

Building A Culture Of Generosity
We all have a radically generous God. It’s not impossible to begin building a culture of generosity when God is the source! He will supply!
“God expects us to give not as an afterthought, but as our top financial priority.”, – Alex Cook
It is important to note that throughout the Scriptures, two kinds of giving are consistently taught: compulsory—required or mandatory giving (as to the government in the form of taxes) and voluntary—when giving to God (as an offering) and to charity.
The misunderstanding stems from the nature of the Old Testament tithes. Israel then had a theocratic government with the Levitical priests acting as the civil government. One of the purposes of the tithe then was to:
The total giving required of the Israelites was not only 10 percent, but well over 23 percent. All that money was used to operate the nation. What we are seeing is God’s highly effective system of funding the economy of Israel—the ministry is funded, the poor is taken care of, and the reserves were set aside.
On the other hand, all giving that is apart from what is required to run the government was purely voluntary (Exodus 25:2; 1 Chronicles 29:9). In our modern language and setting, this is what we call an “offering.” Each person gives whatever is in his heart to give because no percentage or amount was specified. This is an altogether different concept that we will discuss in more detail later.
But for now, to answer the question of whether tithing is biblical, the answer can only be yes based on the numerous scriptural references we have seen.
But as to whether it is still relevant and required of Christians today is another matter altogether, one that has sparked heated debates among the proponents and those against who practice it in churches today.
We all have a radically generous God. It’s not impossible to begin building a culture of generosity when God is the source! He will supply!
How can we grow faithful stewards in the church? Follow God’s way and begin to plant your life and become the first faithful steward, then let God take over!
A bottomless fountain of wisdom. Engaging older church members is a wise move! The older or senior church members are a rich and seasoned resource of experience.
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