Worth Repeating - March 26, 2017

Numbers 18: 20 The Lord said to Aaron, “You will have no inheritance in their land, nor will you have any share among them; I am your share and your inheritance among the Israelites.” (NIV)

To benefit from a church’s staff, facilities, and events without praying, giving, and serving is no different from walking out of a store with items for which you haven’t paid.*

Many years ago I was a member of a small congregation in which a few other members decided that they were no longer happy with the preacher. Rather than handle the situation biblically, professionally or lovingly, these disgruntled “Christians” just stopped giving financially to the church. Soon there was not enough money to pay the poor preacher. 

This may not be new or unusual behavior among God’s people. While the physical survival of “fulltime ministers” depended on how faithful the other Israelites were,* there were many periods in Israel’s history when the Levites (the priestly tribe) lived in a state of poverty.* And in Malachi, chapter three, the prophet had to remind the people to “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse.” He actually accuses them of robbing God!

We are not under any “legal” obligation to tithe today, but there are scriptural principles that point to our duty as church members to provide financially for someone who can be available to “meet the pressing needs of the congregation.”* As “professionals,” of course our ministers trust God to provide for their needs, but as pew-level Christians we are missing out on God’s blessings if we aren’t giving at least 10% of our income to the Lord’s work. Blessing #1: Being obedient is its own reward. Blessing #2: Blessing others blesses us. Blessing #3: Living on the remaining 90% strengthens your faith in God’s provision.

Aaron and his tribe of priests were assured that God would be their share and their inheritance. As a priesthood of believers, Christians have double the opportunities to benefit from the same promise God made to the Levites: the blessing of his provision and the blessing of being the instrument of his provision.

If American Christians would tithe, we could wipe out poverty and tell the world about Jesus in no time.*