Among the heavily debated topics in Christianity today is the tithe. Now, tithe is a revelation: As I preach on tithing, I want to clarify – I am a tither: I don’t take a salary from our church.
Is tithing for today? Did they tithe in the early church?
Heb 7:8 says “Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.”
The statement “Here mortal men receive tithes” is in the Present Active Indicative. This indicates that there was giving and receiving of tithes in the early church. A million-dollar question is answered. Yes, there was tithing in the early church.
5 TRUTHS ON BIBLICAL TITHING
1) Your tithe is your firstfruits: your “leftovers” cannot be your tithe
Tithe is also called firstfruits. It is not just 1/10th but the first tenth of your income. Therefore, with clarity, one cannot say “I don’t have money left over to tithe” because the tithe comes first.
2) Tithing is more than money: it reveals the attitude of the heart
Your heart is connected to money. Your heart is where your treasure is – where you put your money, where you invest, is where your heart will turn to. So when you tithe, your heart turns to God to say, “You are my master, and money is still my servant!”
Deut 8:18 – Remember the Lord your God; it is he who gives you power to get wealth. One of the ways to remember Him is by bringing the tithe.
3) Tithing is you honoring God in your finances
Solomon, the richest man in the Bible, writes: Pro 3:9-10 – Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
Tithing is to honor God with your firstfruits, and it will result in an overflow of riches and provision.
4) Tithing is a perpetual principle: it is not limited to “under the law”
(a) It is also seen in the Garden of Eden: Gen 2:16-17 – Among all the trees, God said because you honor me, don’t eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. What is that? The Principle of the Tithe.
(b) God promised to make Abraham a father of many – He gave him Isaac to start with. Gen 22:2 – One day God told him to offer Isaac as a sacrifice – Isaac is the tithe of his many descendants to come.
(c) When God gave them manna from heaven, Exo 16:33, 36 – God instructed them to keep up 1/10th of an ephah of manna in the Ark for generations to come. That is the tithe principle!
(d) In the Promised Land, the first city they took was Jericho – Joshua fought against 31 kings in 7 years. God instructed that the city be set on fire – What about the bounty? Josh 6:24 records that they brought the gold, silver, and the bronze into the treasury of the Lord. Because Jericho was the first city God gave them in the Promised Land, its treasures were their tithe to God there.
1ST MENTION OF THE TITHE
Gen 14:14-18 – After his victory in a battle, the King of Sodom goes to meet Abraham, but Melchizedek arrives before that and gives him a revelation.
Melchizedek is a type of Jesus Christ –
- Melchizedek means – King of Righteousness. Jesus is the true King of Righteousness.
- King of Salem means King of Peace. Jesus is our Prince of Peace.
- Melchizedek brought Bread and wine, which is the picture of the Holy Communion.
- Melchizedek was the Priest of the God Most High. Jesus is our Great High Priest.
- Melchizedek speaks only blessings – so is the priesthood of Jesus Christ.
- Melchizedek brings a revelation:
- Gen 14:19-20 – “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth.”
When the revelation came, Abraham gave a tithe and overcame the devil – Gen 14:21-22 – the Revelation is this: I have raised my hand to the possessor of heavens and the earth – HE IS MY SOURCE!
And look at how God responds to Abraham’s act of tithing: Gen 15:1 – I am your shield and exceedingly great reward. The Word reward is the Hebrew word SAKAR (Heb) (Salary, Compensation, and Benefit).
→Oswald J. Smith, Pastored People’s Church in Toronto, Canada. He preached radically that tithing is the way for prosperity. During the Great Depression, many came for help. To everyone he asked if they tithed. At the end of his research, he concluded: the ones who came to him for help, not even one of them was a tither. Those who were regular Tithers helped others during the famine, but non-tithers suffered.
Beloved, when you tithe, you are declaring God as your ultimate source, which is the way to keep our hearts healthy and also a strong foundation for growing wealthy and rich financially. Tithe with this revelation and become wealthy for the purposes of the Kingdom of God in Jesus’ name.