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FROM THE PASTOR’S DESK
,
Bishop Randy Barnett, Oklahoma
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YOUR WORSHIP OF GIVING TO GOD
The most significant demonstration of covenant love is to give, for
giving to the other party within a covenant relationship is what it is all
about. God first gave to us His Son Jesus and in this paramount Gift He
demonstrated true giving from a heart of love. So it should be with us to God.
Giving should be so much a part of our relationship with Him that we are always
looking for another opportunity to give to our Father.
There are three levels of Kingdom giving. The first and most basic level
of giving to God is the tithe, which represents one tenth of one’s income. Offerings are the second category of
giving, these are your gifts offered to God over and above the tithe. The
giving of alms is the third type of
sacrifice to God; it is given directly to someone in need. A covenant person
will willingly and joyfully practice all three types of giving.
My encouragement to you is to not set the tithe (10%) as a standard for
your giving. It is my opinion that our giving begins at the tithe level. Your
giving of offerings above the tithe is a good practice in that it helps to
promote special projects in the church or to expand the gospel around the
world, or some other worthwhile Kingdom endeavor. The amount or the percentage
given in the form of offerings may be determined either by your own choice or
by divine guidance of the Holy Spirit to give. It is good to remember that your
financial harvests come back to you in proportionate levels to your level of
giving. (II Corinthians 9:6) Alms giving also may be initiated by your own
compassion for someone in need or the Lord may guide you to help that needy
person. Monies given in the form of alms is repaid directly to you in an equal
amount by God Himself. (Proverbs 19:17)
There continues to be errors in some Christians’ minds concerning the
tithe. Let us set to rest the false doctrines about tithing.
1)
Tithing is an Old Covenant practice and does not apply to us in the
Church today. It is true that tithing was one of the commands given by God to
2)
Tithing dictates one’s status. Some church groups wrongly connect one’s
righteousness or at least one’s good standing with the local church to their
tithing. This is not good. One’s right-standing with God is a gift from Him;
righteousness is not a measurement of
obedience to any particular commandment, nor should a pastor or church
measure one of his own by their level of tithing. The tithe is solely between
God and His child.
3)
Tithing is a form of fund-raising. The tithe must never be used as a
form of fund-raising for the church. Some ministers have heavy-handedly
promoted tithing to fund the operations of the local church. This is not good.
Even though the monies from tithes that are received into the church are used
for the purposes of sustaining the local church, the emphasis must not be on
the need for money. The intended purpose for the tithe is an act of worship to
God by one of His covenant partners. Encouraging Christians to tithe in order
to produce operating monies is error.
It is good to remember that giving to God is never a matter of loss to
the giver. Your tithe or offering is a Kingdom investment. Your gifts to God
are seeds that will produce a harvest in far greater measure in value for you
than the original seed that was planted. Alms given to the needy, on the other
hand, are literally monies you lend to
God and He will quickly return them to you. As you can see, your giving to
God is always good and it is always profitable.
One final thought. Determine in your heart to make your giving a joyful
thing. Avoid allowing your giving to deteriorate into a religious burden. The
truth is this: giving is a privilege God has afforded His covenant partners to
participate in the Gospel and to help alleviate the burdens of poverty and
lack. Your gifts advance the
