Tithing To Our Ministries

Tithing in the Bible

Is tithing mentioned in the Old Testament or is it an Old Testament practice of the law? What is the purpose of tithing? There are many questions around tithing and giving money to the church and God’s Word has plenty to say about it! Money is mentioned over 800 times in the Bible! God knew money would be something we would hold tightly to and place a lot of importance on. Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about tithing and giving 10% back to God. The below Bible verses should help you decide how you can thank God for what He has blessed you with.

• Matthew 5:17 Chapter Parallel Compare17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
• Matthew 6:21 Chapter Parallel Compare21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
• Matthew 23:23 Chapter Parallel Compare23 “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
• Numbers 18:21 Chapter Parallel Compare21 “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.
• Numbers 18:26 Chapter Parallel Compare26 “Speak to the Levites and say to them: ‘When you receive from the Israelites the tithe I give you as your inheritance, you must present a tenth of that tithe as the LORD’s offering.
• Romans 2:29 Chapter Parallel Compare29 No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.

When Tithing please give what you feel is good to the amount we are helping you in your spiritual life.

Tithing in the Bible

“But nothing that a person owns and devotes to the LORD—whether a human being or an animal or family land—may be sold or redeemed; everything so devoted is most holy to the LORD. “No person devoted to destruction may be ransomed; they are to be put to death. 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. Whoever would redeem any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value to it. Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the LORD.” –Leviticus 27:28-32

What Is a Tithe?

A tithe is really an Old Testament term. It was the gifts that the Israelites were required to, really the tax that they were required to pay. Nowadays we generally use it as just a way of saying give 10% of your income to the church. There’s nothing in the New Testament, in the sort of new covenant understanding of what it means to be God’s people, that encourages us to think that we’re required to give 10% of our income to the church.

In many ways the standards of the New Testament are a lot stricter in some ways, or a lot loftier, let’s put it that way. So we’re required to give generously, to give sacrificially, to see the relief of the poor, the support of the ministry, the spread of the gospel through all nations. So I don’t know. There may be some people for whom giving 10% is unwise. There are probably many people in America for whom giving 10% would be actually pretty easy, and in fact it wouldn’t really be sacrificial or generous. 

Does Tithing Apply to Christians Today?

The reason why tithing is an important theme for Christians is because it really is a symbol of how God calls us to live our lives as stewards rather than owners.

I come from a legalistic background where I used to be afraid not to tithe, or I used be proud of tithing. My fear was if I didn’t tithe, my tires would fall off my car. My arrogance was if I tithe then God had to bless me with prosperity. But really to reflect upon tithing in the context of the gospel, what we begin to demonstrate or see is this … that the more the law of God is transformed by the grace of God in our lives, we move from a sense of duty to a sense of delight. This is why really in the New Testament you don’t hear a whole lot about tithing, not because believers are not expected to give, they’re just expected to be a lot more generous because of the fullness of the work of Jesus that we celebrate.

Paul demonstrated this in writing to believers in Corinth and reflecting upon a group of very poor Christians in Thessalonica. And he wrote to believers in Corinth because he was trying to generate their interest in caring for a ministry to the poor believers in Jerusalem.

And here’s the way he motivated them, said, “We want you to know about the grace that came to believers in Macedonia, who, out of their extreme poverty and suffering, did not do as we expected. They gave themselves to the Lord, and then they asked us for the privilege of sharing in this offering.” 

Now what Paul does there is this, he doesn’t shame believers in Corinth into tithing. He simply says, here’s what the Gospel does when it grabs hold of your heart. You don’t think just in terms of giving the excess, but you’re showing up in God’s story, which is a story of redemption and restoration. A story that frees me from defining my life in terms of what I own, rather who owns me, which is Jesus.

So in many ways, tithing is kind of the entrance level into a life of grace. The more the grace of the gospel captures my heart, the less I’m gonna ask, “How much do I have to give,” but more, “How can I live more fully missionally, generously to the glory of God,” because of the lavish love, the great generosity, God’s lavished upon me in Jesus. 

Does All of My Tithe Have to Go to the Church?

If I were to get to summarize it in a nutshell, I would say please do whatever you can to be a part of a church where you would be comfortable giving 100% of your offering to that church. I want to start with that, but let me unpack that. I think the word tithe is not so helpful in discussing Christian giving anymore. If we go and look at what happened under the Old Covenant in the Old Testament, a godly Hebrew man would’ve given anywhere from 30% to 35% of his income to the support of the temple, the support of the poor, the support of the priests. I mean, it was a pretty hefty tax, if you will, to be part of the Kingdom of God under the Old Testament. 

Well, when you get to the New Testament, the command to tithe is not there. What it’s been replaced by is what I would call grace giving, which is exactly what Paul says in Second Corinthians eight. He refers to giving as an act of grace. You go to Second Corinthians nine and he talks about cheerful giving. And there are so many other places in the gospels. I think Luke 12, where you get this idea that because God has given us so much, we should be willing to give everything over to others.

So in the New Testament you have this idea of grace giving. Not only that, but in the New Testament you have this idea that ground zero for Christian ministry is the church, Acts 1A. You see this great commission at work to bring the Gospel to Jerusalem and Judea and Sumeria into all the ends of the earth. And then what do you see? The Gospel is planted, churches sprout up, and then churches now bear the responsibility of planting the gospel throughout the world. So the church is ground zero for Christian ministry.

Donation

Please mail your check to:

Scott Richards

9808-12 Baymeadows Rd 174

Jacksonville, Florida 32256

Our Mission Statement

Uniting men of good character who, though of different ethnic or social backgrounds, share a belief in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of mankind. Bring Men back to the Father and sharing the bible view of the Heavenly Father.

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By returning to our heavenly father God thru the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we can rebuilt the family once the man is recognized as the head of the family and household. Partner with us as we develop a of community, mission, and leadership support for the men of today.

Now is the time for a new movement of men. As brothers, fathers let’s become who we’re created to be, knowing our identity, purpose, and destiny in Christ. Then let’s do, linking arms to change the world for good … and for God. Help bring transformation and revival to our families, churches, and communities.