Giving

Introduction

I want to welcome you again this morning.

First, to those joining us online, we are so thankful for our online technology that allows you to be a part of our church family today.

I also want to welcome those who may be joining us for the first time today. I hope your time with us today is encouraging and helpful, and I look forward to meeting you.

I would also say if you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”.

What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.

That being said, we are taking a break from our expositional style for the next few weeks as we focus in on the New Year. Because as we enter 2022, I believe God has big plans for MCF.

However, if we want to accomplish what God has planned, we have to be prepared for what lies ahead.

And so in oder to help prepare us I want to take the next few weeks to focus on four New year commitments.

Commitments that I believe are necessary for you and I if we truly want to accomplish God’s plan and purpose in 2022.

Commitments that will requires us to stay focused on the spiritual not the physical.

Commitments that will lead to more joy, more hope, more peace, and more purpose in your life.

Commitments that I believe will lead us into a deeper relationship with Jesus.

That being the case we aren’t going to wasted any time as we jump into our first commitment today which I have simply titled “A Commitment to Give”.

And when I say give, I’m talking about what we need to be willing to Give God as we move into a New Year.

You might say, “Ok Pastor, that sounds good, but before I commit to that I probably need to know what God wants me to give Him.”

Well, according to Jesus, He’s asking us to give Him more than most realize. Because according to Jesus:

Luke 9:23 (ESV)

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.

Jesus says if you want more of Him in your life, then you need to be willing to give up everything, which is what picking your cross up represents, and follow Him.

So, a great question would be, “What exactly does that look like? What does it mean to give up everything?”

Well, from my experience, “everything” for most of us tends to fall into three life categories: Our Time, Our Talent, and Our Treasure.

Our time being what we give our time too.

Our talent being what we give our gifts and abilities too.

And our treasure being what we give our resources too.

And so that’s what I want to talk with you about this morning. Because I believe if you and I are willing to give God more of these three areas of our lives, we might be surprised to find out how God much God wants to give back while at the same time working in and through our lives.

So, to get us started, I want to introduce you to the first area of giving that God wants us to give Him:

Area #1 - God wants me to give Him more of my time.

The truth is, time is a valuable commodity. And it’s valuable for one key reason:

Reason: We only have a limited supply of it.

In other words, we don’t know how much time we actually have, which makes the time we do have extremely valuable.

Because the fact is, none of us know when our time will be up. For some it could be today. For some next week. And then for some it could be 50 years from now. The reality is, none of us know when we’ll take that final breath. But what we do know is there will be a day when we do. The Bible puts it like this:

Job 14:5 ESV

5 Since his days are determined, and the number of his months is with you, and you have appointed his limits that he cannot pass,

Job says our days and months have already been determined by God.

Which means while we can’t see it, there is a countdown clock running on your life. And eventually it will hit zero.

Some of you are like, “Hey pastor, thanks for the encouraging word this morning. That’s exactly what I need to here.” Sorry, not trying to be a downer.

But that’s the truth, right? Time is something we value because we don’t know how much of it we have, which is why I think the Bible encourages us to make good use of it. Paul puts it like this:

Ephesians 5:15–17 ESV

15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.

Paul says because our time is limited, we need to make sure we are using it wisely. And He says the best way to use it wisely is to use it in accomplishing the Lord’s will. Which is what we are talking about.

The question then is, “What does God want me to use my time to do?”

Honestly, that’s a loaded question and there would be a number ways to answer that and a number of ways to determine it.

For example, one way to determine what God wants you to do with your time would be to simply pray about it. To ask God what He wants you to do with your day, your week, or the year ahead.

Another way would be to sit down and list out all the things you need to do, and then prioritize them by importance.

And then some might say in order to determine what God wants you to do with your time, you need to focus your time on what He’s gifted you to do.

And honestly, those are all great ways to determine how to use our time.

But what I’d like to suggest to you this morning is that maybe it’s not as complicated as we tend to make it. That in order to give God our time and do what He’s called us to do, we simply need to be available to whatever needs to be done.

