Tithing Evangelism (With a Few Thousand to Spare)

There are a lot of ways people come to Christ. You wouldn’t expect tithing (give a tenth of your income to the church) to be one of them. But God can use anything! Earlier this year I borrowed an idea from NewSpring Church and gave our church the 90-Day Tithe Challenge, encouraging them to take God at his word in Malachi 3:10 and see if God would show up in a tangible way. Many of our folks took the challenge and have stories to tell. But one the other day is perhaps my favorite.

At the end of a service, a man who’s attended our church off and on for years but has never gotten plugged in approached me. Our conversations have never been deeper then “Hello, glad to see you.” He said, “I’ve got to tell you something. A few months ago my wife started tithing to Mt Vernon because of the 90-Day Tithe Challenge.” His tone indicated that this was done without his knowledge or  approval. Not knowing him that well, I wasn’t sure if he was going to demand his money back or accuse me of manipulating his wife. But what he said next shocked me, “This past week I got a check in the mail for several thousand dollars. There was no way I should have gotten that check.” He was stunned and shared his experience with the only person that wouldn’t think he was crazy.

Like all good preachers, I didn’t let a teachable moment pass me by. Not knowing where he was on his spiritual journey, I decided to use this as an evangelistic opportunity. I told him, “God tells us in Malachi 3:10 to test him with our tithes and see if he shows up in a tangible way. Who knows? Maybe God knows what He’s talking about! Maybe there’s something to this whole ‘Bible thing’!” A connection was made in his life that day. He finished by saying, “I know I live a pretty expensive lifestyle. I’m trying to tone things down.” While not a life-altering declaration of faith, for him it was a step. Knowing him and where he is, this was a small step towards God that deserves to be celebrated.

Who knew that tithing could be evangelism?

QUESTION: Have you ever experienced God’s faithfulness in an unmistakable way once you started tithing?