The action of giving brings grace to your life and ministry.
“Is tithe valid under the New Covenant?” We found that Abraham’s blessing of wealth is still available to us as believers.
In the Mosaic and Davidic Covenants’, we found that the Mosaic Covenant does not apply, but there is wealth available to us through the seed of David. And we will also see that the blessing of tithing still applies. However, if we want to receive superabounding grace, then we need to give generously, with the right attitude, to the right person for the right need.
The Blessing of Giving
It is More Blessed to Give Than to Receive
ACTS 20:35 I HAVE SHOWN YOU IN EVERY WAY, BY LABORING LIKE THIS, THAT YOU MUST SUPPORT THE WEAK. AND REMEMBER THE WORDS OF THE LORD JESUS, THAT HE SAID, ‘IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE THAN TO RECEIVE.'”
The Blessing of Tithing
Tithing in the New Covenant
Jesus talked to those who lived according to the Old Covenant about tithing, but there is no evidence that He required tithing in the coming New Covenant.
The Blessing is Still Active However, Jesus not requiring tithing in the New Covenant does not mean that tithing does not have a New Covenant basis.
The Abrahamic Covenant’s blessing is still active.
Financially Rewarded Abraham tithed to Melchizedek (a type of Jesus the High Priest), and received the “rapidly increasing money supply”.
Therefore, the blessing of tithing (being rewarded financially for tithing) still applies today.
The Blessing of Malachi Therefore Still Applies MALACHI 3:10
BRING ALL THE TITHES INTO THE STOREHOUSE, THAT THERE MAY BE FOOD IN MY HOUSE, AND TRY ME NOW IN THIS,” SAYS THE LORD OF HOSTS, “IF I WILL NOT OPEN FOR YOU THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN AND POUR OUT FOR YOU SUCH BLESSING THAT THERE WILL NOT BE ROOM ENOUGH TO RECEIVE IT.
Jesus’ Teaching on Talents
The Parable of the Talents
This parable is included in Matthew 25:14-30 and thus is outside Jesus’ Last Days Prophesy. It, therefore, still applies to us today.
Unwise Use of the Lord’s Money, Jesus taught the multitudes of people through parables because they could relate to the storyline. Even though this was a story Jesus created, Jesus portrayed the truth that a person who received one talent went and hid what belonged to God.
MATTHEW 25:18 BUT HE WHO HAD RECEIVED ONE WENT AND DUG IN THE GROUND AND HID HIS LORD’S MONEY.
Building the ‘Kingdom of Heaven’
The kingdom of heaven is the main focus in this parable. Therefore, we need to take note that we need to use whatever Jesus gives us, including money, as a way of building His kingdom here on earth.
MATTHEW 25:14 “FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS LIKE A MAN TRAVELING TO A FAR COUNTRY, WHO CALLED HIS OWN SERVANTS AND DELIVERED HIS GOODS TO THEM.
Talents are the Currency of Wealthy People
This message is related to the ‘rich’ people within the kingdom of God. One talent is 33kg of gold with a value of 1.4million USD.
The rich man gave one servant $7m, the other $2.8m, and to the other $1.4m.
Talents Given by God in the Form of Goods and Possessions
Again, here in this parable, Jesus is reminding us that whatever Jesus gives us needs to be used to build His kingdom here on earth, including our possessions
MATTHEW 25:14 “FOR THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN IS LIKE A MAN TRAVELING TO A FAR COUNTRY, WHO CALLED HIS OWN SERVANTS AND DELIVERED HIS GOODS TO THEM.
The Person with Plenty of Finances is Expected to Invest to Get More.
When the Lord blesses us abundantly, the son or daughter of God must show the same measure of generosity the Lord pours on us back into the kingdom. A good way of remembering this truth when we are to give abundantly is to use this term: “Let us partner with God’s heart of generosity.”
MATTHEW 25:20-21 “SO HE WHO HAD RECEIVED FIVE TALENTS CAME AND BROUGHT FIVE OTHER TALENTS, SAYING, ‘LORD, YOU DELIVERED TO ME FIVE TALENTS; LOOK, I HAVE GAINED FIVE MORE TALENTS BESIDES THEM.’ HIS LORD SAID TO HIM, ‘WELL DONE, GOOD AND FAITHFUL SERVANT; YOU WERE FAITHFUL OVER A FEW THINGS, I WILL MAKE YOU RULER OVER MANY THINGS. ENTER INTO THE JOY OF YOUR LORD.’