In other words, to give your time to God means you give it to the need at hand.

Now you might be thinking, “Ok pastor, I kind of get that. But it seems a little vague.”

I get that. So, to help us understand what I’m talking about, I want to look at a passage found in Acts 6. A passage that involves a situation in the early church where a need arose that needed to be met. Luke describes it like this:

Acts 6:1 ESV

1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.

Luke says as the church grew, there was a group of people who were being neglected. But it wasn’t just any group, it was a group of widows. Women who had lost their spouses through death.

Why were they being neglected? We don know. But we do know it was a big deal. A big deal because according to God’s Word, orphans and widows are high on God’s list of priorities. The Apostle James put it like this:

James 1:27 ESV

27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

James says you don’t neglect widows or orphans. And so when word came that there were widows being neglected, this got the attention of the disicples. Because Luke goes on to write:

Acts 6:2 (ESV)

2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples...

In other words, they called for an all church meeting. Because this is a need that needs to be taken care of. So it’s all hands on deck.

So what did they decide to do?

Well, what’s interesting isn’t in so much on how they decided to handle it, which we will get to, but what the initial expectation to meeting the need was. And we see this in what Luke says next. Because he goes on to write:

Acts 6:2 ESV

2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.

What Luke seems to imply here is that initially everybody was of the opinion that the twelve disciples should be the ones who dealt with this. After all, they’re the ones getting paid to do ministry. So they should be the ones who set time aside in order to minister to the needs of these widows. It’s their job, right

But Luke says the twelve didn’t agree with that. In fact they say, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.”

So, what does that mean? Does it meant that the twelve viewed serving tables is beneath them? That what they were doing was more important than the widows?

No, Of course not. What they’re saying is, “If we focus all our time and attention on this need, we’re not going to have time to fulfill the need of teaching and preaching.

In other words, while both are important, we can’t do both effectively.

This now creates a dilemma because while meeting the needs of the widows is important so is the preaching of the Word, which at this point is what the twelve need to focus on.

So, what’s the solution? Luke tells us:

Acts 6:3 ESV

3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.

After giving it some thought, Luke says the twelve recommend that seven men be chosen to give their time to this duty.

Why seven men? We don’t now for sure, but more than likely a man for each day of the week. A day where each of these men would devote their time to serving these widows.

Not only that, but they would have to meet certain qualifications. They have to be men of good repute, and men full of the Spirit and of wisdom.

So, what does that mean?

It means they needed to be men who could be trusted and men who had a vibrant relationship with Jesus. In other words, they needed to be spiritual ninjas.

Which is what I find fascinating about this passage. Because what that tells us is that serving tables wasn’t seen as a menial task.

And we know it wasn’t menial because after choosing 7 spiritual ninjas to serve tables, look at what they did next:

Acts 6:6 ESV

6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.

Luke says after choosing these men, they laid hands on these men and commissioned them. Commissioned them to the ministry of waiting on tables.

So, what’s that saying? What it’s saying is that no ministry is more important than another. That all aspects of :Christian service are important. Important enough to call a church meeting and commission these men for the job.

In addition to that, it tells us something about these men. Because while they were obviously gifted to do more than wait tables, when they saw the need and were asked to meet the need, they did.

To be honest, that’s not what most people who would consider themselves to be spiritual ninjas would do. Because most people would say, “Don’t you know I’m a spiritual ninja? And you want me to wait tables? Don’t you realize that I’m gifted for higher purposes. Don’t you realize that serving tables would be a waste of my time and talent.”

Let’s just be honest, that’s what most would do.

But not these men. Instead of flexing their spiritual muscles and aspiring to a higher calling, they submitted to what appeared to be a menial task that anybody could have done. They said, “You need somebody to serve tables. Sign us up.”

Now, you might be thinking, “Ok pastor, but how do you know this wasn’t their primary gift? Maybe they were just really good at serving tables? Maybe that’s what God had called them to do?”

Well, we know it wasn’t their actual spiritual gifting, because if we read on, what we’d discover is that two of these seven men were highly gifted in teaching and preaching.

