If you have been following this series, thank you for taking the time to consider the point of view I have been sharing about tithing. I hope that whether or not you agree with everything written, you have been inspirited to live a life of deeper generosity!
Since my last posting, my father was born into eternity...his journey this side of Heaven began on October 15, 1933 and he breathed his last earthly breath on November 24, 2014. My Dad would have loved this series of articles. One of the many God honoring life lessons he taught me was that it is always better to have less so that we can give more. Dad, may your legacy of generosity live on through us all!
Some closing thoughts...
Walking in the supernatural often begins by embracing the practical. I believe that God has a material destiny for all of us, one that is predetermined. My life of wealth is based on God's divine plan for me. However, while my material destiny is ultimately determined by His sovereignty, my progress toward that end is achieved through my activity. If I am unwilling to live according the principles of Scripture, I have little hope of achieving all the wealth that God has set aside for me. And my activity is plainly prescribed for me...if I am willing to read all that God has written by way of instruction!
Knowledge, understanding, and wisdom are three words we often find in Scripture. And although they are often used similarly, interchangeably...they each still hold a distinct meaning. We find them listed together in texts like Proverbs 2:6 and Colossians 1:9. Biblical knowledge only comes through the discipline of learning Scripture. We must avail ourselves to the body of eternal truth that God has so graciously given us. This requires commitment, time, reflection, study, learning from others, prayer, and so many other activities that are self evident for spiritual health and well being. Simply, knowledge is having a command of what the Bible says. Understanding is then taking that knowledge and making it personal and actionable. I may "know" that the Bible says I am to love my enemy. Understanding is then considering who my enemies are and then plotting a course of action that will consistently demonstrate love toward them. Understanding is having comprehended what my knowledge of Scripture now expects of me personally. Wisdom...that is the courage to now act. Wisdom is having the courage of conviction to put into practice what I understand to be true for me based on my inventory of Biblical knowledge.
If you have read these articles...you now know Scripture states that tithing should be a part of every devoted follower of Christ's stewardship plan. What will that look like for you? How do you need to change your budget to accommodate this Scriptural mandate? Once you have determined a course of action, you have stepped into the realm of understanding...actually doing it, welcome to wisdom!
There are a host of resources out there available to you if you need assistance. From Crown Financial Services to Dave Ramsey...find a resource that resonates with you and begin the work of building a sound, Biblically based plan for stewarding your material resources.
Proverbs 3:5-6 is one of the first verses I memorized as a new Christian. I can't think of a more appropriate text to consider as we are concluding our conversation about tithing. Ultimately, whether I tithe or not is about trust. Do I trust God? Even if I read chapters like Psalm 24 and am convinced that all I have belongs to God, trust is what empowers me to give much of those possessions away.
I hope you take the time to read a favorite story of mine found in the Old Testament, 2 Kings 4:1-7. Every time I obey Scripture, I am gathering one more pot for Him to fill! I hope you live a generous life, that you commit yourself to be a pot gatherer, not so that you can be enriched but so you can be well positioned to give even more!
Pastor Fred
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Why I Tithe...the offerings
My generosity should extend far beyond my tithe.
This past weekend my wife attended a mini youth conference at the House of Prayer in Chesterfield Virginia (great church if you live that way!). The conference is called Origins, hosted every year there. Vannessa was sending me texts about how proud she was of our two oldest. Ethan was buying gifts for his siblings, raffle tickets for friends, StarBucks drinks for Vannessa, etc...living a generous life! Then, our oldest Derick in a service prayed that if he won the mini-ipad in the raffle, he would give it to a friend who was attending Origins. The friend and his family are new to City Life and this was their son's first youth outing with us. Guess who won! Guess who gave away that mini-ipad!
Our two boys didn't come back from that trip with a calculator trying to figure out how much they could deduct from their next tithe, valuing money spent and items given...why? Because they understand that there is a difference between the tithe and offerings and that giving beyond our tithes is wonderful way to demonstrate hospitality toward others!
