The issue of finance and tithing has wrought a lot of havoc in the body of Christ. Some people do not believe tithe should be paid in the new testament, while others think tithing is made for the profiting of the pastors. The truth is that there is a lot of truth that meets the eyes when it comes to tithing. In this article, you shall be learning about what tithing entails and how to pay your tithe rightly.
What is Tithing?
Tithing is simply one-tenth of your earnings. Often, Christians struggle to believe that they are to pay their tithe. They fail to believe that tithing is a spiritual law and tend to see it as a means of self-aggrandizement for spiritual leaders. But what they fail to understand is that tithing is one of the most important things they must do to live the abundant life God has planned for them. In the Book of Malachi, God spoke about how He would supply all the blessings scripture promises. He said He would give them from heaven, through the windows of heaven. However, the window of heaven is opened by tithing (Malachi 3:10).
How did tithing start in the Bible?
Many of those who teach that Christians don’t have to tithe do so because they mistakenly believe tithing is part of the Law of Moses. The truth is that tithing precedes the law. Abraham certainly came before the law of Moses, and he did pay tithe to Melchizedek, the priest-king of Salem. This is the first time the word tithe ever appeared in scripture (Gen 14:18-20). Abraham was coming from war after receiving the spoils of his enemies; he gave one-tenth of the spoils of war to Melchizedek.
Afterwhich he was blessed and declared possessors of heaven and earth. The other time tithing occurred in the bible is Jacob, who promised to give a tenth to God if he returned home safely. The next tithing was mentioned in scripture is when Moses brought the law and instituted Aaron as the high priest. There, God commanded the people of Israel to pay their tithe. However, over time they missed the spiritual significance of paying tithe and continued with it as a ritual.
Why are Christian Reluctant to Pay their Tithe
As earlier highlighted, people who condemned the payment of tithe viewed it from the wrong perspective. They believe tithing is part of the Law of Moses, and since our Lord’s atonement removed the curse of the law, it must have also removed tithing. This belief causes them to think a New Testament believer can never come under any form of curse.
To explain why this is a wrong conclusion, let’s examine a curse that came upon two New Testament saints. Their names were Ananias and Sapphira. The bible says this couple lost their lives over a wrong decision they made about money matters. They lied to the Holy Ghost about an offering they were making, and they died (Acts 5:3-10).
Now here’s the question: Did God do something terrible to this couple, or did Ananias and Sapphira cause their own deaths? The answer to this question is simple. Ananias and Sapphira violated a spiritual principle when they lied to the Holy Ghost. Their own actions exposed themselves to the penalty of sin, which is “the soul that sinneth, it shall die (Ezekiel 18:4).” It was their willful violation of God’s established ordinance that brought about their deaths. Read the account as carefully as you can, and you will find that God took no specific action against either of them. They simply collected the wages of sin, which is death.
Understanding the consequences of sin makes it easy to see that God did not curse Ananias and Sapphira. It was their willful violation of a God-ordained principle that brought the penalty of death upon them. This truth is parallel in the natural realm. For instance, as long as you obey the established principles of aerodynamics, you can safely fly through the sky. However, if you violate these principles, you will stop flying and crash. So, if you violate a principle that carries with it the penalty of death, you will surely die
Benefits of Paying Tithe
Here are some of the benefits of paying your tithe:
- Paying your tithe is an acknowledgment that God is your source. When you begin to realize that God is the source of all you have, there will be no contention in your heart to pay your tithe (Psalm 67:7).
- Paying your tithe gives you the legal right to prove God in your finance. When you are committed to paying your tithe, you can challenge God concerning your stagnated finance (Malachi 3:8-12).
- Paying your tithe opens the windows of heaven upon you. As earlier explained, blessings from the windows of heaven can only be opened by tithing. If you don’t want to operate under a closed heaven, then paying of tithe should not be optional
- Paying your tithe makes God pour out blessings upon you. The blessing of God is always in money. Sometimes, it comes in favor of ideas, success, and new skills to increase your income. These blessings come so abundantly that you may not have enough room to contain them.
- When you pay your tithe, God rebukes the devourers away from your life. Most people fail to understand the meaning of devourers. It may mean crop failure for farmers due to parasites or draughts that were not supposed to occur. It may be unnecessary sickness that will consume all your money for others.
When to Pay your tithe?
Take into consideration your salary schedule, and build a habit of contributing when your financial resources grow. This practice allows you to remind yourself on a daily basis of God’s faithfulness, as well as to express your thankfulness to Him by paying your tithe.
Where to Pay your tithe?
Most of the time, the tithe should be donated to the local church where you attend services. These donations assist your pastor and ministry staff members who are actively serving you, as well as the church’s activities in your community.
How to Pay your tithe?
God cares about your motivations. A cheerful giver is loved by God, not one who gives unwillingly or out of necessity. And God may make all grace flow toward you, so that you may abound to every good work.” (2 Corinthians 9:7–8).
To include God in your finances, you must tithe. God says He knows you can’t live on 10/10, but when you offer 1/10, you open the door for greater benefits. It’s like giving and expecting to receive or supply and demand, sowing and reaping, etc. These laws can never be neutralized even if you are a new testament.
