Q: Where should I give my tithe?
Published on February 6, 2025
A:
Malachi 3:10 says, “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this,” says the LORD of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it” (NKJV).
This verse tells us a lot about tithing:
- Bring all the tithes: All means all. It doesn’t mean some of the tithe, but the full 10%.
- Into the storehouse: Under the Old Covenant, they only had one Temple. Inside the Temple was a place called “the treasury.” People would bring all the gifts in, and they’d put them in the treasury. The priests would disseminate throughout the community to those who had needs. Today, there’s no one building to house the whole Church—it’s all over the world. So, the local church, the local congregation, represents “the storehouse” today.
- That there may be food in My house: Is God saying that beef and chicken should be in His house? No, he’s talking about His Word, which is the food we live on spiritually.
When we are judicious in where we put God’s money, the tithe, it ensures that the local church is able to feed people the Word of God. Therefore, if you are being fed by a local church, the tithe belongs to the place where you are planted and being fed spiritually. If you are between churches, He may lead you to give to a ministry where you are receiving regular spiritual food.
It’s also important to note that the tithe belongs to God, and Jesus is Lord over the tithe. Because of this, you should ask Him where He would have you give, and take it seriously. We are stewards and trustees of the tithe, because ultimately, it doesn’t belong to us.
Brother Copeland advises, “Predominantly, the tithe goes into the local church, but I don’t put my tithe in a church that isn’t feeding me.”
You want to make sure that when you tithe, you are putting it in a storehouse that’s producing meat to those who come there.
For more answers to questions about tithing, see Tithing 101.
