Jump to content
  • Welcome Guest

    For an ad free experience on Online Baptist, Please login or register for free

Is Tithing For Today?


Jordan Kurecki

Recommended Posts

  • Members

Tithing is for the religious lost. Jesus said we should give all that we do not absolutely need to survive to others who do need it. In Acts the first Church did this as the example for all of us to follow. Those that won't consider this are of the world and the really pathetic part is we actually think God hears us simply because we talk the talk and don't drink booze or go to movie theatres...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 54
  • Created
  • Last Reply
  • Members

Of course each man must believe as The Lord leads him. I would never deny anyone their option of being led of the Spirit either to do, or not to do, regarding any spiritual matter.
 
But speaking solely for myself, I choose to give according as God has prospered me. For that is my conviction according as I feel led by the Spirit.
 
2Cor. 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.
 
Again speaking solely for myself, I choose to support my local church and therefore the furtherance of the Gospel in this world. I take no offence at the word "tithe" and choose to believe that it is God's method of financing His work.
 
In this context I see a wonderful blessing promised in this Scripture:  Mal. 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith 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.
 
I know that this is O.T. but then the N.T. speaks in this manner:  Rom.15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.
 
For my part, I couldn't even imagine a conversation with Jesus wherein I am arguing against tithing.

Malachi 3 was not speaking of a monetary tithe. If it was then God proves Himself to be unfaithful to his promise associated with the commanded tithe.

Sorry, but that tithe was agricultural, and was not to the Church. Read verse 6 to see who it was to.

Further, the Church is not the storehouse.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

From my blog, http://boldproclaimer.wordpress.com

Extortion: The OBtaining of property from another induced by wrongful use of actual or threatened force, violence, or fear, or under color of official right.

Spanning from 1959 to 1963, ROBert Stack starred as Federal Agent Eliot Ness in the TV series “The Untouchables”.

Eliot Ness worked hard at cleaning up the streets of Chicago, ILL after the city was infiltrated by many crime bosses who would extort money from store owners using strongarm tactics, threats, and often gunplay and murder.

Extortion was a serious offense and carried a stiff sentence in the Federal Penitentiary if one was convicted of it. Eliot Ness did not go easy on those who tried to extort money from the citizens of Chicago using scare tactics.

Today, we can glean from the many episodes of “The Untouchables” an important spiritual truth. That truth is, just as crime bosses answered to Eliot Ness for their misdeeds, those who offend God’s children will also one day answer to God.

Many a pastor today stood behind a pulpit yesterday and preached a message that was meant to extort money from their congregation through a sermon that was “under color of official right”

That message is taken from Malachi 3:8-10…. “Will A Man ROB God?”

Many a pastor had his congregation open their Bibles to Malachi 3:8-10 and read the passage that chapter 1 reveals was to the children of Israel. They then try to bring the letter to Israel out of Israel and into their city or town in their own country.

They preach to their congregation that they are “rOBbing God” because they are not bringing the tithe of their income to the house of God.
The pastor continues to inform his congregation that if they do not begin to tithe their money, God will attack their finances, their home, their families, their health, their jOBs, their vehicles; the list could go on and on.

Friends, that message they are presenting fits the legal system’s definition of extortion. They are trying to instill fear into your mind, fear of disaster, if you don’t get protection.

They then tell you how to get protection… pay 10% of your income to God! Friends, that is extortion through and through.

They preach the message of a 10% tithe “under color of official right,” but if one studies out the specifics of God’s Holy tithe, one will discover that they have no “official right” to collect a tithe from their congregation.

The tithe was limited to within the boundaries of national Israel and was to be given to the Levites who were living in 48 cities. It was never authorized to the New Testament Church.
God’s tithe was also never money according to Leviticus 27 and Numbers 18.

Shame on those pastors who are guilty of extorting money from their flock! They one day will answer to God for handling His Word deceitfully and oppressing His people with fear tactics under the guise of “official right.”

Friends, God’s Holy Word tells us in 2 Corinthians 9:7 that we are to give as we purpose in our own hearts to give. A tithe does not allow one to purpose what they will give. A tithe is a set amount…10%. How is one purposing in one’s own heart what to give if he is giving 10% because his pastor told him that is what he is supposed to give? The fact is, giving what your pastor determines is nothing more than giving of compulsion… giving because you have to.

Notice 2 Corinthians 9:7…

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

The word “purposeth” is translated from the Greek word “proaireomai”, and it means “to choose for oneself”. A pastor has no “official right” to tell his congregation to give 10% of their money to the Church. God’s Word tells the congregation to “choose for oneself” what one wants to give. God did not tell that pastor to preach to his congregation that they must tithe their money. Nor did he tell that pastor that the congregation would be cursed if they didn’t tithe their money.

