Why does God ask us to tithe? Is tithing only an Old Testament command? Do we still need to tithe today? What is tithing? We are going to answer all of these questions today. I hope you will join me and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth regarding this topic to you. 

It’s Not Our Money

If you are a follower of Jesus, then the money you earn does not belong to you in the first place. 

‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭8‬:‭17‬-‭18‬ ‭(ESV‬)‬ tells us, ”Beware lest you say in your heart, ‘My power and the might of my hand have gotten me this wealth.’ You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth, that he may confirm his covenant that he swore to your fathers, as it is this day.“

It is God who gives us the power to make the money in the first place. Therefore, we need to remember this when we are asked to give it away. Yes, that even means we even give it to the people who misuse the money-aka the government. This is something I have struggled within myself in recent years. I know my government uses the taxpayer money for evil things.

Just A Few Evil Ways Our Money Is Used

They use our money to pay for the murder of innocent babies under the guise of women’s health. They support other leaders whom I find questionable at best and downright evil at worst. Of course the list can go on and on and on of the despicable ways our government spends the money we send. 

Do I want my money to be spent in this way? Absolutely not! However Jesus tells us to, “…Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s…” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭12‬:‭17 ‬(‭ESV)‬‬

I must obey Jesus first and trust that he will judge how our government uses the money given to them. 

We Will Reap What We Sow Too

Just as God will look at how the leaders of our nation have steward the money given to them by God and God’s people, so we will reap what we sow financially. If we are stingy or if we use the money God gives us for illegitimate gain or in ways that do not glorify him, we will reap the fruit of those actions. Likewise, when we choose to be good stewards of God’s money, and do things like tithe, and use our funds for things that build up God’s kingdom, we will reap the good fruit from those decisions. 

Where Are We Spending Our Money

Over the past several years the Lord has shown me it’s important to be wise and discerning of where we spend money. Do we use the money he gives us to buy things from corporations who we know without a doubt is evil and pushing the antichrist agenda? Places like Disney, Target, Starbucks, and the like are attempting to force feed us and our children the antichrist agenda. What is this antichrist agenda I keep mentioning?

What Is The Antichrist Agenda

Simply put the antichrist agenda is any agenda that does not align with the Bible. The places mentioned above are notorious for pushing false identities on people, and forcing everyone to comply with the lie of these false identities. 

Disney has been caught up multiple times in child trafficking. I mean when there are dozens of people who “just so happen” work for Disney caught in trafficking children, I for one don’t believe the corporation is innocent. It’s way too coincidental that all these people who work for the same company are caught up in this horror, and the company isn’t complicit and even the mastermind behind these horrendous acts. 

Then we see the kind of “entertainment” they have put out in the last decade or more. I remember when the movie, The Princess and the Frog came out. The Lord warned me to never watch that movie because it was filled with witchcraft. Several years later that movie was on tv and I decided to see what it was about. I couldn’t even get through the first five minutes of the movie without feeling the evil and darkness saturate my tv screen. I immediately turned the movie off and I will never watch it. 

Since then the movies haven’t gotten any better. They have progressively put things that clearly go against what God promotes in the Bible in their movies, even movies geared toward children. They have made movies and shows that depict same sex relationships, witchcraft, and many other evil ideologies have been put in their stories. 

Be Aware Of What You Are Supporting

I believe we, as Christ followers, need to be very careful of where we spend our money. Think about what the main message a company promotes before giving them our money. This will require self sacrifice, and sometimes it means it will be more difficult to get the things we need. Part of being a good steward of the money God has given us is being mindful of the people we give our money to. 

Hear me when I say I understand we can’t shop only at Christian stores. I know there are times when we will have to shop at places that don’t completely align with Christian values. However, I believe there is a huge difference in shopping at places like Target where they are constantly pushing the woke ideologies, and shopping at a place where they may still believe those lies are true, but they don’t try to force their false beliefs on their customers.

In the past several years I have begun to ask the Lord where to shop. He tells me places to go, and I go there. I then pray that the money I spend in those stores will go to things that he values, such as paying the employees, and not for things he hates, such as abortion. 

We Must Also Tithe 

One thing I believe the Lord is very clear on is the fact that he wants us to tithe. Furthermore, he wants us to give back at least 10% of what he gives us as our tithe. However, if 10% is just not doable right now, figure out what is doable and commit to giving the Lord that much of your paycheck. ‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭9‬:‭7‬ ‭(ESV) tell us,‬‬ ”Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.“

Abraham demonstrated the 10% tithe in Genesis 14: 18-20 (ESV), ”And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.“

Melchizedek Is A Type Of Jesus

‭‭Melchizedek is a type of Jesus, and could actually be Jesus in the flesh pre birth. He certainly describes who Jesus is. In Hebrews 7:2-3 (ESV) we read, ”and  to him Abraham apportioned a tenth part of everything. He is first, by translation of his name, king of righteousness, and then he is also king of Salem, that is, king of peace. He is without father or mother or genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but resembling the Son of God he continues a priest forever.“ Jesus is the king of righteousness and peace. Jesus is without father, mother, or genealogy, and doesn’t have a beginning of days nor end of life. 

