honour God, receive peace and find God, the Book of Malachi,
Of course not! He already owns everything.
That being said, why then does God tell us to return our tithe in 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.”
To understand this, we need to go back a few chapters…
– At the beginning of the Book of Malachi, God expresses that He was not being honoured by the people.
– They had reverence in pronouncing His name but they did not obey Him. They were offering imperfect animals to Him and yet had the audacity to ask God why He wasn’t answering them. They were serving Him with a hypocritical service.
– God has always wanted to be first in our lives, and our tithes are an expression of this. In Malachi 3:7 He says, “Return to Me, and I will return to you.” The people asked “how?” and that’s when God responded, “In tithes and offerings (v.8).” Our firstfruits and offerings show God that He is Lord of our lives.
– The tithe not only blesses the tither but the House of God too. It’s the means used to spread the gospel around the world.
He asks us to return our tithe so that there may be ‘food’ in His house. This food is what has helped so many turn their lives around, receive peace and find God. Without the offerings and tithes, no church would be able to keep functioning as there are monthly expenses that are not payable just through the goodness of people’s hearts.
No one is obligated to give. Returning our tithes was never about the money. It’s about honouring God, and showing Him with our actions that we place Him in the first place, above everything else, in our lives. He said to honour Him with the tithe (first 10%) of all we receive as a way of expressing this fear and reverence towards Him. Because of this, when we bring our tithes, He blesses the remaining 90% that remains with us. This shows that we fear Him and that money isn’t the lord of our lives. We believe if we honour Him, He will honour us.
“Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways. When you eat the labour of your hands, You shall be happy, and it shall be well with you. Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine in the very heart of your house, Your children like olive plants all around your table. Behold, thus shall the man be blessed who fears the Lord.” (Psalm 128:1-4)
We fear, respect and honour Him for giving us all the means to work. It’s something done not as a burden but as an expression of love. This honour is expressed in our fear of God. It’s not about being scared of Him, but showing Him that He is the Lord of our lives. The fear of displeasing and not obeying Him works like a fence protecting us from leaving His presence.
Join us this Sunday, 7th of February, as we hold the Tither’s consecration and to honour God for being our provider.
For locations, visit uckg.org/addresses. Alternatively, you can call or send a WhatsApp message to 020 7686 6000.
Please come wearing your face covering and follow all social distancing guidelines.
If you are in the higher-risk group or are self-isolating, you can still participate in the service online at libertyradio.co.uk.
Meeting: Feast of the First Fruits
Day and time: This Sunday at 10am (also at 7.30am)
Location: Your local UCKG branch
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