Unlocking Divine Blessings with Each Act of Giving

For where your treasure is, there your heart is also.

He's saying where your treasure, where your finances are,

is a revelation in which direction your heart is aligned.

If all of your treasure goes to you and yourself,

now you've identified yourself as somebody who is selfish

and you are your own God.

And Jesus put this money anointing connection.

Man did it.

Welcome to the City Light Church podcast.

Thanks for joining us today as we look into God's word

and discover the hope and truth that he has for us.

If you want to connect with City Light Church,

feel free to visit us at citylightnyc.com,

that citylightnyc.com.

Pastor Boyan Jansik and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit

is already working in our hearts and minds.

As you listen to today's teaching,

remember that you are deeply loved by God,

that you are surrounded by His grace,

and that He has a real hope and a future for you.

Last week I ministered on the Lordship of Christ.

Welcome everybody, by the way, and those of you joining us online.

Welcome to you.

As I was ministering, as I was ministering on the Lordship of Christ,

I got this week's message.

I knew that I would have to preach on this topic.

And I want to preach on the topic of the tithe.

Look at that overwhelming, resounding...

When have you ever heard me take an entire Sunday on just the tithe?

Good Lord.

Did you record the first service?

Can you just play that? I'm going to go catch brunch with my wife.

And the tithe is something, yes, it's misunderstood.

And maybe you have this experience,

either typically in church,

it's all the pastor ever preach is about,

and somehow finds its way in every single sermon,

or the pastor is afraid, and it's never ever touched on.

And so people are consequently robbed.

They're robbed because they don't have a revelation

on biblical tithing.

And we have a reputation, this is going to be our 22nd year here in March,

that we don't want to come to finances.

We've had 22 years of integrity.

We have 22 years of unquestioning integrity.

And we don't hype the people up, guilt the people,

manipulate the people.

God has always provided for us.

God has been very, very good to us,

provided for us so much that we can adopt other missions programs

around the world and help other people have outreaches,

have inreaches, have people on staff,

and minister to the people that call city life their home.

But I want to get these truths out because if I don't,

if I was just to keep silent on this issue,

God would hold me accountable.

Amen.

For robbing his people.

And I don't want to stand before God

and hear him say, why did you touch on so many subjects

but you never touched on this subject?

Amen.

Hallelujah.

So this sermon is more in a Q&A question and answer format

but the questions have already been asked for you.

There are questions that I have compiled

over the last couple of decades of questions

that I've often been asked.

So are you ready?

Amen.

God's going to get you something.

I understand you, I'm the pastor here

and a message like this can seem self-serving

but God is going to minister to you.

Amen.

Amen.

Number one, what is a tithe?

That's a fair question.

A lot of people don't know.

A lot of times people use the term tithe

interchangeably with just a gift.

They can rub two nickels, put it in the offering

and say, I tithe this week.

What they really mean is I gave this week.

But a tithe is specific.

What is a tithe?

One-tenth of your income that is to be set aside

as holy unto him.

And let me just say this because we laughed

in the first service.

It was a different flow.

Something that I'm dealing with here is we have,

we have a lot of spill over too.

Double dippers, double dippers.

I want you to engage see what's happening here.

A lot of double dippers are also double,

double dippers are close to me.

And so you've heard this once before

and you want more so you hear again.

But maybe you're not as hungry as you are first service.

So I feel like I got to preach over you,

but I don't want to skip you guys.

What I'm saying is pull on the anointing, amen?

Yeah, yeah.

If you're going to double dip, be alive and double dip, amen.

Where was I even going with that?

I had a point before that.

Can you help me pass them up?

Oh, I was saying there was a different, no, no.

I was saying there was a different flow.

And we were joking in the first service,

because I don't mean to make a thing.

There's lots of guests all over, but you brought a guest.

And I'm sure there's a lot of other people.

This is your first time.

And maybe you hear, you brought a guest.

You've been praying all year for your guests to come.

They're like, man, and I laugh because we chuckle.

You brought a guest.

And then always used to happen to me and my dad.

I was 16 years old when I became a Christian.

My mom came quickly.

But my dad, he loved the message of the gospel,

but he hated anything having to do

with it costing him anything.

All of a sudden, all of a sudden, his favorite pastor,

we would love when he would come to, he would love.

But the moment money was brought up, what a crook.

What an awful crook.

Let me see what kind of car he drives.

What a crook.

All that's, so I feel for you.

If you're a guest, I encourage you to check out our podcasts

and our YouTube's and see that we have a very

biblically balanced buffet here.

Amen.

Of all sorts of topics.

But God in His infinite wisdom

saw it right and proper to have you here today.

Imagine that.

So this isn't what we're always talking about,

but it is important.

And we are going to talk about it because guess what?

Jesus did not shy away from the subject of money.

