Tithing, a form of Offering and sacrifice

Title: Tithing, a form of Offering and sacrifice. 

Key Verse: (2 Corinthians 9: 6-8, Matthew 23: 23)

Copyright© Femi .S. Olomola 2017 [All rights reserved!]

Publish by: Wefos Project Int'l Limited 

Email: [email protected] www.elshaddai-elohim.org/wefos-publishing

First Published [Summary Edition] Dec, 2017

ISBN: 978-978-953658-0

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Recap of last sermon:

In our last sermon, we deliberated on a topic (The enemy of man) to see how a man's enemy is part of his natural course and we listed three major categories or factors responsible for human failure and existence and which therefore becomes an enemy to their being, directing God's purpose in the opposite manner as the flesh, Acquaintances, Money or the love of money. To view the last sermon online, follow this link www.facebook.com/club4christ 

Preamble:

This week, we shall be looking into a message tittled, ‘tithing, a form of offerings and sacrifice’ to consciously awaken our understanding of the pros and cons involve in such practise and to help bring to light the dark shadow which unveil or surround the recent chaos over the subject matter within the general public. Please see back and enjoy this great lecture that will change your life forever.

Introduction:

Giving to God generally either in the capacity of a tithe, a vow, an offering, or a pledge is a two way phenomenal as a form of offering and sacrifices which allow the giver to give in expectant to God’s favor and blessing and which is proportional to the will and zeal that comes with the substance together with the level of enthusiasm, voluntariness, painfulness and desire according to the capacity of the giver which may vary among every individual. In other words, the blessing from God which is to be manifested over such offer or gift is dependent of some critical factors which serve as the door opener and which we shall be considering as we proceed.

Tithing is biblically defined as giving one-tenth of one’s increase or income or gains of the produce of the land and which should be holy unto the lord [Deuteronomy 14: 22, Leviticus 27: 30, Leviticus 27: 32, Deuteronomy 12: 11-12, Nehemiah 10: 37, Malachi 3: 8]. 

It is a practice or strategy which was prosecuted or developed by God Himself during the old testament, and which, though was not condemn by our Lord Jesus Christ in this new era of grace and was equally not taken as the most important or the real matters of the law [Matthew 23: 23, Matthew 5: 17], in other to allow for abundance of food and material in His [God] house, that is, where His children gather to worship Him periodically [Nehemiah 10: 37-38, Exodus 23: 19, Malachi 3: 8].

One important thing to note is that, it was an act commanded by God during the old testament according to all the scriptures listed above which made it much more important and compulsory to them of old and the Pharisees were so attached to it, took it above all other matters of righteousness assuming it to be a major prerequisite for godliness [Luke 18; 9-14] BUT now in this era of grace it is not meant to be compelled or so important and compulsory above other important matters of the law which are justice, mercy and faithfulness [Matthew 23: 23], though it is needful, necessary to runs the affair of God’s gathering but should be voluntary and not compelled because God loves a cheerful giver from an open heart without any grudge [2 Corinthians 9: 6-8] and that it must be holy [Leviticus 27: 32] so that the blessing and promise of God concerning your sacrifice be made manifest and not missed [Malachi 3: 8].

In a nutshell, before you are qualify to come to God with your substance and offer of sacrifice, be it an offering or a pledge or a vow or a tithe, some certain factors and characteristics must play a higher role for it be accepted and these are justice, mercy, faithfulness, cheerfulness from a pure and un-biased heart, voluntariness, and holiness but in the absent of all these, it is better not to submit your substance in other to make sure that this criteria are fulfilled and therefore be in peace with God and your fellow man for God desire justice first above every other matter of the earth than your sacrifice [Proverb 21: 3, Matthew 5: 23-24] except you are only dashing your pastor the substance and so you will only receive men reward. I pray the lord gives you grace for this level of understanding in Jesus name.

Our bible text above [2 Corinthians 9: 6-8] admonishes us, thus: 

‘But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not GRUDGINGLY or of NECESSITY, for God loveth a CHEERFUL giver. And God is able to make all GRACE ABOUND towards you that ye, always having all SUFFICIENCY in all things, may abound every good work’

Beloved, giving to God in any way or manner, either tithe, vow, and pledge is never and can never be a sin as some people do thinks, once your act of giving and substance remains holy, free from justice from fellow men and from a pure and cheerful heart without any form of compelling as we have read above. 

Our Lord Jesus Christ also speaking in the book of [Matthew 5: 23-24] that if you are presenting your offer of sacrifice to God in His temple and you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your sacrifice in front of the altar and go back to reconcile to your brother before presenting the sacrifice to God.

Likewise, if you as a trader or salary earner, has a case with your colleague in your business or office concerning your salary, maybe you are indebted to him or her in one way or the other or have a burden of commitment you have made over your salary in the past, then you must allow justice to play a higher role first over such case and reconcile with your colleague regards your indebtedness or commitment made before deciding to take part of such money to God as a offer of  sacrifice either as a tithe, vow, or pledge so that the substance you are presenting to God will remain HOLY and be free of JUSTICE from your fellow men, for it is better to resolve your case first and live in peace even if you end up not being able to deliver your offer any longer, God understand and at least there are other many times ahead for you.    

