God, You Want Me To Do What?

Sunday Teaching

Oct 26

The full video of this teaching is available at the bottom of this post and this link.

I love to see spiritual transformation. Watching someone genuinely get it — that life in Christ is not just about following rules, trying harder, or doing better but actually becoming a new person — Miraculous! Romans 12:2 really gets to the heart of it by calling this transformation a ‘renewing of your mind.’ It’s a shift from viewing everything in life through the eyes of my personal domain to viewing everything through HIS Kingdom.

One of the most entertaining — and truly mind-blowing — places I see this 'renewing of the mind' happening repeatedly is in the crazy, faith-stretching, and ancient practice of tithing. That’s right. When someone first encounters the stewardship teaching of giving 10% of their income to God through the work of the local church — for many new Christians, it’s like plunging into a frozen lake. It’s a cold jolt that makes everything in you want to pull back. Because if they decide to do this, they immediately realize: This would change everything.

First, they’d have to completely rewire how they think about money and possessions. Second, they’d have to confront the fact that this kind of giving means not buying a few things they genuinely enjoy and potentially having to downsize their lifestyle. And finally, there’s that mind-bender of not using that 10% for their own investment plans.

For many, they’re sitting there at square one, giving zero, and the thought of jumping to 10% feels like attempting Travis Pastrana’s ill-fated leap over the Grand Canyon in 2006 — the one where he crashed hard, broke his wrist, dislocated his shoulder, and came away with a severe concussion. It’s that level of risk, that feeling of staring down a leap where any misstep could land you in a painful freefall. It’s a leap of faith that shakes up everything they’ve thought about financial freedom.

A COMPLETE RENEWING OF THE MIND ON MONEY - DESIREE’S STORY

Rewiring how we think about money and possessions is more than prioritizing tithing. Just look at Desiree (one of our pastors). She was a tither from day one of starting her ministry job at Newstart. She was on top of things as a diligent earner and a generous giver — right on with the first two biblical priorities in honoring God with our finances. But, like so many of us, she hadn't yet experienced that full 'renewing of the mind' when it came to the rest of her finances. Saving, spending, debt? They hadn't really clicked yet. Even as a tither, Desiree still found herself in that paycheck-to-paycheck grind, where consumer and student debt kept jumping ahead of savings every time.

It wasn’t until she really dug into Newstart’s biblical teaching on finance — learning to be a diligent earner, a generous giver, a wise saver, a prudent spender, and someone who avoided consumer debt at all costs — that things finally started to change. With some one-on-one help from Justin, a volunteer at our church who showed her how to budget in a way that aligned with these biblical principles, Desiree found a whole new financial freedom. No more scrambling paycheck to paycheck, no more prioritizing debt over savings. Desiree’s story is an excellent example of letting Scripture shape our thoughts about every dollar, every choice, and every priority. It’s not about conforming to the consumeristic ways of this world but about experiencing true transformation through all Biblical Financial principles.

GIVING A TITHE MEANS NOT BUYING SOME STUFF - GREG’S STORY

When I was 24, life looked a little different. My family and I lived in a one-car garage that had been converted into a small house. Colt was 2, and Zane was just a newborn. Our car? Let’s just say its resale value was about as close to zero as possible. It had a hole in the floor big enough for a volleyball to drop through. One day, I got my paycheck at work, and like I’d been doing for years, I wrote a tithe check to our church. But for some reason, that day felt different. As I looked at that check, images of every new car our friends drove flashed through my mind, like flipping through the pages of a glossy picture book.

Suddenly, it hit me. That tithe check I’d written could quickly go toward a new car payment, and at that moment, I felt like we deserved it. With our little family of four struggling, it was hard not to feel the pull of something more reliable, something new. I left that tithe check in my office drawer all week, caught between wanting to trust God and feeling the tug of something I thought we needed.

But on Sunday morning, I made a choice. I stopped by my office, picked up that check, and put it in the offering at church. We’d been tithing faithfully for years, and I knew I couldn’t stop now. It was a decision to trust, even when it meant saying no to what seemed like a need. And we haven’t missed a tithe since.

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given to you as well.” —Matthew 6:33 NIV.

The challenge? Tithing means putting God first in tangible, practical ways. It’s trusting that He provides even when we let go of something we think we need. For anyone facing the tension between giving and holding back, the question is this: Will you trust that God’s provision is worth more than whatever you could buy on your own?

TITHING MEANS LESS AVAILABLE FOR INVESTING - BRAD’S STORY

When Brad came to Christ, he was an atheist with a strong background in financial planning. Last Sunday, after Joe’s sermon — part 1 of this message, which is linked here — I asked Brad, “Would you write me an email about what you thought of tithing when you first encountered the idea?” Without hesitation, he said, “Absolutely.” Brace yourself — his story is a glimpse into the gap many new Christians face on a subject that’s old hat to others. Brad’s email is shared exactly as he wrote it, giving you an unfiltered look into his first encounter with tithing.

