Is Tithing Still a Thing for Today?

 Yes, tithing is still something that Christians should do today. 

What follows is a short response to a few common objections that I have heard from people. I will attempt to give some scriptural references to clarify and respond to those ideas that reject tithing for Christians today. Following the objections, I will seek to answer some common questions people have about tithing.

Objection #1: The "tithe" is part of the Old Testament Law and the New Testament does away with the Law. 

Response: Certainly the tithe, which means 10%, is part of the Law. Leviticus 27:30:34 includes the tithe as part of the law. However, the tithe also predates the Law given to Moses in the Old Testament. The first tithe is actually found in Genesis 14:19-20 and shares Abraham tithing to the King-Priest Melchizedek. Jacob offers a tithe in Genesis 28:20-22 that also predates the law. The tithe is an issue for God's people before the Law, under the Law, and after Jesus is a fulfilment of the Old Covenant. God's people tithe as an act of worship from the heart.

Objection #2: Jesus never supported the concept of tithing in the New Testament.

Response: Not true. Some will take the passage from Matthrew 23 in which Jesus rebukes the scribes and Pharisees as an affront to the idea of tithing. Lets look at the verse in question. Matthew 23:23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others." Jesus' point is that they have tithed, but neglected the "weightiers matters of the law: justice, and mercy and faithfulness." His rebuke is not that they tithed, but that they tithed and thought that it absolved them from things like faithfulness in other areas. Then he closes out his rebuke saying: "These you ought to have done [tithing], without neglecting the others [justice, mercy, & faithfulness]." From Jesus' words, it wasn't either/or it was both/and.

Objection #3: The New Testament says that everything belongs to God so we should give everything not just 10%. 

Response: There's no doubt that everything we have is a gift from God. Even those who may claim that they pulled themselves up by their own bootstraps must acknowledge that God gave them the strength, intelligence, and talent to earn what they have. We are really not owners, but stewards of all that we "possess." Tithing, which literally means 10%, is simply an ongoing way to acknowledge God's blessings upon us. We also recognize that God has made clear through the Bible that refusing to tithe from our income/increase is really to steal from God (Malachi 3:8-12).

And now some of the questions:

Question #1: Should I tithe on the gross or net income?

Response: There are a few nuances to this question that are important. First it is important to note that the tithe is based off of income. Gifts from others, presents at Christmas or birthdays, and other such gifts do not need to be tithed on. (Though there are some people who feel led by the Lord to tithe on gifts. This is a matter of individual conviction and liberty.) 

The other difficult thing is that some people receive income weekly in the form of a pay check. Those pay checks have various local and federal taxes already taken out. Tithe is based on an individual's total income and not income minus taxes. It is important in that case to tithe on money already removed from the paycheck.

Some people have a bit more calculations to do to determine their actual income. Farmers, small business owners, independent contractors, artists, and some other kind of occupations have to figure out the cost of "doing business." For example, a farmer who sells their cattle does not count the full price of the cow as income since they had to feed, care for, and spend a certain amount of money to raise the cow. The income that they make from the sale of the cow needs to account for the initial investment. 

The larger point is that some of the issues of gross vs net income are questions of the conscious and the Holy Spirit will give discernment to those who are earnestly seeking to give with a cheerful heart to the Lord.

Question #2: What if I cannot afford to tithe?

Response: You cannot afford not to tithe. If you are in debt, do not get out of debt by robbing God. Cut back in your expenses in the areas of entertainment, eating at restaurants, traveling, new furniture or clothes, etc. Tithe should always be the first expenditure, not the left overs from a busy financial month. 

Question #3: Am I required to tithe even if I am not a member of the church? 

Response: Yes. Your membership is irrelevant to your obedience to the Lord on the matter of tithing. 

Question #4: What if I don't like how the church is spending money?

Response: Tithing is not about determining the ways the money is spent, but trusting and worshiping the Lord through your income/finances. There are systems and polity in place in each local congregation to determine how each dollar is used for ministry. It is important for churches to be transparent about how money is spent and to be good stewards of that money, but it is inappropriate to use the Lord's tithe as a means of controlling the local church budget. If you have concerns about the budget, you need to talk to the pastor, finance committee, or leadership of the local church. If your concerns are of a moral nature (illegal activity, theft, etc), then you have a responsibility to report to local church leadership (then denominational leadership) and, if not taken seriously, find another church. 

