What Do You Think About Giving Tithes and Offerings to the Church?
People usually fall into two categories on this question:
- Those who believe they give unto God
- Those who believe tithes and offerings enrich pastors and preachers
I would love to know the category you fall under and your reasons. As you read, you will also see where I stand and why.
What Brought About This Topic?
A few days ago my mother sent me a Facebook clip. A pastor said, “No offering goes to heaven and the offerings given to God are spent by men.”
God is Spirit and does not spend physical money. He blesses people and uses their gifts to advance His work. When He told Israel to give tithes to the Levites, it was not for His own use but for the support of those who served Him.
What troubled me was the tone. It sounded like an invitation to stop tithing, as if giving only feeds greedy men. In the comments, more than eighty percent agreed that tithes and offerings are foolish. Only a few seemed to understand the deeper meaning of giving. I was stunned at how little many Christians know or want to know about this subject.
I am glad you are here. Please read with an open mind. For the next few minutes, set your current view aside as you would remove a shirt and drop it in the laundry basket. Let a hard heart become soft and ready to learn.
A Story of Two Brothers
Let me share a short illustration of the wrong foundation many build on, which can lead to reluctance in tithing.
Two brothers recently became born again. As new believers they wanted to know God better and build a real relationship with Him.
One day, the first brother, Lucas, was walking along a busy road and saw a church down the street. “At last,” he said with joy, “there is a Christian church around the corner.” He hurried home and told his brother, Liam, who was excited as well.
That night, Liam studied his Bible as he usually did and came across Ephesians 4:14 in the Amplified translation:
“So that we are no longer children, tossed back and forth like ships on a stormy sea, and carried about by every wind of shifting doctrine, by the cunning and trickery of unscrupulous men, by the deceitful scheming of people ready to do anything for personal profit.”
He paused. How do I avoid deceit? A quick search led him to 1 John 4:1 in the New Living Translation:
“Dear friends, do not believe everyone who claims to speak by the Spirit. You must test them to see if the spirit they have comes from God. For there are many false prophets in the world.”
That night he prayed, “Holy Spirit, reveal truth to me and help me discern.”
The next Sunday the brothers went to church. During the sermon, Liam felt uneasy. The pastor’s reading of a scripture he knew well did not agree with what he had studied, and week after week, the messages seemed centred on worldly gain: more money, bigger houses, better jobs. Liam longed for teaching on how to grow in intimacy with God, how to die to the flesh daily, and how to overcome old habits.
Lucas was pleased. “You know, I’ve been struggling a lot lately,” he beamed. “But now I know what to do and how to pray for better.”
“Brother,” Liam replied, “we do not need to pray endlessly for what God already knows we need. He has given us His order for life. If we seek His kingdom and righteousness first, all the other things will be added. Matthew 6:33. And if we are diligent with our hands, we will see provision. Proverbs 10:4.”
We will explore those two scriptures in more detail another time and how they meet us in everyday life, for both believers and unbelievers.
Connecting the Story to Real Life
Some Christians do not ask the Holy Spirit for discernment. They are slow to study God’s Word and to build a personal relationship with Him. They choose a church for convenience, for motivational sermons, or for promised miracles and signs. They do not spend time in the Word beyond Sunday services, so they know about God but do not walk with Him closely.
Others learn to walk in discernment. They do not choose a church because it is close by or convenient, but because it is a place where truth is taught and lived. They look for a place rooted in Christ, where people are shaped to think and act according to God’s Word, and where the gospel is alive, reaching those who are lost. Out of their love for God, they find joy in supporting His work with their time, their gifts, and their resources.
Pause for a moment of reflection. You say you love God. You believe He approves of your church. You desire His blessings, and you long to see less evil in the world. You even have the means to give – it does not have to be much, remember the widow’s mite. Then why does giving to God’s work feel like a burden? If the person on your pulpit is truly untrustworthy in your eyes, why sit under their teaching week after week? Did you seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance before you made that church your home, or are you content to remain where you are and risk falling under the warning about false prophets?
The Common Excuse
Many people hide behind the claim that most men and women of God want to enrich their pockets. It becomes a shield to avoid giving and to quiet any sense of conviction. Often the deeper issue is greed and the desire to keep everything.
Loving God includes sacrifice. We give good gifts to our children, spouses, friends, and even to ourselves. God loves us and gives us good gifts. If we truly say we love Him, why then should it be so hard to give toward the work that honors Him?
And if your pastor wears a fine suit, drives a good car, or lives in a nice house, are you certain your tithe bought it? If God can bless you, can He not bless His servants also? Many say pastors are rich from tithes, yet many of those same people do not give at all, and when they do, it is rare. I will not judge a servant of God by appearance or wealth. If a person pleases the Lord, I expect to see the fruit of blessing, and I would be more concerned if nothing good ever shows.
Scripture makes this clear:
- “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” – Psalm 84:11
- “To the person who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness. But to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over to the one who pleases God.” – Ecclesiastes 2:26
- “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.” – 2 Corinthians 9:8
The Lord is not a man that He should lie. If He has spoken the words above, then they stand true. And having seen His blessings in the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and many others, I know God’s Word remains faithful. He is still able to do the same in our time for anyone who pleases Him.
God’s Pattern of Provision
The Levites were the Israelite priestly tribe, descendants of Jacob’s son Levi. In Numbers 18:21, God said, “I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.” In the same way, some men and women today are called into full time ministry. Tithes and offerings are what sustain them and strengthen the work of preaching, teaching, and bringing more souls to God.
Even in the New Testament, the apostles relied on the support of the church. See Philippians 4:12-17. Many ministers travel to difficult and remote places and live by the seeds that are sown into their ministries. Not all of us are called to go, but by supporting them we share in the work of God’s kingdom.
By the way, I was not always eager to tithe. Even when I did, I sometimes gave from a transactional heart because of how it was presented. “Give this to God and you will get that in return”. That approach is not right. 2 Corinthians 9:7 teaches us to give what we have decided in our hearts, not reluctantly or under compulsion, because God loves a cheerful giver.
Today, I know I would be turned off if I heard that kind of message from a man of God. What I receive from God should never be the main focus of encouraging me to tithe — in fact, it should not be the focus at all. When giving is preached only as a promise of blessings, it starts to sound like campaigning, as if the reward is guaranteed (see James 4:3 and 2 Corinthians 9:7). Worse still, it can come across like selling, reducing tithing to a transaction, as if God’s blessings could be bought.
I am grateful I am not where I used to be. My ability and willingness to tithe have grown, and I know my heart is in a better place than before. As I have come to know God personally, to love Him, and to honor Him, the Holy Spirit has birthed something new in me. My heart posture has changed and the same can happen for you when you choose a true relationship with God.
Final Thoughts
Some of us roll our eyes the moment tithes and offerings are mentioned Yes, there are pastors who have made money an idol, but that should not become an excuse to generalize every servant of God or to see giving to the church as a bad thing.
Ask the Holy Spirit for discernment. Let Him guide you to the right spiritual leader, and let your giving flow from a willing heart — whether to help others or to support the spread of the gospel. Give with joy and gladness. If you truly love God and walk in relationship with Him, sowing into His work should bring you joy, because you are doing what pleases Him.
And if giving feels difficult, or if you cannot give with gladness, ask the Holy Spirit to change your heart’s posture. He is able to do it.
I’ll leave you with this:
“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.” – Hebrews 13:16