In fact, he talked about it a lot.

I have the stacks on how much he talked about money.

He talked about hell actually twice as much as he did

about heaven.

But he talked about money, offerings, talents, lands,

more than heaven and hell combined.

Why?

Because money is what you have to deal with

while you are on this side of heaven.

So why does he have to talk about money?

Because you're not in heaven yet.

I mean, when you have to pay your mortgage or pay your rent,

why don't you write him a letter and say,

why do you always have to talk about money?

Why does it always be a go-to-hole food?

Fill up your whole cart and just walk right out and say,

why is it always about the money?

You guys, you're always talking about money.

You can't do that.

And Jesus knew that.

And so he gave you, in his word, wisdom

on how to live a life of abundance.

Not unbearably get along street because that's not God's will.

Somehow over the centuries, religion got in there

and religion did what religion does best,

which is bring death and cobwebs.

And there's this thought that prosperity and abundance

is not of God.

Yet you look throughout the scriptures

and what you always see is that wherever Jesus goes,

what does he bring?

Poverty, death, no.

Prosperity and abundance and life, hallelujah.

We talked about, was it last week or a couple of weeks ago,

the wedding in Cana of Galilee?

And Jesus turned the water into wine.

And then it actually tells you how much water he turned into wine.

So six water jugs each containing 20 to 30 gallons a piece.

That's anywhere from 120 to 150 gallons of water that was made wine.

How big of a wedding was that?

I've been to some weddings.

I've been to some weddings where wine was served.

150 gallons, I don't care if the whole village came out to that wedding.

If all of Cana, that was too much wine.

What is Jesus saying?

This is my style.

This is who I am.

This is how I do things.

I always over give.

You look at any of the providential miracles of Jesus.

Anything on one of them.

And you'll find one thing in common.

It's always more than what was necessary.

He always gives too much.

When the 5,000 were fed, it says they were fed,

and I love this part in the Bible, and they were full.

So you know, you guys know, we're Americans.

Some know better than others.

What it is to walk away from the table full.

Those of you wanting to go out of Mala, right?

Many times.

We walked away in the most biblical sense.

We were full as we waddled back.

It says they were all fed, and they were full.

And on top of that 12 baskets of leftovers were taken up.

That's his way.

Peter, with the miracle catcher fish,

the net began to break, and the boat began to sink.

Peter had a high-class problem.

He got too much fish, supernaturally.

What is Jesus demonstrating here over and over again?

That's what he wants to do in your life.

If you will dare to believe God, if you will believe him,

quit listening to the voice in your head,

quit doomsday scrolling and hearing about how awful it is out there.

I don't care where you are in the world, what country you live in.

God showed himself when he caused water to come out of a rock,

a flinty dry rock.

It's what he specializes in, amen.

And so people around you may not believe it,

but you be the wild one who says,

I'm going to see it in my life.

In fact, I'm seeing it in my life,

and I'm going to see more of it in my life, amen.

Oh, God, I got that out of my system.

What is a tie?

The tie is one-tenth of your income

that is to be set aside as holy unto him.

Thank you.

Number two, here's a good question.

Why 10%?

A tie is a 10th.

Why 10%?

A 10th is indicative of the whole.

Look at our numeric system.

If you can count to 10, you can count to 100,

you can count to 1,000, you can count to a million.

If you can count to 10, you can count to any number.

So the 10th is indicative of the whole.

When you give the 10th, you're saying, Lord,

you have all of my finances.

Lord, you have my whole life.

Hallelujah.

Number three,

and aren't you glad that God gave a percentage

in out an actual amount?

An actual amount wouldn't be fair,

but a percentage is fair.

And when you really think about it, a 10th,

it's really not a big ask.

We tip our waiters and waitresses 20%

without thinking about it.

10% for God should not be, oh, oh, it's costing me.

God's not looking to take anything from you.

He's looking to get something to you.

Amen.

Question number three, and this is a good one.

Why is tithing important to God?

Cause the reality is, is he doesn't need the money.

He's fine, all by himself.

Why is tithing important to God?

Let's look at Matthew 621.

I accidentally skipped an important one

in the first service that you double-dippers

and you in the second service will be able to get,

I don't know how, too many jokes, I think.

And I skipped an important one, an important question.

Here's Jesus, for where your treasure is,

there your heart is also.

He's saying where your treasure,

where your finances are, is a revelation of,

in which direction your heart is aligned.

If all of your treasure goes to you and yourself,

now you've identified yourself as somebody

who is selfish and you are your own God.

And Jesus put this money anointing connection.

Man didn't.

He said where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also.

Luke 1611.

Therefore, if you have not been faithful, again,

the words of Jesus, if you have not been faithful

in the unrighteous man, man is money.