This is the reason our lord Jesus Christ was rebuking the Pharisees during one of his encounter with them according to the bible text above [Matthew 23: 23 KJV] which say; 

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin and have omitted the weightier matter of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. These ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone” 

God is a spirit and not a man and as such, He will not shower money or food from heaven like rain falling on man, in other words, He will still use man to meet the need of their fellow man and likewise of such gathering of His children within His desire and which therefore necessitate this benevolent act of being generous but only in the interest of Him [God] who had initiated it. To be generous is to be a friend of God especially to the course of His work so that His message of salvation can reach the world at large [Deuteronomy 15: 11, 2 Corinthians 9: 6-8].

It is a common sense and practice that when two or more people gather periodically with same solidarity interest, there will be need for some special cases, major or miscellaneous especially in a more civilized environment and so, the question of how to carter for such needs become a thing of interest to all parties involved. It is also pertinent to think that when two or more people gather, there will be the poor and the rich because fingers are not the same, thus, the need to be willingly generous according to the level of your capabilities toward the collective matter in such gathering.

God in His own desire and interest admonished His dear loving children, to always gather and worship Him in the splendor of His holiness [Hebrew 10: 25, Psalm 96: 9] and thus, the needs for an abundance in His house to sustain the poor among them and those working for Him [God] with minimal or basic provisions [Deuteronomy 15: 11, Malachi 3: 8] and which will be designated or managed by the spiritual head who is only answerable to God.

It is of great important that the follower believed their spiritual head whom will be in charge of the resources to designate it appropriately, if not such offer of sacrifice, be it tithe, pledge, or vow may not be made through such medium but it will be very appropriate for the follower to redeem such offer of sacrifice through any of such assembly or gathering of the saint for which they are partaker of the spiritual blessing [Hebrew 7: 1-5, Numbers 18: 24-28, Nehemiah 13: 5].

Nevertheless, it is also paramount for the brethren or the supposed members of such assembly to periodically check how the resources is being managed for proper accountability both to man and God [Act 24: 16, 1 Peter 3: 15-16]. 

God is a spirit and not a man and therefore He desire not your sacrifice [Psalm 51: 16-17, Psalm 40: 6] but to worship and adore Him and manifest His glory among nation. When a man made an offer of sacrifice to God be it a tithe, a pledge or a vow, they are the once looking for God’s favor and blessings and because God is so faithful, nobody comes to Him with such a humble spirit and commitment that He will forsake and not replenish their deed even in hundred fold. I pray the lord gives you grace to this level of ability in Jesus name.

Conclusion:

Tithing is necessary as it was not condemn by our Lord Jesus Christ but it is not the real matters of the law and must not be compelled or taken so important than the weightier matter of righteousness which are justice, mercy and faithfulness [Matthew 23: 23].

Likewise any offer of sacrifice made to God be it tithe, vow, pledge or offering has some characteristics expected from the giver which plays a higher role over such offer and which are voluntariness, cheerfulness from a pure and open heart and holiness but in the absent of all these, it is better not to submit your tithe, or vow or pledge in other to make sure that this criteria are fulfilled and therefore be in peace with God and your fellow man for God desire justice first above every other matter of the earth than your sacrifice [Proverb 21: 3, Matthew 5: 23-24] except you are only dashing your pastor the substance and so you will only receive men reward. I pray the lord gives you grace for this level of understanding in Jesus name.

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Confession: 

If you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your lord and saviour and you are convinced that you need him to come into your life so you can also tap into the grace available through shedding of his blood, and equally partake of the effectiveness of his wrath and the blessing that comes with it, and that you are sure, you are ready to repent from all those sin of fornication, adultery, lying, sexual immorality, pride, jealousy, hatred, idolatry, selfish ambition, witchcraft, impurity and debauchery, dissensions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the likes, then locate a quiet place, be sober and be on your knees, and make this little confession but remember to be sure of what you are doing, so that you will not be using God to play, when you respect him and give him honour, he will also honour you in the sight of men (Matthew 6: 6).

Lord Jesus, i come with total humbleness of heart to ask for forgiveness of my sins and accept you as my lord and saviour, please forgive me of all my sin (you can begin to name them if you know them) I surrender my life to you and i want you to come and take full charge over my life and i accept you as my lord and my saviour, please cleanse me with your blood that you shed on the cross and make me a new man leaving old things behind, I promise to serve you and do your will at all time and i ask for the strength to carry on. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for saving me.

Congratulation, you have made a step forward in tapping into his grace, now for you not to fall back, you must look out for a good holy spirit filled church or a good Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG) to worship and begin to study the word of God, if you have just done this, you can also contact me for direction and get a free copy of my book and publications to strengthen your faith. May the lord give you the grace to carry on in Jesus name.

 From the author's desk: 

It is my greatest desire that this sermon minister grace unto your soul but this is not enough because to overcome the desire of the flesh as we have learnt above require deep knowledge of God, and it is until you have the required wisdom that you can take your place and do exploit for God and yourself, and therefore, I will urgently urge you to be rooted and grounded in the word of God, in other to deepen your faith, knowledge and relationship with Him (God). 

You can also sign up to be a part of this movement for Christ by visiting our website at www.elshaddai-elohim.org to deepen your knowledge in God because ignorance is the highest form of bondage that limit your God given power in life. The lord bless you abundantly even as you make haste to know Him more.

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Personal Contact:

Pastor Femi S. OLOMOLA

President @ www.elshaddai-elohim.org  

WhatsApp: 07010795629

Twitter Handle: @ElshaddaiElohim 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/club4christ 

Copyright© Femi .S. Olomola 2017

All rights reserved

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any means, electronically, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the express written consent of the copyright owner. 

Publish by

Wefos Project Int'l Limited

Email: [email protected]

First Published [Summary Edition] june 2016

ISBN: 978-978-953-658-0