Dale Partridge - June 26, 2019


Real Christianity #51: Why Tithing is Biblical but It's Not Christian


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36 minutes

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161.86026

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5,912

Sentence count

324

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1

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21

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Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

In this episode, we talk about the concept of tithing and how it is not biblical in the Old Testament. We also talk about biblical generosity and the three areas of giving that every Christian is called to in regards to it.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
Hate speech classifications generated with facebook/roberta-hate-speech-dynabench-r4-target .
00:00:00.000 Welcome to Real Christianity. Today we are talking about generosity. And the title of the episode today is Why Tithing is Biblical, but it's not Christian.
00:00:13.560 And if you haven't noticed, we're doing this show Solo Dale today. Veronica has been at a homeschooling conference and we just couldn't make schedules work, so I thought I would do the show solo today.
00:00:28.020 And so if you're a new listener to the Real Christianity podcast, welcome.
00:00:32.720 If you're a regular listener, we'd love for you to leave a review for the show.
00:00:36.320 Just go into iTunes, tap the stars for a rating, maybe even write a review.
00:00:41.060 We'd love to hear from you.
00:00:42.840 Also, if you don't know, you could also watch this podcast on YouTube.
00:00:48.280 You could also listen to it on Spotify and Google Play.
00:00:52.060 And wherever podcasts are pretty much heard, we have a show there.
00:00:56.520 Again, if you haven't already followed Veronica and I on Instagram, we'd love to have you there.
00:01:01.360 It's probably the main place in which I produce content on a regular basis.
00:01:05.820 So, we'd love to have you guys following on Instagram as well.
00:01:09.640 So, we're going to dive through.
00:01:11.200 Today's conversation is based off an article that I wrote under the same name,
00:01:16.620 titled, Why Tithing is Biblical But It's Not Christian.
00:01:21.200 Now, it's not just a conversation about tithing today.
00:01:23.500 we're also going to talk about generosity. What is biblical generosity? What does the Bible
00:01:29.020 call Christians to do in regards to giving? And because it's an article, you'll see me 0.87
00:01:34.800 reference back to my laptop if you're watching this on the video today. I'm going to do a lot
00:01:40.320 of reading from this. I've got lots of notes, so it won't come off so monotone, but it'll be
00:01:47.800 much of a discussion around giving, not just around the idea of tithing. So over the years,
00:01:54.020 I've heard this idea from the pulpit, right? The Lord tells us to bring our tithes to the storehouse.
00:02:00.000 You guys have heard this if you've been at church for any longer than a decade. You've heard this
00:02:04.300 idea. But what is a tithe? Well, the dictionary defines a tithe as a tenth part of something
00:02:10.240 paid as a voluntary contribution to the support of a religious establishment. What a very boring
00:02:16.180 definition, but that's what the dictionary says a tithe is. But does this idea of giving 10% of
00:02:23.320 your income actually exist in the Bible? Do we ever see New Testament Christians tithing? 0.98
00:02:31.120 The answer to both those questions is actually no, we don't. And so we're going to look at what
00:02:35.720 the scriptures say in regards to that. So where do we get this concept of tithing and why do so
00:02:41.440 many pastors and Christians, or pastors, I should say, preach that Christians should actually be
00:02:47.040 tithing. I've heard this over and over and over again at the variety of churches we pass around 0.96
00:02:52.000 the offering tray. And again, you know, offering is a little bit different than tithing,
00:02:57.620 but I've still heard it quite a few times over the years preached from the pulpit.
00:03:01.360 So I'm going to explain where it comes from, and then we're going to dive into the three areas of
00:03:06.020 giving that every Christian is called to. But let's go back to the Old Testament.
00:03:12.540 It says, in the Old Testament, Jacob, you know, whose name was changed to Israel,
00:03:19.880 and you can see that in Genesis 32, 28, he had 12 sons. These are the 12 tribes of Israel. Now,
00:03:26.620 these men became those founders of those 12 tribes of Israel, the nation of Israel. In Deuteronomy
00:03:33.940 18, 1 and 2, we see that all those tribes were given land to inherit and could attain regular
00:03:41.300 means of acquiring an income except for one of those tribes. And that tribe that couldn't do 0.94
00:03:46.860 that was the Levite tribe. And those were the children of Jacob's son, Levi, the lineage of 0.86
00:03:54.940 Levi. Now, the Levite's inheritance was God himself. And in the sense that they were the ones
00:04:02.480 chosen to oversee the worship of the entire nation of Israel, and the Levites were responsible for 0.90
00:04:09.340 the tabernacle. This is kind of the moving temple, right? And its implements as well as overseeing the 0.91
00:04:15.360 sacrifices and offerings to the people. Now, bear with me, guys, a little bit of historical theology
00:04:20.020 that we're going to talk about today, and we're going to get very practical here in a moment.
