How do you determine the amount you give in the weekly offering at your church?
The tithe was established in the Old Testament as the amount due God from His people.
Leviticus 27:30 - "'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.
We're told that to not bring the tithe to God is robbing God.
Malachi 3:8-11 - 8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse — the whole nation of you — because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. 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 you will not have room enough for it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit," says the Lord Almighty.
The promise of God is that He will bless those who tithe and even protect their work (their crops). This sense of God being with us as we honor Him with our tithe is throughout the Bible.
Genesis 28:20-22 - 20 Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear 21 so that I return safely to my father's house, then the Lord will be my God 22 and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth."
A tithe or tenth is mentioned in the New Testament also as the standard for giving. It is used as a given or righteous act when folks were challenged to do this but to have a pure heart as well (Sunday's sermon) (read Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42 & Luke 18:12).
Recently we have been reading and writing about Nehemiah and his journey. When he returned to Jerusalem he found that the people had neglected the bringing of the tithe to the place of worship.
Nehemiah 13:10-12 - 10 I also learned that the portions assigned to the Levites had not been given to them, and that all the Levites and singers responsible for the service had gone back to their own fields. 11 So I rebuked the officials and asked them, "Why is the house of God neglected?" Then I called them together and stationed them at their posts. 12 All Judah brought the tithes of grain, new wine and oil into the storerooms.
In the early Christian Church many were devote Jews and so a tithe would have been part of their religious practices. But they also practiced alms giving or giving beyond the tithe to the poor and needy.
Acts 4:34-35 - 34 There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35 and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.
So how do you figure out what you give to the church in your offering? Are you a percentage giver? Do you give what you think best? Do you give what you think you can afford?
Here's a chart that will help you do the math. I have listed a yearly household income and what 5% and 10% of that income would be weekly.
Income - - - - 5% - - - - 10 %
$ 25,000 - - $24.04 - - $ 48.08
$ 50,000 - - $48.08 - - - $96.15
$ 75,000 - - $72.12 - - - $144.23
$100,000 - -$96.15 - - - $192.31
$125,000 - - $120.19 - - - $240.38
$150,000 - - $144.23 - - - $288.46
$200,000 - - $192.31 - - - $384.62
So what is your annual household income and what do you give weekly? Are you honoring God with your gift or offering.? Are you robbing God? Are you giving unto God's work what God has asked of you?
How about some thoughts and comments on this subject?
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7 comments:
Wow now that is a topic! Thanks for the Biblical references. Here are some questions.
Would Alms giving as you have stated be the sacrificial giving I hear about? Giving beyond the tithe?
Are we really offering God anything until we tithe?
I heard someone use the analogy that it is all God's anyway and He is only asking for 1/10 in return. Who, if given $100, would not give $10 back to the giver? Do we some how think we are the owner of our money and that we earn it ourselves without God?
Giving 1/10th certainly is the desired goal. Other questions to ask and for topic discusion:
Is 1/10th based upon one's gross or net income? Does donating one's personal time equate to giving? How does giving on a monthly or another routine basis to other charitable organizations equate to the 1/10th principal.
Just an election-theme thought here, wow if that 1/1oth could automatically be deducted from your gross income prior to tax calculations (same as retirement 401-K plans), how much more would all congregations benefit fro that!
My opinions:
Anonymous 6:46 - Alms giving is considered giving to the poor and would have been money given beyond the tithe. A number of preachers on the TV/Radio will say give your tithe to your local church and then support our ministry, if you so desire, with giving beyond your tithe.
I agree that giving God $10 out of $100 is so little, given that God gave me all of the $100 - it might be your thought pattern toward your income.
Anonymous 8:01 - Question in return - do you want to be blessed netly or grossly? I believe the tithe is to be on the gross. When Abraham came home from war and brought the spoils of war home, he wasn't allowed to take out his expenses - the priest took one tenth of the spoils.
You are allowed to take your charity giving off your taxes - but not directly. You can do automatic payment - I do - sending a check every week to the church online from my bank.
Giving to other charity organizations in my mind is alms giving and should be above your tithe to your local church.
We should tithe our time as well as our money and one doesn't take the place of the other in my thinking.
Thanks for your comments.
This is a touchy subject, one that gives people a reason to either not attend or leave a church. The church that I grew up in split when I was about 13 and it devastated me. My whole life was centered around this church and its morals. Sadly to say the pastors were convicted of stealing money from the church. So this subject has personal meaning to me. When I was about 17 I started to attend church outside of my parent’s church. I was always raised with the notion that tithing was something that God required from his children. My dad would say, "Son God gives us this money, it is his, all he asks for is 10% back." Thus I prayed and I have always felt a peace. God placed this upon my heart, I ask that you give, what is done with the money whether for good or bad is not your responsibility nor is it your sin. So today I stand confident and I believe that it is not only our responsibility as Christians to give a tenth of our earnings, but it is also a privilege. Remember that God loves a cheerful giver, not someone who gives because the Pastor says so.
Pastor Ray there is a difference between a tithe and an offering, right?
Sam,
Thanks for your thoughts. It is a sensitive area.
Let me make a few things clear Sam. God doesn't need my money. God desires for me to have spiritual control over my physical life. In order to show spiritual control over my money, my possessions, I need to realize that all of it belongs to God. Without God I am nothing.
I give because God instructs me to do so. I do not give because the budgeted needs at church are short (although there are ministries that are not fully funded and repairs not being made for lack of funds). I do not give to receive a blessing from God (yet God has promised these blessings and God is good to His word). I do not give because the pastor says so (my hope is that the pastor is trying to help me be more godly and Scriptural and not simply to fund the ministries of the church).
Again, if I believe in the Bible's truth, I am instructed to give. I'm called to tithe and to give sacrificially. Jesus says:
John 14:15-18 - 15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
I love Jesus and I want the Holy Spirit, so I strive to be faithful to God and His commands.
Finally, this must be a hot topic as I mentioned. The blog has taken over 200 hits since this post went up!
Let me also suggest that we are not stressing obedience to a law but rather suggesting a freedom that comes from willingly following after God.
I want to recommend a way to have financial freedom. Several financial specialists have recommended it. If we were to give 10% of our income to God's work, save 10% and then decided to live on the remainder (80%) I believe we would set priorities that would allow us financial freedoms. I have followed this from my teen years and have seen God's blessing over and over again.
We were a one income family for many years while the children were growing. We paid for five persons to go to college and more and God continues to bless us. We have not always had everything we wanted but we have had all of our needs and then some.
My trust is in God, not my job, my income or anything else in my physical world.
you need to lower the scale, i dont make near that much in a year. but i understand that tithing is very important and a family we do. I think its also important to tithe our time and talent.
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