It's actually been identified in the scriptures,

and man was the name of a God, lowercase G,

of a demon spirit, the money God.

It's still the God, many people, they don't admit it,

but they worship today.

It's what they think about, it's what they obsess about,

and it's why it can get very, very uncomfortable

in a service like this, because you're messing

with people's God.

I'm having the time of my life preaching this message

because I have the word, and I'm a thither,

but somebody right now is feeling,

is feeling like the usheres came by

and it's not cold as a fire underneath their chair

and they're getting real hot.

And also, by the way, I have this habit,

if you're a guest, I try to look at everyone

when I'm preaching at them.

In a message like this, the office gets emails,

he was looking right at me.

I know, he was looking, right?

Pastor Moe, oh, oh, the stuff that I get accused of

that wasn't even in my head, like I'm thinking

of Jesus right now, his word, and I'm having fun,

and someone's like, he was going through the finances,

and he was looking right at me, I just know it.

I don't know who tithes and who doesn't,

unless you tell me.

There are some big gifts that I made aware of,

but other than that, I treat everybody

as though they were the biggest giver in the church.

So if you see me locking eyes at you,

it's just because you're so handsome,

or so beautiful, I'm just drawn to talk to you,

but there's nothing other than that, amen.

So again, back to the scripture,

can you see that there is a connection

between finances and the anointing?

Because Jesus said, if you don't treat money well,

who's going to entrust you the true riches?

What are the true riches?

The power of God, the anointing, the kingdom of heaven?

Those are the true riches, but he's saying,

the way you handle money, it's actually indicative

of your trustworthiness and your character.

So when you tie, you're showing your faith.

Listen, when you tie, you're showing your integrity,

when you tie, you're showing whether he can trust you

for more.

Imagine asking God for more,

but you're mishandling what He's already giving you.

Use flash, more isn't coming.

It's not, I know you want to think

you've got a powerball mentality,

and you're thinking, your day's just a coming.

My ship is coming in, you've never sent a ship out,

but oh, lucky number seven, your ship's gonna come in,

and you've been found unfaithful with the little,

why would He make you ruler over much?

I'm sorry you had to hear it this way,

I got nothing but love in my heart,

but it'll be wrong for me to tell you otherwise.

When you tie, what you're actually doing

is you're bending the knee and you're demonstrating

headship, you're saying there is a God above,

and He gets the tenth.

You're demonstrating that you have a Lord over your life

that it doesn't all end with you.

Hallelujah, every time I tie,

I'm demonstrating, Lord, you come first,

and thank God you didn't ask for the whole thing,

you asked for the tenth, which is indicative of the whole.

And so He's gonna keep increasing me,

and keep increasing me.

Hallelujah.

I made a decision when I was 16 years old,

about two weeks after I got saved,

because that's when I learned about tithing.

I was working at the gap.

Why are you laughing so hard at that?

Because you could see it?

Because it just sounds like something I would've done, right?

1992 gap on Austin Street in Forest Hills, Queens.

And I got excited because I was gonna be able to tie.

By the way, we were joking about this,

a minimum wage back then was 3.25 an hour,

and I was making 550 at the gap.

It was like, big time, junior year in high school, big time.

But I made a commitment, it's funny now.

I made a commitment to tie, then I haven't stopped.

I haven't, I don't say this for a religious path,

but I haven't stopped.

And God has opened different doors of revenue for us.

He has blessed us beyond our wildest dreams and imaginations.

Hallelujah.

Let me ask you something, would you trust me

if I didn't tithe, even without this message?

If I just casually, we were out together a bunch of us,

and I just said, you know, tithing, I just, sometimes I do,

but other times, you know, times are tough,

whatever I come first, I would completely be discredited.

What if Pastor Moe said, don't tell Pastor Boi,

because he doesn't check the records, but I don't tithe.

Would you ever, would you love him as much as you do?

Because it's a revelation of your faith.

It's a revelation of, oh boy, you're, you're, you're,

this is not to put condemnation on anyone.

Some of you are in the process and maturing and growing,

but this is why, actually, in order to be on staff,

you have to be a tithe, and that's when we do check the records.

Because if you want to come on staff,

you have to, we have to know that Jesus comes first

in every area of your life.

When I was dating Emily, I asked you the question.

It's one of the first things I wanted to know.

Not, no, not will you marry me way before that.

Are you a tithe, because that was gonna save me

a whole lot of time in trying to figure out

where she is with the Lord.

She said, yes, I knew exactly then.

She has a God above that she's bending the knee to,

and she's constantly saying, with every tithe,

you come first, and you have the whole of my heart.

Talk is cheap, but it's demonstrated with that.

Amen, why it's a test of credibility and accountability

with finances.

Number four, why is tithing called holy in the Bible?

What does the word holy mean?

We think holy means clean, or holy means pure.

And it can mean that.

