The Impact of Tithing – Teaching Plan
1. Have a volunteer read I Corinthians 9:13,14.
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a. Ask class members to share a thought on what the most important point in this text is.
b. What is the purpose and primary use of the tithe?
c. Personal Application : What do you understand about what God means when He says to bring the “whole tithe” into my house? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your relatives states: “I think the conference is misusing the tithe, and I refuse to give them money as long as they are not using it properly.” How would you respond to your relative?
2. Have a volunteer read 2 Corinthians 11:7-10.
a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the most important point is in this passage.
b. What does Paul mean when he said he “robbed” other churches to minister to the Corinthians?
c. Personal Application: Besides returning a faithful tithe, how can believers support pastors, teachers, missionaries, and evangelists on the front lines? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : One of your friends states, “I think it’s wrong for ministers to ask people to pay a tithe if they have a lot of members in the church. Then the pastor gets rich and lives like a king instead of following the example of Jesus and the disciples.” How would you respond to your friend?
3. Have a volunteer read Malachi 3:10.
a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. What does it mean to bring the tithe in the storehouse?
c. Personal Application: Is there a difference between sensing a responsibility to tithe and an obligationary approach to tithing? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study: One of your neighbors states, “Can we use our tithe to support a foreign mission or outreach project outside the conference? I’d really like to help this one ministry, but the only way I can afford it is to use tithe money.” How would you respond to your neighbor?
4. Have a volunteer read I Peter 3:8,9.
a. Ask class members to share a short thought on what the main idea of this text is.
b. What is the relationship between being blessed and being a blessing to others?
c. Personal Application: Have you ever been blessed by the Lord through the ministry of someone else to you? Share your thoughts.
d. Case Study : Think of one person who needs to hear a message from this week’s lesson. Tell the class what you plan to do this week to share with them.
(Truth that is not lived, that is not imparted, loses its life-giving power, its healing virtue. Its blessings can be retained only as it is shared.”Ministry of Healing, p. 148).
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