The first reference to tithes in the Bible was when Abraham returned from the slaughter of the Kings. On that occasion he gave to the mysterious person Melchisedec a tenth of all. This seems to have been a freewill response, for the goodness that Jehovah had shown to Abraham in giving him victory over the invading kings. It was the response of Abram’s heart, there is no reference to Jehovah commanding it, or requiring it of Abram’s hand. This principle seems to carry right through the matter of tithing. The tithe is given to God, but God being a Spirit has no use for material things, but it is the spirit behind the response that He appreciates. The heart-felt appreciation of His boundless grace, and His willingness to give or to help, in any situation of need is to be the spring of our response in our giving to Him. In each case the tithe is first given to God, but then to those who are serving Him, to enable them to continue in His service.

Perhaps it would be appropriate to sound a warning at this juncture. Many false cults have seen in the tithe a means of getting wealth for themselves, and thus they emphasise it in a manner in which God does not (in the Bible). As a result these false cults have amassed property, and have investments, and they loudly claim this to be the evidence of the blessing of God on their witness, though the teachings that they hold are obviously erroneous, and are contrary to the clear teaching of the word of God, and because of this are heretical.

It obviously suits the pride of the unregenerate human heart to think that he can give something to God that will make God richer, and predispose Him to give "good luck" to the worshipper. Even Pagan men can be very religious, as Paul discovered at Athens. But he had to warn the people that the True God was not worshipped by men’s hands as though He needed anything. (Acts 17:25). He is the great giver of all, and finds His delight in giving to man His creature, "Life and breath and all things". However when the redeemed heart of man is touched by His love and kindness, and has a desire to give something back to Him, then He is both pleased and glorified.

False indeed are the hopes of evil men who think that they can bribe God into granting them a place in Paradise by their building Him a Mosque, with money that they have already stolen from Him. We read in (Psalm 24:1), that "The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof", thus God is neither poor nor bankrupt, and has no need of man’s "Generosity". The fact remains that no person, whether claiming to be a Christian believer or not can ever give to God, anything that is not already His.

The matter comes closer home to us than simply looking at false cults, Pagans, or Muslims, or Hindus, because there are some who call themselves "Christians", and who hold some doctrines that are correct, according to the word of God, but who emphasise tithing, to a point where it goes beyond scripture. The motive that lies behind this is covetousness, or greed. A man approached me, who had been attending a "Christian Outreach Centre", where the two salaried "Pastors", had been hammering the prosperity doctrine, They by twisting scripture, and telling lying stories, had convinced him that if he was to give an amount to God, then he would receive ten times that amount. He went to his bank and borrowed a large sum of money and gave it to the "Pastors", but he received nothing in return. After waiting some time he went to the "Pastors" and complained, but they did not wish to know him then, and they told him that he was a backslider and was on his way to hell.

I have noticed how that women from the Jehovah’s Witnesses Cult will sometimes get hold of a wealthy Roman Catholic widow who though she may have lived a wicked life is at last nearing the end of that life. Having no assurance of salvation, that widow faces the future with the greatest fear. These people will then with the greatest cunning lavish kindness of the widow, in the hope that she will leave all her wealth and property to them and to their "Church". The poor ignorant soul thinks that in leaving her earthly wealth theo those who seem to be doing ‘the lord’s work’, they may thus atone for their wicked life and purchase a place in heaven for themselves. This is a case of the "Blind leading the Blind". Both will fall into the ditch. May the Good Lord save us from such!

There is an attitude to be found amongst many believers, which should be both discouraged and condemned. That is the attitude, that ‘All that I have belongs to the Lord’. Too often such a haughty criticism that marks these people, who would scoff at the very idea of tithing, is just a veil to cover an attitude of pure selfishness. They will loudly boast, that ‘all that I have belongs to the Lord’, but they will search to find the smallest coin to put into the offering bag. Now it is true that every thing that a genuine believer does have, belongs to the Lord, yet so often we hang on to material things, we glory in our possessions, and we traffic with those things as if they really do belong to us. This is wrong before God, and is a form of embezzlement. (The conversion of the property of another to my own use).

Tithing is a Divine principle, and it has been proved that if it was practiced faithfully, then there would never be any shortage of funds to carry on the work of the Lord. Let us face the matter honestly; if we were to practice tithing faithfully, it would mean that one family in ten could be wholly separated to the work of the Lord, and they would be able to live at the same level of comfort and prosperity as the average of the members of the local Church. But is this so today? Far from it! Then we must admit with shame that we do not even give back to God, one tenth of what He gives to us.

However God does not resort to the weakness of human principles to fulfil His grand designs. Though what we have all belongs to Him, yet He never demands one cent from us. Let us think of our blessed Saviour. He was the Creator and the sustainer of every form of life that ever existed on this planet. But when He entered the world that His own hands had made, what did men give Him? Just a manger in a stable at Bethlehem, though the owner of everything, yet He became a houseless, a homeless stranger, and all because of His love for you and me! Such love as this demands that we give ourselves, our all to Him. This is the way that God works. He challenges us to bring the whole tithe into His storehouse. The whole tithe is not just a tenth of what He has given us, but it is our whole selves. It is His wish that you and I would freely, (without compulsion), give ourselves wholly to Him. He will not be palmed off with a mere tenth of that which already belongs to Him. Let me encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ to lay yourself on His altar, to present your bodies "Holy and without blame", to Him for the accomplishment of His will. (Romans 12:1-2, & Malachi 3:10 Darby Trans.).

It is plain from even a casual reading of the scriptures, that the early believers approached the matter of giving to God in a very disciplined manner. Though they were but spiritual babies, yet they "Laid by at home", what little material wealth that they had, and then on the first day of the week they pooled what they had, and gave it to the Lord, (1Corinthians 16:1-4). This is what God required of them, and He requires no less of us. God forbid that we should waste what He gives us, or that we should lavish it on ourselves. May He help us to distribute what He gives us both wisely and prayerfully. But let us be sure that first we give ourselves wholly to Him.

The unjust steward was guilty of wasting His Master’s substance, yet he was ashamed to beg from others. (Luke 16 :1`-8) There are many today who profess to be serving the Master, but they waste His substance, yet they are not ashamed to beg from their fellow brethren. There are many believers who are so foolish as to give to such people also. There are many who live in palatial dwellings, who wear the most expensive clothes, and are driven around in the most expensive and luxurious motor vehicles. Yet they attempt to justify their expensive and luxurious life style, and continually harangue the congregations that they address, so that they keep the money rolling in to support expensive manner of life.

We should be ashamed to beg from any other than our Heavenly Father, who knows our needs, and has promised to meet those needs. I recall visiting the U.S.A. in 1994, and as I moved about ministering the word, I carried a small transistor radio with me. I found that one could access Religious broadcasts all over the nation twenty-four hours of each day. Many of these broadcasts were far from the truth, and were not worth the airtime that they used, others were quite good and presented the truth, but they all had one thing in common. They all ended in a begging session; even the good ones. Even if the preacher had been speaking about faith, and been telling of many occasions where god rescued them, (or others), from situations of need, yet they would end up by telling those listening that they were depending on them to keep their programme running.

Just ask the correspondent of any Assembly, and they will tell you of the huge amount of junk mail that they receive in the form of begging letters.