INTRODUCTION
When we think about keys, we think about someone with the authority to open or close things. The Prophet Isaiah prophesied that Eliakim would be put in a place of authority with keys to open and close. Isaiah 22:22 says, “The key of the house of David I will lay on his shoulder; so he shall open, and no one shall shut, and he shall shut, and no one shall open.”
The resurrected Lord said in Revelation 1:18, “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.”
Revelation 3:7 says, “And to the angel (messenger or pastor) of the church in Philadelphia write: These things says He who is holy, He who is true, He who has the key of David, He who opens and no one shuts and shuts and no one opens.”
Jesus, during His ministry on earth, told Peter and the disciples, “And I give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” That authority to open and close, bind and lose still exists in the Church today. However, it is so powerful that few bother to use it, even though it has been freely given to us by our Lord Jesus, too often we know very little about it.
Generosity
Proverbs 11:24-25 tells us something about being generous, “There is one who scatters, yet increases more, and there is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty. The generous soul will be made rich, and he who waters will also be watered himself.” We learn that being generous leads to blessings!
Proverbs 22:9 says, “He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor.”
Isaiah 32:8 says, “But a generous man devises generous things, and by generosity, he shall stand.”
It is far better to be generous than stingy; one leads to blessing and the other leads to poverty in all areas of life.
The 4 T’s
- Time – whatever time we have on earth is a gift from God, but we are responsible for how we use it. Each of us has 24 hours in a day which comes to 1440 minutes and 86,400 seconds. We can be stingy or generous with our time in the service of our King.
- Talents – abilities that God has placed within us. Although they are God-given, we decide how we will use them; for selfish things or for advancing the kingdom of God.
- Truth – the truth will set you free (John 8:32) when you adhere to it. Knowing the truth and obeying it are not the same thing. The truth you know and do will bring forth what it promises.
- Tithe – the Israelites were required to bring tithes and offerings as a sign of worship to God. When they obeyed they were blessed. When they disobeyed they were rebuked.
Each of us is responsible to be generous with these four things in all areas of our life. We can be selfish and use what God has given for self-advancement, or we can use them for the glory of God and His kingdom. What will it be?
THE TITHE
Most people, Christians included, have an aversion to indiscriminately giving away their money. When it comes to giving to charities or the Church, they are hesitant to do so. Why is that? In some cases, it is because in the past the funds have been misused or abused. Or perhaps their pastor or favorite tele-evangelist has emphasized giving to the point that it has turned them off.
So, what are we to do? The best place to get real answers is from the Word of God – the Bible. In this book, we will examine what it has to say about tithing and giving beyond the tithe. Giving – not to twist God’s arm to make Him do something He doesn’t want to do – but to obey the basic tenets of Scripture about how to obey Him and be blessed while doing so.
Some Christians don’t tithe because they say it is just part of the Mosaic law that has no importance for us today. But actually, tithing predates the law.
Genesis 14:18-20 says, “Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him (Abram) and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he (Abram) gave him (Melchizedek)) a tithe of all.”
Hebrews 7:4 says, “Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils.”
Hebrews 7:5-9 says, “And indeed those who are of the sons of Levi, who receive the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law, that is, from their brethren, though they have come from the loins of Abraham; but he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction, the less is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives. Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak.”
Just as Abraham’s faith predates the Mosaic law, so does the principle of giving a tithe. Neither of those was done away with simply because Jesus fulfilled the law. But both are re-emphasized in the New Covenant.
Here are some other Scriptures related to tithing that was part of the Mosaic law.
Leviticus 27:30-31 “And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s. It is holy to the Lord. If a man wants at all to redeem any of his tithes, he shall add one-fifth to it.”
Deuteronomy 26:;12-13 says, “When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year – the year of tithing – and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, then you shall say before the Lord your God; I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandments which you have commanded me; I have not transgressed your commandments, nor have I forgotten them.”
2 Chronicles 31:5-6 says, “As soon as the commandment was circulated, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of grain and wine, oil and honey, and of all the produce of the field; and they brought in abundantly the tithe of everything. And the children of Israel and Judah, who dwelt in the cities of Judah, brought the tithe of oxen and sheep; also the tithe of holy things which were consecrated to the Lord their God they laid in heaps.”
Malachi 3:8-12 says, “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you have robbed me, even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and try me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts. “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” says the Lord of hosts.”
They were told to bring a tithe from their harvests so that the priests and Levites would have food to eat. They were, at different times throughout the year, to bring lambs for sacrifice. When they obeyed they prospered, when they rebelled God used various ways to rebuke them.