That's often a secondary or tertiary meaning.

The real meaning of holy is set apart.

Sanctify, it's different.

It's set apart.

And over and over again, the Bible calls the tithe,

holy, look at Leviticus 27, 30.

And all of the tithe of the land,

whether of the seed of the land,

or of the fruit of the tree is the Lord's,

it is holy to the Lord.

Why is it called holy because it belongs to God?

So I'm actually not giving something to the Lord.

I'm paying him back.

It already belongs to him.

He wants to see me give that portion back.

Can he be trusted to give it back?

And when I do, then I qualify to be trusted with more.

And I firmly believe that should be long term,

not overnight.

You don't just start tithing, and you're taking selfies

with a Bentley.

Some people presented that way.

But long term, your life should be on the increase.

And you can release your faith that Lord, your favoring me.

Lord, I've met the right place at the right time.

In the book of Haggai, it talks about people

who don't prioritize God.

Everything they take to save, they put it in a bag

with holes in it that describes a lot of Americans today.

It's the same thing at the end of every month.

They all say the same mantra.

Where did it all go?

Where did it all go?

And in Haggai, he says, you put it in a bag.

Well, I have a message called Papa got a brand new bag.

He put it in a bag with holes in it.

And it says, whatever they had left, I blew it away.

Because they didn't prioritize me, and they're giving.

Thank you, Lord.

I skipped number five, which actually my son asked me.

Several times, I shared once when he asked me.

And he did this thing.

One was at like a month and a half ago.

He did it once, and I was like, Emily, no more.

He did this thing, and he was on the equalizer, the show.

And it happened so by accident.

How did it start?

He just wanted, he got an interest in,

I think he liked, you know, the kids.

So he watches Ace Ventura, pet detective, and then the mask.

And he got all into Jim Carrey.

So in 1990s, makes my heart sing.

And Emily thought it would be a good experience.

So where did you go?

Some website.

Next thing you know, he's in Brooklyn at 4 a.m. recording

on the equalizer.

And I only said last time, because that whole industry is just

like, no, thank you.

May the Lord send his fire and purge and cleanse it.

And then he can dabble a little later.

To have a night-year-old flirting in that industry is not,

so I have a lot on my mind already.

It's not another thing.

But here's the thing, he's on the equalizer.

A little bit part, right?

But they paid him $150.

And I asked, I explained the tide here already, knows.

And I said, but we also give offerings.

How much do you want to give?

He said, 30.

I said, that's a double tide.

You sure he said, yes.

And then he said, but dad.

How are we giving it to God?

Like, how does it get to God?

And I'm like, you're asking really what a lot of adults

are secretly asking.

Like, because everybody says, let's give unto God now.

It's like, well, no, I'm in a material place

making a material check or holding a material smartphone.

And I'm actually giving to an earthly organization.

Why are we told that we are giving to God

when the money is going to the church and earthly organization?

Very fair question, a question that everybody

nine and above should ask.

Let's look at Proverbs chapter three versus nine through 10.

Here's what it says, honor the Lord with your possessions.

Not honor a man, not honor a church, not honor an organization.

The scripture it's saying is, when you

give in the name of Jesus to an organization that's

using it to expand the gospel for the right reasons,

you're giving it to God.

You cannot make a check out to Jesus Christ.

But you can give to the cause of Jesus.

And in that way, you're giving to the Lord.

Honor the Lord with your possessions

and with the first fruits of all your increase.

And then the promise, whenever the Bible asks you

to give something, it comes with a promise.

So your barns will be filled with plenty

and your vats will overflow with new wine.

Check out Hebrew 7.8.

It just finishes telling the story of how Abraham,

the original patriarch, he came across

a mysterious figure called Melchizedek.

The Bible says he had neither beginning of days,

nor end of days.

King of Salem, which means king of peace,

likened to the son of man.

This was a personage of Jesus Christ

and the first thing he did after his victory,

great Abraham knelt down and gave Melchizedek a tithe.

And here's what the Bible says.

Here, mortal men, ushers go up in the aisles.

Mortal men receive tides, but there he receives them.

I have never, ever given my tithe.

I've tied through a lot of different churches

before planting city light 22 years ago.

I've never, ever given to a man, to an organization.

Always it has been with love.

This is the only way to get a harvest from the Lord.

Get it out of your head that you're giving to man.

Yeah, make sure a man is doing right with it

and man isn't spending it on frivolous things

and ulterior stuff, but ultimately know

you're giving to the Lord.

Here, mortal men receive tides,

but there he receives them,

of whom it is witnessed that he lives.

Amen.

Hallelujah.

Let me just do a temperature check right now.

All right.

Number six.

When it comes to tithing, all of a sudden everyone

becomes a theologian and the difference in the covenants

really, really matter.

