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The following is a text version of Mike Williams' teaching cassette on "The Tithes"
(gospelrevolution.com)
page 6


How and Where Do Blessings Come From?
The Bible says in Ephesians 1:3, that he has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places with Christ. Blessings and promises don't come through the law. They come through Christ Emmanuel. Folks, you can not have blessings and promises in the law and in Emmanuel too. How could you get blessings and promises from God through a covenant that doesn't exist? Does that mean that giving is unimportant? No, it is very important. I don't want to leave you just hanging here. Lets look at what Paul said about giving: 2Corinthians 8:1,2 "Moreover brethren, we do you to wit, of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality." This is talking about their giving. They are giving, according to what Paul has told us here of the church of Macedonia, was very liberal. 
   He says in 2Corinthians 8:3 "For to their power, I bear record, yea and beyond their power they were willing of themselves." They were willing. The law doesn't care whether you are willing or not. Grace (God's ability) produces a willingness. 
   Now look what it produced. A willing to give beyond that which they had the power to give. 2Corinthians 8:4 "Praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift." Now one translation puts it this way. Paul says "They begged me to take their money". That 's not paying a debt. That is giving out of sheer joy. Let me tell you something brothers and sisters. Once the gospel hits your heart and if you ever find someplace that's preaching it, you will do everything within your power financially to support it. If you ever understand it for what it is, you will know that it is life itself. 
    2Corinthians 8:4 "Praying with much entreaty, that we would receive the gift and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints."
    2Corinthians 8:5,6 "And this they did, not as we hoped but first gave their own selves to the Lord and unto us by the will of God. Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he also would finish in you the same grace also."
    What was producing this giving? The law? What did he say was producing this giving? This grace. Grace was producing giving. Law and grace are opposites. What is Malachi trying to produce giving through? Law! What is Paul trying to produce giving through? GRACE! 
    2Corinthians 8:7 "Therefore as you abound in everything, in faith, in utterance and knowledge and in all diligence and in your love to us, see that you abound in this grace also." This grace for what? It is a grace of God in your heart to be able to give. All we have to do is read the first line and it tells you what Paul's observance of instructions about giving is. 2Corinthians 8:8 "I speak not of commandment...".

What is giving not, in the New Covenant? It is not a commandment to give in the New Covenant. Paul point blank said it. "I am not speaking by commandment". 

2Corinthians 9:6 "But this I say, he which sows sparingly shall reap sparingly and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully." Now this is sowing and reaping. We don't have time to go into that, but if you want to find out how it works it is described in Luke 6:38, where Emmanuel says: "Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down and shaken together and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you mete withal it shall be measured to you again."

Did it say that God's going to give it back to you? NO, it said men! Folks all it is saying is that if you become a giver, when other people are in trouble, when you are in trouble they are going to give to you. People don't help stingy people when they get in trouble, That is really the very crux of the matter. Now, look what it says in 2Corinthians 9:7 "Every man according as he purposes in his heart so let him give, not grudgingly or of necessity, for God loveth a cheerful giver."
   What is ten percent tithing? Necessity! Paul said don't give out of necessity. Tithing is a debt. Let everyone give according as he purposes in his own heart. Paul also spoke of giving and he said, I am not asking you of equal giving but an equal sharing of the burden. If only we were to do in the church what Paul said to do.
   I had a lady come up to me one time and she said " Brother Mike. I am so upset. My husband studied the Bible" and she said "he's found out tithing is not for the New Covenant, so he decided we are not going to tithe anymore". She said "what do I do?" This was long before I studied the subject out. I said, "Well, I guess you should agree with him." "But I love giving" she said. "What are we going to do? I love giving." If you don't give anything because you now know you are not under the law the only thing we've done is to expose your little cheating, stingy heart. If the only reason you were giving is because you had to it wasn't anything any ways! Giving ought to be the greatest joy a Christian ever had. 2Corinthians 8:9 "For you know the grace of our Lord Emmanuel the Christ, that though he was rich, yet for our sakes he became poor, that you through His poverty might be rich". Is this talking about money here? I don't think so. Emmanuel did not give up money to come here. The Bible says He was rich in something, but He became poor in it that we might become rich in something. What was Emmanuel rich in when He came here? He was rich in righteousness! What did He become absolutely poverty stricken in? You can't say He became poverty stricken financially. Once He came here folks, He had someone to carry the money. He was made sin that we might be made righteousness, as a free gift. How much more should we who have received this free gift of righteousness want to freely give that which we have. Psalms 26:7 "That I may publish with the voice of thanksgiving and tell of all thy wondrous works."

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