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Tithing is Unscriptural Under
the New Covenant [A Scriptural Exposition on the Fraudulent Fleecing of the Flock] Since
first posting this tithing paper on bible-truths.com, we have had over
100,000 visitors seeking information on this topic. Many have written me
personally thanking me for freeing them from this illegal and abusive
practice of the Church. I have also received emails from some who are
sure that tithing is a bonafide legal obligation for members of the New
Testament Christian Church. Objections
to my paper range from simply quoting the prophet Malachi sent to the
priests and nation of "Tithing was a form of worship to God, and since we still
worship God, we must still tithe." I
will answer this one in one sentence: Since burnt offerings were
a form of worshiping God, and since we still worship God, must we still
offer burnt offerings to God? Ridiculous. Part
II of this paper covers the Malachi prophecy more thoroughly as it
concerns the subject of tithing. PART
I "Will
a man ROB God?" How many untold tens of thousands of men will give
account one day for teaching this verse in Malachi 3:8 totally out of
context for their own sordid gain. I couldn’t count the times I have
heard self-appointed ministers of the gospel berate their congregations
and listeners for "robbing God" in tithes and offerings. This
verse in Malachi certainly means what it says. Someone was
defrauding God of tithes and offerings, but wait until you find out who
it is that God blames for this act. On
any given Sunday morning there will be numerous men-of-the-cloth who
will be bellowing out over the air waves that people are being
"cursed with a curse" because they have failed to pay God ten
percent of their paychecks. And should such a gullible listener decide
to repent and give God ten percent of his salary, just how does he do
that? Just keep listening, these men of the cloth who often have
unquenchable worldly desires of the flesh, will be sure to give you an
address where you can send them (or, ah, rather God) your tithe. Do they
have a right to quote these Scriptures to you in this manner? No they do
not, and furthermore they themselves know better. SOME
SHOCKING TRUTHS ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN TITHING DOCTRINE
ALL
SCRIPTURAL REFERENCES TO TITHING We
will now go through all the Scriptural references in the Bible on tithe,
tithes, and tithing: [1] Gen. 14:20, "And blessed be
the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And
he [Abram] gave him [Melchizedek
king of We
read again of this same event in the book of Hebrews: [2] Heb. 7:1-10, "For this
Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of God Most High, who meets with
Abraham returning from the combat with the kings and blesses him, to
whom Abraham parts a TITHE also, from all... Now, behold how eminent
this one is to whom the patriarch Abraham gives a TITHE also of the best
of the booty. And, indeed, those of the sons of Levi who obtain the
priestly office have a direction to take TITHES from the people
according to the law... And here, indeed, dying men are obtaining
TITHES... And so, to say, through Abraham, Levi also, who is obtaining
the TITHES, has been TITHED, for he was still in the loins of his father
when Melchizedek meets with him." There
are a number of things we can learn concerning tithing from this section
of Scriptures. In this account, the first mention of tithing in the
Bible, Abram gives to Melchizedek (a priest of God who was also the king
of the city of There
is nothing stated here that would cause us to conclude that Abram (later
changed to Abraham) ever tithed on a regular basis on his own person
possessions. Although Abraham gave Melchizedek a tithe of the booty of
war, he told the king of In
this same account recorded in the seventh chapter of Hebrews, we learn
that the priests of Levi, from the family of Aaron (although far
inferior to the priestly order of Melchizedek) also receive tithes from
the people according to the law. This tells us little more about the
actual tithes other than they received tithes. What Christian scholars
claim about these verses is that Abraham’s tithing the spoils of war,
predated the Law of Moses, and therefore even if the Law of Moses is
done away with, tithing is still binding on Christians because Abraham
predated the Law of Moses. Is this true? Christendom
teaches that this Scripture is the first proof from the Word of God that
we Christians are to tithe ten percent of our salaries to the church.
But what have we really learned from these Scriptures: Abraham
went to war on behalf of Next
we will observe a Scripture that you will probably never hear a sermon
on. No tithe-preaching clergyman would use the example of how Jacob
tithed. Remember, Jacob is the grandson of Abraham, the father of the
faithful, whom God also blessed tremendously. Not only did God approve of
Jacob’s tithing proposal, but; He made it the foundational principle
upon which all future tithing would be based. Chances are great that
most of your ministers won’t even quote this next verse, let alone
preach a sermon on it. Get ready for a real tithing shocker. Here it is. [3] Gen. 28:20-22, "And Jacob
vowed a vow, saying, IF God will be with me, and [if God]
will keep me in this way that I go, and [if God]
will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again
to my father’s house in peace; THEN shall the Lord be my God:
And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house:
and of all that thou shall GIVE ME I will surely give the TENTH unto
thee." Wow!
This one Scripture pretty much contradicts 99% of all sermons I have
ever heard on the subject of tithing! This is the very first Scripture
in the Bible that gives an account of someone giving a tenth or tithe of
his personal possessions back to God. But, Oh how different it is from
the teachings of most First
Jacob truly recognizes God as God. He then begins to proposition God. He
states that "IF" God will do this and "IF’ God will do
the other things, "THEN" Jacob says, "shall the Lord be
my God." Jacob concludes his proposition to God, should God meet
all of his requirements, by saying that of all the things that God will
first give to Jacob, Jacob will give God back a tenth. Now don’t
laugh. God honored Jacob’s proposition, and furthermore, God continued
to honor this same principle of tithing all through And
so, once more, we learn that God
is not partial and God is not a hypocrite. This example of Jacob proves
that God doesn’t expect a tithe until He blessed the tithe payer
first. Everyone should put down this paper, call his minister, and tell
him you want to hear a sermon Sunday morning on how Jacob paid tithes to
God. Now hold your breath. Let’s
ask ourselves a reasonable question: Just how did Jacob actually give a
tithe to God? Did he personally hand it to God? No, no one has ever even
seen God. Did Jacob tithe to an angel? No, angels do not need and
can’t use tithes. Did Jacob send his tithe to Heaven by Celestial
Express? No. Did he take it to the local church? No, there was no local
church. Did he take it to the 1.
"And thither ye shall bring
your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your TITHES, and heave
offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and
the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: And there ye shall eat
before the Lord your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your
hand unto, YE and YOUR HOUSEHOLDS, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed
thee"
(Deut. 12:6-7). 2.
"And even though there were
no Levites in Jacob’s day, nonetheless, there were "...the
STRANGER, and the FATHERLESS, and the WIDOW, which are within thy gates,
shall come, and SHALL EAT AND BE SATISFIED; that the Lord thy God may
bless thee in all the work of thin hand which thou doest"
(Deut. 14:29). That’s
how God acknowledged a tithe from Jacob: By partaking of a portion
himself and his family in communion and thanksgiving to God, and by
sharing his fortune with those who were unfortunate, poor, strangers,
etc. [4] Leviticus 27:30-33, "And
all 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 unto the Lord. And if a
man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the
fifth part thereof. And concerning the TITHE of the HERD, or of the
FLOCK, even of whatsoever passes under the rod, the tenth shall
be holy unto the Lord. He shall not search whether it be good or bad,
neither shall he change it..." We
learn a great deal about tithing in this section of Scripture:
Here
is exposed another lie of modern clergymen. It was not the first tenth,
but rather the tenth tenth that belonged to God, contrary to
every minister I have ever heard, who insists that the first tenth
always belongs to God. Unscriptural. Untrue. Read your bible--it’s the
tenth one of a herd that belongs to God. Another
interesting point is this. If a herdsman had but nine cattle, he
didn’t tithe his cattle at all! Also notice that God did not even
require the best of the cattle, just the tenth one to pass under
the rod even if it was the runtiest of them all. Remember, we are
talking about tithing and not sacrificing (animals for sacrifice always
had to be without blemish). Did
you notice that this summary at the very end of the book of Leviticus
does not mention the tithing of money? Interesting. But just
maybe we will find the tithing of money in some other Scripture? [5] Numbers 18:24-28, "But the TITHES of the children of Israel, which they
offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to
inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel
they shall have no inheritance. And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, Thus speak unto the Levites,
and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the TITHES
which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall
offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord, even a TENTH part of the
TITHE. And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as
though it were the corn of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of
the winepress. Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the Lord
of all your TITHES, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye
shall give thereof the Lord’s heave offering to Aaron the
priest." According
to the above Scriptures, could just anyone claim to be a
representative of God and therefore have A
warning to all charlatans and would-be tithe extractors and collectors:
There is NO Yet
today we have tithe collecting preachers like James Kennedy and John
Hagee, with whom I am a little familiar, collecting tithe monies by the
millions and millions of dollars annually. Yet by years end I heard them
begging for more multiple millions of dollars to get them out of all the
financial debt they had accumulated during the year. And then, (so help
me, if I’m lying, I’m dying), John Hagee has the unmitigated gall to
offer his followers (excuse me, sell to his followers--three
video tapes, $60 US/$87 CAN) entitled The
POWER to get WEALTH, by which Mr. Hagee assures us that we can
learn to "STAY OUT OF DEBT"! Can you believe it? Would the word
"hypocrite" be too strong or out of place here? The whole system changed under
the New Covenant. Notice what happened:
How
then, under the New Covenant, does a believer give a tenth, when he is
supposed to give his all (Rom. 12:1), to a priesthood that does not
exist, but now he himself is part of a priesthood (I Peter 2:9), at a
temple that does not exist (Mat. 24:1-2), but rather he himself is the
temple wherein God dwells. No longer do we have priests with spiritual
infirmities interceding for us, but rather we have Christ Jesus as our
perfect intercessor and High Priest seated at the right hand of the
Majesty in the heavens (Heb. 7:28-8:1). At
this time in history, [6] Deut. 12:6, 7, 11, 12, 17, 18, "And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your
sacrifices, and your TITHES, and heave offerings of your hand, and your
vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and
of your flock. And there, ye shall eat before the Lord your God, and ye shall
rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households,
wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee. Then there shall be a place which the Lord your God shall choose to
cause his name to dwell there; thither shall ye bring all that I command
you; your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, your TITHES, and the
heave offering of your hand, and all your choice vows which ye vow unto
the Lord. And ye shall rejoice before the Lord your God, YE, and your SONS and
your DAUGHTERS, and your MENSERVANTS, and your MAIDSERVANTS, and the
LEVITE that is within your gates; forasmuch as he hath no part nor
inheritance with you. You may not eat within thy gates the TITHE of thy corn, or of thy wine,
or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of the flocks, nor any
of thy vows which thou vow, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave
offering of your hand: But YOU MUST EAT THEM before the Lord thy God in
the place which the Lord thy God shall choose..." Let
us learn. Who was to partake of all these tithes and good things of the
herd and of the land and of the trees? Everyone (yes, the Levite was
also included) was to rejoice before the Lord. Did anyone see "money"
in the list of things they were to bring before the Lord to rejoice?