He Knew How to Multiply His Master’s Talents. Although this man had received resources from the Lord to use for His kingdom, the man’s mindset of God being hard was not correct. We need to remember that our Heavenly Father is always good, wanting to bless us abundantly. Sometimes, we need to give even when we have little, like an act of faith.
MATTHEW 25:24 “THEN HE WHO HAD RECEIVED THE ONE TALENT CAME AND SAID, ‘LORD, I KNEW YOU TO BE A HARD MAN, REAPING WHERE YOU HAVE NOT SOWN, AND GATHERING WHERE YOU HAVE NOT SCATTERED SEED.
Ruled by Fear: The Wrong Concept of God
His wrong concept of God being hard, rather than good, meant he became afraid: Fear is the opposite of faith, and so to work in the opposite spirit of fear, we need to give in confidence that God will always look after us. If we withhold the blessing of the Lord poured out on us, then we also stop God from using us to bless others.
MATTHEW 25:25 AND I WAS AFRAID AND WENT AND HID YOUR TALENT IN THE GROUND. LOOK, THERE YOU HAVE WHAT IS YOURS.’
Jesus’ Teaching on the Minas
The Parable of the Mina
The Parable of the Mina is found in Luke 19:11-27. The nobleman going away to receive his kingdom, is about Jesus receiving His kingdom at His coronation, 40 days after His death and resurrection.
LUKE 19:12-13 THEREFORE HE SAID: “A CERTAIN NOBLEMAN WENT INTO A FAR COUNTRY TO RECEIVE FOR HIMSELF A KINGDOM AND TO RETURN. SO HE CALLED TEN OF HIS SERVANTS, DELIVERED TO THEM TEN MINAS, AND SAID TO THEM, ‘DO BUSINESS TILL I COME.
Wise use of the Lord’s Mina
LUKE 19:16 “AND SO IT WAS THAT WHEN HE RETURNED, HAVING RECEIVED THE KINGDOM, HE THEN COMMANDED THESE SERVANTS, TO WHOM HE HAD GIVEN THE MONEY, TO BE CALLED TO HIM, THAT HE MIGHT KNOW HOW MUCH EVERY MAN HAD GAINED BY TRADING. THEN CAME THE FIRST, SAYING, ‘MASTER, YOUR MINA HAS EARNED TEN MINAS.’
We can see in this parable that Jesus has given money to his servants to trade. Trading is not the same as giving alms to the poor, as in the scripture below.
MATTHEW 6:3-4 BUT WHEN YOU DO A CHARITABLE DEED, DO NOT LET YOUR LEFT HAND KNOW WHAT YOUR RIGHT HAND IS DOING, THAT YOUR CHARITABLE DEED MAY BE IN SECRET; AND YOUR FATHER WHO SEES IN SECRET WILL HIMSELF REWARD YOU OPENLY.
Giving to those in need is different than doing a business deal. Giving and business deals are two completely different actions, with entirely different results.
Doing a charitable deed is to bless others without the expectation of the receiver ever paying us back. Indeed, we are meant to do it in secret and then forget it. However, God will not forget, rewarding us openly in due time. The type of reward is not specified, so it could be any type of blessing!
When Jesus gives us a mina to trade with – business- there is an expectation from our Lord that we will wisely discern the best way to invest.
We then come back to him with our full knowledge of how much we have gained for the Kingdom of God!
We need to remember that Jesus is using a mina, a small amount of money available to everybody, not just the wealthy, and that the Lord distributed to each of his servants an equal amount.
The Mina is the Currency of the Poor
This message is related to the ‘poor’ people in the kingdom of God.
Sixty Minas is equivalent to one Talent. One Mina is equivalent to USD 23,333. That may sound a lot by non residents of the USA, but if we think that the average person works 50 years of their life, that is $466 per year.
The poverty line for two adults and two children in the USA is $26,200 per year!
The Lord Distributes the Minas Evenly
He gave them each the same amount (one mina plural is many minas)
LUKE 19:13 SO HE CALLED TEN OF HIS SERVANTS, DELIVERED TO THEM TEN MINAS, AND SAID TO THEM, ‘DO BUSINESS TILL I COME.’