“It's 2009, and Adina and I had just married. We are flat broke. Adina used all her savings to pay off some of my debts, and there was nothing left. I'm not sure that we had $100 to our name. I just got a job making $14/hour, while Adina is working part time making even less. Adina is planning on going back to school, which means we're preparing to take on new student loans. We live in a 600 square foot apartment, drive old cars, and the idea of saving for retirement is a pipe dream. We are definitely in the category of "paycheck to paycheck".

In the midst of all this, Adina tells me that she's going to GIVE AWAY 10% of our income (MY INCOME!!) to the church. My reaction:

"You're gunna do WHAT??!!"

I mean, I know that the Bible commands us to tithe, but Romans also says "All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God". Can't this be a place where we fall short?

10% just felt like SO much. We didn't have an "extra" 1%. Plus, doesn't the church have enough money? I've seen all the national stories of pastors, and their multiple homes and fancy cars.

Adina was putting into action one of my worst fears about Christianity - they just want my money.

Even if all the church's finances were all "above board", my degree is in financial planning, which makes me reflexively shudder at the idea of 10% "given away" . I knew that if I were to save and invest 10% a year, I'd have a comfortable retirement. With the amount of money we were making in 2009, we had ZERO shot at saving 10% for retirement. Now I was being asked to put aside an additional 10%?

Here's what's funny about all of this. I was financially wise to the world. I had a bachelors degree in this stuff. My parents talked to me about money all the time. Adina would agree that she's not financially sophisticated. Her degree was in Christian education, her parents were missionaries who never spoke of money, and she wouldn't really know the S&P 500 from the Dow, from the NASDAQ.

Yet, if you notice from my earlier description Adina took her SAVINGS to pay off my DEBT when we first got married. She had faithfully tithed her entire life, where I had not. Yet somehow, she managed a surplus while I ran a deficit.

I acted as if it would be the tithe that set me back financially. Not the fact that I never lived within my means, and I treated every penny I made as a penny to be spent on myself. For me, tithing is not just a command, but good for my soul. Show me what you spend your money on, and I'll show you your priorities. I'm oriented towards spending 100% of my money on myself.

Adina and I have tithed faithfully since we got married. Sometimes it's rewarding. Sometimes it's painful. Every year when we receive our giving statement, we're proud. We're not proud of the number per say, but proud that we remained faithful to the principle of tithing. It's all his.

Cora and Alice were arguing once about a specific toy and whether it belonged to Cora or Alice. I'd had enough. I took Cora aside and said that the toy was not hers. Actually, the toy was dad's. I swept my arms in a dramatic motion and said "Everything in this house belongs to dad (and mom). Everything you can see, or touch is mine. So when you're arguing with your sister about who owns this or that, remember this one thing: it's all mine!".

From time to time God pulls me aside and gives me this same talk.

-Brad”

Jesus once said, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven…” (Matthew 6:19-20). Brad’s story? It’s that wake-up call. It’s that reminder to check what we’re really investing in. Because here’s the thing — when we give to God’s work, we put our money into something that lasts. So here’s the challenge: shift the focus. Try investing in what God’s doing instead of adding one more thing to the pile. Because every gift, every dollar given? It’s a piece of something bigger than ourselves. And that? That’s the kind of return that lasts.

TAKING THE FIRST STEP

Tithing feels like a leap, but every journey starts with a single step. So here’s the challenge: take that step. Maybe it’s 10%. Maybe it’s a smaller start. But try giving consistently and watch what happens — not just to your finances but to your heart. Pray about it. Talk it over. Jump in. Because this is bigger than any one of us; it’s about trusting God who provides, who transforms, who invites us to invest in something that lasts. So, will you take that step?

A CHALLENGE FOR THE THREE PERCENTERS

When new believers hear about tithing, they face the hard truth: it changes everything about how they view money and possessions. Desiree had to reshape her entire approach to finances, going beyond just giving — she let God reframe every dollar. Brad realized that tithing wouldn’t set him back; it would realign his priorities and bring lasting value. And for my young family living in a one-car garage? We chose to trust God when it would have been easy to prioritize a new car for ourselves.

Here’s a reality check from the Barna Research Group: the average Christian only tithes 3% of their income. Let that sink in. Many Christians know these teachings on Biblical stewardship are true — they know that everything in this article is true. But for some reason, their giving falls far short of a tithe.

If that’s you, what would embracing a full tithe as an act of renewed faith look like? Maybe it means selling something you’re currently making payments on. Perhaps it means downsizing your living space. Can you start valuing God’s work through the local church more than you value the things holding you back from tithing?

And remember, as I’ve said many times from the stage: you are welcome at Newstart even if you never give a penny. There’s no obligation. But we will keep teaching and challenging you on tithing and everything else the Bible says about finances because we want you to grow. Do you want to take a step of faith and invest in God’s work through His church? Tithing is one of the simplest, most foundational ways to begin.