One of the most important extra-Biblical references are the writings of Josephus. In regards to tithing and offerings, Josephus says that one-tenth (the actual tithe) was to be given to the Levites (locally and they gave tenth to High Priest), one-tenth was to be applied to feasts in the metropolis (mandated offerings), and that a tenth besides these was every third year to be given to the poor (mandated offerings). And we know from our study of the Old Testament and further writings by Josephus, there were even more offerings expected as part of their ritual worship practices, not to mention special projects like building temples!
I see four primary reasons for offerings in Scripture that I believe are still relevant for today. They are giving to the poor (Proverbs 28:27), giving towards hospitality (Leviticus 19:9-10), giving for special projects at your church (Exodus 36:3-7), and giving for global missions (Romans 15:25-26).
A God honoring approach to personal finances has at its center the tithe and then goes on to accommodate offerings and other opportunities for generosity. I hope that as you enter into this holiday season, that you are looking ways to be generous! Pick up the tab of the person behind you in the drive through...if you see someone in the store who has obvious financial needs, buy a gift card and slip it into a card and just quickly give it to them and say Jesus loves you! Can we get to the other side of the 2014 holiday season and have the humble privilege of looking back and seeing scores of generous moments we ourselves stepped into as the Holy Spirit directed us? Will this mean less for us? Will this require sacrifice? Will this change our standard living? Will this decrease moments of earthly, temporal enjoyment? Most certainly!
You can enjoy more temporal things now or you can enjoy treasures in heaven forever (Matthew 6:20)!
Pastor Fred
This past weekend my wife attended a mini youth conference at the House of Prayer in Chesterfield Virginia (great church if you live that way!). The conference is called Origins, hosted every year there. Vannessa was sending me texts about how proud she was of our two oldest. Ethan was buying gifts for his siblings, raffle tickets for friends, StarBucks drinks for Vannessa, etc...living a generous life! Then, our oldest Derick in a service prayed that if he won the mini-ipad in the raffle, he would give it to a friend who was attending Origins. The friend and his family are new to City Life and this was their son's first youth outing with us. Guess who won! Guess who gave away that mini-ipad!
Our two boys didn't come back from that trip with a calculator trying to figure out how much they could deduct from their next tithe, valuing money spent and items given...why? Because they understand that there is a difference between the tithe and offerings and that giving beyond our tithes is wonderful way to demonstrate hospitality toward others!
One of the most important extra-Biblical references are the writings of Josephus. In regards to tithing and offerings, Josephus says that one-tenth (the actual tithe) was to be given to the Levites (locally and they gave tenth to High Priest), one-tenth was to be applied to feasts in the metropolis (mandated offerings), and that a tenth besides these was every third year to be given to the poor (mandated offerings). And we know from our study of the Old Testament and further writings by Josephus, there were even more offerings expected as part of their ritual worship practices, not to mention special projects like building temples!
I see four primary reasons for offerings in Scripture that I believe are still relevant for today. They are giving to the poor (Proverbs 28:27), giving towards hospitality (Leviticus 19:9-10), giving for special projects at your church (Exodus 36:3-7), and giving for global missions (Romans 15:25-26).
A God honoring approach to personal finances has at its center the tithe and then goes on to accommodate offerings and other opportunities for generosity. I hope that as you enter into this holiday season, that you are looking ways to be generous! Pick up the tab of the person behind you in the drive through...if you see someone in the store who has obvious financial needs, buy a gift card and slip it into a card and just quickly give it to them and say Jesus loves you! Can we get to the other side of the 2014 holiday season and have the humble privilege of looking back and seeing scores of generous moments we ourselves stepped into as the Holy Spirit directed us? Will this mean less for us? Will this require sacrifice? Will this change our standard living? Will this decrease moments of earthly, temporal enjoyment? Most certainly!
You can enjoy more temporal things now or you can enjoy treasures in heaven forever (Matthew 6:20)!
Pastor Fred
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Why I Tithe...the attitude
The standard of the tithe is not reached until the sentiment of the heart from which it comes crosses the threshold of gladness.
This is the the fifth reflection in a series of blogs that will last eight weeks, addressing the question of why our family tithes. And with this focus today, we are reminded that just following the right steps of the instructions we are receive from Scripture are not enough...how is my heart? This is something Vannessa and I teach our own children. When they were young, in those seasons of the daily struggle for obedience, we weren't striving for compliance. We have committed our lives as parents to shape their hearts. We want them to choose well not to avoid consequence (compliance) but because of an unshakable love of virtue (wisdom)! Our great hope is that our children will be values driven in life and not consequence avoidance motivated.
