COMMUNICATION CARDS (Part Deux)

Picking up on yesterday's post... We received an anonymous Communication Card this past Sunday that referenced our weekly offering at Crossroads. The comment was wonderful and so important that it deserves special attention. Here's the comment from the card:

You shouldn't be afraid to say "tithing". It is in the Bible. Tithes and offering - A Good Thing!

To which I say, "Here, here! It is a good thing, indeed!" I LOVE this comment! Whether the anonymous comment was from a recent attender or a long-time attender is not important. What it pointed out to me though, is how important it is to always make ourselves clear as a church about what we believe and why we do the things we do.

As a church we are totally not afraid to talk about tithing. It something we teach about regularly. I am personally not afraid of tithing or talking about it. I have practiced tithing 10% of our personal increase for many, many years. As I have shared from the platform at Crossroads, over the past twenty-one years I haven't always practiced tithing in perfect obedience, but it is something that I believe in - for me - and subscribe to, but based more on tradition than Scriptural directive. Know this: I am in favor of tithing and (especially as a church planter) I believe it would be great if everyone tithed.

The commenter said about tithing, "It's in the Bible". Look, I know that. I know there are references in the Bible to tithing. And I've spent hours upon hours studying them. No! Pouring over them and saturating myself in God's word praying for insight, understanding and clarity. So here's a down and dirty observation: As I taught in detail in the first week of our series ALL-IN on November 1st, 2009 (listen to it HERE), if we're going to practice the kind of tithing taught in the Old Testament, it's actually about 22.3% (representing the Levitical Tithe, the Festival Tithe, and the Poor Tithe), and not all of that was brought into the temple, but at any rate (though the term 'tithe' means 'tenth-part', for Jews of whom obedience to tithing was expected), it was not ever 10% of their increase. Yes, there is evidence of Pre-Mosaic tithing in the OT (specifically Abram to Melchizedek, and Jacob's Vow), but it's shaky ground to build a doctrine on that simply because Abram did it, or Jacob promised it, it's specifically what Jesus wants for us, or from us. In fact Jesus was very specific about what He wanted FOR us and FROM us, and (for those keeping score at home) it goes WAY beyond tithing.

What does Jesus want FOR us? To be rich towards God! (check out Luke 12:15-21)
What does Jesus want FROM us? To store up Treasure in Heaven! (Luke 12:33-34)

Folks, I was raised on a tithing 10% doctrine. I still do it. But out of a desire to be disciplined in generosity, not rigorous in following rules. If this whole thing on giving is going to land where it needs to land for all of us, it cannot be a duty. It cannot be our response to a rule. It can't just seem voluntary. It has to truly be voluntary and all about our relationship with God. Because rules without relationships breed rebellion, and our tithing becomes more like WORK than WORSHIP. So here's what we teach, to get us all on a path to being rich towards God and storing up treasure in heaven; a path of intentional generosity:

1. Make it a PRIORITY - Decide: Before I fund MY kingdom - and my lifestyle, and my house, and car, and boat, and my wife's wardrobe - before I UPGRADE ME, I'm going take a percentage of my income, and I'm going to put it OUTSIDE OF MY REALM, into whatever God is doing in the world.
2. Make it a PERCENTAGE - Decide: I'm going to pick a percentage not based on tugging heartstrings or some other compulsion, but intentionally to build myself up in the discipline of living generously. And I am UP FRONT choosing a percentage of my income and the first check or checks I write are going OUTSIDE OF MY KINGDOM to fund things that may have nothing at all to do with me, but everything to do with God's work.
3. Make it PROGRESSIVE - Decide: As time goes by, and as my income goes up, I'm going to UP my percentage. As I MAKE more, I'm going to GIVE more, so that I can DO more to increase God's kingdom in the earth! 

At the end of the day, if you want to call your giving 'tithes and offerings' (tithe referring to 10% of my increase and offering referring to any giving above and beyond that 10%) feel FREE to do it, and know you're in good company! But if that's where you are, remember there may be many who are not there. So let's do our very best to give them a chance to grow into a lifestyle of disciplined generosity by practicing Priority, Percentage, Progressive giving.

Here's a final thought. Today, we live under grace through Jesus Christ. The significance of GRACE is that it is far more comprehensive than the "RULES" ever could be. The rules say don't kill (Exodus 20:13), but grace says, don't be angry with your brother (Matthew 5:22). The rules say don't commit adultery (Exodus 20:14), but grace says don't look at a woman lustfully (Matthew 5:28). The rules say bring your full tithe into the storehouse (Malachi 3:10), but grace says store up treasure in heaven (Luke 12:33-34).

Jesus doesn't want, or require our tithe. He wants ALL of us...that's all...just everything.