I want to thank you for reading and allowing me to serve my God-given purpose by educating you about God’s perspectives on your finances and for being willing to learn.
I also want to ask you for forgiveness, because after reading this, you will have no excuse for not applying these Biblical principles in your lives.
Just to let you know who I am, and what my qualifications are… I am a licensed Mortgage Broker in the state of Florida. I am licensed by the NASD and the SEC as an Investment Broker and to supervise other Investment Brokers. I am also licensed by the state of Florida to market Life and Health Insurance.
More importantly, I am commissioned by Crown Financial Ministries as a Centurion, dedicated to equipping the church with Godly Stewards.
As you can probably imagine, most people are concerned about money matters, but few truly understand how money works or what God’s purpose is for their finances. Whenever anyone talks about money in a church setting, a lot of people react badly. Often times pastors will avoid preaching on it because they are concerned people will question their motives.
But the Evangelist Billy Graham was quoted as saying, “If a person gets his attitude about money straight, it will help straighten out almost every other area in his life.” I firmly believe this, so I commend you for taking your spiritual health seriosuly enough to discuss this volatile issue.
Just to clarify, the Bible and Jesus himself speak often of finances. In fact, the subject is mentioned in the Bible twice as often as prayer and faith put together! Two-thirds of Jesus parables dealt with money, and the Scriptures make it clear that there is a fundamental connection between a person’s spiritual life and his attitudes and actions concerning money and possessions.
You didn’t see it on Television or in the newspapers, but last year there was a string of church robberies across the country. An undetermined amount of money was stolen, and the evidence suggests that it was an inside job. There were no visible signs of forced entry, and no destruction of property. None of the suspects has been apprehended… yet.
I have also come to announce, to all who will listen, that the Judge in the case is willing to suspend the sentences and pardon all who will make a vow never to commit the crime again. In case you haven’t guessed, the victim and the Judge are one in the same – the Lord. And none of us, including myself, unfortunately, is innocent. You see, today, we’re going to talk about the foundation of God-centered finances, the Tithe.
First, let’s talk about some of the popular misconceptions I’ve heard from people in the church about money & the Bible. See if you’ve heard any of these…
“Money is evil” or “Money is the root of all evil.”
What I Timothy 6:10 actually says is that, “…the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
You see, as Tom Hill points out, “Money makes you more of what you already are.”
The great 18th century theologian John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, wrote that money is an excellent gift of God, when it is properly applied, to bring food and drink to the hungry and thirsty, clothes for the naked, a source of shelter for the homeless, the fatherless and the widow, health for the sick, sight to the blind, feet to the lame… And as a result, those who fear God should learn how to manage that resource.
So how do you start managing money? Start with a vision. The writer of the proverbs noted that, “Without a vision the people perish,” and this is especially true when you’re dealing with money.
The vision should be clear and concise and you need to consult God to develop it properly. You must write it down and decide what you are willing to do to fulfill your God-given vision. Everyone’s situation and level of commitment is different. Once you have a vision, you begin by setting out a spending plan, based on your priorities.
Again, every individual is different, but a good rule of thumb for Christians is the 10-10-80 Rule.
10% of your Gross Income goes to your church.
10% of your Gross Income goes to save for your family’s future needs. We’ll talk more about that in a couple of weeks.
That leaves 80% as God’s provision for you to live on.
Of course, the government wants their portion, but if you’ve started off properly, that’s a fraction of the rest of your expenses.
Following the 10-10-80 Rule, here is a guideline for your personal financial situation. Again, 10% goes to tithes, and 10% to savings. The rest is broken up this way: 35% for housing, 20% for transportation, 15% for debt relief, and 10% for other expenses. And I would suggest that if one area of your finances is significantly outside of these percentages, then you need to spend some serious time in prayer to determine if you are truly following God’s plan.
Again, I’m going to emphasize that you need to write all this down. And I recommend that for the same reason that you write out your grocery list or balance your checkbook. If it’s not written down, it very difficult to follow. Having a written plan gives you a reference to turn to when you have a decision to make.
In the Old Testament, Habakkuk is told by the Lord to write the vision down for just this reason – that he may run who reads it. Solomon writes that wisdom and knowledge build a secure house, while Hosea laments that God’s people suffer for a lack of knowledge.
