Sunday, April 25, 2010

238. So Jesus Mentioned the Tithe...

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Some people who teach that tithing is a Christian principle have said things such as, "Jesus mentioned the tithe, so that means that tithing is for Christians." Well, it's true that Jesus mentioned the tithe. But when He did, who was He talking to? What was He saying? What was His overall point? If we look at His words in the larger context of what He was saying and doing, can we truly glean from it that He was making a case for Christian tithing?  Or did it have nothing at all to do with that? We discuss this on Growing in Grace this week.

With all this talk the past few weeks about "tithing," we're leading up to something else, but we first wanted to lay a foundation of what "giving" for the Christian is not, and why it's not. We'll begin talking more about true "grace giving" as this series progresses!

Sunday, April 18, 2010

237. Why Hebrews 7 is Not About Tithing

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Because Hebrews 7 mentions tithing (Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek), many people these days use this passage to make a case that tithing is a Christian principle. But that's not what this passage is about at all. That's not how the Hebrews saw this passage.

This week we take a look at what is really being said in Hebrews 7, especially in light of the entire book of Hebrews. A major theme in the book as a whole, that Kap and Joel have talked about many times, is the superiority of Christ and the New Covenant over the Levite priesthood and the Old Covenant. Hebrews 7 is a part of that larger theme. The writer uses the example of Abraham's tithe to Melchizedek, by no means to make a case for Christian tithing, but rather as part of his case about how Christ supersedes everything!

If you see things differently or are on the fence with this one (or if you simply want to be encouraged in the wonderful truth of the superiority of Christ!) we invite you to spend a few minutes with us as we talk this out.

Sunday, April 11, 2010

236. Tithing - Not a Model for New Covenant Giving

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Continuing on in our "tithing/giving" series this week with a look at a pretty big supply of Old Covenant passages that have to do with tithing. Last week we talked about the "go-to passage" that is brought up by Christians who teach tithing - Malachi 3 - and this week we look a bit more into that, including a brief look at what the "storehouse" is and isn't. Is today's "church" the New Covenant version of the Old Covenant storehouse? Is today's "pastor" the New Covenant version of the Old Covenant priests? Did tithing and the storehouse have anything to do with income?

We then talk about the multitude of passages that have to do with the Old Covenant laws on tithing, as Malachi 3 was simply the Lord's rebuke of Israel for not staying with the system that He had set in place for specific purposes under that covenant. The system of tithing was set up as one part of a much larger system/covenant that has nothing to do with Christianity! We in the church today have mistakenly "Christianized" this old system. Next week we'll talk about Hebrews 7, as well as what Jesus was talking about when He briefly mentioned the tithe.

Sunday, April 04, 2010

235. Is Tithing for Christians?

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Giving and tithing. How (and if) does this fit into the Christian life? This week we begin a brand new series in which we'll look at this. When it comes to living in God's grace, questions come up such as, "Is tithing for Christians?" and "What does grace-giving look like?" We'll start out by looking at what the Old Testament says about tithing. Who tithed? What was the purpose of the tithes? Does any of it fit into New Covenant living?

Specifically this week we'll look at a common "go-to passage" that is brought up when the church today talks about tithing - Malachi 3. What does this passage say, and who was it directed at? Does this passage have anything to do with Christian living and giving? Also, we'll look briefly at Abraham's one-time tithe to Melchizedek, which we'll also cover in greater detail later.