“When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year—the year of tithing—and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, 13 then you shall say before the LORD your God: “I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them. (Deut. 26:12-13)
“You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. 23 And you shall eat before the LORD your God, in the place where He chooses to make His name abide, the tithe of your grain and your new wine and your oil, of the firstborn of your herds and your flocks, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. 24 But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, or if the place where the LORD your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, when the LORD your God has blessed you, 25 then you shall exchange it for money, take the money in your hand, and go to the place which the LORD your God chooses. 26 And you shall spend that money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen or sheep, for wine or similar drink, for whatever your heart desires; you shall eat there before the LORD your God, and you shall rejoice, you and your household. (Deut. 14:22-26)
8 “Will a man rob God?
Yet you have robbed Me!
But you say,
‘In what way have we robbed You?’
In tithes and offerings.
9 You are cursed with a curse,
For you have robbed Me,
Even this whole nation.
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.
11 “And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes,
So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground,
Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,”
Says the LORD of hosts;
12 And all nations will call you blessed,
For you will be a delightful land,”
Says the LORD of hosts. Malachi 3:8-12
“I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings. (Luke 16:9)
“1 And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, 2 and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. 3 So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; 4 for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” Luke 21:1-4
“1 Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: 2 that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. 3 For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, 4 imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God. 6 So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. 7 But as you abound in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us—see that you abound in this grace also. 8 I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.” (2Cor. 8:1-9)
“But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver. 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. 9 As it is written:
“He has dispersed abroad,
He has given to the poor;
His righteousness endures forever.”
Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness, 11 while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God. 12 For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God, 13 while, through the proof of this ministry, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal sharing with them and all men, 14 and by their prayer for you, who long for you because of the exceeding grace of God in you. 15 Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift! (2Cor. 9:6-15)
“Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.” (Eph. 4:28)
The lengthy passages above have been provided in order to establish a clear biblical basis for our position on the important topic of giving, which has been corupted over time by a decidedly “church centered bias” in the pulpit. It is not only the church or Christian organizations that are to benefit from our generosity. The widow, the orphan, ones own family members, and especially one’s children, and one’s own neighbors other good causes in the community should all be beneficiaries of our kindness.
As a church we encourage all our members of all ages to practice Grace Giving guided by God’s Old Covenant law, but no longer under the Law. We rejoice in our liberty, under the New Covenant Lordship of Our King, Jesus Christ, to work hard in our livlihoods in order to be able to give to others. God has a Kingdom Interest in prospering a generous householder as he or she participates in the His kingdom economy.
Here we are free to be generous with our time, our talent and our treasure. Giving in the New Testament is no longer a sacrifice, but rather a wise investment in whatever is good and wise, laying up for ourselves friends and treasure in heaven for all eternity.
We understand that the Storehouse Tithe is a principle, not a law, for the support of our ministers to free them to study, pray and teach, for our fellow members in their times of need, and for the sending out of faithful missionaries and evangelists around the world. We are therefore rightfully glad to support the local church that we receive from, which we would turn to in our own times of trouble and which we trust to invest funds on our behalf in ministries that have been duely vetted for their integrity, efficiency and effectiveness.
We further understand that the the Celebration Tithe is a principle, not a law, for funding our own times of rejoicing together with family members, friends and neighbors in generous hospitality, wholesome recreation and even appropriate vacations. We are called to give to others and enjoy the goodness of God in both good times and bad, demonstrating by our faithful giving our trust in God to provide for us, just as He has promised. We hold that eager generosity in the midst of great financial difficulty far outweighs the generosity that flows during our times of abundance. God notices the Widow’s Mite.
By honoring the spirit of both Old Testament tithes as 10% of our normal pre-tax income under the grace of God we have both a reasonable minimum for our generosity and a reasonable maximum for how much we invest in church support and household celebrations leave 80% for other obligations and responsibilities. By doing so, both our church and each member’s household can become better stewards of God’s kind provision, and allow the other targets of God’s financial blessing, such as neighbors and friends in need, to be responded to more consistently.
At the Network of Neighborhood Churches we do not collect tithes & offerings. Instead we respect each members’ eagerness to give cheerfully in support of their church. Generosity is every member’s opportunity to give in the obedience of faith in God’s Word.