Faith Matters clergy column from the Rev. Anne Barber: Why should parishioners tithe?

One of the more professing evangelicals of the current political candidates filed papers stating he "tithed" $700 on 2015 income of $1.5 million.

Wow, what a great teachable moment!

Because a tithe is 10 percent of your income, he shorted God $149,300.

He gave an offering, but he didn't tithe.

He's not alone. Statistics show only 3 percent of Christians who attend church actually tithe.

Tithing is giving 10 percent of your income to the church you regularly attend.

Offerings are what you give to other charities, or other churches you visit.

Alms are monies given to the poor and needy.

The first example of tithing is Genesis 14:17-20 when out of gratitude, Abraham gave 10 percent of the spoils of a battle to a priest named Melchizedek. (Hebrews 6:20-7:4 calls Jesus a type of Melchizedek.)

Next, Abraham's grandson, Jacob, was so moved by his revelation of God (angels on the ladder) that he pledged 10 percent of all his future income to God. (Gen. 28:22).

Under Moses, tithing became a law. Israelites were required to bring 10 percent of their "first fruits" to God -- 10 percent of their seed, their animals, their wine, their produce etc. (Lev. 27:30, 32).

They brought this to the temple to be used to support the Levites who served as temple priests, and to pay the temple expenses and upkeep. (Neh 10:35-39).

Today we are not under Old Testament law. We are under the covenant of grace.

We tithe because of a revelation of God, and we can participate with God in an Old Testament contract -- if done with love and gratitude, not legalism.

In Malachi 3:8-11, God offers His people a financial insurance policy -- a mutually beneficial contract we can make with Him.

We bring the whole tithe (all 10 percent) into the temple storehouse (the church we regularly attend), to care for our church workers and church expenses. After we tithe, God promises to give us overflowing blessings and protection of our finances and possessions.

He also invites us to test Him to see if He won't be true to His word. (It's the only place in the Bible where God says "test Me.")

From the moment I heard this preached 40 years ago, within a month of becoming a Christian, I became a tither. And God has never failed me financially.

It is the first check I write after receiving any income ("first fruits," not "leftover scraps.")

Shortly after making that commitment to tithe, the company I worked for went out of business. When I deposited my final paycheck, I told God: "I'm sorry Lord, I'm afraid to tithe again until I get another job because I don't know how long this money will have to last."

I clearly heard this response: "You'll always have more than enough."

So I tithed on that last paycheck and within a week I had another, better job.

When I first moved to this area and was "church shopping," I visited 16 different churches. Each church I visited received my tithe check that week.

Finally I joined one, and whenever I went on vacation, or couldn't attend for some reason, I saved the tithe and gave it as soon as I returned. I knew better than to hold onto money that belongs to God if I wanted to keep the financial insurance policy in effect. And for 40 years, God has faithfully kept His end of the contract.

Last week, I invited my congregation to take God's challenge to put Him to the test by giving 10 percent of their income during the month of February -- starting tomorrow. Perhaps some of you would like to consider doing this with your own church.

I know you will be blessed!

The Rev. Anne Barber, pastor of My Father's House, 7215 U.S. 301 N., Ellenton. Information: aebarber08@gmail.com. Faith Matters is a regular feature of Saturday's Herald, written by local clergy members.

This story was originally published February 5, 2016 at 11:24 PM with the headline "Faith Matters clergy column from the Rev. Anne Barber: Why should parishioners tithe? ."