Luke 11:37-42; Matthew 6:19-24; Proverbs 3:9-10
WHY?
There are lots of reasons behind tithing to support
the mission of Christ, but maybe the strongest case for it is because Jesus
told us to! There is a passage in Luke 11 we'll read soon that shows Jesus
talking with a Pharisee (religious person). Jesus tells him that the Pharisees
love to boast about their tithing in front of everyone, but they avoid other
parts of following God like love and justice.
Instead of telling them to completely ignore
tithing and only focus on the things they were missing, He says they ought to
have continued to tithe and ALSO not neglect things like justice and love. He's
letting them know that the only thing they were actually doing right was being
faithful with their finances (although they were doing it with the wrong
motives and the wrong heart, hence his instruction for them).
Jesus makes it clear
that it wasn't just something that the Israelites did in the Old Testament, but
it was something we ought to carry into the church.
Maybe the greatest
reasoning for His decision to carry it over for us as Christians is because
when we give, we get the opportunity to support the mission of Jesus. We get to
participate in seeing people's lives changed because we can open the doors and
turn the lights on.
Maybe the question
shouldn't be 'why tithe,' but 'why not?' If you're truly following Jesus, why
wouldn't you want to give and support people meeting Jesus just like you were
provided the opportunity to?
Adapted From: Next Steps
Give - You Version