For example, one of the 7 men was a man named Steven, who in the next chapter will go head to head theologically with the same religous leaders that killed Jesus. And he will so thoroughly clean their clock with his wisdom and knowledge of scripture, that their only recourse they will have is to stone him to death making him the first martyr in Christianity.

The second of the seven is a man named Philip, who in a chapter 8 God will use to lead the city of Samaria to faith in Christ while at the same time healing a paralyzed man.

My point is this. These men were spiritual ninjas and yet when a need to serve tables arose, they set all that aside and served tables.

And as a result, not only were these women’s needs met, but the church was able to keep on growing. Because Luke goes on to tell us:

Acts 6:7 ESV

7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.

Luke says because these men were willing to give their time to serve tables, the number of disciples multiplied. Why? Because that’s what happens when you fill the gap. It allows for continued health and growth.

But not only that, because these men were willing to serve tables, it opened the door for greater ministry opportunity for each of them.

And that’s what we need to understand. That when we give our time, it doesn’t really matter what the task is or whether we are overqualified or whether it’s even our spiritual gifting. What matters is are we willing to meet the need. What matters is, do we understand it’s not about us, but it’s about pointing people to Jesus. That it’s giving our time to what needs to be done. Because when we do that, not only does the kingdom of God advance, but we advance with it.

Let me give you a personal example of how this played out for me in my early years of ministry.

Years ago when I was in Bible College Denise and I were attending a Mega Church in Springfield, MO. And since we were attending we wanted to get involved.

But because of my school and work schedule, the only time I had to serve at the church was Sunday morning. So I went to the pastor and asked him where I could best serve the church. And if I’m honest, part of me wanted it to be a position where I would be teaching or leading a ministry. After all, I was a Bible College Student.

He said, “I’ll tell you what. Go talk to Pastor Tommy, because I know he’s been looking for somebody to serve coffee and donuts in the Adult Sunday School area.”

And so I went to Pastor Tommy, and for the next three years every Sunday morning from 6am-noon I served coffee and donuts and wiped tables.

What was cool though is with serving coffee and donuts I also learned the ropes of the Adult Sunday School area and eventually became Pastor Tommy’s right hand man on Sunday mornings.

And then something unexpected happened. Two months before I graduated from Bible College the Lead Pastor called me and asked me to go to lunch. At lunch he said, “Tommy is leaving to go plant a church. He tells me you’re the man to take his place. I’d like to hire you to be the Adult Ministries Pastor”. I was blown away.

What’s funny is down the road I would have friends ask me how I was able to get on staff at such a large church right out of Bible College. I told them, “It all started with serving coffee and donuts and wiping tables.” Which always left a puzzled look on their face.

But my point was, I’m where I’m at today because I was willing to meet a need and do something most people would see as menial.

Because it wasn’t glamourous. I didn’t put me in the lime light. But it furthered the ministry and it eventually opened the doors for where God was leading me. On a path that eventually led me to Marysville Christian Fellowship.

Now, at this point you might be thinking, “Ok, that’s a great story pastor. And I agree. But how exactly does this apply to us? Because I’m not a Bible college student.”

Actually, it applies in the same way, because just like the early church, there are needs in the church today. Needs that get overlooked. Needs where certain people get neglected.

You might ask, “What people are you talking about pastor? Are you saying we have widows in need at MCF?”

No, but I do have a great example of a ministry at MCF that I think gets neglected at times. A ministry that few want to give their time too. A ministry we call MCF Kids.

In fact just recently Pastor Jerrika told me with the growth that we’ve had over the last year, she’s struggling to find volunteers. So much so, that Pastor Jerrika hasn’t been to a Sunday morning service in 4 months, and has been teaching in a classroom because she’s having to fill the gap each week.

Now, some might say, “But pastor, she’s the children’s pastor. Isn’t that her job?” Yes and no. Yes, she’s the children’s pastor. But the best use of her time isn’t in the classroom. The best use of her time is going to be equipping and encouraging volunteers and connecting with moms and dads. But she has not time to do that. Why? Because she’s in the classroom because.

