Church stuff is a new section of "All These Things" that deals with the basics of Christianity and the common practices of the modern Christian church. I am of the Baptist Denomination. Therefore, most of what I write concerning specific practices will be based on what I was taught and what my particular church believes. I will try my best to be correct in my information. However, any input is appreciated. I will never delete a comment or question unless it is deamed disrespectful to God or lewd in wording. Tough Questions are welcomed!
A friend of mine asked me to relay some thoughts to them about tithing and giving offerings to the church. I started thinking about it and how to put it into words. So many times, we as Christians do things because that's we are told to do. But when we have to explain why we do the things that we do, we need to make sure that we have the proper answers. Here is what I said:
The purpose of tithes and offering is to support the church. All of the tithes and offerings are designated to go to particular ministries or “accounts”. As an example, my church has a
General fund account that goes for the following expenses:
1. The pastor's salary
2. The staff salary
3. Membership dues for the Baptist Conventions and other membership organizations
We also have a
Building fund account that goes towards the upkeep of the Church building and for maintaining the land around the church. Then we have a
Mission Offering Fund account that is designated money for our mission outreach programs. These programs include:
1. Providing food for families.
2. Supporting a ministry church in Haiti
3. Helping members to pay electricity bills, rent, or any emergency that they may need assistance with.
Here are the major questions about giving:
Q: What is a tithe?
A: A tithe is simply 10% of your income given to the church. In the book of Genesis 14:20, Abram (Who later was renamed Abraham) gave a tenth of his winnings in war to the King. It was a gesture of respect to the one in authority. Since God is in authority in our lives, we should give our tithes to God through the church. If you make $100, then the tithe is $10 dollars. Some people ask should you give 10% of your gross income or your net income. I say that you should start out giving 10% of your net income. As God continues to bless you (and He will!), then you can give more. Here’s the thing though. The tithe given is the minimum that you are required to give. If you can afford to give more, certainly give more. But don’t worry about that at this point. An offering is simply anything else that you give in addition to your required 10%(tithe).
Q: “Why should I give?
A: You should give because God has commanded us to give. In Malachi 3:10, it states,
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.”NIV. These are the words of God through the prophet Malachi. He is saying that we should bring in our tithes and offering to the church (storehouse) so that there will be plenty available to do the work of the church. In the scripture referenced above, the word food is used because many of the people during that time brought crops and livestock as an offering to God. The food was used to feed the priests and provide for the elderly, the widows and the orphans. The community as a whole was responsible for providing for the church so that the church could perform its duties. Just as the community provided for the church; we should provide for the church through our monetary donations(as well as our time and talent).
Q: What if the church does not do the right thing with the money?
A: Just as you are required to be responsible with your money, the church is required to be responsible with the money that is given to it. The trustees of the church have the responsibility to make sure that the money is used for what it is supposed to be used for. If the church misuses the money that you give them; then that is between the church and God. I had an old Deacon tell me that he didn’t care if the church put the money in the parking lot and set it on fire! He knew that he did what God wanted him to do by giving. His responsibility to the money ended once it left his hand and went to the church.
Q: But what if I can’t afford to tithe?
A: God promises that He will provide for us as long as we do our part. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 says,
Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.NIV These are the verses that we say(at my church) before we give our offering. What it means is that the more you give to the church, the more that God will give to you in blessings. They may not necessarily be monetary blessings. But they may be blessings of good health, peace in the home, and other ways. It
might be a monetary blessing. But my prayer is that the blessing that you receive is the blessing that you need.
Peace and Love,
Rev. Mike
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UPDATE TO ORIGINOL POST:
Based on the many strong comments I received on this article, I looked online to see what else was out there. Here's a good article that I found: Does the New Covenat Require Tithing?
I copy/pasted the article below:
The New Testament clearly assumes there was a new covenant established between humanity and God through the advent of Jesus Christ (cf. 2 Corinthians 3.6; Hebrews 7-9). Many have claimed that grace has replaced law, which was the keyword of the old covenant. Paul wrote repeatedly that grace was superior to the law, and it seems the Church came to a similar understanding.
However, I'm not sure Jesus would agree that the old covenants with God are null and void. Indeed, he said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished" (Matthew 5.17-18). Some have said that what was to be "accomplished" was the cross-resurrection event; however, the sense of what Jesus says in the remainder of this passage seems to belie that notion: "Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5.19).
So, to the question: Should tithing be a thing of the past? One of the little known facts is related to this very issue. Did you know that Jesus had more to say about money than he did any other subject? More than about loving your neighbor? More than about loving God. He even had more to say about money than he did about his own death and resurrection. Finances were important to Jesus.
So, what did he have to say about money? Well, mostly he had to say that if we were preoccupied with money then we were in a lot of trouble. "I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God" (Matthew 19.24). He also said, "Therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions" (Luke 14:33). Pretty harsh words about our "worldly possessions" and what it means to be a true follower of Jesus. On the other hand, he never asks us to do anything he hasn't already done himself.
Jesus only once mentioned tithing by name - and that was to condemn the Pharisees who were abusing the system (Luke 11.42). The only other time the word tithing occurs in the New Testament is in Hebrews 7.5-9 where Abraham's tithe is used as an example about the high priesthood.
On the surface, it looks like the tithe just might be an old covenant issue, since it is referred to so rarely in the New Testament - and then never by command. So, why does the church still hang on to it? Because of one particular reminder by Jesus.
That reminder in found most clearly in Matthew. On Tuesday, the week of Jesus' ultimate arrest, the religious leaders were trying trump up a reason to arrest him that would stand in a Roman court. They tried a variety of trick questions, and finally got around to asking, "Is it lawful for a Jew to pay Roman taxes?" It was a loaded question. If he answered, "Yes" he would become rather unpopular with the crowd who were anti-Roman. On the other hand, if he said, "No" the Romans could arrest him for sedition. Instead he replied, "'Show me the coin used for the tax.' And they brought him a denarius. Then he said to them, 'Whose head is this, and whose title?' They answered, 'The emperor's.' Then he said to them, 'Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's'" (Matthew 22.19-21). His answer astounded the crowd because he had tricked the religious leaders: (1) They were in the Temple and coins with engraved faces on them were not allowed there (and the religious leaders knew better), and (2) the fact that they were using a governmental provided coin implied they owed the government for services rendered.
But for the Church, the point is this: Jesus here implies that responsible disciples are expected to contribute to the work of God appropriately. And the standard contribution to the work of God was, and still is, ten-percent.
It is written that where your treasure is, there you will find your heart. If offering ten-percent of one's income to the work of God through the church seems high, then an accounting of our checkbooks will reveal most clearly where our heart really is.