If I am giving over the course of a year ten percent of my gross annual income, I still may not be tithing! What if the attitude in my heart as I make those gifts is one of entitlement? What if the attitude of my heart is one of jealousy towards others who have a higher standard of living because they give less? What if the attitude of my heart is resentment toward God for asking what feels like too much? What if the attitude of my heart is anything but gladness?
In 2 Kings 23:1-3 we have this intriguing story of Josiah finding some lost scrolls and realizing that as a nation they had been neglecting many of the commands of God. The approximate date of this great national revival was 624 BC. David was king in 1056 BC so in 400 years, we see a nation that had lost its sense of devotion to many of the practices of worship that God had given Israel. As Josiah addressed the people, the text tells us he took his place by the pillar. This is key.
1 Kings 7:13-22 includes some details about the building of Solomon's Temple that are paramount in understanding this reference in 2 Kings about Josiah taking his place next to a pillar...there were actually two. God gave these two great pillars names: Jakin and Boaz. Jakin is believed to mean "He establishes" and Boaz is believed to mean "in Him is strength" and I am capitalizing those pronouns because I believe they are prophetic references to the nature of God. Every time someone entered the Temple, passing between those pillars, crossing that threshold they would have been reminded to consider what they believed about God! Did they believe that God was strong enough to keep His promises to them and faithful enough to establish their lives in the favor that comes through the glad obedience of worship...worship that included prayer, song, Scripture, and yes, tithes and offerings...all forms of worship at that great temple!
These pillars were over 30 feet tall including their decorative tops and 18 feet in circumference...because there is nothing small about the nature of God and His promises! I often think of Jakin and Boaz when I am giving. I like to envision myself walking up those steps, standing between those pillars, pausing for a moment and then crossing that threshold. And every time gladness fills my heart! Joy overflows. Celebration lifts my soul. I am tithing. This is tithing not only because the math is right but because my heart is right, in fact, I would humbly suggest that even when you have the right math but the wrong heart, you have yet to tithe.
The standard of the tithe is not reached until the sentiment of the heart from which it comes crosses the threshold of gladness.
See you next week!
Pastor Fred
This is the the fifth reflection in a series of blogs that will last eight weeks, addressing the question of why our family tithes. And with this focus today, we are reminded that just following the right steps of the instructions we are receive from Scripture are not enough...how is my heart? This is something Vannessa and I teach our own children. When they were young, in those seasons of the daily struggle for obedience, we weren't striving for compliance. We have committed our lives as parents to shape their hearts. We want them to choose well not to avoid consequence (compliance) but because of an unshakable love of virtue (wisdom)! Our great hope is that our children will be values driven in life and not consequence avoidance motivated.
If I am giving over the course of a year ten percent of my gross annual income, I still may not be tithing! What if the attitude in my heart as I make those gifts is one of entitlement? What if the attitude of my heart is one of jealousy towards others who have a higher standard of living because they give less? What if the attitude of my heart is resentment toward God for asking what feels like too much? What if the attitude of my heart is anything but gladness?
In 2 Kings 23:1-3 we have this intriguing story of Josiah finding some lost scrolls and realizing that as a nation they had been neglecting many of the commands of God. The approximate date of this great national revival was 624 BC. David was king in 1056 BC so in 400 years, we see a nation that had lost its sense of devotion to many of the practices of worship that God had given Israel. As Josiah addressed the people, the text tells us he took his place by the pillar. This is key.
1 Kings 7:13-22 includes some details about the building of Solomon's Temple that are paramount in understanding this reference in 2 Kings about Josiah taking his place next to a pillar...there were actually two. God gave these two great pillars names: Jakin and Boaz. Jakin is believed to mean "He establishes" and Boaz is believed to mean "in Him is strength" and I am capitalizing those pronouns because I believe they are prophetic references to the nature of God. Every time someone entered the Temple, passing between those pillars, crossing that threshold they would have been reminded to consider what they believed about God! Did they believe that God was strong enough to keep His promises to them and faithful enough to establish their lives in the favor that comes through the glad obedience of worship...worship that included prayer, song, Scripture, and yes, tithes and offerings...all forms of worship at that great temple!