Now, I don’t share that to make anybody feel bad, it’s just where we are. Because with growth comes the need for more help. It’s a good problem to have.

But it is a concern for me, because in my opinion,MCF kids is one of the most important areas for us to give attention to as a church. Important for two major reasons:

First, it’s important because it was important to Jesus. We see this in Matthew 19 as the disciples try and keep the children from bothering Jesus as He ministers. Look at how Jesus responds:

Matthew 19:14 ESV

14 but Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus says, “Hey, don’t stop the kids from coming to me. They actually have a better understanding of what I’m talking about then most of you do.”

Second, it’s important because our kids are the future of our church. Because the fact is, how much we invest in them now will determine if MCF lives on past us.

And the truth is, I think we are seeing the demise of many churches today because they didn’t make an investment in their children. And now their churches are closing down because there’s not another generation to lead the church forward. Which means, people aren’t getting saved.

That being said, if you were to ask me, “Pastor, where is the greatest need in the church? Where would be a good investment of my time in 2022?”

I would say MCF Kids. In fact, I can’t think of a more important place to spend your time on a Sunday than teaching a child about Jesus.

Because I’m going to tell you right now, by investing time in the kids ministry, the Kingdom of God is going to grow as more kids come to Jesus. And not only that, but you’re going to grow with it as God continue to develop you.

Maybe some of you have been wondering how God wants to use you in 2022. Maybe you’ve even been asking Him to show you what He wants you to do. What I’d like to suggest to you is that maybe you start with a need that needs to be met. That after service you would go talk to Pastor Jerrika and say, “Pastor Jerrika, I heard there is a need to be met. I heard you are looking for some spiritual ninjas. So, where do I sign up? I’m here to serve.”

Because I think if you were willing to do that, not only would you be a blessing to that ministry, but you might be surprised where it takes you and the doors it opens.

And that’s going to be true of anything that you are willing to give your time too when a need arises and you are willing to give your time meet it.

This leads us to a second area that God wants us to give, and I would state it like this:

Area #2 - God wants me to give Him more of my talent.

When I say talent I’m talking about your spiritual gifts and natural abilities.

So, let’s’ talk about each of those just for a moment starting with Spiritual gifts.

Spiritual gifts are the gifts that God has given every believer that are awakened by the empowering presence of the Holy Spirit. Paul talks about these gifts in two specific passages. We find the first list in Romans 12 where Paul writes:

Romans 12:6–8 ESV

6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

In this passage Paul lists several spiritual gifts. The first is prophecy, which would be a gift that God uses to speak words of prophetic encouragement and instruction through a person. Pastors often function in this gift through the gift of preaching.

The second is serving, which would be a person who assists or gives assistance to someone in a ministry capacity. I would say anybody who serves in a volunteer capacity at church is serving in this gift.

The third is the gift of exhortation, which would be somebody who has the gift of encouragement as their words bring hope and life into a situation.

The fourth is the gift of generosity. This is a person who gives of their resources in an overly generous way. We have several people like this in our church who give above and beyond the tithe in order to help and be a blessing to others.

Fifth, there’s the gift of leadership. This is a person who God uses to lead in various areas of the church. I would say every person on our church board has the gift of leadership.

And then lastly there’s the one with the gift of mercy. This is a person who is able to show unusual kindness and care to people in need.

The other list is found in 1 Corinthians 12. Paul lists them as such:

1 Corinthians 12:7–10 ESV

7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

In this list Paul lists several gifts that are mainly for the corporate body of Christ. In other words, these are gifts that people function in when the church gathers. Gifts that are meant to encourage and strengthen the church.

For example, Paul says one of the gifts is the gift of miracles. This would be a person through whom God works miracles through. Like when they pray for someone, they get healed. Or when they pray for a marriage, marriages are restored. That would be a great gift to see at work on a Sunday morning wouldn’t it?

