Sunday February 18
Jesus commands us to “preach the gospel” (Mark 16:15) and to “make disciples”, “teaching them to observe all things” (Matt. 28:19, 20, NKJV). Thus, God wants us to be involved in the most important work on earth: bringing people to Jesus. Funding this mission from resources entrusted to us by God is the steward’s responsibility. Participation deepens personal commitment in presenting Christ to others. Every disciple, steward, and worker is to bring the entire tithe for this sacred work. We must pray for unity to be faithful in funding the mission, just as a successful mission strengthens our unity of faith.
What is God’s approved financial plan for accomplishing this mission? What does “the whole tithe” mean? (Malachi 3:10, NIV). What does the phrase “that there may be food in my house” mean? (Malachi 3:10, NIV).
As we have seen, people have been paying tithe since the days of Abraham and Jacob (Genesis 14:20, 28:22) and probably before.
Tithe is part of a system that funds God’s church. It is the greatest source of funding and the most equitable method for carrying out His mission.
In today’s cultures, the majority of Christians give relatively little to fund the mission of God. If every Christian gave an honest tithe, the result would be “almost unimaginable, simply astonishing, nearly beyond comprehension.” - Christian Smith and Michael O. Emerson, Passing the Plate (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008), p. 27.
In every age God has had people who were willing to fund His mission. All of us have a responsibility to understand and work together to finance this global task. We cannot afford to be disorganized, careless, or haphazard about funding the mission. Our challenge is far greater than when the people and the Levites said to Nehemiah, “We will not neglect the house of our God” (Nehemiah 10:39, NIV), and more daunting than what faced believers in the 1800s. Today members and clergy must be united spiritually and pull together financially in a way that meets global objectives and funds the mission.
Think about the vast extent of the Adventist mission in the world (see Revelation 14:6, 7). How should each one of us understand his or her own responsibility in regard to helping fund this work?
