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Proportional Giving or Ten Percent
- Thread starter HAMel
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DiamondLady
New Member
The Bible teaches tithing, our church teaches that believers should tithe. Giving is over and above. Who made up proportional giving anyway????
I'll just say what Paul said about giving.
"Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver."
2 Corinthians 9:7
The NT believe is never commanded to tithe, but is commanded to give and give cheerfully. If one wants to use the 10% principle, that's good, but not required.
Do you want a proportional blessing or a title blessing?
Mark 12:42
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Have any of us ever tithed out of our poverty. Ever had your Cable TV disconnected so as to tithe? To me, this poor widow gave her all for which she received a Title Blessing. That sounds like a win-win for her.
Mark 12:42
41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.
43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”
Have any of us ever tithed out of our poverty. Ever had your Cable TV disconnected so as to tithe? To me, this poor widow gave her all for which she received a Title Blessing. That sounds like a win-win for her.
The Bible teaches tithing, our church teaches that believers should tithe. Giving is over and above. Who made up proportional giving anyway????
There is certainly a difference between tithing and giving. Wasn't trying to split that hair. As for "who" made up proportional tithing or giving, the New Testament is silent on the ten percent.
There is certainly a difference between tithing and giving. Wasn't trying to split that hair. As for "who" made up proportional tithing or giving, the New Testament is silent on the ten percent.
You are correct:
I Tim. 6:10
New International Version (©1984)
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.
New Living Translation (©2007)
For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.
Tom Bryant
Well-Known Member
Our church believes that the tithe is the beginning point. But that those to whom God has entrusted resources should give offerings that are above the tithe.
DiamondLady
New Member
So what do you feel is "proportional" giving and where, scripturally, do you get this?
Basically what I was going to say. Well said. :thumbs:
So what do you feel is "proportional" giving and where, scripturally, do you get this?
Consider the parable of the poor woman with the two mites. She gave all she had. Have any of us ever given all we have? Was all she had equal to ten percent of her gross? We don't know.
What I glean from the parable however is that not only did she give all that she had, but by doing so she caused herself a hardship and still put the Lord first. How many of us put the Lord first with out tithing and giving of offerings to the point that we suffer a hardship? Not many. But Jesus did call His disciples and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. Perhaps those others truly put in their ten percent but she got the blessings.
What most of us do today is stick with the ten percent because that's what we have been taught and, ten percent is manageable to most of us.
A person on a "fixed income" of a thousand dollars a month and find that after paying all their basic bills (rent, electric, water, food, medicine, etc.) they have only ten dollars left. Should these "fixed income" folks give all they have left to the Lord or tithe the tenth and do without food?
All I have realized is that the magic number of ten percent is not mentioned in the New Testament. The ten percent was under the law and on occasion, as high as twenty seven percent, if my memory serves me correctly.
I think many pastors push the ten percent as it is manageable to most and it helps to keep a steady income coming in.
So, what do I think is "proportional" giving? Giving less than ten percent if that's all you have. It worked for that widow.
Being a Christian should not be a burden, even when it comes to money.
Consider the parable of the poor woman with the two mites. She gave all she had. Have any of us ever given all we have? Was all she had equal to ten percent of her gross? We don't know.
What I glean from the parable however is that not only did she give all that she had, but by doing so she caused herself a hardship and still put the Lord first. How many of us put the Lord first with out tithing and giving of offerings to the point that we suffer a hardship? Not many. But Jesus did call His disciples and said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. Perhaps those others truly put in their ten percent but she got the blessings.
What most of us do today is stick with the ten percent because that's what we have been taught and, ten percent is manageable to most of us.
A person on a "fixed income" of a thousand dollars a month and find that after paying all their basic bills (rent, electric, water, food, medicine, etc.) they have only ten dollars left. Should these "fixed income" folks give all they have left to the Lord or tithe the tenth and do without food?
All I have realized is that the magic number of ten percent is not mentioned in the New Testament. The ten percent was under the law and on occasion, as high as twenty seven percent, if my memory serves me correctly.
I think many pastors push the ten percent as it is manageable to most and it helps to keep a steady income coming in.
So, what do I think is "proportional" giving? Giving less than ten percent if that's all you have. It worked for that widow.
Being a Christian should not be a burden, even when it comes to money.
I think this is one of those situations generally where most churches supposedly "believe" it but the majority of members don't practice it. Of course, this may not be the case at your church.
DiamondLady
New Member
The additional problem is that tithing is more than simply putting 10% of your income (and is it gross or net income?) into the offering plate. We're to give of our time, our talents, our personality, not just our money. So how do we give those? Do we tithe them? Do we proportionally give them? Do we simply show up when we feel like it?
Tom Bryant
Well-Known Member
That is probably true. But I preach it. No one can force what another person gives. I don't even know what anyone gives. But, for people in leadership such as SS teachers, deacons, worship leaders, they have to practice it.
DiamondLady
New Member
How do you know they practice it? If you don't know what anyone gives then how can you say that those in leadership HAVE to practice it???
We're to give of our time, our talents, our personality, not just our money. So how do we give those? Do we tithe them? Do we proportionally give them? Do we simply show up when we feel like it?
True. In our church we have a blind man, one in a wheel chair and a woman on a walker. Certainly they could not all give the same when it comes to their talents. They give what they can. Proportionally.
I don't claim to have all the answers and I do tithe on a regular and recurring basis. Right now I do not have anything extra to contribute what I'd like for some causes within the church. Sometimes I have only two mites. What can I say?
True. In our church we have a blind man, one in a wheel chair and a woman on a walker. Certainly they could not all give the same when it comes to their talents. They give what they can. Proportionally.
I don't claim to have all the answers and I do tithe on a regular and recurring basis. Right now I do not have anything extra to contribute what I'd like for some causes within the church. Sometimes I have only two mites. What can I say?
Tom Bryant
Well-Known Member
I ask our treasurer not WHAT they give or how much they give, but "Is it a reasonable assumption that they do tithe?" If someone gives $10 a month in our county, one of 3 things is true: They live on the streets or they're not tithing or they're giving cash without ever using their name. But when we are considering someone to be a teacher or leader, we talk to them about leadership responsibilities. We talk about alot of other things, one of which is giving. Once they are leaders, I don't keep up with it. So I do not know if they're continuing to tithe.
DiamondLady
New Member
I believe God understands that, and He is faithful. For example, last Sunday evening we had a singing group come to our church. They came on a love offering basis, we only collected $157.00. The Pastor saw that, handed me back his paycheck and asked me to give $200 of it to the singing group and give him another check for the remainder. He said, "We'll see what God does." I thought it a bit....well, flippant to be honest.
After church we took the singing group out to dinner at Perkins. The preacher usually pays for the group members and any church member that goes is Dutch. Someone at the table picked up the entire check for everyone. (Blessing #1). We'd been trying to sell our 15 passenger church van for quite some time. Friday someone bought it. (Blessing #2) The pastor got a call this past week to do a revival at a church in another town (Blessing #3)..and that's just three I KNOW about.
IMO, Christians should tithe. For me, proportional giving comes after and is, at times, giving until it hurts. I have discovered that you can't outgive God and that He is able to make that 90% go a lot further than that 100% ever went.
One of my favorite songs is He Is Faithful. There's a line that says, "Every word He's promised is true. What I thought impossible, I've seen my God do."
I quit questioning whether tithing was right or wrong, for New Testament Christians or not, a long time ago. I simply know in my heart it's right and know that God is Faithful.
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