Was it just the ministers (the Levites) who were the recipients of these
tithes and offerings, or was not everyone to partake of these
things? Rejoicing and eating one’s own tithe before the Lord, was a
very personal and reverend act of worship and communion with God. Not
unlike prayer. Others may share and profit from our prayers, but we
offer them to God, not to men. The
following verses deal with a practice initiated by God Himself to
accommodate those traveling long distances to the Festival Sites where
they were to eat and rejoice before the Lord to learn to fear Him. They
could sell their tithes of the land for MONEY, and carry that amount of
money rather than the bulky and heavy tithes themselves, to the Festival
Site. There they were to purchase whatever their hearts desired and to
share it with the Levites and the less fortunate. These verses will be
further explained in Part II of this paper [7] Deut. 14:22-29, "Thou shall
truly TITHE all the INCREASE of thy SEED, that the field brings forth
year by year." "And you shall eat before the lord your God, in the place which
He shall choose to place His name there, the TITHE of thy CORN, of thy
WINE, and of your OIL, and the FIRSTLINGS OF THY HERDS and of thy
FLOCKS: that thou may learn to fear the Lord thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art not able to
carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God
shall choose to set His name there, when the Lord thy God hath blessed
thee: Then shall thou turn it into MONEY, and bind up the MONEY in your
hand, and shall go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose: And thou shall BESTOW THAT MONEY FOR WHATSOEVER YOUR SOUL
LUSTETH AFTER, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink,
or for WHATSOEVER YOUR SOUL DESIRES: and YOU shall eat there
before the Lord thy God, and THOU shall rejoice, THOU, AND THINE
HOUSEHOLD. And the Levite that is within thy gates, thou shall not forsake him;
for he has no part, nor inheritance with thee. At the end of three years thou shall bring forth all the TITHE of
thine INCREASE the same year, and shall lay it up within thy gates: And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,)
and the STRANGER, and the FATHERLESS, and the WIDOW, which are within
thy gates, shall come, and SHALL EAT AND BE SATISFIED; that the Lord thy
God may bless thee in all the work of your hand which thou doest." This
third year of tithing is mentioned again: [8] Deut. 26:12, "When thou
hast made an end of TITHING all the TITHES of your INCREASE the third
year, which is the year of TITHING, and has given it unto the Levite,
the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within
thy gates, and be filled." Again
we notice that For
those who don’t know, Mr. Shambach is a character on TBN who told
everyone on international television, via 25 communication satellites
and reaching about 50,000 major cities around the world, that God personally
told him to tell everyone that in order for them to get out of debt
and be blessed of God, everyone needed to send Paul Crouch $2000 each,
even if they didn’t have the money! He said God would bless them even
if they had to pay the $2000 in smaller monthly increments.
Unbelievable! TBN's
teaching on tithing are totally unscriptural even if Christians were to
tithe. Time and again God told "I want to suggest that you finish what you started to
do a year ago, for you were not only the first to propose this idea, but
the first to begin doing something about it. Having started the ball
rolling so enthusiastically, you should carry this project through to
completion just as gladly, GIVING WHATEVER YOU CAN OUT OF WHATEVER YOU
HAVE. Let your enthusiastic idea at the start be equaled by your
realistic action now. If you are really EAGER TO GIVE, then it
isn't important HOW MUCH YOU HAVE TO GIVE. God wants you to give WHAT
YOU HAVE, NOT WHAT YOU HAVEN'T"
(II Cor. 8:10-12, The Living Bible). Oh,
let met give you one more prosperity example while I’m at it. Some
time ago I critiqued two sermons by Dr. Kennedy and Dr. Hagee. As I sent
for one of Hagee’s cassette tapes so as to quote him correctly, I got
put on his mailing list. In August of 1999 I got a magazine in which he
announced a proposed celebration. It appears that he needed seven or
eight million dollars in new video equipment and facilities of which he
still owed 3.5 million on this debt. Anyway, to commemorate this huge
debt and a proposal to get someone else to pay it off for him, he
announced "Millennium Miracle 2000 by 2000"! "What in the
world is that?" you ask. Well, since you asked, I’ll tell
you. To
commemorate this huge debt and Mr. Hagee’s plan to get other people to
pay it off for him, he came up with a plan to mint a one ounce sterling
silver coin which would then have printed on one side: "Millennium
Miracle 2000 by 2000," and on the other side: Your Name! The
plan was for 2000 people to send John Hagee $2000 dollars each for the
next few months so that by the year 2000 Mr. Hagee would be DEBT FREE!
Why it’s a "Millennium Miracle"! (Wait a minute, isn’t
2000 people times $2000 each $4,000,000, not $3.5 million dollars? Oh
well, a $500,000 error in John’s favor should come in handy for
something). Each
contributor of $2000 would then get a coin commemorating his
contribution: "What a precious heirloom that can be passed
from one generation to the next honoring your commitment to the
Lord" (Emphasis mine). WHAT A PRECIOUS CROCK...! Do you think the
word "hypocrite" would be appropriate one more time? How
stupid do they think the American people are? These are full-grown men.
Some of them highly educated people. And yet they shamelessly hawk and
huckster their ridiculous religious doctrines, trinkets, and wares over
the air waves, like PEDDLERS, in the name of God! Now
don’t think I take credit for coming up with that word
"peddler." The apostle Paul told the Corinthians (and now
it’s in our Bibles for the whole world to see) that: "For we are not as the MAJORITY, who are PEDDLING THE WORD
GOD..." (II Cor. 2:17, Concordant Version). The
word translated here "peddling" in the Concordant New
Testament comes from the word "kapeleuo" which the
spirit of God inspired to be used in the original Greek text of this
verse of Scripture. Here
is the meaning of the Greek word "kapeleuo" translated
"peddler." "To sell at retail, with the insinuation of
improper profit, either by overcharging or adulterating" (Greek-English
Keyword Concordance, page 220). And
notice please that it is not just a few who "peddle" the Word
of God, but Paul says, "...the MAJORITY..." are peddling the
word of God! Contrast this insincere merchandising of the word of God
with Paul’s motive: "For we ARE NOT as the majority, who are peddling the word of
God, but as OF SINCERITY, but as OF GOD, in the sight of God IN CHRIST,
are we speaking." Just
a few chapters later Paul informs us that one day we all will stand
before the judgment seat of Christ and give an account of our lives, (II
Cor. 5:10). This
next section in Chronicles tells us the same things we have already
learned concerning what products were to be tithed. [9] II Chronicles 31:5, 6, 12,
"And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel
brought in ABUNDANCE the firstfruits of CORN, WINE, and OIL, and HONEY,
and of all the INCREASE of the field; and the TITHE of all things
brought they in abundantly. And concerning the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the
cities of Judah, they also brought in the TITHE of OXEN and SHEEP, and
the TITHE of holy things which were consecrated unto the Lord their God,
and laid them by heaps. And brought in the offerings and the TITHES ..." This
next section of Scriptures deals with a special tithe and offering given
to NEW priests and Levites set up by Hezekiah after cleaning house in
the cities of [10] Nehemiah 10:37-38, "And
that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings,
and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the
priests, to the chambers of the house of our God and the TITHES of our
ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the TITHES in
all the cities of our tillage. And the priest the son of Aaron shall be the Levites, when the
Levites take TITHES: and the Levites shall bring up the TITHE of the
TITHES unto the house of our God, to the chambers into the treasure
house." Again,
no mention of money, only agricultural products of the fields, and only
the Levites and priests could have access to these tithes and offerings
in the house of God. [11] Nehemiah 12:44, "And at
that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for
the offerings, for the fruitfruits, and for the TITHES, to gather into
them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests
and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites
that waited." Nothing
new in this verse that, we have not already discussed. [12] Nehemiah 13:5, 12 "And he
had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat
offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the TITHES of the
corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the Levites,
and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the
priests." "Then brought all Same
story: ONLY agricultural products, and ONLY to the Levites and priests. [13] Amos 4:4, "Come to [14] Malachi 3:8-10, "Will a
man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed
thee? In tithes and offerings…" This
Malachi Prophecy is covered in much greater detail in Part II of this
paper, and so I will give just one more Scripture to help us understand
how the priests of Malachi’s prophecy may have been living so as to
bring upon them the condemnation of God’s judgments: "And the priest’s custom with the people was,
that, when any man offered sacrifice, the PRIEST’S servant came, while
the flesh was in seething, with a flesh hook of three teeth in the hand;
And he struck it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all
that the flesh hook brought up the priest took for himself. So they did
in Also before they burnt the fat, the priest’s servant came, and
said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast for the PRIEST; for
he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. And if any man said unto him, Let them not fail to burn the fat
presently, and then take as much as thy soul desires; then he would
answer him, Nay, but thou shall give it me now: and if not, I will take
it by force. Wherefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord: for
MEN ABHORRED the offering of the Lord."