00:04:24.000 In Numbers 18.21, it says, Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel
00:04:30.500 as an inheritance in return for the work for which they perform,
00:04:34.480 the work of the tabernacle of meeting.
00:04:37.500 In verse 24, it continues with,
00:04:39.480 For the tithes of the children of Israel,
00:04:41.460 which they offer up as a heave offering to the Lord, 0.97
00:04:43.480 I have given to the Levites as an inheritance. 0.97
00:04:46.420 Therefore, I have said to them, 0.99
00:04:47.900 Among the children of Israel, they still have no inheritance. 0.96
00:04:51.000 In other words, the tithes from the other 11 tribes, 0.84
00:04:56.040 which were food and not money, 0.53
00:04:58.480 were basically the nation of Israel's taxation system. 0.92
00:05:03.920 The Levites were the government workers, 0.77
00:05:07.120 the government servants, 1.00
00:05:08.820 and the other 11 tribes were the public, 1.00
00:05:12.880 and they paid for their service
00:05:15.240 through a variety of national tithes,
00:05:17.620 very similar to a taxation system
00:05:19.780 that we have here in the United States.
00:05:22.120 Now, we might assume that the Old Testament Israel
00:05:24.300 gave a total of 10%, 0.63
00:05:25.760 because the word tithe means tenth, right?
00:05:27.760 It's actually difficult to discern how much was given in the Old Testament,
00:05:32.400 and we don't have time to debate it on the podcast right now,
00:05:36.000 but some scholars think that Israelites gave 14 tithes over seven years.
00:05:40.860 Others believe it was 12.
00:05:43.020 Regardless, when we add them all together, it's far more than 10%.
00:05:46.580 It was probably somewhere between 20% and 30%, which, hey, hey, hey,
00:05:50.360 is close to the taxation of the national government even that we have today.
00:05:54.960 Now, to challenge a few modern practices, tithing was about food, and it wasn't about money.
00:06:02.260 And the idea of bringing it to a storehouse is interesting, too.
00:06:06.760 There's not one passage of Scripture telling any Jew or Christian to give 10% of their money to a religious institution. 0.72
00:06:14.560 That's a pretty big statement, right?
00:06:17.000 Second, as I titled this article, while tithing is biblical, it's found in the Bible,
00:06:22.620 It's not a Christian practice.
00:06:25.800 And this was strictly a practice for the nation of Israel under the Old Covenant,
00:06:30.880 which has been fulfilled by Jesus Christ in the New Covenant.
00:06:34.020 And furthermore, we don't see the instruction or example of New Testament Christian tithing.
00:06:40.700 I would equate it to temples and sacrifices and priests.
00:06:46.340 All these things have been pinned to the cross and no longer have an active role in the new covenant.
00:06:53.200 So if tithing isn't Christian, what do the New Testament scriptures instruct us to do in regards to giving?
00:07:01.120 And this is a really important question.
00:07:02.640 It's one that we're going to answer today.
00:07:04.840 The answer, in short, is just be generous.
00:07:07.940 We're called to be a generous people.
00:07:10.120 And as it pertains to money, that could be 2% of your income.
00:07:13.160 That could be 10% of your income.
00:07:14.520 that could be a hundred percent of your income. And you see, this is a really big shift in
00:07:20.480 thinking when you get down into it, because many Christians believe that if they just give their
00:07:24.300 10%, uh, then the other 90% is all theirs to keep. And that's, that's, uh, you know, if I've
00:07:30.740 checked the generosity box off, um, you know, for the month and I can now, you know, check out from
00:07:37.880 the additional needs around me because I've already done my duty of giving my 10% and now
00:07:42.120 everything else here is mine, and I don't even need to think about that I'm greedy because
00:07:45.540 I'm not greedy because I give 10%, right? The New Testament narrative goes much further than
00:07:52.220 this 10% narrative. It calls us to actively seek out the poor. Matthew 19, 21 talks about that,
00:07:59.440 to seek out the needs of our brothers and sisters, 1 John 3, 17, to share with those in the church
00:08:05.820 who have lack, and to do it all with a cheerful heart, which is 2 Corinthians 9, 6-7, which we're
00:08:11.900 going to talk about a lot today. I'm going to read this passage for you real quick in 2 Corinthians.
