Another question has come up from a person named Mark.
If I want to donate to a house building ministry to cover the cost of materials to build the house, and go to Mexico to do the work, can that be my tithe? I can not afford to give my church my 10% next month and the house building for the poor all in the same month. I have committed to the Mexico trip.
Mark,
First things first. You are not required to tithe. I don’t want to go into much detail about that, since there is so much information not only on this website but on so many others as well.
It seems that the Spirit has put a burden on your heart to help the people in Mexico. Do not suppress the Holy Spirit’s conviction on your heart. I cannot directly tell you what you should do with your giving. I would definitely say it’s not worth getting into debt over the matter. If you feel that the Holy Spirit is asking you to give both to Mexico and your church, then find ways you can sacrifice in order to pay both. I don’t know if it would be selling something, or fasting through a couple of meals to save money.
It is great news to hear that your heart is opened to the conviction of giving from the Holy Spirit and not from a law that is dead. The Spirit is alive in you, so follow the calling from the law that is living in you instead of the law of tithing that has been dead for 2000 years.
Hi Tithe
“Saying, ‘you cannot out-give God’ is just a bunch of rhetoric. ”
I did qualify that as an aphorism. Can I now please rephrase that [possibly flip] comment? My experience is that whenever I am moved to give more than usual, I am always matched by His blessing. Is that clearer?
“What would you say to those who have faithfully paid tithe with a good heart and find themselves deeper and deeper in debt?”
No more than I have said. My 25 years of fruitful personal experience of “…I will open the windows of heaven for you and pour down a blessing until there is no more need” as I related in my comment says all I want to say. I would not presume to tell any one how to interact with [their] God. However, further discussion with your hypothetical person might disclose a need for budget advice, whatever…….
May I further agree with your definition in your last post to Dan “I believe our instructions on giving should be led by the Spirit. Which i believe scripture defines as giving sacrificially, liberally, freely, faithfully, cheerfully and without written law, and can be changed spontaneously..”? I have found the 10% [tithe] notion a convenient starting point.
Rhys’s last blog post..How to find Spiritual Excellence
Jared, Thanks for the lively debate. But we don’t have to necessarily agree to disagree, because by your last statement to me we really agree on everything foundationally about giving to God. Whether it’s about tithing faith promise giving, or any other form of giving to and/or for the work of God’s kingdom with finances, time, talent and every other part of our lives – it’s not about the absolutes of words written on paper or stone, but the living of the Word written on our hearts. And that is a masterpiece that is always in process and in progress. I hope our times together have been beneficial to you and strengthening to our work together to advance the Gospel.
Probably it’s not clear to some, at least not to me during my early days as a Christian that tithing is not just about giving money towards the church or God. God has all the money in the world and He definitely does not need our 10%. If I don’t give it, He will get it from someone else.
What is significant about tithing is the trust and faith that we learn to place in God to provide which is why we tithe 10% at the beginning of the month or when we collect our paycheck trusting in Him for His continued providence for the rest of the month knowing He will not fail us.
So, continue to tithe faithfully and He will bless greatly, of course, not necessarily in material wealth or such but His blessings will surely follow. However, our hearts must be in the right place. If we tithe but spend the rest of our money recklessly thinking God will bless us just because we have given unto Him, frankly we have another thing coming. Being good stewards of what He has given us also does not mean we keep them from the Giver Himself.
And who says tithing is dead? Just as God does not change, He is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow, His Word is eternal, never changing, just as valid today as it was 2000 years ago.
I agree with Rhys : You cannot outgive God.
Jenny, You said it all. Amen!
I still do not believe that anyone truly answered the main question. I fully believe that you tithe what you can or what you want to (over 10% if you can or want to), BUT do you have to give it all to your church? I have three churches I want to give to, but cannot give over 10% due to a fixed income. All are worthy. What say you without all the rhetoric and smoke?
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@John
I truly believe that your tithe to the temple [your church, or whatever] is a constant, and that if you are really moved to donate to something else, then He will cover the extra somehow, and you will not go short because of your donation on top of your tithe.
:D – Rhys