Financially Faithful - Part 6: Ti-Things Which are God's

REVIEW
 
So we started out in our current series on the subject of finances by addressing certain mentalities that we are to possess in order to be more “financially faithful” to the Lord. Yes, the way we think is what I consider to be the most important part of faithfully stewarding our finances.
 
Most recently, we learned how we are called “stewards”, and a “steward” literally is described as one who handles the affairs of another. It is defined as a person who manages another person’s property. So you could describe a steward as what we would call today a “manager.”
 
So, last week, we started looking at the primary ways that we can steward or manage the finances that God has blessed us with. And we learned that one the most obvious & primary ways that a Christian can be faithful in the stewardship of their money is in how we give! Yes, it is very apparent that God is huge on the concept of giving because of the plentitude of Scriptures on the subject. Therefore, giving must be one of the main ways that we properly steward His monies, and what He considers us being faithful with those finances.
 
And we started talking about the various types of giving, and began talking about what is both the most controversial and the most important kind of giving – the tithe.
 
I see the tithe as being the first and most foundational type of giving that God’s people honor the Lord with. And what we did was we answered a couple of questions regarding the tithe – the questions of “What?” and “When?”
 
We answered the question “What is the tithe?” by defining the term tithe and found out that it simply means “tenth” – or, we might say 10%. So the tithe is not just some random amount that we decide to give a person, place, or thing of God. No, it’s specifically 10% of our increase.
 
Now I had someone challenge me this past week that according to their understanding of the Scriptures, the Israelites were only told to give their tithe like twice a year. Well, that was because their tithe was from their harvest. So if you only have two harvests a year, then yes, you only need to tithe twice a year. But if your “increase” comes in 12 or 24 times a year like it does with most of us that earn a paycheck, then your “tenth” is given that many times a year. My point is that your tithe comes off of your financial increase, whatever that looks like.
 
But we answered another important question last week, and that is – “When is the tithe?” This question is the biggest one because so many people ask – Was the tithe just under the law or do we have to tithe under the New Testament?  
 
Well, first of all, you don’t have to do anything. You don’t have to tithe. You don’t have to give offerings. But you also don’t have to have God open up the windows of heaven on your life and pour out a blessing that you don’t have room enough to receive it. Nor do you have to have the Lord rebuke the devourer for your sakes. You don’t “have” to have any of this in your life, but you do get to.
 
You see, a law-based mentality says, “I got to do this to get that.” But a grace & faith-based mentality says, “I get to do this because I’ve already got that.” And that certainly goes for tithing.
 
Don’t look at it like – What do I have to do? No, tithe like Abraham did well before there was a law, and give him a tenth because of all the ways that the Lord, your Melchizedek, has blessed you. That’s the right way to give the tithe – like our father of faith, Abraham, did.
 
We also saw how the New Testament gives us a couple of examples of tithing as well – both with Jesus saying in Matthew 23:23 that the tithe is something we ought to do and with the Book of Hebrews dedicating some precious Scriptural real estate on the idea of tithing.
 
So we learned that tithing is not just something that was under the law. No, it was before the law and after the law. Therefore, tithing is an eternal statute that is the same yesterday, today, and forevermore.  
 
Now this week, I want us to answer another couple of questions. Like we answered the “What?” and “When?” last week, today, let’s answer the “Why?” and “Where?” questions.   
 
WHY DO WE TITHE?
 
Let’s begin with the question – Why do we tithe? Well, that question can be easily answered with this – Because we love God and seek to honor Him by returning to Him 10% of what He has blessed us with. Like we said, this is why Abraham tithed in our first Biblical example. He didn’t tithe because He was commanded to. It was an honor thing by giving a tenth of the spoils of his victory to the Lord’s High Priest, Melchizedek.
 
So this is the simple answer that should refute all other objections. For example, if a person gave me $1,000, I should have no problem with giving $100 back to them. However, if I don’t see that 1K as a gift and don’t recognize who it is who gave it to me, then giving $100 to that person might not be my tendency. So this is why it is important for us to understand where every good gift and every perfect gift in our life comes from. Once we see that, giving back to Him becomes a much easier thing to do.  
 
But I want to offer you another reason why tithing is our responsibility as the people of God – Not only should I tithe back to the Lord because it’s an honor thing, I should tithe because it is holy thing.  
 