00:08:16.880 Again, this is 2 Corinthians 9, 6, and 7. It says,
00:08:19.880 But I say this, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will
00:08:26.800 also reap bountifully. So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or out of
00:08:33.280 necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. So this passage leverages what's called the law of the
00:08:41.660 harvest. And put differently, we reap what we sow. That's what it's saying here in the opening part.
00:08:47.180 It's leveraged in a variety of places in scripture, and I'll give you a few examples.
00:08:52.500 Proverbs tells us that if we walk with the wise, what'll happen? Well, we'll be wise. If we walk
00:08:56.360 with fools, then we'll be fools. That's Proverbs 13, 20. Galatians 6a says, for he who sows to his 0.98
00:09:02.440 flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the spirit will of the spirit reap
00:09:08.200 everlasting life. Again, this is the law of the harvest. What you reap is what you sow.
00:09:12.780 Now, this law continues in a variety of manifestations, including giving throughout
00:09:17.920 the scriptures. Now, to keep the proper context of 2 Corinthians in view, it's not saying to use
00:09:25.980 giving as an investment strategy. Man, just go and law of the harvest, man. What you reap is what
00:09:31.380 you're going to sow. You're going to give, give, give, and you're going to receive, receive, receive.
00:09:34.360 It's not what it's talking about there.
00:09:36.700 It continues on in that passage later to conclude that the giver of seed, God,
00:09:41.900 will continue to give more seed for the purpose of planting more seed,
00:09:46.480 not for storing up seed in the human storehouses for material benefit.
00:09:50.700 And you can see that in verses 10 through 14 if you want to go back and reference that.
00:09:54.500 But there's no getting around the idea of money.
00:09:57.960 God talks a lot about money.
00:10:00.680 And you don't talk a lot about what you don't care about.
00:10:05.040 So I'm going to just kind of just break it down how much the Bible talks about money.
00:10:09.920 16 of the 38 parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions.
00:10:15.500 In the Gospels, 1 out of 10 verses, 288 in all, deals directly with the subject of money.
00:10:22.660 The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, and more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions.
00:10:32.080 And it's undeniable. The management of money and generosity at its core are part of the Christian faith.
00:10:38.360 It's clear. Giving is the mark of a mature believer.
00:10:42.700 And I would actually say keeping is the mark of an immature believer.
00:10:47.660 So you've got to identify yourself. Are you a giver or are you a keeper?
00:10:51.620 Those are really good marks of if I'm mature or if I'm immature.
00:10:55.220 But if giving isn't built on tithing, how should biblical Christians view giving?
00:11:02.300 And in my understanding of the New Testament, generosity really falls into three categories.
00:11:06.440 And I want to walk you guys through those three categories in this episode.
00:11:11.700 So the first category is giving to the poor.
00:11:15.000 And I don't even think I need to list the plethora of scriptures featuring Jesus' heart for the poor.
00:11:21.920 So let's just go back to God's book of wisdom, which is the book of Proverbs.
00:11:25.820 Proverbs 19, 17 states,
00:11:27.820 Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will repay them for his deed.
00:11:34.040 If this scripture is true, which, again, I believe it is.
00:11:37.060 I'm a believer in the inerrancy of scripture.
00:11:39.820 Then any giving to the poor is merely a loan to God.
00:11:44.720 And God never fails to make good on his promises.
00:11:46.800 This is a really powerful concept here.
00:11:48.460 In Luke 12, 33-34, Jesus says,
00:11:52.640 Sell your possessions and give to the needy.
00:11:55.600 Provide yourselves with money bags that do not grow old,
00:11:59.140 with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail,
00:12:02.420 where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.
00:12:05.180 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
00:12:08.940 Now, this scripture, along with a variety of others,
00:12:11.740 I'll just give you a few, Matthew 5, 24, Matthew 25, 35-45, Matthew 6, 1-4.
00:12:18.460 They're all pieces of a system of generosity that lead up to this incredible statement that the Lord makes in Luke 6, 38, regarding giving.