Friends, give to the Church. The Church does need money to pay for electricity, sanitation, etc.. But give what you choose for yourself to give, not what someone else tells you you must give. If you are giving a set amount because you have been told by your pastor to give that amount, then you are not giving according to God’s instructions.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

In the first chapter of my second book on the subject, I address the fact that since the Protestant Church adapted the monetary tithe requirement doctrine that was invented by the Roman Catholic Church in AD 777, the person who never studies out the specifics of the tithe have been conditioned to believe a lie... the lie that God requires them to give 10% of their money to the Church.

As an illustration, I use something I am very familiar with, circus elephants.  Circus elephants are trained from their youth.  At a very young age, they are chained to the ground with a chain and a mettal stake under the sideshow tent.  The young elephants will pull and pull, trying to get loose from their chain, but to not avail.   When they are older, they wear the same size chain that they did as babies, yet they don't even try to break them.

Why not?  Because they gave up.  Many Church goers are like those circus elephants.  They have been conditioned to believe a lie for so long that they have resolved that that is just the way that God wants it to be.

But, as pointed out earlier, that is not the way God wants it to be.  He has told us to sow, yes.  And yes, we should sow bountifully if we have that to sow.  But God's Word says we are to choose the amount we want to give, not to allow others to dictate our giving.

Many, because of condiitoning, will give 10% of their money to the Church and then walk about like the self-righteous Pharisee of Luke 18, thinking they have done their duty and done God a favor.  These may have been able to give far more, yet because they are conditioned to believe that God requires 10% and allows them to keep the 90%, don't even attempt to give moore.

Is God really pleased when we drop 10% of our check in the Church offering plate when we pass by the beggar on the street to do so?  Is it giving to God when you drop that tenth in the offering plate and you neglect that single mother that lives next door who is struggling? 

Is God truly pleased with our giving when we turn our backs on those who could use the money more?

Just something to think about.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators

SFIC.  you seem to be arguing with your self, to the point of providing your own subject and then your argument against it. Be that as it may, you have the right to your own beliefs too.

 

In any event my convictions are just that....mine. I am not insisting that you or anyone else adhere to them, they are for me and I choose to claim them as my own.

 

If you do not choose to tithe and don't believe in it, so be it, I am not judging you at all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

SFIC.  you seem to be arguing with your self, to the point of providing your own Scripture and then your argument against it. Be that as it may, you have the right to your own beliefs too.

 

In any event my convictions are just that....mine. I am not insisting that you or anyone else adhere to them, they are for me and I choose to claim them as my own.

 

If you do not choose to tithe and don't believe in it, so be it, I am not judging you at all.

Arguing with myself?  No.  You may want to go back and read my posts again.

Arguing against Scripture?  Hardly.  I am in full agreement with what the Scripture says concerning tithing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

My main argument is not with Scripture.  It is with the pastors that twist the Scripture to say what it does not say.  God never gave anyone, Jew or Gentile instruction or command to tithe their money in HIs Word.  For a pastor to stand behind the sacred desk and tell the flock that he has under him that God requires them to tithe is deceitful. 

The poor of the Church are kept in poverty through such an oppressive sermon.  The rich are made to feel they are in right standing with God because they heeded the lie from the pulpit.

Proverbs 22:16 He that oppresseth the poor to increase his riches, and he that giveth to the rich, shall surely come to want.

As I said, if someone can point me to the verse where God commands tithe of money from the Gentiles, I will be more than happy to start tithing once more.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Do you realize that by stifling discussion you are actually preventing people from coming to a proper understanding?

There can never be a discussion about tithing in this place while ever you just stand up and shout so loudly.

And people just don't care what you have to say because you do not discuss - you won't discuss.

And this has nothing to do with you being right or wrong.

1 Corinthians 13
 1  Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

It is about the WAY you present your argument, not the argument itself.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators

Jim, if you can provide Scripture that tells the Church to tithe their money, I'll be happy to start tithing again.  Been quite a while since I practiced it.

 

Once again, you must have missed it:

 

"In any event my convictions are just that....mine. I am not insisting that you or anyone else adhere to them, they are for me and I choose to claim them as my own.

 

If you do not choose to tithe and don't believe in it, so be it, I am not judging you at all."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Once again, you must have missed it:

 

"In any event my convictions are just that....mine. I am not insisting that you or anyone else adhere to them, they are for me and I choose to claim them as my own.

 

If you do not choose to tithe and don't believe in it, so be it, I am not judging you at all."

Sorry Jim, I didn't miss it.  I was simply stating that if you have Scripture that tells us to practice tithing, I'd love to see it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Administrators

Arguing with myself?  No.  You may want to go back and read my posts again.

Arguing against Scripture?  Hardly.  I am in full agreement with what the Scripture says concerning tithing.

 

I made a mistake, I said scripture but meant subject.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I am sure you have heard the outline by ROBert Sargent, pastor of Bible Baptist Church in Oak Harbor Washington.  It is used by many a pastor across our continent.

It argues

Abram commenced the tithe
JacOB continued it
Moses confirmed it
Malachi commanded it
Jesus commended it
God commissioned it
and Paul conformed it

The C's fail in light of the facts though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.



×
×
  • Create New...