Hallelujah.

My wife and I, we have a personal goal this year.

In one shot, we want to tie $500,000.

I'm telling you right now we're gonna see it happen.

We're going to do it.

It'll be the biggest tie that we've ever given

and I'm just, I'm gonna celebrate that.

Hallelujah.

Hallelujah.

We're living in wild times.

Thank you, Lord.

Thank you, Lord.

If tithing is an old covenant commandment

and we are no longer under the law, right?

Because this is a grace church,

a church that lives under the new covenant.

Why are we still tithing?

If we're no longer under the law,

why should I tithe under the new covenant?

I'm so glad you asked.

Let's go to Genesis 2820.

Because here's the truth.

The tithe isn't an old covenant principle.

It predates the old covenant by hundreds and hundreds of years.

It is way before the law of Moses.

The tithe was from the very beginning.

Abraham, he tithed.

Isaac, tithe, the patriarchs tied

all before it was in the law to tithe.

And we should not tie this though we're under the law.

The law is you have to

under the threat of a punishment

under the new covenant is you get to.

And I had one I was arguing with one pastor who really

is like, no, you can't say that.

Do I have to or don't I have to?

About the tithe.

He believes you have to and you go to,

you have to.

No, you get to.

Well, what if they don't?

Well, if they don't,

they're frustrating themselves and the grace of God in their own life.

But are you going to be cursed with a curse?

Well, how can you be blessed?

Born by the blood of Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit

and still cursed.

You can't be.

Your pocketbook could be.

But you yourself can't be.

There is a difference.

It's all in nuance.

No, there is a difference.

You yourself, if you're cursed, you're not going to heaven.

You're not cursed, you're blessed, you're a saint.

But you'll be struggling all your life.

Or you'll actually have, but it'll never satisfy.

See, the Bible says the blessing of the Lord makes one rich

and he adds no sorrow to it.

All throughout New York City,

a lot of people who are quote-unquote rich,

but it's like sand in their mouth.

Still, they're not satisfied.

Then Jacob, this is in the old covenant,

then Jacob made a vow saying,

if God will be with me and keep me in this way that I am going

and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on

so that I come back to my father's house and peace

then the Lord shall be my God.

And this stone which I have set as a pillar shall be God's house.

And of all that you give me, I will surely give a tenth to you.

This is pre the law.

This is pre old covenant.

Yes, I know it's in the old covenant,

but pre the establishment of what we today call the old covenant.

Amen.

Hebrews 8.6.

Let me ask you something.

You're under the new covenant, right?

Is it a better covenant?

Why is it better?

Because under the old covenant,

all the pressure was on you.

You had to try to keep God's law across every tea, right?

That, every eye.

You would mess up. The hammer would come down.

Under the new covenant, it's not about what you do.

It's about what Jesus has already done.

Under the old covenant,

you couldn't be filled with the Holy Spirit.

Under the new, he comes and lives inside of you.

Under the old covenant, one mess up,

the covenant is disturbed and broken.

Under the new, even if you mess up,

Jesus is holding it together forever in your place.

If that's not better, I don't know what is.

Under the old, they just had an atonement,

the covering of sin.

Under the new, you have total remission of sins.

Under the new, you have imputation of righteousness.

He puts his righteousness inside of you.

The new is better in every way.

When the Bible calls it the old covenant,

it's not calling it the old covenant because of its age.

When I first got saved, I thought that old.

Okay, the new, because it's newer, right?

Old means old.

You know your old phone? You don't use it.

It's old.

Still in your kitchen cupboard,

somewhere in the drawer, in the corner there.

The old covenant that system is done.

But now he has obtained a more excellent ministry

and as much as he's also mediated of a better covenant.

So under an inferior covenant,

they had to give 10%.

So what should we give under a better covenant?

A better offering or a lesser offering?

See, some people view the tie this punishment,

they'll go, oh, thank God I'm set free from the law,

and now I'll just give 2%.

You're missing it. This isn't for God.

It's for you.

So I have made a decision.

And by the way, some people,

some people, their hearts,

they really need to experience the love of God

because their hearts are just so cold and icy and locked up.

And so anything that doesn't end in them immediately being better,

like actually helping people, giving out,

they just lock up and they don't,

error code 404 just doesn't compute.

And also people judge you through their own wickedness

and their own offenses.

Hallelujah.

And as much as he's also mediated of a better covenant

which was established on better promises,

so the decision that I've made

is that if this is a better covenant,

10%, is not my end point,

it's my starting point.

Under an inferior covenant where they were told

they were rebuked, well, a man robbed God,

yet you have robbed him.

How have we robbed him in ties and in offerings?

You have robbed him?

That's not something I ever want to read to City Light.

That was a passage of sharp rebuked.

That's not how we should receive our ties.

The ties should be received with joy, with delight.