Do you remember the story of when Jesus was tested by the Pharisees regarding the payment of taxes to Rome? And how Jesus responded to their question of “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” with “Render unto Ceasar the things which are Ceasar’s and unto God the things which are God’s.” (See Matthew 22:15-22)?
 
Now the subject here was taxation. And just like it was with the Jews then, it is that way with folks now – we do not want to believe that we owe a certain amount to our government. However, Jesus was advocating the payment of taxes to Rome just like Romans 13:7 reiterates – “Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.”
So the Bible is clear that it is the duty of the people of God to “render” (i.e. pay off or give back) taxes to whom they are due.
 
Now I know a lot of people don’t like this subject and one of the reasons is because they don’t agree with how our government handles our tax money. But consider how much worse of a government system the Jewish people were under than even us. I mean, they were in bondage. They didn’t have many rights at all. It was an oppressive system to where they were being severely taken advantage of with their taxation.
So as bad as you and I think we have it here in the United States with how our government handles our tax money and how much they take, it is not a fraction as bad as the Jews had it when Jesus said, “Render unto Ceasar the things which are Ceasars.”
 
So I for one choose to pay my taxes willingly without offense in my heart in having to do so – believing God that my tax money is going to good & useful things and not the part that’s being wasted and going to bad use.  
 
But I want you to notice that Jesus did not just say, “Render unto Ceasar the things that are Caesar’s …” He also said, “And (render) unto God the things that are God’s.” So apparently Jesus thought that just as it is our duty to render taxes to our government because it is theirs, He also thought some things are God’s. What do you suppose that is?
 
Well, under the law, God revealed to Israel how the tithe was different than their other forms of giving. He said in 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.”  Therefore, the tithe is holy unto the Lord. This means it is separate, different, and set apart unto God. And in this passage, it says that the tithe “is the Lord’s.”
 
So I believe that one of the things that it is our duty to return unto the Lord is that holy thing called the tithe. It’s not for our consumption; It’s for His use.
 
Now we made the point that under our new & better covenant, everything that we have is the Lord’s – for we died, and our life is hidden with God in Christ Jesus. Yes, we were crucified with Christ, and it is no longer we who live, but it’s Christ living in us and through us (Galatians 2:20).
 
So, as the Scriptures clearly state, our life is not our own anymore. We were bought with a price! Therefore, all the gold, silver, etc. is His – meaning, all of our money is something we simply are stewarding for Him as we aim to live our lives seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. 
 
Now most of us will “amen” all of that, but I’ve yet to really meet anyone who acts like that is true. No, most of us spend the money we’ve earned like it’s ours to do whatever we want with it. If we want a bigger house and we’ve got the money in our account to do it, we get it. If we want a new car and our income justifies getting it, we will go buy it. Very few people inquire of the Lord and ask Him something to the effect of – “Lord, is it okay if I use your money to buy this for myself?”
 
And guess what? While we certainly ought to be led by Him in how we steward the money we’ve been blessed with, it’s not something we have to ask permission on. God has entrusted this money to us to steward properly, but that doesn’t mean He’s against us using any of it for our own personal needs & desires. We just need to be open & willing to give any of it away when He tells us to do so. Not only that, we also need to have a heart to honor Him with what He has blessed us with by tithing, giving Him offerings, and taking care of those in need. This is how you and I properly steward God’s finances.
 
You see, there are a lot of citizens of heaven who do not want to believe that it is our duty to “render” tithes to God. But if you study the principle of the tithe under the law, you’ll find that it essentially was a taxation of Israel. In other words, it was a system put in place by God through Moses for His people to pay for things in the kingdom of Israel.
 
And while I do not personally look at tithing like I do paying taxes, I do come at it with a similar mindset – that it’s not mine to do with whatever I feel like. Like paying taxes, I realize it takes money for a government to run and the taxpayers’ money is what provides the means of the provision & protection we need in our land. Likewise, the tithe serves a similar purpose in that it takes money for the church to operate. Those that preach the gospel should live of the gospel. Any worker in the gospel is worthy of his or her wages. Churches & ministries have the same overhead as other places of business. Therefore, our Father’s business needs money to operate. Therefore, the principle of the tithe is good for the church today the same as it was good for the kingdom of Israel then.
 
So this is why the tithe is still a good practice for us today. No, not because we have to or because of some rule or law, but because, first, we want to honor the Lord like Abraham did, and secondly, we know it consistently provides for the kingdom of God like Moses put into place.  
 
