This is not a hypothetical question. Please answer below. Thank you.
This could be you
For years she was paying her tithes and giving her offerings to the same church. She would sit in the same spot at the same time every Sunday morning. As a matter of fact, so did the other members.
At years end, she had given an estimated $3,200 dollars to her church in tithes, offerings, and special offerings while donating over 156 labor of love hours.
A number of years ago disaster struck and in the middle of believing God that she was the next one to receive her miracle money she was instead handed a piece of paper with the word EVICTION.
Times had been rough but never rough enough to keep her giving her 10 percent plus more. For her it was a curse to even think about not giving the tenth to God. A curse she could not afford.
In time, this tither had lost both of her jobs and was unable to pay rent, electricity, or any other bills. She only had enough for food and that was soon gone as her kids ate as if they were oblivious to the reality of the problem. On a wing a prayer she continued trusting God until the money ran dry and she received an eviction notice on her door.
The rent was due. The kids were soon hungry. And the Church she went to turned her down from helping to pay her bills.
As time would have it, she eventually became homeless.
The next Sunday was Pastor Appreciation Sunday: a day that all the members gave extra on top of their tithes and offerings as an additional “Thank You” to the Pastor.
On this day, the Pastor was left in his office until an usher escorted him out to the congregation, supposedly to “keep him in the dark.”
“This year we want to buy the Pastor a nicer vehicle. We need $60,000 to come in. We have taken some of the money from the church but we need you to dig deep in your pockets to help us pay it off. God doesn’t want us to borrow the money. He tells us in scripture that you shall not muzzle the ox that feeds you.”
And with that the glimpse of hope of receiving the promised 100 fold from God from her tithes and offerings faded away as the offering plate was passed around.
Why so sad?
As scripture has it, never has it referred to giving God tithes and offerings as an investment that promises the winning lottery ticket or the lost bag of money. The institutionalization of it is not for the one giving the money but for the ones receiving it! The secondary benefit of giving is the blessing of joy that comes when the need of another is met. But when that money has been taken advantaged of and the congregation’s needs are not met physically, a sour taste from the fruit of the ministry is left in the mouth of all who partook.
Through studying the scriptures and the historical setting that complements each book of the Bible, the truth of the matter is this:
Paying tithes and offerings doesn’t make you rich.
God never said that it would make one rich, people did. So how did it come to this point where Pastor’s flourish in money but the people who are being fed barely have any of it? That’s a topic for another time but briefly the person who oversees their sheep has the faith to believe God to supply all of their needs or they have the ability to make people to supply their needs. Not every Pastor or minister has the faith of Abraham to trust God, so placing pressure on the sheep they “shear” their sheep to make their money. Ministry was never looked upon as a job that provided an income that exceeded the welfare of the people.
There is one truth found in scripture that makes followers of Christ not only rich, but prosperous in hard times and bountiful in times when there is a drought. This type of Godly prosperity transcended the realm of material bringing a Godly joy, peace, and safety along with a personal relationship with God.
Tithes and offerings (brief) background
The tithes and offerings were to be brought into the ‘storehouse’ not into the store of the house. What was the storehouse? According to Nelsons Illustrated Bible dictionary (1986 ed.) the storehouse was a supply depot or warehouse for the storage of food such as grains and vegetables. Items such as these were kept in underground cellars. Oil and wine were also kept there. The storehouse would also house gifts such as treasures, military weaponry. A title or deed to a property was also kept in another type of storehouse or chamber. The purpose of the storehouse was to kept poverty at bay when times of famine or war struck Gods people. In addition, it was provided as a means to meet the needs of the children of God during times of personal hardships so that there was not one lacking in the Church (Acts 4:32).
Question to be answered
If tithes and offerings make one rich, why are most Christians in America and many parts of the world poor?
Leave your thoughts, ideas, and opinions, in the comment section below. The true answer will surprise you and help you to draw near to God.
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