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Definition

Spirit Led Giving Defined

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Here is an audio clip of a clear explanation of Spirit Led giving. A transcript is listed below if you wish to read it instead.

I believe that we are free from the tithing command, but instead are commanded by the Holy Spirit in regards to giving. The religious system once used rituals that dictated mankind’s sanctification; but with the Spirit in control of our lives, we are free to receive instructions from Him. Our liberty is not a license to overlook the command to obey the Spirit, so we are not at liberty to do what we please. The responsibility to sacrificially give cannot be overlooked.

The New Covenant introduced a relationship with God that was not available in the Old Covenant system. We now have the opportunity to hear from God, and communicate directly with Him.  Communication with God is immediate and spontaneous; so we do not need a pre-existing assignment to outline what and when to give. At the moment God speaks to us, we have the ability to hear, and the opportunity and decision to obey. God did not tear the veil to the holy of holies, so that a communal relationship with Him could continue to be administered through non-interactive rituals, such as tithing. New Covenant tithing is a way of restoring the veil that was once used when man had no direct access to God. Tear the veil away and encounter God inside the holy of holies with Spirit-led giving.

The dysfunction within tithing is that, anyone can do it without having to worry about encountering God. All across the board this is true with all of God’s laws, because anyone can perform them without even truly knowing God. But one cannot be Spirit-led unless they know God. Personal interaction with God is the fundamental difference between the Old Covenant and New Covenant giving.

Do you want a Church that is willing to encounter God? There’s no question that God wants to elicit a sacrificial response from us when we give, but the question is, what type of response is God looking for? Is it the response that is spawned through our personal and intimate relationship with Him, or is it a response that is considered a Xerox from Abraham’s actions? Through our relationship with God, each and every person has a responsibility to pursue when and where our Father is calling us to give. I implore you to study the aspects of Spirit-led giving, and consider the spiritual ramifications between instructing people to tithe, or instructing them to be Spirit-led.

Definition of Tithing Principle

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What is your definition of a principle? Is it the fact that the word “tithe” is repeated so much in the bible? Is it the fact that Abraham tithed before Moses came along? Is it the fact that God gives this way? A tithe is a standard, not a principle.

Taking my wife out once a week is a standard, not a principle. Reading my bible and praying for 30 minutes every day is a standard, not a principle. Donating 1 hour of time a week to my church is a standard, not a principle. Giving God 10% of my increase is a standard, not a principle.

Loving my wife, communicating with God, serving, and giving are all principles. These are all minimum requirements and principles that you find in scripture. All these minimum requirements are orchestrated for us by the Holy Spirit. I don’t have the bible to tell me what romantic things I should do this weekend for my wife. Sure, I am at liberty to follow Esther and Boaz. I don’t have the bible to show me how much I need to pray and read today, but sure, I could follow David’s example. I don’t have the scripture to tell me how often and where I serve, but sure, I could follow Timothy’s example. I don’t have the bible to tell me how much I should give this week, but sure, I could follow Abraham’s example.

The truth is, Church leaders are not afraid to let the Holy Spirit orchestrate people’s lives when it comes to serving, praying, reading, and loving; but when it comes to giving, our leaders’ faith in the Holy Spirit fades. We can trust him to move mountains, or to heal, or to turn a drug-addicted murderous pedophile into a servant of God, but to trust him to orchestrate people to give. That’s where we draw the line.

If I want control over my kids, I’ll just set boundaries for them. The Church’s control is no different. We do not trust the Holy Spirit to orchestrate others’ giving. So tithing is a great control mechanism to predict and balance our budgets. The Churches that actually practice financial faith only through Spirit-led giving, are few and far between. A church budget that enforces tithing hardly exercises the faith of a church budget that allows people to freely give where God leads.

Our church leaders enforce the OT tithe and bring financial security to their pockets and the church budgets. In turn, the congregation are the only ones practicing trust in God’s provision for them. Yes, In the OT, the Levities received the tithes also, but exercised faith because they had no part in a land inheritance. The Israelite nation exercised their faith in giving, and trusted God to bring the rains to grow their crops and feed their animals.

