If you want God to give you blessings more than you can hold, it’s time to start giving your tithes to the church and put Him to the test, according to the Fellowship Church, Grapevine, Texas.
Furthermore, the pastor of the church, Ed Young, promises that if God does not keep his word in Malachi 3:10, the church will refund 100% of the tithes you have given during a 90-day period.
The latest challenge to members of Young’s megachurch is part of a sermon series titled “The Tipping Point,” in which he attempts to persuade members to bring their tithes to the storehouse of the Lord, so that he will pour out upon them countless blessings, as stated in Malachi.
A description of the challenge encourages members of the Fellowship Church to bring their tithes and offering to the church so that they will become a part of the incredible life changing events that are happening within. It continues, “If you are not tithing already, the 90-Day Challenge is the best place to start. We commit to you that if you tithe for 90 days and God doesn’t hold true to his promise of blessings, we will refund 100 percent of your tithe.”
Brad White, pastor of LifePoint Church, Tampa, Florida, introduced the “Tipping Point” sermon series at Fellowship church early in June. He told those assembled that the new sermon series was the most “provocative” of the year. He added that if the members followed the advice of their pastor, they would receive blessings from God that would change their lives forever.
However, Fellowship Church is not the first to think of this 90-day challenge to bring funds into the church. Several other U.S. churches guarantee their members their money back if God does not shower them with blessings within 90 days.
Some of those churches are: The Rock Church, San Diego, California; Laurel Ridge Community Church, Oakley, California; and NewSpring Church at 3 locations in Anderson, Greenville and Florence, South Carolina.
Although many pastors support the idea of a 90-day challenge to test their member’s faith in God, some believe that this kind of tithing is open to abuse by dishonest members of the clergy.
Around 10 million people who tithe in the U.S. give about $50 billion annually to various religious organizations and charities and 97% of those donations go directly to churches, according to the annual “State of the Plate” survey.
