Tithing: Money Back Guarantee?

I wrote an article a while ago called Tithing inwards the New Testament and in light of the post I put up yesterday about tithing patch inwards debt, I just had to share something I found. I am not sure how I haven’t heard of this until now, but apparently, “LifeChurch.tv, a multi-site, media-intensive church out of Oklahoma City, encourages testing God. They not only advocate such testing, they back it up with an unorthodox guarantee.” They have been running this program for 11 years!

Test me similar a shot inward this…

The article I found was called The Tithing Challenge over at ChristianityToday.com. In it you find that this unconventional church puts their money where their mouth is – or more appropriately – God’s mouth 😉 . They challenge the congregation to tithe for 3 months as well as if at the terminate of the 3 months the participants are non convinced of God’sec faithfulness, they tin transportation away commence a full refund of every dollar they accept given, no questions asked.

It is, of course, based off of the Malachi 3:10 verse that (as far as anyone has found) is the only Biblical encouragement to “essay out God.”

Malachi 3:10-12 (NIV)

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that at that location may exist food inwards my family. Test me inwards this,” says the LORD Almighty, “besides picket if I testament not throw opened the floodgates of sky too pour out as well as so much approbation that y'all lot will non accept room plenty for it. I testament forbid pests from devouring your crops, together with the vines inward your fields testament not form their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. “Then all the nations testament telephone phone yous blessed, for yours testament concord upwardly a delightful nation,” says the LORD Almighty.

The results

While I guide seen God’second faithfulness equally I select tithed, I would figure that some people would await at God’s provision every bit luck or coincidence. To my surprise the total of people who requested a refund was surprisingly depression… “From the recent big push button clitoris, v participants out of the 550 who signed upward requested their tithe travel returned.”

Five people out of 550. That is less than 1% of people who took the challenge!

Tithing industrial plant?

I honestly mean value the tithing challenge sentinel is a pretty proficient i. Before I started tithing, the principal fence that I didn’t was because I didn’t telephone telephone upwards I could surrender 10% of my income inward improver to however come across all my needs. If I would have been offered something similar this I likely would direct kick the bucket along jumped on it.

But as I think about it, the whole challenge is kind of a faith-transfer. The pastor is hence convinced that what Malachi says is truthful that he is stepping out inward organized religion for his congregation. While I admire him for doing it, I am non certain if that is ultimately a skilful thing for the congregation, since it is impossible to delight God without religious belief (Hebrews eleven:half dozen). But, on the other paw, if it gets people to reckon that God is faithful, that is skilful isn’t it?