(I Sam. 2:13:17). Don’t
these verses sound as if they came right out of the book of Malachi? [15] Matt. 23:23 and Luke 11:42 are discussed in greater detail in
Part II of this paper. CONCLUSION Now
I’m going to preach at you for just a few minutes, and then I’ll let
you go. Turn to Gal. 6:14-16: "Now may it not be mine to be boasting, except in
the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has
been crucified to me, and I to the world. For in Christ Jesus
neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything, but a NEW CREATION.
And whoever shall observe the elements by this rule, peace be on them,
and mercy, also on the What
is "...this rule...?" We are no longer doing things according to the
flesh. Circumcision was the single most important ritual for a man in "...God, Who also makes us competent dispensers of a
NEW covenant, not of the letter, but of the spirit,
for the letter is killing, yet the spirit is vivifying [giving
life]"
(II Cor. 3:6). The
physical is but a tiny microcosm of the spiritual macrocosm. Cutting a
few centimeters of skin from a boy’s penis does not make him a
spiritual man! But all of these rituals and ceremonies of the Old
Covenant pointed to a future SPIRITUAL reality. True circumcision is not
of the flesh, but of the heart, mind, soul, and spirit—it virtually
has nothing to do with a few centimeters of physical skin. "For not that which is apparent is the Jew, nor yet
that which is apparent in flesh is circumcision; but that which is
hidden IS the Jew, and circumcision is of the heart, in spirit, not in
letter, whose applause is not of men, but of God"
(Rom. 2:29). Jesus
Christ is not interested in the letter, in the physical, in the flesh. "Now those who are in the flesh are not able to
please God" ( Even
baptism is of the heart. The thief on the cross was not baptized in
water, yet Jesus said he would be with Him when He comes in His kingdom.
"...whoever are baptized into Christ Jesus, are baptized into His
DEATH" "His death," not water. "We, then, were entombed together with Him through
baptism into death, that, even as Christ was roused from among the dead
through the glory of the Father, thus we also should be walking in
newness of life" (Rom. 6:3-4). It’s
all about the SPIRIT--not water, foreskins, and money! God
doesn’t need or want ten percent of anything we have. God wants one
hundred percent. Christ died for ALL OF YOU, and He wants ALL OF YOU,
not just a percentage! God doesn’t want your money; He wants YOU! You
are already bought and paid for in full by Christ Jesus -- don’t try
to add your two cents. We are now to live on a standard far above what
we ever knew before Christ called us to become new creatures in the
spirit. This can only be done through the power of God’s spirit. Our
flesh is profiting NOTHING. "Yet you are not in flesh, but IN SPIRIT, if so be
that God’s spirit is making its home in you" ( One
living in the spirit is not all concerned about physical things of the
letter and of the flesh. The apostle Paul wasn’t called to
"baptize," "circumcise," or "collect
tithes." The If
people feel they need to give something to God, something physical,
something they can see and feel good about, then try this: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable
unto God, which is your reasonable service And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that ye may prove that is that good and
acceptable and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:1-2). The
Apostle Paul said: "Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give,
not grudgingly, or of NECESSITY: for GOD LOVETH A CHEERFUL GIVER."
(II Cor.. 9:7). I
would not give another penny to televangelists who peddle the word of
God like some cheap merchandise for money. And the amount of money they
extort from the public is colossal. What in the world do they do with
all that money? Never
have SO MANY… accomplished SO LITTLE … with SO MUCH! The
real missionaries of the Gospel of Jesus Christ have not flown first
class to cushy hotels in exotic lands to teach the natives while dressed
in their $3000 suits! The real missionaries were often down in the
trenches with few if any luxuries. And there are still to be found such
dedicated dispensers of God’s Word. These are the ones that are in
need of financial support, for sure. These are those who truly are
"worthy of their hire." HELP
THE NEEDY, NOT THE GREEDY Give
to the fatherless, the orphans, the strangers, the widows, the poor, and
the needy, the homeless, and the beggar on the street, as God gives to
you, the wherewithal. Give to reputable charities if you have extra.
Give to your family members and relatives in need—don’t humiliate
them by making them ask you first. Give to a neighbor in financial
distress. Even when tipping someone, let it be a reflection of the One
that you are representing in your Christian walk. Our God is a generous
God—may you become generous also. Develop a "love for
giving." Paul tells us in Acts 20:35b to: Remember
the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, IT IS MORE BLESSED TO GIVE
THAN TO RECEIVE Part
II Scriptural
Proof that Christian Tithing is a Hoax I
marvel that more people are not totally embarrassed by the way the world
of Christendom exacts money from the poor and peddles the Word of God
like so much merchandise for sordid gain. It is an international
disgrace. I will not mince words, so get ready for some startling
revelations. WHAT WE WILL LEARN What is the real message of Malachi’s prophecy for believers
today? Did Paul finance his international ministry through the tithing
system? Is there even one example of Christians paying tithes in the Bible? Why did Jesus not pay tithes or the Will you or anyone be "cursed with a curse" for not
tithing? THE
SCRIPTURES KNOW NOTHING OF "CHRISTIAN TITHING" Jesus
Christ’s followers did not pay tithe to Him from farm products or
herds; neither did His followers pay Him ten percent of their salaries
from other sources of income. "Christian tithing" is an
oxymoron—it is a contradiction of words. Nay, it is more: it is, in
fact, a Christian hoax! "Christian tithing" is about as
Scriptural as "Christian burnt offerings," "Christian
stonings," or "Christian synagogues." The leaders of
Christendom have bamboozled millions (billions) of unsuspecting laity
into believing that "Christian tithing" is a Scriptural
command from God Himself, and can easily be found and supported in the
pages of Divine Scripture. Oh really? Of
the 613 laws contained in the first five books of the Bible written by
Moses, why is it that aside from the ten commandments,
"tithing" is virtually the only other law that the modern
Church tries to retain? They retain it in name only, however, since
there is nothing similar between Moses’ law of tithing" and
"Christian tithing" except the aspect of ten percent.
Christian tithing is an extra-biblical concept and doctrine—aside from
the ten percent it has nothing in common with the tithing law of Moses,
and was never practiced by the Not
only is Christian tithing taught to be needful, it is taught as if it
were a divine, binding LAW. But there is no such thing as a
"Christian tithing law" in the New Testament Scriptures. It is
a heresy, used by the Church, independent cults, and charlatans of every
description, as a club to beat and threaten parishioners into
surrendering ten percent of their salaries in obedience to this phantom
law. All are forewarned that failure to pay this 10% Church tax will
cause them to be "cursed with a CURSE!" There is indeed
"a curse," but it is not God Who pronounces it. NO
TITHING IN THE CHURCH OF THE APOSTLES We
have Scriptural proof that no such law or custom as Christian tithing
was taught or practiced in the Church by the early apostles. Their
epistles are totally devoid of any such tithing custom or law. Gentile
converts were never taught to tithe to anyone. Although the temple and
priesthood in In
the Acts 15 Jerusalem Conference we find outlined what the apostles all
agreed was necessary for the newly converted Gentiles to practice, and
by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, tithing is conspicuously
missing. Some believing Pharisees wanted the apostles to teach
the Gentiles to keep the Law of Moses (which certainly contained the law
of tithing, Acts 15:5), but the apostles headed by Peter, James, and
Paul would not hear of it (Acts 15:28-29)! Yet, what is one of the very
first legislated duties taught to Gentile converts by the Church today?
It is that they must tithe their annual salaries to the Church. Where
did this unscriptural law of Christian tithing come from? Notice
this telling bit of history from the my Encyclopedia Britannica, "Tithes
in Christendom—The earliest authentic example of anything like a law
of the State enforcing payment appears to occur in the capitularies [ecclesiasticals]
of Charlemagne at the end of the 8th or beginning of the 9th
century. Tithes were by that enactment to be applied to the maintenance
of the bishop, clergy, the poor, and the fabric
of the church. In the course of time the principle of payment of
tithes was extended FAR BEYOND its original intention. Thus they became
transferable to laymen and saleable like ordinary property, in spite of
the injunctions of the third Lateran Council; and they became payable
OUT OF SOURCES OF INCOME [not just farming and herding, but other trades
and occupations and salaries paid in the form of money] NOT ORIGINALLY
TITHABLE." (1963, volume 22, page 253, ‘TITHES’). They
"extended" their base of tithe collecting to eventually
include all forms of income. All Christian scholars know that although
money was in wide use in ancient "My people have been lost sheep [Why?