Another gift is the gift of prophecy. This would be a Word from God that somebody gives to the church. Something that is meant to encourage and strengthen the church. We often see this gift function at our First Wednesday prayer meetings as God speaks through different individuals in order to strengthen and encourage those present.

And the list goes on. All being gifts that are available and God wants us to have.

The question then is, “How do you get these gifts?”

Well, it starts with you wanting them for the right reasons.

What I mean by that is if you want to function in spriitual gifts, you have to want them for Kingdom purpose.

For example:

To be empowered and gifted to share the gospel.

To be empowered and gifted to bring strength and encouragement to the church.

To be empowered and gifted to be a blessing to someone else.

To be empowered and gifted to bring glory to Jesus.

You see, spiritual gifts are all about accomplishing the work that God has called us too. And to be honest, this is why many Christians fail to function in spiritual gifts. Not because they don’t want them or they’re not available, but because they seek them for the wrong reason. James puts it like this:

James 4:3 ESV

3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.

James says sometimes God doesn’t give us what He’d like to give us, not because He doesn’t want to, but because we want it for the wrong reason. And I believe that would apply to spiritual gifts.

So, as we enter 2022, here’s what I want to challenge you to do. I want to challenge you to pray that God would give you the spiritual gifts He wants to give you. But with that, I want you to pray with the right motivation. That your desire to function in spiritual gifts wouldn’t be for your own benefit, but for the benefit of others and for the glory of God.

Because I truly believe in order for God to do what He wants to do through our church in 2022, that more and more of us need to be functioning in the gifts of the Spirit.

We need individuals with the gift of healing. We need individuals who can function in the gift of leadership. We need individuals with the gift of teaching. We need individuals with the gift of mercy.

But to have these gifts we have to pray for them. And we have to pray for them with the right motivation. Not for our own glory, but for the glory of God.

This leads us to a second set of gifts that we often refer to as our natural abilities. Abilities that God has given us.

You might ask, “What kind of abilities are you talking about pastor?”

There are many. For example, some have artistic gifts. Gifts that allow them to play instruments, sing, write music, or create beautiful designs.

Others have gifts of craftsmanship. Gifts that allow them to design, to build, and to construct.

Others have what I would call trade skill. Maybe it’s a plumbing gift. An electrical gift. A welding gift. To be honest, when I drive by Landoll’s it always amazes me that somebody welded those trailers together.

And then there are some with gifts of knowledge and understanding in a specific technical expertise. For example, it always amazes me how somebody knows how to write programming on a computer.

The fact is, there are hundreds of different abilities and talents that people have. Gifts that we utilize everyday for employment and for self purposes.

And there’s nothing wrong with using our natural abilities and gifting in those capacities.

But let me ask you this. What if we started using our natural talents for God’s Kingdom as well.

What if instead of just using them to get a pay check or for our own benefit, we used them for others. What if we started asking God to give us opportunities to us the talents He’s given us to bless others.

For example, maybe you have a skill gift, and it comes to your attention that somebody has a need that requires your skill. And so instead of keeping your skill to yourself or instead of charging them for your time, you offer it for free.

Or maybe you have a knowledge skill. Maybe your good with computers. And you become aware of somebody that needs some technical help, and so you volunteer your skill.

You might ask, “Pastor, why would I do that? What would be the benefit?”

The benefit is that you would be blessing somebody and possibly opening up a door of opportunity to share the gospel with them as you demonstrate the love of Christ through the talent God has given you.

I know this sounds silly, but I do this with cookies sometimes. The truth is, I don’t have much when it comes to skill gifts. Don’t call me if you need something fixed.

But I do make a good batch of cookies. And so sometimes just too bless someone I make them some cookies. And what I’ve found is when I do that it opens doors. It breaks down walls. It gives me opportunity to show the love of Christ in a way that is unique and thoughtful. In way that my spiritual gift to preach never would.

Here’s my challenge to you. That as you enter 2022, you would not only seek spiritual gifts, but that you would ask the Lord to give you opportunity to use your natural gifts as well to bless others. That God would give you opportunity to use the gifts He’s given you for His Kingdom purposes.

