In our last discussion, we indicated the four things that give us the rubrics of God for church tithing. We learned that these four things together define for us what we are to regard as church tithing. They imply that church tithing is not only the giving of the tithes but the sum of four essential elements presented with the following diagram.
This edition of our discussion is devoted to elaboration on the Giving of the Tithes and the Fellowshipping with God aspects of the rubrics of God for Church tithing.
Giving of the tithe to God
In Genesis 14, it is obvious that Abraham tithed to God by giving to Melchizedek a tenth of the spoils from his battle with the kings. Based on Philippians 2:13 that “God works in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure,” it is biblical and consistent with our Christian tenet to say that God was the one who worked in Abraham to tithe. In chapter 4, this study had shown in detail how God influenced Abraham to tithe by the working principle of faith. In working in Abraham to give a tenth part of the spoil, it was God who then decided on the tenth part of the giving. In other words, it was God who determined the 10 percent. Abraham did not determine it. He only performed what God had determined in him to do.
This understanding is further collaborated when He specifically and provisionally gave Israel the law to tithe. The two experiences, working in Abraham to tithe by the principle of faith and giving Israel the law to tithe clearly reveal God’s heart concerning the giving of the tithe as an important unique type of giving that He chose to receive from His people besides generosity (liberal giving).
Fellowshipping with God
In Genesis 14, we are told that Melchizedek brought with him bread and wine when he met with Abraham. And that gives us an indication that Abraham notably gave the tithes in connection with having Communion in the bread and the wine with Melchizedek.
As the priest of the most-high God, Melchizedek acted as God’s proxy in his interaction with Abraham. He stood in for God when he met and ate with Abraham. Melchizedek’s declaration of the word of God, the Communion in the bread and wine with Abraham and the sanctifying and consecrating him to God would possibly make the nature of their meeting a spiritual and a sacred engagement. Thus, Melchizedek’s meeting with Abraham was possibly a divine setup that would allow the patriarch’s tithing to occur out of a spiritual interaction with God, by Melchizedek as His proxy. In that spiritual interaction, God revealed His personal nature to Abraham through the words of Melchizedek “and blessed be the Most-High God who has delivered your enemies into your hands.” In relating to the revealed knowledge of God that He is personal, Abraham dedicated his life to God, and he gave the tithes of all, as well.
In my next edition of this discussion, I will elaborate on the two other components of the rubrics of God for Church tithing, the dedicating of life to God and the committing to the kingdom of God program that concerns Christ and the Church.
>>>the writer is President, Church Tithing Institute. www.churchtithing.org
