Comments on: The Best Investment We Have Ever Made

By: Chris Peach

Chris Peach — Tue, 05 Jun 2018 23:13:22 +0000

In reply to John W Reed. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We weren't always at a place where we could give generously, so I definitely understand what it's like to be on both sides of the fence so to speak.

By: John W Reed

John W Reed — Mon, 04 Jun 2018 07:24:32 +0000

Tithing is not a command to the Church yet sadly most Churches twist Scripture to make it a command. Thus people end up in bondage of fear of not giving and condemnation when they can’t afford to give that much. People use Malachi, but don’t really interpret it in proper context. God was addressing “this whole nation.” What nation? The Church isn’t a nation. The Nation is Israel. There is a blessing and curse attached to tithing under Law. But tithing isn’t a command for believers. Under the New Covenant Paul speaks of free will giving.
What I read from your article and my takeaway is y’all seemingly have decent paying jobs, and were already getting out of debt. An issue I have is it seems you relate your receiving some type of blessing that you describe in general terms (so can’t say specifically is or isn’t something supernatural), in connection with your giving. Is your blessing because you paid ten percent? Or is your blessing because God is good?
I have broke out of my bubble so to speak. I have travelled this globe. I have seen Christians the whole world round. Poverty, suffering, insufficiency don’t begin to describe their situation. Why are they suffering? Because they have nothing to give? Most ministries and churches and websites are merely selling something that’s why they peddle the tithe command for Christians. In the spiel, they proclaim you will receive blessing. When people do tithe and go broke literally, the peddlers say oh you gave with wrong motive. One, they sure had no issue receiving the cash regardless of motive and two, the benefit of receiving blessing was the promise they were peddling when they were proclaiming the tithe.
In reality, many Churches and ministries mix Law and Grace. Merge the Old Covenant with New. They take a command to tithe (which in many places in Law wasn’t even speaking of money but agriculture) given to Israel and place it on the Church. Before you say Abraham tithed before Law, he did, one time only once. He tithed the spoils of war not his personal wealth. He also sacrificed animals before Law. He also practiced circumcision before Law. Does that mean they are for today as well?
If you read the New Covenant (The Gospels are Old Testament because it is Jesus resurrection and coming Holy Spirit that started the New not His birth), you see Paul teach free will offering. Note when he taught giving, he said we don’t give of necessity. Necessity would mean a required percentage.
I applaud your motive to be generous, but that is where you are at. Not all people are there. All the churches preaching tithing for today, are peddling a sanitized form of the prosperity gospel. If you are a giver, or generous you will be blessed etc etc…
This is what I do, after the grand promises are proclaimed and pronounced by preaches, I look at the orphan, the single mother with 5 kids, the domestic abuse survivor living in a shelter, and see the “promise” made that they should give or they are cursed otherwise. God’s intent is not to make some church rich while the people suffer lack and abide in squalor. Sugar coat it all you want, but I have lived in 7 states, while in the Military and while in Bible College. I have visited several churches and been apart of a few. When the hoopla is over, and the white collar workers who can afford to give much are celebrating, I look at the lower income suffering and see the condemnation and bitterness it produces. In truth we live in a fallen world. There is no guarantee for health and wealth. Yourself are in a great place, but God forbid if a terminal illness struck you or a loved one and you’re facing astronomical medical bills, and literally you can either eat, feed your child, buy their medicine or fund a building where people meet, the choice is yours.
As for me, I was into this way of life. We gave almost 20% away, because we believed in tithing and being a blessing. However, never did I see supernatural blessings overtake us. What I started to see was, the natural occurrences in life, discounts, IRS refunds, and such were not God’s blessing because we gave money away. I saw sinners, unsaved folk, reaping those exact same rewards.
I was free from the bondage of mixture, and we began to give as the Spirit directed and not tradition or legalism. We had more money and saw real genuine supernatural blessings when we stopped tithing. Still support the church but also are generous to those in need. Isn’t that what it’s about anyway? Being a blessing? We sponsor poor children in Africa. We have bought people groceries when they were in lack.
Tithing is not a command for Christians, but free will giving is. There is no curse for giving less than ten percent. Saddens me how churches and ministries place poor people in condemnation for not being able to give. But stats prove it’s poor people who play the lotto, and it’s poor people supporting televangelists, paying for their jets, and churches while they have bills unpaid at home. What should be taught is wisdom in finances and finding the best solutions that individually help those in lack.

By: Chris Peach

Chris Peach — Mon, 18 Dec 2017 22:48:57 +0000

In reply to LesLee White. I'm so glad to hear that from you! Please reach out if there's ever anything I can do for you.

By: LesLee White

LesLee White — Sat, 16 Dec 2017 20:54:52 +0000

Thank you so much for your sharing your tithing testimony! My husband and I tithe to our church. We have seen time and time again His hands on our lives. We trust that He has been faithful to us because we follow His commandments. Your family is a blessing to so many. I watch Andrea every morning and am grateful I have stumbled upon your blog!

By: Chris Peach

Chris Peach — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 19:34:13 +0000

In reply to Sue Olds. Glad you agree! :)

By: Sue Olds

Sue Olds — Thu, 27 Jul 2017 15:12:45 +0000

I agree!
I firmly believe God can make the 90% left go further than I could make the100% go on my own!
My husband and I have a peace that in any circumstance God has our backs!
It doesn’t make sense that you can give away 10% of your income and have more, yet somehow that is what happens!

Thank you for your post!

By: Chris Peach

Chris Peach — Wed, 08 Mar 2017 21:05:26 +0000

In reply to Matt Spillar. Thanks so much! Now that we're debt free, we enjoy giving so much more!

By: Matt Spillar

Matt Spillar — Fri, 03 Mar 2017 18:25:49 +0000

This is an awesome post Chris! Thanks for sharing your story of faith and the role it’s played in your finances. My wife and I are people of faith as well. It’s hard giving money to the church when we still have debt to payoff, I struggle with finding the right balance of giving now or being debt free sooner to then have the freedom of giving more. We’re not quite at a 10% tithe yet, but we established the good habit and have been increasing with time. We’ve had many similar discoveries to you with our giving. It’s hard to describe to people, because mathematically it doesn’t make sense that giving more actually leads to more happiness and gratitude, but it’s true!

I especially love the last line of your post:
“The reality is: it wasn’t really OUR plan in the first place. It was His, and His plan is better.”

That really says it all, and I 100% agree. Keep it up man and keep spreading the good word!

By: Chris Peach

Chris Peach — Thu, 19 Jan 2017 20:49:42 +0000

In reply to Alaya@Hope+Cents. Yes, yes, yes Alaya! That is awesome :)

By: Alaya@Hope+Cents

Alaya@Hope+Cents — Tue, 17 Jan 2017 11:40:43 +0000

Love this, Chris. Becoming a faithful tither was by far the best thing about paying off my debt!