So what does Tithing mean? As I’ve already mentioned, there is a bit of a stigma when money is mentioned in a church setting, especially when the topic turns to the Tithes and Offerings. But the tithe is really *NOT* about money.
The word tithe, translated into English is one tenth. But the tithe is a resource standard, not an economic one. Only recently, in the last 100 years or so did money become the focus of the tithe. There is an old phrase I used to hear growing up in church – time, talent and treasury. You’ll note that the treasury is the last thing mentioned, because money is only a small part of the picture.
God wants you to sacrifice a portion of all of your blessings to Him, because He is the father of all blessings. The fact is, everything on earth is God’s – we are merely His stewards. All He requires of us – the bare minimum – is that we give back to Him a small fraction of the entirety He’s given us. He asks for the first fruits. He asks us to sacrifice the first of the blessings He has bestowed upon us, believing in faith that there are more blessings coming.
But, in fact, few people in the church are willing to trust God that much. A wise man once told me that people say a lot of things with their mouths that they don’t really mean, but when they speak with their wallets, you know they‘re telling the truth. The best judge of a man or woman’s character is where they spend their money.
Which do you think is better for you – living off of 90% of your income with God’s blessings – or trying to make do with 100% of your income on your own?
Now, I’ve heard some people claim that the tithe is an Old Testament Jewish law that has no bearing on our present day. I will agree, the tithe is never mentioned by Jesus or any of the apostles in the New Testament.
But consider this – did Jesus usually lower or raise the standard of obedience for His followers? In Matthew 5, He says, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them… You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder… But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment… You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.‘ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”
But why didn’t Paul, the Jewish scholar turned Christian theologian mention it? I believe that he didn’t bring it up because there was no need. Acts 4 explains that the early church shared all of their assets, with no one claiming anything as his own. There were no needy – but those who had resources would donate them to be distributed as there was need.
The Barna Group, which is a company that follows Christian trends, found that the average American Christian gives only 6% to any ministry, and only 9% of born again Christians tithed their income to churches in 2004. What’s worse, one out of every six born again Christians (16%) gave no money to his or her church in 1999.
Sadly, if the active members of Christian churches simply tithed – only gave a mere 10% of their income – an additional $139 billion – that’s a B – a year would be available for ministry. Do you see why God might consider us thieves?
I mentioned earlier that the Lord’s house was robbed. What I didn’t explain is that the thieves also stole from themselves. You see, the tithe is a spiritual discipline. God does not need your money – not for Himself or to fund any church. But when He created this world, He set certain laws into place – and one of those laws that He follows is tied to the tithe.
Our attitude and obedience are benchmarks for the magnitude of blessings God bestows upon us – financial or otherwise. So by not bringing in the whole tithe, by placing other wants and needs ahead of God and by refusing to talk about money, we are robbing ourselves of the greater blessings God wishes to bestow upon us.
Let me go one step further and point out that the first ministry that should benefit from the tithe, monetarily and in service, should be your home church. Any outside ministries should be funded by personal offerings outside the tithe, or from the church’s surplus. In fact, I highly recommend that churches and business also participate in the tithing process.
When I began writing, I apologized to you for what I had to teach, because the Word says that once you know what you are supposed to do, to not do it is to choose to sin. The first key is self-control. You choose what, when and how you spend now.
The hard part is making the choice to place God’s priorities ahead of what the world tells us we should want and need. The key to finding financial balance is in the understanding that giving is completely contrary to the thought that happiness can be found in accumulating money and possessions. Rather, joy is acquired by surrendering the material, and embracing the eternal. Then, once you begin to make the proper decisions with your own money, pass the knowledge onto others.
Next week, we’ll take a look at the one thing most responsible for keeping Christians from living as God intended… Overbearing Debt.
“And I would suggest that if one area of your finances is significantly outside of these percentages, then you need to spend some serious time in prayer to determine if you are truly following God’s plan.”
may i suggest that this plan of percentages, while helpful, is your plan, not Gods?
“But when He created this world, He set certain laws into place – and one of those laws that He follows is tied to the tithe.”