00:12:28.900 He says, give, and it will be given to you.
00:12:32.580 Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom.
00:12:38.180 For with the same measure that you use, it'll be measured back to you.
00:12:42.740 Now, in theological circles, we talked about the law of the harvest.
00:12:46.440 This law is called the law of reciprocity.
00:12:48.460 Jesus wraps up his entire heavenly economic system with this gigantic promise, you know, the law of reciprocity.
00:12:58.800 And interestingly, many Christians ignore it. We really do. It's sad.
00:13:02.320 Instead, they go about calling themselves kind of victims to unfortunate financial circumstances,
00:13:08.820 when in reality, they're only meeting the financial rebound of their own choices.
00:13:13.280 when we're stingy, I see stingy people have really not really graceful lives in terms of
00:13:23.580 just opportunities and easy breaks. And we're going to talk about the Lord actually being able
00:13:29.980 to make the grace of God abound toward you. It says that in 2 Corinthians, which we'll talk about
00:13:34.900 here in a bit. In other words, those of God's children who are not generous are generally
00:13:40.440 wanton and greedy. That's just, that's just what happens. You might have lots of money, but you're
00:13:45.480 greedy. It reveals their heart. They cannot let go of their treasure. They simply don't have enough
00:13:53.180 faith to engage in this passage. Giving requires a lot of faith. Now, this scripture, I don't think
00:14:01.060 it's allegorical. I think it's a direct promise that, man, you know, I'll read it again. Give and
00:14:07.720 it'll be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. It'll be put
00:14:11.780 into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it'll be measured back to you. I don't
00:14:16.360 think that that is allegorical. I think it's a direct promise of our Lord and confirmation that
00:14:22.260 generosity to any of these three categories, as we're going to talk about today, will be paid
00:14:26.840 back generously in some capacity. Now, it's claiming to be repaid, but it's not claiming
00:14:34.340 to be repaid strictly in money. So that's why, again, our heart shouldn't be like, I'm going to
00:14:38.340 go give money to make more money. That's not what we're here for. But the Lord does affirm
00:14:43.800 that in some way, whether relationships, opportunity, money, or sustenance to meeting
00:14:48.880 your needs, you who give will be paid back in blessing from on high. And that's a promise that
00:14:55.540 we can rest in. So I want to ask you guys a question. Do you seek out the poor? Is that a
00:15:01.720 heart of your generosity and your life? Do you seek out the poor? Do you make it a priority to
00:15:08.260 give to those who have needs locally or around the world? And, you know, let me spare you from
00:15:18.140 the very real circumstances that many are facing around the world right now. You guys know that.
00:15:24.760 You know that the starving children, you know about the sick individuals around the world,
00:15:30.220 you know about the missionaries that are in need, that are living in poverty.
00:15:36.120 You know, the Lord says what you do for the poor, you do for him.
00:15:40.100 So, you know, sponsor a child, support a Christian charity, give to the poor in your own city.
00:15:47.020 Again, why not? You're simply loaning money to the Lord.
00:15:51.260 And so that's my statement is, first, is give to the poor.
00:15:55.160 Man, if you guys aren't giving to the poor in some capacity,
00:15:57.500 i just want to challenge you guys to do that the second area that christians are called to give
00:16:04.180 is the needs of the saints to give to the needs of the saints
00:16:08.180 romans 12 10 through 13 says be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love
00:16:15.480 in honor giving preference to one another not lagging in diligence fervent in spirit serving
00:16:21.700 the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continually steadfasting, or continuing steadfastly
00:16:28.440 in prayer, distributing to the needs of the saints given to hospitality. Now this is one of just many
00:16:35.820 passages that command Christians to meet the needs of the saints. This is also the principle that's
00:16:42.480 clearly upheld in the New Testament with the overwhelming number of one another's. These are
00:16:48.140 called the mutual pastoral mandates, the one another's in scripture. There's over a hundred
00:16:53.320 of them in the New Testament. And we're called to carry those one another's out with our brothers
00:16:58.960 and sisters in Christ. Sadly, most churches have nurtured a culture that inhibits this closeness
00:17:09.340 and connection required to hear about needs and facilitate an opportunity for those needs to be
00:17:16.660 met. That's what happens when you have a big crowd. Instead, the churches give much of their
00:17:22.680 gathered funds to outreach that has little to do with their own community, all while sitting in a
00:17:28.920 large crowd of their own local church members living on credit cards and digging themselves
00:17:33.160 into deeper holes of debt. I've seen this over and over again is that we're, you know, we're giving
00:17:37.840 and giving and giving while we're having bad stewardship decisions and at the same time going
00:17:43.660 deeper in debt and living on credit cards right here in our own churches. It's a different type
00:17:48.620 of poverty. It's just pushed back poverty or extended poverty. Now, I'm not ignoring the need
00:17:58.740 for biblical financial stewardship and the education for that. I'm a big fan of, you know,
00:18:04.540 Dave Ramsey's financial principles. I think it's great. I think that's something that we should all
00:18:08.360 embrace. However, I am pointing out that when churches are small, when they're close, and
00:18:15.400 relationally connected, the needs of the local saints, like people in your own community, begin
00:18:21.460 to surface. And that's what happens with closeness. And again, that's also what doesn't happen in
00:18:26.460 crowds. And that's why I'm such a big advocate on small biblical church. And I say this because
00:18:33.440 the command discussed above in Romans
00:18:35.640 is the universal
00:18:37.680 doctrine for the church,
00:18:39.680 but it's to be played out locally.
