Tithing and Giving
Offerings
This is what the Lord says about tithing in Malachi 3:10-12 (NKJV):
10 “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.”
11 “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;
12 “And all nations will call you Blessed, for you will be a delightful
land,” says the Lord of hosts.
Before anyone can qualify to receive the blessings of God—especially
financial blessings, but also other blessings too—one must fulfill the Lord’s
commandment to tithe. Giving offerings is mentioned in Verses 8-9 of Malachi
10. Giving offerings is also a command too.
Tithing is giving to God a minimum of ten percent of your gross income.
Some people argue whether tithing should be from the gross or net income.
However, God said to give ten percent of your whole income, so to honor the
Lord is to give off the gross income.
The tithe belongs to God. To hold on to it is the same as stealing what
is God’s.
Malachi 3:8-9
8 “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed
You?’ In tithes and offerings.
9 You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole
nation.
Failure to tithe invites a curse upon your finances and assets.
Giving offerings is above and beyond the tithe, in whatever amount you
have determined in your heart to give and to whomever you feel led to give to
(usually to missions outreaches or to evangelistic ministries). The stipulation
for giving offerings is that one must give with a cheerful heart, and not under
compulsion.
2 Corinthians 9:6-13 says:
6 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he
who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.
7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of
necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always
having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good
work.
9 As it is written:
“He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.”
10 Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply
and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your
righteousness,
11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes
thanksgiving through us to God.
12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of
the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God. NKJV
Philippians 4:18-19 AMP says:
18 But I have [your full payment] and more; I have everything I need and
am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you
sent me. [They are the] fragrant odor of an offering and sacrifice which God
welcomes and in which He delights.
19 And my God will liberally supply (fill to the full) your every need
according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
When we give offerings to the Lord’s work, He is well pleased with us.
Our giving (from a cheerful heart and with generosity), is like a
sweet-smelling incense that ascends to the Throne of God.
God is well-pleased with generous givers. It’s not always the amount
that counts, but the level of sacrifice. For example, the religious leaders in
Jesus’ day gave large donations out of their wealth. But the widow woman gave
her one mite, which was all she had. She gave everything she had. So in Jesus’
eyes, she gave more than all the others.
God is also looking at the motives of the heart. He is not impressed
when some give large donations just to be seen, recognized, or for the sake of
reputation. Of course, we are not to judge others because only the Lord knows
what is in the heart of every man and woman.
God promised in Luke 6:38 that when we give, that it would be given back
to us. He even went further, to say:
1. good measure
2. pressed down
3. shaken together
4. and running over shall men put into your bosom.
In the natural, here in the USA a certain portion of our annual income
belongs to the government in the form of taxes. To fail to pay taxes is a
crime. Jesus said in Matthew 22:21 to render unto Caesar the things that are
Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s. This passage was in reference
to paying taxes.
Some may say that since we are no longer under the law of the Old
Testament, that we are not required to tithe. However, tithing was first
mentioned hundreds of years prior to Moses being born and the law being
established. Abraham gave tithes to King Melchizedek in Genesis 14:18-20 (xref
Hebrews 7), who is a type of Christ.
King Melchizedek, according to Bible theologians, was either Jesus
Christ pre-incarnate, a heavenly being or was a type of Christ.
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Similarities Between
Melchizedek and Jesus Christ |
|
|
Melchizedek |
Jesus Christ |
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Priest of God Most High / Eternal priesthood (Hebrews 5:6,10; 6:20; 7:11,17,21). |
Eternal Priesthood who ever lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews
7:25; Romans 8:26,27,34). Priesthood is the line of Melchizedek (not the
Levitical line of Aaron). He continues to be a Priest forever without
interruption or successor. |
|
King of Salem or Jerusalem (teaching of peace) and king of
righteousness |
King of Jerusalem, King of Peace and King of Righteousness |
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Received tithes from Abraham |
Receives tithes from the seed of Abraham (all believers – Jew and
Gentiles). Galatians 3:29 (KJV) “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's
seed, and heirs according to the promise.” |
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Melchizedek pronounced the blessing on to Abraham |
Jesus Christ pronounces the blessing on Abraham’s seed (all
believers—Jew and Gentile) |
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The lesser gives tithes to the greater and is blessed by the greater. |
We, who are lesser than Jesus and call Him “LORD” give tithes to the
Greater and are blessed by the Greater. |
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Hebrews 7:6-7 The Living Bible says “But Melchizedek was not a
relative, and yet Abraham paid him. Melchizedek placed a blessing upon mighty
Abraham, and as everyone knows, a person who has the power to bless is always
greater than the person he blesses.” |
Hebrews 7:6-7 Living Bible says “But Melchizedek was not a relative,
and yet Abraham paid him. Melchizedek placed a blessing upon mighty Abraham,
and as everyone knows, a person who has the power to bless is always greater
than the person he blesses.” |
|
Melchizedek brought out bread and wine for nourishment. |
Jesus’ Body is the bread and His Blood is the wine. As we partake of
Him, we partake of nourishment, life and healing. |
|
No record of father or mother, or ancestral line, neither beginning of
days nor ending of life. |
Jesus Christ is eternal. He has no beginning or end. He has always
been, He is, and He will always be. |
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Resembles the Son of God. |
Jesus is actually the Son of God. |
|
Levi (ancestor of all the Jewish priests) paid tithes to Melchizedek
through Abraham, since Levi is the seed of Abraham. |
Tithing was not introduced when the law was given through Moses, but
goes back to Abraham, the father of the Jews and Gentiles who have been
grafted in through the Blood of Jesus Christ. |
|
James 2:23 (KJV) Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for
righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. |
Hebrews 11:6 (KJV) But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for
he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of
them that diligently seek Him. |
When Jesus came, He did not abolish the law. Jesus fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17). To this day, we still abide by
some of the Old Testament laws, such as the Ten Commandments.
