Malachi 3:10-11 (NKJV) 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. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” says the LORD of hosts.
Though God promises that He will open the window of heaven to bless us, our hearts need to be in the right place when we tithe—that it is out of a heart of worship and thanksgiving, and not a “get rich quick” attempt. Giving God His tenth through tithing is essentially saying, “God, I recognise you as my source of supply and I can do more with the 90% than I could with the 100% according to my own plans.”
Disobedience in tithing is largely due to the fear of lacking money. Many people are afraid to tithe for fear of not having enough. Because they don’t view God as their source, they are unwilling to part with that amount, thinking “If I give that away, I’m going to have X amount less, then how can I meet my needs?” This shows their lack of trust in God and their trust in uncertain riches. Nonetheless, tithing is challenging especially when you are trying to make ends meet, and you think “If I tithe, there’s even less”, but this is when you need to practise tithing in faith by making God your true source.
Today, the storehouse is the church where the Word of God is administered. The tithe goes to the church where you receive the Word, pastoral care, and the work of the ministry. The church will administer the funds, and the leaders are entrusted with the responsibility to budget and disburse the funds accordingly. Therefore, when we give, we are giving unto the Lord in obedience to the Word, and we will leave it to the leaders who are accountable to God. Meanwhile, we are allowed to voice out any valid concerns at the congregational meetings. We also need to be clear that whatever we give to support other ministries, such as to help missionaries, will be out of our freewill offering and not our tithes because the tithe belongs to the storehouse.
By honouring God with the first 10%, He looks after the other 90% and He rebukes the devourer for you. The devil stands rebuked over the finances of a tither. Therefore, if you are not tithing, you are operating your finances in the world system, over which the god of this world has control. However, by tithing, we close the door to the devourer and his control.
When we practise tithing, it helps us to worship and honour God, and make God the source of our provision. This foundation will be unshakable even during periods of uncertainty.
Sermon Series: Christian Worldview on Success
十一奉献使上帝成为你的源泉
玛拉基书3:10-11 万军之耶和华说：你们要将当纳的十分之一全然送入仓库，使我家有粮，以此试试我，是否为你们敞开天上的窗户，倾福与你们，甚至无处可容。 11万军之耶和华说：我必为你们斥责蝗虫，不容它毁坏你们的土产。你们田间的葡萄树在未熟之先也不掉果子。
虽然上帝应许会打开天上的窗户祝福我们，但我们奉献的动机必须是出于敬拜和感恩，而不是为了追求一夜暴富。把属乎上帝的十一奉献交还给祂等于是在承认：“上帝啊，我承认你是我供应的源泉，我相信我以剩下的百分之九十所能成就的，能够比按照我自己的计划以百分之百所能成就的更多。”
人们不做十一奉献往往是因为害怕金钱不够用。他们害怕做了十一奉献后自己会有所缺乏。因为他们没有将上帝视为自己的源泉，所以不愿意舍弃那一部分。他们担心：“如果我把钱给掉，我就会少了那一部分，那我怎么满足自己的需求呢？”这表明他们对上帝缺乏信任，却过于依赖不确定的财富。不管怎样，奉献是件不容易的事，尤其是当你试图维持生计之时，你会想：“如果我做十一奉献，我就会更缺钱。”然而这样的时候正是你操练信心，让上帝成为你真正源头的时候。
上帝的仓库在当下就是教会，那是上帝的话语运行的地方。十一奉献去到你领受上帝话语，教牧关怀以及事工工作的地方。 教会将管理这些资金，而由教会领袖则受托负责相应的预算和分配。所以，当我们奉献时，我们是顺服圣经的教导奉献给上帝，然后我们就把钱的事留给那些领袖们，由他们负责向神交账。同时，我们若有任何关切，也被允许在会众聚会时说出来。我们也要非常明确，当我们奉献支持其他事工的时候，比如说资助传道人，这部分的奉献是出于自愿的奉献，而不是十一奉献，因为十一奉献要归给上帝的仓库，也就是教会。
通过以最初的十分之一尊荣上帝，上帝就会打理那其余的百分之九十，并为你斥责那吞噬者。魔鬼会因着十一奉献者的财务情况而承受斥责。但是如果你不做十一奉献的话，那你的财务就是在世俗的系统中运作，而这个世界的假神掌控着这个系统。然而，通过奉献，我们关闭了通向那吞噬者的门户，摆脱了牠的控制。
当我们操练十一奉献时，这会帮助我们敬拜和尊崇上帝，使上帝成为我们供应的泉源。即便在前景不明的时期，这根基也将是无可撼动的。
讲章系列：基督教对成功的世界观
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