Notice what was promised to them if they obeyed; “I will open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.”
Notice what else God promised, “I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field.”
Did God literally do these things? Yes, over and over again.
After Malachi, there is a period of time when there was very little, if any, visitation of the Lord. We call this the Intertestamental period.
While the Moral law of God (Ten Commandments) remains in force today, the Ceremonial law with its types and shadows has been fulfilled through Jesus’ work on the Cross. In Luke 16:16 Jesus said, “The law and the prophets were until John, since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it.”
John the Baptist appeared on the scene preaching “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). Jesus preached the same, “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17,23).
The message of the Kingdom that they and others in the New Testament preached brought forth a new way of living. No more blood sacrifices are needed! Ceremonies or feast days no longer were required. Because of the Cross, where Jesus gave His life, the burial, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost bring us into a relationship with Jesus that is not based on pictures and shadows, but a relationship with Him because He now lives within us (1 John 4:4). But, being a tither and generous giver is the same in both Covenants!
FIVE KEYS
Jesus commended tithing. Matthew 23:23 says, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith. These ought you to have done, without leaving the others undone. Jesus approved of their consistency in tithing but not putting it before other things.
The New Testament is not just about the tithe. Tithing is the place to start in our giving, it is not the end. One has not really given until after first tithing.
Luke 6:38 says, “Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” Jesus said this in the context of the law of sowing and reaping. In a nutshell, this is the teaching about giving in the New Testament.
Jesus showed the religious crowd that heart attitude is important too. Luke 21:1-4 says, “And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.”
In addition to these, I will mention five keys that will help us with that attitude.
Key # 1 – Place of Ownership
We need to realize that we are not our own. As Christians, we belong to God. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” All that we are or ever will be belongs to Him. His redemption is total. It positively affects everything, even our possessions. Our mentality should be that we will use our possessions to advance His Kingdom. It begins with a tithe and continues on to various ways of giving to do it.
Key # 2 – Place of Repentance
Repentance breaks the yoke off our lives. Repentance is more than crying and begging God for forgiveness. It means to change one’s mind & heart about self, sin, and God. If one repents, he changes the direction he is going and goes 180 degrees in the other direction.
Repentance is often needed, not only for salvation but for service. Too many Christians fail to obey God by not tithing and not practicing generous giving of their finances to advance His Kingdom.
Too often we are generous when it is something we want, but stingy with God and His Kingdom. Such an attitude calls for repentance.
Key # 3 – Place of Obedience
Obedience brings forth fruitfulness. Deuteronomy 8:18-20 says, “And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day. Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the Lord your God.” Being disobedient does not produce good fruit!
Over and over again we see in the Old Testament how Israel disobeyed God and suffered many rebukes from the prophets God sent them. If they did not repent, calamities of all types would occur. God would often lift His hand of protection and allow the evil armies around them to invade the land. When they repented and obeyed what He had said, He would deliver and bring His blessings once again to them. Most of these types of things could have been avoided if they had simply obeyed God in the beginning.
Key # 4 – Place of Sacrifice
Sacrifices we make, while we are obeying God, increase influence. When we look at individuals who have sacrificed much to serve God, they have a great influence on our lives. Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Obedience to God will cause us to make sacrifices often. Why? Because the flesh wants what it wants! To sacrifice means that we willingly give up what we want to do to be able to do what He wants us to do. And when it comes to tithing, giving offerings, and being generous, sacrifices will have to be made.
Key # 5 – Place of Generosity
Generosity is the place where blessings abound! Remember the law of reciprocity or sowing and reaping?
The Apostle Paul said in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, “But this I say; He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.
He continues on in 2 Corinthians 9: 10-11, “Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.”
Jesus said in Luke 6:38, Give, and it will be given to you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Tithing is giving a tenth back to God from what you have received. Generous giving begins where tithing ends and becomes a seed that is sown that will bring forth an abundant harvest in the future!
Martin Luther said, “There are three conversions necessary, the heart, the head, and the purse.”
Billy Graham said, “A checkbook is a theological document, it tells you who and what you worship.”
CAN GOD’S BLESSINGS BE BOUGHT?
NO.
Why would we want to buy what we have already been given? Ephesians 1:3 says, “…we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.”
2 Peter 1:3 says, “As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life ad godliness…”
Psalm 103:1-5 says, “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases. Who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s”.
Psalm 104:24 says, “O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom, you have made them all. The earth is full of your possessions.”