These pillars were over 30 feet tall including their decorative tops and 18 feet in circumference...because there is nothing small about the nature of God and His promises! I often think of Jakin and Boaz when I am giving. I like to envision myself walking up those steps, standing between those pillars, pausing for a moment and then crossing that threshold. And every time gladness fills my heart! Joy overflows. Celebration lifts my soul. I am tithing. This is tithing not only because the math is right but because my heart is right, in fact, I would humbly suggest that even when you have the right math but the wrong heart, you have yet to tithe.
The standard of the tithe is not reached until the sentiment of the heart from which it comes crosses the threshold of gladness.
See you next week!
Pastor Fred
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
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
Tuesday, October 28, 2014
Why I Tithe...the priority
This weekend I was driving home from my 25 year college reunion, still smiling from an amazing day rekindling friendships with people I love deeply, reflecting on how dramatically different my life has become since those years at Randolph-Macon. I think the best way to describe the impetus behind my journey of change is that making a vow of devotion to Jesus means giving up a life lived based on self-generated values.
Following Jesus is surrender. Following Jesus is abandonment. Following Jesus is a complete and total transplant. Following Jesus is fully embracing Kingdom generated values. Where mine conflict, His reign supreme because everything about Jesus is transcendent, superior, matchless...perfect. I am flawed. I am desperately hopeless in my spiritual ineptitude. There is such freedom in accepting my depravity and living a life of total dependance on Jesus' ways...His ways are my ways this day and every day.
Part of that way requires a Kingdom approach to the stewardship of my material resources. And what I find in Scripture, our guide to Jesus' values, is that there is a tithe. This blog series has covered already two of eight principles that direct my family's conviction to tithe. Today is number three and can be heard in a recent sermon I shared at City Life.
The priority. Matthew 6:33 speaks volumes about how central the theme of priority is to a relationship with Jesus. He is first. This theme of priority is something we easily embrace when considering our affections. When we hear Jesus' great proclamation of loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength we say, "Of course we should!" When we hear the Apostle Paul in his epistles talking about thinking of others as more highly than ourselves, putting others first, being forgiving we say, "Of course we should!" When we hear John in Revelation talking about how even now just the vision of God's glory should draw from us a song of praise that rises above all else we say, "Of course...!" But when this same sacred Book challenges us to have a tithe as the central part of our personal finances, the priority of our monthly budget we say, "Hey, that's a little extreme."
We cannot read texts like Proverbs 3:9-10 and 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 and deny that God expects our giving to Him to be our most important financial priority. I like these texts because they remind us that our giving is supposed to be much broader than just a tithe. Remember, there are eight principles I am sharing...these principles build on one another. Tithing is certainly just a part of any Kingdom based stewardship plan but the tithe is the cornerstone.
Our family has had its share of financial crisis. I still remember that fateful night in September of 2009 when we realized that the town home we purchased using as a down payment our life's savings was constructed with toxic Chinese drywall. We lived the next 5 years on the precipice of bankruptcy. We exhausted cash reserves we have finally replenished, accumulated debt we have finally paid, lost equity that has yet to be restored, tapped retirement monies that are still waiting to be replaced...our tithe was never negotiable, is yours?
I cannot expect to walk in the blessing of the tithe if I do not give in the spirit of the tithe. Tithe demands a priority. Otherwise, that monetary gift is just a donation. Every act of material generosity that is given with the right heart and for the right reasons is a candidate for reciprocity. That is for a another blog at another time but I assume most of you are familiar with the Christian concept of reaping what we sow. But a tithe goes further. A tithe is redemptive. If I give out of what is left over, there is still the hope of reciprocity. If I give my tithe as a priority and then build my monthly budget based on what remains, that tithe is not only a candidate for reciprocity, that tithe redeems the 90 percent that remains. This is part of the supernatural side of life with Jesus. There are times when God asks us to stand in a place of having less because He is trying to position us into a place of receiving more. Receiving more is about reciprocity but also about redemption. God's promise as related to a tithe is that reciprocity brings blessing to us because of what is given AND that redemption brings blessing onto what remains because of how I gave...a priority gift.
