These days there is much debate about tithes and I often wonder why there is such confusion. God is not the author of confusion according to 1 Corinthians 14 v 33 which says “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”
An acronym for TITHES is:
T – TAX
I – INTO
T – THE
H – HEAVENLY
E – ECCLESIASTICAL
S – SYSTEM
If tithes are viewed from the above acronym the following would be better understood:
1. EVERY SYSTEM REQUIRES SUSTENANCE
Every system requires sustenance, be it a body system like the respiratory system or the digestive system where organs need to be serviced with oxygen and nutrients; be it a company organizational system where salaries must be paid from company income; be it a government system where the country’s infrastructure must be taken care of with individual taxes. Likewise, God has a system on this earth and it is called the Kingdom of God and comprises the body of Christ.
Tithes have a purpose and that is the sustenance of God’s servants within His Ecclesiastical system; that is the church system. Malachi emphasizes the purpose of the tithes- Malachi 3 v 10 says “That there may be meat in my house.” Some versions of the bible translate meat as food. It is still referring to sustenance.
NO FOOD, NO SUSTENANCE. Anyone who goes on a hunger strike will soon have a wasted body followed by death if there is no intervention. Every system must be funded. We do not dispute paying our taxes, in fact in many cases it is removed upfront and the percentage varies and it is definitely more than 10%. God’s “tax” does not vary; it has stayed at the same percentage for years and it is not removed upfront, like earthly tax before we receive it.
When the Pharisees sent spies to Jesus and asked the following “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Jesus after requesting that they bring out a denarius and asked whose image and inscription was on it, replied “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s.” Therefore there is earthly tax and there is what belongs to God. The question is what belongs to God? God has always separated what we can touch and what we cannot touch.
2. TITHING IS A PRINCIPLE
Therefore there is a PRINCIPLE at work. When you make the tithe a thing of the law and you conclude it has been done away with because of the Old Testament then you are missing the PRINCIPLE which is God saying DON’T TOUCH THAT WHICH IS MY OWN. This is a PRINCIPLE that existed in the Garden of Eden where God told Adam to have access to all the different type of trees except ONE.
That ONE was HIS. He only asked for that ONE out of the many trees but man disobeyed, he wanted that ONE despite having access to MANY trees. What do we see at play here? The desire to have what belongs to God. It’s exactly the same today. God gives us 100% and he says pay your “tax” which is 10%. Since it is not taken upfront (God allows us to exercise our free will), some people believe that they are entitled to the whole 100%.
The truth is this- that 10% is decided by God how he wants it spent. You cannot decide for God how He wants His 10% spent because that means you have taken away God’s free will to spend His 10 % which is not only unfair but dangerous for you because you will still pay the penalty of more than 10%. We don’t dictate to our Electricity Board as to how the income received from paid bills should be spent.
Indeed every organization has a structure in place of incoming expenditure and outgoing expenditure. The maintenance of the church is no different and it costs money just like any other organization.
3. TITHING KEEPS THE DEVOURER AWAY
You have heard it said that an apple a day keeps the dentist away, likewise, tithing keeps the devourer away. On earth, you cannot get away without paying your bills because there are always penalties and stiff ones for that matter. If you are constantly paying your electricity bills, you will have a constant supply of light but failure to pay means you want your supply to be disconnected.
Likewise if you do not pay your tithes then you are asking the devourer to come in and set the penalty for you. This is why the LORD has told us in Malachi 3 v 11 “ And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field.” This means the devil will not be allowed to tamper with your harvest.
4. JESUS TOLD US TO TITHE
Matthew 23 v 23 says “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay TITHE of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone.” What others? Jesus is referring to tithing. This means that our Lord Jesus Christ wants us to understand the importance of the principle of tithing and implement it.
5. TITHES ARE RECEIVED BY THE HIGH PRIEST
Before the law, Melchizedek, King of Salem, the priest of the Most High God received a tenth of the spoils from Abraham. Jesus is as a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek as stated in Hebrews 7 v 21. Jesus has an unchangeable priesthood and he lives forever. He is not dead. He is our High Priest. Tithes are to be received by the High Priest.
- Tithe so that your finances will not be tight,
- Tithe so that you will have financial might,
- Tithe so that you will truly follow the Light,
- Tithe so that you will win the devil’s fight,
- Tithe so that you will avoid the devil’s bite,
- Tithe so that you will reach the greatest height and
- Tithe so that your righteous dress remains WHITE.
God is a God of PRINCIPLES. God bless you.
