A Biblical Worldview of Tithing and Giving

Shawn (00:00): Are you missing out on the blessings that come from generous, joyful giving? With over 2000 scriptures addressing money, Jesus spoke more about stewardship than heaven and hell combined. Yet many Christians today feel uncomfortable talking about this subject. We believe the church needs a giving revival. Let’s get some perspective. Welcome back to another episode of Christian Financial Perspectives. My name’s Shawn Peters. I’m joined as always, or typically, by Bob Barber. And today we’re going to be discussing the biblical worldview of tithing and giving. And we acknowledge that many Christians fear talking about this subject to an extent, I guess would be a way to say that right, Bob. Bob (00:47): It can be a touchy subject today. When I was a kid, we always had tithes and offerings. Shawn (00:52): Yeah. Bob (00:52): And that was a time during the service where we would pass the offering plate. That’s not done anymore for- Shawn (01:00): At a minimum, it was this visual reminder of being generous and giving. Bob (01:05): I think for some reason it’s gotten to be offensive to ask for the tithe. I’m not sure why or how that happened over time, but it hasn’t. But you’re missing out on some blessings as Malachi 3:10 tells us, right? Shawn (01:23): That’s right. Well, before we get into that, just to kind of set the tone here, even though many Christians might be kind of fearful or it might be, like you said Bob, offensive talking about this subject, it didn’t stop Jesus. Jesus had no issues talking about this kind of stuff and stewardship in general. And so yeah, so like you said, Malachi 3:10, “Bring the full tenth into the storehouse so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this way,’ says the Lord of armies. ‘See if I will not open the floodgates of heaven and pour out a blessing for you without measure.'” Bob (01:57): Yeah. And we know we’ve said this before, but as we’re talking about a biblical worldview of money and wealth, that this is the only place in scripture that God says we can test him. So those are very big words of that. And it’s interesting though, in the Old Testament, because Malachi is the last book of the Old Testament, talks about a tithe and a 10th. But then Jesus came along with the rich young ruler and said, “I’ve followed everything.” And he says, “Okay, go sell it all and come follow me.” And the rich young ruler went and went, “Oh man, he asked me to do that.” Shawn (02:33): Well, Why, Bob? Why did he tell the rich young ruler to sell it all? Bob (02:37): I think it had to do with a heart issue that the rich young ruler had put so much of his emphasis in wealth and money. Shawn (02:45): And his identity. Bob (02:46): I mean, I don’t think that God’s asking all of us to do that. Shawn (02:50): No. Bob (02:51): But this is a good heart issue. Shawn (02:54): Yeah. How many times do we see in scripture, it’ll have some sort of comment of, “But Jesus knew their hearts or Jesus knew his heart or Jesus knew their … ” And so when this rich young ruler is asking him, it’s not that, oh, because you are wealthy, you need to give everything away. (03:08): But Jesus knew his heart. And he knew that he was telling him that I’ve kept all these commandments. I’ve done all these things. Well, what else can I do? I’ve already done everything. Well, Jesus knew, well, it’s because you love the money and you love your wealth and status. And so if you really want to have salvation, if you want to follow me, give it away to show that I am trusting the Lord, not the money and the wealth that I have. That was why Jesus told him to give it away, not because he had to give a certain dollar amount. Bob (03:37): Well, and giving, as you and I both know, giving releases selfishness and we are naturally selfish. It doesn’t have to be taught. It’s natural. Shawn (03:49): That’s right. And we have a good scripture for this. This one is from the words of Jesus. Acts 20:35, “In every way I’ve shown you that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this,” and here’s the words of Jesus, “and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus because he said it is more blessed to give than to receive.” Bob (04:09): Isn’t that interesting? That is a biblical worldview because that flips it. A secular worldview would never say it’s more blessed to give than receive. Shawn (04:18): It’s all about get as much as you can. And yet Jesus said the opposite. Give as much as you can. Bob (04:25): Yeah, he did. And we’re in need of a giving revival today in the churches. And Shawn, I would love to see churches bring back that time of the offering plate and passing the offering plate. And yeah, it may take up one additional song or it may take five minutes out of the pastor’s sermon if he’s got a 45 minute sermon, he may have to pull it back to 35 minutes. But I think it shows it’s a time of honor. I used to love it when the offering plate would come by and you’ve heard me say this. I would give the check to either Jenna, Jerelyn or Jaeci, one