See you next week!
Pastor Fred
Following Jesus is surrender. Following Jesus is abandonment. Following Jesus is a complete and total transplant. Following Jesus is fully embracing Kingdom generated values. Where mine conflict, His reign supreme because everything about Jesus is transcendent, superior, matchless...perfect. I am flawed. I am desperately hopeless in my spiritual ineptitude. There is such freedom in accepting my depravity and living a life of total dependance on Jesus' ways...His ways are my ways this day and every day.
Part of that way requires a Kingdom approach to the stewardship of my material resources. And what I find in Scripture, our guide to Jesus' values, is that there is a tithe. This blog series has covered already two of eight principles that direct my family's conviction to tithe. Today is number three and can be heard in a recent sermon I shared at City Life.
The priority. Matthew 6:33 speaks volumes about how central the theme of priority is to a relationship with Jesus. He is first. This theme of priority is something we easily embrace when considering our affections. When we hear Jesus' great proclamation of loving God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength we say, "Of course we should!" When we hear the Apostle Paul in his epistles talking about thinking of others as more highly than ourselves, putting others first, being forgiving we say, "Of course we should!" When we hear John in Revelation talking about how even now just the vision of God's glory should draw from us a song of praise that rises above all else we say, "Of course...!" But when this same sacred Book challenges us to have a tithe as the central part of our personal finances, the priority of our monthly budget we say, "Hey, that's a little extreme."
We cannot read texts like Proverbs 3:9-10 and 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 and deny that God expects our giving to Him to be our most important financial priority. I like these texts because they remind us that our giving is supposed to be much broader than just a tithe. Remember, there are eight principles I am sharing...these principles build on one another. Tithing is certainly just a part of any Kingdom based stewardship plan but the tithe is the cornerstone.
Our family has had its share of financial crisis. I still remember that fateful night in September of 2009 when we realized that the town home we purchased using as a down payment our life's savings was constructed with toxic Chinese drywall. We lived the next 5 years on the precipice of bankruptcy. We exhausted cash reserves we have finally replenished, accumulated debt we have finally paid, lost equity that has yet to be restored, tapped retirement monies that are still waiting to be replaced...our tithe was never negotiable, is yours?
I cannot expect to walk in the blessing of the tithe if I do not give in the spirit of the tithe. Tithe demands a priority. Otherwise, that monetary gift is just a donation. Every act of material generosity that is given with the right heart and for the right reasons is a candidate for reciprocity. That is for a another blog at another time but I assume most of you are familiar with the Christian concept of reaping what we sow. But a tithe goes further. A tithe is redemptive. If I give out of what is left over, there is still the hope of reciprocity. If I give my tithe as a priority and then build my monthly budget based on what remains, that tithe is not only a candidate for reciprocity, that tithe redeems the 90 percent that remains. This is part of the supernatural side of life with Jesus. There are times when God asks us to stand in a place of having less because He is trying to position us into a place of receiving more. Receiving more is about reciprocity but also about redemption. God's promise as related to a tithe is that reciprocity brings blessing to us because of what is given AND that redemption brings blessing onto what remains because of how I gave...a priority gift.
See you next week!
Pastor Fred
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
Why I Tithe...the consequence
Check out last week's post for some background on this series of articles entitled "Why I Tithe." There will be eight total and last week and this week were covered in a message I shared at our church, City Life, during the October 11th service.
I have been in vocational ministry since 1999, and in all those years, I have found that many people are uncomfortable with the idea of Christianity being consequential. A national figure a few years ago was accused of apostasy for his book that bordered on the line of teaching a heretical belief known as universalism. Why? Because this author like many people eschew the possibility of God legislating consequences that are either temporal or eternal. Too many people mistake the sacred concept of grace for permissiveness.
