Tithes & Offering: Funding A Christian Church
In my last article I talked about the threat made by a democratic presidential candidate to deny funding and tax-exempt status from Christian churches and organizations that do not publicly support the LGBT community. As a Christian who does not support this community, my concerns skyrocketed. What I have to say on that matter can be found in that article by clicking here, but I also mentioned something else I wanted to discuss in this new post.
Many Christians might feel threatened by the candidate’s vow to crack down on churches in America but my suggestion to those worried is to stand strong! Let the state take their money away, we don’t need it. Now those are fighting words, right? Vay, you can’t just hand over all the funding from every Church—how will they pay their rent, or light bill, or pay for new pews or fund their summer music festival??
My friends, this is where your tithes and offering comes into play.
Many of you might wrinkle your nose and begin shaking your head now, but I will not budge on this. As Christians, giving is something we should not argue on—Christ gave His life for us, He gave us His righteousness, He came to give us life more abundantly [John 10:10]. Christ gave and gave and gave, and He still wants to give us more! But when it comes time for Christians to do their part in giving, some of us suddenly feel insulted.
Tithes and offering is an Old Testament concept, we don’t have to follow that anymore.
I can’t afford to pay my tithes—I’m on a fixed income.
My pastor lives in a mansion, I need this offering more than she does!
First of all, God didn’t ask if you wanted to pay tithes and offering or give to the church—He simply told you to do it. On the surface, that might sound cold; but when you know God as your Father who loves you, cherishes you, and always promises to provide for you, you will see this instruction is more for your benefit than His or your Pastor’s.
Let’s make this clear right now; God does not need your money. God is the Creator of money—His streets are paved with gold [Revelation 21:21]. He is already in heaven, living a life without want, worry, or need. You are here on earth, trying to get to where He is.
Do not view your tithes, offering, donations, or your efforts for the Body of Christ as a favor to God—as the Creator of heaven and earth, there is nothing you can give to God that isn’t already His.
Now let’s look at what the Word says.
If you are reading this article that means you already have some understanding of what tithes and offering are, so I’m not going to spend much time explaining that. As a Christian, you are expected and instructed to pay tithes and offering to the church and to give freely to the church multiple times throughout the Bible. In your own research, you can find plenty of scriptures on this in both the Old and New Testament, but I’ve listed some of my favorite scriptures on this matter below.
Malachi 3:8-11
Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42
I Corinthians 16:2, II Corinthians 9:6-15
II Timothy 3:16 NIV says, All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.
What does this have to do with tithes and offering? This verse is here as a testament to the never-ending authority of Christ Jesus. Whether its from the Old or New Testament, the Word of God stands yesterday, today, and forevermore—that means, tithes and offering will always be relevant in your life as a Christian.
Now let’s continue in this chapter. II Timothy 3:17 NIV, So that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Thoroughly equipped for every good work … that means, rich or poor, you will have everything you need to carry out the Will of God. If God called you to preach, He will give you the words to deliver every Sunday—just as He gave the right words to Moses [Exodus 4:12]. If God called you to do missionary work, He will tell you where to go, just as He guided the disciples [Mark 16:15].
My point here is, whatever you are trying to do for the Lord, God will make sure you have everything you need. You will not have to worry about money. Besides that, if God tells us to pay tithes and offering and to give to the church, what makes you think He won’t make sure your sacrifice is returned to you?
Job received a double portion in every area of his life after the Lord blessed him [Job 42:12]. Ruth was willing to be unmarried in a strange land for the rest of her life until God sent her a husband who was greater than she ever imagined with more land and power than she had ever owned before [Ruth 1-4]. Even Paul, who was an esteemed Roman feared by many before he came to know Christ, was given a huge increase when he began to carry out the work of the Lord.
But Paul spent the rest of his life in prison, right? How is that an increase?
Increase, double portion, abundance—these words don’t necessarily mean monetary gain, my friend. Paul’s increase was in his love, his peace of mind, his joy and satisfaction with himself and his sense of purpose. Paul was a zealot—he was on fire for Jesus, he’d always had a passion for whatever he put his mind to, but it wasn’t until he had a revelation of the Grace of Christ Jesus that he was able to say,
I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:12-13 NIV
This, my friends, is true abundance. Abundance of joy, peace, and happiness, abundance of faith and trust in Christ—a true understanding of what it means to depend wholly and completely on Christ Jesus.
