Volume 5 - Issue 2 - April 2001
 

I WILL POUR YOU OUT A BLESSING

By Bishop Gary S. Brooks
 

Malachi 3:11

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

To put this scripture into it's proper context we must all realize then that God is speaking through the Prophet, Malachi, to the "whole nation", a holy nation, the true Jew, spiritual Israel, which is the Church our Lord Jesus Christ, of Whom the whole family of God in heaven and earth is named. We must also understand that this scripture, to us, is not old testament law but rather it's application is the honor and liberty enjoyed by all of God's people, who are under the gospel of grace, being led by the Spirit to bring all the tithes into the storehouses of God which are the local churches that have been established by Him.

Many of God's people still wrestle with this particular scripture for various reasons. Some, as already noted, push it aside claiming that it is old testament law. Others because of the unwillingness to yield to the fact that it is our Lord's money (Mat. 25:18), and not ours to do with as we desire. He is Lord of all of our life, including our money which He gives to us! Then there are those who have never known that the Lord desires to bless them more than they want to be blessed, but it comes through yielding, from our hearts, all the tithe, which is the first 10% (the firstfruits) of all our increase (income), regularly and continually, which releases the blessing of God.

Proverbs 3: 9-10 reads, "Honour the Lord with all thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase: So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine". Tithing is about honoring God as Father and respecting Him as Lord. The Lord said through Malachi in chapter 1:6, "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if I then be a father, where is my honour? If I be a master, where then is My fear?…".

The principle of tithing was clearly established by Abraham, who is the father of us all who walk in faith (Romans 4:16), 400 years before the law of Moses. For Abram, as recorded in Genesis 14: 17-20 and echoed in Hebrews chapter 7, returning from the slaughter of the kings met Melchisedec, the priest of the Most High God, and gave him tithes of all the spoils. Hebrews 7: 21 shows that Jesus has been made High Priest forever with an oath by the Father Who said unto Him, "Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchisedec". This the reveals to Whom tithes are directed to, Christ Jesus, the Apostle and High Priest of our profession (Hebrews 3: 1). The scriptures in Hebrews Chapter 7 further read that, "And here men die that receive tithes; but there He receiveth them, of Who it is witnessed that He liveth." Here and now the new testament priesthood is under command to receive tithes of the people for the High Priest, Christ Jesus. This one verse, linked to what I have referenced already, is substantial enough to prove that tithing is a new testament church reality! For it says that "men HERE receive tithes". HERE, meaning now and in this place! Let's also agree that the letter to the Hebrews was written in the late 60's AD, approximately 22-26 years after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore the word HERE had placed tithing as a present reality in the new testament church then and therefore now!

Let's return to the Prophet Malachi's writings. If we will read all of chapter 3 then we all can agree together that the writing is also making reference to the day of His coming, when He (Christ, the Messenger of the new covenant) appears like a refiners fire and like fullers' soap. He will purify the priesthood (that's us) that we may offer unto the Lord offerings in righteousness. We are further admonished there by the Lord 's own words saying, "Return unto Me… but the church is saying to Him, "Wherein shall we return?". The Father's answer is this, "Will a man rob (defraud, by dishonor) God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings".

Let's clarify at this point that this word is being directed to the "whole nation". God's concern here, as well as mine, is for the whole nation, the whole church. The blessing that the Lord desires to pour out is upon the whole House of God, not just individuals. The church and church people curse their own blessing by robbing God of tithes and offerings, which accompany righteousness and merciful living with faith and the love of God (Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42).

Can we imagine together, for a moment, the whole family of God in every place giving all of their tithes and offerings, regularly and continually, into their local church assembly? There would surely be meat enough in God's House to do the work assigned to all of us! There would be no one lacking daily necessities and we would have in store to give to every good work!

You know that this also is the only place in scripture that God says to prove Him? And how? With tithes and offerings. God says to put Him to the test with tithes and offerings! Why? Because He desires to bless the whole nation and it cannot be done without us honoring Him and respecting Him before the whole world! The Lord spoke through the Prophet Samuel and said, "...for them that honour Me I will honour, and they that despise Me shall be lightly esteemed." God requires submission of our whole life including money! If He has authority over our things and our bank accounts, then surely He has authority over our lives! This is why Jesus said that if we are not faithful with money then God will not entrust to us true riches of the Spirit. For He who is faithful with little will be faithful with much.

Again, this is the honor and the liberty enjoyed by all of God's people who follow after the faithful steps of Abraham and have no other motivation in their heart but to honor the Lord with all of their substance! The giving of tithes and offerings is not ministered by us out of duty, it is through honor. It is of faith and out of our love for our Father. We don't tithe and give offerings so that we can get money! We do so because our heart is in our giving! The Amplified Bible's version of 2 Corinthians 9: 7 reads... "For God loves (He takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, "prompt to do it") giver [whose heart is in their giving]".

Let's look now at the promises of God, towards the whole church of Jesus Christ, which are through faith and by establishing our hearts before Him in this manner. For all of us are blessed already with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1: 3). We are all blessed already because of faith in Christ Jesus. But faith is dead, if it has not works, being alone. So then we show our faith with corresponding works (James 2: 17-18) demonstrated here by the giving of our tithes and offerings. Active faith is that which releases and that which will receive the blessing of God that we are already blessed with in Christ. And the blessing is the power of God that releases the promises!

1. He will open the windows of heaven and pour us out a blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

An open heaven is accessible to receive the revelation of the Head of the church, Christ, and the blessing that He Himself is blessed with. In this God pours out an overflowing abundance of both spiritual and natural riches!

2. He will rebuke the devourer for our sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of our ground; nor shall our vines cast her fruit before the time in the field.

This is not a rebuking of the devil, but rather God brings corruption to anything and everything which has been burning up or consuming the appearing, in us and through us, of the precious fruit and life of the True Vine, our Lord Jesus Christ!

3. And all nations shall call us blessed: for we shall be a delightsome land.

And all nations and peoples and families of the earth shall call us right, happy, honest, and prosperous. And the church shall become desirable, because the desire of nations will have appeared glorified in His people and we as the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light!