But the sad thing is that, to many, the very concept of tithing connotes negativity. And most of us pastors are scared to even broach the topic.
So let’s have a little bit of fun right now. On the screen, I’m going to show you a video of one man’s struggle with the whole notion of tithing, placed in the context of a movie with which you’re most familiar re-dubbed and labeled It’s a Wonderful Tithe.
[At this point, we played a five-minute video of Jimmy Stewart in the classic film It’s a Wonderful Life, re-dubbed by the humorist Robert G. Lee of the Bel Air Presbyterian Church, to make it sound like he is struggling with the fact that his pastor and church are always talking about tithing; and he can’t stand the theme, until at the end he’s finally converted to a life of generosity and tithing through a dream which he’s had. A copy of the video can be obtained by contacting Robert G. Lee, Drama Director, Bel Air Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles, at 818.340.9825 or LeeRobertG@aol.com.]
Advertisement
There’s a very different approach to living—it’s called generosity. This approach is built on the biblical teaching of Jesus, which Paul recalled. Luke, in Acts 20:35, quotes these words of Paul to the elders from Ephesus: “In all this I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
All through the Scriptures, we find this theme stated either in specific words of description, instruction, or in the stories of those who lived lives of generosity and gave joyfully. The reality is that this kind of generosity is part of our privileged worship.
We see the difference between the spirit in which Cain and Abel brought their offerings to the Lord. Cain did it in his own begrudging way on his terms. Abel did it with a generosity of spirit on God’s terms. All the way from Genesis to Revelation, we not only read of the instructions to bring our tithes and offerings but to do it with a generosity of spirit, as Paul wrote so clearly to the believers at Corinth: “Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7).
And you remember how Jesus chided the scribes and Pharisees who, with technical proficiency, tithed everything they had but forgot what was more important, when He said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others” (Matt. 23:23).