This Is Why I Tithe! | God Math | The Block Church | Joey Furjanic

Tithing begins with the truth that everything belongs to God. The tithe, from the Hebrew word *masser*, means returning the first tenth of whatever comes in through the local house of worship. Jacob practiced it before the Law, Abraham gave a tenth before the Law, and Jesus affirmed it while confronting people whose religious habits lacked justice, mercy, faith, and love. Tithing is not a tip, an occasional donation, a payment for blessing, or a membership fee into heaven. Tithing is returning what has already belonged to God.

The myth of mine breaks down when God is seen as the owner and people are seen as stewards. The car illustration exposes how strange it would be to “give” somebody back what was theirs all along. God entrusts people with paychecks, homes, children, vehicles, and resources, but God never signs over ultimate ownership. The first portion belongs to Him, so returning it does not require a long prayer meeting about whether it should happen.

Faith gets proved in the order of the bread. The first piece takes faith because mortgages, debt, subscriptions, entertainment, coffee, and all the stuff of life always compete for the first place. God does not ask for scraps after everybody else has eaten. Jesus calls people to seek first the kingdom, and the tithe puts God first before the leftovers show up. That kind of order may mess up a lifestyle, but that is the point. Faith creates margin, confronts false needs, and makes room to grow instead of merely surviving.

Treasure pulls the heart wherever it goes. Jesus connects treasure to desire, so money placed into kingdom work keeps the heart soft toward the things of God. The church becomes easier to love when a person has invested in it, because giving connects ordinary lives to people getting saved, children learning Christ, missionaries going out, and cities being changed. The Philippian church went with Paul to Macedonia because its giving made gospel ministry possible.

God’s economy invites His involvement. Kingdom principles work because God designed them to work, just like sowing and reaping, the golden rule, and the fruit of the Spirit. God provided when a young church planter and his wife went all in, facing impossible rent, no W-2s, and no clear path forward. God met needs in surprising ways, proving that a person may never feel able to tithe but will discover that life cannot afford to leave God out.

Christ has already blessed His people with every spiritual blessing. The gospel finds people stuck in sin, pain, debt, failure, and generational iniquity, then Jesus comes from heaven to get them unstuck. The tithe becomes an honor because Jesus has already given far more than anyone could ever return.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Everything belongs to God already God owns what people call theirs, including income, possessions, opportunities, and even the strength to work. Stewardship changes the posture of the heart from possessiveness to gratitude. The tithe becomes less about losing something and more about honestly returning what was entrusted. [10:28]
• 2. First matters more than leftovers Faith is revealed by order, not merely by a percentage written on paper. Giving God the first portion confronts the habits and comforts that quietly claim first place. That reordered life can expose false needs and create margin for freedom, generosity, and wisdom. [16:52]
• 3. Treasure trains the heart kingdomward Money always carries the heart toward whatever receives it. Giving to God’s work joins a person to gospel fruit they may never personally see, from changed lives to strengthened churches. Kingdom investment makes life bigger than private consumption and present comfort. [23:01]
• 4. God’s involvement changes financial fear Tithing does not purchase God’s favor, but it welcomes God into an area often ruled by anxiety and control. God’s provision may come through wise decisions, unexpected help, or doors that could not have been opened by human effort. Faith learns that God is not absent from the bank account when He is intentionally involved. [30:41]
• 5. Christ has blessed people already Jesus found people stuck where they could not rescue themselves and carried them into grace, mercy, and new life. Salvation remains the greatest treasure when every earthly thing fades. Gratitude for that rescue turns returning the first portion into an honor rather than an obligation.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [01:00] - This Is Why I Tithe
• [01:34] - What a Tithe Means
• [03:25] - Tithing Before and After the Law
• [05:06] - What Tithing Is Not
• [06:59] - Everything Belongs to God
• [10:57] - Tithing Proves Faith
• [12:08] - The First Piece of Bread
• [17:33] - Treasure and the Heart
• [24:13] - Inviting God Into Finances
• [31:29] - Blessed Already Through Christ

1. In Malachi 3:8–10, what specific ways does God say His people have withheld from Him, and where are they told to bring their tithe?
2. What examples are given of income or resources from which a person might return a tenth to God? [02:05]
3. What does the car illustration reveal about the difference between “giving” something and returning something that already belongs to the owner? [09:21]
4. In the bread illustration, what kinds of expenses and habits compete for the first portion, and what is left when God is placed last? [12:41]

1. Malachi connects withholding tithes and offerings with robbing God. How does the belief that God owns everything change the way a believer understands this strong language? [07:34]
2. Why is the order of giving—the first portion rather than the leftovers—presented as a matter of faith and priority, not merely a matter of percentage? [15:32]
3. Jesus connects treasure with the heart. How can financial investment in the local church and gospel work shape a believer’s love for God’s kingdom and concern for others? [17:49]
4. How does the truth that believers are already blessed in Christ protect a person from treating tithing as a way to purchase God’s favor? [31:42]

1. Where does the “myth of mine” show up most easily in life—income, home, possessions, time, children, or future plans? What would it look like to hold that area as a steward rather than an owner? [07:49]
2. Looking honestly at the order of a typical paycheck or source of income, what tends to receive the first and best portion? Are there expenses or habits that may need to change for God to have first place? [16:37]
3. Financial pressure can be real, especially with debt, housing, groceries, and family responsibilities. What fear most often makes it difficult to trust God with finances, and what is one wise, faith-filled next step that could be taken? [16:24]
4. Where has money been pulling the heart lately: comfort, entertainment, image, security, generosity, or kingdom work? How might a more intentional pattern of giving help redirect the heart? [19:08]
5. What gospel fruit in the church or beyond—the salvation of people, children learning Christ, missions, practical care, or strengthened families—helps make kingdom giving feel personal and meaningful? [22:34]
6. Jesus has already given believers grace, mercy, salvation, and a new start. How can gratitude for what Christ has done reshape giving from guilt or pressure into an honor? [34:40]