By Dr. Rebekah McCloud
You know the kids have a saying when things happen that they think are unbelievable, unthinkable or incomprehensible—you know what they say, “Oh, no they didn’t. Oh, no she didn’t, Oh, no he didn’t, Oh, no you didn’t.” As I go through this nugget, there will be some of those “Oh, no they didn’t” moments. Feel free to say it aloud.
Before church one Sunday a mom gave each of her daughters $2 to put in the offering plate. After church she noticed that the girls each had a dollar.
“Where did you get the dollar,” she asked.
“You gave it to us,” the girls answered.
A little frustrated, the mom said, “You were supposed to put all of it in the offering plate.”
The oldest one said, “No, you always tell us that the tithe is 10%; so 10% of $2 is 20 cents. We didn’t have any change, so we gave the church a dollar and kept the other one.”
Oh, no they didn’t!
What the mom had failed to do was explain the difference between the tithe and an offering. While the two go in tandem, they have separate purposes.
The Bible is clear about the purpose of the tithe. It is for the furtherance, the building of the kingdom. Now each church, denomination, etc. determines what this includes usually through their church governance.
The Bible is equally clear about the purpose of the offering. It is to be used to support the upkeep of the church, for the various missions, ministries and outreach projects. It should also support the poor and the widows and some churches include the sick and the shut in. Again, each church, denomination, etc. determines what this includes usually through their church governance.
Paul, in his letters to the 12 churches, was very clear about the duty to collect offerings. In 1 Corinthians 16:2, he wrote, “”On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save.” Further, he tells them to give according to their means, in 2 Corinthians 8:12, Paul puts it this way, “For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have.” Amen.
As stewards, we are to give both our tithe and an offering. 2 Corinthians 9:7, a familiar scripture, says, “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” And Proverbs 11:24 says, “One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want.”
I grew up Baptist and when I was a kid, my church used to collect a poor offering and a mission offering. I used to watch the grown folks dig deep into pants pockets and pocket books searching for coins. They would rifle through and pick out the pennies, nickels and dimes; nary a quarter. As the plate was passed, all you heard was the jingly kind; every now and then some folding kind.
“Oh, no they didn’t.”
I’m not sure how cheerful any of them were. Just imagine what their actions taught the impressionable onlookers. Proverbs tells us to raise up a child in the way he should go and even when he is old he will not depart from it. Amen. What does our giving habits teach your children?
I was a Christian a long time before I became a thither; but I always gave an offering. After I paid my bills, bought groceries, filled the car up with gas, doled out the lunch money, picked up the dry cleaning and got my hair did, I gave a little bit of what was left. Sometimes it was so little, I called it the shame offering. You all know ones when you are too shame to put our name on the envelope. Or when the plate is passed you put your hand way down in it so no one hears the coins drop?
“Oh, no she didn’t!”
Deuteronomy 16:17 says, “Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.” However, as I look back to those days, I now know I was able to do more and my heart wasn’t in the right place. I didn’t realize that giving was a part of worship. Your offering is not about the amount or what other will say about it. It’s about your heart. Remember the widow’s mite? In Mark 12:43-44, Jesus said, “Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”
Oh, no he didn’t!
The Lord expects and requires us to give. In Matthew 6:2, Jesus said to His disciples, “when you give.” He didn’t say if you give. He said when you give. Remember we are considered disciples. Further, in Matthew 6:1, The Lord cautions us to give for the right reasons. “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them.” We must examine our motives in giving. Stewards, we should give for the glory of God and the good of His people. Amen.
For homework, I encourage you to take your Bible and run some references on giving tithes and offering. Read for yourself what the Bible says. And in prayer and supplication, talk to God about what he would have you to do. Put your whole heart and mind into it. Then watch and wait for what God has in store for you. Be ready to say,
“Oh, no he didn’t.”
We serve a God of great ability. If we trust him and follow his precepts, Psalm 31:19 says, Oh, how abundant is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you.” Let’s trust God and honor him with not only our tithe, but with our offerings.
11/14/18