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Entire Month Of Preaching On Tithing?


Miss Daisy

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If one diligently studies the tithes of the Bible, one will see that this claim of there being a "principle of tithing" is nothing more than hogwash.

Abraham: Tithed the spoils of war (property he wouldn't even claim as his own, but belonged to others).
Jacob: Vowed to tithe on condition that God meet certain requirements first.
Mosaic/Levitic Law: Only those who had gardens, those who had orchards, and those who bred livestock tithed,  If a farmer had less than ten animals to be born in the year, he was not required to tithe.
Malachi: It was actually the Priests that were robbing God.  They had removed the tithes from the storehouse and moved God's enemy, an Ammonite, in. 
scribes and Pharisees:  They tithed mint, cummin, dill, anise, all manner of herbs.  No mention of them tithing money.

So what is the “principle”?  That which is practiced in so many Churches today under the name of "tithing" doesn't resemble (in any way shape or form) any of the tithe practices of the Bible.
There is no principle of tithing. It is an invention of man formulated to garner finances from gullible people.  That money could be used to feed many who are going without in our own backyards.

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If you are going to put yourself under the Law, then it should be the whole Law.  There are 613 Commandments under the Law.

 

Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from graceGal 5:4
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I always find it interesting (I'm guilty of this myself) that a thread where someone wants to praise the Lord or post a prayer request that they hardly get any encouragement or acknowledgment that we are praying for them. They get 1 to 2 reply's. Whereas threads like this keep going and going.

 

My recommendation for OB is to head over to the Prayer Request and Praise God threads and let's lift each other up in prayer. People may be more willing to listen to what we have to say if we can show them that we genuinely care and love them.

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Your Giving Requires Sacrifice
 
  A pig and a hen were strolling amicably down the street when they saw a sign at a lunchroom window reading: “Delicious ham and eggs.”
  “Isn't it grand,” said the hen, “that together we can give human beings something that delights them?”
  The pig frowned, “Yes,” he said, “but you’re giving only requires a contribution, for me, giving is a real sacrifice.”
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Many today, in their zeal to defend the doctrine of a monetary tithe requirement, will cite 1 Corinthians 16:2, saying that the word "prospered" is speaking of "proportion," or "percentage."  It is not.

1 Corinthians 16:2 Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.

The word "prospered" is translated from the Greek word "euodoo", which means, "to help on the road, i.e. (passively) succeed in reaching; figuratively, to succeed in business affairs:--(have a) prosper(-ous journey)."

euodoo was never translated as proportion in the Bible. The word used by the Greeks for "proportion" was the word "analogia". Found only in one verse of the New Testament.

Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;

Back to 1 Corinthians 16:2. That verse was not speaking of proportion or percentage. It was speaking of prosperity. As God had made them prosperous in life, Paul encouraged the saints at Corinth to help the poor saints in Jerusalem.  But percentage was never mentioned.  God leaves the amount given up to the giver...

2 Corinthians 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

"Purposeth"-- "proaireomai"-- "to choose for oneself."

Not only was Paul not speaking of percentage or proportion, Paul also was not speaking of tithes.  Rather, he was speaking of a collection (Grk. logia) for the saints at Jerusalem.

1 Corinthians 16:1-4 Now concerning the collection (logia) for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings (logia) when I come. And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem. And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me.

The Greek word for "collection" was the word "logia." Again, nothing to do with tithes. Had Paul been speaking of tithes, he would have used the word "apodekatoo." Paul did not use the Greek for "tithes" in any of his epistles. The collection in 1 Corinthians 16 was to be freely given (not of coercion) to ease burdened saints in Jerusalem.

 

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excerpt from
A View of the Doctrines, Decrees and Prac-
tices of Tything, from the Infancy of
the Christian Church until this Day.
by Anthony Pearson, in the Year of our Lord 1657

But in the Fulness of Time, God raised up another Priest, Christ Jesus, who was not of the Tribe of Levi, nor consecrated after the Order of Aaron; for He pertained to another Tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the Altar, who (having obtained a more excellent Ministry, of a greater and more perfect Tabernacle, not of the former Building, being the Sum and Substance of all the Patterns of Things under the first Covenant) put an End to the first Priesthood, with all its Shadows, Figures and carnal Ordinances, and changing the Priesthood, which had a Command to take Tythes of their Brethren, there was made of Necessity also a Change of the Law, and a Disannulling of the Commandment going before, which was but imposed until the Time of Reformation.

And the Apostles and Ministers of Christ Jesus, when He had finished His Office upon Earth, by offering up Himself through the Eternal Spirit, a Sacrifice without Spot unto God, did not look back to the Ordinances of the former Priesthood, but testified an End was put unto them; and witnessed against the Temple, wherein the Priests ministered, for which Stephen was stoned to death; against Circumcision, saying, It was not that of the flesh; against the Passover, Priests, etc., and preached up Christ Jesus and His Doctrine, the new and living Way, which was not made manifest while as the first Tabernacle was standing. Nor did they go about to establish the Law by which Tythes were given in the former Priesthood, but freely they preached the Gospel which they had received, and did not require any settled Maintenance, but lived of the free Offerings and Contributions of the Saints, who by their Ministry were turned to Christ Jesus.

At Jerusalem and thereabouts, such was the Unity of Heart amongst the Saints in the Apostles Time, that all Things were in common, and none wanted; and as many as were Possessors of Lands or Houses, sold them, and brought the Price and laid it down at the Apostles Feet, and it was distributed unto every Man according as he had Need.

So the Church gathered by *Mark at Alexandrea in Egypt, followed the same Rule as the Saints did at Jerusalem, having all things in common; And Philo Judaeus a famous Author of that Time reporteth, that not only there, but in many other Provinces, the Christians lived together in Societies.

