If we ACTUALLY believed, what we SAY we believe in the Word...how would our lives change?
It often surprises Christians when they discover just how much the Bible talks about money. In fact there are more than 2300 verses on money, wealth and possessions. Jesus spoke about money roughly 15% of his preaching and 11 out of 39 parables.
During offering-time every week, we say “now is the time we worship God with our giving, we really believe giving is an act of worship. That we GET to give, we don’t HAVE to give…” right? We consider it a privilege to give to God...He includes us in His plans, and allows us to participate! Isn’t that a privilege?
Some of you might shake your heads at that statement...but the reality is that probably most of you, don’t actually believe it.
A 2007 Barna Research Group study revealed that only 5% of adults in America tithed.
Among those that do, evangelicals were among the most generous, but still only 25% of them (us!) tithed.
Pushpay (the app that we use to process online giving) reported in 2019 that tithers only make up 10-25% of any congregation.
At FV, our church partners--those of us who have committed ourselves to giving here, serving here, attending here, and growing here...only 66% of us tithe. That number should certainly be 100%, but even that number would only be about 31% of our weekly congregation.
So do we honestly see it as a privilege? Do we even know what that means?
“If you say God is your God, but you don’t tithe, is He really?”
Withholding from God puts barriers between you and Him.
He’s not putting them there…your mistrust is.
We withhold from God out of fear, and fear and faith don't mix.
You take care of the house of the Lord, and He will take care of you.