of the daughters and let them put that in. Shawn (05:13): They would participate in. Yeah. Bob (05:15): And they would open the check and just their little eyes would get so big. Shawn (05:18): But that’s kind of what I was thinking on this is that this does not mean that you can’t use an ACH or you can’t do somewhere sort of. But like for our church, I’m kind of thinking this is, okay, we’re going to give a certain amount. It’s going to be, I’m going to set it up on the bank draft and it’s whatever percentage we’re giving in total for the church because then there’s obviously nonprofits that we want to give to. But regardless, I’m going to have that automatic, so I don’t want to forget. I want to make sure I’m consistent. But when it comes to in the local church, that would be something where you know what? Hey, Ronan and Ophelia, mostly Ronan now, but they’ll earn money for doing things. They’ll get money for birthday and gifts and things like that. So between that and then maybe like having some cash, smaller amount that it’s like, “Hey, I want you guys to put it in there.” So like you said, that way they can participate and they see us giving. They don’t need to know that most of what we’re giving is technically digital, but yeah, I think it would be a very good, that visual reminder. And then the other thing too of the fact that the churches are bringing up, okay, now we’re going to do tithes and offerings and that it’s like we have the plate, but also you can give online. Bob (06:27): I mean, we would always start in prayer too. We would always pray about that. So it’s really, you think about it, it’s just spiritual participation in God’s blessings and God’s provision is showing them that. And so, I would really like to see from this program, there’s a couple pastors listening or you’re high up in your church, maybe you’re an elder or a deacon. Talk about it. Let’s talk about bringing this back. This is an old tradition that needs to be brought back instead of being a little box somewhere at the back of the church that I can’t even find half the time. Shawn (07:01): Well, again, hey, there’s nothing wrong with having the box in the back. Bob (07:03): No, no, that’s a good thing. Shawn (07:04): There’s nothing wrong with people giving online, but I think the bigger thing here is the proposal we’re making for anyone listening is churches need a visual and audible reminder every service about tithing and giving. Yeah, that’s it. So that’s really what we’re talking about. Bob (07:20): It doesn’t have to be like banging you over the head or anything. Shawn (07:22): So for some modern context, during Christ’s time, there was really only one place to give to God. It was a local temple and there was one way to do it, like your physical coins and cash. Today, believers can give to their local church, but they can also give to Christian 501c3 nonprofits. Bob (07:42): There’s a lot of them. Shawn (07:43): The thing here is God cares about the heart of the giver, not the specific dollar amount or destination. And I say that because think about like the widows might, which we will bring that specific scripture up a little later, but Jesus talked about how she gave more than all because it wasn’t ultimately about a specific dollar amount, but it was her heart. It was the opposite. That’s really, I see that as the example of the opposite of the rich young ruler. She had so little, but she was willing to let it all go. And ruler had more than anyone needed theoretically, but compared to her. Bob (08:19): It reminds me of Psalms 24:1. Shawn (08:22): Yeah. Bob (08:22): The earth is the Lords and everything in it. That’s acknowledging, “God, this belongs to you.” Shawn (08:28): Yeah. Right? And so really the key here, and then why I’m mentioning this is if you have a 5% or 10% or something you’re giving specifically to your local church, great. If you are splitting that up where some of it’s going to your church and some of it’s going to … We support Compassion International or there are other Christian organizations that you give to. Okay, that’s great. And if you’re giving more than 10%, awesome. Bob (08:53): Don’t get caught up in the percentage by the way. Shawn (08:55): Exactly. Bob (08:56): Because that’s a huge deal that people get caught up in a percentage. Shawn (09:00): Right. The key here is that Christians should be giving and giving joyfully, but seek the Lord. What is he calling you to do? Bob (09:09): So I came up with 10 purposes that I see behind tithing and giving, and that first purpose is “acknowledging God’s blessings”. We give because he gave. Shawn (09:20): He gave first. Bob (09:20): He gives to us first and we’re giving back. Shawn (09:23): That’s right. And we have a scripture reference for this. We won’t read the whole thing, but it’s Matthew 25:35-36; 40. And it’s talking about the, when I was hungry, you gave me something to eat and whatever you did for the least of these you did for me. So that’s kind of the reference here. But a second one, “tests of ownership” shows God is the owner and