How did they get that way?] their SHEPHERDS have caused
them to go astray" (Jer. 50:6). Was
THE
MYSTERY OF MALACHI REVEALED It
is the book of Malachi that today’s clergy uses as their main
authority for promulgating the doctrine of "Christian
tithing." Christian tithing means that everyone must give 10% of
their gross income (which is in the form of MONEY, 99%+ of the time), or
they will be "cursed with a curse." It will be well worth your
time to read the real meaning of Malachi’s prophecy. Mostly
one will hear only three verses of Malachi quoted by those attempting to
wrest a doctrine of Christian tithing from this prophecy. Here
are the "cursing" verses: "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me. But ye say, Wherein
have we robbed Thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a
curse: for ye have robbed Me, even this whole nation" (Malachi
3:8-9). Here
is the "blessing" verse: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be
meat [bread] in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, says the
Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour
you out a blessing, that thee shall not be room enough to receive
it" (Malachi 3:10). Their
interpretation of these proof texts are as follows: Rob God of His ten
percent of your salary and be CURSED, or pay God ten percent of your
salary and be BLESSED. Before
we go any further, just who is cursing whom in this Malachi prophecy?
Does God, indeed, say, "You are CURSED with a curse"
(Mal. 3:9)? This definitely sounds as if it is GOD Who is doing the
cursing, doesn’t it? But say, did you notice that the word "are"
in your Bible is in italics? That means that the word was
supplied by the translators and was not in the original manuscripts.
Remove it, and the verse says: "You cursed…" rather
than "You are cursed…" Is
it God, or The
Sopherim (Jewish Scribes) understood this verse to say that it was "With the curse YOU are cursing [me],
and me YOU are robbing—the nation in its entirety." And:
"With a curse you curse Me, and Me you are defrauding—the
nation, all of it" (Mal. 3:9, Concordant Version of The Old
Testament). We
must always keep in mind that when the Bible says "tithes" it
means products from the land—as grains and cattle. But when the
Priests of Christendom say "tithes," it always means money.
Because the clergy prefers to be paid in money, it therefore, became
necessary to change the Biblical use of the word "tithes" to
now include money. And if "money" can now be shown to be a
tithable commodity, guess what? Abracadabra, hocus-pocus, open
sesame—every believer, of every occupation in the whole world (not
just the farmers as in the Law of Moses), now is required to pay ten
percent of his income to the Church. They increased their base of
productivity a hundred fold. What
then is the 21st Century application of this Malachi
Prophecy? Are we now to tithe money? Let’s read Malachi 3:10 very
carefully:
If
there is no spiritual application of these statements and we rather take
them literally, there appears to be a contradiction here. Why should the
people bring the tithes to the "storehouse" (a granary for
storing grain) when what God wanted was "bread in His
house," (the tabernacle/Temple, and not the
"storehouse")? The only food in God’s house—the
tabernacle, was a dozen loaves of bread. And that bread was for the
Priests only, not for the tribe of Levi. Since there were only twelve
loaves of bread in the Tabernacle/Temple of God, are we to believe that
the whole nation of God
does not contradict Himself, there needs to be something other than a
need for enough grain from the whole nation of Does
God ask If
God wanted more money in His house, why did Jesus do what He did in the
House of God? "And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that
sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the MONEY
changers… and said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called
the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves" (Matt.
21:12-13). THE
CHRISTIAN INTERPRETATION OF BRINGING IN THE TITHE The
Christian interpretation of Malachi 3:10 is this: "Bring ye all the
tithe MONEY and extra offerings of money to the church bank, that there
may be money in the Church." Granted, they might not enunciate it
that crudely, but that is what they teach. Ask virtually any pastor of
any church, "How do I, starting today, actually obey this prophecy
of Malachi to stop "robbing God of His tithes and offerings?"
and he will tell you to write out a check in the name of his church, for
10% of your salary (plus an offering), and that check will then be
deposited into the church bank account. Then
ask these same pastors what kind of blessings you will receive for
obeying this procedure, and they will probably tell you stories where
people received huge amounts of material goods and even huge amounts of
more money. This is their interpretation of God "opening the
windows of heaven and pouring out a blessing." And there are
ministers by the tens of thousands at this very moment preparing more
stories and more yarns on how blessed one will become in every
imaginable physical, earthly, and material things for giving them (they
would say, giving God) your money. Is
this really how God wants us of the 21st Century to apply
Malachi’s prophecy to our lives? I speak as a fool. This
prophecy has absolutely nothing to do with tithing money to the Church. Does
God suggest somewhere in this prophecy that there isn’t enough
"money in His house?" Is Jesus Christ coming back to this
earth to judge these "priests" because the "people"
failed to bring enough money to the storehouse so that there would be
money in God’s house? Is it a lack of money that concerns God in this
prophecy? No, it is both the people and the priests who have corrupted
themselves according to this prophecy. But like always, God holds the
priests to a much higher standard and therefore they receive the greater
condemnation. There are two groups of judgments in this prophecy: [1] "Behold I will send My Messenger… But who may abide the
day of His coming? And who shall stand when He appears? For He is like a
refiner’s fire, and like fullers’ soap: and He shall sit as a
refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall PURIFY the sons of Levi,
and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an
offering in righteousness" (Mal. 3:1-3). [2] "And I will come near to you to judgment [not just the
priests, but many of the people as well]; and I will be a swift witness
against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against false
swearers, and against those that oppress the hireling in his wages, the
widow, and the fatherless, and that turn aside the stranger from his
right, and fear not Me, says the Lord of hosts" (Mal. 3:5). It
is amazing how the clergy make most people think that the only thing of
value in the book of Malachi are these three verses on "robbing
God" and "receiving a blessing." There are four whole
chapters in this book, and maybe it should behoove us to see what the
rest of this book has to say. Here are just a few more things contained
in Malachi: "You offer polluted bread upon My altar… if ye offer the blind
for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and sick, is it
not evil…" (1:7-8). "And now, O ye priests, this commandment is for you… I will
curse your blessings… Behold, I will corrupt your seed, and spread
dung upon your face…" (2:1-3). "But you have departed out of the way… ye have corrupted the
covenant of Levi… therefore I have also made you contemptible and base
before all the people…" (2:8-9). "Behold, I will send my Messenger… But who may abide the day of
His coming… He is like a refiner’s fire [like the lake of fire] …And
He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and He shall purify
the sons of Levi… that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in
righteousness" (3:13—See Isa. 6:29). "Then they that feared the Lord spoke often one to another: and
the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written
before Him for them… And they shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts,
in that day when I made up my jewels; and I will spare them… Then
shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked,
between him that serves God and him that serves Him not [‘Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world?’ I
Cor. 6:2)]" (3:16-18). "And He shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and
the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the
earth with a curse" (4:6) MALACHI
AND THE BREAD OF LIFE Malachi
contains a prophecy and information "for OUR admonition upon whom
the ends of the world are come" (I Cor. 10:11). There is no
tabernacle/temple administered by the priests of Levi today, nor for two
thousand years. Malachi is not speaking to Christians about tithing
money to the church. The literal physical circumstances extent in the
Church in Malachi’s day is but a type, a shadow, of a spiritual
reality for our day and for all those called since the Resurrection of
Jesus Christ. It was from the tithes that the Priests of Levi selected
the "sacrifices." There lies the problem for ancient Let
me explain the problem with God says: "I have LOVED you…" God said: "If then I be a Father, where is mine honour? My
fear? O priests, that despise My name." God says: "Ye offer polluted bread upon Mine alter…" God says: "And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not
evil? ,..the sick and the lame… is it not evil?" (1:8). God says: "I have no pleasure in you… NEITHER WILL I ACCEPT
AN OFFERING AT YOUR HAND" (1:10). Let’s
stop here a minute and consider what we have read. The Priests despise
God’s name, and their sacrifices are, blind, sick and lame. And so God
says He will not even accept their offering. So really, the people were
tithing. But the quality of their tithes (from which they selected the
sacrifices) was of an unacceptable quality. But was it this poor quality
of sacrifices that really angered God? Not really. The sick and lame
sacrifices were but a symptom of a much larger problem. God used their
polluted sacrifices only as a physical, visual illustration to show them
their sins and polluted hearts. For much of the remainder of this book,
God unfolds to them their many sins and weaknesses. God says: "Ye are gone away from Mine ordinance, and have not
kept them. Return unto Me, and I will return unto you…" (3:7). The priests ask: "Wherein shall we return?" (3:7). God says: "In tithes and offering" (3:8). God
uses "tithes and offerings" to illustrate their attitude of
mind and heart behind their giving. Tithes and offerings were all that
God asked of the people to give Him. Everything else they could keep for
themselves. But how much did they love God. How much did they appreciate
God and all His goodness to them? What was their attitude of heart and
mind toward God? Their "tithes and offerings" say it all:
"You offer POLLUTED BREAD UPON MINE ALTAR"
(1:7). All
that was included in their "tithes and offerings"—firstfruits,
tithes of the land, tithes of the herds, and altar offerings of every
sort, were to God: "polluted bread upon Mine altar." They gave
offerings (they WERE TITHING), but they were totally unacceptable.