 
 
 
WHERE DO WE GIVE THE TITHE?
 
Which leads me to the next question we need answered – “Where?” In other words, where does the tithe go and where should we be giving it? Let’s look at several Scriptures and determine what God’s Word teaches us that the tithe was for and where it was to be given …
 
Now all of these verses are going to come from the Old Testament and specifically are references to the law, but don’t let that offend you. This is not to be viewed as “law or legalism.”
 
But how many of you know that the law was not a bad thing. In fact, the apostle Paul said that the law was good. No, it wasn’t the problem; we were. People’s misuse of the law is what became and still today becomes the issue.
 
But how many of you know that things that were prescribed under the law, we’ve come to discover are good & healthy things? For example, resting one day out of seven is good for us. Eating pork & shellfish is not necessarily healthy. Likewise, tithing is a healthy financial habit, not something that justifies us or makes us holy. But it’s just a wise principle for faithfully handling our finances. Amen?
 
Let’s begin at the end of the Old Testament, in its last Book …
 
Malachi 3:10 says, “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.”
 
Now the phrase “all the tithes” refers to all the various tithes that they were prescribed to give under the law. Did you know that just as there wasn’t just one Sabbath, there wasn’t just one tithe? Well, don’t worry. I’m not going to get into all of that when I know that some of us are having trouble swallowing just one tithe. LOL!
 
Now the “food” that He was describing was actual food. In fact, the Hebrew word was primarily used to describe meat that came from an animal’s prey. So does this mean that you and I are supposed go obtain some ribeye, prime rib, tenderloin, etc. and put it in the offering/ice box? No, and let me deal with this for a moment …
 
One of the main arguments that the “anti-tithing” people make against tithing is that they make the point that it wasn’t money. And guess what? They are technically correct. What the children of Israel primarily tithed was crops, fruit, livestock, grains, meat, and drink. But this is what these people are missing – The Lord told them to tithe these things because that’s what their increase came in the form of. They weren’t bankers or working in a trade where physical currency was where their bankroll lied. No, they were primarily an agricultural society, so like a farmer in our day and time might grow corn, the corn didn’t become cash until they sold it. And in some situations, the commodities never become cash.
 
For example, I remember on one of my trips to India, going to rural area to hold a meeting in the church, and outside of the church, there was a goat tied up. In my ignorance, I asked one of the church workers why they had a goat at the church, and he said that it was one of their members’ tithes.
 
But the difference with us here in the United States, is that we live in a society that mainly deals with cash. We don’t deal in corn or in cattle, but in cash. So to be so literal as to say that we are doing it wrong because the Lord specifically told them to tithe these other commodities is wrong. Not to mention, I doubt that those that make that point are tithing the things that they were told to under the law. No, most people who bring this up are just looking for excuses and loopholes to avoid doing the thing that their flesh doesn’t want to do.
 
But no, the word “storehouse” in Malachi 3:10 literally described the “treasuries” of the House of the Lord. You find this in a bunch of other Scriptures where this Hebrew word for “storehouse” was used. And in this treasury of God’s house, I’m sure you found all kinds of valuable things including gold, silver, and other monetary items.
 
So the tithe can be one of many things, depending on what is of value in the specific place & time that the child of God is living in. And with most of us, that would usually be physical currency.
 
Now if you want to donate Bessy, Fluffy, or Big Blue (That’s the name of Bruce’s truck) to the church, we will gladly accept them. But I will say, we prefer money so that we don’t have to spend our time exchanging these items for cash.
 
But I want you to notice that the storehouse that the Lord told them to bring their tithes to was located in God’s “House” (See Malachi 3:10): Now God’s House is not to be misunderstood as just a physical building or Structure. Just because a building is called a church doesn’t mean it really is a church in the sense that God intended it. This is why we need to be led where we plant ourselves and where we sow our seed. Not every ministry & church out there, God approves of. 
 
In Deuteronomy 12:1-5, the Lord clearly showed them that they were not to worship Him with the idolatrous things that the people had. But in verse 6, He said that they were to seek the place where the Lord God chooses – meaning, you don’t choose to worship in the place, manner, etc. that you choose. No, you seek the place that God tells you to. In other words, you don’t go to church where you want. You don’t praise & worship Him in that place the way you want. You always seek to do His will, not your own. Verse 8 reiterates not doing what’s right in your own eyes.
 
