Recently, we received an email from beloved in Christ asking
for emphasis's on Christian tithe payment. Actually, when we behold the request to share light about church tithe payment, our heart were greatly filled and overwhelmed
with Joy, because church tithe payment is very important and it’s one of the dreaded
messages that always scared off many brethren, even from attending church
fellowship.
Today, many renowned Christians dispersed the doctrine of
tithe payment, yet always irking for not patterning in the Lord blessing while
their fellow brethren are been showers continuously with blessing. They always
frown at the message of tithe payment without understanding the basic important
of tithe payment.
However, church tithe payment is a must for every genuine Christian
who possessed the mindset of making heaven and if you haven’t commenced in
church tithe payment, we strongly admonished you hearken unto this doctrine because
many are already victim of the danger of none tithe payment in the church.
Tithe Payment Is A
Divine Necessity For Every Genuine Christian.
One day, a very wealthy man was walking on the road. Along
the way he saw a beggar on the sidewalk. The rich man looks kindly on the
beggar and asked, "How did you
become a beggar? The beggar said, "Sir, I've been applying for a job for
a year now but haven't found any. You look like a rich man. Sir, if you'll give
me a job, I'll stop begging"
The rich man smiled and said, "I want to help you. But I won't give you a job. I'll do something
better. I want you to be my business partner. Let's start a business together” The
beggar blinked hard. He didn't understand what the older man was saying. "What do you mean, Sir?
Psalm 104;24 “O LORD, how
manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of
thy riches” "I own a rice
plantation. You could sell my rice in the market. I'll provide you the sacks of
rice. I'll pay the rent for the market stall. All you will have to do is sell
my rice. And at the end of the month, as Business Partners, we'll share in the
profits. Tears of joy rolled down his cheeks.
"Oh Sir,"
he said, "You’re a gift from Heaven; you're the answer to my prayers.
Thank you, thank you, and thank you" He then paused and said, Sir, how will we divide the profits? Do I
keep 10% and you get the 90%? Do I keep 5% and you get the 95%? I'll be happy
with any arrangement”
The rich man shook his head and chuckled. "No, I want you to give me the 10%. And
you keep the 90%. For a moment, the beggar couldn't speak. When he tried to
speak, it was gibberish. Uh, gee, uh, wow, I mean, huh? He couldn't believe his
ears. The deal was too preposterous. The rich man laughed more loudly.
He explained “I don't need the money, my friend. I'm
already wealthy beyond what you can ever imagine. I want you to give me 10% of
your profits so you grow in gratitude” The beggar knelt down before his
benefactor and said “Yes Sir, I will do
as you say. Even now, I'm so grateful for what you've done for me" Exodus 19;5 Now
therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall
be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine”
And so that was what happened. He forgets where the
blessings came from. Each day, the beggar now dressed a little bit better
operated a store selling rice in the market. He worked very hard. He woke up
early in the morning and slept late at night. And sales were efficient, also
because the rice was of good quality. And after 30 days, the profits were
astounding.
At the end of the month, as the ex-beggar was counting the
money, and liking very much the feeling of money in his hands, an idea grew in his
mind. He told himself, “Huh, why should
I give 10% to my Business Partner? I didn't see him the whole month. I was the
one who was working day and night for this business. I did all this work. I
deserve the 100% profits.
A few minutes later, the rich man was knocking on the door
to collect his 10% of the profits. The ex-beggar opened the door and said, "You don't deserve the 10%. I worked
hard for this. I deserve all of it" And he slammed the door. If you were his business partner, how would
you feel?
Hi, this is exactly what happens to us, God is our business
partner. God gave us life-every single moment, every single breath, every
single second.
Psalm 24;1 “The earth is the LORD’s,
and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” God
gave us talents and ability to talk, to create, to earn money. God gave us a
body, eyes, ears, mouth, hands, feet, heart. God gave us mind and imagination,
emotions, reasoning, language. Hence, Sharing 10% with him is an expression of
gratitude and love. So never forget to do your bit and do it with immense
gratitude, joy and love.
