Tithing.com

Questions About Tithing, Giving, & Stewardship

On these pages, you will find commonly asked questions that are asked about tithing, stewardship, or giving. We are always searching for questions to answer from our readers, so please contact us with your specific questions and we will do our best to answer them. Our goal is to be as objective as possible and use scripture and sound reasoning to provide the best possible answers to your questions.

How Were Offerings Used in the New Testament?

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Below is an extensive list of all the bible verses that discuss how offerings were used in the New Testament. Although this is not a list of every bible verse that talks about giving, these bible verses are all the ones that reveal how offerings were distributed in the early Church. Do me a favor and compare our giving and distribution model in the Church ‘today’ with the model that we find in the early Church. At the end, you will see a challenge that comes with a cash reward if you succeed. All bible verses below are in NKJV.

  1. Acts 2:44-45 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need.
  2. Acts 4:34-35 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked; for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the proceeds of the things that were sold, and laid them at the apostles’ feet; and they distributed to each as anyone had need.
  3. Acts 11:27-30 And in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
  4. Acts 20:35 have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak.
  5. Romans 12:13 distributing to the needs of the saints, given to hospitality.
  6. Romans 15:26 For it pleased those from Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor
  7. 2 Corinthians 8:14-15 but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack—that there may be equality. As it is written, “He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack.”
  8. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work. 9As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”
  9. 2 Corinthians 9:12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God.
  10. 2 Corinthians 11:9 And when I was present with you, and in need, I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied.
  11. Galatians 2:9,10 and when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that had been given to me, they gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, that we should go to the Gentiles and they to the circumcised. They desired only that we should remember the poor, the very thing which I also was eager to do.
  12. Ephesians 4:28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
  13. Phillippians 4:10-11,14-16 But I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at last your care for me has flourished again; though you surely did care, but you lacked opportunity. Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: . . . Nevertheless you have done well that you shared in my distress. 15Now you Philippians know also that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me concerning giving and receiving but you only. 16For even in Thessalonica you sent aid once and again for my necessities.
  14. Titus 3:14 And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful
  15. James 1:27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress
  16. James 2:15-16 a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
  17. 1 John 3:17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him?

I will send $50 to anyone who first finds a bible verse that urges generosity in the early church for anything other than an essential need. I will send $15 to anyone who can find a verse to add to the list above. The verse must be in reference to the church in Acts through Revelation, and must be universally translated the same within the KJV, NKJV, NIV, and NASB in regards to how offerings were distributed or used. If you find a bible verse and want the reward, post it in the comments, and i will send you an email to get your mailing address to send the cash through paypal or mail. Hey, i’m offering this without doing extensive research, so you might get lucky. Hopefully, i won’t be broke by the time this is done.

Can Your Tithe Go Towards a Mission Trip?

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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 (10% minimum). 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.

Should I Tithe My Tax Return?

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Probably the number one question this time of year, is do I tithe on my taxes? What they mean is, am I suppose to tithe on the money I get back on my tax return? That’s a good question. So, here’s a question back. If you owe taxes this year, does the Church refund you tithe back? Probably not. The gift that you gave this past year is long gone, and rightfully so. I wouldn’t expect the Church to give you any money back.

BUT . . . why are we so concerned with asking questions about these minute details on giving? Who really has the answer to tithing on taxes? The Bible doesn’t have the answers on how you should exactly give within our complicated economic structure. The Bible was clear to Israel on how they should give their tithe, but the bible is not clear on how much the Church should give. It was simple for Israel – give a tenth of all your increase in crops and cattle(Leviticus 27:30). At harvest, they counted their crop and cattle and set aside the tenth one(Leviticus 27:32). They didn’t have pensions, 401k’s, and interest on grain or cattle.

Probably the number one thing that made it easy for Israel to calculate the tithe was the fact that they couldn’t give money, gold, or goods; they could only tithe on the cattle and agricultural increase. Tithing on taxes today has become complicated at best. I’ve found that when people ask the “experts” on how they should tithe, most of the time the answer they give is a guess. The answers are never solid, and are never based on direct scripture. Most of the “experts” provide answers to these complicated tithing questions based on their opinion or interpretation of principles that they can find in the bible. Some of the answers are not even based on principles. Some of the “experts” give answers on how you should tithe, based on how they think the Old Testament tithing system fits into our economic and New Testament structure now.

If you read in Matthew 23, you see that the Pharisees were perfect tithers. They knew every tithe question and scenario down to the smallest detail. Although there was nothing wrong with them doing that, and Jesus never said they were wrong in doing that. As a matter of fact, Jesus told his disciples in that passage to obey the Pharisees. Of course, Jesus highlighted with a strong rebuke the actions of the Pharisees that the disciples shouldn’t follow. The difference between the Pharisees narrowing down every scenario of tithing and the New Testament Church narrowing it down is the difference between the law and grace.

Most of these answers you receive on giving the tithing on taxes is an educated guess. The tithe cannot be followed directly through the avenues of the law, so most people just give an opinion on how tithing should be obeyed under grace. The sad thing is the “experts” do not inform you that their answers come from opinion. They give you these guesstimates as if the answers they have come from a direct phone line to God’s tax accountant.

So, tithing on taxes? I’d say pray, ask for advice, and consult the Spirit of God to direct you. Because the “experts” can’t give you direct biblical commands, more than likely the answer you get from your tithing on taxes questions will come from the Spirit of God anyways. The law cannot give answers the one who is governed by grace.

Was Jesus Poor?

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There’s much argument about this question – Was Jesus Poor? Of course, he wasn’t poor, he was God and owned everything. But aside from that, when we look at his manhood on earth, I think there are obvious examples in the bible that illustrate that he was poor, and other times it illustrates that he was rich. One example that comes to mind which seems he was poor, is when peter came to Jesus and asked about paying the temple tax. Instead of Jesus pulling out his nice thick leather wallet and flipping the cash to Peter, Jesus performs a necessary miracle in order to conjure up the cash. An example that illustrates Jesus’ wealth is the account of his expensive cloak being rolled for dice and wagered on, while he’s being crucified. So, was Jesus rich? Yes. Was he poor? Yes.

Come on! To argue about whether Jesus was rich or poor, is it worth it? He owned every piece of ground that he walked on while on earth, even his cross. But at the same time the bible says he became poor like us and came from his riches to poverty. You see we don’t know what rich is.

1 Corinthians 8:9
that though He was rich, yet for your sakes, He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich

For thirty-three years Jesus came down from the riches he had and lived with the poor. Yeah, he could have been rich on earth, and yes, he could have been poor. But the point is no matter how rich he was on earth he adopted poverty. The goal for every believer is to adopt poverty in some way. I can’t explain or describe to you how. What riches have you given up for the sake of others?