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First,
whether tithing is required of a Christian or
whether it was only binding under the Old
Covenant, is an issue for many Christians.
[Malachi
3:6-12] 6 "I the LORD do not change. So
you, O descendants of Jacob, are not
destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your
forefathers you have turned away from my
decrees and have not kept them. Return to
me, and I will return to you," says the
LORD Almighty. "But you ask, `How are
we to return?' 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. 12 "Then all the
nations will call you blessed, for yours
will be a delightful land," says the
LORD Almighty. (NIV)
Here we
discover tithing was indeed required of the
Israelites under the Old Covenant.
[Luke
11:42] "Woe to you Pharisees, because
you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and
all other kinds of garden herbs, but you
neglect justice and the love of God. You
should have practiced the latter without
leaving the former undone. (NIV)
Here we
discover the Scripture that some use to prove
that we are also bound to this practice.
Putting this
issue aside, let us return to what God
promised the Israelites if they tithed.
[Malachi
3:10] 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.
Here God is
challenging those who tithe, to see if He will
not bless them beyond their capacity to
receive it.About forty-eight years ago Ginny
and I joined a church that preached and
practiced tithing. We were challenged to test
it ourselves for two months. As a result, we
have never failed to give at least a tithe. We
can now look back and thank God we had joined
a church that taught what we now consider a
privilege.
For me, the
question that I have considered is this: Even
if the tithe is not required, would not God
keep His promise?
Our present
pastor, in a sermon, asked that the members of
the congregation test tithing for eight weeks.
I would echo that suggestion. I have proved it
in my own life and am convinced that God will
prove it in yours. There has been subsequent
testimony that tithing worked!
There was a
time when I did telephone counseling for
Morris Cerullo ministries six hours a week for
ten years. Whenever someone called in who was
in financial difficulty, we challenged them to
start tithing. If they only had ten dollars,
they were to give a dollar. There are many
testimonies by those who have found this
solved their financial problems.
[Luke
19:11-27] While they were listening to this,
he went on to tell them a parable, because
he was near Jerusalem and the people thought
that the kingdom of God was going to appear
at once. He said: "A man of noble birth
went to a distant country to have himself
appointed king and then to return. So he
called ten of his servants and gave them ten
minas. `Put this money to work,' he said,
`until I come back.' "But his subjects
hated him and sent a delegation after him to
say, `We don't want this man to be our
king.' "He was made king, however, and
returned home. Then he sent for the servants
to whom he had given the money, to find out
what they had gained with it. "The
first one came and said, `Sir, your mina has
earned ten more.' "`Well done, my good
servant!' his master replied. `Because you
have been trustworthy in a very small
matter, take charge of ten cities.'
"The second came and said, `Sir, your
mina has earned five more.' "His master
answered, `You take charge of five cities.'
your mina; I have kept it laid away in a
piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because
you are a hard man. You take out what you
did not put in and reap what you did not
sow.' "His master replied, `I will
judge you by your own words, you wicked
servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard
man, taking out what I did not put in, and
reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn't
you put my money on deposit, so that when I
came back, I could have collected it with
interest?' "Then he said to those
standing by, `Take his mina away from him
and give it to the one who has ten minas.'
"`Sir,' they said, `he already has
ten!' 26 "He replied, `I tell you that
to everyone who has, more will be given, but
as for the one who has nothing, even what he
has will be taken away. 27 But those enemies
of mine who did not want me to be king over
them-- bring them here and kill them in
front of me.'" (NIV)
Here is a
fascinating parable that could be used to
teach many thing. However, I want to use it to
point just one thing. Since all that we have
is a gift from God, -- He may also see it as
an investment -- evidently the rank we will
hold as part of our ruler ship with Christ
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