What experiences have you had of tithing your income?

Question

Did it increase your prosperity/change your life in some way?

Answer 1

I went to church one night after I had lost my job due to illness (heart disease). My wife also lost her job the same month. I didn't have much money to put in the offering plate so I just put in a 5 dollar bill. That very night at closing time my pastor gave me 5 one hundred dollar bills. In a business meeting he never mentioned my name but said he gave that much money to a needy family.
That act of kindness changed my life for the better. I an now a Sunday School Superintendent, drive the Church bus, and lead church services.
God has blessed my home.

Answer 2

GT'swife gives a good answer. I've heard form lots of people that they are better off when they tithe. I tithed for a while (back when I had a job) and it made me really conscious of not wasting my money - on cakes and stuff like that.

I also had the wierd experience of walkign into a shop, and finding some jeans in my size reduced to £5. I was amazed and I felt that God was looking out for me. The same thing happened again when I needed a jumper for work...I found a brand new one in the sale for £3!

Titthing is good for making you conscious about what you have and what you're spending. It also lets you focus on God more, and his provision for you.

But becareful. Tithing should be a love-gift. If you expect a reward for love...then you "love" is merely a bribe. And one can't bribe God.

Answer 3

Before I was married I didn't tithe, and I was always having money problems. I also thought I didn't make enough money to spare. After I was married, my husband insisted on tithing, and I didn't understand, but respected his decision about it, and I really have seen a difference. We started to prosper when we tithe routinely. There were bills we knew we couldn't afford to pay at certain times but we were faithful in giving our 10 percent, sometimes more, and we ended up having the money to pay the bills not knowing how!! At one point we weren't faithful with it, and we saw a major difference, and definitely realized that we were wrong to not do it. It has changed our lives and I feel we prosper.

Answer 4

I have found that being faithful with your finances is often the easiest way to see a reaction from God. He has always reacted swiftly when I have done this - not exactly sure why. It's really not that hard either, if you try it you'll really enjoy it, just try to keep it more secret than public. Mt6:4

Answer 5

Tithing
Another example of this is in the call for tithes within a church. Nowhere in the New Testament are Christians told to tithe. Let's look at this a little more closely.
For all of the wrong reasons many church leaders have promoted the concept of tithing to ensure that their church has "sufficient" income to pay its bills. Some church leaders even use emotional blackmail to support their viewpoint.

They make statements like: "The Bible says that you won't have food in your house unless you tithe, you can't out-give God [referring to Malachi 3:10]. If you don't tithe you are demonstrating your unbelief, your greed, and your lack of 'right' teaching."

How many church services have you attended where the offering is the predominant part of the proceedings? How many times is the call for "tithes and offerings" longer that the pastor's sermon? We should not wonder why non-Christians or "backslidden" Christians shake their heads and say: "They are only interested in my money!"

Sadly, in many cases that seems to be true...

One argument for tithing is that it precedes the Law because it was mention in Genesis. If that argument was valid then everything mentioned before the Law was established (often called pre-Levitical) would still be relevant today – like animal sacrifice. Sacrifice still is valid today, but not the sacrifice of animals. We sacrifice ourselves to Christ by giving up our flesh (our fleshly desires).

In the same way, giving (making an offering) is just as relevant in a New Covenant church as was giving in the pre-Leviticus church – but not the Law which supports tithing

Many churches confuse offerings with tithes – Grace with Law. Rather than trust God to supply their needs they use selected passages from the Old Testament to 'persuade' their members to tithe.

Paul spoke clearly on this when he said:

For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. [2 Corinthians 8:12 NIV]

If the willingness is there? What willingness is there if we are tithing because we are told that we must? Clearly, if we are not giving willingly then the gift is not acceptable to God.

Paul also said:

Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. [2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV]

Does this mean that we should not make a generous offering to the church? Of course not, the joy is in the giving and we should be happy to give as generously as we can. Paul simply says that we should give cheerfully.

So an offering is made under Grace (a free gift cheerfully given) and a tithe is made under Law (if you don't pay then God won't bless you).

If a church is truly trusting in God for its provision then it does not need to demand that its members tithe. However, many churches do not trust God – they trust emotional blackmail and manipulation to ensure a sufficient income for their church to pay for the buildings and its infrastructure, to "pay the bills".



“Any church that relies on tithing for their income is not trusting God to supply their needs.”

Church leaders might like to see a "healthy" bottom line when the accounts are audited, but what has that to do with worshipping God, with carrying out the Great Commission?

Maybe they should remember Proverbs 3:5-6...

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. [NIV]

and...

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. [Philemon 4:19 NIV]

Any church that relies on tithing for their income is not trusting God to supply their needs.

The Bible says that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10) which is simply saying that He is wealthy. If He is so rich, why should He need our pennies? God doesn't need our pennies, but what He does want from us is a generous heart. He doesn't want us to give grudgingly – which we are more likely to do if we are blackmailed into tithing – but to give joyfully.

Should that gift just be money? Of course not – that gift to God might be your labor and/or your time. Of course, churches cannot bank the labor you give so some "encourage" us to both work for God by serving, and also by giving financially.

I think that many church leaders will have a lot of explaining to do when they stand before the Judgement Seat.

Answer 6

in my opinion it burns holes in the pockets of fools.

Answer 7

the biggest waste time i mean money ever

Answer 8

No, that's just mad. Don't give away your money.

Answer 9

depens