This Is Not That: Giving
Somewhere between Moses and megachurches, generosity got kidnapped.
What began as a spontaneous act of love turned into a spiritual tax.
A 10% membership fee. A number you owe to God if you want to stay in His good graces.
But here’s the thing: the tithe doesn’t belong to the story of grace. It belongs to the system Jesus ended.
The Tithe Was for a Dead System
The Old Covenant tithe wasn’t a generic rule about “giving to God.” It was an agricultural tax to support a specific tribe (the Levites) who ran the temple and sacrificial system.
“I give to the Levites all the tithes in Israel as their inheritance in return for the work they do while serving at the tent of meeting.”
— Numbers 18:21
In other words, the tithe existed because of the temple. So, no temple, no tithe.
But Jesus Himself declared that system finished:
“Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.”
— John 2:19
He wasn’t talking about bricks. He was talking about His body—the new temple. In Jesus, the priesthood, sacrifices, and temple system all came to their end in His revelation.
Hebrews lays it flat:
“By calling this covenant ‘new,’ He has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.”
— Hebrews 8:13
And it did. The temple structure they knew literally collapsed in A.D. 70. The system the tithe supported died right along with it.
So why do we keep resurrecting it?
Jesus & the Tithe: A Transitional Moment
Yes, Jesus mentions the tithe—but context matters.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices… but you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness.”
— Matthew 23:23
Notice His audience: Pharisees under the law.
Jesus wasn’t commanding new covenant believers to tithe; He was exposing the hypocrisy of people who thought 10% could buy righteousness.
It’s like saying, “Sure, you tithe your herbs—but you’ve missed the whole point of the story.”
After the cross of Jesus, the tithe never appears again—not once. The apostles never mention it. The early Church never practiced it.
Sure, they gave—but not by law.
Grace Doesn’t Tax You—It Frees You
When Paul talks about giving, he doesn’t say “tithe.” He says grace.
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
— 2 Corinthians 9:7
That’s the opposite of law. Because Law demands. Grace inspires.
Paul’s letters are full of examples:
Collections for the poor believers in Jerusalem (Romans 15:25–27)
Support for his travels to spread relief (Philippians 4:15–16)
Encouragement to share with those in need (Ephesians 4:28)
Instruction to care for widows and elders who labor in teaching (1 Timothy 5:17–18)
But never a command to pay 10%.
The pattern is simple:
People gave because love moved them.
The funds went directly to needs and good news, not to overhead.
No one enforced it. Everyone participated freely.
Paul’s Model: Fuel the Movement, Not the Machine
Paul never owned property, never built a building, never set up a “campus.” He received gifts from friends so he could keep traveling, preaching, and starting conversations that empowered the spread of grace.
“When I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need.”
— Philippians 4:15–16
And even then, he refused to treat it as obligation:
“Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.”
— Philippians 4:17
Paul saw giving as participation in grace, not payment for salvation.
He even worked as a tentmaker when needed (Acts 18:3), showing that leadership wasn’t about financial dependence—it was about friendship in motion in everyday life.
The Early Church: A People, Not a Payroll
The first Jesus-followers didn’t gather in buildings or around budgets—they gathered around tables in homes.
“All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.”
— Acts 2:44–45
“There were no needy persons among them.”
— Acts 4:34
They didn’t funnel their generosity into a hierarchy that kept a machine in tact. They funneled it into each other.
Giving wasn’t an institutional duty; it was a family reflex.
Wherever there was need, grace met it through generosity. Wherever there was opportunity, grace funded it.
No boards. No budgets. No “church” brands. Just love moving freely.
The Modern Machine: A Hijacking of Real Generosity
Fast forward 2,000 years.
The Church that began in living rooms now spends over $37 billion a year in the U.S. alone on buildings, salaries, and programs—most of it maintaining what already exists.
Globally, we’ve poured trillions into running institutions that promise revival but almost NEVER resemble the life Jesus started.
The result?
Pastors are burned out.
Members are in debt.
The poor are still poor.
And the world sees “church” as a business dressed in religious language.
That’s not generosity—it’s misdirection.
The system takes what was meant for people and buries it in property. It calls this “stewardship,” but Jesus called it foolishness:
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.”
— Matthew 6:19
“You cannot serve both God and money.”
— Matthew 6:24
And yet, many churches do—building “ministries” that look more like empires than friendships. A compete contest to what Jesus did and called us to do.
True Giving: Where Freedom Flows
Grace doesn’t tell you what percentage to give—it tells you who you are. You’re part of a body that shares life, not a business that funds a brand.
“Freely you have received; freely give.”
— Matthew 10:8
Generosity is a natural byproduct of seeing who Jesus is for us. And when you realize He gave everything—His time, His table, His very life—you stop asking, “How much should I give?” and start asking, “How much can I share?”
“If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?”
— 1 John 3:17
This isn’t about guilt. It’s about awakening. Because the more we see grace, the freer our hands become.
Where Giving Goes Now
The invitation isn’t to stop giving. It’s to give where it gives life.
Support the storytellers, travelers, and table-makers (like Paul said) who keep grace moving.
Fuel the friends who help others live free. Share your resources where Jesus is still breaking bread—not building brands.
When you do, you’re not “funding ministry.” You’re joining the movement of the Spirit that’s been setting people free since day one.
The Irony of It All
Ironically, the modern tithe has become the very thing it was supposed to end—a tax that funds a priesthood to stand between God and people.
But Jesus tore that curtain.
“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood.”
— 1 Peter 2:9
Every believer—that’s you—is now a priest. Every table a temple. Every act of generosity a mirror of grace itself.
So if your giving doesn’t make you freer, it’s not grace—it’s guilt.
The Invitation
The question isn’t how much to give, but who it’s for.
Does it keep you tethered to a machine, or does it set someone free?
The first feeds religion. The second fuels resurrection.
So maybe it’s time to trade the tithe for trust. To give like the early friends of Jesus did—freely, globally, and joyfully.
Because grace doesn’t pass the plate. It passes itself on.
Key Scriptures for Reflection:
Numbers 18:21–24 – The tithe as Levitical support
Malachi 3:10 – Context: covenant people under Law
Matthew 23:23 – Jesus confronting legalistic tithing
Hebrews 7–8 – The old covenant replaced by the new
Acts 2:42–47; 4:32–35 – Shared life and generosity
2 Corinthians 8–9 – Grace-based giving
Philippians 4:10–19 – Supporting Paul’s travels
1 Timothy 5:17–18 – Honor for those who teach, not salary structure
Matthew 6:19–24 – Treasures and allegiance
1 Peter 2:9 – Every believer a priest
If generosity was never meant to fund a machine, then maybe it’s time to give where grace is actually alive.
Because when you give to Lark (or something like it), you’re not keeping lights on—you’re keeping freedom moving. Every dollar fuels real conversations centered on real people learning to live free.
That’s not charity. That’s church, the way Jesus meant it.