Why give to Tree of Life Church?
If Tree of Life is your church:
• God commands it. In Malachi 3:10, God says, “bring the whole tithe into the storehouse”. The storehouse refers to the place where you worship. The tithe is to be given to your home church, the place where you are spiritually fed. When you give to support charities and other ministries, you should be giving out of your offerings. The whole tithe belongs to the local church.
• Tithing proves God’s Word is true. God’ says, if you will put Him to the test in tithes and offerings, eventually you will see blessings overtake your life, even to the point that you will see God open the windows of blessing upon you and your family. This is not a dollar for dollar promise, but a principle of blessing.
• God will rebuke the devourer. According to Malachi 3:11, you have an enemy that desires to steal all your finances. When you bring God the whole tithe, and give offerings as He leads you, God will rebuke the enemy.
• Tithing teaches one to put God first. According to Deuteronomy 14:23, the purpose of tithing is to teach one to always put God first in their life. If God has our finances, then we know He has our hearts.
• Tithing is essential to spiritual growth. God tells us in Luke 16:11, “if therefore you have not been faithful in the use of money, how can you expect Him to entrust greater riches to you?” Many Christians don’t grow well spiritually because they are not faithful to obey God in the tithes and offering.
• Tithing demonstrates you love the Lord. In 2 Corinthians 8:8, God says that your giving tests the sincerity of your love. When one says they love the Lord, they prove it through giving. As some have said, “talk is cheap, and actions speak louder than words.”
• Tithing is worship. Without words you respond to God’s activity in your life, and that response is worship.
If Tree of Life is not your church:
• To advance, through financial support, the Mission of God. The new church needs financial resources to fund its mission. We who are supporters of the Kingdom of God must give support to the best of our ability and the Lord’s leading.
• To foster freedom and fellowship. This may not be obvious, but a church plant with many financial supporters enjoys better fellowship. The financial supporters remove pressure from a small group to fund a growing church. By supporting the church plant you allow people to be a part of something great without carrying all the weight.
• To experience blessings. There is a blessing to know that what you have given has made a lasting difference in the life of someone else. Consider the joy of knowing that a person’s life was touched by your giving. They will be moved to glorify God by the choice you made to give.
There are Some Bad Reasons to Tithe
• You tithe because you want recognition. Matthew 6: 1-4 instructs us how NOT to give to the needy. It says, “when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.” We’re instructed to be humble about how we give to those in need. You may apply this to how you give to the Church. If you want recognition for your giving, you should reconsider your motives.
• You tithe begrudgingly. If you give unwillingly and complain every time you think about tithing, you’re not alone. The Apostle Paul addressed this issue almost 2,000 years ago. In 2 Corinthians 9:7, Paul says: “Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” But, having a common problem still means you have a problem. Go after the heart change necessary to tithe with joy.
• You tithe because of selfish ambition. If you don’t want to be humble in your giving, you probably shouldn’t give. A selfish attitude doesn’t pair well with the true spirit of giving (Jesus set the bar pretty high). If you’re trying to prove to yourself that you’re better than another by the way you tithe, consider reading Luke 18: 10-14 and praying through your response.
Let’s get personal for a moment.
There are bad reasons to tithe. Not that we think you should be disobedient because of a bad motive. That would be as silly as planning to neglect your children because you don’t feel like your heart is right. Wouldn’t it be more appropriate to work on your heart than leaving the cupboard bare?
