Very early in my ministry, the Lord told me about the crucial importance of the faith message, saying, “Go teach my people faith.” Some have supposed that from then on, all I did was talk about faith, but that’s not so. While I always emphasized faith when appropriate, I felt constrained to present the whole Gospel, a balanced message.
I’ve known pastors who have focused more on money, giving, and prosperity than any other subject. Sometimes, they would put a guilt trip on people if they didn’t give, or they would use high-pressure tactics to motivate individuals to respond.
I’ve never felt that was the right way to present this important truth to the people of God. Yes, I know all the scripture verses that teach both the responsibility and blessing of giving. The Bible does say, “Give, and it shall be given unto you . . .” (Luke 6:38). It does say, “… seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33). These truths definitely should be taught to all believers, but the Word also says, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7).
Another rendering of that passage says, “I want each of you to take plenty of time to think it over and make up your mind what you will give. That will protect you against sob stories and arm-twisting. God loves it when the giver delights in the giving” (Message).
I’ve also heard preachers try to hammer Christians by quoting from Malachi chapter 3, saying that they are cursed if they don’t pay tithes and give offerings; obviously, this is not correct. While the people of Malachi’s day were under the Law of Moses, the New Testament plainly declares that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law (Gal. 3:13).
Does that mean that tithing is no longer valid? Not at all. God’s people were tithers four hundred years before the Law, and Jesus reaffirmed the validity of tithing in His teaching. In the only recorded instance of Jesus referring to tithing, He said it should be done!
But there is no curse today for not tithing; we are free from the legalistic requirements of the Mosaic Law. Is there any other consequence? Yes, if we don’t tithe, we limit ourselves from receiving the blessings God has promised those who pay tithes and give offerings by faith.
Giving is an essential part of Christian living. Every Christian leader has a responsibility to practice and teach what the Bible says about giving, but the emphasis must be kept in balance with teachings about other truths and doctrines in the Word of God. Pastors do as much of a disservice to their congregations by never teaching about tithing and giving as by talking about it all the time. There must be balance, and the purpose of the instruction must be for the benefit and blessing of the people, not for what the preacher will gain from it.
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The Bible says that Jesus went about teaching, preaching, and healing (Matt. 9:35). It doesn’t say that He spent a lot of time taking up offerings and emphasizing prosperity. We know He did have partners who supported His ministry. We can find scripture references where Jesus talked about money and giving, especially in reference to helping the poor, but even the critics of Jesus were never able to say that He was in it for the money. Instead, the report that was published throughout all of Judaea was that He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil (Acts 10:38).
Credit: Heavenly Mandate
