Personally, I do not believe in Tithing as a religious ritual, which is in the strictest and formal way, limited to percentages and figures. Once one defaults, their salvation or relationship with God for eternal destinies is affected or in any way, their economic life is blessed or cursed, based on their frequency and faithfulness of their tithing habits. Rather, I subscribe to the divine and righteous principle engraved in the discipline of
Rather, I subscribe to the divine and righteous principle engraved in the discipline of TITHING. This sacred principle is none other than GIVING. Historians and Theologians will agree with me that: tithing was a TAXATION mode in ancient civilizations before even the Jews, adopted it as one of the merits to Yahweh through their Leviticus order. It was so in these early civilizations to ensure two things about SERVICE:
It was so in these early civilizations to ensure two things about SERVICE: First, service had to maintain its FUNCTIONALITY. Services had to keep running and not to stagnate at anyone point, because what we call life is an interdependent web system. Secondly, early civilizations had ensured that service was in place to determine another fundamental aspect known as EXISTENCE. Throughout nature, there is this mode of
Throughout nature, there is this mode of TAXATION, or TITHING, OR in principle, what I call GIVING. Modern science has discovered widely how things happen in nature and how nature operates symbiotically. In nature, it is not about getting but giving. This is how it functions and maintains existence. We all know the scientific explanation of rain, we know how honey is made, and we know why water in flowing rivers is cleaner than water in pools.
We know how big-fish have to suspend eating up cleaner smaller fish that clean their entire bodies. We know of how human bacteria operates etc. if we do not, then at least we can learn from the principle of the SEED and the GROUND, or the EGG and the system of REPRODUCTION. The point
The point I am making here is that this world exists and depends on one fundamental principle known as GIVING. Tithing, therefore, is a formula of returns, just like a fruit-filled mango tree, drops some fruits on the ground on which it is founded so should Christians drop, some of the blessings to the place or person who is either part and parcel of their blessing or in their environment. Tithing is a process that teaches that we can eat everything we have, as long we do not eat the SEED. If we eat the seed, then we have eaten our very foundation, our functionality, and existence. It is one thing to eat the chicken, and another to eat the eggs too.
Tithing is about giving back to our environment so that it can continue to constructively exist and function towards our prosperity. By prosperity, I mean Wealth and Health. We must give back to our environment so that it maintains the very services that contributed to our acquiring of whatever we own, be it, wealth or health.
I personally think and know that this, is what tithing is about. If we tithe in right percentages and be committed to our religious goals then, we are cultivating what I call: Calculated Greed. We are tithing to get and not tithing to give. The blessing in tithing is not an award neither a reward but a gift from God and mother nature.
And this brings me to the Malachi 3:8-11 that says: Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say,`In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. ”And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the LORD of hosts. This is a widely used passage. I do not know how many interpretations, how many sermons you have heard and how many books you have read. All am going to do, is to give you a very simple way of understanding this text. First, you must realize that in the text there are three characters implied and these are 1-the
This is a widely used passage. I do not know how many interpretations, how many sermons you have heard and how many books you have read. All am going to do, is to give you a very simple way of understanding this text. First, you must realize that in the text there are three characters implied and these are 1-the PRIESTS (to whom the tithe is given), 2-the PEOPLE (who are the stewards) and 3-GOD (who is the giver of everything and to whom everything belongs).
The contention in the text is drawn from the state of the matters that the book of Malachi handles. Malachi indicted the false priests and the people on at least 6 counts of willful sin: (1) Repudiating God’s love, 1:2-5; (2) Refusing God His due honor, 1:6–2:9; (3) Rejecting God’s faithfulness, 2:10–16; (4) Redefining God’s righteousness, 2:17–3:6; (5) Robbing God’s riches, 3:7-12; (6) Reviling God’s grace, 3:13-15. God’s judgment in the book of Malachi is rendered in at least three interludes: (1) To the priests, v.2:1-9; (2) To the nation, 3:1-6; (3) To the remnant, 3:16–4:6. Malachi 3 condemns both the Priests and the People and then finally commends God’s way and seeks to redirect all of us to God’s plan.