In verse 5, notice that He said that they would go to the place where He has “put His name for His dwelling place” and verse 6 said that this is where their tithes were to be brought. This is very important because when we choose the specific “House of God” that we sow into, we need to make sure His “name” is on that place & people. And I am not talking about that they have some nice fancy sign that has Jesus’ name on it or that they have a big cross or steeple.   
 
No, when the Bible speaks of the name of God it is referring to the representation of God. In other words, it refers to His character, nature, power, and authority. So when the Word of God teaches us to tithe to the place where God has chosen to put His name, it is telling us to tithe to the place that God’s character, nature, authority, and power is represented. In our example, He is talking about a body of believers where they correctly represent His nature and character and where they believe in and demonstrate His authority and power. This would exclude many churches today that believe that the gifts passed away with the apostles or that God is some ruthless tyrant who only loves you when you are perfect. In other words, God needs to be well-represented.
 
The other qualification that we see in Deuteronomy 12:5-6 is that the place we tithe to needs to be a place that God has chosen to put His name “for His dwelling place.” In other words, God’s presence and anointing needs to be present there. Some churches you go into have just such an atmosphere that is charged with the presence of God. Some ministers just operate in and even usher the anointing of the Holy Ghost into a service. These are the churches and ministries that God has chosen for His dwelling place!
 
So from these two principles we can learn that we need to tithe to the ministry that is rightly dividing the word of truth—accurately representing the nature and power of God—and also to the ministry that is anointed and carries the ark with it wherever it goes.
 
Now, of course, this does not limit us to a local church, but I personally like to give all or the majority of it to my local church because it is a consistent amount that they can budget and my offerings go to other ministries that I feel accurately represent the Lord and carry His presence.      
 
So it is clear that the tithe goes to the storehouse (i.e. the treasury) of the House of God. Now most of us automatically equate a church building as being the House of God, but that’s not 100% accurate.
 
The house of God used to be one building. It started out being the tabernacle. Then it became the temple. Now, we are the house of the Lord. Our body is the temple of God. Why? Because He dwells in us. There are many New Testament Scriptures that state that we today are God’s house (See Hebrews 3:6, First Peter 2:5, First Timothy 3:15, etc.) Yes, we all are His tabernacle/temple, and we all are kings and priests unto our God.
 
And this is why, when you study the law, that you see the tithe being intended for individuals and not just an “organization” of some kind.
 
Now if you go through the many verses in the law that instructed Israel concerning the tithe, you will see that the tithe was meant to go to specific individuals. For example, in Deuteronomy 26:12 for the year of tithing, it went to the Levites, the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows.
 
Now the Levites are the ones that did most of the “ministry work.” In other words, they were the ones responsible for all the natural work like setting up the tabernacle, taking it down, carrying it, manning the fires, etc. This sounds a lot like the staff in churches & ministries, right? 
 
Now the priests were the ones who represented God for the people and the people for God. They offered sacrifices and did what we might call the pulpit & podium parts of the ministry.  This would be comparable to the five-fold ministry gifts in the church today. Amen? And when you study the tithe in depth, you learn that the Levites were commanded to take a tenth of the tenth that they had received from the people and give that to the priests.
 
And why did God set it all up this way? Because as most of you know, the Levites did not have an inheritance among the people. They were not allotted land like the other tribes were. And the reason being was because as we might say today, they were in “full time ministry.” So because God had called this tribe to serve Him in this capacity, He made provision for them through the tithe.
 
This is why you see in the New Testament so many instances where the apostle Paul had to defend this right that those who preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel (See First Corinthians 9:14). Which is, of course, proportional. A person who preaches or ministers in some other capacity 2 hours a week is not supposed to “live of the Gospel.” No, one lives of the Gospel in proportion to how much ministry is a part of their life.
 
But my point is that the main thing that you see the tithe being used for in the House of God is for the “Levite” – those who are called & anointed to full time ministry and live to serve the people. Even Nehemiah had to set the people straight because the Levites were working out in the fields because there was no provision in the House of God. I wonder how many churches & ministries are violating this principle by having their “ministers” out there working secular jobs while having their hands full with the ministry. More than the Lord would be pleased with, I can assure you. 
 
