Dear MLEPC Members and Friends:
A single frame cartoon appeared in a Christian publication that pictured two men coming out of church after a Sunday worship service. Both were carrying their Bibles under their arms. But otherwise, all they had on for clothing were their boxer shorts. The one man said to the other, "That was the best sermon on tithing I've ever heard." Apparently the preacher's message was so compelling that the two men literally took the shirts off their backs--not to mention pants, shoes and socks--and gave them for God's work.
The sermon passage for this Sunday is one of the most famous in Scriptures concerning giving to God's work through providing tithes and offerings. Many preachers have cited it during sermons when the church was lagging behind its budget. Many church leaders have referred to it during stewardship campaigns. It includes these famous words found in Malachi 3:8-10,
"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, `How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse--the whole nation of you--because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.
The accusation of robbery is a strong one. We recall that the seventh of the Ten Commandments charges us not to steal. This commandment typically is direct and applied toward prohibiting theft of other people's possessions. We have a complex set of laws in our country that define stealing and spell out penalties for infractions. We have an extensive law enforcement system that works to catch thieves. Lots of people, time, money and energy are applied in order to uphold the command, "Thou shalt not steal."
In this Bible passage, however, the victim of this robbery is the Lord, and the thieves are His people. They are breaking the seventh command with regard to Yahweh God. How much more egregious than stealing from other human beings this is! And just how are the people robbing God? It is by withholding their tithes and offerings.
Tithes represented ten percent of one's income and property value. Offerings included giving above and beyond the ten percent tithe. In Malachi's time, tithes and offerings were used for three major purposes--to finance the daily ministry of the Jerusalem Temple, to maintain temple upkeep, to support the priests and Levites who worked there, and to provide for the poor, the sick, and the needy in the community. Because the people were withholding their resources, these four purposes were suffering. And God was grieved.
Put in contemporary terms for our time, tithes and offerings are employed to forward the mission and ministry of the church, to maintain the church building and property, to compensate church employees, and to reach out to meet the needs of the community in the name of the Lord. When we give generously, we indicate that we want our church's mission and ministry to thrive. We say that we want our facilities to be well-maintained, useful, and even beautiful for God and His people. We vote our support for the church staff members who make it their very life's work to honor the Lord by helping us all to grow in grace and truth. And we provide for outreach in our community and beyond to those who need help--be it spiritual, material, emotional, or psychological.
Bad news: God is still grieved when we don't provide it. We rob Him still. We find ourselves breaking the seventh commandment against our Lord and Savior.
Good news: God is still delighted when we do provide it. He still loves to open up His heavenly storehouse to bless His faithful children and servants. He continues to be our God "who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or imagine according the power at work within us" (Ephesians 2:20). He is generous to us as we are generous to Him. He turns to us when we return to Him with open hearts, open hands, and open supply of tithes and offerings given in love.
The way of curing and the way of blessing still is set before us by our God who would far, far, far prefer to bless us. Let's take this to heart when we make decisions about our tithes and offerings on Sunday mornings.
Pastor Tim
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