If that's not you, please keep your money.

Don't put George Washington with tears running down his eyes

and boogers coming out his nose

because you've been squeezing that dollar bills so hard.

Don't put that in the, have mercy on our offering counters.

They don't want to touch that.

Come let the Lord work on your heart

when you can really give it with gladness and in faith

and knowing that you make a living by your giving

and that you're worshiping him

and declaring headship and lordship.

Amen.

Hallelujah.

All right, do you see allotions who really love people

with the old, you know, the response,

the freedom is greater under the new,

but the responsibility is actually more.

Luke 1142, here's Jesus speaking about the tithe.

But woe to you, Pharisees, for you tithe,

mint and ruin, all manner of herbs,

and pass by justice and the love of God.

So someone will stop right there and say,

see, God just wants us to be nice.

Justice and the love of, can we all just get along?

Just be nice.

That's not what Jesus is saying only.

He's saying, yes, justice, the love of God.

These you ought to have done without leaving the others undone.

So it's telling the Pharisees, you're missing it

because you're nasty tithers.

You're just tithing, but you have no mercy and justice in your heart.

You should have mercy and justice in your heart without stopping to tithe.

Do you see that?

Praise God, amen.

Hallelujah.

Number seven, where should I give my tithe?

Hallelujah.

It's amazing how much joy I have right now.

No, it's the Lord.

He's messing with me because it has nothing to do

with how I feel the message is going.

It's the Lord is so kind.

No, really, I feel like the Lord is so kind

that when he asks me to do something like this,

he's like blows on me

so that I wouldn't say no next time, I think.

When he asks me to go out on a list,

so he's just like filling me with joy

and also whether you know it or not,

it's for your benefit.

Listen, different.

When City Light first started, there was this couple.

The first, we had no money.

There was this couple.

There was this couple that asked me out to dinner.

I said, yes.

And during dinner, City Light was two weeks old.

And during dinner, we're just talking and he goes,

my wife and I, we like to tithe, so here's our tithe.

I mean, when he said we like to tithe,

I mean, my only thought was, well, I like to receive your tithe.

That seems great.

I'm a young church planter totally broke,

living back with my parents, starting in Midtown Manhattan

and a hotel ball, and it was for $10,000.

Listen, at 26, as a broke church planter,

that could have been a million, I'm there,

I'm getting dizzy looking at $10,000.

Right?

And that, that, that, that bought so much for us

in those first few months.

And guess what?

They left.

Like, less than a month after that.

They got offended and left.

And my first thought as a young church planter

was, how are we going to make it now?

I'm going, I'm going somewhere with this.

And immediately the Lord made up for it and brought it more.

And that's how it's always been that way.

That's why I'm, do you notice we don't have like

the money people section?

In some churches, there's the big giver section.

There is.

It's like they never read James, you know?

We don't, I'm getting equally close.

I just assume everybody's the biggest giver.

But he taught me early on.

But sometimes I do know, if somebody's always throwing down,

it's going to, can't not know.

The team tells me, we will write a thank you note,

whatever we know.

But they'll always leave eventually.

It's weird, some weird for now.

But what I'm saying is the Lord has always taught me

not to look at man.

And he always, he always makes up for,

basically what I'm saying in a very clumsy and prolonged way

is the Lord has taught me and trained me now,

that though he uses people,

I don't have to worry about people.

And so when I preach a message like this,

it's not because our giving's down.

It's not because they just raise the lease on this place.

Before the Lord, I can honestly tell you it's for your benefit.

It really is for your benefit.

Amen.

If you decide I'm not tithing, we'll be here.

We'll be celebrating a 30th anniversary,

40th anniversary.

Only just a little bit more just for men around.

And we'll just, I'll just stay here.

Amen.

And keep waving and keep naming the name of Jesus.

He'll always cause us to survive,

and not just survive, but thrive.

Amen.

Oh, where should I give my tithe?

That's a good question because some people are like,

well, I don't want to give to just one place.

You know, how about some online ministries?

My aunt Agnes is having a really rough year.

I'm going to give a portion of my tithe to her,

which really isn't a tithe.

That's an arm when you're helping people.

Where do you give your tithe?

The answer is in Malachi 3,

what is largely agreed upon, 310,

if you can go right there.

Thank you.

Bring all the tithe into the storehouse,

that there may be food in my house.

So it is largely agreed upon that the temple

was foreshadowing not just the body of Christ,

but the local church,

because the church capital C is the body of Christ,

church, lower KC,

or all the little lower case churches,

the tithe belongs to the local church.

So you really can't give it to a bunch of other places.

That's an offering.

But to put it in somewhat of a crossway,

you pay where you eat.

Like imagine going to a Thai restaurant,

ordering everything in the menu, eating,

and then walking across the street,

and then paying the Italian restaurant.