But this is not the only purpose of the tithe – we see it is also to be distributed to the “foreigners/strangers, the fatherless, and the widows.”
 
Now I see the foreigners/strangers as a type of the “unbelievers.” In other words, this is those who are (as Paul called them) “… aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise …” (See Ephesians 2:12).
 
So God’s intention for the tithe was to help with what we would call “evangelism” – that is the spreading of the Gospel and bringing people with no hope into the kingdom of God.  
 
Finally, the tithe was for the “fatherless & widows.” These two demographics of people represented the most poverty-stricken individuals because back in their day, a widow and an orphan were in serious trouble with no husband or father. So this refers to the poor and to those with legitimate needs. 
 
So if the tithe is for these individuals, how do you suppose is the best way to do this? Is it for you to individually go find every widow and orphan out there who has a need? I don’t believe that is what God had in mind. One of the reasons this isn’t practical is because one might be duped into giving to someone who claims to have a need, but they are just working the system, etc.
 
This is why it’s nice to be surrounded by a church family who knows & sees things you might not. For example, like every church, we’ve had people who come here because they are looking for a handout and they go around poor-mouthing to others within the church. And because so many of you have such big hearts and desire to give to the poor as the Lord commanded, you have emptied your wallets and given them what they say they needed. But if you knew what the church leadership knew and had already gone through, you might have realized that this person wasn’t the best ground to sow into.
 
So what’s the lesson here – it’s that God has put this organization called the Church in place to properly steward these things for God’s people. Not meaning that you don’t ever take it in your hands personally to give towards any of those needs. That’s not what I’m saying. But the tithe being brought into the storehouse of God’s House is a means to taking care of a lot of these needs corporately rather than just individually.
 
I can attest that High Point Church is a good steward of your tithe and has been used in my close to 10 years of being here to distribute to a multitude of poverty-stricken people, to the true widows within our walls, and to orphans outside of these walls. We give! We sow! As Galatians 6:10 tells us – we do good to all, especially to those of the household of faith. Amen.   
 
For example, I have a personal ministry that I had before I came to Pastor this church, and guess what it does? It tithes just like we are talking about. But we tithe to a specific ministry that is geared towards feeding the poor all around the world and distributing materials all around the world. I know this individual well. In fact, he was one of my instructors at Charis Bible College. But do you know why I tithe our ministries 10% to him? It’s because he takes care of a lot of these things that the Lord told the Jewish people to give the tithe to. In other words, I trust His stewardship and believe that I am fulfilling taking care of specific things that I might not personally be privy to.
 
I bring this up because I believe that if you are a part of a good church that properly stewards their resources to take care of the needs of folks – both naturally and spiritually – then you don’t have to go seek out people who fit this category. You trust your local church to distribute to the appropriate parties.
 
Now if you don’t trust your local church to administrate your tithe properly, then you might be at the wrong church. You need to know those who labor among you, so that you can give in faith to the house of God where He has planted you – believing that they are properly stewarding your tithe by taking care of its “Levites” (i.e. those who work full time within the church), the “strangers/foreigners” (i.e. the unbelievers), “the fatherless & widows” (i.e. the poor and those with legitimate financial needs).  Amen?
 
 
CONCLUSION
 
And there are many other Scriptures I could take you to that teach where the tithe goes, but the bottom line is this – God is not interested in us just going through the motions and checking off boxes. He looks at the heart! So what He wants is a people that purpose in their heart to do the honorable thing.
But the fact is, God obviously considers the tithe as a holy thing. He sees it as the thing that we “give back” (i.e. render) to Him. And as long we are giving it in the right heart – in love and by faith – He is pleased.
 
Now based on what I read in the Scriptures and believe is wisdom from above, I believe the tithe predominantly belongs in your local church. And why? Because a good, healthy church contains “Levites” (i.e. workers that have devoted themselves full-time to the ministry). It also will take care of the strangers, widows, and orphans. It’s where your children & grandchildren are cared for. It’s where your pastor will visit you, call on you, pray for you, etc. It’s where the physical building is located where you can gather together with our believers. These are not things other ministries provide for you.
 
So I for one, choose to “bring” my tithes to this here storehouse and trust the leadership team to distribute to the needs contained both in our gathering place and to the needs God puts on our hearts outside of these walls. This is where I tithe – because I believe HPC is good ground and is doing the work of the ministry. Amen.