Theme: Tithing – The Pathway to Blessings
Text: Malachi 3:6-12
Among the least favorite subjects for many Christians today is the subject of tithing. I think I know why ... less than 20% of Christians are tithers. That means that 80% of all Christians are merely tipping God occasionally. No wonder most people tune out when the subject is discussed.
I've done a lot of thinking and praying about this problem because Christian giving is an important part of our stewardship. Many church people do not see it wise to be givers in the kingdom of God. My conclusion is that some Christians will never tithe because their level of faith is too low and they don't understand the principles of stewardship. Others may have tried tithing for a while, but never experienced a financial blessing, and therefore quit. If you are in either category I only ask that you hear me out, and remain open to a financial breakthrough and revolution and healing today.
The tithe is not something that Christians "give" to God. The tithe is PAYED, sort of like paying your taxes. You don't give the IRS your taxes each year, you PAY them ... or else. But, in the kingdom of God we are never coerced to do anything, including supporting our local church. However, we are admonished in both the Old and the New Testaments that a tithe belongs to God, and if we keep it we are robbing His kingdom of the resources to get the job done. (I wonder how fast we could complete the Great Commission if everyone tithed?)
Dr. John Avanzini has helped many of us to understand that, according to Mal. 3:8-10, when we tithe we release God to OPEN the windows of heaven. When we tithe, we are actually preparing the pathway to uncontainable blessing! In the original language, Mal. 3:10 does not promise that we will receive an uncontainable blessing when we tithe, but rather only when we give our offerings in addition to the tithe. This would explain why there are so many frustrated Christians who have begun tithing, not received a financial blessing... and then quit. We have misunderstood the purpose of tithing -- obedience.
When we tithe, two things happen: 1) Provision (meat) goes into the House of God, and 2) The windows of heaven are opened over our life. According to Luke 6:38, we can effect the measure of blessing that God pours out to us by the measure that we freely give offerings. Some have personally chosen to give with a large shovel. Some are giving by the cup, others by the teaspoon. It's your choice. We can move God's hand of blessing based on our level of faith to give.
The potential for greater blessing exists when we tithe and give generous offerings unto the LORD. This is good news indeed!
Let's all begin tithing for the sake of the gospel, as well as giving generous offerings. Remember: God is not mocked. Whatever we sow, we will reap.
OUR OFFERINGS WILL MEASURE OUR BLESSINGS
When the offering plate comes down your aisle, do you smile or cringe? According to George Barns, Christian poll-ster, about 3 out of 4 Christians cringe. Perhaps you would like to tithe and give offerings but there is nothing left to give and you are frustrated as well as convicted about it. The good news is that God does not hold a grudge. Rather, He is always ready to begin pouring out a fresh blessing upon you and your finances in response to your obedience and sacrifice.
GOD DOES NOT POUR DOWN BLESSINGS IN RESPONSE TO DISOBEDIENCE.
For many years, many of us are skeptic when it came to the issue of giving. Too often and frankly, tithing and giving offerings flies in the face of human logic. Think about it. Lets say you earn $500 per week and after paying your bills you are left with only $100. The offering plate comes by, and you are forced to decide, "shall I pay my $50 tithe and give a small offering of say $10, or ... just tip God with a $20 bill?" When you do that you are robbing
Obedience motivates us to tithe. Sacrifice motivates our offering. Tipping God is motivated by our guilt. Yet this is what many Christians do, and then justify it by saying that they will give more when God blesses them. For some reason the blessing never comes since God does not reward us for disobedience. He would be violating His Word.
Let's look at it another way. The Bible says that everything belongs to the Lord. Everything. Your time, your talent, your car, your house, your family, and your money. Everything! Do you believe this? If so, then you have taken the first step of stewardship in understanding that you are merely the overseer of God's
property. If you do not believe this, then you will always cringe when the offering plate comes by.
If 100% of everything belongs to God, the correct question we should ask ourselves when it comes to giving is "how much do I really need to live on?" and "how much can I give back to God." Rather than complaining about giving 10-20%, we should be praising God that we have been blessed with living on 80-90%. See the difference? If you reject the O.T. model of the tithe, then welcome to the N.T. model of giving everything you possibly can.