"…NEITHER will I accept an offering at your hand" (1:10). THE
TYPE AND SHADOW IS FAR INFERIOR TO THE REALITY Malachi
was a "prophet." Moses was also a prophet, "And there
arose not a prophet since in Under
the Prophet Moses, God fed the nation of "Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He
gave them bread from heaven to eat" (John
6:31). Under
the Prophet Malachi God said they should bring the tithes into the
storehouse so that there would be "…meat in My house, and prove me now herewith, says the Lord of
hosts, if I will not open you the windows of HEAVEN, and pour you out A [keep
in mind that this blessing is singular—a blessing]
blessing that there shall not be room enough to receive IT [again, singular]"
(Mal. 3:10). This
may well be one of the most misunderstood and wrongly preached verses in
the Bible. The
word "meat" in this verse comes from a Hebrew word taraph, and
means "to pluck off or pull to pieces; to supply with food (as in
morsels)" (Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary, p. 105, #2963). From
this pulling to pieces, plucking off, and morsels, comes the phrase
"breaking bread." There undoubtedly was, more grains in the
storehouse (to bake bread), than any other food commodity. Now then,
listen and learn what I have to show you next, and you will know and
understand more about the Old Testament Prophets than do most
theologians. What did Jesus have to say to the Jews about the
"bread from heaven" which they said their fathers ate in the
desert? "Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, [truly,
truly], I say unto you, Moses gave you NOT THAT BREAD FROM
HEAVEN; but My Father gives you the TRUE BREAD from heaven. For
the bread of God is HE which comes down from heaven and gives life unto
the world" (John 6:32-33)! What?
How can Jesus say that? The Jews said that their fathers ate "bread from heaven." Moses said that, "He gave them bread from heaven to eat." But Jesus said, "Moses gave you NOT that bread from heaven; but
My Father gives you the TRUE bread from heaven. Is
Jesus contradicting the very Word of God? No, a thousand times No: He is
fulfilling the words of the prophets just as He said in Matt. 5:17. The
bread in the desert was only the type of bread from heaven, which in
reality, and in fulfillment, pointed to Jesus Christ, the "TRUE
bread from heaven." The same is true for Malachi. The
"polluted bread" of Malachi is but the type of the unpolluted,
pure, "TRUE bread from heaven,’ which is Jesus Christ. But to
receive this "blessing from heaven," we must bring all our
tithes, all that we have to offer God, into the storehouse so that there
will be "meat [unpolluted bread] in Mine house." Now
then, does God want unpolluted animals? No. Does God want unpolluted
produce from the land? No. Does God want unpolluted money? No. Well what
king of sacrifice does He want then? God wants you! All of you! You,
yourself, are the sacrifice that God wants. "I beseech [invitation, invocation, imploration, exhortation]
you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice holy [not polluted], acceptable [not like in
Malachi where God says, ‘neither will I accept an
offering at your hand’], unto God, which is your reasonable
service" (Rom. 12:1). As
it is our ‘bodies’ that house our mind, heart, and spirit, we will
also cover those attributes which are necessary in order for our
"living sacrifice" to be acceptable unto the Lord. Seriously,
dear readers, of what value are physical material offerings to God, if
the ones making the offerings are themselves, "polluted
bread?" Does God really desire physical things? God has already
created BILLIONS OF GALAXIES full of "physical things."
Billions of galaxies do not fulfill God’s desire for the love,
obedience, and admiration of children. God wants children. God wants
children—Sons and Daughters in His Own image. But God will not accept
children whose character is likened to "polluted bread." We
will cover the quality traits of spiritual character that God desires of
all His sacrifices. FIRST
THE PHYSICAL AND THEN THE SPIRITUAL "Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is
natural; and afterward that which is SPIRITUAL" (I
Cor. 15:46). Now
then, was that bread that the fathers ate in the desert the "TRUE
bread from heaven?" No, it clearly was not, Jesus said it was not!
And so, can we not see, can we not believe, can we not understand, that
Jesus Christ IS "…the TRUE bread from heaven. For the bread of God IS HE
which comes down FROM HEAVEN and gives life unto the world" (John
6:32b-33). Hold
this thought …… And
now back to Malachi again: "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse that there may
be meat [bread] in Mine house, and prove me now herewith,
says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven,
and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to
receive it" (Malachi, 3:10). This
is vital to understand: God does not berate the people or the priests
for the lack of quantity in their tithes and offerings and
sacrifices, but rather a lack of quality. Here is absolute
Scriptural proof of what I say. They brought offerings, but why would
God not accept their offerings? Because they offered "blind, lame
and sick sacrifices." And why did they do that? Because they
themselves were spiritually blind, lame and sick. There was quantity to
their offerings, but not quality. "And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if
ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto your
governor; will he be pleased with you, or accept your person? Says the
Lord of hosts" (Mal. 1:8). FINE
FLOUR AND PURE FRANKINCENSE VS. POLLUTED BREAD And
how is it that God views these evil sacrifices: "Ye [all of you] offer polluted bread upon mine
altar…" (Ver. 7). There
is the whole ball of wax! And so it is in today’s Church. The problem
is not a lack of money, but offering polluted bread upon the altar of
God. God wants "Pure and Fine Bread": "And you shall take fine flour, and bake twelve cakes…
And you shall put pure frankincense upon each row, that it may be
on the bread… And it shall be Aaron’s and his sons’; [the
priests] and they shall eat it in the holy place…" (Lev. 24:5-9). Remember:
first is the natural, the physical, and then comes the spiritual. And
so the children of The
spiritual bread (the spiritual food for the people) being offering in
the Church today is not lacking in quantity, but rather quality. There
is "bread," yes, but it is "polluted bread." The
opposite of "polluted" is "pure." God’s religion
is PURE: "PURE religion and UNDEFILED before God and the Father is this, To
visit the fatherless and widows IN THEIR AFFLICTION, and to keep himself
UNSPOTTED FROM THE WORLD" (James 1:27). This
verse does not say: "Take ten percent of the Social Security checks
and welfare checks of the "fatherless and widows IN THEIR
AFFLICTION," and then take that money and spend it for all the
"spotted materialism of this world." Yet that is exactly what
all to many of today’s priests and ministers are doing. And
furthermore, they shamelessly boast about their material possessions!
They "love the world and the things that are in the world."
And, therefore, is it little wonder that, "the love of the Father
is not in them" (I John 2:15)? Neither do they have a "love of
the Truth" (II Thes. 2:10). God
used a physical, outward, visible, type, of sick, lame, and blind
sacrifices, which He then calls polluted bread to show Israel and their
priests what He was really angry with, namely, their
"polluted" hearts, minds, and spirits! Malachi’s prophecy is
about the sin WITHIN, not sacrifices WITHOUT! THE
ENDTIME CHURCH AS PETER SAW IT Peter
describes the church in the latter days: "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there
shall be false teachers among you, who privily [secretly]
shall bring in damnable [destructive, fatal, disastrous, ruinous]
heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon
themselves swift destruction. And MANY shall follow their pernicious
[lascivious, licentious, wanton] ways; by reason of whom the way of
the truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness [greed,
lust] shall they with feigned words MAKE MERCHANDISE OF YOU" (II
Pet. 2:1-3). Other renderings: "Motivated by greed, they will exploit you with their counterfeit
arguments" (Berkely Version). "…in their lust they will exploit you with cunning
arguments" (Moffatt Translation). "In their greed for MONEY they will trade on your credulity with
sheer fabrications"`(The New English Bible). ALL
PHYSICAL TYPES FORESHADOW SPIRITUAL REALITIES Everything
that happened in the Old Testament was a TYPE of future, spiritual
things. "Now ALL these things happened unto THEM for examples: and they
were written for OUR admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are
come" (I Cor. 10:11). And
Malachi is no different. The people of "Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of
evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord,
they have provoked the Holy One of Much
of what the clergy disseminates from the pulpit as "wholesome
spiritual food," God calls "polluted bread." And just WHY
do they offered polluted bread? Because: "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good
things? For out of the ABUNDANCE OF THE HEART, the MOUTH SPEAKS" (Matt.
12:34). There
it is! There is the message of Malachi! That is why Today’s
"polluted bread" is served up in such doctrines as exact ten
per cent of the parishioner’s salaries in the form of a church tax
called, tithing. And the threat of eternal torture in fire if one
does not follow the dictates of a specific denomination or religious
teaching that is deemed necessary to avoid this eternal hellhole of
terrorism. The
type and shadow of Jesus Christ, the True Bread of life, was the
physical bread that The
sacrifices spoken of in Malachi were not suitable for God’s house.