The Doctrine On Church Tithe Payment And How To Pay
Church tithe payment is very important for very genuine Christians
and it’s very dangerous to adjourn your tithe payment incur from your present income
to latter month because it hinder prayers and gives permission for locust
invader to Infest both your financial and the healthy life of your family. Joel 2:25 "And I will restore to you the years that
the locust hath eaten, the cankerworm, and the caterpillar, and the palmerworm,
my great army which I sent among you"
However, there is no impunity in God's judgment on church
tithe payment because if you don't pay your tithe, things will definitely be
tight for you. Genesis 14;18-20 “And Melchizedek
king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most
high God. And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God,
possessor of heaven and Earth, And blessed be the most high God, which hath
delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all”
Abraham our father; meet Melchizedek without father or
mother. He bows down to greet Melchizedek the priest of the most high God and offer tithe
unto him. The bible said; that Levi while yet inside the loins of Abraham
stretch fort his hand. WHO IS LEVI? Levi
is the great grandchild of Abraham; but he was in the lions of Abraham and stretch
fort his hand from ETERNITY to TIME and offer tithe unto Melchizedek and secures
for himself the post of priesthood before he was born.
Hence, this spiritually signifies that tithe payment is a
spiritual generational covenant and every ignoramus act you indulge in none
payment of tithe in your church, simples means, you don’t want to secure the
post of priesthood in your lineage because whatever goes around must surely
comes around.
Hebrews 7:1-3 "For this
Melchisedec, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham
returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him; 2 To whom also
Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of
righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace; 3
Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of
days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest
continually”
However; when you decide to live act ignorantly and forsake
to abide under the doctrine of tithe payment in your church; you are not only
punishing yourself but also destroying the future destiny of your unborn
children. If you are not paying your tithe, it means you don't love your future
children and you don’t want their prosperity and excellence in life.
How To Pay Tithe In The Church
Malachi 3;8-12 “Will a man rob
God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes
and offerings. 9, Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this
whole nation. 10, Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may
be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I
will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that
there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Verse 11, And I will rebuke the
devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground;
neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the
LORD of hosts.12, And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a
delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts”
Tithe payment is the 10% of your total GROSS
INCOME earned before any expenditure (total income earned in division by
10). Tithe payment isn’t your "NET INCOME" incur after expenditure. Deuteronomy 14:22 "Thou shalt truly tithe all the
increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth
forth year by year"
In nutshell, your
tithe payment comes first before any expenditure because God’s business must come
first. He owns everything, including your life and soul. Therefore, you must
truly tithe all your income before the thought of government tax payment or removal
of transport fees and other personal expenses such as food, clothes, house
rent, school fees etc.
You are mandated to removed your tithe from any incurred profit,
income or gift you made or received before accounting for loses or
expenditures. As a newly employed staff; you must removed the tenth percent of
your salary before remembering or accounting for transportation fees and feeding
expenditure.
You must tithe before accounting for taxation or other
miscellaneous expenses. As a business man;
you must tithe your income before making any adjustment of your transporting
expenses. Your tithe payment comes first before any adjustment or expenses because
Almighty God isn't second class or under-developing creator.
Deuteronomy 8:18 "But thou
shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get
wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it
is this day" His sufficiency is greater than our lives because he
isn't a beggar but creator of all creativity and givers of wealth and riches.
He is not a poor God---but rather a giver and unleashes of powers and wealth.
Haggai 2:8 "The silver is mine,
and the gold is mine, saith the Lord of hosts" He doesn't need your
money or riches but rather need to test your faith and sincerity of service in his
vine yard because money is a defense and answereth all things----which without,
the propagation of the gospel will be hindered.
Nevertheless, as none working class or a student you must
fully tithe any financial gift you received or else, you would definitely find
it difficult to obtain divine favor from people. If you are tested of the
little cash gift and you failed to redeem your tithe, please don’t expect to be
divinely favored again because you refuse to acknowledge your God as a supplier
of riches. Philippians 4:19 "But my God shall
supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus"
Whenever you tithe faithfully and cheerfully without
murmuring or complain; you are spiritually setting up or opening bank account
in Heaven for yourself and same time making savings. Whenever, you knee to
utter any prayer unto God, instantly his angels will ran a quick check in your Heavenly
bank account for remaining balance.
If your account balance exceeds the minimum withdrawal, you
will certainly experience financial empowerment and increase but if signifies red
due to your unfaithfulness in tithe payment; things will definitely becomes
tight for you because God isn’t mocked and neither a beggar. Galatians 6;7 “Be
not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he
also reap”
Wrong Perception In Church Tithe Payment.