Does Jesus need your money? No. Does He need your obedience and sacrifice? Not really, but it delights Him, and it will bless you. In Mark 12:41-44 it is recorded that Jesus watched as the townspeople gave into the treasury and then singled out the widow who gave all she had (2 mites) as the best model for kingdom giving. She didn't cringe, she smiled, because she understood that you cannot out give God. I hope that we too can learn this lesson that the measure of OUR giving affects the measure of God's blessing!
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Theme: Understanding The Giving Of An Offering
Text: II Corinthians 9:6
"If you sow sparingly, you will also reap sparingly; if you sow bountifully, you will also reap bountifully"
II Corinthians 9:6
I. INTRODUCTION:
1. Giving is the Greatest thing that anyone can do on this Earth.
2. There is a direct Relationship between ones Giving and their Prosperity
3. There is a direct relationship between our Giving and our Spiritual Maturity and Growth
II. OFFERINGS
A. Under the Old Testament
1. Burnt Offering - Lev. 1:6
5 `He shall slay the young bull before the LORD; and Aaron's sons the priests shall offer up the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. 6 `He shall then skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces
2. Grain Offering - Lev. 2:6
5 `If your offering is a grain offering made on the griddle, it shall be of fine flour, unleavened, mixed with oil; 6 you shall break it into bits and pour oil on it; it is a grain offering.
3. Fellowship Offering - Lev. 3:7
6 `But if his offering for a sacrifice of peace offerings to the LORD is from the flock, he shall offer it, male or female, without defect. 7 `If he is going to offer a lamb for his offering, then he shall offer it before the LORD,
3. Sin Offering - Lev. 4:1
1 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 "Speak to the sons of Israel, saying, `If a person sins unintentionally in any of the things which the LORD has commanded not to be done, and commits any of them, 3 if the anointed priest sins so as to bring guilt on the people, then let him offer to the LORD a bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.
4. Guilt Offering - Lev. 5:14 etc.
14 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 15 "If a person acts unfaithfully and sins unintentionally against the LORD'S holy things, then he shall bring his guilt offering to the LORD: a ram without defect from the flock, according to your valuation in silver by shekels, in terms of the shekel of the sanctuary, for a guilt offering.
B. Under the New Testament
1. First Fruits Offering - Exodus 22:29, Romans 11:16
According to the Word of God, we should give the first fruits to the Lord as an Offering. We should not take the first fruits too literally, to mean that we should give only when we have an agricultural harvest of Vegetables, Fruits, Grains etc. The First Fruits Offering will also include, any blessing of repetitive nature that we get for the first time. Some examples of this kind of offerings are given below:
- The First Month's Rent that we collect from our Tenant
- The First Month's Salary that we get from our Employer
- The First Blessing of any kind that we will receive repeatedly in the future
2. Thanks Giving Offering
Psalms 50:23 says
He who offers a sacrifice of Thanksgiving honors me.
Romans 8:28 We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who loved God, to those who are the called according to his purpose.
2 Corinthians 9:15
Thanks be to God for all His indescribable gifts.
Thanksgiving to God and giving an offering proof three things
1. Expresses our relationship with
2. Expresses our reliance on God
3. Expresses our recognition of God’s sacrifices for us.
I don’t whether we have look back on our life and seen the goodness of God. When we do and see the hands of God in our life, we need to thank the Lord.
The song writer says, when I think about the goodness of Jesus and all he has done for me, than my soul praise and magnify the Lord.
What could you say of Ambassador Marron Cassell, I heard her saying, When I look back, And see where he took me from than I appreciate him the more.
