Most churchgoers still think that what they give their local church is a tithe when it is an offering. Some Christians have in mind while going home after the Sunday service that they fulfill what their Pastors told them.
To give more to Jesus, that the tithes they give will return a hundred folds. At the same time, some have a burden in their heart because they cannot afford to give.
Tithes were commanded to the Israelites to give 10% of their harvest and brought to their storehouse or, as we call it now, warehouse. They stored this for their future consumption or when famine strikes.
This is the Law of Harvest. And when you do this study thoroughly, including the interest for the late giver and borrower, it will sum up to 23%.
When we receive the grace of the Father who proclaimed us as His children, we Christians are under no obligation to fulfill the command to tithing as dictated to Israelites under the Mosaic Law.
The tithe was required; it’s a law to give 10% of their earnings. The New Testament nowhere commands that Christians submit and obey a legalistic tithing system. Paul states in 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 that believers should set aside part of their earnings as an offering, and some called it giving.
When Christ died on the cross, the Law of tithing died with him; Christianity is not under the Law but under grace. Christ fulfilled the requirements of the Law, and to insist, as many church leaders insisted, is an insult to Christ and voids all his sacrifices on the cross and God’s purpose in sending the Son.
The Father justified the work of the Son, and to keep the Law is disobedience to His will.
We are brought out from the bondage of sin, His new creation, from death to life, from darkness to light, and Jesus, the first fruit offering, raised us up and reconciled us to the Father. We are dead to sin no more after the cross. “But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).
An offering is part of our free will; God wants us to be cheerful when giving and not under fear or forced by the church management, especially when they mismanage their expenses.
Christians should not limit their helping hands when it comes to the work of the Lord; they should be mindful of what is needed in the ministries and missions. It is not about how much we can give but how we can help for the growth of the ministries, sharing ideas, physical help, and protecting the sanctity of the church and the word of God.
We are to offer to God our heart which is more than our monetary resources; God is rich and can have everything, but he wants us to fully recognize His existence, as stated in the epistle of Hebrews, and He will reward us. Therefore, if we offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, we can rest assured that He will be delighted. Romans 12:1.
Suppose we offer our body to be a blessing to others. In that case, we can be instrumental in others to be inspired for the work of righteousness and influence others to submit and obey His will to accomplish His purpose and plans for humanity.
God gave us everything without Him; we are nothing, His desires are for us to be with Him, and He values everything we do for Him. Salvation is a gift from God that we sometimes forget to be thankful for. He knows our needs, and we should understand that wants are almost our souls’ desires that we need to work on to get them.
God knows our needs, and He gives them before we even ask for them – Matthew 6:8