I used to believe this too, but the logic doesn’t hold. You already established that Jesus doesnt actually talk about tithes, neither does Paul, and yet somehow that talked about money more than anything else. How does this work – these guys spend most of their time talking about money yet never mention tithes?????? Why? because everyone already knew what to do? If thats so why did they need to talk about money so much?
Think about it for a second. You hold that tithing is foundational to giving. Therefore you mention it a lot when discussing giving. This makes sense. Yet Jesus and Paul don’t. Why don’t they?
Actually Jesus does mention it once. But hes talking about tithing under the Mosiac law (which it nothing at all like tithing we preach today) to a Jew. So most people, including pro-tithers, rightly dismiss it at command for Christians. Even if they don’t – its still only 1 confirming instance. Hardly what we would call ‘foundational’.
Here is another thought. Paul talked much about giving, but not tithing, and his audiences consisted of many gentiles. Since tithing was Jewish, why didn’t he explain it to them? Why did he assume that gentiles somehow know all about tithing (a Jewish thing) and yet still needed lots of instruction about giving?
A final related thought. What we call tithing today (giving 10% of our gross income) is NOTHING at all what tithing was to a Jew. Have a look at how many tithes there was in the Law, who had to pay them, when, why, etc etc etc. Hopefully you will agree that what we preach today is not the same at all, which is ok. But heres my final quesiton –
if Jesus meant to change tithing from what Jews understood it to be, to what it is today that we preach, then why didnt he at least explain that? There is not a single explanation, ever. So we have something that is supposedly foundational to our giving, thats been changed from what it was to something else, and nobody bothers to mention that. What a Jew thinks needs to be changed, but nobody tells him that. A gentile doesn’t know, but nobody informs him.
very very very very strange.
God bless
Randall, first off, I NEVER said that this was God’s plan. Please bearf with me on this, because it really irritates me when people try to put words into my mouth and then criticize me for something I did not say. As YOU yourself quoted, I said, “I would suggest that if one area of your finances is significantly outside of these percentages, then you need to spend some serious time in prayer to determine if you are truly following God’s plan.” And I still stand by this. On top of that, you are taking one single element of the conversation and finding flaw with the entire argument which is this: We should give as a spiritual discipline, and if your personal spending, debt or savings keeps you from doing this – you should spend time in prayer to see if you are living inside God’s will.
I am well aware that the Jewish people offered more than 10-perecent according to their laws. But I stress the word *offer* There were many offerings that they were also required to give which, yes, add up to more than 10-percent. And if you read what the Old Testament says, it always calls these offerings – drink offerings, sin offerings, food offerings… Tithe is and was 10%. Please notice I also didn’t say we should give only 10-percent, just that the number is a benchmark.
I address some of this in a later post…
“In fact, the writer of Hebrews does mention the tithe. That letter was written to the Jewish Christians. Christians who were wondering what parts of the Jewish Law they should obey. In Hebrew 7, the Apostle Paul explains that in Jewish history, recorded in the book of Genesis, Abraham offered a tenth of his spoils from war to Melchizedek. Melchizedek was a priest-king, and Paul suggests that Melchizedek is, in fact, Christ. So by offering Melchizedek a tenth of his resources, Abraham fulfilled the law before it became the law. The point made in Hebrews is that the tithe was voluntarily given, not because of a rule or requirement. Giving back to God is a voluntary response to God’s blessings.”
Let me ask, is your argument that we should give more or less than 10-percent?
If you believe that we should give more, then I heartily agree with you, but caution that if people aren’t giving anything, as the statistic gathered by a Christian organization prove, then they should start somewhere, right?
If your argument is that we should give less, or none at all, then you need to spend some serious time in prayer, because any gift should be a response to God’s grace and love for you, and I would caution that a Christian who does not give or gives very little is either not responding to Christ’s love or feels that the love is not being given in sufficient supply, which is an entirely different spiritual problem.
Thanks for the comments, and I encourage you to keep reading.
Howdy,
thanks for replying. Im not trying to criticize you or your whole argument. When I asked “may i suggest that this plan of percentages, while helpful, is your plan, not Gods?” I was referring to the way your statement read, to me. It’s of no real consequence and Im sorry if it sounded like I was trying to find fault over little things.
“Let me ask, is your argument that we should give more or less than 10-percent?”
