Tithe is too heavy for some people.

[pdudgeon]

I heard people said,
"if you are jobless, and you continue to give tithe,
God will bless you a job. You must show trust in God."

Is this true?

once again that is giving to get, which is the wrong motivation.
it's also not true giving because there are strings and conditions attached to the gift.
This is NOT how Jesus gave.

If we are to show trust in God, it requires letting go of the control over what we are giving. otherwise it's not a gift but a trade, which is bartered for.
(ie. i'll give you this if you give me that.)

every banker knows the difference between a gift and a trade:
a gift does not come with strings and conditions of use attached.
a gift costs the recipient nothing, and costs the giver everything.

a trade on the other hand comes with both conditions and expectations
to be fulfilled. if they are not met, the deal is off.

Think about that and ask yourself
"Am I truly a giver, or am i just trading with God?"

 

[Soyeong]

I heard people said,
"if you are jobless, and you continue to give tithe,
God will bless you a job. You must show trust in God."

Is this true?

God wants to bless us, so it is not like we need to earn the blessing of a job in exchange for our obedience or like He is grudgingly holding back blessings until we jump through the right hoops, but rather He is eagerly awaiting when He can bless us and when we follow God's instructions for how to bring glory to Him, then we become a people that God can bless. The tithe is supposed to be out of your income, which you are not making if you don't have a job, but you can still make offerings.

 

[Jesus_is_Saint]

Let's say I need to buy a house now,
but my salary does not increase much.
To pay for the house loan, I got less money to give to the church.
Example, last time I gave to church $500 per month,
but now I can only give $250 per month.

Will my heavenly Father not delighted and upset with me?

 

[All4Christ]

Let's say I need to buy a house now,
but my salary does not increase much.
To pay for the house loan, I got less money to give to the church.
Example, last time I gave to church $500 per month,
but now I can only give $250 per month.

Will my heavenly Father not delighted and upset with me?

None of us can tell you exactly what you should do financially, except that we are to give freely, give from a grateful heart, and not grudgingly. God also provides for us (though that doesn't mean giving to God makes you get what you want).If you keep those three principles in mind, it will help you make the right choices.

 

[Jesus_is_Saint]

If I think this way: everything I have belongs to God, I am just a care taker, one day, all these things will be taken away from me when I die.
Is it ok?

 

[All4Christ]

If I think this way: everything I have belongs to God, I am just a care taker, one day, all these things will be taken away from me when I die.
Is it ok?

Sure, that seems to be a good attitude. We are stewards of His gifts. He takes care of us. We give back to God not because He needs it, but as an act of Thanksgiving and an act of Love. His commandments typically are for the spiritual benefit of His children, not because He needs it Himself. That said, He never promised to make people rich or to compensate them. It is His in the first place, and we must give cheerfully without expectation of some physical benefit. Our money isn't what counts when we, God willing, finish the good race and join Him in heaven.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

If I think this way: everything I have belongs to God, I am just a care taker, one day, all these things will be taken away from me when I die.
Is it ok?

The disciples gave up everything TO BE JESUS DISCIPLES.

To follow HIM, HE required this, willingly and completely and joyfully obedient, at the start of being a disciple.

The 'reason' is not only for SALVATION (from this life),
but because JESUS suffered and died willingly for us.
HE humbled HIMSELF from being filling the universe with HIS presence, eternally have been GOD with GOD,
to being born son of man in the flesh. ALL of the sacrifices of all mankind the last 6000 years , and even ALL that ALL MEN could ever make,
would only be a small smidgeon
compared to the willing sacrifice JESUS made for the sins of mankind.

Corrie ten Boom , Keith Green, David Wilkerson, and a few others in the last century are perhaps the best examples widely known of giving up everything to be disciples,
yet (and how to) being able to "live in a house" , "have transportation",
"maintain life" with a good testimony of JESUS. (i.e. it doesn't mean sleeping on the street, under a tree, in a cave; at least not all the time.
It does mean your life is not your own any more,
from the time you are immersed in JESUS, forever.

