TITHING / GIVING

TITHING/ GIVING

QUESTION: Are Christians supposed to pay tithes in the new covenant? Is it a must for every believer? Why did Jesus not teach about tithes during His ministry on earth?

ANSWER: We understand from the Word of God that the tithe is the first tenth of our increase (our total income). Often, we may think of the 10% of our income as being the Lord's and the 90% as being ours. However, we must understand that ALL our income, 100%, is the Lord's. It ALL belongs to Him.

Tithing is part of the New Covenant. As Christians, we are to tithe. Jesus taught about tithing in Luke 11.42. In this verse, Jesus was speaking to the Pharisees who were adamant on keeping all the laws of Moses and were careful to tithe even the smallest of items, yet they neglected the more important practices of God's law.

Jesus said to them "How terrible it will be for you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest part of your income, but you completely forget about justice and the Love of God. You should tithe, yes, but you should not leave undone the more important things." (Luke 11.42 NLT)

Tithing should not be seen as an obligation or a burden. Tithing is a great privilege. Tithing is something only people who are in covenant with God can do. God claims this portion of our income because He desires a covenant connection with us. This covenant centers on our faith and obedience to Him, and on the Biblical principal of sowing and reaping. It is a covenant exchange - when you bring your tithes into God's storehouse, God will pour you out a blessing. Tithing is presenting a portion of your income to God in exchange for His anointing of increase. It requires both giving and receiving. God wants you to receive increase so that you can live days of heaven on earth while you do the things He directs you to do. When we tithe, it keeps the floodgates of heaven's resources open to us. When we withhold our tithes, we close the door on the Blessing of God into our life. Robbing God of the tithe causes us to operate under a curse (Malachi 3.8-9) When we don't tithe, we give the devil an open door to our life.

Is tithing a must for every believer? Yes, it is if you want to stay in the flow of God's Blessing - not just financial/ material blessing, but also good health, blessing in our family, good relationships, peace of heart and mind, favour, and goodness of God in every area. Tithing protects you from calamity and rebukes the devourer (the devil) for your sake.

Some people tithe and yet do not prosper because they are not truly tithing. Tithing is not merely taking a tenth of our income and giving it to God. That is part of it. But when we tithe, we must also activate our faith and speak out God's promises concerning our tithes. True tithing is not a swift process. It is a part of worship.

When we tithe, we do so to honour and worship the Lord who loves us, protects us, blesses us and keeps us safe. When we receive income, we should separate out the first ten percent as our tithe to the Lord. Then we should take special time to lift that tithe to Him and worship Him with it. Think of all the ways that He has saved you and been good to you and give Him praise for it as you lift your tithe. Remember that God loves you and that the tithe is your covenant connection to Him and all His Blessing. Tithing is not limited to only finances. We should also tithe our time, our skills and talents, and every area of our life to Him.

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