They offered "POLLUTED BREAD" and we saw some of the many sins
that that constituted this polluted bread. Here are the only sacrifices
that are fit for God’s storehouse: "The sacrifices of God are A BROKEN SPIRIT: a broken a CONTRITE
HEART…" (Psalm 51:17). And
in Psalm 34:18 David reverses the order: "The lord is nigh unto them that are of a BROKEN HEART; and saves
such as be of a CONTRITE SPIRIT." It
is all about attitude: REPENT, HUMBLE YOURSELF, and OBEY! Then follows
the Blessing: People
always want to do physical things to prove their spirituality. But God
doesn’t want your physical things. God wants a broken heart and a
contrite spirit and a willingness to OBEY: "Behold, to OBEY is better than sacrifice, and to hearken
than the fat of rams" (I Sam. 15:22). The
sacrifices of a broken heart, a contrite spirit, and a willingness to
always obey are always acceptable to God. BRINGING
GOD YOUR SPIRITUAL TITHES "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be
meat [bread—pure and fine bread—not
polluted bread of a carnal mind filled with evil deeds and doctrines],
and prove Me now herewith, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open
you the windows of HEAVEN [‘For the bread of God
is He which come down from heaven… For I came down from
heaven… I am the bread which came down from heaven…
John 6:33, 38, 41] and pour you out a blessing [Jesus
Christ, The Bread of Life is this blessing], that there shall not
be room [‘Now unto Him that is able to do
EXCEEDING ABUNDANTLY {Gk: SUPEREXCESSIVELY—superabundantly,
superexceedingly, superaboundingly} ABOVE ALL THAT WE ASK OR THINK’
Eph. 3:20] to receive it" (Mal. 3:10). God
is saying to us: "Give Me your pure bread offerings of a
"broken heart, contrite spirit, and attitude of obedience,"
and I will give you, "The TRUE BREAD OF LIFE from HEAVEN." Now
there, dear reader, is a blessing beyond our ability to make "room
to receive it." Jesus Christ is the True Bread in God’s house.
Jesus Christ is the personification of LOVE, LIGHT AND LIFE. Jesus is
the ultimate, the apex, the primer, the zenith, the HIGHEST OF EVERYTHING!
Jesus Christ is the Tree of Life, The Hope of Glory, The Saviour of the
World—all that we and the entirety of the universe will ever need for
all eternity is found in Him! But God demands purity. All the polluted
bread has got to go: "Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us,
that we should be called the SONS OF GOD: therefore the world knows us
not, because it knew Him not. Beloved, now are we the SONS of God, and it does not yet appear what
we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like
Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that has this hope in him PURIFIES HIMSELF, even as He [Jesus]
IS PURE" (I John 3:1-3). And
the priests of Christendom would have us believe that God’s message
through Malachi is a quest for MORE MONEY! Unbelievable! THE
LESSON OF MALACHI FOR THE FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST Obedience
to the Law of Moses, the Sacrifices and the many Ordinances was to bring
physical prosperity, safety from enemies, healthy children,
and a long life in the land, followed by DEATH. Malachi brings us
from obedience to physical laws in the land, all the way down to the
return of Messiah in fiery judgment upon mankind. God never really did
want animal sacrifices, but the sacrifices of a "broken and
contrite heart and spirit." God
tells us through Malachi that we should bring all our tithes (spiritual
tithes and offerings) to Him and He will bless us with a blessing that
cannot be contained. The
physical tithes that were brought to the storehouse from which portions
were sacrificed to God, brought temporary, physical blessings on
Earth. For all those who will bring all their spiritual tithes and
offering to God’s house, God promises One permanent, SPIRITUAL
Blessing from heaven. Jesus Christ is that One and only True Bread
of never-ending life. WE
OBEY A SPIRITUAL LAW AND OUR SACRIFICES ARE SPIRITUAL As
Christians are not under the Law of Moses in this New Testament
dispensation, accordingly, the end-time fulfillment of Malachi does not
pertain to the Law of Moses, which is the oldness of the letter rather
the newness of the spirit. Just as there is no more sacrificing of
animals at the Temple, likewise there is no tithing of animals at the
Temple—nor is there tithing of any kind. Christians are not under the
Law of Moses, nor a twisted, modified version of it. "For the law of the SPIRIT of LIFE in Christ Jesus [this
is not the Law of Moses] has made me FREE FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND
DEATH" (Rom. 8:2). The
law of the letter "engraven in stone tablets" assuredly was a
"dispensation of death and condemnation" (II Cor. 3:4-11).
Here are but a few more sacrifices of the spirit which are always
acceptable in God’s presence: "…therefore will I offer in His tabernacle sacrifices of
JOY…" (Ps. 26:6). "Offer the sacrifices of RIGHTEOUSNESS, and put your trust in the
Lord" (Ps. 4:5). "And let them sacrifice the sacrifices of THANKSGIVING, and
declare His works with REJOICING" (Ps. 107:22). Yes,
these are the sacrifices, these are the offerings, these are the tithes
of a broken heart and a contrite spirit. O
what a clever piece of legislation the Church enacted when they changed
a law regarding the tithing of farm products for the Levites only to a
law that exacts ten per cent of EVERYTHING FROM EVERYBODY. LOVE
NOT THE WORLD NEITHER THE THINGS IN THE WORLD Instead
of following the Apostle Paul’s example of humility and service, all
too many priests of Christendom have become the very personification of
materialistic exhibitionism. Once
content with a good quality $200 watch, now they need a $2000 Rolex.
Once happy with $300 suits, now they need $3000 suits. Once content with
a brand new $30,000 car every year, now they need an $80,000
top-of-the-line luxury car. Once happy with a beautiful and roomy
$150,000 home, now they need a $1,500,000 mansion on the hill. Once
happy that the $500,000 mortgage on their church building got paid, now
they need a $5,000,000 cathedral with gold-gilded everything. Once happy
to fly first class everywhere they traveled, now they need their own
private $10,000,000 executive jet. Just look at how many men of the
cloth are building their own kingdoms on earth? And it seems like the
next generation coming behind them have even greater appetites. Granted,
there are tens of thousands who do not believe it possible to aspire to
such dizzying heights of materialism and are content to have sizably
smaller kingdoms, but it is still the same foul spirit of lust, power,
and worldly materialism at work in many of their lives. Teaching God’s
people that it is God’s law that they must tithe ten percent of their
salaries to the Church or God will curse them is not only unscriptural,
it is a SIN! Have
you ever heard one of these prosperity ministers give a powerful sermon
on I John 2:15: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If
any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all
that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." MONEY
AND THE BELIEVER There
is not one example of anyone tithing MONEY to anyone in the entirety of
the Bible! The only reference to "money" with regards to
tithing has absolutely nothing to do with paying tithes ON money. It is
found in Deut. 14:24-26, which we shall now read in it’s entirety: "And if the way be too long for thee [to
the place where God placed His name to be worshipped, especially during
the fall feast harvest of tabernacles] so that you are not able to carry
it [the tithe of their farm produce] or if the place be too far from
you, which the Lord your God shall choose to set His name there, when
the Lord your God has blessed you: Then shall you turn it [the tithe of
their farm produce] into money, and bind up the money in
your hand, and shall go unto the place which the Lord your God shall
choose: And you shall bestow that money [to the preachers? to the
church? NO…] …for whatsoever thy soul lusts after [Heb: ‘for
whatsoever your heart desires’], for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine,
or for strong drink, or for whatsoever your soul desires: and you
shall eat there before the Lord your God, and you shall
rejoice, you, and your household." Farm
products could be sold and turned into money when long travel was
necessary. But at the destination where God placed His name, the money
was spent on food for the Levite, stranger, fatherless, poor,
etc. It was not presented to the Levites as a monetary gift. Here
is an easy to understand Scripture explaining what the purpose of the
tithe was: "And the Levite, (because he has no part nor inheritance with
you), and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are
within your gates, shall come, and shall EAT [food
from the land] and be satisfied; that the Lord your God may bless you in
all the work of your hand which you do" (Deut. 14:29). The
Church would prefer you not know the following: ·
The tradesmen who made the baskets for harvesting,
did not tithe. ·
The cobblers, who made the shoes for the servants of
the field, did not tithe. ·
The carpenters, who made the wagons used for
harvesting the fields, did not tithe. ·
The potters, who made the jugs for carrying water to
the servants in the fields, did not tithe. ·
The women, who made the garments for the
field-workers, did not tithe. ·
And certainly, the servants who worked in the fields
for wages, did not tithe. Here
are the simple facts regarding the Biblical teaching of tithing: ONLY LANDOWNERS TITHED ONLY PRODUCTS OF THE LAND WERE TITHED ONLY LEVITES COULD RECEIVE THE TITHES TITHING WAS A LAW OF MOSES CHRISTIANS ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW OF MOSES! Does
anyone have a Scripture that contradicts what I have just said? By
the way, Jesus Christ was a carpenter by trade, and as such, JESUS DID
NOT TITHE! JESUS CAME TO FULFILL THE
LAW, NOT TO RELIVE THE LAW Christians
believe that Jesus came to FULFILL the Law of Moses by RELIVING the law
of Moses in His own personal life. He assuredly did not. This is an
entire study of itself, however, I want to prove to you from the
Scriptures that Jesus did not concern Himself with Tithes and Taxes, and
restrictions of the Law of Moses. THE
Not
only did Jesus not tithe, because He was a carpenter and carpenters were
not obligated to tithe, but neither did He pay the "This they shall give, every one that passes among them that
are numbered, half a shekel after the shekel of the sanctuary: (a shekel
is twenty gerahs): an half shekel shall be the offering of the Lord. Every one that passes among them that are numbered, from twenty
years old and above, shall give an offering unto the Lord. The rich shall not give more, and the poor shall not give less than
half a shekel, when they give an offering unto the Lord, to make an
atonement for your souls. And you shall take the atonement money of the children of Israel and
shall appoint it for the service of the tabernacle [in
Jesus’ time, to the Temple] of the congregation; that it may be a
memorial unto the children of Israel before the Lord, to make an
atonement for your souls" (Exodus 30:13-16). Jesus
Christ did not pay this yearly tax to the (John
2:19). And, furthermore, Jesus was the Lord to Whom Israel gave the half
shekel as an offering. Jesus does not need an atonement for His soul;
Jesus Christ is the Atonement, (Rom. 5:9-11). Notice
this remarkable story of the only time the temple tax came up in the
ministry of Jesus. Most Christians will never hear an explanation of
these verses as long as they live! These verses are highly incriminating
to those who teach the tithing of money to the Church: "And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute
money came to Peter, and said, Does not your master pay tribute [Greek:
‘pay the double drachma’ which was the exact amount of the annual
Temple tax]? He says, Yes [Peter was embarrassed and apparently not honest
with his answer]. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented
him [Greek: ‘prophthano,’—‘to get an earlier start of,’ ‘forestalls’
or ‘anticipated him’], saying, What do you think, Simon? Of
whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute [taxes]? Of their
own children [sons] or of strangers? Peter said unto Him, of strangers. Jesus said unto him, THEN ARE THE
CHILDREN FREE. Notwithstanding, LEST WE SHOULD OFFEND THEM, go thou to the sea, and
cast an hook, and take up the fish that first comes up; and when you
have opened his mouth, thou shall find a piece of money [Gk:
‘statar’ –the exact temple tax for two]: that take and give unto
them for Me and thee" (Matt. 17:24-27). What
an amazing story! What a telling teaching truth from Scriptures we have
here! No wonder most Christians have never heard this Scripture
explained in Church. The
reason Peter said "yes" to the tribute collector is because it
was embarrassing to Him to say, "NO, my master does NOT pay temple
tax." It was such a small amount of money (less than a dollar). But
now Peter has to go into the house give Jesus an appraisal of what just
happened. Jesus being merciful to Peter does not reprimand him for not
being honest with the tribute collector, but rather, cuts him off
[forestalls him] before he can speak and saves Peter the embarrassment. The
point is this: Jesus did not pay temple tax because Jesus is the King of
the kingdom. And if the children are free, certainly the King Himself is
free. Might
I add that, neither did Jesus stone or condone others to stone, the
woman caught in the very act of adultery even thought the Law of Moses
demanded it: "And the man that commits adultery with another man’s wife, even
he that commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, the adulterer AND
THE ADULTERESS SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH" (Lev.
