Should we tithe?

[snowfam]

If I put money in the plate as it passses along the pews on Sunday morning, am I doing God's will or my pastors?
Shoul I contribute 10% of my net or gross oe should I buy groceries pay the intenet bill buy a new ipad then contribute 10% of what remains?
How come I am only allowed to give 10%, and it has to go to the church I attend?
What if I fed a starving person then only had 8% to give, would I lose my 2014 mecedes?
I am an American should'nt my tithe pay for air conditioning and a comfortable seat as well as donuts and a hot beverage before the service instead of going to those whiny Chinese Christians with all their absurd claims of prosecution?

 

[BryanW92]

If I put money in the plate as it passses along the pews on Sunday morning, am I doing God's will or my pastors?
Shoul I contribute 10% of my net or gross oe should I buy groceries pay the intenet bill buy a new ipad then contribute 10% of what remains?
How come I am only allowed to give 10%, and it has to go to the church I attend?
What if I fed a starving person then only had 8% to give, would I lose my 2014 mecedes?
I am an American should'nt my tithe pay for air conditioning and a comfortable seat as well as donuts and a hot beverage before the service instead of going to those whiny Chinese Christians with all their absurd claims of prosecution?

What are you looking for with these questions? Give sacrificially and with joy. If you can't do that, then a perfect 10% tithe isn't going to do you any good either.

If you are offended by air conditioning, then let your church know. Perhaps others are offended by it as well and you can turn it off. People love to post these "we are such bad Christians" posts, but rarely turn that guilt inward. You are responsible for YOU. Let others work out their own salvation.

In my church, I took a stand against some luxuries that were a waste of resources and caused some problems. We had meaningful discussions over it and came to certain agreements. We also caused people to think about the things that we begin to feel entitled to just because we put money in that plate.

If you hate giving because you need to make a Mercedes payment, then that is your problem. If you hate it because there are people starving in China, then its still your problem but perhaps that is someone else's problem too and they want to join with you to get the money to places where it needs to go.

 

[snowfam]

What are you looking for with these questions? Give sacrificially and with joy. If you can't do that, then a perfect 10% tithe isn't going to do you any good either.

If you are offended by air conditioning, then let your church know. Perhaps others are offended by it as well and you can turn it off. People love to post these "we are such bad Christians" posts, but rarely turn that guilt inward. You are responsible for YOU. Let others work out their own salvation.

In my church, I took a stand against some luxuries that were a waste of resources and caused some problems. We had meaningful discussions over it and came to certain agreements. We also caused people to think about the things that we begin to feel entitled to just because we put money in that plate.

If you hate giving because you need to make a Mercedes payment, then that is your problem. If you hate it because there are people starving in China, then its still your problem but perhaps that is someone else's problem too and they want to join with you to get the money to places where it needs to go.

They are more statements than questions but if you did not identify that then I guess it is more or less pointless to proceed. I thank you for your response and your enlightening comments. By the way I dont think you are a bad Christian so dont take offense.

 

[BryanW92]

They are more statements than questions but if you did not identify that then I guess it is more or less pointless to proceed. I thank you for your response and your enlightening comments. By the way I dont think you are a bad Christian so dont take offense.

I don't think that you're a bad Christian either. I just think that we should stop complaining about how bad American Christianity is, and start fixing it instead. When people make the "statements" you made (and always in question form, for some reason), they always seem to be pointing fingers at "those other Christians".

Change begins with you and me, not with "them".

 

[snowfam]

I don't think that you're a bad Christian either. I just think that we should stop complaining about how bad American Christianity is, and start fixing it instead. When people make the "statements" you made (and always in question form, for some reason), they always seem to be pointing fingers at "those other Christians".

Change begins with you and me, not with "them".

I agree with that 100%. Although while I'm not pointing any fingers at other Christians in general, I am specifically addressing leaders.

 

[BryanW92]

I agree with that 100%. Although while I'm not pointing any fingers at other Christians in general, I am specifically addressing leaders.

What are the "leaders" doing wrong then? Your statements were pretty broad and contained a lot of question marks. Do you think that they should stop asking for money, or that all money should leave the church, or that they should all get tentmaking jobs so we can operate our churches without a budget?

What about lay leadership? We don't take any money out of the church. We only put it in, along with our time and talent. In some churches, the laity IS the leadership with the clergy only acting as a paid employee.