A careful look at Malachi 3:8-11, will reveal that God faults both the priests and the people in matters of tithe and offerings. The Problem with the priests in line of tithes and offerings was what I call: PARASITISM. Parasitism is a relationship between two organisms where one is usually harmed and the other gets benefits from the relationship. Parasites are smaller than their host organism and can reproduce quicker, causing more damage to the host.
Malachi addresses a scenario where priests have become wealthy and healthy parasites sucking the flock. Today we see churches where pastors, Bishops, Prophets and all sorts of titles they prefer to call themselves, who are healthier and wealthier than their flock. Malachi 3 condemns modern Pentecostalism of this sin known as PARASITISM. It is a tithing system where the pastor is a parasite sucking the flock for his own welfare and not for the mission of God. The pastors or the priests need to be purified in the business of tithes and offerings as verse 3 seem to argue. They need to understand that tithing is about giving and not getting. The priests are the first class robbers, robbing God’s riches.
The second class that God faults in this matter of tithing is the people. The issue with the people in the book of Malachi 3 is that they suffer from what I call: CONSUMERISM. Consumerism is over-exploitation of society for the gain of a few individuals. In the church setting, it is when the flock is wealthier and healthier than its shepherd is. The spirit of consumerism is one whose interest is to get but without returns. It is after getting but not giving. People enjoy services but are never appreciative or literally do nothing to keep those services they enjoy in place. A consumer Christian drives a Mercedes Benz to the home of his pastor who has no bicycle to be prayed for. This is very characteristic to the Anglican and SDA religions in Uganda, where pastors are paupers. Not because the saints do not tithe, they tithe, but not in a giving spirit but rather in a legal perspective. And once they tithe, that tithe is systematized and pastors in return are given miserable salaries by the institution. These ministers are consumed by the people and by the systems in which they operate. This is what Malachi 3 is against.
A consumer Christian drives a Mercedes Benz to the home of his pastor who has no bicycle to be prayed for. This is very characteristic to the Anglican and SDA religions in Uganda, where pastors are paupers. Not because the saints do not tithe, they tithe, but not in a giving spirit but rather in a legal perspective. And once they tithe, that tithe is systematized and pastors in return are given miserable salaries by the institution. These ministers are consumed by the people and by the systems in which they operate. This is what Malachi 3 is against.
The spirit of consumerism is one that follows Jesus, just for miracles, and problem-solving as we see in John 6. Consumerism drives us towards a selfish lifestyle of safety, comfort, and privilege. All about us and not about others. However, Christianity is meant to point us selflessly to the cross, where Jesus was persecuted, publicly humiliated, abandoned by his friends, tortured to death— penniless, homeless, and apparently defeated. This is why the key word in John 3:16 is that God after loving the world he GAVE.
My concern is not materialism, strictly speaking, or even the consumption of goods – as contingent beings, we must consume resources to survive. The problem is not consuming to live, but rather living to consume. We find ourselves in a culture that defines our relationships and actions primarily through a matrix of consumption. As the philosopher, Baudrillard explains, “Consumption is a system of meaning.” We assign value to ourselves and others based on the goods we purchase. One’s identity is now constructed by the clothes you wear, the vehicle you drive, and the music on your iPod. In short, you are what you consume.
This is the second thing Malachi 3 is opposed to. While Malachi 3 is opposed to Parasitism that the priests practice and consumerism, which is the habit of the congregation, it recommends tithing as a mutualistic relationship that will result into blessings from God.