Basically they gave up everything for the GOSPEL'S SAKE and
gave their whole life , not just a few hours nor just a couple hours a day a few days a week. (TIME might be the hardest thing to give up ..... like the military for anyone who joins, anyone who follows JESUS is HIS 365/24/7 the rest of their lives; and as JESUS says , will suffer [necessary] tribulation for following HIM. (the whole world hates HIM, and likewise the whole world hates HIS followers).

 

[RDKirk]

Tithing in the Old Test. was basically taxation.
Israel was a theocracy, the Levitical priests acted as the civil government. So the Levite's tithe (Leviticus 27:30-33) was a precursor to today's income tax. Festival taxes (Deuteronomy 14:22-29) and smaller taxes, so the average Jew paid around 25%. They were also able to give in addition to that any amount from the heart. So in the NT we continue with the same practices but we are not commanded to tithe. I live in the States and pay taxes every year, nothing really changed from the OT. It supports the nation. In the NT we are only expected to give from the heart, and it may be in aiding others in ways that doesn't mean financially. We should be a cheerful giver 2 Corinthians 9:6-7.

The Israel theocracy only lasted through the Judges period. When Saul was made king, they became a monarchy and government taxes were levied in addition to the tithe and other offerings.

 

[RDKirk]

Many pastors said that, "The more you give to the Lord, the more God will bless you back".
Is this what the Bible says?
What's the motif they said so?
To encourage us to give more money to Church?

That 2 Corinthians chapter 9, which preachers love to quote. But before getting to chapter 9, there is chapter 8, which American preachers never touch. Chapter 8 describes how chapter 9 is supposed to work...and it's just downright un-American.

 

[RDKirk]

I think you can't buy God's blessing. Give if you feel convicted about it.

I think some people are interested in having a "successful" ministry - big congregations and budgets. I think that's a very dangerous measure of success.



I definitely think that control of the money should not rest with the priest/pastor. That's too big a conflict of interest.

And, to be honest, it's a distraction. I'm glad to have a competent lay person managing the money, so that I can focus on leadership and teaching rather than budgets.

Well, we notice that Jesus did not manage the purse.

And later, the apostles gave over handling of resources to a set of picked men as well.

 

[Jesus_is_Saint]

That 2 Corinthians chapter 9, which preachers love to quote. But before getting to chapter 9, there is chapter 8, which American preachers never touch. Chapter 8 describes how chapter 9 is supposed to work...and it's just downright un-American.

Hi, can you write in details?

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

Well for many they will make a reason why the verses are wrong/don't apply today because in their heart they don't want to tithe. Just as christians do about many verses that we find annoying because we know we are doing what it says not to/says to do.

Me? I try to tithe even though I get government help. And the past months I have not tithed at all and feel guilty. My wife however tithes. See years ago I didn't tithe. I thought "I am poor, I can't afford too!". Then someone kept reminding me its Gods money so to speak. Everything we have is Gods and from God. And if we tithe, we will get it back even more. Not that we should tithe because we want more in return. Because if you tithe like that, God knows your not tithing out of your heart, but because money is calling you to do it out of gain.

Regardless I tither when it came to meeting my wife overseas. I truly believed God would help. And he did. Somehow I had enough to go there (with my mom too), get married, pay for that, hotels, rentals...etc and come back. If I wasn't tithing theres no way I would have been able to afford it. So God helped me. Which is why I feel bad I have not tithed at all really the last year or two. I know the power off it, but make excuses again. >.<

And yes I believe in 10% tithe. Even in one bible story the super poor woman gave like on coin... all she had to live on. And she was blessed. And yet the rich man barely gave anything. What shows more trust in God then giving him money? Money that is needed in this world to survive. Its the ultimate "trust exercise" with God.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

And yes I believe in 10% tithe. Even in one bible story the super poor woman gave like on coin... all she had to live on.