Abraham gave this Jesus figure a tenth of what he earned in the battle, and gave us an example of what we should strive for in our giving. 

I’ve Seen The Fruits Of Tithing

One thing my parents taught me well is the importance of tithing. I remember growing up many times when finances were tight, like really tight. However, no matter how tight things got I always saw my parents tithing. As a result, when I got my first job at 16 I started tithing. 

When I was 19 I started working for the public school as a teacher’s assistant. I made about $500 a month. I know it’s crazy! Furthermore, I was also not the smartest with making a budget, and I bought a car with a payment of $250 a month. Needless to say I didn’t have a ton of wiggle room once I paid for insurance, gas, and other necessities of life. Still I was faithful to tithe.

There came a time when I needed to have new tires put on my car. Now I can’t remember how that money was in my account, but it was. The Lord miraculously provided me with the funds to pay for those new tires. It was one of many times in my life I have seen the promise of God to provide and even exceed what I needed. I believe much of that blessing comes from me being obedient in tithing. 

A More Recent Tithing Example

In 2019 Brett got a huge raise and promotion at work. It’s because of this raise we have been able to weather this insane inflation. Of course we feel the pinch like everyone else. However, without that raise we would feel the pressure of inflation much more. 

I remember before Brett got this promotion and raise, his boss was really pushing for it. Brett and I kind of just sat back and trusted the Lord to give him the promotion or not. After it went through we found out he was going to get a 18.4% raise. As Brett was driving home that night he felt the Lord say, “18.4% is pretty specific don’t you think?” Brett replied, “Yes, I guess so Lord.” Then the Lord said, “It was 18.4 months ago you decided to start paying tithe on your gross income.” Being the engineer he is, Brett went home and looked it up. Sure enough we started paying tithe on the gross amount in October of 2019.

I remember when he wanted to do that I thought sure why not. It didn’t seem important to me. Little did I know God would bless us as a result of our obedience a year and a half later! It reminded me of the verse in Proverbs 11:24 (ESV), ”One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.“

Tithing Isn’t Exactly What You Think It Is

Tithing isn’t about checking a box so that God will be happy with you. It’s truly a heart condition. Are you giving because you think you have to, but resent the fact that you feel obligated to give, or are you giving because you want to and you love seeing people blessed? 

I have come to believe that tithing isn’t exactly the rigid rules many of us have been taught in corporate churches. Many pastors have taught tithing is only about giving money to their church, and any other giving is just a bonus. Of course we have all heard stories of people declaring you will have your prayers answered if you only give them money. Let’s remember one important fact: Just because a human has twisted the Word of God, or used God’s word as a weapon does not negate what the Bible actually says.

While I believe it is totally Biblical to give your tithe to a church, I don’t believe it is the ONLY way to tithe. In Acts we see tithing portrayed in a different manner. Acts‬ ‭4‬:‭32‬ ‭(ESV) says,”Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.“

How We Tithe

‭‭‬‬These guys pooled their resources together to meet the needs of all the believers in the group. Over the past several years Brett and I have found ourselves in a position where we don’t have a corporate church to give our tithe to. What have we done? Well, first, we have an account where we put our tithe money. Secondly, we found other ministries we believe in and whose ministry aligns with what we believe. Some are other pastors, while others are ministry organizations. Lastly, and this is my favorite thing we’ve started, the money we have in the other account we use to help others.

This truly is like what that church in Acts did. We have the funds to help that single mom pay for things she needs. When we meet with someone who needs new tires for their car and can’t afford them, we can be the answer to their prayer. We get to see the results of where our tithe money goes to. It has been the most rewarding thing we’ve ever done in ministry.

 I believe this is what tithing is all about. We sow into other people’s  lives, and reap the reward of seeing them see in a real and tangible way that God sees them and answers their prayers. We get to emulate 2 Corinthians 9:6 (ESV), that says,”The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.“ 

Is Your Identity In Your Money

One of the main reasons I think God asks us to give a tithe is so that we are less likely to have our identity wrapped up in the amount of money we make. When we realize that it is God who gives us the money in the first place, and we take that money with open hands, it is much easier to see it go and trust that God will give you more when you need it. Being able to buy expensive cars, big houses, and such is not a bad thing. However, it becomes an idol when we place getting those things above serving God and serving others with that money.

Let’s remember we are children of the King of kings. With that identity comes responsibility to be an example to those who have yet decided to become God’s child too. What do others see when they look at you and how you manage your money? What would God say about how you steward of his gift? Remember Jesus said, ”give, and it will be given to you…” ‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭38‬a ‭(ESV)‬‬ So, let us all give freely and sow those good seeds of generosity!