Every time we receive a blessing from the Lord, no matter what it is, we owe an Offering to the Lord. The Word "Thanks Giving" implies that we should express our Thanks and Gratitude to the Lord, by "GIVING" something of value in substance. It is not "Thanks Saying" but it is "Thanks Giving". It is not enough, if we give a word of Testimony to the Lord when we receive a special blessing. In addition to the Testimony, we should also express our gratitude and thankfulness, by Giving a "Thanks Giving Offering". Some Examples of Blessings for which we should give a Thanks Giving Offering, are these:
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When we get Healed
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When we get a Job
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When we get a New House or any Material Blessing
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When we are rescued or delivered from a Danger, Supernaturally
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When we are receive any blessing
- When we receives answers to our prayers
When it comes to Giving, a "Thanks Giving Offering", how much we give as a Thanks Giving Offering, is also very important. We should not give just a little money, as a token offering. How much we should give, depends upon the nature and the value of the Blessing that we received. For Example:
- When a person gets Healed of Cancer, after spending a lot of money, and going through a lot of pain, worries and anxieties, it will not be proper to give a token offering of a few units of any currency. Perhaps a sizeable Cash-Offering, equivalent to several thousands of units of currency, will be appropriate.
- When a person gets some thing that is normally very difficulty to get, such as Admission in a School or College, a Job in the Government or in a Good Private Firm, a Visa to go to a Country or to get a Good Bride or a Bride Groom etc., the "Thanks Giving Offering" that one should give, should be substantial to reflect the significance, value and quantum of the Blessing.
3. Seed Faith Offering
This is a basic Biblical principle or requirement, and it is particularly significant when a person is praying for some Special Blessing. We cannot expect to receive a Blessing, without blessing first. We cannot expect to have a harvest, before Sowing. In order to justify the blessing that we are praying for, no matter what it is, we should first give an Offering to the Lord, so that he can bless it, multiply it and give it back to us, in a greater measure.
Give and it shall be given back to you, a good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will men give unto your Bosom. (Luke 6:38)
An Example for this kind of Offering are given below:
- If a person is praying for a Two Wheeler for example, that person should give to the Lord, a meaningful Offering in order to reflect his faith first, and secondly for God to bless that Offering, multiply and give it back to him.
- When a person does not have an Offering of adequate value to justify the request, that person may make a "Vow" to give what that person is not able to give, at the time of praying, but is willing to give it when it becomes possible.
III. KEY SCRIPTURES:
- If you sow sparingly, you will also reap sparingly; if you sow bountifully, you will also reap bountifully
II Corinthians 9:6 - Give and it shall be given back to you, a full measure, press down and shaken together will men give unto your Bosom Luke 6:38
- Be not deceived; Be not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth that he shall also reap. Galatians 6:7
- Bring me all your tithes into the storehouse. Prove me now saith the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open the windows of Heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Malachai 3:10
- As a man purposeth in his heart, let him give… II Corinthians 9:7
- Give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: Mathew 9:21
- God loves the cheerful giver: II Corinthians 9:7
- A Liberal Soul shall be made fat: Proverbs 11:25
1. WHAT IS GIVING?
- It is a Godly Act
- It is a Spiritual Act
- It is An Act of Love
- It is An Act of Faith
- It is An Act of Worship
- It is An Act of Thanksgiving
- It is An Act of Honor
- It is An Act of Pleasing
- It is An Act of Sowing
- It is An Act of Obedience
- It is An Act of Remembrance
- It is An Act of Restitution
- It is An Act of Reconciliation
- It is An Act of Stewardship
2. WHY SHOULD WE GIVE?
- To Receive More
- To Prosper
- To Bless Others
- To Support Any Good Cause
- To Support the Ministry
- To Get A 100 Fold Blessing
- To Help the Needy and the Poor
- To Demonstrate our Love
- To Have the Joy
- To Feed the Hungry
- To Help the Poor
3. HOW SHOULD WE GIVE?
- Willingly
- Not Grudgingly
- Cheerfully
- Sacrificially
- Daily
- According to Our Ability
- Beyond our Ability
- Make a Vow and Give if we do not have now
- Give Until the Need is Met
4. WHAT SHOULD WE GIVE?
- Give Gold
- Give the Best
- Give the First
- Give the Last
- Sell and Give
- Give Our All
- Give One Tenth of All of Our Income
- Give One Tenth of All of Our Increase
- Give Thanksgiving Offering
- Give Our First Fruits
- Give Seed Faith Offering
- Give a Special Offering when we Have a Special Need or Need A
Special Blessing
