We've all seen or heard someone make a comment about the church that goes something like this: "All the church wants is my money," or "We shouldn't give money to the pastor because he'll just use it to buy a new iPad."
As a result, so many people are discouraged from giving to ministry or to the church thinking that ministers will most probably just mishandle or misappropriate funds. The common stigma this creates is the toxic thinking that ministries cannot be trusted with money so "I'd rather not give."
While it's true that a small handful of pastors have been reported in the news to be misusing the funds of their churches, they account for a tiny portion of the churches out there, and there are a hundredfold ministers all around the world who have taken good care of God's finances.
Malachi 3:10 says, "Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house."
The church is today's "storehouse," and God commands that we return a full tithe to Him, which God's Word clearly states is 10 percent.
The notion of giving 10 percent of our earnings has long been a stand of debate among some, and critics claim that the notion is legalistic and even an obsolete Old Covenant law that no longer needs to be practiced.
There is too much behind the issue to discuss in one blog post. However, if we really get to the root of the issue and ask ourselves, "Is 10 percent too much?" we will most likely come to the conclusion that God deserves more than just 10 percent.
Imagine what it would be like if God asked for 15, 20, or even 50 percent of our earnings? He definitely has the right to do so since it is He who gives us the ability to produce wealth.
And some will think that giving the tithe just isn't logical because it goes to the church and not to God. Here are two ideas we must understand about giving to the church so that we may see a little bit clearer why God calls us to give.
God doesn't need our money
When one comes to think of it, why would God ask us to give Him money anyway? It's definitely not because He needs it. Tithing is a blessing, and it is an opportunity for us to experience God's grace by being given the chance to contribute to God's ministry and His work. Attending church, tithing, praying - all these things are not things for us "to keep" as a burden, rather they are things that God has gifted us to "keep us", to help us to maintain and even strengthen our faith and relationship with God.
God doesn't also ask us to give to pastors and ministries because He can't feed them Himself, but because He wants you to receive the blessing of participating in His redemptive work that is done through His church.
The church is the staple representation of God's work on Earth
God's Word says that we return our tithe to God, but technically your giving does go to the church. That is because the church -- the community of believers and not the building or organization -- is the body of Christ on earth, given the commission to reveal God's love, compassion, mercy, and living Word to this world.
So when we give tithe we are giving to God, and in a way it is a method of planting a small seed from which many more works of God can be done, and many more blessings can fall, and many more people can experience God's love and grace. Surely this is a blessing, which is why we should give with a joyful and cheerful heart.