Grace does not mean there are no expectations...it means there is forgiveness...and forgiveness does not mean there are never consequences! Let's just take the Pauline epistles for example. I don't understand how anyone could read Paul's letters and not come to the conclusion that God expects MUCH of us! And yes, when we fall short, which we will inevitably do, we can trust there is a loving, forgiving Father waiting for us. But He doesn't change those expectations. He expect us to do better next time...and oftentimes part of us learning that lesson and finding the motivation we need to grow spiritually is walking through the consequence of our foolish disobedience.
Malachi 3:7-10 should inspire us all! Some brief history. Malachi's ministry marks the beginning of 400 years of prophetic silence that is not broken until the beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist. God likes a good dramatic pause! We understand that this was God's plan for amplifying the message of John the Baptist. When there hasn't been a prophet for four centuries, the prophet that breaks that silence is going to have the attention of the people. But I believe God was also amplifying the ministry of Malachi. If someone told you that you couldn't speak again for 40 years, two statements would matter...your final statement before silence and your first statement breaking silence. Malachi is God's final statement before 400 years of prophetic silence. Malachi is a book that we should read with a deafening effect...and one of Malachi's most pronounced themes is: there are consequences for our foolish disobedience.
God suspends His prohibition against testing him in this text. And what is the context of this test? The tithe. And this test is consequential. If we are obedient, we are promised blessings that are the equivalent of an open heaven over our lives. If we are disobedient, God says we will be under a curse. A word of caution. Do not picture God as some Harry Potter in the sky with an incantation He speaks over everyone disobedient to Him. When I fully embrace all of God's decrees, all His expectations of me, I am living within the boundaries of life with God. In that place, I am positioned under His "open heaven." When I choose to be disobedient, stepping outside those boundaries, I am choosing to forego His blessings...I am stepping outside of His favor...that is the perfect picture of being "under a curse." A blessed life is a life lived under God's authority. A cursed life is a life lived under nothing, and in that place I lack His favor and am also spiritually vulnerable to Satan.
Two other great verses that speak to this idea of blessing and cursing are Proverbs 3:33 and 2 Corinthians 9:6-11. Remember, stepping outside of God's boundaries occurs when we do what we should not but also when we fail to do what we should...sins of commission (I shouldn't have stolen that money) and sins of omission (I should have read my Bible).
When I don't tithe...there is a consequence...I am under a curse. Not only am I forfeiting His favor but I am willfully choosing to live in a spiritually vulnerable place.
This is the second reason why our family has faithfully practiced tithing our entire Christian lives...the consequence!
Pastor Fred
I have been in vocational ministry since 1999, and in all those years, I have found that many people are uncomfortable with the idea of Christianity being consequential. A national figure a few years ago was accused of apostasy for his book that bordered on the line of teaching a heretical belief known as universalism. Why? Because this author like many people eschew the possibility of God legislating consequences that are either temporal or eternal. Too many people mistake the sacred concept of grace for permissiveness.
Grace does not mean there are no expectations...it means there is forgiveness...and forgiveness does not mean there are never consequences! Let's just take the Pauline epistles for example. I don't understand how anyone could read Paul's letters and not come to the conclusion that God expects MUCH of us! And yes, when we fall short, which we will inevitably do, we can trust there is a loving, forgiving Father waiting for us. But He doesn't change those expectations. He expect us to do better next time...and oftentimes part of us learning that lesson and finding the motivation we need to grow spiritually is walking through the consequence of our foolish disobedience.
Malachi 3:7-10 should inspire us all! Some brief history. Malachi's ministry marks the beginning of 400 years of prophetic silence that is not broken until the beginning of the ministry of John the Baptist. God likes a good dramatic pause! We understand that this was God's plan for amplifying the message of John the Baptist. When there hasn't been a prophet for four centuries, the prophet that breaks that silence is going to have the attention of the people. But I believe God was also amplifying the ministry of Malachi. If someone told you that you couldn't speak again for 40 years, two statements would matter...your final statement before silence and your first statement breaking silence. Malachi is God's final statement before 400 years of prophetic silence. Malachi is a book that we should read with a deafening effect...and one of Malachi's most pronounced themes is: there are consequences for our foolish disobedience.
