What Is The Storehouse?
In order to bring our tithes (the tithe, alms and special offerings) into the "storehouse," it is necessary to determine exactly what the storehouse is. In biblical times, it was a physical place where the Jewish people would deliver their offerings of grain or animals. A storehouse had specific functions according to God's Word.
- To feed the tribe of Levi…the priests Numbers 18:24-29. The tribe of Levi and the priests would be equivalent to pastors and other church staff, missionaries, and evangelists.
- To feed the Hebrew widows and orphans living within a Hebrew city Deuteronomy 14:28-29. They would be equivalent to the widows and orphans and needy who are served and helped by our local church today.
- To feed the Gentile poor living in a Hebrew city Deuteronomy 14:28-29. Today's equivalent would be the unsaved people in the community surrounding a local church like South Valley Community Church. Our church has many ministries helping throughout our community.
Ideally, the local church now serves as the storehouse in God's economy today. Today, people's tithes should simply be given to the church. After all, God has designed the church to carry out vital spiritual and social functions among Christians and non-Christians, as shown above. These functions also include ministering to the sick, teaching families to care for themselves, and taking the Gospel to the lost at home and abroad. Remember, you should not sit under the teaching and care of a local church and not support it financially 1 Timothy 5:17-18.