Question #5: Can I give my tithe to other organizations (non profits) that are doing good work? If I am helping out my neighbor or a friend does that count as tithe?

Response: No. Those are offerings that every believer should be doing in addition to their tithing. Offerings that are directed to specific ministries are not the same as tithe. Tithe is always to the local church body that you are ministering through. Helping a family member, friend, or neighbor with finances is something that is done in addition to tithing, not in place of tithing. 

There may be other questions or comments you have. Please comment with those below and, as time permits, I'll edit this article to include those questions you might have and a response to them. I'll close with the the statement on "Storehouse Tithing" from the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene in paragraph 32.1.  

"Storehouse tithing is a scriptural and practical performance of faithfully and regularly placing the tithe into that church to which the member belongs. Therefore, the financing of the church shall be based on the plan of storehouse tithing, and the local Church of the Nazarene shall be regarded by all of its people as the storehouse. All who are a part of the Church of the Nazarene are urged to contribute faithfully one-tenth of all their increase as a minimum financial obligation to the Lord and freewill offerings in addition as God has prospered them for the support of the whole church, local, district, educational, and general. The tithe, provided to the local Church of the Nazarene, shall be considered a priority over all other giving opportunities which God may lay upon the hearts of His faithful stewards, in support of the whole church."

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I Went to an Abortion Clinic

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I Went to an Abortion Clinic

I remember the first time I stood outside of an abortion clinic. 

It was a cool day and I zipped up my jacket almost to the neck. I noticed people with orange safety vests congregating around the door. (I found out later they were anything but safe.)

The "clinic" had just opened. I was standing among people with signs, tracts, and even bull horns. I had heard many warnings about such people. They were "too extreme and hurt the witness of the church" I had been told. I was there to find out first-hand how they damaged the kingdom. 

Women, mostly young but some that were middle aged, began to find their way down the sidewalk escorted by the people in the orange vests. They were of all ethnicity and socio-economic statuses. 

After the first few walked through, I was gripped with a reality I had not foreseen: there was a spiritual atmosphere of darkness. Most of the women had a level of embarrassment or shame evident by their eyes looking down and often their hands covering their faces. Other women mocked the gathered crowd with taunts about how they were going to kill their baby. 

A chill went up my spine that shook me, but it was not from the cold temperatures. It was bitter coldness of a different kind. 

I noticed an elderly lady who held a small Bible and a few pamphlets pleading with mothers going into the clinic about different options and that she would care for the baby in their womb. Her pleading was emotional and desperate. She wept after multiple women disregarded her and went into the building. A husband and wife in their 30's stood pleading with the mothers entering the place of death. Their offer was to adopt the child if the mother would spare it. Some yelled. Some wept. Some sang. Some prayed quietly (and some vocally).

Emotion overwhelmed me as I stood watching the scene unfold. The spiritual weight of those moments helped me to realize even more than ever that abortion was not a political issue; it was a moral and even more importantly a spiritual one. People with individual DNA and a future were about to be ripped apart or burned alive in what should be the very safest place anyone could ever be: their mother's womb. 

I resolved to never be silent about those who could not defend themselves. I am prolife.

"There are six things that the Lord hates, seven that are an abomination to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that make haste to run to evil, a false witness who breathes out lies, and one who sows discord among brothers."
Proverbs 6:16‭-‬19

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Is Life Constantly Hard For You?

Is life constantly hard for you? Do you consistently deal with drama? Is turmoil a constant in your life? 

Consider, not only your circumstances, but also what your mind feeds on. Your mental health and lack of righteous thinking may be due to your choice of entertainment.

Is the music you listen to negative with a theme of broken relationships, profanity, and/ or abuse? 

Do you watch pornography? Do you binge watch media for hours a day from a streaming service or app?

Do the movies/ TV that you watch include the exploitation of women (nudity/immodesty), sexual abuse, or immoral sexual relationships?

Do you play video games multiple hours every day (either on your phone or with a gaming system)? 

Does the "news" you watch include constant debating and arguments that are heated and loud? Do you enjoy watching talk shows that exploit broken situations and relationship?