20:10). Now
then, did Jesus come to "fulfill" this Law of Moses by living,
teaching and carrying out that law? He surely did not. He rather said,
"He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at
her." (John 8:7). If we are to believe that "fulfilling the
law" of Moses can only be accomplished by living, teaching and
enforcing the law of Moses, then something is wrong with that theory
because Jesus obviously did NOT carry out many commands of the law of
Moses in His own life! The
theologians have debased the New Covenant as being nothing more than the
Old Covenant, with a few added twists. Jesus "fulfilled the
law" not by adding a few spiritual twists to it, but by keeping a
MUCH HIGHER SPIRITUAL LAW that actually contradicted much of the letter
of Moses’ Law. One doesn’t need a physical law of the letter chiseled in stone,
to "keep the sabbath" when he has entered into "God’s
SPIRITUAL REST" in his heart. One doesn’t need a physical law of the letter to "swear by
His name" when in his heart his desire is to "swear NOT at
all." One doesn’t need a physical law chiseled in stone telling him
"thou shalt not commit adultery" when in his heart he no
longer "even looks on a woman to lust after her." One doesn’t need a physical law telling him to "HATE his
enemies" when now in his very heart, he "LOVES his
enemies." For
you newcomers to the world of theology, LOVE is lot different than just
putting a spiritual twist on HATE. Not swearing at all is more than
putting a spiritual twist on the commandment TO SWEAR. Am I going too
fast for anyone? And
neither did Jesus take the commandment to "bring ye all the tithes
into the storehouse" and spiritually twist it into "bring ye
all the money into the pastor’s bank account." And
so what is it that Jesus is teaching us with regards to money? Simple,
neither the king nor his children pay tax—any tax (including even "Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the
day of judgment: because as He [Jesus] IS, SO ARE WE in this
world" (I John 1:17). And
so the reason… the only reason, that Jesus paid this tax was,
"…lest we should offend them." Not because it was a LAW OF
MOSES and Jesus had to keep the law of Moses, but only because,
"…lest we should offend them." Furthermore,
where did Jesus get the money (the very small amount of money) to pay
this temple tax so as to not offend them? From His own pocket? From the
treasury held by Judas? From Peter’s house? No. He had God provide for
it in a fish from the sea. Jesus did not even deign to pay this tax from
His own money. And say, did you notice that Jesus paid for Himself and
Peter only? He did not even pay for the other eleven. Do
you suppose we are sinning if we follow His steps by not tithing? Should
we follow His steps, or commandments of the clergymen? "Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to
obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered
for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow His steps" (I
Pet. 2:21). GIVING
IS VOLUNTARY The
New Testament teachings on giving are unpretentiously simplistic
involving the heart and not some law: "…freely ye have received, freely give" (Matt.
10:8b). "Give to him that asks you, and from him that would borrow of you
turn not thou away" (Matt. 5:42). "The churches in "Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down,
and shaken together, and running over…" (Luke
6:38). "I have showed you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to
support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how He
said, It is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts
20:35). "But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also
sparingly; and he which sows bountifully shall reap also bountifully.
Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give;
not grudgingly, or of necessity [Gk: ‘compulsion’ as in a
commanded law]: for God loves a cheerful giver" (II Cor. 9:6-7). Follow
these admonitions on giving and you will be blessed of God. There
is one more very important Scripture that should go in this group and
that is I Tim. 5:8, "But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of
his own household, he has denied the faith, and worse than an
infidel." Now
I have emails and letters from elderly and disabled people who were told
by their pastor that they are expected to tithe on their meager income
regardless as to whether there is sufficient left over to care for the
family. This is disgraceful beyond comprehension. And this is one of the
main reasons that I write the material that I do for our bible-truths
web site. Numerous
times I have heard ministers intimidating TBN viewers to contribute
money that they did not have. Even if they owed more money to creditors
in monthly payments than their salaries could possibly pay, they were
still asked to make huge donations to TBN. Some contend that the more
money one needs to meet his already staggering obligations, the more
money he needs to send in. They are even told to pledge huge amounts
(TWO THOUSAND DOLLARS was the asking pledge when last I saw this
reprehensible carnival sideshow chicanery) of money that they did not
have, and then to send in ten percent of the pledge and pay the rest off
in installments. Have they no shame? "HOW
ARE WE TO PAY THE CHURCH BILLS I
get asked that question regularly. I tell them all the same thing:
"Pay your church bills the same way I pay my living expenses—with
a check." Here’s the thing: You don’t need to lie and deceive
and pervert the word of God in order to pay church expenses. Why
doesn’t your pastor just ask the people to contribute toward paying
the church expenses? I can tell you why. A few do, but most don’t. And
why is that? It is because those who teach false doctrines to exact
money illegally from their congregation don’t have faith to trust
their people to contribute voluntarily out of love. They only know how
to teach the Old Testament laws, which are carnal, and therefore don’t
know how to teach the New Testaments laws, which are SPIRITUAL. Most
pastors see two options:
If,
in reality, trusting would bring in more money than pronouncing curses,
no one would ever hear a sermon on tithing again, anywhere on earth. And
if anyone suggested to any of these same pastors that tithing is an Old
Testament law that Christians must keep or be cursed, those same pastors
would ridicule you to scorn for ever suggesting such an obvious
unscriptural doctrine that is not binding on New Testament Christians. They
will do whatever brings in the most money. And it is a proven fact,
unscriptural threats of curses for no tithing, and blessings for tithing
brings in more money than trusting the people, in faith, to supply the
needs of the Church. It
is our hope and intention here at bible-truths to free as many as
possible from the unscriptural hypnotic tactics of these TV auctioneers
who peddle the Word of God like so much merchandise for sordid gain. But
what about those small congregations that don’t even want huge
cathedrals and the pastor doesn’t want to be rich or drive a $80,000
Mercedes. All they want is to preach the gospel and care for a local
congregation and all that that involves. Surely it is not wrong for them
to teach their congregation to tithe their salaries to the church, is
it? Of course that is wrong. That’s like saying, I don’t want to rob
a bank: I just want to take a few small things from the super market
without paying for them! IT’S THE SAME CRIME, with the only difference
being the amount stolen. GIVING
VERSUS TITHING Do
any of these Scripture references quoted above regarding voluntary
giving, have anything to do with "tithing?" Absolutely not.