In the Churches at Antioch, the Saints possessed every Man hos own Estate; so likewise in Galatia and Corinth, where the Apostles ordained, that Weekly-Offerings for the Saints should be made by every one as God had blessed him; and by these Offerings (which were put into the hands of the Deacons of the Churches) were all the Services and Needs of the Church Supplied.

By example of these, the Course of Monthly Offerings succeeded in the next Ages, not exacted, but freely given at the Bounty of every Man, as appears plainly by Tertullian in Apologet. ch. 39. where, upbraiding the Gentiles with the Piety and Devotion of Christians, he saith, “Whatsoever we have in the Treasury of our Churches, is not raised by Taxation, as though we put Men to ransom their Religion, but every Man once a Month, or when it pleaseth himself, bestoweth what he thinks good, and not without he listeth; for no man is compelled, but left free to his own Discretion: and that which is given is not bestowed in Vanity, but in relieving the Poor, and upon Children destitute of Parents, and Maintenance of Aged and Feeble Persons, Men wrecked by Sea, and such as are condemned to the MetalMines, banished into Islands, or cast into Prison, professing the true God and the Christian Faith.

And this Way of Contribution continued in the Church, till the great Persecution under Maximinian and Dioclesian, about the Year 304, as Eusebius testifieth, which also appears by the Writings of Tertullian, Origen, Cyprian, and others.

About this time also, some Lands began to be given to the Church, and the Revenue of them was brought into the Treasury of the Church, and belonged to the Church in common, and was distributed as other Offerings, by the Deacons and Elders; but the Bishops or Ministers meddled not therewith: for *Origen saith, “It is not lawful for any Minister of the Church to possess Lands (given to the Church) to his own Use.” And called to the Ministers, “Let us depart from the Priests of Pharaoh, who enjoy earthly Possessions, to the Priests of the Lord, who have no Portion in the Earth.” And in another place he saith, “It behoveth us to be faithful in disposing the Rents of the Church, that we our selves devour not those Things that belong to the Widows and the Poor, and let us be content with simple Diet and necessary Apparel.” And Urban Bishop of Rome, Anno 227, did declare, “That the Church might receive Lands and Possessions offered by the Faithful, but not to any particular Man’s Benefit, but that the Revenues thereof, should be distributed as other Offerings, as Need required.”

Cyprian Bishop of Carthage, about the Year 250, also testifieth the same, and sheweth, that the Church maintained many Poor, and that her own Diet was sparing and plain, and all her Expenses full of Frugality.

**Prosper also saith, that a Minister able to live of himself, ought not to participate of the Goods of the Church; for saith he, “They that have of their own, and yet desire to have somewhat given them, do not receive it without great Sin.

The Council at Antioch, Anno 340, (finding that much Fault had been among the Deacons, to whom it properly belonged) did ordain, that the Bishops might distribute the Goods of the Church, but required that they took not any Part to themselves, or to the Use of the Priests and Brethren that lived with them, unless that Necessity did justly require it, using the Words of the Apostle, “Having Food and Raiment, be therewith content.”

In these Times, in many Places, the Christian Converts joined themselves in Societies, and chose a separate Life, selling what they had, and living together in common, after the Example of the former Saints about Jerusalem, as Chrysostom notes, who lived about the year 400, by whole Writings it also appears, that there was not the least Use or Practice of the Payment of Tythes in those former Ages.

The Church now living altogether by Free Offerings of Lands, Money and Goods, the People were much pressed to bountiful Contributions for holy Uses, as may be seen by the Writings of Hieron and Chrysostom, who brought the Jewish Liberality in their Payments of Tenths, for an Example, beneath which they would not have Christians determine their Charity; where Chrysostom says, he speaks these things not as commanding or forbidding that they should give more, yet as thinking it fit that they should not give less than the tenth Part

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Here is a quote from a page from a Baptist author... Albert S. Vail, "Stewardship Among Baptist's", 1913

"But the chief thing to be said is that they left it out because they did not regard it as having any place in the Christian system.  They stood in their liberty of the Gospel and aside from the Law.  It would not be true to say that all Baptists ever have been thoroughly consistent in their understanding of their liberty in relation to Old Testament Law; but they have approximated it, and they were clear enough all along the line in earlier times to enable them to ignore the whole tithing scheme as applicable to themselves."

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John Smyth, considered to be the first modern Baptist, once said:  "Wee hold that tithes are either Jewish or Popish."

John Bunyan:  This paying of tithes was ceremonial, such as came in and went out with the typical priesthood."

Luther Powell:  " By and large, the Baptists--although inconsistent at times--remained true to the principles of separation of Church and State and voluntary support of the Ministry. They, more than any other group, are the representatives of the philosophy of Church support which emphasizes voluntary support on the congregational level."

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Maybe if believers didn't find reasons not to give the preacher wouldn't need to preach a whole month on tithing. The bills have to be paid tightwads.

The bills have to be paid, I wholeheartedly agree. 

But having bills does not justify a pastor browbeating the flock.  1 Peter 5 tells the pastor how they are to lead the flock.

Believers should be encouraged to give.  But they should not be forced to give.  If they love the Lord, they will give to meet the needs of the Sanctuary.

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The bills have to be paid, I wholeheartedly agree. 

But having bills does not justify a pastor browbeating the flock.  1 Peter 5 tells the pastor how they are to lead the flock.

Believers should be encouraged to give.  But they should not be forced to give.  If they love the Lord, they will give to meet the needs of the Sanctuary.

Would you give either way?

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