ACTS-Inspirations  
# 906 - Tithing Revealed

By Lisa Walter

 

Happy Thanksgiving from the

ACTS Foundation, Inc.

Team and Board!

We are in the Abu Dhabi airport waiting to board a plane for India. Although we are not celebrating Thanksgiving Day as we traditionally do, we have thankful hearts. Tithing is a way of expressing Thanksgiving to God all year long. Our friend, Lisa Walter, spoke on the importance of tithing recently and we asked if we could share it with all of you. Be blessed. Pastors Ralph and Susan McIntosh

TITHING REVEALED / By Lisa Walter

When God reveals something from His Word to me, one of my first thoughts is, “Am I the last one to this party?” This thought crossed my mind recently when God enriched my understanding of the concept of tithing. At the risk of being just that – the last one to the party, I will share what God gave me. I hope it blesses you…

It was my mother who first taught me the biblical principle of tithing when I was young. I remember her explaining to me on more than one occasion that when she and my father were first married their income was small, but they would faithfully tithe out of their increase every week, giving 10% to their church. They rented in the beginning, but soon were able to buy a house and she would say that she never really knew how they did it, but they were never short or lacking for anything during those early, lean years. This is a rather surprising comment coming from my mother who was very good with numbers and kept records of everything. In fact, she passed away nearly 12 years ago, I found that she had saved every canceled check she had written from the time she and my dad were married, and there they were, every check to the Presbyterian church I grew up in – every single week! As I looked through the years of checks she had filed away, sure enough, over time, they grew in amount – physical evidence to me of their faithful tithing and God’s faithfulness to His Word.

I have seen first-hand in my own life how God’s Word from Malachi 3:10-11 is true. He says, (10) “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. (11) And I will rebuke the devourer for your sake, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.”

The first mention of the tithing concept is not in Malachi, however. It shows up very early on in Genesis, chapter 4 in the story of Cain and Abel. It is a well-known story and one I have heard taught on many times. But I have struggled for years trying to understand why God was pleased with Abel’s offering but not with Cain’s. At first I had no clue – figuring that God was God and at first I was satisfied with that – but not for very long. I believe God wants us to know Him and to know and understand biblical concepts, especially if we are to align our actions with His Word and follow Him. Over the years my understanding eventually progressed to something a little more acceptable to me as “logical” but I still didn’t have a settled peace about it. Perhaps God was pleased with Abel’s offering because He preferred “live” sacrifice to “non-live”. A sheep (Abel’s offering) versus Cain’s offering of the fruit of the ground. After all, God gives extensive and detailed instructions to the children of Israel for performing their various offerings – many of which required live animals to be sacrificed. I could make that correlation and again I was satisfied – for a while. But I still knew there was a better understanding – I just wasn’t there yet. That is, until I heard a teaching on tithing recently by Robert Morris, pastor of Gateway Church in Texas. It was an amazing revelation to me

In brief, he explained that when we don’t tithe we are under a curse. Not a curse from God, but a curse nonetheless. Going back to Malachi 3:8-9, which says, (8) “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. (9) Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.” Then revelation began to come to me. He went on to explain that the sacrifices in Israel were necessary to REDEEM the people from the curse of sin – so, likewise is the tithe necessary to REDEEM us from the “curse” mentioned in Malachi 3:9. Pastor Morris went so far as to say that if someone coming to him for counseling does not have the tithing principle working properly in their life, they cannot expect to have the full blessing of God in other areas of their life! A bold statement, but this concept goes much deeper than our finances!

Going back to the passage in Genesis 4, I was directed to read again as follows starting in verse 2, “…And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. (3) And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. (4) And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: (5) But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect.” I had never seen it before: “In process of time it came to pass”! In other words, when Cain got around to it!! Cain’s offering was not of the “first” of his harvest. But Abel’s was of the “firstlings” of his flock! God wants the “first” of our increase whatever it is comprised of. After all, our ENTIRE increase comes from Him! I love it when God gives new revelation on passages we are so familiar with! His Word is truly alive! But there is more to this tithing concept that was opened up to me. 

Some time back there were a number of years I enjoyed listening to Adrian Rogers. It was a marvel and a blessing to me how he would bring every message back to the Cross. No matter the subject in the beginning, the “road” he was on always led to the message of salvation and Jesus’ gift of redemption offered to mankind. In like manner, I have learned that everything in the Bible points to Jesus. The story of Joseph is an amazing example of this. So many of the things he experienced and suffered are a fore-shadowing of the life and person of Jesus.

God’s instruction to us to tithe is also beautifully and powerfully portrayed in the offering up of His first-born and only son Jesus dying for our sins!! Jesus’ death on the Cross forever eliminated the need for all the offerings described in the Old Testament. Those Old Testament offerings were needed to redeem the Jews from their sins, but Jesus became the REDEEMER for all mankind! A “first fruits” offering! I am still digesting the enormity of the meaning behind the tithe, but it has become even more holy to me because of the added understanding through this recent revelation.

To Christians who say they can’t afford to tithe, Pastor Morris says you will never be able to afford to tithe, until you tithe! I know by experience that 90% of your income will go much further with God’s blessing than will 100% of your income without His blessing! To God be the tithe…and all glory, honor and praise!!

2016

Lisa Walter

Santa Ynez, California