00:18:41.560 And I'm going to read that verse again.
00:18:43.040 Be kindly affectionate to one another, with
00:18:45.340 brotherly love and honor, giving preference
00:18:47.340 to one another, not lagging in diligence,
00:18:49.160 fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope,
00:18:51.680 patient in tribulation, continuing
00:18:53.160 steadfastly in prayer, distributing
00:18:55.440 to the needs of the saints, giving to hospitality.
00:19:00.760 Now, to say
00:19:01.520 that international giving is wrong, that's not what I'm saying.
00:19:03.440 but it should not replace the call to meet the needs of the local saints in your own life.
00:19:13.220 The question you have to consider asking yourself is, am I meeting the needs of those around me?
00:19:18.840 And I would say even a better question is, am I close enough with the people at my church
00:19:23.700 that they would even express their need to me if they had them?
00:19:29.460 And sadly, I think a lot of people answer no to that.
00:19:32.520 they want to be, but when you're in a system that actually nurtures distance or privacy or
00:19:39.600 independence or consumerism and not a connected spirit, that's usually the result. Verse 11 says
00:19:48.360 not lacking in diligence in fulfilling this passage. So that is to say, this is something
00:19:55.460 we should pursue in our communities. And like Christ, we're called to meet people's needs.
00:20:00.340 that's what we're called to do as the church generosity is one of the i would say it's probably
00:20:06.840 one of humanity's greatest forms of love to receive what you didn't earn is some way a
00:20:13.680 reflection of the gospel it's just another way or another form of continuing the grace that the lord
00:20:20.260 has bestowed on each one of us and so are you meeting the needs of the saints and so these i
00:20:28.280 think come up sporadically, especially if you're close. I would even put money aside so that you
00:20:35.420 can meet those needs when they come up. I have a friend who has a giving account, and he just
00:20:41.160 puts money in there. And when a need comes up, he expresses his generosity to that need. He also
00:20:49.320 gives to the poor at all times, and he gives to this third category at all times, which we're
00:20:54.440 going to talk about. So the first category is give to the poor. The second category is giving to the
00:21:00.260 needs of the saints. The third category is to give to the shepherds in your life. And I'm going to
00:21:08.380 open up with a passage from 1 Corinthians in which Paul discusses the rights he has as a spiritual
00:21:16.320 shepherd in the lives of the Corinthians to collect payment for his spiritual labor. And
00:21:23.320 for those that are biblical scholars or seminarians who know this passage, Paul declines actually his
00:21:32.200 liberty to exercise this right because he doesn't want to give the skeptical Corinthian church any
00:21:38.840 reason to believe that his motives for sharing the gospel are connected to some sort of financial
00:21:43.400 return. So the example that I'm going to give you, Paul says he actually denies his right,
00:21:47.980 but he still says his right. And Paul absolutely does exercise that right of receiving spirit or
00:21:57.840 a financial gift. In other churches, you know, it talks about it with the Philippians in
00:22:04.500 great detail. And just because Paul has chosen to waive his right here with the Corinthians
00:22:13.780 is not to say that all pastors are to waive their rights to be paid for their spiritual labor.
