What Goes Around Comes Around: The Blessing of Giving Beyond Tithing.

Giving as a biblical principle is a hot topic any day. At its core is a need to ensure an unbroken flow of funds to mission works and meeting overhead costs, such as payment of salaries, rents, and maintenance of facilities, plus unforeseen expenses in an organized religious institution. Tithing remains an all-time topical issue among ministry founders and church leaders.

Tithing was a basic requirement of a nascent agricultural economy in which one out of twelve tribes in Israel was barred from owning land and engaging in economic activities, having been called to dedicate their lives to catering to the spiritual well-being of others. Tithing of agricultural produce, in that context, was a form of taxation in support of the landless “civil servants” of their day.

Today, because tithing is monetized from its historical, biblical context, it has assumed a preeminent category on the priority scale of prosperity preachers, displacing the message of salvation, sanctification, and a life of selfless service taught and exemplified by Jesus and the apostles. The conversation around tithe has become so loud and persistent that a newcomer to the faith would think that “tithing” is the one overarching message of the Bible. What’s more, a prominent church leader was heard preaching that, one who fails to pay tithe will not get to heaven.

But beyond religious obligation, giving in the New Testament is a function of grace as demonstrated by the Macedonian churches. The apostle Paul writes,

“And now brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Amid a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they are able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people.” (2 Corinthians 8: 1-5; 9: 7).

Remarkably, Paul was addressing a Corinthian church that “excels in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and love…” encouraging them “to also excel in this grace of giving.” (2 Cor. 8:7). He did not ask them to pay tithe.

I have tried to wrap my head around how the Macedonian Christians navigated through their ‘severe trial’, with ‘overflowing joy’, and how in ‘extreme poverty,’ they welled up in ‘rich generosity’.” The Macedonian Christians must have known (or seen) what we of this age do not know. They prioritized giving over their own needs. Though they were poor and lacking in material possessions, they gave and gave beyond expectation - exemplifying that giving is to be done “not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9: 6-7).

But wait a second, Paul gives a hint of their secret here: “They gave themselves first of all to the Lord…” (8:v.5).

Multiple passages in the New Testament underscore the fact that giving is an expression of our love for God and our neighbors. One wonders why our modern-day apostles and teachers are not citing these scriptures. The Macedonian Christians pleaded to be given the privilege of giving as a service to the Lord’s people. They practically show that giving is not an exercise done under pressure, or obeying the law, but a spiritual discipline freely given in submission to Christ as the Lord of their lives.

The Gospel is a love story:

“For God so love the world that He gave His one and only Son that whosoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

The apostle Paul writes,

“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work, we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord; Jesus himself said, it is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35).

The Lord teaches us to give:
“Give and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6: 38).

Think about that. What you sow you will reap in abundance.

Lesson from Our Daily Bread:

“Two friends were shopping for a laptop in an electronics store when they ran into a basketball great Shaquille O’Neal. Aware that O’Neal recently lost his sister and a former teammate, they empathetically offered their condolences. After the two men returned to their shopping, Shaq approached them and told them to pick out the nicest laptop they could find. He then bought it for them, simply because they saw him as a person going through a difficult time. He was moved by their kindness.”

The book of Proverbs 11 has a lot to teach us about empathy, kindness, and love. Verse 17 states,

“Those who are kind benefit themselves.”

When we consider other’s needs and do what we can to help, we are rewarded in turn. God has ways of blessing us beyond our imagination. King Solomon writes,

“A kind-hearted woman (and man) gains honor, but ruthless men gain only wealth.” (v.16).

There are gifts from God that are worth more than money. Kindness and generosity are part of God’s character. He loves to see them expressed in the hearts and lives of men and women created in His image.

Sure, “whoever refreshes others will be refreshed” (v. 25.) Living according to God’s purposes results in a flourishing livelihood.

What goes around comes around.