The Apostle Paul set the bar high for Pastors when he said, "I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God." (Acts 20:27) Television preachers get to wow the media crowds with promises of prosperity; Evangelists get to retell the stories that have been proven to elicit a certain emotional response; Prophets get to rail on all the sins of society and condition us to feel good about ourselves because we are "not like other men"; and Teachers get to dig up little known Biblical gems so as to impress us with their knowledge. On the other hand, Pastors have to "proclaim to the whole will of God." We get to talk about sin and salvation, mercy and wrath, love and selfishness, grand visions and petty squabbles, marriage and dysfunction, death and eternal life, and a long list of other topics, some pleasing and some alarming. Besides that, we get to talk to the same people week after week; we get to see the people we're talking to; and we get to hear their objections and complaints when they don't agree or like what they hear.

Among the many topics included in the "whole will of God" list, is the topic of giving money to the work of the Lord. We're not allowed to offer promises of prosperity, or motivate by tear jerking stories or fear. And we're certainly not allowed to talk about money in a way that could be perceived to be in self-interest. However, as much as we may want to avoid it, we must talk about it, it's part of what is included in the "whole will of God." Jesus talked about giving money, Paul talked about giving money, and so do we.

Most people who attend church know that the Bible teaches "tithing," that is, dedicated Christians give to the Lord a tithe, which is a tenth of what they receive as income or increase. However, many people have the wrong idea about what this means, so let's first identify the "Top Ten Wrong Headed Ideas About Tithes."

10. Tithes are seeds planted which will produce a harvest of a hundredfold - to tithe is to insure prosperity.

9. Tithes are like shares of stock in the company - the more shares you own, the greater your voting power.

8.Tithes are club dues - every social entity needs money to maintain its building and provide heat and lights.

7. Tithes are temple taxes - this is the church's way of financing their many enterprises.

6. Tithes are payment for services rendered - people who don't pay tithes should not expect to receive the same ministry benefits from the church. Those who do pay tithes expect preferred status.

5. Tithes are philanthropy - giving to needy causes out of our wealth is a good Christian thing to do.

4. Tithes purchase points with God - with a lot of points, God might even excuse questionable behavior.

3. Tithes are admission tickets - getting into heaven is never in question for those who pay tithes.

2. Tithes are seat rental fees - to guarantee that you will always have a reserved seat - the more tithes you pay the more prominent your seat location.

And the number one "Wrong Headed Idea About Tithes" is:

1. Tithes send building materials to heaven - the more you send the bigger your mansion in Glory will be.

So then, what is "tithing"? Now that we know what tithing is not, we need to say what it is.

1. Tithing is a recognition of who God is.

He is the Creator, and therefore the Owner of everything there is. Agreeing that the tithe is His, is to proclaim that everything is His, and also that He is therefore capable of providing everything that is needed for our lives.

The Psalmist said, "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." (Psalm 50:10) This verse inspired John W. Peterson to write a little song we used to sing years ago:

He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, The wealth in every mine; He owns the rivers and the rocks and rills, The sun and stars that shine. Wonderful riches, more than tongue can tell - He is my Father so they're mine as well; He owns the cattle on a thousand hills - I know that He will care for me.

It follows than, that if everything belongs to God, the tithe also belongs to Him, as is clearly stated in Leviticus 27:30 "`A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD."

2. Tithing is an acceptance of our role as servant/stewards.

If God is the creator/owner of everything there is, then anything we might call "ours," really belongs to Him, and consequently, we are caring for someone else's possessions. That's what a servant/steward is, someone who manages someone else’s' possessions.

Now granted, Jesus also said, "I have called you friends" (John 15:15). But we have to understand that this simply means that Jesus wants to have a friendship relationship with His servants, but it doesn't change the fact that we are still His servants, serving Him out of love, and taking care of His possessions as being accountable to Him.

3. Tithing is an act of obedience.

When Jesus said, "this you ought to have done" (Matthew 23:23), he was referring to tithes. And we believe that many of the commands in the Old Testament are still binding today, and among them this one, "bring all the tithes into the storehouse" (Malachi 3:10)

4. Tithing is an act of worship.

The Bible calls them "freewill offerings" (II Chronicles 31:14), which literally means "abundant gifts, freely given," or "plentiful, voluntary offerings." Notice that even in our word "offering" there is the word "offer" - our gifts are offered to God as part of our worship; obviously that's why we give our tithes in the offering during the worship service.

Long ago the prophet complained that the people of his day only honored the Lord with their lips, but their heart was far from him (Isaiah 29:13). How can we help that? How can we get our hearts closer to Him? Well, Jesus gives an answer to that when he says, "For where your treasure is there will your heart be also." (Matthew 6:21) When we give our tithes in worship, we are drawing closer to the Lord with our hearts.

5. Tithing is a demonstration of trust.

A favorite Scripture for many is Proverbs 3:5,6: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight."

When we tithe, we are acknowledging Him in financial ways, and notice that this is in parallel with the first statement, "trust in the Lord." Tithing is active faith, demonstrating that we trust God for all of our provisions.

6. Tithing is a renunciation of selfishness and greed and a declaration of our love for God and the Gospel.

In other words, it's a statement about our priorities. What comes first for the Christian is not our own creature comforts, or the acquisition and storing up of wealth. What is more important is the eternal destiny and the spiritual well being of others.

7. Tithing is participation with others in the grand work of the Gospel.

Of course this is true when it relates to giving to world missions. But even more fundamentally, when we give the tithe, we are joining with Christians of all ages and all areas of the world. In the act of giving, we become connected with all members of the Body of Christ, partnering together in this wonderful eternal work of preparing souls for heaven; we understand that the church is the Body of Christ, not a mere human society.

So, as we said at the beginning, we can summarize what tithing is in this one brief statement:

1. Why is it necessary for Pastors to preach on the subject of tithing?

2. What does a person do if they are regularly giving tithes?

3. Why do we discourage the idea that brings prosperity, privilege, or points with God?

4. What could be wrong with the idea that tithes send building materials ahead to heaven so that our mansion will be more splendid?

5. Who is God to the person who tithes?

6. If Jesus is Lord, what does that make me?

7. Why would we say that some Old Testament laws are binding while others seem not to be?

8. To have our tithes automatically deducted from our bank account and deposited in the church account would not be a good idea. Why?

9. What is the relationship between tithing and trust?

10. How does tithing connect us with other Christians? "Because Jesus is Lord and I am His servant, in obedience I worship and trust Him as I demonstrate my love for God and offer a portion of His provision to be combined with that of others to bring the Gospel message to the world."