Tithing is the mechanism for funding the Gospel. Those who withhold
tithes and offerings from the Lord are disobedient Christians; they won't be
ready for His return. By their disobedience, they hinder the gospel from going
out and costing souls to perish. Moreover, the Lord has warned the church, that anyone who
loves money more than Him, will not see the Kingdom.
The Lord instructed us
through the prophet Malachi to bring the whole tithe into the "storehouse" so there may be
food in "God's house" .Malachi 3:10 "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse,
so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this," says the
LORD of hosts, "if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour
out for you a blessing until it overflows.
In saying this, the Lord showed that the storehouse and His
house are one and the same. According to the Law, the people were to bring
their tithes to the temple, so we know that was the storehouse, known as God’s
house. Some believe they are free to give their tithes directly to other
believers, like strangers, widows, orphans, the oppressed and the poor. No doubt,
those are important needs that are near to the Lord’s heart.
However, I tend to think of giving to those needs or “alms
to the poor as an “offerings” and
not "tithe". On the hand, if we maintain our interpretation of the "storehouse" as the local church,
then we would give our tithes to the local church. This would be in line with
common sense, as well as the scripture about sharing with those who teach you.
Important Of Tithe Payment To Christian.
Paul said that, “The one who is taught the word is to share
all good things with the one who teaches him.” (Galatians 6:6). He also taught
that we must not muzzle the ox, and the worker is worthy of his wages (1 Timothy
5:18). He was clear that this applies to ministers of the gospel who have
dedicated their lives to preaching. Would God be pleased if a disciple gives
his tithe to a widow while his pastor and family go hungry and without proper
clothes or shelter?
In the New Testament, the disciples shared all good things
with their elders, which were the apostles in Jerusalem. They brought their gifts
and laid them at the apostles feet (Act 4:35; Act 4:37; Act 5:2). It was the
apostles who then determined how those funds should be distributed, and to whom
they should give them.
Where there were widows in need, the apostles used the funds
to ensure the widows received a distribution of food. And the apostles were not
getting rich off this money either.
Peter and John told the lame beggar that they possessed neither silver
nor gold. The collection Paul took for the poor disciples in Jerusalem was
similar. He wanted people to set aside a sum of money in keeping with their income
each week, based on what each one had decided in his heart to give.
He wrote to the Corinthians, “On the first day of every week
each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no
collections be made when I come.” (1 Corinthians 16:2) Then when Paul came to Corinth,
the local church overseers gave the money from the church members to Paul. “Each
one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7.
In turn, Paul took the gifts and delivered them to the
saints in Jerusalem. This was a ministry to the saints (2 Corinthians 9:1). This
tithe issue has a root in old testament as it is written here "To the sons
of Levi, behold, I have given all the tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in
return for their service which they perform, the service of the tent of
meeting. (Number 18:21).
The Pastors Must Also Pay Their Tithe
Just as the rest of the people must tithe to the Lord, the
pastor also must tithe. This is what the Lord said to Aaron and his fellow
Levites. Here is how it worked. The Lord said to Aaron, "Moreover, you
shall speak to the Levites and say to them, When you take from the sons of
Israel the tithe which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then
you shall present an offering from it to the LORD, a tithe of the
tithe"(Number 18:26).
The Lord told Aaron
to tell his fellow Levites to offer to the Lord a tithe of the tithe. In other words, out of the tithe they
received from the people, they were to offer a tithe of that to the Lord, the
best part of what they received. The
Lord considered that best part to be the sacred part, or holy part.
It was dedicated or set apart.
He instructed Aaron to tell
the Levites, “So you shall also present an offering to the LORD from your tithes,
which you receive from the sons of Israel; and from it you shall give the
LORD'S offering to Aaron the priest. Out of all your gifts you shall present
every offering due to the LORD, from all the best of them, the sacred part from
them.' You shall say to them, 'When you have offered from it the best of it,
then the rest shall be reckoned to the Levites as the product of the threshing
floor, and as the product of the wine vat.’(Number 18:28-30).
This meant that the Levites must give the LORD'S offering to
Aaron the priest. This was to be the best part of the offerings they received
from the Israelite. After they gave this to Aaron, the rest of the tithes they
received were to become theirs to eat and drink.