This lead us to one final area God wants us to give in, and I would state it like this:

Area #3 - God wants us to give Him our treasure.

And when I say treasure I’m talking about our finances, and specifically I’m talking about the tithe.

At this point some of you are probably thinking, “Oh great, here the preacher goes talking about money. I knew this was coming.”

Now hold on. Before you mentally shut down or close the app, here’s what I’d like you to consider. That what I’m about to share with you isn’t coming from me, it’s coming from God’s Word, because when it comes to money God has a lot to say about it. In fact, Jesus has more to say about our resources than anything else in the Gospels. Why? Probably because He knows just how important money is to us and how easily we put our hope in it.

But the problem with that is when we put our hope in money, we are putting our hope in something that is temporal and unfulfilling. Because I cant tell you right now, more money doesn’t mean more success or more security. And more money definitely doesn’t mean more happiness. In fact, some of the most miserable people I know are the richest people I know.

And so to help us overcome the temptation to put our trust in money, God has given us a way to stay focused on where our trust should be. And it’s called the tithe.

So, a great question would be, “What’s the tithe?”

The tithe simply means a “tenth”.

And from the OT and into the NT this was God’s requirement for His people. That with every harvest or paycheck they would give the first tenth of it back to Him. A tenth being 10%.

In fact we see the first mention of the tithe in Genesis 14 as Abraham gives a tenth of his possessions to a priest known as Melchizedek. In Genesis 14 we read:

Genesis 14:19–20 ESV

19 And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20 and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

We see it again in Genesis 28 as Jacob promises to give God a tenth of everything that God gives him. The writer records it like this:

Genesis 28:22 ESV

22 and this stone, which I have set up for a pillar, shall be God’s house. And of all that you give me I will give a full tenth to you.”

We then see it in Leviticus 27 as Moses give the Israelites the law and instruction on giving the tithe. Moses writes:

Leviticus 27:30 ESV

30 “Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord.

We then see it mentioned in the book of Proverbs as Solomon writes:

Proverbs 3:9–10 ESV

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; 10 then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine.

In this passage first fruits represents the tithe.

And then we also see it in the prophets as God rebukes the Israelites for their failure to tithe. Malachi writes:

Malachi 3:8–9 ESV

8 Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In your tithes and contributions. 9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you.

Now, some might say, “But pastor, that’s all OT stuff. I’ve heard this is something NT Christians don’t have to do.” Well, you’ve heard wrong. Because Jesus actually upholds the tithe. We see this in Matthew 23 where Jesus says this:

Matthew 23:23 ESV

23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others.

I this passage Jesus is rebuking and commending the Pharisees at the same time.

He’s rebuking them for their lack of mercy and justice, while at the same time commending them for their commitment to the tithe.

Jesus’s point is they need to be committed to all of those things.

So yes, tithing is something that NT Christians still need to practice. Why? Because just like everybody else we struggle with putting too much hope in money.

So, a great quesiton would be then, “How does the tithe work, who it goes to, and what’s the benefit?”

Let’s talk about how it works. And to do that I’d state it like this:

Principle #1 - A tithe is not a tip.

A tip is something you give somebody if you’re satisfied with their service. Like a waiter or a hair dresser. And unfortunately this is how a lot of Christians give to God. A tip that’s based on their level of satisfaction.

Their level of satisfaction on how God is working in their life. Their level of satisfaction on how well pastor is leading the church. Their level of satisfaction on the kind of music the worship team is singing. Their level of satisfaction on how good the sermon was.

And if it meets their level of satisfaction, they throw a tip in the offering. Maybe a $10, maybe a $20 dollar bill. Something that signifies a job well done pastor.

And you know what, I appreciate the tips. Thank you for being generous. But just so you know, a tip isn’t a tithe. And it’s not a tithe for two reasons:

#1 - The tithe is 10% of what God has given you. Which means it’s 10% of your income.

#2 - The tithe isn’t something we give based on satisfaction, but something we give based on obedience.