Notice Proverbs 3:9-10, “Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase. So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.”
From these and similar passages we can see that God is not against possessions or money. But we do need to keep the right perspective and attitude toward them.
We should not attempt to deceive God. We see two people, Ananias and Sapphira, who tried that and it did not turn out well for them! They both died under Divine Judgment (Acts 5:1-11).
Simon, the sorcerer, tried and failed also. Acts 8 tells us that when the gospel was preached in the city of Samaria great numbers of people professed faith in Jesus. Simon did too. Later he saw supernatural things happening and wanted the power to do them. Notice verses 18-20, “And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘Your money perish with you because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money.’”
Peter, by the ability of the Holy Spirit, dissected Simon’s problem. He told him “your heart is not right in the sight of God.” He further encouraged him to repent. He revealed that Simon was “poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.”
You cannot buy salvation.
You cannot buy healing.
You cannot buy the peace of God or any of the fruit of the Spirit.
You cannot buy the Holy Spirit or any of His gifts.
You cannot buy a ministry.
We should not try to Barter with God either.
There are examples of people in the Bible who laid a fleece before the Lord to determine His will. Sometimes it seemed to work well for them.
A good example of this is Gideon (Judges 6:36-40). But before attempting to do the same thing, we need to consider the covenant under which Gideon lived and that he did not have the Holy Spirit living in him as we do today under the New Covenant. We have the written Word of God; we have the Holy Spirit and the witness of His Spirit in us (Romans 8:9,11,16, 1 John 4:4). We don’t need to do this. In fact, on some occasions, it may be dangerous to do so.
We should be on guard against covetousness.
Luke 12:15 says, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses.”
Your life is more than houses, lands, money, position in society, clothes, cars, entertainment, etc. Your life is a gift from God, it is to be used in His Kingdom.
Let’s look at the instruction the Apostle Paul gave to his disciple Timothy. 1 Timothy 6:6-10 says, “Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” Notice, he did not call money evil, but the love of money.
Paul also mentioned in 1 Timothy 3:3, 8 that leaders in the church must guard against a wrong attitude toward money. He said to Bishops that they must “not be greedy for money…”
He also said to Deacons that they also should “not be greedy for money…”
From these statements, it appears that both Pastors and Deacons would be in a position to handle money and must have a right view of it.
It is possible to have great possessions and large sums of money but still retain the right attitude about it. In Acts 4:32-37 we find a time in Jerusalem where the believers were in unity. No one thought of his possessions as being only his. There were no unmet needs in the Body. Those who had excess possession would sell them and bring the money to the Apostles who then distributed it to those in need.
So, what are we to do when we face a financial need?
Read the promises of the Word of God, some of which are found in this little book.
Take a position of victory. See yourself as a person who has the victory, not one trying to get it. The way you get to this is by reading and meditating on the Scriptures that tell you who and what you are IN Christ.
Make positive statements from those Scriptures. Such as:
“Greater is He that is in me than he that is in world.”
“My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory.”
“I am blessed with everything that I need to do the will of God.”
“Need and want are under my feet because I am seated with Christ in heavenly places.”
“Satan and all his helpers were defeated by Jesus’ Cross experience. Since they are under Jesus’ feet they are under mine also.”
Then, begin to praise God for meeting your need.
I do not see these things as formulas to get blessings, but a lifestyle that is natural because of who you see yourself to be in Jesus. When it becomes natural, you get to the place where your faith is high and you know, even as you are doing them, that the need WILL be met!
Final Thoughts
When it comes to praying for specific things, we need to know how and why God responds to our requests. I have given a few things for us to consider.
1. God cannot act contrary to His nature. For example, God is love and everything He does will be done out of love.
2. We never have to ask God to do what the Word says He is. For example, God is merciful. We never have to ask God to be merciful to us or others because He always is whether we realize it or not. Another example: ‘God supply my needs.’ He already has even though we may not see it yet.
3. We never have to beg God for anything He has promised. We need only to ask in faith to appropriate it.
4. Jesus is never going to the Cross again. He has already done everything necessary for us to live a victorious life in the present and the future. “It is finished.”
5. Jesus is actively involved in our life on a daily basis via the Holy Spirit who lives in us. He is both imminent (near) and transcendent. Understanding this is where the rubber meets the road. We often do not ‘feel’ God’s presence and are tempted to believe that He has left us or is unconcerned for us. No, He lives IN us! Jesus said He would never leave or forsake us. Believe it!