Hi COA Family,
Last Sunday I touched on the topic of giving generously as part of our spiritual discipline and response to the Lord’s grace in our lives in my sermon.
In summary, God blesses us, others and even himself through our generous giving! We should aim to give ten percent of what we received, which is commonly referred to as the “tithe” in the Bible. Leviticus 27:30 uses even stronger language, saying that the tithe “belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.”
Yet in the New Testament, Jesus tells us of the divine principle of giving: “whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully” (2 Corinthians 9:6). In other words, our giving should not stop at the Old Testament requirement of ten percent, as if we have fulfilled some legal requirement. Instead, we should aspire to give more as God enables us, in a most generous and cheerful manner. Then we will reap the bountiful blessings of God in return!
(If you had missed the sermon, you can go to YouTube in Church of the Ascension to catch the sermon.)
Yet there is one aspect that I did not address in the topic of giving. It is this: Who do we give our tithes and offerings to?
In my pastoral encounters, I have met a sister in church who told me, “I give my tithes regularly, just not to the church. I set my tithe aside regularly so that I can use it to bless others who need them, such as treating pastors or church workers to lunches or dinners.”
Now is this a valid use of our tithes? I think not.
When God led the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promised Land through Moses, he gave this command to them: “Behold, I have given to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as an inheritance in return for the work they do, the service of the Tent of Meeting.” (Numbers 18:21) This means that there is a specific purpose for the tithe: it is meant for the priests and the Levites to sustain their livelihood and to pay for the expenses for the continued worship and ministry of God. It is not to be used for other purposes that one might determine for himself or herself.
The reason God determines this is due to the fact that he is wise and immensely practical. He knows that if his people were to decide not to give, or to divert their giving to other recipients, the work of God would suffer loss. This is why the tithe is designated to God’s temple (or his church) for his ministry to continue.
Does this mean that I am not advocating our generous treatment of others? Certainly not!
Here is where the Lord’s call for us to be generous kicks in. While we give our ten percent to for the work of the church, we should also be willing to give more than that to bless others. And we can take encouragement from God’s promise that we will be rewarded bountifully as we sow bountifully. It is his divine law at work in our lives!
So church, let me end with an encouragement to give generously in a targeted manner according to God’s command:
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house (church). 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 there will not be room enough to store it.” Malachi 3:10
May the Lord bless you richly as you richly give!
Revd Ian