Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Why I Tithe...the place

This is number four of eight reasons I am sharing as to why our family has at the center of our family financial plan something Scripture refers to as a tithe.  If you are just joining us, please take a few minutes to read the three previous posts as they will help provide some context and possibly answer some questions this post might cause you to ask.  All eight of these reasons have been shared at our church, City Life, in three sermons.  You can find them on our website...enjoy!

The place.  One of my frustrations with teachings on tithing is that, in my opinion, pastors tend to over teach certain points of view.  Meaning, they assert clarity that I feel does not exist.  You might be accusing me of this already!  I trust however that I have made a great case for everything so far and because the blog has limited space, I hope you are listening online to the sermons.  While I believe Scripture makes it very clear that a tithe is a timeless practice for all people for all generations, the place to where that tithe should be given is a bit vague.

For me, Deuteronomy 12:6-12 and Joshua 21:1-3, 41-5 are a great starting point.  The text in Deuteronomy is critical to this conversation because it marks the beginning of Jewish practice born out of a divine command of bringing their tithes and offerings to a designated place of worship.  Next, Joshua 21 reminds us that Levites did not have a land inheritance and were therefore the responsibility of the remaining tribes.  The other tribes were tasked with the financial support of the priests.  These two texts are foundational for me personally.  My interpretation is that they introduce two very important Kingdom values.  First, we should financially support the church we call home...the designated place of worship we believe God has asked us to join.  Second, a society needs people whose sole vocational purpose is the spiritual well being of their community, which is only possible when that community provides for their necessary financial support.

Others argue however that the pattern we see in the New Testament supersedes these texts.  And what we see in the New Testament, in my opinion, lacks clarity, which gives people a sense of freedom to direct their tithe prayerfully among multiple Christian initiatives....this may include their church, missionaries, para-church groups, benevolence in their community, and etc.  While the New Testament has many examples of individuals and congregations collectively being instructed to give financially, I am not aware of any one text that specifically says that one's tithe must be given fully to their local church.  That which is clear in the Old Testament lacks clarity in the New Testament.   The question before us is did the members of New Testament churches follow the same pattern of tithing we see in the Old Testament?

I have learned a great phrase.  "The culture of our church is..."  I use that phrase frequently.  In our brokenness, we need others to feel wrong in order for us to feel right.  Sad.  I have seen many people leave churches because their ideas of right and wrong extended far beyond foundations.  We call them open handed vs. closed handed issues.  For me, the deity of Christ is a closed handed issue.  There is no room for disagreement there.  Women serving with their husbands as elders, open handed.  City Life proudly celebrates that practice but respect other churches that do not.  Read Acts 15...the early church fathers set into motion that very day this idea of open handed vs. closed handed issues.  They were telling us to not be unnecessarily divisive!  I fear too many churches are unnecessarily divisive on the matter of tithing.

In 1 Timothy 5:17-18 we find an important command.  And the wording is instructive!  Not only do we see here a New Testament justification for vocation church leaders but the command is that they should be paid well!  So this is my conclusion.  I believe the New Testament mandate is that every church should be in a position to provide a livable wage for their staff, that is my understanding of "paid well."  I have been managing church budgets since 1999.  And I have yet to see a church that can meet that very clear Biblical mandate and fund the many ministries that accompany a healthy, growing church unless the members of that church are committed to giving their tithe fully at home.

If you want to divide your tithe among multiple Christian causes, that is your prerogative.  But if your church is struggling to fund its ministries and pay a livable wage to the staff, you have a serious question to answer.  For me, when I believe I am acting based on freedom provided to me by Scripture but the result of that action causes me to violate another part of Scripture...I tend to find that I am mistaken in the first!

Pastor Fred

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