Here is my argument – there is no percent. ALL i have, and all I am is Gods. Personally i give more than 10%, but only because I can, as God has blessed me. Someone else may only be able to give 1%, or 5%, especially those in poverty. Others richer than me may be able to give 90%. We all have one thing in common – which our percentage amounts differ, we all desire to use everything we have for Gods purpose.
The reason I question the idea of a tithe is because, for it to mean anything, it must have consequences. Rich people will always be able to meet the ‘law’ and be blessed, especially those giving out of disposable income. those in poverty may give out of living expenses, and yet still fall short of 10%.
we let the rich people off easy and burden the poor.
If we say ‘well done’ to the rich giving a mere 10%, and ‘tut tut’ to the poor, what message are we sending out?
I believe that the message of the NT is different. there is no such thing as a tithe. we are all led and we all give, and EVERYTING we have is Gods. If everything i have is God’s, then how can 10% be ‘more’ of Gods????
And if we change the concept of tithing to not mean 10%, or we remove the consequences of not doing it for, say, poor people, then what does tithing really mean?
God bless
Id like to add that I agree with much of what you write.
Most of it infact. For the most part your article is excellent and I should of mentioned that before. Its just the tithing bit I see as a problem.
“Which do you think is better for you – living off of 90% of your income with God’s blessings – or trying to make do with 100% of your income on your own?”
These are the bits that I have a problem with. We attach blessing to tithing, and we always take tithing to mean 10%.
But, in my heart, I believe we need to stop using the word tithe, and start teaching what the NT actually teaches. your not cursed for not tithing 10%, nor blessed for tithing 10%. You are given talents and are responsible/accountable for how you use them. If theres any cursing or blessing going on, its probably in relation to obedience, not percentages. You need to pray and be led by the Holy Spirit.
Again, my qualifications/objections aren’t meant to be the sting in my compliment – much of what you have to say is sound advice.Can you see where im coming from?
I can certainly see where you are coming from, but I don’t believe you are entirely correct.
It reads to me like if I had written the entire article and just not used the word “Tithe,” you would not have a problem with it, and I think that sounds more like a personal issue you might have had with your past in the church than an issue with what I have to say, which, as you state, you agree with for the most part.
For example, you say, “We attach blessing to tithing, and we always take tithing to mean 10%.”
I don’t know who we is, but speaking from my own experience, which, at times, had been less than adequate to meet my needs, when I placed God’s portion first, AS AN ACT OF OBEDIENCE AND TRUST, even when it wasn’t entirely 10%, I was able to make so. However, again, from my own experience, when I wasn’t offering that little bit to God, and making it a primary priority, I could never live on my means, even when I was making more money than I could have spent a few months earlier.
It’s all fine and good to say that it’s all God’s and I heartily agree with that. It’s another to show your obedience and TRUST in the Lord’s provision by setting aside that amount – before you spend anything else or pay any bills, regardless of what you fear the consequences might be.
I don’t know your personal situation, and I have no idea how or when you give, but many people who look down on the tithe or argue against it or claim they can honor God at the end of the month often never quite get around to it. Speaking again from my personal experience, I went through a period of time where I had to physically take the moneyt out for God as soon as my check was deposited and put it in an envelope for Sunday because I needed the discipline of obeying God in that manner. Not everyone is to that extreme, but if people find they have nothing to give when they get around to it, might want to try that.
As to your earlier comment, studies actually show that people who are more well off tend to tithe less often than people who are of lesser means. And why would Jesus praise the woman who gave her last 2-cents to the synagogue, and criticize the Pharisees who lived by the strict letter of the law?
Oh, you also say, “we let the rich people off easy and burden the poor. If we say ‘well done’ to the rich giving a mere 10%, and ‘tut tut’ to the poor, what message are we sending out? ”
Again, I’m not sure who this “we” is, but I am not a part of it, as you can tell when you read the article with an open mind, unfettered by your past influences.
I wrote, “the tithe is a resource standard, not an economic one. Only recently, in the last 100 years or so did money become the focus of the tithe. There is an old phrase I used to hear growing up in church – time, talent and treasury. You’ll note that the treasury is the last thing mentioned, because money is only a small part of the picture.”