 

[snowfam]

What are the "leaders" doing wrong then? Your statements were pretty broad and contained a lot of question marks. Do you think that they should stop asking for money, or that all money should leave the church, or that they should all get tentmaking jobs so we can operate our churches without a budget?

What about lay leadership? We don't take any money out of the church. We only put it in, along with our time and talent. In some churches, the laity IS the leadership with the clergy only acting as a paid employee.

My statements were meant to be in the form of satire. To the second question yes and no, asking and extorting are two very different concepts. The pastors I've been involved misquote scripture in order to make you feel like you are stealing from God and inviting hellfire down on yourself and ten generations henceforth of your family if you do not tithe to that church in the amount they dictate. This seems to be cross denominational and even in churches with no denomination. I evenheard a pastor, who up I ntil that yime I greatly respected, tell a guy the problems he was having in his family were a direct result of not giving enough. The pastor did'nt even do this in private but in front of a group of men.
Anyway this is unscriptural extortion at the very least.
The church needs minimal money to run effectively at the local level. Making tents is probably not a sought after skill but some labor to support is probably best.
I cant really address lay leadership in a negative way as most are in it for pure reasons or at the most self-centered reasons.
I cant count the number of people I know who only associate church with money grubbing and well it true in America at least.

 

[BryanW92]

My statements were meant to be in the form of satire. To the second question yes and no, asking and extorting are two very different concepts. The pastors I've been involved misquote scripture in order to make you feel like you are stealing from God and inviting hellfire down on yourself and ten generations henceforth of your family if you do not tithe to that church in the amount they dictate. This seems to be cross denominational and even in churches with no denomination. I evenheard a pastor, who up I ntil that yime I greatly respected, tell a guy the problems he was having in his family were a direct result of not giving enough. The pastor did'nt even do this in private but in front of a group of men.
Anyway this is unscriptural extortion at the very least.
The church needs minimal money to run effectively at the local level. Making tents is probably not a sought after skill but some labor to support is probably best.
I cant really address lay leadership in a negative way as most are in it for pure reasons or at the most self-centered reasons.
I cant count the number of people I know who only associate church with money grubbing and well it true in America at least.

Tithing is always a sensitive subject for most of the reasons you mention right here.

1) If the church doesn't ask, it usually doesn't get. Then, people leave to go to the church with the "amenities". That's a sad, but true fact. They want free day care, good coffee, comfy seating, lighting, sound, A/C, a professional youth pastor for their teens, etc. And then they get offended when you tell them that they need to put more than $5 in the plate each week.

2) If everyone in a church freely gave 10% of their gross income, then the churches would be flooded with money to do good. And if everyone gave that with no expectation of any return to them in the form of amenities, then we'd have even more money for the kingdom. But, we have expenses that have to be paid before we can give? Right? Well, even if you pay for groceries, power, water, sewer, and housing first and then gave 10% of the rest, how many would say, "but what about my cell phone, cable TV, internet, and date night?"

Now, don't misunderstand me. I do not believe that there is any NewTestament compulsion to tithe 10%. That was a matter of Jewish law and I am not held to that any more than I have to stone my child for insubordination.

But, WE want a nice church and a professionally-trained pastor, so WE have to pay for it. Its not hypocrisy. Its just economics. Do you work for your employer for free just because you are a Christian?

 

[Alithis]

Do what ever you feel the Holy Spirit telling you to do ..or what you feel compassionately to do ,in love .

do not let anyone impose upon you the LAW of the tithe as it causes a sense of obligation which in turn can grow into giving from a wrongful heart .the law of the tithe also causes folks to limit what they give and where they give because they develop have a sense of .".i already gave my bit" .. law always brings death .

love the lord and do as you feel HIM telling you to do in this regard and in every regard .
it does not matter how moving a sermon on tithing or giving is ..i always pray , lord shall i give to this ..or that and lord how much and do THAT ... not what man says .

 

[Kings servant]

If I put money in the plate as it passses along the pews on Sunday morning, am I doing God's will or my pastors?
Shoul I contribute 10% of my net or gross oe should I buy groceries pay the intenet bill buy a new ipad then contribute 10% of what remains?
How come I am only allowed to give 10%, and it has to go to the church I attend?
What if I fed a starving person then only had 8% to give, would I lose my 2014 mecedes?
I am an American should'nt my tithe pay for air conditioning and a comfortable seat as well as donuts and a hot beverage before the service instead of going to those whiny Chinese Christians with all their absurd claims of prosecution?

