How sad.
I don't know who these critics are. Evidently they are everywhere. Every church. Every denomination. They aren't my friends or family. I must be blessed with mature, Christ-honoring Believers who actually think we ought to obey every word of The Word and I'm grateful that those are the people God has placed in my life.
But the protesters are out there and they must be bold.
Just this week my pastor taught on the principle of tithing and stewardship. He did a great job and he did, in fact, mention a time or two that he had, in the past, and was expecting again some less than thrilled sentiment on the subject matter. But while listening to his instruction I was struck afresh by the Loving-kindness and Grace of our God. Yep. During a sermon on money.
My pastor vividly pointed out, using ten $1 bills, that God gives us $10 and requires only one be given back to Him. How sweet is that! God owns it all. It's His. He allows me to have $10. He challenges and requires me to return $1 so that I can participate in His Kindgom work and be blessed by being a blessing to others. But He graciously allows me the choice. It's my decision. Free will.
THEN, as if that weren't lenient and thoughtful enough, He says, "Now go enjoy the other $9."
Doesn't that strike you as absurdly generous? I mean, it's His money. He has rights to all of it and could certainly properly demand a larger percentage than 10%. But He doesn't.
And yet people...church members, Christ-followers, Believers, people of Faith....get upset when our pastors talk about money. Maybe that's exactly God's point.
I Googled the average tax rates in the U.S. As Americans we pay anywhere from 4.35% to 9.43% on the things we purchase every day depending on where you live. I pay 8.75%. Definitely on the higher end and I don't even blink an eye. I bet you don't most days either.
Black Friday. Now there's a term that conjures up some images in our minds. Good deals. Long lines. Early morns. Millions of people stood in ridiculously long lines at ludicrous hours of the day to save money on stuff. I bet not one customer got to the cash register and walked away because the sales tax was too high on their flat screen. Nope. They knew it was coming. Figured it in with the price. Counted it. Paid it. No protesting. No verbal outcries. No boycotts. Just paid it.
Paid it to the Government, no less. Fallible, at best, men and women who squander it away as if they had a right to. But we pay it everyday with every swipe of our maxed out credit cards and don't give much thought to that percentage they will take from us and use as they see fit, sinful as they are and as despicably and shoddy as they have previously allocated these funds.
And yet we won't trust an All Loving, All Knowing, All Powerful God of the Universe that we pray to and say we Believe in with a meager 10% so "that there may be food in His house". He, in turn and unlike the Government, promises to flood us with blessing we won't even have room to contain AND protect us from being devoured by pests....if we'll take Him up on it. But most won't.
God doesn't need our money. He's God. He wants our hearts because He desires relationship with us. He wants us to reflect His heart because He knows it will make us fulfilled and full of purpose and ultimately happy. So He asks us to join Him. "I'll let you keep 90%. Just give me 10% and we'll be partners in this grand 'business' of saving people and changing the world. You'll be amazed what we can do together if you'll just obey my precepts. They're for your good. I promise. And I'll protect you. Test me. You'll see."
“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’ 'In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,' says the Lord Almighty, 'and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,' says the Lord Almighty." Malachi 3:8-11
God says we're robbing Him. That's because it belongs to Him to begin with. That's made perfectly clear in Scripture over and over again but I guess that's where people start tripping. They think it's theirs in the first place and it's not. If they would embrace this elementary Truth they wouldn't be ambushing pastors over sermons on money.
But, again, there's God's point. It's not about money. It's about the heart. God could have arranged it the other way around. "Here's 10% for you. I'll take 90% for My World Changing Fund." Or any other variations. 80/20. 70/30. 50/50. But He didn't. Just 10. Only 10. "Start with 10 and see what I do! I think you'll be willing to invest more once you see the rewards." That's a pretty sweet deal. Try finding that one on Wall Street.
So, to the Givers and lovers of God's whole Counsel. The true partners in His invitation to join Him financially as an indication of their full and complete devotion and undivided heart, I say: Affirm your pastor when he approaches this topic. Encourage him and bless him for speaking the Truth. Pray for him to have boldness. Give and give again. Teach the principle to your children and their children. And expect God to bless.
And to all the pastors courageous enough to teach on tithing I say: Preach It! And don't apologize.
"Then you will have success if you are careful to observe the decrees and laws that the Lord gave Moses for Israel. Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or discouraged. 1 Chronicles 22:13
"David also said to Solomon his son, 'Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.'" 1 Chronicles 28:20
Finally, to the critics: Test God. He invites you to. Tithe for 6 months and see what happens. But whatever you do, stop harrassing our pastors. They answer to a much higher Authority than you. I, for one, am glad they talk about the hard stuff and are willing to stand up to bullies like you. You reveal your heart when you bellyache about a sermon on money. Grow up.
