Tithing and Systematic Proportionate Giving

“The Jews were constrained to a regular payment of tithes; Christians, who have received liberty, assign all their possessions to the Lord, bestowing freely not the lesser portions of their property, since they have the hope of greater things; as that poor widow acted who cast all her living into the treasury of God.” Irenaeus of Lyons (130-202) in Against Heresies 

A few hundred years later, Augustine indicated that tithing was still practised --

“Tithes are required as a matter of debt, and he who has been unwilling to give them has been guilty of robbery. Whosoever, therefore, desires to secure a reward for himself . . . let him render tithes, and out of the nine parts let him seek to give alms.”

Note the clear distinction between the mandatory tithe and the voluntary offering of almsgiving.  Alms were to be given -- above and beyond the tithe.

Jerome said --

 “If anyone shall not do this [pay tithes] he is convicted of defrauding and supplanting God.”

Like Augustine, Jerome believed and taught that it is possible for New Testament Christians to “rob God” by withholding the tithe, just as it was for Old Testament believers. For the first four hundred years, the Church often, if not normally, considered the practise of tithing a minimum standard for giving.

And all the tithe (tenth part) of the land, whether the seed of the land or the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. - Leviticus 27:30

“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings [you have withheld].9 You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, this whole nation! 10 Bring all the tithes (the tenth) into the [a]storehouse, so that there may be [b]food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you [so great] a blessing until there is no more room to receive it. - Malachi 3:8-10

There were three tithes for Israelites.  One tithe supported the the priests and Levites, another provided for a sacred festival and the third tithe supported orphans, widows and the poor.

The practise of tithing began long before the law of Moses.  Abraham tithed to he high priest Melchizedek.  Jacob promised a tithe to the Lord.

Honor the Lord with your wealth
And with the first fruits of all your crops (income) - Proverbs 3:9

Reconstructing a Biblical Model of Giving: a Discussion of Relevant Systematic Issues and New Testament Principles

A BIBLICAL AND THEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF TITHING: TOWARD A THEOLOGY OF GIVING IN THE NEW COVENANT ERA

Understanding the Grace of Giving

THE TITHE IN SCRIPTURE

Christian Proportionate Giving

Proportionate Giving

7 Biblical Guidelines for Giving to God

Should Christians Tithe?

What is our deepest desire and need?

As the deer longs for streams of water,
so I long for you, O God.
I thirst for God, the living God.
When can I go and stand before him? - Psalm 42:1-2

O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you.
My soul thirsts for you;
my whole body longs for you
in this parched and weary land
where there is no water. - Psalm 63:1

How precious is your unfailing love, O God!All humanity finds shelter
in the shadow of your wings.
You feed them from the abundance of your own house,
letting them drink from your river of delights.
For you are the fountain of life,
the light by which we see. - Psalm 36:7-9

Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! - Psalm 34:8

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."  Matthew 5:6

On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart - John 7:37-38

“It is finished! I am the Alpha and the Omega—the Beginning and the End. To all who are thirsty I will give freely from the springs of the water of life." - Revelation 21:6

The Spirit and the bride say, “Come.” Let anyone who hears this say, “Come.” Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life.           Revelation 22:17

I wonder how many of us have found any of these verses part of our prayer and worship in our earlier days following Jesus and now would find it hard to repeat them for the heart has grown a little bit colder.  I wonder for how many your relationship with Jesus has found newness to the point that you are shouting amen as you read these out loud.  My prayer is that all of us would make sure that our hearts are in a place where God can meet our desires and our needs.

What is the chief end of man?  The Westminster Shorter Catechism of 1647 says, "Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever."  

Augustine wrote the Confessions - here is what he wrote.

During all those years [of rebellion], where was my free will? What was the hidden, secret place from which it was summoned in a moment, so that I might bend my neck to your easy yoke . . .? How sweet all at once it was for me to be rid of those fruitless joys which I had once feared to lose . . ! You drove them from me, you who are the true, the sovereign joy. You drove them from me and took their place, you who are sweeter than all pleasure, though not to flesh and blood, you who outshine all light, yet are hidden deeper than any secret in our hearts, you who surpass all honor, though not in the eyes of men who see all honor in themselves. . . . O Lord my God, my Light, my Wealth, and my Salvation.

What a Savior - Laura Story

Our Deepest Desires

Our Deepest Desires

UNDERSTANDING OUR DEEPEST NEEDS