LUKE 19:20 “THEN ANOTHER CAME, SAYING, ‘MASTER, HERE IS YOUR MINA, WHICH I HAVE KEPT PUT AWAY IN A HANDKERCHIEF.
Being Faithful in Very Little
Jesus recognizes that the amount the poor have is minimal:
LUKE 19:17 AND HE SAID TO HIM, ‘WELL DONE, GOOD SERVANT; BECAUSE YOU WERE FAITHFUL IN A VERY LITTLE, HAVE AUTHORITY OVER TEN CITIES.’
The Rewards of Being Faithful
Faithfulness with finances results in spiritual authority over much:
LUKE 19:17 AND HE SAID TO HIM, ‘WELL DONE, GOOD SERVANT; BECAUSE YOU WERE FAITHFUL IN A VERY LITTLE, HAVE AUTHORITY OVER TEN CITIES.’
A Fearful Perception of the Character of God
The danger for the ‘poor’ is looking at the situation and judging God’s character as hard and severely stern, rather than generous:
LUKE 19:21 FOR I FEARED YOU, BECAUSE YOU ARE AN AUSTERE MAN. YOU COLLECT WHAT YOU DID NOT DEPOSIT, AND REAP WHAT YOU DID NOT SOW.’
Sowing into the Kingdom
The way out of poverty is by acting opposite to the spirit of fear. We do this by depositing and sowing into the kingdom of God.
LUKE 19:21 FOR I FEARED YOU, BECAUSE YOU ARE AN AUSTERE MAN. YOU COLLECT WHAT YOU DID NOT DEPOSIT, AND REAP WHAT YOU DID NOT SOW.’
Being Realistic to Get Out of Poverty
The nobleman commanded those who received the ten minas to “Do Business”. The Greek word for business is: pragmateuomai; from 4229; to busy oneself with, to trade: — occupy. occupy to be occupied in anything carry on a business to carry on the business of a banker or a trader. Pragmateuomai we get pragmatic, defined as: MERRIAM WEBSTER DICTIONARY RELATING TO MATTERS OF FACT OR PRACTICAL AFFAIRS OFTEN TO THE EXCLUSION OF INTELLECTUAL OR ARTISTIC MATTERS: PRACTICAL AS OPPOSED TO IDEALISTIC
We need to be pragmatic if we want to learn from this parable. Being pragmatic is not about giving to the poor; it is about investing in the kingdom.
The parable of the minas is about those who are lower economically and how they handle the money that God has given them.
He wants the poor to get out of poverty, but they need to do it themselves by sowing pragmatically in business and occupation.
Jesus teaches in the parable of the minas, that the way out of poverty is to do business, or to be pragmatic.
Sowing Generously – Giving Brings Grace and You Reap Eternally
Giving Generously
We have seen that Jesus did not specifically teach us to tithe but give to God generously because we have received much. God looks at the attitude of the heart.
Under the law, God expected people to give 10%. Ten per cent would be considered the minimum of being generous.
Talents and Minas – Return of Investment
We have seen that sowing applies to the rich (talents) and the poor (minas). God expects both the rich and poor to get a return on investment.
The New Covenant Principle of Giving is Clarified In 2 CORINTHIANS 9:6 BUT THIS I SAY: HE WHO SOWS SPARINGLY WILL ALSO REAP SPARINGLY, AND HE WHO SOWS BOUNTIFULLY WILL ALSO REAP BOUNTIFULLY.
Definition of the Word Bountifully
The word bountifully (Gk εὐλογία eulogia;) is where we get the word eulogy. When someone dies, at the funeral, people give eulogies, where they speak glowingly of the person. Speaking glowingly of God is what happens when we give generously. Although the person will speak glowingly of you, in Greek, it refers to God speaking glowingly of you. The context also intimates that there will be financial reaping as well.
Investing in People
It is good to remember the saying: a rich person gives to people, but a wealthy person invests in people to receive a reward.
Giving to Jesus Though Our Tithe
When Abraham gave to Melchizedek, he was giving to Jesus.