Amen.

The tithe belongs to the local church,

to the storehouse.

And by the way, it also says why there,

that they may be meat in my house.

And thankfully, and by the way,

this is just a teaching message.

This isn't a rebuke message.

There's meat in this house.

Because of the titheers.

What is meat?

There is sustenance and substance.

And so we have staff that's never missed a paycheck,

we're debt-free, we have outreaches,

we have inner-reaches, we have the missions,

we keep going, we're growing every year,

we baptize over 100 people.

That's because of the meat that's in this house.

Amen.

Hallelujah.

Number eight.

I'll quickly go through this one.

What should I tie on the growth or the net?

I...

I joke, I said, it's kind of a gross question.

What's so funny that I made something?

Oh, just everybody has that question.

I was about to skip it, but everybody,

listen, you do business with God.

All right.

But I just, I approach everything that I want to challenge myself.

I want to see God's word come true in my life.

So we made a decision.

I want a gross blessing, not a net blessing.

I want people to see my life as a ghost.

That's gross.

The way you live.

The way you're provided for.

Gross, man.

You call yourself a preacher?

Yeah.

Amen.

Listen, the Bible says the first.

It also uses the term the whole tithe.

If I tithe, and I don't like to get legalistic,

you get with the Lord, all right?

But this is just how I see it.

If I tithe after I have honored investment,

other investment vehicles,

the New York MTA, because my metric card comes out of my pre-tax dollars.

And, you know, whenever, when the bank asks you how much do you make,

you don't give them the net amount, you give them a gross amount.

When you want to brag to your family members,

your cousin, how much you make, you don't give the net amount,

you give the gross amount.

That's the actual dollar amount you make.

That's what I want to tithe on.

I don't want to tithe on leftovers there by giving God the leftovers.

Amen.

Hallelujah.

Nine.

Why does God place an emphasis on the tithe being given first?

Why this whole talk of the first?

The answer is found in Romans 11-16.

We already read how Jesus, he called money unrighteous maman.

Do you know that's the default state of money?

Is that it's unrighteous?

I used to not know that. I used to not believe that.

I was taught money is neutral.

So if a bad person has money, it's bad.

And if a good person has money, it's good.

But Jesus called it unrighteous money.

Unrighteous maman.

But the scripture says this is the principle.

For if the first fruit, the first fruit is holy,

the lump is then made holy.

And if the root is holy, so are the branches.

So when you give the first, the remainder is sanctified and made holy.

So when you tithe, you now have a blessed and holy 90%.

What is holy, the devil cannot touch.

What is holy, the wind cannot blow away.

I would rather have a blessed and holy 90% than a cursed 100%.

An unrighteous 100%.

That's why there is such a strong emphasis on the first.

So much so that there must have been in some way communicated to Cain and Abel.

Because Cain killed Abel.

Can you believe the first murder in the Bible was over money and an offering?

Cain killed Abel because God didn't respect Cain's offering.

Why didn't God respect Cain's offering?

Because he said in the course of time he gave.

Happazardly, later, when he felt like it,

whereas Abel, he ran and said he gave the first fruits of the ground.

There's something about honoring him with the first.

Hallelujah.

Number 10.

What should I do if I can't afford to tithe?

What should I do if I can't afford to tithe?

There's been times like the early church planting times where I felt I couldn't afford to tithe.

Personally, I made a decision that I couldn't afford not to tithe.

If you give yourself an out, you can never afford to tithe.

But you can try by faith to start with a smaller percentage with the goal of seeing the Lord increase you

to where you started five, then go to seven, go to eight, go to nine, go to ten.

If that's talked to the Lord about it.

I hope you're blessed.

I hope you know no matter where you are financially with the decision you've made, he loves you.

I have to say these things.

When it comes to salvation, he loves you.

He's already purchased your salvation with his own blood.

Nobody here should walk away condemned.

But perhaps a chunk of you should walk away convicted.

They're not condemned.

I know that you can always come to him.

You can always talk to him.

You can always pray and receive answers to prayer.

But I don't want you.

I just don't want people living a low life.

I want you to live the high life.

People who are fearful and stingy or they live low lives.

Everything is itty bitty.

Itty bitty hearts, itty bitty vision, itty bitty faith, itty bitty.

Everything is scrawny.

The Bible says the liberal soul shall be made.

That's hallelujah.

That's scrawny, fat.

Amen.

The liberal soul to be very clear, liberal meaning generous.

Amen.

The conservative liberal soul shall be made fat.

The liberal, the generous, the giving soul shall be made fat.

And he that waters shall also be watered himself.

God will still love you.

But make a decision.

I want to live big.

I want to give big.

I want to achieve goals big.

I want to just relieve suffering everywhere I go.

I don't want to be a little liver.

