In Christ we are fully God's. The blood of Jesus has brought us near to Him (Eph 2:13), and we are in Him (1 Cor 1:30), He is in us (Col 1:27) and He is our life (Col 3:4)! The Apostle Paul said, "The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else... 'For in Him we live and move and have our being.'" (Acts 17:24-25, 28). We don't give because God needs us to give or compels us to give. We give because God has freely given us all things and because we are wholly His.
When it comes to giving, I like to consider the life of the Apostle Paul, who is easily nominated as one of the hardest gospel workers of all time. He didn't preach that the people should provide for him! At various times people willingly took up collections for him and even gave sacrificially, but it was never because he preached "the principle of giving." It was simply because they wanted to. In 2 Cor 12:14 he was talking about coming to visit them in Corinth and he said, "I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions, but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children."
Paul's words to the Philippians were of the same spirit. In Philippians 4 he was commending them for how they had provided for him unlike any other church had done. And here's what he said, "Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account." He was happy about the things they had sent him (it's not bad that they gave to him!), but what he was really happy about was that their gift to him was "a sweet-smelling aroma, and acceptable sacrifice, well pleasing to God." It was selfless, and not given under compulsion but out of love, from their hearts. Paul adds, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Why will God do that? In return for their giving to Paul? NO! It's simply because that's who God is! He makes all grace abound toward people, that they, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.
It seems that almost all of the teachings I've heard in my life in the church have been based on a "duty" or "obligation" to be a generous giver. But true, generous Christian giving is done from a heart of love. You can't force or oblige love to do something. True love does everything freely. The bottom line for me is that we give by grace, just as we live the whole of our lives in Christ by grace! "Tithing" and "grace-giving" are very different things. In Christ, we are grace-givers. He doesn't want our "tithes." Giving by grace, as with the entirety of our lives being lived by grace, involves trusting in a Father who is full of grace and provision, who is never lacking in anything and who cares tremendously for us and loves us with a never-ending love!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
The Tithe - Part 10
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6 comments:
It seems that we spend so much time talking about the grace and freedom given through Christ, except when it comes to giving. Is the "legalistic" urge to tithe simply a fear that many have that if we don't preach this, there won't be enough giving to fill the needs of the church???
A couple of quotes from Galatians 3 (TMSG)
Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you.
and
Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping.
I like that you mentioned that Paul was hard working - even as a tent maker to earn his keep. He wasn't a free loading cleric type (where is my bros The very Rev J. Slick anyways).
In fact, I think modern day 'tent makers' are much more free to do His work as opposed to a bunch of administrator types sitting on a church board holding the pastor's paycheck on ransom.
I have been in and out of this post - was what one has experienced by means of His Spirit been reflected. Meaning - I have had times when His Spirit has told me to do things especially outside the church building - with no receipt and unwitnessed.
I find I like to support building true kingdom and not OREC. Each to their own flavor I guess...
I find giving is also walking in obedience with Him. I find it hard to say no to Him who is my life.
Spherical,
In my experience, although I'm obviously not able to truly get into the actual hearts of people who teach the tithe, it's really appeared to me as if they teach it hard and they teach it often because they need the "needs" of the church's finances to be met.
Rather than trusting the grace of God in people, and in fact His very life in them, to lead them to will and to do according to HIS good pleasure, it seems to be a matter of, "let's figure out how we can get people to give."
Those verses from the Message are spot-on. The more they try to keep rules-giving, the more they have to keep on teaching rules.
WC,
I think Slick is off somewhere trying to snooker people out of their hard earned monay for the sake of his ministray...
Great words from your head and heart of wisdom. Truly, truly, I'd bet that the most true Christian giving has nothing to do with when the plate is passed around, but in all those other situations that nobody sees or knows about.
And yes, obedience. So many make that into a legalistic word (and it definitely is most often used legalistically), but in reality when we know that it's in Him that we live and move and have our being, obedience becomes a natural part of that life, and not a "teeth pulling experience."
Good, in-depth series on tithing. What could i add more? Keep up the work and thanks for all the time you put into that.
-Jared B.
Thanks Jared. Hey I checked out your blog... very interesting. I like the one about the top verses that televangelists won't preach, and I also like The Tithe Test. :) Those twenty questions cover so much more that I also wanted to include in this series. Great stuff.
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