MUTUALISM is the way two organisms of different species exist in a relationship in which each individual benefits from the activity of the other. A mutualistic relationship is when two organisms of different species “work together,” each benefiting from the relationship. One example of a mutualistic relationship is that of the oxpecker (a kind of bird) and the rhinoceros or zebra. Oxpeckers land on cows, rhinos or zebras and eat ticks and other parasites that live on their skin. The oxpeckers get food and the beasts get pest control. Also, when there is danger, the oxpeckers fly upward and scream a warning, which helps the symbiont (a name for the other partner in a relationship).
Let me give you two other examples of mutualistic relationships: The bee and the flower. Bees fly from flower to flower gathering nectar, which they make into food, benefiting the bees. When they land in a flower, the bees get some pollen on their hairy bodies, and when they land in the next flower, some of the pollen from the first one rubs off, pollinating the plant. This benefits the plants. In this mutualistic relationship, the bees get to eat, and the flowering plants get to reproduce.
The second one is: The bacteria and the human. A certain kind of bacteria lives in the intestines of humans and many other animals. The human cannot digest all of the food that it eats. The bacteria eat the food that the human cannot digest and partially digest it, allowing the human to finish the job. The bacteria benefit by getting food, and the human benefits by being able to digest the food it eats. This is what tithing is about. It is about generosity for sustainability. Allow me to make this conclusion: if we all were faithful in tithing which have translated as giving, we would not have anything like poverty in this world. Poverty is a human creation, and if we chose God’s way, we would eradicate it.
We must recognize that tithe and offering as taught in the Old and New Covenant both in principle represent Giving. In 1Cor.16, Paul commands to New Testament church to “lay up as each of you have prospered.” In 2Cor, 8 and 9 he encourages joyful and generous giving “not of commandment or of necessity.” The only way to understand these two portions of Scripture is that, Paul is teaching the continuing principle of tithing by encouraging believers to give.
We should understand 10% to represent two things: first that we are accountable accountants of all the treasures we receive from God. this is why we return to him 10% of all we have received. By doing this, we are counting the blessings from God in Gratitude as the Psalmist asked in 116:12: What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? When God gives us 10, he requires only 1 and the remaining 9 is ours. He wants us to appreciate his generosity and learn to be generous too.
Secondly, 10% represents our commitment to the discipline of giving always. Christians should be seasonal or occasional givers but should as long as they receive from God. If anyone argues with the idea of not having a tithe in the New Covenant, they have obviously never pastored a church. The tithe is for the upkeep of the house of God, which begins with caring for the shepherds of the flock. People that argue against the idea of the tithe in the New Covenant are generally those who do not even give 10 percent of their net income. It is easy to criticize something you see as too legal when you are not even doing the minimum of what you say God requires.
Tithing provides a regular reminder of your dependence on God. In good times, tithing helps you remember that God is the source of all blessings, and it allows you to demonstrate your gratitude for His care. In hard times, tithing motivates you to remember God’s faithfulness, and it enables you to demonstrate trust in God to provide for all of your needs. In Deuteronomy 14:22–23, God instructed the Israelites: “Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord thy God always.” Whatever your current situation, tithing is a key to learning to live in the fear of God.
Finally, tithing is a regular reminder that what we call life is an interdependent web. We need each other to prosper, and that we must be concerned with the welfare of others if we are to maintain our own.
Giving a tithe and giving beyond the tithe are ways that you can honor God and reach out to meet the needs of others. “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it” (Malachi 3:10).
If there is a person you honestly consider to be your pastor, endeavor to minister to his needs as he has been faithful to ministering to your spiritual needs. Look around your neighborhood and address the needs of the people around you. You do not need to do everything, you were not created to solve everyone’s problem, you are just called: TO DO SOMETHING. Just do something, as little as 10%, and as small as only 1 out of the 10.
GOD BLESS YOU
I INVOKE TRUTH KNOWLEDGE AND FAITH in Jesus’ name. Amen
Pr. I.T.WHITE. +256-775-822833
iTiS Well of Worship Fellowship (John 4:24) 