(This question is a follow-up to “His Money”)

     Is money given to the Lord attached to a particular church location, or is it to be used by the members that gave it?  For example, when a church dissolves its membership, if the money is simply “the Lord’s”, can it be used by another body of Christ for the Lord’s work?

Sincerely,
Membership Required

Dear Membership Required,

The location of the building isn’t the important thing; it is the organization of people who are guided by the elders that makes up a congregation (Php 1:1).  The elders are in charge of properly using the money that sits in the local treasury (Acts 11:29-30).  The local congregation’s leadership is held accountable for the distribution and use of the church’s funds.  This Bible pattern ties the money to the congregation (even if they move down the street), not the specific physical building they meet in.

In the sad circumstance that a congregation dissolves, the faithful thing to do is to make sure the funds are properly used before dissolving – and one proper use would be to give the funds to another faithful congregation that could use them – just like Acts 11:29-30 shows.

     What is the difference between tithing and offering?  Do we still give tithes and offerings?  Who does it apply to?  What or how much do we give, and why do we give?

Sincerely,
Give Me The Facts

Dear Give Me The Facts,

The New Testament and Old Testament teachings on giving are similar… but not the same.  The Old Testament was very specific that giving should be a minimum of ten percent (Deu 14:22).  The word ‘tithe’ means ‘one-tenth’.

However, the New Testament teaching is more generic.  Though ten percent is a good rule of thumb (after all, the Old Testament is given to us as an example – 1 Cor 10:11), christians are simply told to “give as they have prospered” (1 Cor 16:1-2).  God tells us to be cheerful givers (2 Cor 9:7), but He never specifically says how much christians should give.  That is an issue of wisdom and is left for each individual heart to work out for itself (Php 2:12). The specific rule of giving one-tenth of our income no longer applies; instead, we are told to examine our hearts and give thankfully.

If a church has money, as in a treasury, but the church is the people… if a congregation experienced 100% turnover in members, whose money is it? Suppose a small group of twelve members had a treasury of $30,000 and owned a building.  If two families moved, but a new family moved into town about the same time, could they just inherit the church’s treasury as their own?  How can a treasury of money be stored for generations and generations where the same members weren’t there who gave to it in the first place?  It seems like we have created an idea that the local church is an organization in and of itself apart from the people that define it.  We then give money to the organization, like giving to the Rotary club, and it doesn’t matter who the people are; the “club” still possesses the money.  Is this the biblical example?

Sincerely,
Membership Required

Dear Membership Required,

The local church is greater than the individuals that comprise it.  The local church is made up of the christians that meet in that particular location (like the saints that met in Corinth – 1 Cor 1:2 or the saints that met in Thessalonica – Php 1:1).  When a christian leaves that local area and attends elsewhere, they cease to be a member of that local congregation.  Over time, almost every congregation sees a complete (or near complete) turnover of its membership.  Christians have, and always will, be moving away because of jobs, life changes, retirement, etc.

This isn’t a problem because the church’s treasury doesn’t belong to the members – when new members come in, they don’t inherit anything because it belongs to the Lord, not us.  When churches take up a collection on the first day of the week (1 Cor 16:1-2), it is money that is collected from the christians and dedicated to the Lord’s work.

     Why do preachers that live by the gospel give money to the gospel?    And are they required by God to give as others are commanded to give?

Sincerely,
Where’s The Wallet?

Dear Where’s The Wallet,

Congregations are allowed to support their preachers financially (1 Cor 9:14), but preachers are still just men.  The rules for giving back to the Lord are no different for preachers than they are for any other christian.  God tells us all to be cheerful givers (2 Cor 9:7) and to give as we have prospered every first day of the week (1 Cor 16:1-2).  This is true for preachers just like everyone else.

In fact, this principle was even true in the Old Testament.  The Levitical priesthood (not that preachers are priests!) made their living from the offerings received at the temple, but they were still required to tithe just like everyone else (Num 18:26).

Why do we still struggle when we give tithes and offerings?

Sincerely,
Giving Up

Dear Giving Up,

The teaching that we will never struggle if we give enough money to God is called ‘The Prosperity Gospel’ and it is a false teaching.  The prosperity gospel doctrine teaches that the more faith you have, the more money, health, power, etc. you will receive.  They teach that all sicknesses, poverty, and suffering are caused by a lack of faith.  This is simply wrong.

Jesus suffered more than anyone – and yet He was perfectly faithful and never sinned (Heb 4:15).  When Jesus was asked why a certain man was blind, His answer was, “That God’s works could be revealed in Him” (Jhn 9:1-3).  That blind man wasn’t blind because He had sinned, He was blind because it gave God an opportunity to use him.  The apostle Paul had a “thorn in the flesh” (some sort of sickness) that God gave him… even though Paul was exceptionally faithful (2 Cor 12:7).  Job suffered at the hands of Satan BECAUSE he was so faithful (Job 1:8).  And last, but not least, God clearly states that we must suffer in order to enter the kingdom of heaven (Acts 14:22).

The idea that serving Christ will provide you with every physical blessing you could ever want is a perversion of the Scriptures.  It is a preaching that is based upon selfishness and the love of money – both of which God abhors (2 Tim 3:2, 1 Tim 6:10).  Christians should condemn and flee from this kind of false teaching.  Don’t let anyone rob you of your hope by feeding you a teaching that says you only suffer because you aren’t giving enough money.

What is the purpose of tithing, and does the end of Malachi still pertain to us today?  I’ve come to view tithing as a way of trusting that God will always supply your needs and also to allow His Word to spread through funding preachers and churches.  In this respect, the meaning would be synonymous with the Israelites and their requirement to tithe.  Are we still required to tithe?  Does the end of Malachi (the one time God says to test Him) still pertain to our generation?  Or was that verse solely meant for the people of that era?  Are we still allowed to test God to open up the windows of heaven and pour out blessings?  I have been tithing for a while, and I have seen God supply me with what I need, but now… things aren’t looking so great, and I’m starting to get really worried that He might be letting me go into a state of need.  Do I have the correct mindset for this Bible lesson?

Sincerely,
Feeling Slim

Dear Feeling Slim,

The verses you are referring to are Mal 3:8-10.  Tithing is a Jewish commandment, not a christian one (more on this in a bit), but the Old Testament is full of examples that give us principles to live by (1 Cor 10:11).  The principle behind Mal 3:8-10 is that when we give to God as He asks, He will bless us for our faithful trust in Him.  This is true in our finances and in every other area of life.  However, just because we give financially doesn’t mean that we won’t ever suffer or have needs.  The belief that giving to God will always get you more money is called the ‘Prosperity Gospel’ – read “Cash Cow” for specifics on that false doctrine.

Now let’s deal with the specifics of tithing.  Tithing is an Old Testament commandment (Num 18:24), not a New Testament one.  Jews tithe; christians “lay by in store as we have prospered” (1 Cor 16:1-3).  God doesn’t give a specific percentage that christians should give back.  We must prepare beforehand what we will give (that’s the “lay by in store” part – 1 Cor 16:2).  He also commands that we be “cheerful givers” and that we give as we have “purposed in our hearts” (2 Cor 9:7).  Though tithing (which means ‘one tenth’) is a good rule of thumb for giving… it isn’t a command.