay since. We’ve not paid ANY rent or mortgage. We’ve not been homeless, not even a single day. We have four children. We’ve not gone hungry a single day either.
God’s love, particularly His temporal care, for us has been supernatural AND practical. The Bible says we will hate the one (serving money) and love the other (serving God) or we will love the one (serving money) and despise the other (serving God).
Through His grace, we’ve given all that Christ might be seen through our journey. This has been our “service.” He is showing up!
We were actually asked to share part of our journey: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVAjNnhaqW8
Bless you!!
Robert.
Funny you mention that Robert… I’ve recently been studying modern day Christian communities made up of people just like you! I believe Christ may be calling me into a very similar journey.
Wow Matt! That’s great.
While it’s been the most difficult thing of our lives (that says a lot cause I was an air traffic controller in NY on 9-11-01), it’s also been the MOST rewarding. Oh the GRACE of God!!! His grace is power and His presence has been ever so very close the whole while (Psalm 46:1).
One thing though friend. Make sure it is Him who is calling you. Make sure it’s not just your good intentions. If you are convinced it is Him and not just you – go for it! Your faith will give glory to God! Nothing is impossible for those WHO WALK WITH CHRIST.