06 - The Power Of Tithe - 2010 By Pastor Jeff Wickwire Notes (1)

Piercing the Darkness Part 6

“A Conquering Church is a Tithing Church”

Mal. 3:10

IN last few weeks we’ve seen that a church that is victorious over this present spiritual darkness will:

Learn to turn pain into gain

Stay with the Word of God, no matter what, and will…

Resist and Defy Political Correctness.

Utilize the power of praise

Be Promised Land thinkers

And today we’re going to see that a darkness defeating church will also be a tithing church. Why:

Because when your money is submitted to God, so is your heart.

“Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart, your affections, will also be.”—Matt 6:21

God must hold first place over money and material things in the lives of Christians. Jesus said:

“You cannot serve both God and money.”—6: 24

God calls us Christians to use some of our resources for His kingdom’s work, because whatever we give to, we empower it to continue.

For instance, when you regularly go to a certain restaurant, your money enables that restaurant to continue doing what it does.

Likewise, when we sow our resources into the kingdom of God, you enable His ministry in the earth to advance.

So we should care enough for His kingdom’s work to finance it.

Very little can be done in this world without money.

Every week we witness people being saved, healed, encouraged, and delivered.

But it takes money to pay the mortgage, keep the lights on, keep the AC blowing in the summer and the heat in the winter in this building where it happens.

With that in mind, listen to this:

The Barna Group recently published research on tithing in the United States.

In 2007, 84% of U.S. adults donated money to churches or non-profit organizations, but only 5% of adults tithed.

Barna then analyzed which demographic groups tithe the most and which ones tithe the least.

Who tithes

In Religious circles:

24% of evangelicals topped the list.

12% of people who have prayed, read the Bible, and attended a church service during the past week tithed.

11% of charismatic or Pentecostal Christians tithed.

9% of all born again adults

8% of Protestants

2% of Catholics

1% or less of atheists and agnostics gave away a tenth of their money.

Politically it broke down this way:

12% of conservatives tithed

10% of registered Republicans tithed

1% or less of liberals tithed

In General

5% of adults tithed ten percent

1% or less of those whose annual household income is less than $20,000 and who have not attended college

1% or less of people under the age of 25 tithed

1% or less of single adults who have never been married tithed

It is stunning that the percentage of Catholics tithing is not much higher that the percentage of atheists and agnostics who tithe.

And equally surprising is that conservatives out-tithe liberals by at least 12 to 1.

But what surprises me the most is only 1 in 100 people younger than 25 tithe.

And the same is true for singles who have never been married.

If you’re new to this, What is a tithe?

Tithing refers to the practice of giving at least 10 percent of one’s income back to God to be used in ministry.

The word “tithe” means “tenth.”

The Israelites were commanded by God to give 10 percent of their income or crops making it possible for the priests to feed the poor and receive support for their living expenses.

The tithe was used to support ministry.

God taught His people early on to tithe:

“The entire tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd's rod—will be holy to the LORD.”—27:32

And in case you think it’s only O.T. practice, Jesus told the Pharisees:

“…you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.”—Matt. 23:23

Moses instructed the people:

“A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD;”

ILLUS: Ten ears of corn. And ten sheep. Then ten 1 dollar bills for illustration.

Then here’s the rub:

When it’s one out of ten, we’re fine.

Or 10 from 100, okay, I can do that.

But when it’s, say, one-thousand out of ten thousand

Or ten thousand out of one hundred thousand

Or one hundred thousand out of one million we start saying, “Wait a minute. This can’t be right. Surely God doesn’t expect me to give that much!”

But now let’s flip that notion: What if God thought that way about you?

What if He said, “Whoa, I better not give that child of mine that much money! A hundred is fine. Or a thousand, that’s okay. But a hundred thousand? Or even worse, a million? I don’t think I can do that.”

What if God said, “I really shouldn’t bless them like that. That’s just too much!”

What we sometimes say when faced with tithing a large sum, God doesn’t likewise say when it comes to blessing us with a large sum!

But the FACT is: Tithing percentages drop the more money a person makes. They eventually transition from tithers to tippers.

Malachi 3:10 instructed God’s people to, “Bring the WHOLE TITHE into the storehouse…”

What is the STOREHOUSE?

The storehouse in the Old Testament was the temple.

The storehouse in the New Testament is the church.

When we tithe into the storehouse of the church, we are releasing funds into the care of church leaders to use those resources to support ministry and ministry activities.

In light of this, I believe that:

Your tithe should go to the church you attend

When it comes to where we give our tithe, one pastor writes,

“Remember, we’re to bring the tithe into the storehouse where we are cared for and led. You don’t eat at Burger King and say, ‘I appreciate the food, but I’m going to go down to Taco Bell and give them my money.’ It doesn’t work that way. We’re to bring the tithe, God’s tithe to the storehouse where we’re cared for and led.”

The Bible is also crystal clear that:

The tithe belongs to God

We are not free to designate it, divide it, or direct it wherever we want.

Here’s what some people do. They say, “Take my tithe and use it for this or apply it to that” and they designate the tithe.

We can’t do that. That’s God’s tithe. When we give it, it’s out of our hands.

In the Old Testament, PRIESTS administered the way tithes and offerings were used.

Today, Church Elders are charged with that responsibility. They are to take the tithes we bring and prayerfully and carefully direct their use.

It’s important for church members to trust their decisions and not try to direct their tithes to their favorite ministries.

Here’s why:

#1. That is questionable legally

#2. It basically takes the tithe out of the storehouse at large.

Now, sometimes there are missions that we support or projects we tackle in which we ask the church to consider giving a designated gift, over and above their tithe (like we’re doing next week with the Haiti missions trip).

When you do that, the Bible identifies that as an offering, and it should be given over and beyond the regular tithe.

But the norm is to give our tithe to God and trust him for the distribution.

Ultimately, the question of tithing comes down to this:

Which are you most concerned about…

Not having enough money?

Or not having the involvement of the Lord in your finances?

Listen again to two great “I wills” in Malachi that promise God’s involvement in our finances when we tithe:

“Bring all the tithes into the storehouse so there will be enough food in my Temple. If you do,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, “I WILL open the windows of heaven for you. I WILL pour out a blessing so great you won’t have enough room to take it in! Try it! Put me to the test!”

Let’s pray that God helps us submit our finances to Him. To put Him to the test. To try tithing.

Next time: “The Original Fool on the Hill”