Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Short Thought #2: Tithing
Whenever you begin to talk about abundance, prosperity and finances people in the Church begin to cringe. Why is that? Are they content with lack? Are they happy with having just a little to get by? Are they okay with financial difficulty? Clearly they are lost and don’t know as much as they think they do about God Almighty. If they did then they would know that, one, poverty is a curse! We shouldn’t be trying to hold on to it! It doesn’t belong to us! Give it back! Give it back to the devil! That’s his and it belongs to those who are under his control! So when a Preacher becomes brave enough and bold enough to preach on the subject matter don’t get all upset about it like he’s trying to steal your money, when 9 times out of 10 he doesn’t need a thing you got, but rather listen and be enlightened. Let poverty go and walk in the abundance that God desires for you to walk in.
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Galatians 3:13 “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…”
ReplyDeleteThat one verse negates your blog.
Hello dear Gary and God Bless you! Thank you for even taking the time to read my blog. It's appreciated. Yes Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, but it didn't totally do away with God's commands either. We are to still hold true to those; keeping our behavior in line with God's word. God gives us grace (which calls the children of God to a higher standard) but we aren't to take that freedom that God has given us to engage in debauchery. The Bible is a book of revelation for the Children of God. Nothing in it is idle. Malachi 3:7-11, says we are to give.You may not understand what I am talking about and many people don't, when my Pastor preaches on this a lot of people have the same reaction that you have, finances are a touchy subject. When I posted this, I kind of knew this would come but that's fine, it comes with the territory. I'm not really sure if you are talking about this particular post or my entire blog, but hey, that's your opinion and you are entitled to it. Again God Bless you Gary and thank you for reading the blog but if you don't agree with it, you surely don't have to read it.
ReplyDeleteWhy would any pastor preach on Malachi 3:7-11? Are you an Old Testament Jew or a New Testament Believer?
ReplyDeleteDoes your pastor even understand Malachi 3:7?
Malachi 3:7 (KJV) “Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ORDINANCES, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?”
God said they weren't following His ORDINANCES. Those ORDINANCES are in Leviticus 27:30-33 where God defines His tithe as a tenth of crops and animals, NOT money, and NOT from anyone's income. Those ORDINANCES are in Numbers 18 where God commanded His tithe be taken to the Levites, NOT to any pastor or church.
However, those ORDINANCES don't apply to Christians: Colossians 2:14 (KJV) “Blotting out the handwriting of ORDINANCES that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross;”
Yes, we are under a higher standard, but the standard of giving in the Old Testament was ZERO. The tithe was a payment, like a tax.
The ONLY people in the Old Testament that were commanded to tithe were those who INHERITED THE PROMISED LAND WITH EVERYTHING ON IT. They got the land, house, animals, crops, etc. ALL FREE AND CLEAR. No mortgage payment or rent to pay. And THEY were commanded to tithe on the crops and animals and take it to the Levites who INHERITED the tithe INSTEAD OF the promised land with everything on it. No one else tithed. Wage earners did not tithe. Jesus did not tithe as a carpenter. Paul did not tithe as a tent maker. Peter did not tithe as a fisherman.
Hebrews 7:5,12,18 tells us the tithe was disannulled at the cross.
Today, ALL born-again believers are priests. ALL of us are called to be deciples of the Lord. No one of us is higher than another. Our bodies are the Temple where the Spirit dwells. According to the scriptures, priests do not tithe.
The New Testament teaches generous, sacrificial giving, from the heart, according to our means. For some, $1 might be a sacrifice, while for others, even giving 50% of their income might not induce a sacrifice. In the Old Testament, ONLY the farmers tithed, and it was a tenth. The New Testament teaches the principle of equal sacrifice instead of a tenth. Equal sacrifice is much harder to achieve, if not impossible, than giving a tenth.