Do you read books that would be considered pornography if they were visual? 

Expressing emotions, communicating, and responding to people in relationships is a learned behavior. The more time you listen, watch, or read things that tell you how to do it improperly, the more you will live them out in your own life. Thus, constant drama ensues because we feed on inappropriate ways to respond.

For example, if you regularly watch soap operas, do not be surprised when your life becomes a soap opera with gossip, lies, marital infidelity, and division. 

The people that seem to be having a good time on the beer commercials are actors and actresses. The reality is heartache and brokenness. 

It's good to consider what your mind feeds upon. It might make the difference between joy and sorrow for your whole life!

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Should Christians Celebrate Independence Day?

Dear Christian, 

Of course it is appropriate to celebrate #IndependenceDay. 

No pastor that I am aware of actually believes the country should be worshiped. (That's ridiculous.) No pastor, that I am aware of, advocates for allegiance to nation over Christ... that's idolatrous and a straw man. 

On July 4th you can thank God!

Picture: Phineas Bresee's "Glory Barn" Church of the Nazarene

Thank God for the religious freedom we have in this country to freely worship. 

Thank God for the freedoms the nation has developed over time (abolishing slavery, etc).

Thank God for those who have given their lives to protect the innocent around the world (like the Jews in WW2).

Thank God for the resources given to fund mission work around the world.

Ask for God's guidance on our leaders. 

Ask for mercy over the infanticide of abortion taking place. 

Ask for mercy over the celebration of sexual sin. 

Ask for grace to continue to make progress in racial strife. 

Ask for God to bless America... we certainly need it! 

Pray for revival.

Pray for another great awakening. 

Preach on freedom in Christ. (The freedoms our nation afford cannot begin to compare to the freedom afforded us in Jesus our Savior and Sanctifier!)

Preach total victory over sin. 

Preach the complete cleansing of the Holy Spirit! 

Social Media Etiquette

In this era of modern technology we seem to have lost common sense. Here are a few suggestions for those having trouble navigating the vast "super-highway" lane called Facebook. (If you cannot handle sarcasm... read no farther.)

1. Don't be vulgar, profane, rude, dirty, obnoxious, or hateful. The rest of us get enough of that at work, in traffic, from our neighbors, and watching politicians; we don't need that from you too. It really doesn't prove anything more than you have no class and you are not a gentleman or lady. It doesn't make anyone think you are cool or impressive. The rest of us don't like for that kind of junk to pop up on our news feed. Do us all a favor: clean up your language, your attitude, your life, and your posts!

2. Keep private things private! No decent person wants to read the details of your marital in-fighting, nasty break-ups, family feuds, financial disarray, intimate physical relationship details, or other personal stuff on Facebook. You may not be aware of this, but anyone who is your friend on Facebook can read you posts. That means your posts are public. (As an addendum to this it is worth noting that most... if not all... of your friends are not professional counselors. In other words your private problems will not be solved over a wall post with a number of friends responding.)

3. Don't forward or click on links to chain messages. If the message seems out of character with the sender then do not open it. You can always verify the link by asking the sender to verify whether they sent the link. You may have received the link because they clicked on a message from someone else, which spammed all their friends with messages. Please don't propagate this!

4. Some things need to be done face to face, not on Facebook. Don't dump your girlfriend/boyfriend by posting on their page. Don't release that employee from their job by messaging them and then removing them from your friend list. And don't ask someone to marry you by posting on their wall (that's not creative... it's cowardly). Remember that to get through life you must really communicate with people!

5. Social media is not a place to give or receive counseling. Licensed counselors do not have Twitter counseling or Instagram therapy sessions. Venting and then looking for encouragement from people is an extremely unhealthy habit to fall into. If you need counseling, schedule a visit with your pastor! Do not air all of your problems in an attempt to fish for affirmation. Social media can, at best, produce only a counterfeit healing.  

6. Picture discretion advised. Your father, brother, relatives, decent co-workers and friends don't want to see you in a bathing suit, thong, underwear, skin tight spandex, or other immodest apparel. Neither do we wish to see your cleavage, tattoos (especially in places not normally seen), post-surgery wound pictures, making out sessions, any bathroom pictures, or you after you've had a drunken stupor outside of the bar. This does not help anyone's ability to take you seriously. (The same goes with videos.)