we are his managers, stewards. So if that’s the case, well, then why would we not be willing to give it up? It’s not ours in the first place. We’re just managing it for them. Bob (09:50): The third is it “helps build the church”. I mean, the local church, it takes funds. Shawn (09:57): Yeah, it does. Bob (09:58): To run all those ministries and it helps them fulfill their purpose and their mission. Shawn (10:02): Yeah, exactly. And if you’re going to a local church, which should be, you should be giving some to the local church that you’re going to because of the fact that it takes money to run that. So, “demonstrates trust in God”. Giving requires faith that God will provide. It’s being willing to- Open the hand up. Open your hand and allow him to take what he’s telling you to give up. Bob (10:29): Number five of these 10 benefits is it “provides for those in need”. It heals the sick. It feeds the hungry. It cares for those who cannot care for themselves and I’ll mention again, Matthew 25:35-40 there. Shawn (10:45): “Funds the great commission”, sending missionaries to spread the gospel worldwide. Bob (10:49): I think about CRU, Campus Crusade, and gosh, they’re one of the largest ministries in the world and how many thousands they send out, thousands and thousands of people. Shawn (11:00): Number seven, “supports full-time ministry, provides for those called to vocational ministry”. It kind of goes back to the supporting local church, too. Bob (11:08): Yeah, exactly. Shawn (11:09): If the pastor’s full-time and not bivocational, well- Bob (11:12): And we have a lot more ministries in this town than just the churches. Shawn (11:14): Exactly. Bob (11:15): There’s other ministries as well. Number eight, we’ve mentioned this before, but it’s good to mention it in the 10 benefits. It “breaks the chains of selfishness and materialism”. It’s an antidote to greed. Shawn (11:27): Yeah. And number nine, “demonstrates love for others, shows that others’ needs are as important as our own”. Bob (11:35): Yep. And number 10, one of the greatest. It “proclaims our love for Jesus”, giving us a testimony to a hurting world that needs Jesus. Shawn (11:45): The world that’s watching what we do. So some additional benefits, giving, it’s pleasing to God and reflects his generous character. Giving creates everlasting joy, not just temporary happiness like the world offers. And Malachi 3:11 promises protection, “I will rebuke the devourer for you so that it will not ruin the produce of your ground.” Bob (12:03): The next question is, how much should you give? That’s really a heart issue. We are not going to tell you that here. Shawn (12:10): This is not give X percent and get this. No, again, it’s about the heart. So that is, I would say ultimately between you and the Lord. I mean, great examples. I know Billy Graham and I think it was, was it James Dobson? And there’s been Ron Blue. Bob (12:28): You’re mentioning a lot of people I know. Shawn (12:29): A lot of these people, they basically got to where, okay, they have a salary or something that is paid by their ministry and anytime they would write new books or put something out. Bob (12:39): Okay. I know where you’re coming from. Shawn (12:41): 100% of the money over and above whatever it costs to produce it, they would give back. Bob (12:46): Right. Because they learned how much is enough. Shawn (12:50): Or they got to where, well, they only keep 1% if it’s something like that. So what it is, the amount, it’s between you and the Lord. Bob (12:58): I think you popped this one in here, wasn’t it? 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 Shawn (13:01): “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. And the person who sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should do as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or out of necessity, but for God loves a cheerful giver.” Bob (13:16): Many of the churches, of course, I’ve been in, they would have me do the prayer for tithes and offerings. I’d say, “I always want to see you smile now when that offering plate comes by.” Shawn (13:24): Bob, why do you think that is? Why does it matter more that you’re cheerful about it? Bob (13:31): Because you’re not doing it under compulsion, you’re not being forced to do it. And it’s cheerful because I enjoy giving and I see the benefits of giving to others. But you got something here. What is it you’re at? Shawn (13:47): I guess I forgot to say that was rhetorical. What I was going to say is why you give cheerfully. Well, because no matter how much you give, if you’re not cheerful about it, it’s wasted. And I would say this because God doesn’t need it. Bob (13:58): Oh, that’s true. God already owns it all. Shawn (14:01): It doesn’t matter how much you gave. God, it already all belongs to him in the first place. So whatever you’re giving, even if it’s a large dollar amount, if you’re not doing so with joy and doing so cheerfully, you’re just wasting time because he doesn’t ultimately need it. Bob (14:15): As we get to the end here, there’s something we