Tithing is a wisdom principal commonly accepted practice in the Christian Church. A wisdom principle is something clearly laid out throughout the entire scripture. Tithe means tenth. Literally tithing means giving 10 percent of your income to God. Tithes are first found 600 years before the Mosaic law was given. In Genesis 14 Abraham tithes 10 percent of all he has to Melchizedek (a foreshadowing of Jesus Heb 6:10). His grandson Jacob does the same in Genesis 28, promising a tenth of all he has to God. Tithing is mentioned all throughout the Scripture, even in the New Testament where Jesus talks about it, and in Heb 7 where Paul writes that tithes are given into human hands, but that they are received by Him who lives forever.
So why would anyone try to argue against the established Christian practice of tithing so clearly laid out in the Word? Simple: We don't want to open the old billfold. My money is mine, and I'll spend it how I feel like. The devil certainly doesn't want anyone tithing directly into the hands of Christ! He's standing by to whisper all sorts of reasons for you not to tithe, or frankly give anything at all whatsoever.
But tithing was important enough that it was listed in the Old Testament law as a requirement, as much as 23% of your income. We don't live under the OT law praise God, but we don't throw everything in the law away either. The OT law says not to kill, not to commit adultery, surely we don't say now we can because Christ has come? Christ didn't come so we can start selfishly keeping everything for ourselves! In fact, Christ says in Matt 6 that we should be storing up treasure in heaven, because where our treasure is, there will our hearts be also. So lets look at what the Bible says about tithing, how you do it, where you do it, and what the result is.
Malachi 3:8-12 "Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. (Whoa! Strong words from God!)
You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you! (Yup, he's saying there is a consequence to not giving. Jesus came to break the curse of sin and death, but walking in disobedience still has consequences)
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house (This is the first of the mechanics of tithing: bring the WHOLE tithe into the store house. The food referred to is like Matt 4:4 Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. So we are tithing to the place where we get spiritually fed.)
(now we get into what God says the Biblical results of tithing are)
And test Me now in this," says the Lord of hosts, (the only place in the Bible where God says to test him) "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows. Then I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of the ground; (Ever feel like some unnecessary bill or expense comes just when you thought you were going to get ahead? I've seen my car need a repair that cost exactly what my missed tithe for the week would have been. Are you willing to let the devourer continue destroy your finances?)
Nor will your vine in the field cast its grapes," (supernatural timimg: ie you lose your job just to find that a better one has just opened up and you get a pay increase) says the Lord of hosts.
"All the nations will call you blessed, for you shall be a delightful land," says the Lord of hosts. (The blessing God lays on you will be such that it's obvious, public, others will see it)
Now I don't know about you, but that seems pretty clear to me. Seems like God doesn't have any problem clearly getting His point across. Tithing is just one of the four specific kinds of giving listed in the Word, next we will get into offerings, gifts to the man of God, and gifts to the poor or alms. God bless you today!
James Disciple Johnson
Natl President and Founder
Disciple Christian Motorcycle Club
Tithing http://disciplecmcblog.blogspot.com/2015/04/tithing.html