I could continue to dispute your points with what I wrote, but its pointless for me to re-quote the entire article…
The fact is, you must start any discussion about God and money with the topic of Stewardship, which is what I did. Whether you call it the tithe or something else, is, in fact irrelevant, as long as you are being obedient to God. And that’s the question, Are you being obedient? If you are, call it giving or offering or stewardship or tithe, I don’t care and neither should you. Jesus came to fulfil the Old Testament law, not abolish it, and the Bible also says to avoid petty arguments over words.
While I don’t want to downplay what you are saying or what you feel strongly about, in the end, you say you agree with me, for the most part, on everything except the word tithe and the benchmark (yes, I said it again) of 10-percent. Read what I wrote and decide if its true in its content, rather than struggling over a couple of words.
Re-read it again – doing your best to substitute the word stewardship for tithe and see if you don’t agree with me.
Hi,
thanks for bearing with me
My initial reply to you post was a kind of experiment for me, in that I’d like to engage with people on this issue. I’m a novice as you can tell.
I read you article again like you suggest, substituting the words stewardship and tithe. After doing this I don’t think they can be fairly substituted, at least not in all cases. If they could then maybe this is just a discussion of semantics. Is it?
“Read what I wrote and decide if its true in its content, rather than struggling over a couple of words.”
Yes, i know I probably look petty, arguing over a word. but that word has meaning. Its actually very powerful.
I guess it comes down to the definition of tithe. You do quantify it (logically this makes sense as tithe in a technical term – 10%), but in other respects you seem to be more relaxed. I see this now not so much in your initial article but in your further explanations.
I’m trying to interpret your intended meaning here, but I think your using the concept of a tithe as a kind of an act of faith, being obedient to the amount god placed on your heart. To gauge ourselves we should use the benchmark of 10%, but it would ideally grow as our finances grow, and may in some cases be less. Is this about right?
I must say this is much less like the definition of tithe ive been taught in pentecostal churches and that many people understand. Usually, a tithe is taken as 10% (ok you aim for that too). Further, tithing usually has certain defining properties different or additional to giving, such as a ‘blessing’ for meeting 10%, and a ‘cursing’ for those that willfully don’t. Usually this belssing is again financial in nature, as is the cursing. Not giving our 10% is also usually ‘robbing’ God, and is essentially seen as the source of said curse. All as per Malachi. Giving above the tithe is encouraged but not required, in the sense that it is not ‘robbing’ God if you don’t, and you wont be ‘cursed’ for not doing it.
i read your article with this understanding – probably my first error.
When you talk about the “…string of church robberies across the country”, I hear Malachi. I would assume many other do, too, since so many churches teach this.
When you mentioned “All He requires of us – the bare minimum – is that we give back to Him a small fraction of the entirety He’s given us. He asks for the first fruits.” I think “10% or we are not meeting the bare minimum”. This idea is reinforced by the constant reference to the benchmark of 10%.
I hope you can see where I’m going. I freely admit that I have my own definition of tithe, as everybody does. This obviously colours my reading of your article.
Finally, I’d like to explain something about myself. I havent left any churches over the issue. I tithed for about 10years, then recently did my own study. Gradually I came to understand my error. I have become passionate about removing the idea from all stewardship teaching, because of the numerous bad side-effects i see it has.
This does not mean i no longer give. I still give more than 10%, as I always have. However my whole attitude has changed and tithing doesn’t fit within the model of stewardship I see. In fact it stands as a wall to my understanding of proper giving. Many many people feel this way, as I have since learned.
I think I’ll leave it there. Discussing this with you has certainly been helpful. I have a better idea now on how to broach the subject, and the wide gamut of definitions that exist. Thanks for your time. Its more than I expected
God bless
[...] June 26, 2007 Posted by lonerangerone in Kingdom Economics, scarcity mentality, financially independent, withholding, cLIVE pICK, sAPPHIRA, Ten Prayers God Always Says Yes To, Anthony DeStefano, Ananias, offering, tithe, families, finances, robbery, christian, new testament, generosity, spiritual discipline, rich, jOHN cALVIN, church. trackback A few weeks ago, the articles here caught the attention of a gentleman who was struggling with what the church, historically has taught about tithing and he made several comments, which I used to establish a dialogue with him. You can read the comments here. [...]