00:22:20.360 So I want to break down this verse in 1 Corinthians chapter 9. It's verses 5 through 12.
00:22:26.140 It says, do we have no right to take along a believing wife, as do also the other apostles,
00:22:31.300 the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?
00:22:34.280 Or is it only Barnabas and I
00:22:35.840 who have no right to refrain from working?
00:22:39.160 Whoever goes at war at his own expense,
00:22:41.780 who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit,
00:22:44.620 or who tends to a flock
00:22:46.080 and does not drink of the milk of the flock?
00:22:48.760 Do I say these things as mere man,
00:22:50.740 or does the law say the same also?
00:22:53.640 For it is written in the law of Moses,
00:22:55.640 you shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.
00:22:58.380 Is it oxen God is concerned about?
00:23:01.300 Or does he say it all together for our sakes?
00:23:05.240 For our sakes, no doubt, that it is written that he who plows should plow in hope,
00:23:10.820 and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of this hope.
00:23:14.540 If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things?
00:23:20.820 If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more?
00:23:25.380 So let's first discuss what he means about muzzling the ox, and then we'll go back.
00:23:31.240 So what is a muzzle?
00:23:33.140 So a muzzle is a device that prevents an animal from eating while it's working.
00:23:42.900 And Paul makes the argument that clearly says,
00:23:46.040 is it oxen that God is concerned about, or is it the benefit of the plowman?
00:23:51.860 The lesson that Paul is teaching to the Corinthians is,
00:23:55.120 don't allow the ox who is working in the spiritual fields of your life to stop working, to stop eating, right?
00:24:06.140 And it's not about the ox, is what Paul's saying. It's about you.
00:24:11.680 He's saying don't muzzle your ox.
00:24:15.820 Now, who's your ox? Well, he's saying your spiritual shepherd, your spiritual leader is your ox.
00:24:20.540 don't muzzle or don't stop the shepherd in your life from eating.
00:24:28.740 Why?
00:24:30.080 Because if you stop your ox from eating, he's going to quit working.
00:24:34.600 And if he quits working, then you will no longer be fed spiritually.
00:24:39.900 So that's what he's saying in this passage.
00:24:42.880 And I, man, I can't tell you enough.
00:24:45.440 Many ministers have been forced to limit or even end their spiritual labors and ministries because of this.
00:24:55.140 Their study time, their private meetings, their discipleship meetings, their phone calls, their emails, and their answering of spiritual questions.
00:25:02.020 Man, guys, I get so many spiritual questions through Instagram a day.
00:25:07.500 It's crazy.
00:25:08.660 And I try to answer a lot of them.
00:25:09.900 And they have to stop solely because they were unable to sustain the time required.
00:25:17.140 In other words, they need to go somewhere else and do something else,
00:25:21.640 which provided an income for their families and naturally prohibited their ministries.
00:25:27.820 And even Paul had to make tents for a season.
00:25:29.900 We talk about that in the scriptures, that even he had to go get some work because he wasn't provided for.
00:25:35.440 um and man this is so true even in in um our own life as ministers here uh there's days where you
00:25:45.620 know if donations aren't coming in i have to go and do consulting calls and you guys know that i
00:25:52.400 was a business person and so i'll go do consulting calls and i'll try to make some money um and you
00:25:59.660 know we're in a great financial position because we were uh we were blessed with wealth prior to
00:26:04.480 going into ministry. We sold those companies, and now we live on a modest income, far less than we
00:26:14.420 used to, but we don't have a mortgage. We paid off our mortgage, and so a modest income can do us
00:26:19.080 well, but there's times where donations to the ministry are low, and I'd like to labor continually
00:26:27.260 in the field. But I can't. I have to go and make some money elsewhere. And I do that all the time.
00:26:36.260 And I think a lot of bivocational ministers do that. But not because it's just, but because
00:26:44.680 it's reality. And so, Paul continues to defend that shepherds have a right to receive payment
00:26:52.300 from those that they minister to.
00:26:55.820 In verse 11, he says,
00:26:57.380 I should say 11 and 12,
00:26:59.560 if we have sown spiritual things for you,
00:27:02.480 is it a great thing that we reap your material things?
00:27:05.680 If others are partakers of this right over you,
00:27:08.040 are we not even more?
00:27:10.580 So I have a couple of questions for you.