God suspends His prohibition against testing him in this text. And what is the context of this test? The tithe. And this test is consequential. If we are obedient, we are promised blessings that are the equivalent of an open heaven over our lives. If we are disobedient, God says we will be under a curse. A word of caution. Do not picture God as some Harry Potter in the sky with an incantation He speaks over everyone disobedient to Him. When I fully embrace all of God's decrees, all His expectations of me, I am living within the boundaries of life with God. In that place, I am positioned under His "open heaven." When I choose to be disobedient, stepping outside those boundaries, I am choosing to forego His blessings...I am stepping outside of His favor...that is the perfect picture of being "under a curse." A blessed life is a life lived under God's authority. A cursed life is a life lived under nothing, and in that place I lack His favor and am also spiritually vulnerable to Satan.
Two other great verses that speak to this idea of blessing and cursing are Proverbs 3:33 and 2 Corinthians 9:6-11. Remember, stepping outside of God's boundaries occurs when we do what we should not but also when we fail to do what we should...sins of commission (I shouldn't have stolen that money) and sins of omission (I should have read my Bible).
When I don't tithe...there is a consequence...I am under a curse. Not only am I forfeiting His favor but I am willfully choosing to live in a spiritually vulnerable place.
This is the second reason why our family has faithfully practiced tithing our entire Christian lives...the consequence!
Pastor Fred
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Why I Tithe...the portion
Over the next eight weeks, I am sharing eight reasons why our family (Me, Vannessa, and our three children) practices tithing. I am teaching these eight at our Newport News Campus on Saturday nights so if you would like to listen, here is the link (October 11 sermon) to last Saturday.
I covered two in this sermon and will be writing on one of them today. These messages are part of a sermon series entitled #projecthope where we are following the word hope throughout Scripture. In my study, I wanted to see where "hope" appeared first in the Old/New Testaments, last in the Old/New Testaments, how often throughout Scripture, how many words in the original languages, any identifiable trends, and etc. These next eight blogs and next few sermons are inspired from the last mention of "hope" in the Old Testament which is Zachariah 9:12 during which God makes this amazing promise of repaying two blessings for every one trouble we endure. In reading that verse, I felt like the Holy Spirit gave me this truth: God has a Kingdom economy for us, one that is governed by His Scripture and never transcended by our conclusions. Tithing is a Kingdom economy concept. Tithing transcends human understanding...how can I end up with more by choosing to have less? So much of the Kingdom of Heaven is counter, opposite, backwards...relative to the rules that govern this temporal world. When my human understanding brings me to conclusions that contradict Scripture, I choose Scripture, the transcendent truth!
I tithe because I believe a certain portion matters to God, one that He calls a tenth part.
We find the first mention of tithing in Genesis. Abram (God has not yet changed his name) returns from rescuing his nephew Lot, defeated kings and armies in the process, was now in possession of the spoils of war and he gives a tenth, a tithe (which literally means a tenth part) to Melchizedek who was a priest and king (a prophetic picture of Jesus). This verse is important to me because this practice of tithing pre-dates the Mosaic Law. Biblical principles that pre-date the Mosaic Law are an important consideration. The Apostle Paul talks of faith, being justified by faith, teaches about Abraham being justified by faith, that being justified by faith pre-dates the Mosaic Law, observable through the study of the life of Abraham and his relationship with God. Tithing pre-dates the Mosaic Law. This is important because we know from studying the Pauline epistles we are no longer bound to the ceremonial and civil aspects of the Mosaic Law. Yes, tithing is taught in the Mosaic Law, but as a continuation of something that God had already established therefore it is not set aside like so much of the Mosaic Law.
The next mention of tithing that is profoundly instructive to me is found in Matthew 23:23. Anyone who says Jesus never talked about tithing may not have actually read the Bible! Here Jesus rebukes some religious leaders but in the text, He clearly affirms the practice of tithing. He actually says, "...you should tithe..." and that is a direct quote from Jesus given to us by the Holy Spirit through the gospel writer Matthew. So, these two verse are bookends for me. Genesis on one side and Matthew on the other. I believe this is intentional by God so we would not fall into the trap that some have laid for us that tithing is a part of the Mosaic Law that we as Christians should not now be expected to practice. Now I have heard some people acknowledge this text but in doing so point out this was a very specific conversation that Jesus had with a very specific group of people. I agree with that. However, I cannot agree that every time Jesus has a very specific conversation with a very specific group of people we should corral those teachings, separate them, and exclude them from Christian doctrine. If we did that, we would be setting aside a frightening measure of the total of Jesus' teachings... Christianity would then be reduced to a mere handful of precepts. All of what Jesus says should matter deeply to us all!