Notice what the definition of Christian tithing is: "tithe (tith) n. 1a. A tenth part of one’s
annual income contributed voluntarily or due as a tax, esp. for the
support of the clergy or church." (The American Heritage College
Dictionary, p. 1444). Tithing
was commanded by the LAW. Giving
is voluntary from the HEART. THE
APOSTLE PAUL VERSUS CHRISTIAN TITHING The
Apostle Paul never tithed, never taught Gentiles to tithe, never
collected tithes, and never accepted tithes. Can anyone imagine what
Paul would have said had someone come up to him and offered him $100
saying: "Here Paul, here is my payment according to the tithing law
with regards to my thousand-dollar paycheck." I don’t know what
his exact words would be, but I have studied the writings of Paul, and I
can tell you what he would have said in principle: "Sir,
MONEY is not a tithable commodity. Furthermore, tithes can be paid to
the Levitic priests only, and I am not a Levite, I am from the Tribe of
Benjamin. Furthermore, as a believer in Jesus Christ, you are also freed
from the law of Moses. Jesus Christ has taught us that, ‘FREELY you
have received, FREELY give." One cannot give ‘freely’ that
which is demanded by law. I am sorry, but I cannot accept money that is
given out of obligation to a law. Jesus has freed us from carnal
ordinances, and whom Jesus has freed, ‘is FREE indeed.’" Now
then, give that same $100 to any number of priests of Christendom, and
one might receive this retort: "Well, if this $100 is your tithe,
where is your offering? Don’t you know that the tithe is commanded and
demanded by law? You have only given me what is commanded by law of you
to give. You have not really giving me anything until you give me money
in excess of your tithes" Well,
what more can I say about that? CHRIST’S
ONLY TWO EXAMPLES OF TITHERS Paul
was inspired by God's Holy Spirit to declare that "God loves
a cheerful giver" (II Cor.9:7). Why was not Paul inspired by
God’s Holy Spirit to declare that, "God loves a cheerful tithe-payer?"
In fact, why does not Paul mention the words tithe, tithes, or
tithing in any of His thirteen epistles—not once? (Paul did not
write the book of Hebrews, II Thes. 3:17). Why does not Peter, James,
John, or Jude mention tithing in any of their epistles? Why
didn’t the early Christian Fathers mention tithing as a doctrine of
the New Testament Church? Therefore, why are innumerable thousands of
evangelists, theologians, teachers, preachers, and clergymen teaching
the world that if they don’t tithe ten percent of their salaries, that
God will curse them with a curse? The
only two times in the New Testament that Jesus mentions tithing is in
condemnation of the Pharisees. At the time of Jesus’ ministry there
was a temple and there was a Levitic Priesthood, hence tithing was still
in effect for the Jews. Hear now the only words ever recorded of Jesus
mentioning tithes: 1.
"But WOE [deep distress, misery,
grief, misfortune, calamity, sorrow, dismay] unto you Pharisees!
For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs [some had
farms; some had gardens], and pass over JUDGMENT and the LOVE OF GOD:
these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone"
(Luke 11:42). 2.
"And the Pharisee stood and prayed thus
with himself, God… I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of
all that I possess" (Luke 18:12). And
just what kind of a blessing did Jesus pronounced on this Pharisee for
his "tithe"? No
blessing, no justification, just a promise that people like him will be
"abased" (Ver. 14). What
does being an utter hypocrite and passing over "Judgment and the
Love of God" have to do with "tithing?" That’s the
whole point. These gross sins have virtually nothing to do with tithing!
Tithing
to Jesus was so absolutely insignificant to the gross sins of failing to
properly Judge the widows and orphans and fatherless and poor, and to
not show any Love of God toward them. Tithing was the smallest most
inconsequential thing Christ could think of to show the utter hypocrisy
of this Pharisees. They were very meticulous about tithing (a law of
virtually no spiritual consequence what so ever), and yet… and YET
they would do the tithe thing and neglect judgment, love and mercy. Now
please don’t all write me at once telling me that I have missed the
whole point of these two sets of Scripture by not realizing that it was
their very gross sins that will bring "woes’ and
"abasements" on them, and not that they are being condemned
for what they did do correctly, namely "tithe." That is quite
true. However, it appears that most have missed the very reason why
Jesus gives two examples of two Phariees, who were gross sinners
deserving the worst possible chastisements, and then says that they were
both tithe-payers. Christ’s
attention to the fact that they were both meticulous tithe-payers,
proved the hypocrisy of these two Pharisees. They would pay strict
attention to very miner details of a law, and yet totally abandon a very
reason and purpose for the whole existence of the law—LOVE, MERCY,
JUDGMENT. The
Law of Moses regarding tithing produce from the land was still in effect
during Christ’s ministry, and therefore, all of the nation of Israel
who had land were to tithe from their land and give it to the Priests
and Levites, strangers, fatherless, widows, poor, and even consume some
of it themselves at God’s annual festivals. However, this system with
its laws and temple were all part of the original Here
then is the bottom line: Neither, Jesus nor His apostles tithed
themselves or taught tithing to others. And within a generation God
pronounced to the entire world by the total destruction of both the
nation of "In that he says, A NEW covenant, He has made the first OLD. Now
that which DECAYS and waxes OLD is ready to VANISH AWAY" (Heb.
8:13). But
the Church today doesn’t want the New Covenant to replace the Old.
They want to put the New Wine (of the New Covenant), in the Old Bottles
(of the Old Covenant). And they want to put the New Cloth (of the New
Covenant), on the Old Cloth (of the Old Covenant). And what did Jesus
tell us would be the result of such an unharmonious and unequal yoking? "And no man puts new wine into old bottles; else the new wine will
burst the bottles, and be spilled and the bottles shall perish." However,
in two thousand years, the church is still trying put the Old and the
New together as One, and the results are always disastrous. Just
why is it that they like the Old covenant better than the New? Here’s
the answer from the lips of our Master Himself: "No man also having
drunk old wine [lived by the Old Covenant] straightway desires new [the
spiritual New Covenant]: for he says, The old is better"
(Luke 5:39). But
not only is the Church blinded by the new wine, they are also
intoxicated from the old wine to the point that they have no idea what
it’s purpose was in the first place. Jesus said, "You blind
guides, which STRAIN OUT A GNAT [are attentive to TINY insignificant
things like paying tithes on mint and pepper pods], and SWALLOW A CAMEL
[totally neglect the weightier matters of the law which are of HUGE
consequence, like judgment, faith, mercy, and the love of God]"
(Matt. 23:24). How
many millions of sermons are geared toward "straining out
gnats" on Sunday morning, so that the Pastors can "swallow
camels" all week long? HOW THE APOSTLE PAUL
FINANCED HIS INTERNATIONAL MINISTRY Worldliness
in the Church today is not looked upon as shameful, but rather as being
sheik. Power, wealth, and notoriety are not things to be repented of,
but are rather to be lusted after and pursued with great vigor. Young
aspiring ministers are not thought to be vain or ambitious when seeking
worldliness, but are rather thought of as being enthusiastic for the
work of the Lord. Let’s see how Paul did things. "For yourselves know how you ought to follow us: for we behaved
not ourselves disorderly among you: Neither did we eat any man’s bread
for naught; but wrought with labor and travail NIGHT AND DAY, that we
might not be chargeable to any man. Not because we have not power, but
to MAKE OURSELVES AN EXAMPLE UNTO YOU TO FOLLOW US" (II
Thes. 3:7-9). But
how many truly follow Paul’s example? You be the judge. "For ye remember, brethren, our labour and travail: for LABOURING
NIGHT AND DAY, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we
preached unto you the Gospel of God" (I Thes. 2:9). Imagine
that: Paul could not only walk and chew gum at the same time, but he
could work "night and day" and "preach the Gospel of
God" at the same time! Just maybe there is a lesson in there
somewhere. Paul travels to "And because he was of the same craft [trade],
he abode with them, and wrought [worked]: for by their occupation they
were tentmakers" (Acts 18:3). "I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye [all
of you] yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my
necessities, and to them that were with me. I have showed you all
things how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and remember
the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, It is more blessed to give
than to receive" (Acts 20:33-31). Don’t
kid yourself, there’s a whole army of men of the cloth out there
coveting your gold and your silver. Many television ministries are
little more than highly sophisticated Hollywood-produced,
tithe-collecting infomercials. They make me ill watching them. One
final example of how Paul ministered and financed his ministry: "For I think that God has set forth us the apostles last, as it
were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and
to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are
weak, but ye are strong; ye are honorable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are
naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace; And labor, working with our own hands; being reviled, we
bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: Being defamed, we intreat: we are made as the filth of the world,
and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn
you. For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye
not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the
gospel. Therefore I beseech you, BE YE FOLLOWERS OF ME" (I
Cor. 4:9-16)! Cheerfully
giving from the heart is a virtue. However, fraudulently fleecing the
flock by exacting ten percent of parishioner's paychecks under fear of
breaking an Old Testament law of tithing is a sin! It
is far past time that we offer a little comfort to the millions of
people in our nation and around the world who are chafing under the
constant burden of supporting ministers and televangelists who live
lifestyles so materialistic and worldly that even Hugh Heffner would be
envious. I’m not trying to be humorous about these characters; I’m
dead serious. Well
I certainly don’t begrudge any minister an honest living. However, I
do believe that when many of these modern televangelists (and others)
feel the need to have everything they own gold gilded, just maybe their
greed and vanity starts to destroy their effectiveness as dispensers of
God’s Truths. There
is no need for people to feel guilty over any religious doctrine. It is
time we rid ourselves of guilty consciences. Hopefully, by the time you
have finished reading this paper your guilt over tithing or non-tithing
will be gone forever! It
is our sincere desire that all who have been chafing under the
unscriptural burden of Christian tithing will feel free at last to
follow their heart in giving to whomever they desire as God prospers
them. John 8:32 tells us that Truth is Freedom: "And
ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth shall make you FREE." |