Bring Your Tithes

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · May 29, 1884

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 21.

Bring Your Tithes.

THE following is by a correspondent of the Sabbath Recorder (Seventh-day Baptist), but it applies as well to Seventh-day Adventists and the special work entrusted to them:—

It seems to me that missionary work is the work assigned to Christian men and women to do. If I understand the commission of our blessed Lord, uttered as he was about to depart, having completed his earth mission, it was first to publish salvation through Jesus to a world in darkness, and follow up the work thus begun by teaching them the principles requisite to a fully developed Christian character. And I do not understand that the commission has terminated, or will lose any of its binding force, so long as a single soul remains in ignorance of salvation through Jesus, nor that we can be excused until the very best effort, yea, every effort of which we are capable, has been made.

It is indeed encouraging to see by the reports of last year's work that our people have made some progress in real consecration to the missionary cause, as is shown by the greater amount of work done, better and more extensive plans for the future, and, what more practically indicates the increased interest and devotion of the people, the larger contributions which have flowed into the treasury. But the question continues to repeat itself, and with increased force at each repetition, Have "all the tithes and offerings" been brought to the "storehouse?" Some no doubt are doing nobly; perhaps their full proportion, if proportion was a thing to be considered here; but I feel sustained in asserting that the masses of our people have scarcely begun to realize their obligations in this matter. There can be no clearer statement made than that one-tenth of the income of God's ancient people was his. "All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's; it is holy unto the Lord." Lev. 27:30. And I have been unable to find when or where God has modified that stipulation, or that it is any less robbery for his people now to withhold any part of that amount from the Lord's treasury.

It is a question of no little perplexity to know how, as a pastor, to relieve myself from responsibility for any degree of failure in this matter, either by securing, by my influence, the full contribution, or at least leave nothing undone that a pastor should do to make duty plain in this respect, as well as in every other. I presume there are men who have the tact to bring their churches up to a proper financial standard; but for me it is one of the most difficult of problems to solve.

I do hope and pray that some way will be provided to answer the pressing calls for laborers that continue to multiply. "Where are the reapers?" May the Master speedily find such as will answer the call to the honor of his name.