I am a born again Christian and I believe every single word in the Bible and I follow it. Not a word in that Bible is idle.I've applied the word of God to my life, New and Old Testament and have seen it's fruits. I understand what your saying Gary about for some a dollar may be a sacrifice! Trust me, I know, I've been there before. But there's something that happens in my life when I give God a the tenth. I didn't claim that anyone was higher than the next in the Body of Christ but I did say that we are called to a higher standard.And yes, my Pastor does understand Malachi 3. He understands the entire Bible. He is a mighty man of God and valor. You may have heard of him before. Again, like I said before, you have your views, I have mine, you have an opinion and your entitled to it. Now I'm quit sure that we could go and on all day, and I highly doubt either of us is going to budge off of what we believe. I didn't create this blog to go back and forth all day, I created this blog to spread God's word. So God Bless you Gary, and thank you for your input, it's appreciated. And like I said before if you don't like what I'm saying, don't agree with it, then don't read it, it's that simple.
ReplyDeletePlease tell me, does your pastor teach Deut. 14:22-29 or does he ignore these verses even though he does teach Malachi 3?
ReplyDeleteDeuteronomy 14:22-29 (KJV)
22Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
23And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.
24And 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:
25Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the LORD thy God shall choose:
26And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,
27And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.
28At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates:
29And 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 thine hand which thou doest.
Since you say you believe the Bible, do you believe the above verses? Do you follow the above verses? Seems to be your pastor only teaches the verses that tell you what happens if you tithe or don't tithe, but never teaches the verses as to what the tithe consists of, and HOW to tithe. He makes that part up himself in order to GET MORE MONEY out of the congregation.
Be honest. Do YOU follow the scriptures, OR do you follow what your pastor tells you? IF you follow the scriptures, please give me the scriptures you follow?
Yes, my Pastor has taught those scriptures and more and has given revelation on them from what the Holy Spirit has taught him. And i'm not just "SAYING" I believe the Bible, I most certainly do, there's no question about that. I hold strong to my Father's word and I follow what my Father's word says. I believe that we are to give in order to receive and your right, some aren't able to tithe, they don't have it, trust me, I've been there, but since i'm able to, I do so and I have seen changes in my life. That's why I believe it so sternly, I've seen what has happened when I do, and I have seen what has happened when I don't. If you knew my testimony, you would understand why I believe what I believe but that's another story. I have experience, not just an argument. When I put up this post, I didn't go thoroughly into the subject of tithing and what I've learned about it because this was just a "short thought" (for now). It was meant to tell people to give, Luke 6:38.Because when we give, things change. I don't know about you, but it has for me and so many others that I know. I see what your saying Gary. I'm not going to sit here and say i'm 100% with what your saying, but I do see what you are trying to get at. And just a side note, you don't have to disrespect my Pastor, by basically calling him a fraud, when you know nothing about him. My Pastor is well taken care of by God, he doesn't need the congregations money. I guess that's what has went on with the Churches you've been to. There's no need to imply such things and be rude, we are both adults here, correct? I don't believe I've been rude to you, i'm just simply saying what I believe. There is no need to be condescending. I'd be a bit more inclined to listen to what you have to say if your delivery was better. I'll take what you have said and talk to God about it. And see if I get a new revelation of the tithe. But until then, I believe what I believe, you don't have to like it but you do have to respect it, because I respect what you're saying, as we are both in the Body of Christ. I see your logic, but you can't come on here and expect someone to move of what they have believed for years in a matter of a couple of days, doesn't work that way. So God bless you Gary, thanks again for the input. And as you have checked out my blog, I'll check out your webpage.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your reply. Maybe my words were a little harsh. I guess it is because in my ministry, I have come across pastors who know and admit to me they know tithing ended at the cross, but they are afraid to teach the truth. They say they have to make people believe the tithe is still required in order to bring in enough money.
ReplyDeleteIn the Old Testament, the people didn't have the Holy Spirit and therefore needed laws. Today, those who have the Spirit don't need any laws to tell them what to do.
Being Spirit led, I give much more than a tenth of my income. I believe the more we give, the more we are blessed. The more we are blessed, the more we have to give. Giving is one of the biggest joys in my life.
I have been to so many churches where the pastor preaches you are robbing God if you don't bring a tenth of your income to the church. Yet nowhere did God ever command a tithe of money, or from anyone's income. This only hurts the gospel and many poor feel guilty and wind up quit going to church.
There are many good churches out there that don't teach tithing. John MacArthur is a good example. His mega church in Los Angeles does so very well without any tithing. His good sermons is all that is needed for people to give.
We may disagree on tithing right now, but at least we both agree on giving. And, of course, the main thing is salvation.
Thanks for allowing me to write on your blog. May God Bless you always.