Before doing anything else today, it is

absolutely essential that we grasp that

everything we have (including our money)

is given by God.

We are called to be “stewards” of our financial lives.

Leviticus 27: 30 & 3230 “A tithe of everything from the land,

whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD;

it is holy to the LORD…32 Every tithe of the herd and flock—every

tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to

the LORD.”

Deuteronomy26: 12-15

Exploring the sacredness,

seriousness, and purpose behind

the tithing process

“Tithing is the training wheels on

the bicycle of giving. Steady bicyclists no longer need training wheels, but wobbly

bicyclists do.”

- Randy Alcorn

2013 Tithing Statistics Tithers make up 10 - 25% of a church Only 5% of the U.S. tithes, with 80% of Americans only giving 2% of their income. Christians are only giving at 2.5% per capita, while during the Great Depression they gave at a 3.3% rate.

If U.S. Christians Tithed = $165 Billion

$25 billion could relieve global hunger, starvation and deaths from preventable diseases in five years

$12 billion could eliminate illiteracy in five years

If U.S. Christians Tithed = $165 Billion

$15 billion could solve the world’s water and sanitation issues $1 billion could fully fund all overseas missions work $100 – $110 billion would still be left over for additional U.S. ministry expansion

Proverbs 3: 9-10 9 “Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;

10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing,

and your vats will brim over with new wine.”

Malachi 3: 6-12God rebukes the

prophets (and the rest of the people) for failing to honor Him

with their tithes, equating it with

“robbery.”

God invites us to “test Him” in tithing.

Haggai 1:9“You expected much, but see, it turned

out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the LORD Almighty. “Because of My house,

which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.”

There’s a small, but very vocal, group of Christians that are of the firm opinion

that choosing to tithe is clinging to Old Testament “legalism,” which is pointless and misguided since we are now under grace through Jesus Christ.

So…did Jesus say anything about tithing?

Matthew 23:23“Woe to you, teachers of the law

and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill

and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law

—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter,

without neglecting the former.”

Galatians 6:6“Nevertheless,

the one who receives instruction

in the word should share

all good things with their instructor.”

1 Corinth. 9:14“In the same way,

the Lord has commanded that those who preach the Gospel should receive their living from the Gospel.”

* Matthew 10:10 * Luke 10:7

The Miracle of Hattie Wiatt and 57 Cents