Tithes and offerings?

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GOD REQUESTS A TENTH Many of us find fault with a church that asks for money, but few people find fault with membership fees for gyms or golf clubs. The Bible however promotes a very just system in proportion to your income, because everyone gives exactly the same percentage of what they earn. The tenth is merely to show gratitude for the blessing we have already received and it reflects how much we have received. You and I are God’s stewards. He entrusts us with time, opportunities, property, and blessings and we are responsible for the correct application thereof. Stewardship is a privilege that God gives to us so that we can show our love towards Him and our fellow-man and it also gives us victory over selfishness and desires. Stewardship forms a part of our recognition of God’s ownership by creation and recreation and it is part of our worship. STEWARDSHIP HAS DIFFERENT FACETS: We must be stewards of our bodies in the service of God. We must be stewards of our abilities. Our talents must be used to the honour of God. We must also strive to discover and develop our spiritual gifts. We must be stewards of our time: the wise use of our time to be a blessing to others and the hallowing of the Sabbath. We must be stewards of our possessions, and they should also be a blessing to others. Ps. 24:1-2 “The earth is the LORD's, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the waters.” Here David confirms that everything belongs to God and that we merely have the privilege of stewardship. Hag. 2:8 “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine, says the LORD of hosts.” The Lord does not need these things, but He shares them with us in order to empower us to share an eternity with Him. Ps. 50:10-12 “For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know all the birds of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are Mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine and all its fullness.” God gives us the following recipe for a prosperous and blessed life: Prov. 3:9-10 “Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.” Lev. 27:30-32 “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's. It is holy to the LORD. If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it. And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be holy to the LORD.” He also gives us His guidelines for stewardship and the guidelines are the same for everyone. Deut. 14:22-23 “ You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always.” It is clear that God’s system is about things that are measurable: Heb. 7:1-4 “For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, to whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all, first being translated ‘king of righteousness,’ and then also king of Salem, meaning ‘king of peace,’ without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils.” Nobody is exonerated from this responsibility. It forms part of our worship. Ps. 96:8 “Give to the LORD the glory due to His name; bring an offering, and come into His courts.” The spreading of the gospel costs money and therefore we need financial inputs. 1 Cor. 9:13-14 “Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? Even so, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.” We are in good company if we follow Christ’s example. Matt. 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.” THE BIBLE EVEN IMPLIES THAT THERE ARE THIEVES IN THE CONGREGATION! Mal. 3:8-11 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, In what way have we robbed You? In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, says the LORD of hosts; If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, says the LORD of hosts.” Gen. 14:19-20 “And he blessed him and said: Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. And he gave him a tithe of all.” OUR ACTIONS REVEAL WHAT WE TRULY BELIEVE James 2:21-26 “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works, faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” WHAT CAN WE DO FOR THE LORD OUT OF GRATITUDE FOR EVERYTHING HE WAS PREPARED TO DO FOR US? Ps. 116:12 “What shall I render to the LORD for all His benefits toward me?” Stewardship will carry a personal blessing for you in your growth in Christ. Those things which God has entrusted to you should also be a blessing to others. The acceptance of the Biblical plan of stewardship will consequently also be a blessing to the church so that the gospel can be proclaimed. It is strange how often people think you are talking about money when you call them to a relationship with God. The Bible says where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. If our hearts are receptive to God, we will not mind opening our purses for His cause on earth and to use our funds for the proclamation of the gospel. Our financial support is important for the church’s task of helping our neighbour and reaching out to him. God and you are a majority. Just think of it: If the young lad had not given his five loaves and two fishes, he would not have seen the Godhead in action. We need God in our lives. May we allow Him to use us as channels of blessing to others through our faithfulness in financial matters