7. Cut the mushiness. If you are "in a relationship", "engaged", or "married" to someone, then the rest of us assume that you love that person. To be reminded occasionally of that truth is okay, but try not to be excessive. Usually those who never have anything more to say than "IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII LLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEE      UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" are actually the same ones that will break rule #1 at some point down the road.

8. Don't post about your illegal activities. If you are breaking the law, calling out people by name, cheating on your girlfriend, or calling in sick but actually running errands.... don't put it on Facebook. It wasn't the right thing to do to begin with and now you've just let the world know that you are a poor decision maker.

9. No one really cares about your quiz results. The rest of the world, if they have a life, does not care what movie star you are most like, what kind of animal best fits your personality, what your age at death will be, what your horoscope for the day says, what kind of a kisser you are, what movie best describes your life, or how much money you will make when you are 35, 45, & 55. We don't care. If you want to waste your time taking the quizzes that's fine, but don't waste our time by making us delete them from our homepage.

10. When you actually talk to someone in real life, don't make constant reference to Facebook. Constant references to information and knowledge you obtained on Facebook is weird and creepy. It makes you seem like a stalker and/or someone with no beneficial life functions... just don't do it. (While I'm at it don't put the following in your profile 'info' section: "if you want to know more message me" that's crazy! If they really did message you asking what your blood type was, wouldn't you be freaked out?) Real people are able to communicate and socialize beyond the confines of a computer screen, keyboard, and mouse... try it some time, you might just enjoy it.

What might you add?

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Why You Lost Your Kids to the Kingdom of God

I recently read an article by Jim Daly in which he gave 10 reasons kids leave the church. My pastor's mind was spurred into thinking about this subject as I reviewed my time as a pastor and asked what common practices distinguished families that had children leave the church and families that had children raise the next generation in church. 

Here is my list:

1. The church tried to entertain rather than disciple. We wouldn't admit it mind you. We would rather say we were relevant or engaging or evangelistic. The truth is, we were so desperate that they would enjoy church, that we turned it into a show. When they ceased to be amused by our trite antics they searched for the genuine outside the bounds of their Creator's character.

2. We didn't teach them anything. They do not know what righteousness, atonement, justification, sanctification, or any of a number of other Biblical words or concepts mean. We bought them fancy Bibles with colorful covers and interesting pictures, but never took them by the hand and dived in. We confused discipleship with entertainment. When the atheists came around with their worldly philosophies, our children were unarmed and unprepared.

3. We turned them against our elders. We created a spirit of generational conflict in our church. We sided with our children when our parents warned that things were not going in a good direction. We ignored wisdom from our elders and listened to the "wisdom" of youth. (Didn't Rehoboam do that too?) We convinced our children that their enemy was the elderly of the church rather than "the spirit of the age."

4. We made them consumers rather than contributors. We treated them like royalty and they grew up to believe the church was suppose to serve them rather than them serving the church. If they whine about something we "fix" it. If they complain about something, we change it. We expected the church to be formed around their need to be amused and entertained. They became dead weight; then they cut themselves loose.

5. We did not distinguish between the holy and the common. We were content when they didn't embarrass us in public, get arrested, or cuss at church. We told them all the things they were not suppose to do (although we never told them 'why'). But we never told them the things they really should be doing. We never showed them the difference between common lifestyle and holy living. They never desired to live a holy life, because we were content that they didn't live an outright wicked one.

6. We focused more on them than Christ. Our children became idols. Some of us tried to live our lives vicariously through our children. All of the perceived injustices of our childhood we would correct through our kids; all our dreams would be fulfilled through our kids. Instead of seeing us bow before the King of Kings they saw us trying to live out the "American dream."

7. We criticized and complained in front of them. Every Sunday afternoon we critiqued the pastor's sermon. We aired all of our frustrations with our brothers and sisters in the church. Following each committee meeting we blasted those with different opinions. We highlighted the problems of the church regularly. And we did all this within ear shot of those who were inflicted with more damage than we ever realized.

8. Church was just on the to-do list. It was a Sunday only event. It never permeated our lives. The rubber never met the road. We never connected the necessity of a church family with our biological family and our relationship with God. It was just something we did when convenient. There was no joy in it, no fun, no expectation, just dead, dry ritual.

