Purpose

Simply put, this BLOG is all about: LIFE STEWARDSHIP. Below you will find notes from Bible studies that cover basic stewardship principles and how to apply them to our lives.



Sunday, February 21, 2010

The Principle of Giving A Return

The Master was very pleased with the first two stewards who brought a return along with the original number of talents.  In fact, they both doubled what the Master had originally given.  Although the passage in Matthew does not specifically deal with the tithe, the expectation of a return suggests that God has a reasonable expectation of our returning money to Him. Why?
      First, the tithe is an acknowledgement of His ownership of everything. The example of first fruits in the Old Testament was an act of worship to thank God for all He has given and to acknowledge that it all belongs to Him.  The tithe is an act of obedience. His Word has commanded, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse..." Malachi 3:10. By obeying God's word we are being faithful.
        Next: the tithe is an act of obedience. In giving God the 10% of our income and one day a week of our time (the Sabbath) in special, holy stewardship (although remember we honor Him with ALL our time and material possessions), we demonstrate that we believe He will meet our needs with the 90% and the six days. Ron Blue says in his book, Master Your Money, “God meets our needs, not our greed’s.”
      The tithe is not just an Old Testament concept. Some people, including ministers, try to exempt themselves from the tithe by saying it is just found in the Old Testament. Read Luke 11:42. Jesus corrected the Pharisees for their lack of justice while they focused on tithing even the spices they grew. Notice He said they should do one, and at the same time not neglect the other. In other words, Jesus acknowledged that people should give tithes; He was merely emphasizing that we should also do justly in relationships with other people
        Next: the tithe belongs in the storehouse. We do not have freedom to give our tithe for benevolence, or to other good Christian organizations. Nor can we use it for personal matters. Some might argue that because we are in the ministry and the tithe is for the ministry's use, we are free to use the tithe for our own purposes. No, we bring ALL the tithes INTO THE STOREHOUSE -- that is the treasury of the church. Undesignated. I do not have the authority to tell the church what to do with my tithe. As a member of the church, I have the right to express my desires regarding the church's stewardship, but I have no right to designate my tithe. If I want to give benevolently, or give to another Christian organization, or give a designated offering, I must do so after I have given my tithe as an undesignated gift to my church.
        Last: the tithe is an act of worship. We do damage to God's intention when we talk of "taking up an offering." We also do damage if we diminish the offering by simply placing a box at the church entrance for people to place their gifts outside the service. Giving is an act of worship. It is not only for members, but for anyone who desires to worship through giving.  Still the tithe is for church members to their own churches.  In doing so, we should elevate the place of the offering in our worship services in order to help people worship the Lord through their giving.  


Do you see tithing as worship?  Why or why not?

2 comments:

  1. Thanks for the good reminders about tithing! You have some great material here!

    ReplyDelete

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