Tithes & Offerings

I think Tithes & Offerings is one of the most misunderstood and non-practiced principals in the body of Christ. When the topic of Tithes & Offerings or money in general comes up in the church we tend to be standoffish. People are not as willing to talk about money, as they are to talk about Gods love. Unknowingly these two go hand in hand. Much persecution has been thrown at the church because some in the world say the church is supposed to be poor and not focused on money. Some leaders in the church have misused there resources that God has given them, and brought shame upon themselves and diminished the character and integrity that is being built.

Many believe that the church is not supposed to have money, but yet they expect us to help the world. How are we supposed to help the lost, the homeless, the hungry, the helpless, and the impoverished if we too are in the same state?

James 2:15-16 (CEV)
If you know someone who doesn’t have any clothes or food, you shouldn’t just say, “I hope all goes well for you. I hope you will be warm and have plenty to eat.” What good is it to say this, unless you do something to help?

I believe that these negative thoughts and emotions concerning money and the church have crept into the body of Christ and have distorted the minds of believers. It’s time for a fresh renewing on this subject. Many people don’t give of their finances according to the Bible out of many different reasons. 1. Fear, people don’t trust God beyond their own abilities or resources, there’s no other way to put it.
2. Selfishness, people don’t want to give to their church because they just don’t want to support their Pastor or church, all they want to do is come and get a word. 3. Deceit, the devil paints you a grim picture into deceiving you from giving to God. He’ll put thoughts in your mind that will tell you to hold back because you don’t have enough money saved, etc… whatever picture he paints, you look at it with your sight and not your faith.

Tithes & Offerings is the way that God keeps your provision coming in.

Malachi 3:10-12 (KJV)
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground…

Those are very powerful scriptures; God is daring you to give of your tithes. He’s saying bring in the tithes so substance will be in His house. Or other words so there will be resources (money) to do Kingdom work here on earth. As you bless His house, he blesses yours by keeping your provision coming in no matter what the economy is doing, and as you produce from His blessing you keep the cycle going by giving the firstfruits of your increases.

Proverbs 3:9-10 (KJV)
Honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

There is so much blessing in just obeying these principals; we have to get to a place where we believe it for ourselves. For years this has been preached to us over and over again, somebody can tell you how good this is until their blue in the face. In the end it’s up to you to actually do it and experience it for yourselves.

When we give offerings and tithes our mindset shouldn’t be that we’re just doing some traditional thing and that the money is never coming back. If you have a mature Pastor, they’ll tell you that you’re not giving on their behalf but unto your own behalf. Paul was telling the Philippian church that no other church instituted this principal like they did.

Philippians 4:16-17 (CEV)
Even when I was in Thessalonica, you helped me more than once. I am not trying to get something from you, but I want you to receive the blessings that comes from giving.

We have to get out of the mindset that hinders our giving. God gives us His best everyday; to God we are His best creation, a kind of firstfruits (James 1:18). God loved us so much that He gave, (John 3:16) so for us to give back to God shouldn’t be a problem. When God puts it on your heart to give a certain amount in offering to the church or to someone else, don’t even think about, just do it. He has you already taken care of. If you ignore it, God will still send someone to bless the church or the person you were supposed to bless and the only one missing out on their blessing is you.

Gods gives us His best, will you give Him yours?

I hope that this has been a blessing on your life.

Daryle Houston II
Kingdom Vizion Ministries
www.kingdomvizion.org