(September) Thoughts: Tithe & Offering

DISCLAIMER
This is a sharing on my opinions and learnings of a topic in the bible. The following content should not be taken wholesale. I would recommend you to conduct your own study too because I do not claim to have complete expertise on this subject although this post was written with the best of my research and knowledge as of date. I vouch that my sharing is not of a fickle-minded nature because i take the studying and preaching of Word seriously. However, it is subjected to further changes because learning is a lifelong process and i may get new insights. My ultimate aim is to inform and whet your appetite to study the bible more so if you think any of my explanations lacking, that's great! Find the answers and we can have a discussion to strengthen our bible knowledge bank ;)

I never knew the difference between tithing and offering until i was late into a year of my Christian walk. Tithe - a Mosaic law that requires Jews to give a tenth of their annual income (back then it was probably animals/crops) to God. Offering - something you give not out of obligation but because you want to give. It is an addition to tithing.

Tithing

I had a hard time when i learnt about tithing not because i see it as 'wasting money', rather i felt that it was not my money to spend. My ex shepherd told me that she rationalised it that even though her allowance came from her parents, it ultimately came from God did it not? I couldnt refute it so for a period of time, i followed her rationality despite being a little uncomfortable. Subsequently, i was able to earn my own keep so it didnt matter anymore. Few months ago, HW gave me a new perspective on tithing.

“Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord's; it is holy to the Lord. If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman's staff, shall be holy to the Lord. One shall not differentiate between good or bad, neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.” These are the commandments that the Lord commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai.

Leviticus 27:30-34 

Lets say there are 100 sheep and 10 of them are blemished. The Lord commanded that every tenth animal that pass under the staff shall be set aside for God. Thus possibility for a blemished sheep to end up as an offering is comparatively low to rest of the perfect sheep. What does this mean? It means that God gave enough so that what was left was sufficient for the man to survive for the month. It means we actually receive 110% from God every month, instead of 100% and when we give, we are only giving back, not sacrificing the 10%.

So why did God give us the extra 10% only for us to return it? I think it is both a test and a process. It is easy to say that i believe the Lord is my Jehovah Jireh than to act in consistent with my beliefs. Tithing, in actuality, is merely a small test every month. The bible also says that money is the root of all evil and one cannot serve two lords. 10% may seem like nothing but translate it into dollar value, it can mean a lot. Choosing to give back the 10% means you choose God over money every month in that small area. It requires obedience and overtime it produces character. Therefore, even though tithing is not a requirement now because Christ is the perfect sacrifice and we are no longer under law, i insist that i tithe no matter the seasons in my life. It gets difficult sometimes but I want to at least be able to submit in obedience this small area of my life to God.

Offering

For a long time, i refused to reach into my wallet and drop some notes into the offering bag passed around every service. It was not that i didnt want to give (do remember that giving is obligatory) but there was something off - something felt wrong when i gave. It was when i suddenly recalled about this idea of the '$1 faith' that i found out what was repulsive to me. 

Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

Luke 21:1-4 

Every week, i see people reaching out into their pockets to put in (usually) a $2 note into the offering bag. That was also the usual amount i chose to give. Sometimes i would just pick up all my coins and throw it into the offering bag. You cant fault me or anybody else for giving but it was not the amount that put me off - it was the carelessness.

I realised that many people are careless in their giving, myself included. It is as though we didnt want to be seen as a scrooge by bypassing the offering bag so we throw in an amount that we can afford to lose. I am not claiming this for all but judging from their actions, i am pretty sure that most do not put much thought into their giving.

I got a confirmation regarding this issue when i was studying the bible one day.

The Collection for the Lord’s People
Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 16: 1-3

It seemed nothing on the surface level - just instructions from Paul. But why did Paul insist no collections be made on the day he comes? Why did he ask the people to decide how much to give in private? There are values behind this. We should seek God about our gift at home before coming to church so that our giving is not be manipulated by the public.

Preachers always quote Luke 21:1-4 to encourage church members that it is not the amount that matters, but the attitude behind the giving. However, it hit me that people tend to focus on the former part and forgot about the latter. Yes, how much to give is personal. But when a person gives, it should be something that challenges them; that challenges their faith. That was what Luke 21:1-4 truly meant. I'm pretty sure it was Pastor Rick Seaward who preached about the '$1 faith'. In it he said that putting our faith in God does not necessarily mean giving big amount of money. Sometimes, it can be as simple as giving a dollar more than what we are comfortable with.

It is ok not to offer. It is ok not to offer frequently. But from now onwards, when i offer, i want it to activate my faith in God.