need to look at in a warning about giving, okay? I came up with five or six warnings and I’ve seen this before many times in just business. Shawn (14:28): Yeah. The secular worldview really of giving. Bob (14:30): There’s a secular worldview of giving, and that secular worldview is I’m giving to get something in return. I’m giving for attention or recognition. I’m giving to get connections or networking in the marketplace. I’m giving to influence others. Shawn (14:48): Like, ” Oh, I gave, so you should do this for me or you should do some benefits to pat my back.” Bob (14:53): We see that in politics, right? Shawn (14:55): No, never. Bob (14:56): I’m giving for popularity. I mean, so those are secular worldview of giving where Jesus actually spoke about be careful of giving up your blessings by letting others know what you’re giving. Shawn (15:07): Yeah, that’s Matthew 6:3-4, “But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing so that your giving may be in secret and your father who sees in secret will reward you.” Bob (15:18): So let’s get into just these some ways to give before we conclude. Shawn (15:21): Got it. So we’ve got five ways to give. Bob (15:23): All right. Number one is our time. Shawn (15:25): That’s right. Bob (15:26): Volunteering, serving, being there for others. You cannot make up more time. Shawn (15:30): That’s right. And our talents. So using the gifts that God has given us, Romans 12:4-8 is a good scripture for this. Bob (15:38): The most obvious – from our income and cash and savings. This is the most common way that people give. Shawn (15:44): Or when they think of giving, they think of, “Oh yeah, I’m going to give from my income. I’ll give from my cash and savings. Bob (15:48): “But yet 90-95% of our assets are not in cash. Shawn (15:55): Yeah. When you look at the public as a whole, it’s from number four, which is from assets. So stocks, bonds, real estate, business interest, oil and gas, mineral rights, precious meals, collectibles, the list goes on, all of which are not cash. Bob (16:08): I would emphasize anybody go back and listen to that program that we made in December of last year about a donor advised fund. Shawn (16:14): Depending on when you’re listening, when he says last year, December of 2025. Bob (16:18): Yeah. Well, this is 2026 now. Shawn (16:21): But hey, they might be listening a year from now. Who knows? Bob (16:23): Oh, that’s true. That’s true. And then there’s what I refer to as planned giving as one of those five ways, which is we’ve got a lot of our clients here that are doing that, leaving a portion of their estate plan of their estates…their assets are going to go to ministries after they’re gone. Shawn (16:42): And if you set that up right, it can be something that is giving for generations to come after you’ve gone home to be with the Lord. Bob (16:48): One of the greatest things is making your retirement accounts, your beneficiary of your retirement accounts, ministries, because if you give those retirement accounts to your kids, they got to pay taxes on all of that. When ministries don’t have to pay tax on any of it. Shawn (16:59): So in conclusion, I’ve got a couple scriptures for you. Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own understanding. In all your ways, know him and he will make your path straight.” Proverbs 15:22. Bob, why don’t you read that one? Bob (17:14): I was thinking about counsel, because somebody may need counsel here and, “Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisors, they succeed.” That’s one of my favorite scriptures, Proverbs 15:22. And Ecclesiastes 4:9, “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their efforts.” And there’s a lot of great ministries out there that can help you with … You’re like, “How do I give? I have nothing to give.” Start small. Start small. And there’s some great ministries like Crown Ministries or Financial Peace University that can help you with your budgeting. Shawn (17:50): To sum this whole episode up, I guess I would say this subject, all major financial decisions for Christians should be spiritual ones first and foremost because they are. And because of that, well, pray about your giving. So you can align yourself, align your giving with God’s Word. Bob (18:12): And we want to say too, this is going to be an entire series on a biblical worldview of money and wealth. This is the first one. We did a summary the last time, and now we’re going to get into detail. The next one is going to be on saving, a biblical worldview of saving. And that’s going to be very eye-opening for a lot of people. Shawn (18:32): Yep. And when we give cheerfully and generously, we participate in God’s work and receive his blessing in return. So if you’d like to learn more about Christian Financial Advisors® and have questions about incorporating biblical principles like this into your financial planning, well then please visit our website at www.Christianfinancialadvisors.com. You can also call or text us at 830-609-6986. Thank you so much for joining us. And as always, God bless.