Amen.

Hallelujah.

Here's a good one.

Why do some tithers?

I hate to see this when somebody is tithing but there is no movement.

And sometimes by the way there is movement but they just come to you in a time of frustration

and they feel there is no movement.

But God is always moving.

Why do some tithers not seem to be experiencing the blessings of tithing?

Because here are the blessings of tithing.

There should be overtime and increase in every area of your life.

In your finances.

In your own Christian development.

There should be forward momentum.

Of course there are seasons where that can get interrupted, where you will get tested,

where sometimes it's two steps forward, three steps back.

There are seasons.

But I'm talking about overall.

Life isn't a polaroid picture.

It's a video.

Overall there should be increase.

And talking through people throughout the years.

When somebody has like really, and this is rare, very rare, but no change in their life.

And they're still tithing over and over again.

It's the same thing.

They're not doing it with joy.

They actually don't like to tithe.

But feel like they got to.

And there's no love and joy there.

And in that case, tithing should be like one of the funnest times of your week.

It should be where you go, this is not mine.

This is the Lord's.

And I have faith that God receives it as such.

And I have faith that when I tithe, things are changing around Him.

I'm like, I can't wait to give.

And nobody knows who I give.

All you're going to get.

I'm going to write one letter.

I mean it from my heart to thank you letter to our finance officer that sends it directly to you.

But I'm never, I'm never going to go, hey man, thank you.

Without you, we couldn't have done it.

Who cares?

Who cares what I know?

Who cares what I think?

None of that.

What only matters is God.

And what he thinks, he sees everything.

He's got every penny, nickel, and dime.

He's got great accountants.

Heavenly accountants, they got little green caps on backwards, all that.

You got to give with joy or else what's the point?

You should feel like your tithe is burning a hole in your bank account or your pocket.

And you can't wait to do it.

And when you do with the right heart attitude, after all God is not after the money, he's after your heart.

He doesn't need the money.

You know what the Bible says about money on earth?

It says money answers everything.

It sounds like something like a line in a rap song, doesn't it?

Money answers everything.

Ugh.

Ugh.

But that's actually in Proverbs.

People who sound so unholy, no, it's pretty holy, it's in the holy Bible.

You got a problem, got a question, money's got an answer, money answers everything.

But in heaven, we don't need it.

And he doesn't need it.

So what about the tithe blesses him, the money or the obedience?

The obedience.

And you know what else it says?

It says, if you're willing and obedient, you will eat the fat, there it is, fat again.

You will eat the fat of the land.

So some people are obedient, but they're not willing.

You have to be willing and obedient.

Get happy about it.

Get in the Word.

Without giving and get excited, let it thrill you what God is capable of doing what he wants to do in your life and in your finances.

Number 12, we'll close with this.

Hey, usheres, can you get the communion elements out?

You know what?

All right.

Get the communion elements out.

What should I expect when I tithe?

I feel like I've answered this already.

Worship team, come on up.

Whenever you tithe, have an expectation of increase.

One of the biggest enemies to supernatural increase is people looking at their paycheck.

Please do not look to your paycheck. God is above that.

There are so many surprises, so many what we call different avenues of revenue.

I never dreamed.

We gave, we were giving 20%, at one point my wife who does all of our finances.

She's very generous, but she said, 20 is kind of like feeling like a lot now.

I just said, my spirit, I feel like we need to.

I never dreamed that in May of 2019, I would be laying in my bed in the morning buying one whole big coin.

That's when it all started.

I never dreamed.

How that, how that even came to me.

It's such a weird, just, where it just spurred, I just said, I'll get a whole one.

Didn't even know, didn't even know what it did.

Then I began studying it.

Then I realized this is, I think the greatest discovery since electricity.

Then I started buying.

This is still a while back when people, my family joked, my father who's in the market.

He's worked for a hedge fund for four decades now.

My father yelled at me and said, this is Tulip Mania.

I said, Dad, Tulip Mania was only a year and a half.

Bitcoin's now 10 years old.

Now it's 15, by the way.

That's not a Mania.

I started buying with both arms and feet and teeth and I didn't dream that.

I couldn't have predicted that.

That it would transform our lives.

That's just the point of the story.

Is that if you limit God to your paycheck, then you're limiting God and how he's going to bring you the breakthrough.

What should I expect when I tied, expect witty ideas, expect doors of opportunity open to you,

expect uncommon favor, uncommon increase, expect different things.

Amen.

This is the City Light Church podcast.

If you've missed any part of today's message or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jansik and City Light Church,

visit us at citylightnyc.com.

That's citylightnyc.com.

Feel free to visit us online or in person anytime.

We would love to connect with you.

We pray that you have been encouraged today.

That you have been reminded how much God loves you.

And that you are surrounded by grace.

Thank you for listening.

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