Now, if Paul could write half the New Testament with this revelation of Grace—this complete dependence on God—how much more could we, the Church, do if we depended on Christ alone?
Imagine paying your tithes and offering no matter the amount left in your bank account, no matter what we thought of our pastor, no matter how we felt about giving up the money. Imagine the abundance that would be poured over the Body of Christ this year if we placed our hope in Christ Jesus for our provision instead of the state. If an evil democratic state could give you thousands of dollars in funding, imagine what an all-powerful, loving, kind, generous, Father God could give you if you just trusted in Him and waited patiently for His provision.
Funding a church, university, summer camp, or a Christian missionary group on tithes and offering alone might sound impossible to some but please remember that all things are possible with God [Matthew 19:26]. Tithes and offering aren’t a punishment for Christians, they aren’t a favor to God to help Him out with the rent in heaven, they are a system designed specifically to fund the Church and all its efforts and to return a blessing to those who give.
Look at II Corinthians chapter 9
The first verse I want to highlight is verse 7 … for God loves a cheerful giver. Not only does God want you to give, He wants you to give cheerfully—this means to give without complaining or grumbling. Paul also goes on to say, God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. Notice that Paul says you will abound in every good work. These good works are the efforts of the Church—the missionary trips, the Christian schools and universities, Christian charities, even Christian movies, music, clubs, and hospitals are good works! And all these good works will abound! Why? Because of the cheerful giving of the Church.
Some people believe that God only gives us spiritual blessings—I even mentioned earlier that our abundance can be found in joy, peace, and happiness. But God can also bless us monetarily. Look closely at verse 11: You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
Paul says that when you give cheerfully, you’ll be enriched in every way—this includes financially! Some people believe it is wrong for Christians to have nice things like fast cars or expensive homes and jewelry, but this verse makes it clear that being enriched in every way is a blessing from God! What’s more important, however, is why you will be enriched.
The verse continues to say, so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
When you are blessed with riches and increase in your finances, it is for the purpose of giving more to the Body of Christ. How do you expect the church lights to stay on? Who do you think pays for every missionary trip to other countries? Who picks up the bill for all the money it takes to build new homes for those in need? Who pays for a Christian school? Who supplies the free lunch at vacation Bible school? Who pays for all the free gifts at a Church Christmas giveaway? Or a back-to-school giveaway?
It certainly isn’t you—the one searching for a reason not to give.
Continue reading and look at verse 12, This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
Praise God! The Word says this service—giving, or, tithes and offering—doesn’t just provide for the Believers in need, but it also gives thanks to God. When people see you giving, they thank God for it! God gets glorified every time you give tithes and offering. God is glorified through Christian schools and universities, Christian charities, Christian blogs, movies, music, arts festivals, and even Christian sports teams. Anytime you give to a Christ-centered organization, you are glorifying God and encouraging others to glorify Him as well.
Now look at verse 13, As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all Believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.
This is such wonderful wisdom! Look at what Paul says in the second half of this verse, For your generosity to them and to all Believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ. When you give to your church and to other Christian organizations, Christian charities, or Christian businesses, you are being obedient to the Gospel of Christ Jesus. This emphasizes that giving to the church is not an option—it is an act of obedience. God expects you to give, because He gave to you when you deserved absolutely nothing. There are some who might say, I don’t think my church uses their funds appropriately; while you may be right, that doesn’t give you an excuse not to give. There are plenty of Christian ministries you can pay your tithes and offering to or donate to online. Don’t make excuses not to give, be obedient to the Word of God and watch the blessings flow in your life!
I am totally unfazed by the democrats’ plans to wage war with Christians in the United States of America by denying funding and tax-exempt status to Christian churches, schools, and organizations that do not publicly support the LGBT community. I attend a church that receives no government funding and we are standing strong. When you are funded by faith you cannot be threatened by anyone—especially not by people who are not members of the Body of Christ. When God is for you, who can be against you? [Romans 8:31]
Churches should not accept any government funding or grants—neither should any other Christian organization, charity, camp, school, club, or business. If we give cheerfully to our local churches, support Christian businesses, and attend Christian schools, there will be no need for us to receive any funding from outside sources.
II Corinthians 9 makes it very clear—the Church is meant to be self-sustainable. Let us be funded by faith and faith alone.
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