She never tithed, probably.
She gave everything when Y'SHUA pointed her out - it was all she had to live on.
Just like the disciples: Y'SHUA told them to leave EVERYTHING and follow HIM. (NOT TITHE) (EVERYTHING).
HE said this to ALL HIS DISCIPLES.

 

[ChristianFromKazakhstan]

I heard some pastors say that tithe is for the Jews and God, the OT covenant.
For NT christians, you give money with thankful heart, it is not a rule that you must give 10%.
To a widow with children, 10% is too much for her.

Fact: tithe is not mentioned in the NT. If it were so important for the Christian church, wouldn't it be mentioned?

Fact: Jesus said, it's not the amount/percentage that matters, but your sincere willingness to sacrifice what you realistically can for truly God's cause. Even if it's one penny. God will honour it. (The old woman offering a lepton at the temple).

Fact: when asked about paying taxes, Jesus held up a coin and asked whose face is on it. Caesar's! Was the obvious answer. "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's (money), and to God what is God's (your hearts)". Apparently, Jesus didn't consider money as anything that God was especially interested in.

Fact: the first church was living as a commune without private property, sharing everything. Like a large family. Modern churches in the western world, unfortunately, operate on a pure business model...

Fact: Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well, God is seeking true worshipers in spirit and truth. No mention of money there.

The bottom line: a widow with children, or anybody is not required to tithe to the church. They are required to give God whatever they can, namely, their heart, their souls, their thoughts and emotions to God. For God, it's quite a sufficient gift. Not money.

Money is extra. It is the last thing God wants from you.

 

[ChristianFromKazakhstan]

If I think this way: everything I have belongs to God, I am just a care taker, one day, all these things will be taken away from me when I die.
Is it ok?

Absolutely. 100% true.

 

[Jesus_is_Saint]

The earthly church needs money to operate,
the church members have to give offerings, could be more than or less than 10%.
When we give money to church, it also testifies our love to God,
it proves that we love God more than money therefore we are willing to give money to church so that the pastor can have salary to feed his family, so that the church can send missionary to other places to preach Gospels.

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

The earthly church needs money to operate,
the church members have to give offerings, could be more than or less than 10%.
When we give money to church, it also testifies our love to God,
it proves that we love God more than money therefore we are willing to give money to church so that the pastor can have salary to feed his family, so that the church can send missionary to other places to preach Gospels.

Exactly. Running a church isn't free. There are bills to pay, people to pay, missions to support and so on. They have said less and less people tithe today and many churches struggle to get by. Its why some end up closing their doors. Our church every week shows the budget for the month and year. Its falling behind sometimes. I think its yearly budget is like $109,000.

Our old church no one really tithed at all so the pastor was paid about $12,000. So on the side he had to also work a full time job and his wife a part time job. They had 4 kids. And they basically live in a trailer home on the church property.

 

[Jesus_is_Saint]

Tithe is not necessary,
but we are encouraged to give offerings according to our ability,
we shall give as much as possible,
if I earn 10k, I shall give at least 500,
or up to 800/month.

 

[Jesus_is_Saint]

We should not let the pastor and his family starving.
I think, in Malaysia, a pastor should get:
1. a car bought by church for him to use, with free petrol.
2. a salary of RM5000 (USD 1200)
3. rent a house for him or, if he buys his own house, subsidize him RM500 (USD 120) to pay for his installment.

 

[yeshuaslavejeff]

We should not let the pastor and his family starving.
I think, in Malaysia, a pastor should get:
1. a car bought by church for him to use, with free petrol.
2. a salary of RM5000 (USD 1200)
3. rent a house for him or, if he buys his own house, subsidize him RM500 (USD 120) to pay for his installment.

A lot of churches in the united states are modeled this way also. Like a "business". And that's how they are run.
And everyone can see this.