Some have slacked off in giving tithes to the Lord, and He is asking you
to repent and to begin tithing again.
There are others who argue about giving tithes to the Lord and are
trying to find a way out of giving, because they don’t really want to tithe.
For this group, when you don’t tithe you are open prey for the devourer to eat
up everything you do have. The Lord is looking for obedience. He wants to bless
you, not take away from you.
Some are afraid to tithe and are holding back, because they have a lot
of bills and don’t know how they could live on 90% of their income. However, we
cannot afford NOT to tithe. The Lord will bless the 90% more than if a person
tried to live on 100%. The Lord says to prove Him in this. He wants to be first
in your life, and you’ll see how He begins to pour out blessings from Heaven as
you obey and honor Him.
God has various ways that He blesses us when we are faithful to tithe
and give offerings. Sometimes He puts it on a vendor’s heart to forgive a debt.
Sometimes supernatural supply comes in from unexpected sources and the amount
of money is enough to pay off some bills. Sometimes God opens up new and better
jobs. Appliances may last for a long time. There are multiple ways in which God
blesses those who tithe and give offerings.
The point is that when people do NOT tithe, that they invite the curse
on their finances and experience lack, or things begin to dry up. It’s like
walking around with holes in your pockets—just as fast as you have income
coming in, it is going out right away.
Jesus is all into prospering you, not taking away from you.
When people give tithes and offerings, angels take very accurate notes
of people’s giving. They record the date and hour of day, the amount given and
whether or not a person gave at least ten percent in tithes, and the attitude
of the heart in which the person gave. If a person gives less than ten percent
in tithes, they receive a zero on their chart, as if they gave nothing at all.
If a person gives with the wrong attitude, they also receive a zero, as if they
gave nothing at all.
These are the promises to those who obey the Lord in tithing and giving
offerings (taken from the above Scripture passage):
1. God says to “try Him”, to “prove Him” to see if what He promised is
true
2. God will open for you the windows of Heaven
3. God will pour out for you such a blessing that you won’t have enough
room to receive it
4. God will rebuke the devourer for your sake
5. The locusts will not destroy the fruit of your ground
6. The vine will not fail to bear fruit
7. All nations will call you Blessed, for you are a delightful land
It is God's will that no one should perish (end up in hell), but that ALL should come to repentance.
For God so loved this world that He gave His only begotton Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
God did not send His Son into this world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him would be saved.
The thief (Satan the devil) comes only for to kill, steal and destroy. But Jesus has come to give us life, and life more abundantly, until it overflows.
I urge you to come to the Cross today and receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord. He will wash away all your sins and make you as clean and white as fresh snow.
Just pray this prayer and mean it with your heart:
Dear Lord Jesus (if you are not able to call him Lord yet, then just say "Jesus")
I receive You as my Savior and Lord. I give my life over to You. I believe that You died and rose again, and that if I call on the Name of the Lord I shall be saved.
I accept you into my heart right now, and confess that You are Lord and have risen from the dead and forever live to make intercession for me.
Thank You for washing my heart pure and clean and making me whole, and for giving me peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
Thank You that now I am a new creature in Christ Jesus. The old has gone and the new has come.
And there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh (carnality and sin), but walk after the Spirit. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
If you prayed this prayer, I believe you got born again and are now heaven bound and will be with the Lord forever and have eternal life. Your sins are now forgiven. You are accepted in the Beloved.
I would encourage you to find a good Bible based local church to help you grow in your faith, to learn the Word of God, to praise and worship Him, and to have fellowship with the saints.
Serving Christ is the best decision you will ever make.
God bless you!!!
