Hebrews 7:6-9 (NKJV) But he whose genealogy is not derived from them received tithes from Abraham and blessed him who had the promises. Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better. Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak,
God owns everything on earth because the earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof. Every company that we work for draws something from God’s creation to be successful and thus keeps us on the job. Therefore, God is the one who provides us with the job.
The tithe belongs to God. Tithe literally means a tenth of the payment. It represents 10% of a person’s income or the increase from sales of assets, investments, and company profit.
Proverbs (NKJV) 3:9-10 Honour the Lord with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase;So your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine.
Every time we are blessed, be it the first bonus, contract, or payout of dividends, we should honour God with the 10%. When we do that, our barns will be filled with plenty, and vats overflow with new wine. God is always giving and nobody can outgive Him, and we will witness His generosity when we follow His Word.
Some people ask whether tithing should be 10% of gross or net income, whether they should tithe to the church, or if they can give to designated projects so that they will know where the money goes and can determine what is right. Ultimately, these questions boil down to one thing—the issue of the heart. They reveal how much we truly trust the Lord. The measure that we give reflects our faith, our love, and our stewardship of God. Jesus says that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10) while money in itself is neutral. Jesus always deals with the root issue—the issue of the heart. When the rich young man could not part with his riches, Jesus exposed that his security and foundation were in money.
Even though God has appointed mortal men to receive His tithes on earth, the tithes are paid unto the Lord. Scripture says that Jesus receives it in heaven. The difference is that today it is no longer a temple or a tabernacle, but a church made of living stones with Jesus as the cornerstone. We need to come to a point of obedience and act on what the Word of God says, which is honouring God with our tithe and the firstfruits of our increase. It is a declaration of our faith and dependence on God. This way, we will have a solid foundation in our lives irrespective of the economy or our finances.
Sermon Series: A Steady Walk of Faith with God
筑牢不可动摇的根基
希伯来书 7:6-9 独有麦基洗德，不与他们同谱，倒收纳亚伯拉罕的十分之一，为那蒙应许的亚伯拉罕祝福。从来位分大的给位分小的祝福，这是驳不倒的理。在这里收十分之一的都是必死的人，但在那里收十分之一的，有为他作见证的说他是活的。并且可说那受十分之一的利未，也是借着亚伯拉罕纳了十分之一。
上帝拥有地上的一切，因为全地和其上一切的丰盛都是上帝的。我们工作的 每一家公司都从上帝的创造中汲取了一些东西，让公司成功使我们有工可做，因此提供我们这份工作的是上帝!
什一奉献是属于上帝的。什一奉献的字面意思就是 十分之一的支付。它代表个人收入或 资产销售、投资和公司利润增长的10%。
箴言3:9-10 你要以财物和一切初熟的土产尊荣耶和华。这样你的仓房必充满有余，你的酒榨有新酒盈溢。
每次当我们得到祝福的时候，无论是第一笔奖金、第一份合同、第一笔股息、股票等等，我们都应该用这10%来荣耀上帝。当我们选择荣耀上帝时，我们的仓房必充满有余，酒桶必有新酒盈溢。上帝总是在给予，所以没有人能比上帝给得更多。当我们跟随祂的道时就会见证到祂的慷慨。
有人问，什一奉献应该是毛收入的10%还是净收入的10% ? 是应当奉献给教会呢， 还是有权自己决定奉献给特定的项目，好叫他们知道钱去了哪里，并且可以决定什么是对的 。所有这些讨论最后都归结为一件事，那就是内心的问题。它揭示了我们到底有多信靠主。我们给出的衡量标准反映了我们的信心、我们的 爱和我们如何为主的管家。耶稣说贪财是万恶之源（提摩太前书6:10），而金钱本身则是中性的。耶稣总是处理根本问题，–内心的问题。这个富有的年轻人无法放弃他的财富， 耶稣指出根本问题在于他将安全和基础建立在钱财之上。
虽然上帝已经指定必朽坏的人在地上收取十分之一，然而什一奉献是献给主的。圣经说耶稣在天上收取。不同的是，今日它不再是一座圣殿或会幕，而是一座用活石建造的，以耶稣为房角石的教会。我们需要达到顺服的地步，按照上帝的话行事， 也就是用我们的十分之一和初熟的土产来尊荣上帝。这是宣告将我们的信心，是信靠上帝的宣告，这样无论经济或财政状况是好是坏，我们都将在生命中有一个不可动摇的根基。
讲章系列： 坚定信靠神
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