9. We nurtured (probably unintentionally) a love of the world. By our actions we showed sports, good grades, and entertainment were more important than honoring and living for Christ. Sacrificial living was ignored for comfortable living. Our children became more at ease in the world than among the people of God. Church attendance, family altar & prayer time, and spiritually nurturing disciplines were always second to the demanding schedule of a sports, entertainment, and other activities.

10. We never really had anything to pass on to begin with. I know, this one stings maybe more than any of the others. We have played the hypocrite too long. We never really loved Jesus ourselves in any meaningful way. We passed on ashes instead of a fire upon the altar. Our children didn't know what to do with ashes so they threw them out.

Karen Burton Mains: "Do you rush, push, shout and become generally unpleasant on Sunday mornings? Do you complain about church? Are you irregular in your attendance? Are you over-conscientious about matters that are not really important? Do you always criticize the pastor, the choir, the length of services and the usher crew? Then don't be surprised if your children grow up to look at Sundays as the worst day of the week." 

Anything you might add?

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I'm Getting Emotional

I'm not sure when it first took place, but it seems like emotion in connection with worship of God has come to be viewed as a negative thing. We seem to have developed a ceiling of excitement when we are worshiping the God who saves us from our sins. Be excited, we encourage people... just not that excited.

It's kind of like we just decided that visible signs of emotion were a scary/bad thing. The ideal has been that everyone sit through the church gathering and fulfill their scripted responsibilities. Stand when instructed to, sit when asked to, and sing when the music starts. Emotion has a tendency to disrupt our carefully planned and skillfully constructed order.

Emotional responses in a collective worship gathering can also make some people feel uncomfortable. I mean, think about what might happen if someone next to you just started crying; seemingly without cause. A little emotion, and especially a lot of emotion, can give others the emotional sensation of uncomfortability. This emotion thing could cascade!

What if the preacher does not have the opportunity to share the sermon? What if someone were to get up and leave the church over a show of emotion? Is it too much to ask that everyone act a little civilized during worship? Does anyone else think that emotional outbreaks can come off a little irreverent?

The real problem is that I have sat through more than my fair share of emotionless services. A people who were unresponsive and unengaged. No one really wants to sit through a sermon devoid of soul, worship without passion, or a service without emotion.

It is important to note that God created emotion. While we live in a culture that is increasingly prone to sterilizing everything because someone will be offended or have some kind of an emotional response, we must acknowledge emotion has a purpose in our lives. If God created our emotions (and has them himself) then we need to learn how to utilize them in appropriate ways and not hide them away.

It starts with our parenting. No one likes to see a baby or toddler cry. Typically we rush to appease the source of their sorrows. We want to stop the emotion as if it is bad. Following funerals I have heard friends tell the family of the deceased individual that it is time for them to move on now. Translation = do not be emotional anymore.

We sometimes too quickly run to medicines to numb the emotions we are dealing with because they are not always very pleasant. Stopping emotions seems to be a favorite past time for some. I even recall someone getting quite upset in a medical waiting room because someone was reading the comics and laughing. When did emotions become so offensive?

We brought some of these things into the church. Remain calm, stayed, and collected during worship. Do not act in anyway that would disrupt the solemn attitude of those in attendance. I once remember a mother leaning over to her toddler child in the pew at church who was snickering about something while oblivious to what was happening in the sanctuary and saying: "Quit laughing, you are in church."

Certainly I am not advocating for some kind of emotionalism in our worship. Emotions should not be the driving force for any area of life! I am simply advocating for a healthy expression of emotion during our times of corporate worship as an essential element of worshiping God! We ought to be "emotional" when we worship!

If we really begin to think about what God has provided for us in His work of redemption we might get a little emotional. If we begin to review the steadfast love and faithfulness of God in our lives, we might get a little emotional. If we meditate on the tremendous sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross of Calvary, we might just get a little emotional. If we think about the promise of life to come in Heaven gathered around the throne of God, we might just get emotional. Bad? Not in a million years!

This Sunday, don't check your brain at the door when you walk into church to worship with your brothers and sisters in Christ. But do not check your heart at the door either. Worship our great Redeemer with all your heart, soul, mind, & strength!



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