(Newswire.net — August 6, 2013) Denver, CO — Tithing defined means “a tenth” and was often used in centuries past to describe how one would give the first tenth of wages to the Church. The Church @ Thornton Pastor Kenneth Michael explains how Tithing is among the most vital Biblical acts of Christianity. “God doesn’t need our money because He already owns it all. As we willingly set aside the first part of our income for the Lord, our hearts will turn toward Him. (Matthew 6:21) When we give to the church, we fulfill God’s command to bring the whole tithe into the storehouse. Through the church, we can directly meet people’s needs. It is critically important to understand that the money we have is not our own. It is God’s money, and he has entrusted it to us to manage. A good money manager will consistently do four things with the money God has given him: worship God (Leviticus 27:30), meet his own needs (Philippians 4:19), meet the needs of others (Acts 2:45), and have a little fun (1 Timothy 6:17).”
Pastor Kenneth says Tithing is really returning to the Lord what is already His, “Interestingly, two of the four areas of money management involve giving: worshiping God and meeting the needs of others. Through giving, we do both. The Old Testament gives us an example of active, proportionate giving called the tithe. Although the New Testament neither prescribes nor prohibits the tithe, Jesus does say that it is something we should do (Matthew 23:23). Tithing can be a great starting place for our giving. The Bible also tells us that our money, which belongs to God, is to be immediately set aside for Him (Leviticus 27:30), and is to be brought into the storehouse (Malachi. 3:10). Today, that storehouse is the local church. God wants our money to go to the local church for the same reason He wanted it to go to the temple’s storehouse, “that there may be food in my house.”
“The church’s job is to meet the needs of the people. When we actively give to God via the church, we give to others in need through the church. Worship is anything we do whose purpose is to praise and glorify God. We worship God with our mouths when we pray, tell others of His love, or sing to Him. We worship God with our bodies by eating right, bowing in prayer, and even dancing before Him. We worship God with our money when we give. By giving God a regular, proportionate amount of our income, we are showing Him that He is more important than the cable company, the mortgage company…even the IRS. As faithful Christians, giving should be as natural as bowing our heads during prayer.”
Written by: Rob Armijo