The church and tithing

The church and tithing

1926-11-05

Text

Documenting White Supremacy and its Opponents in the 1920s by Reveal Digital

https://dwso-revealdigital-org.libproxy.library.unt.edu/?a=d&d=BBAHJFCJ19261105-01&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-Rayzor--------------1

It is reasonable to assume that God made ample provision for the adequate government of man and nature, and the church, which is the highest conception of His creation. He left unprovided for? Such would surely be a morbid conception of the knowledge and wisdom of kind and loving Father. Christ gave Himself for the church. He is its head, the church Ills body— the Lamb's bride to which He committed the task of evangelizing the world, hence it is the unit of activity in spreading the Gospel and winning the world. If the law of the tithe does not apply, then this honored institution is without financial government, and is therein an exception to all of God's creation. The Primary Purpose of Tithing The primary purpose of tithing is not to raise money, hut is eharaeter building. An ever-present conscious knowledge of God's sovereignty and ownership of all things is the cornerstone of eharaeter building and tithing is an expressed acknowledgment of such sovereignty and ownership. It is putting God, and not self, first every hour and

every moment of life, thereby building dependable Christian character, and is intended to help us both spiritually and temporally. MTiy should the Observance of the Law cf the Tithe Make a Christian Happier? He has a new vision of relations and values. He comes to recognize God's ownership of all things and to accept a stewardship under Ilim. He is ever thereafter mindful of liis co-|iartner-ship with God. He comes to realize (hut God furnishes the time and the capital and lie does the work; that God reserves to Himself one-tenth of all the gain as His part and that he gels ninetentlis. He knows definitely what God requires of him and goes about cheerfully in his efforts to meet the conditions imposed. He has a conscious knowledge that lie has accepted God's challenge, thereby throwing the responsibility' upon his Heavenly Father as to how much the tithe shall lie. He realizes that God stands behind him as liis silent partner. This not only makes him happy, hut furnishes an ever-pres-ent restraint against questionable transactions that might reflect upon the partnership. He eomos to put God and not self first, as He is the senior member of the firm, and with His promise that "I will he with thee and not forsake thee," he goes joyfully about his task, "building every day, building for eternity." His new relations with God have revolutionized liis vision of life; he comes to realize that his part-

__ tier is the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, and his passion is to do His will. God has said: "If you will, I will. I will open the windows of heaven. I will pour you out a blessing, I will rebuke the devourer for your sake: he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground." One is not to tithe that he may prosper, hut lie prospers because he tithes. "Honor the Lord with thy substance and the first fruits of thine increase, so shall thy barns be filled with plenty and thy presses shall burst out with new wine." — From "Stewardship Born of God," by J. N. Rayzor