00:27:13.160 How much would you pay a doctor
00:27:15.820 to heal a throat infection?
00:27:19.160 Maybe 100, 125 bucks,
00:27:21.360 plus whatever the expense of the medicine costs, maybe more.
00:27:26.060 Now, why do we hesitate to pay the pastor who heals the infections in your soul?
00:27:31.440 Is the healing of your pornography addiction not more valuable than the hearing of your throat infection?
00:27:36.700 Is the saving of your marriage not more valuable than the changing of the oil in your car?
00:27:43.240 Is the wisdom and counsel on how to navigate huge life decisions
00:27:48.140 Not more valuable than the guy who installs your dishwasher at your house.
00:27:52.800 See, all these individuals, these contractors, these people,
00:27:57.080 exercise their right to collect money for the material that they provide,
00:28:01.860 for the services they provide.
00:28:04.420 Do shepherds not have the right to collect an income for the spiritual labor that they provide?
00:28:10.280 That's what Paul is saying here.
00:28:11.820 um paul and jesus affirm this idea in other books in the new testament um luke 10 7 and first
00:28:22.940 timothy 5 18 when they say the laborer is worthy of his wages galatians 6 6 brings um some more
00:28:31.160 support it says let him who was taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches
00:28:37.520 and one of my favorite 18th century theologians, Adam Clark,
00:28:43.980 had a commentary on that Galatians 6.6 passage.
00:28:46.200 I'm going to read it to you.
00:28:48.360 He says, contribute.
00:28:50.620 This is what his commentary is on that verse.
00:28:53.660 He says, contribute to the support of the man
00:28:56.240 who has dedicated himself to the work of the ministry
00:29:00.300 and who gives up his time and his life to preach the gospel.
00:29:05.020 It appears that some of the believers in Galatia
00:29:07.300 were receiving the Christian ministry
00:29:09.420 without contributing to its support. 0.99
00:29:12.720 This is both ungrateful and base.
00:29:15.780 We do not expect that a common schoolmaster
00:29:18.440 will give up his time
00:29:19.780 to teach our children the alphabet each week
00:29:22.620 without being paid for it.
00:29:24.740 And can we suppose that it is just for any person
00:29:27.540 to sit under the preaching of God's word
00:29:30.380 on a regular occurrence
00:29:31.620 in order to grow wise unto salvation by it
00:29:34.500 and not contribute to the support
00:29:36.800 of the spiritual teacher.
00:29:39.360 It is unjust.
00:29:41.540 Pretty heavy passage right there.
00:29:43.680 Earlier in the passage to the Corinthians,
00:29:45.320 Paul makes the remarks that
00:29:47.640 he who plows should partake of the harvest
00:29:51.480 and he who threshes should enjoy the fruits of his labor.
00:29:56.860 So if you're sitting under the regular teaching
00:30:01.260 of Christian doctrine, 1.00
00:30:04.000 please determine a way to allow the plowman or woman
00:30:08.140 to enjoy the fruits of that harvest.
00:30:12.180 That might be gratitude.
00:30:13.800 That might be honor.
00:30:14.700 But it's surely also financial if that's possible
00:30:18.620 and you're willing to do so.
00:30:23.800 Ultimately, the biblical understanding of giving
00:30:27.180 must begin with the Christian view of money.
00:30:33.100 In other words, your money isn't your money, and that's a really hard concept to grasp in the flesh.
00:30:38.440 It's God's money. You're simply a steward of that money.
00:30:41.800 The question you must answer is, can God trust you with his money?
00:30:47.660 Next, I want to kind of directly confront this idea of the sum of money or the size of a donation.
00:30:57.060 it's not about the size it's it's about the heart that you have the lord can distinguish
00:31:05.060 between a generous spirit and a stingy spirit and let's look again at that second corinthians
00:31:11.980 passage at the very end it says but i say this he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly
00:31:20.480 and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully so let each one give as he purposes
00:31:25.740 in his heart, not grudgingly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able
00:31:33.340 to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things,
00:31:38.860 may have an abundance for every good work. We're not to give out a compulsion. That's one lesson
00:31:45.500 that we're having there. We're not to give out of a stingy spirit. God loves a cheerful giver.
00:31:52.100 He wraps it up with a promise that God has the ability to make all grace abound toward you.
00:32:00.760 And that's a really important concept.
00:32:03.160 And what he's saying is that don't worry about supporting the financial need of God's kingdom.