The Bible should never be leveraged to justify living less. Scripture is given to us to find a deeper way in...not an easier way out! The portion matters to God.
Next week I will share about the consequence...but if you can't wait, check out #projecthope in the link above or come visit us in Newport News on Saturday nights at 5pm or Sunday morning in Williamsburg at 10am (www.citylifeva.com).
Pastor Fred
I covered two in this sermon and will be writing on one of them today. These messages are part of a sermon series entitled #projecthope where we are following the word hope throughout Scripture. In my study, I wanted to see where "hope" appeared first in the Old/New Testaments, last in the Old/New Testaments, how often throughout Scripture, how many words in the original languages, any identifiable trends, and etc. These next eight blogs and next few sermons are inspired from the last mention of "hope" in the Old Testament which is Zachariah 9:12 during which God makes this amazing promise of repaying two blessings for every one trouble we endure. In reading that verse, I felt like the Holy Spirit gave me this truth: God has a Kingdom economy for us, one that is governed by His Scripture and never transcended by our conclusions. Tithing is a Kingdom economy concept. Tithing transcends human understanding...how can I end up with more by choosing to have less? So much of the Kingdom of Heaven is counter, opposite, backwards...relative to the rules that govern this temporal world. When my human understanding brings me to conclusions that contradict Scripture, I choose Scripture, the transcendent truth!
I tithe because I believe a certain portion matters to God, one that He calls a tenth part.
We find the first mention of tithing in Genesis. Abram (God has not yet changed his name) returns from rescuing his nephew Lot, defeated kings and armies in the process, was now in possession of the spoils of war and he gives a tenth, a tithe (which literally means a tenth part) to Melchizedek who was a priest and king (a prophetic picture of Jesus). This verse is important to me because this practice of tithing pre-dates the Mosaic Law. Biblical principles that pre-date the Mosaic Law are an important consideration. The Apostle Paul talks of faith, being justified by faith, teaches about Abraham being justified by faith, that being justified by faith pre-dates the Mosaic Law, observable through the study of the life of Abraham and his relationship with God. Tithing pre-dates the Mosaic Law. This is important because we know from studying the Pauline epistles we are no longer bound to the ceremonial and civil aspects of the Mosaic Law. Yes, tithing is taught in the Mosaic Law, but as a continuation of something that God had already established therefore it is not set aside like so much of the Mosaic Law.
The next mention of tithing that is profoundly instructive to me is found in Matthew 23:23. Anyone who says Jesus never talked about tithing may not have actually read the Bible! Here Jesus rebukes some religious leaders but in the text, He clearly affirms the practice of tithing. He actually says, "...you should tithe..." and that is a direct quote from Jesus given to us by the Holy Spirit through the gospel writer Matthew. So, these two verse are bookends for me. Genesis on one side and Matthew on the other. I believe this is intentional by God so we would not fall into the trap that some have laid for us that tithing is a part of the Mosaic Law that we as Christians should not now be expected to practice. Now I have heard some people acknowledge this text but in doing so point out this was a very specific conversation that Jesus had with a very specific group of people. I agree with that. However, I cannot agree that every time Jesus has a very specific conversation with a very specific group of people we should corral those teachings, separate them, and exclude them from Christian doctrine. If we did that, we would be setting aside a frightening measure of the total of Jesus' teachings... Christianity would then be reduced to a mere handful of precepts. All of what Jesus says should matter deeply to us all!
The Bible should never be leveraged to justify living less. Scripture is given to us to find a deeper way in...not an easier way out! The portion matters to God.
Next week I will share about the consequence...but if you can't wait, check out #projecthope in the link above or come visit us in Newport News on Saturday nights at 5pm or Sunday morning in Williamsburg at 10am (www.citylifeva.com).
Pastor Fred
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