Spirit-led giving and receiving is a way that we can trust God to provide for us when we give, and a way for us to trust God to provide for us when we receive. A tithe minimum no longer predicts what will pour in. We just have to trust the Holy Spirit to prompt others to give to our needs.

What we need to apply today is the principle of faith. Faith starts with our Church leaders, and our church budgets enforcing and accepting Spirit-led giving.

What is the Meaning of Tithing?

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There are many people that ask about the definition of the tithe. Scholars and theologians debate the meaning because there are many ramifications and mixed applications. There is much debate because tithing was detailed in the Old Testament under the nation of Israel, yet this prescription was not outlined for the Church in the New Testament. There seem to be many opportunities for personal interpretation of how we should prescribe the tithe into the New Testament Church. Merriam Webster describes tithing as a tax for the “support of a religious organization.” Even though that’s the dictionary definition, we will look at it more from a biblical perspective and what it means for Christians.

What is the definition of the tithe in the Bible?

In the broadest sense, the definition of a tithe means a tenth (10%). In biblical context the definition of tithing was a 10% offering that Israel gave from the increase of their crops or animals (Deuteronomy 14:22). This biblical definition is the broadest definition of the tithe accepted by a majority of the Christian population. Although, there are many more branches of the definition that explain the tithe even further. For instance, some would say that a true tithe is given to the local church. Others debate on whether it is off your gross increase or your net increase. These branches, along with many more of the tithing definition exist due to how one interprets specific scenarios in the bible. For example, in Malachi 3:10, the tithe was delivered to the local storehouse, and in Proverbs 3:9 we are to honor the Lord with the first fruits of our increase.

The definition of the tithe was clearly laid out for Israel. They were to gather their harvest and count the tithe out from what they’ve gathered as noted in Leviticus 27. For instance, if you had 100 apples, you must count them out from one to ten, and the tenth one you set aside for the Lord – Leviticus 27:32. As is stated in the previous verse, it did not matter if that tenth one was bruised or under-sized, you still set it aside. It’s important to remember that they set aside the tenth apple, not the first one.

How many tithes were in the Bible?

There were other rules under the tithe definition. First, the tithe generally went to the Levites, and in turn, the Levites gave a tenth of their tenth to the priestly line for the work of the temple. Next, there were generally three different “types” of the tithe. First, was the poor tithe – Deuteronomy 26:12. Second, was the feast tithe – Deuteronomy 14:22-23. Third, was the Levitical tithe – Numbers 18:24. Practically, the tithe included the poor and the Levites all the time, but those are generally how the tithe is categorized. The feast tithe was the most unique and was consumed by the whole nation of Israel as a feast celebration.

How much did Israel tithe?

Most people argue that the total amount of tithes given by Israel equaled over 23%. I don’t follow that logic, just for the simple fact that when the bible says 10% of all your increase, generally it means just 10%. Maybe that’s too simple-minded, but it makes the most sense.

How should the church tithe?

Now that we have an abridged version of the tithe definition for Israel, what about the definition for the Church? The definition of the tithe for the church is somewhat complicated. As I said above, the definition of tithing for the New Testament Church has many opportunities for personal interpretation. I’m of the persuasion that we should be led by the Holy Spirit to give in the same way the Holy Spirit leads us to serve. Many ask, how can the Church operate without the tithe? We know how to operate without Levites, so we are capable to survive without their salary requirements. Besides, many organizations thrive without collecting the tithe.

The Church operates under the capacity of the Holy Spirit in tune with the principles of God’s word. I realize that we need to understand the definition of a principle but we’ll make that for another post. In the end, we should all give willingly, cheerfully, and liberally.

I know this was a quick synopsis of the definition of tithing, but without writing a few chapters and without a few hours, this should help lay the groundwork. If anyone has any thoughts or ideas that I missed that describe the tithe definition, we need to hear them. Please share them below.