You see, it’s not God’s job to entertain you or try to satisfy you. God’s not looking for your tip.

However it should be our desire to worship, seek, and put our trust in Him. And part of that includes being obedient by giving back to Him what He’s asked for which isn’t a tip, but the tithe.

This now leads us to who it goes to. And I would state it like this:

Principle #2 - The tithe goes to your local church.

And when I say local church, I’m talking about the church you attend. The church you are ministered to at. Why there? Well, it’s the way God has designed his earthly church to function in a material world. We see this in both the OT and NT as the tithe is used to fund the mission and ministry of the local church. Funds that allow us to pay salaries for pastors, which is Biblical. Funds that allow us to support a building, which again is Biblical. Funds that allow us to help people in need, which again is Biblical. Funds that allow us to further the kingdom of God and reach more people for Jesus.

So simply put, your tithe goes to the local church, which is why we pass the bucket every week and provide ways for you to easily give online. So that you can be obedient to God and provide the tithe to His church.

This now leads us to the benefit. And I would state it like this:

Principle #3 - The tithe confirms my trust in God and brings blessing into my life.

Here’s how I like to say it. By tithing we are confirming that we believe God can do more with 90% than we can do with 100%.

In other words, when we tithe we are confirming what is printed on our money. That it’s in God we trust.

And I believe this is one of the most important aspects of trusting God in our live since money seems to be what we trust the most and find our security in.

And so by tithing what we are not only being obedient, we are affirming where our trust really is. And it’s not in a paycheck, but in the God that provided the paycheck. Because whether you realize it or not, everything you have is because God gave it to you. Because at the end of the day, God owns everything. God puts it like this:

Haggai 2:8 ESV

8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, declares the Lord of hosts.

God says I own it all.

And so by tithing we are simply affirming we know that and that our trust is ultimately in the one who owns all.

I know for me personally that’s what I’m reminded of every time I tithe. That it’s not mine to begin with and that I’m thankful for what God has given me, and that I know He can do more with the 90% that’s left than if I kept 100% of it.

Which leads to the second part of the benefit, which is the blessing it brings. God puts it like this in Malachi 3:10-12

Malachi 3:10–12 ESV

10 Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need. 11 I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your soil, and your vine in the field shall not fail to bear, says the Lord of hosts. 12 Then all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a land of delight, says the Lord of hosts.

As God challenges us to tithe, he also gives us a promise. And the promise is that if we trust Him with 10%, He will pour blessing into our life. Blessing that we could never provide for ourselves. Blessing that will confirm to us and the world we live in that there is a God in heaven.

Now, you might say, “Pastor, what kind of blessing are you talking about?”

To be honest, tithe blessings come in all shapes and sizes and in unexpected ways.

For example, sometimes they come in the form of more resource. A check you weren’t expecting. A refund you didn’t know was coming. Something you could have never planned for.

Other times it comes through a pay raise you were never promised. Or a bonus you did’t know you earned.

But I think often times, it comes in ways we can’t really quantify. It comes as that car with 300,000 miles keeps running when it shouldn’t. It comes as your microwave doesn’t quit working when it should. It comes as something that should have worn out or broken keeps on going.

My point is, God’s blessings come in all shapes and sizes. But what you can be certain of, is if your faithful, they will come. In fact in the Malachi passage God actually challenges us to test Him on that.

And so as we enter a New Year, that’s exactly what I’m going to challenge you to do. To test God on the tithe. To do something you’ve maybe never done before and start giving more or your resource back to God. To be committed in 2022 not to tip but to tithe. And in doing so to trust that God will be true to His Word.

Because again, in order for us to accomplish all that God has for us, it’s going to require us to all become spiritual ninjas. To be willing to give more of our time as we meet needs that need to be met. To give more of our talent as we seek spiritual gifts and use our natural gifts to bless others. And to give more of our treasure as we watch God continue to transform our county and community with the Gospel.

My prayer is that you are with me on that MCF. Because the best days of our church weren’t in 2021, the best days lie ahead in 2022 as we commit to give more to God.

Let’s Pray