HEBREWS 5:9-10 AND HAVING BEEN PERFECTED, HE BECAME THE AUTHOR OF ETERNAL SALVATION TO ALL WHO OBEY HIM, CALLED BY GOD AS HIGH PRIEST “ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK,”
Sowing into Eternity
Melchizedek had no beginning and end; therefore, Abraham was sowing into eternity. We need to have the same thinking with our giving – sow into eternity.
HEBREWS 7:1-3 FOR THIS MELCHIZEDEK, KING OF SALEM, PRIEST OF THE MOST HIGH GOD, WHO MET ABRAHAM RETURNING FROM THE SLAUGHTER OF THE KINGS AND BLESSED HIM, TO WHOM ALSO ABRAHAM GAVE A TENTH PART OF ALL, FIRST BEING TRANSLATED “KING OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,” AND THEN ALSO KING OF SALEM, MEANING “KING OF PEACE,” WITHOUT FATHER, WITHOUT MOTHER, WITHOUT GENEALOGY, HAVING NEITHER BEGINNING OF DAYS NOR END OF LIFE, BUT MADE LIKE THE SON OF GOD, REMAINS A PRIEST CONTINUALLY.
Having no beginning or end means that when we sow by faith into the kingdom of God, we need to be thinking of our eternal reward.
Therefore, we need to be asking ourselves this question: Is what we are giving, going to be reaping a reward in eternity?
Attitude of Giving Determines Reward
It pleases God when we give cheerfully. We need to believe that God’s grace takes over when we give, and He increases the blessing. Giving brings grace!
Carrying on from sowing generously, Paul says: 2 CORINTHIANS 9:7 SO LET EACH ONE GIVE AS HE PURPOSES IN HIS HEART, NOT GRUDGINGLY OR OF NECESSITY; FOR GOD LOVES A CHEERFUL GIVER.
We Need to be Purposeful in our Giving
Purposeful giving means that we decide beforehand how much we will give. Are we going to give 10% to the church this week, or more than 10%?
It is good to pray and ask the Lord how much we are to give whenever we see a need arise. When we pray concerning money to share, we hear God’s voice
Not Grudgingly Speaks of Our Attitude Towards Giving
When we give grudgingly, we have a negative attitude filled with fear that we will not have enough for ourselves. Moreover, when we operate out of a negative mindset, we cannot hear the Voice of the Lord over our own thought process.
Not Out of Necessity, means we do Not Give Under Compulsion
In other words, we need to let giving flow from our HEART, not from a sense of religious DUTY.
When we let our giving flow, it reveals a heart filled with generosity and appreciation of what God has provided for us.
If we do that, God is able to make all grace abound to us. Remember that giving brings grace!
Sowing Generously – Giving Brings Grace and you Reap on Earth.
Grace is the Reward for Sowing Generously The next verse explains the reward, and the context is financial.
2 CORINTHIANS 9:8 AND GOD IS ABLE TO MAKE ALL GRACE ABOUND TOWARD YOU, THAT YOU, ALWAYS HAVING ALL SUFFICIENCY IN ALL THINGS, MAY HAVE AN ABUNDANCE FOR EVERY GOOD WORK.
The word abundance in Greek means super-abounding.
Super-Abounding in all Kinds of Grace When we give: generously, with the right attitude, to the right person, for the right need, then there is an over-abounding grace poured into our life.
We Will Have All Sufficiency in All Areas of Our Life , In our relationships, our finances, and in our ministry.
Abundant Grace for Every Good Work
Grace to give more .Grace to destroy the works of the devil through the things that Jesus did: heal the sick, preach the gospel, proclaim freedom, raise the dead, set the captives free
ACTS 10:38 HOW GOD ANOINTED (PUT YOUR NAME HERE) WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WITH POWER, WHO WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD AND HEALING ALL WHO WERE OPPRESSED BY THE DEVIL, FOR GOD WAS WITH HIM.
Because Jesus healed the sick, raised the dead, proclaimed freedom, set the captives free, and we are in Christ and co-heirs with Him, we can do the same.
So, we find that giving brings grace in the power gifts as well: As it says in Romans:
ROMANS 12:6 HAVING THEN GIFTS DIFFERING ACCORDING TO THE GRACE THAT IS GIVEN TO US, LET US USE THEM: … Giving Brings Grace!
Let us partner with God’s heart of generosity Like Abraham, giving the tithe (tithing) into the kingdom of God is an excellent place to start in releasing reward and grace from God.