Tithing and Firstfruits

Tithe is generally ten percent of one’s income given to the local church.
It's the first ten percent.
Giving the tithe is an acknowledgment of receiving a blessing, not a means to get blessed.
Christ is both the blesser and the blessed.
Tithing is the recipient’s signature for those who have taken possession of heaven and earth.
The blessing of God makes one rich and adds no sorrow.
Bread and wine at the last supper marked the enacting of the New Covenant.
The original tithe of the promise has no curse attached if one fails to give it.

Abraham (the Church) gave Melchizedek (Christ) a tithe as a response to the blessing and He still receives them there.
New Testament focuses on generosity beyond ten percent.
The law on tithe gives us an idea of God’s ideal, which Jesus fulfilled.
The tithe is the Lord’s. We do not exchange it for better or even suggest how it is to be used.
Also, if one is struggling to give (it is not part of your natural response), then setting a percentage to start with is very wise.

Jesus rebuked Pharisees for neglecting justice, mercy, and faith while focusing on tithing.
Ought to do all and not neglect some.
Apostles' emphasis was on giving with the understanding of how that speaks to us.
Don’t become legalistic in the process with the tithe. When we understand what we’ve got from God, we’ll give all, not just a tenth.

When we refuse to tithe, we are not robbing God, we are robbing ourselves.
The curse only came in with the law, and Jesus so totally dealt with the curse. Christians cannot be under the curse.
When we give, we just activate the blessing; we activate our own faith to receive what God has provided.
Partners in Business: God takes a 10% stake.

William Colgate gave five-tenths of all his income to the work of God in the world.
Because of his generosity, William Colgate’s name will never be removed from the earth.

Firstfruits is when you choose to give a whole of a specific income in a specific season to God (in this case your local church) as a sacrificial giving that seeks to honor Him.
The tithe is for sustenance, while firstfruits is for promotion.
The Bible has much to say about firstfruits. Honour the LORD with your possessions, And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine. $(Proverbs 3:9-10)$
The ultimate test of faith and devotion is how they handle money.

Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat.
The main difference between Cain’s offering and Abel’s was that one was just an offering and the other a firstfruit offering.
Every time we give firstfruits, we recognize what God has done in Christ for us and that’s how we honor Him.

Everything in Jericho was His. The whole city and everyone in it were to be destroyed except Rahab and her family and all the gold and other valuable metals were to be consecrated – set apart as holy – to the Lord, and to be given to the Lord’s treasury.
Israel went on to win many other battles and they could take whatever they wanted from any of the cities they conquered. It was all theirs. Why was Jericho different? It was the first.

Solomon offered a thousand burnt offerings on that altar. At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and God said, “Ask! What shall I give you?” $(1 Kings 3:4-5)$
Solomon asked for wisdom, and with it came wealth, influence and peace which Israel had never known.

Church’s beginnings were fueled by firstfruits kind of generosity.
People gave up everything for the mission. People sold houses and lands and gave the money as the church was starting.

Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. $(1 Corinthians 15:20-23)$
God gave His one and only begotten Son as a kind of firstfruits, that by Him we may be saved. In a way, we are a kind of harvest from the firstfruits of Christ.