00:32:09.160 The king himself can assure that your needs are always met.
00:32:14.900 In closing, it's not about tithing.
00:32:19.520 It's about giving.
00:32:20.740 It's about a heart of generosity.
00:32:23.180 Giving, however, is difficult for the flesh.
00:32:25.780 Money, like God, has the ability to give you what you want.
00:32:29.980 And that is why it has become an idol for so many people in their lives.
00:32:34.340 Did you hear that? I want to say that again.
00:32:36.760 That money has the ability to give you what you want.
00:32:40.640 And it's like God in that capacity.
00:32:42.720 And that is why it has become an idol in so many people's lives.
00:32:46.640 Tithing is also easy because it formulates giving.
00:32:50.260 It formulates the need to discern and to use the heart.
00:32:55.760 There is no discernment required, really, in tithing.
00:32:59.980 Simply give your 10% and check off that box.
00:33:03.780 It's not that easy when you embrace biblical generosity,
00:33:06.900 and you have to feel the needs and walk by the Spirit
00:33:11.900 and give where it's uncomfortable.
00:33:15.980 Lastly, if the message of generosity hurts,
00:33:20.260 it's likely because greed is occupying a place in your heart
00:33:24.320 that God alone should hold.
00:33:27.760 And I've learned this in my own experience with giving.
00:33:30.560 I will say that Veronica and I give.
00:33:32.680 We give to all three of those categories.
00:33:37.360 And it's been a journey.
00:33:39.200 But I can speak on authority without a plank in my eye
00:33:41.880 on the idea of generosity because we give.
00:33:44.860 And I want you to know that.
00:33:46.740 I'm not saying how much we give,
00:33:48.460 but I'm just saying is that we give.
00:33:49.400 It's not about the sum. It's about a heart. And on the other hand, if you're already walking out
00:33:58.500 generosity and you've yielded your money to be his money and you're giving to the poor and you're
00:34:03.720 giving to the needs of the saints and you're giving to those shepherds, those people that
00:34:07.400 you sit under, whether in person, whether by video, whether by podcast, I give to several
00:34:16.100 podcasts that I listen to.
00:34:20.340 This conversation about giving shouldn't be convicting.
00:34:22.900 It should just give you pure joy.
00:34:24.440 And that's what it does for those that are walking out generosity.
00:34:28.820 So examine yourself.
00:34:30.440 Seek the Lord and show your love for your brothers and sisters in Christ
00:34:36.180 and the kingdom that God is building through generosity.
00:34:41.340 I want to be clear that the Lord has met our needs.
00:34:45.240 And so this isn't a disguised plea to ask for money.
00:34:50.220 This is an authentic teaching on generosity.
00:34:52.940 If you feel so compelled by the Spirit to give and support our ministry,
00:34:57.120 you can do that.
00:34:59.220 And many people do.
00:35:03.720 But this is about generosity.
00:35:06.300 The Lord has taken care of Veronica and I.
00:35:09.680 And he will continue to do so.
00:35:13.560 But if you do feel compelled to give, we will be a wise steward of those donations so that we can fulfill the work that the Lord has for us.
00:35:26.500 Generosity is a critical part of Christian maturity.
00:35:30.820 As I said earlier, it is the mark of a mature Christian, and keeping is the mark of an immature Christian.
00:35:36.300 so find out ways that you can give to the poor
00:35:39.540 give to the needs of the saints
00:35:41.160 and give to those shepherds that are in your life
00:35:44.600 that will close up this episode
00:35:47.880 on generosity
00:35:49.300 hopefully that was encouraging
00:35:51.120 and answering a lot of your questions
00:35:52.460 around giving and tithing
00:35:53.500 what the biblical narrative is
00:35:55.480 this is also an article that you can find
00:35:57.720 and really get the transcript of this
00:36:00.000 as well as all the scripture references
00:36:01.680 you can also do that at relearnchurch.org
00:36:04.520 forward slash listen
00:36:06.040 you can also go to the website and search giving and this article will come up as well
00:36:09.980 on that note one more reminder to leave a review if this podcast has been helpful and edifying for
00:36:15.860 your journey with the Lord we would appreciate that and you can also follow us always at
00:36:21.560 Instagram and we'd love to have you there as well thanks for joining us on this episode
00:36:28.260 of Real Christianity we will see you guys next week take care