Simple answer. You should tithe your 10% because this is what Gods wants you to do.
This way you are being obedient to God. What the church does with the money is all on them and if they don't use it in a responsible manner then that is something they will have to answer for when they stand before judgement! Remember what the bible says regarding the storehouse? " Bring to the storehouse a full ·tenth of what you earn [tithe] so there will be food in my house [ C the temple; Deut. 14:22–28]. Test me in this,” says the LORD" if you do your best to follow all that He tells us to do then this needs to be done as well regardless of what the church does with it.

 

[abysmul]

Simple answer. You should tithe your 10% because this is what Gods wants you to do.
This way you are being obedient to God. What the church does with the money is all on them and if they don't use it in a responsible manner then that is something they will have to answer for when they stand before judgement! Remember what the bible says regarding the storehouse? " Bring to the storehouse a full ·tenth of what you earn [tithe] so there will be food in my house [ C the temple; Deut. 14:22–28]. Test me in this,” says the LORD" if you do your best to follow all that He tells us to do then this needs to be done as well regardless of what the church does with it.

You quote Deuteronomy in your support of a 10% tithe; I assume you follow/do this. Do you also:

Deuteronomy 14:28-29

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

28 “At the end of every third year you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in that year, and shall deposit it in your town. 29 The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do.

 

[Willie T]

If I put money in the plate as it passses along the pews on Sunday morning, am I doing God's will or my pastors?
Shoul I contribute 10% of my net or gross oe should I buy groceries pay the intenet bill buy a new ipad then contribute 10% of what remains?
How come I am only allowed to give 10%, and it has to go to the church I attend?
What if I fed a starving person then only had 8% to give, would I lose my 2014 mecedes?
I am an American should'nt my tithe pay for air conditioning and a comfortable seat as well as donuts and a hot beverage before the service instead of going to those whiny Chinese Christians with all their absurd claims of prosecution?

You do understand, don't you, that the Bible clearly says any, and all, of that is strictly YOUR own choice to make?

Why you tryin' to find some rules to follow?

 

[freedomissacred]

Is it the percentage or the actual act that is really at the root of the problem? Logically, since God is infinite in what He can do with any percentage, then the ten-percent rules are something we trip over in human confusion, aren't they?

And what does one do during periods of unchurchedness, which can happen to any conscientious Christian from time to time?

I think a useful question to ask oneself is this: was i more or less picky about the pastor's behavior before i started tithing? If the answer is "less" then the tithe is not really "given", but is being used as a tether between the giver and the receiver. If we give as to God, then we let go of that tether and we also let go of the worry about the finer details of percentages.

I think the point of giving the ten-percent off the top is not the amount but it is the act of thinking of God before thinking of all the other bills. I think God is also letting us know we have to examine those parts of our lives that demand more than ten-percent, to see if they really are that important or if we are being greedy about our resources, failing to rely fully on His ability to provide our needs.

 

[pescador]

I don't like the concept of tithing. I give as the Lord directs without any formula. For example, right now I'm giving to my church, two bible publishers, a local Christian charity, and directly to those in need. This past month, for example, I gave money to a family whose matriarch is being deported to Guatemala, even though her daughter and grandchild are citizens. When there was a closed community such as ancient Israel giving 10% to the priest-administrators made sense. Today we live in a plural society so I give where I feel it's needed most.

 

[thesunisout]

The New Testament calls us to a much higher standard than a tenth of our income; it calls for us to give sacrificially and from the heart. It calls us to give with a radical trust and dependance on God, willing to put it all on the line. This is what the early church looked like; they sold all of their property and shared everything.

We see that Jesus justified the old woman who gave almost nothing because it was all she had rather than the rich pharisee who gave out of his abundance. She trusted God; she also reminds me of the widow that gave Elijah her last morsels of food. God wants us to trust Him like that old woman trusted Him, and be willing to sacrifice when He calls us to.

As some have said in this thread, I give as I feel led of the Lord to give. He always lets me know what He wants me to do in regards to my money. It's very challenging to my flesh and I don't always do the right thing, but I want to live the way I believe rather than paying the Lord lip service by holding back my wallet.

 

[Kings servant]

You quote Deuteronomy in your support of a 10% tithe; I assume you follow/do this. Do you also:

"The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do"

Nope, we don't wait. This is done every week in feeding the poor and giving to those with very little. And no we don't just do 10%, we do as much as we can afford, sometimes more. (Remember what the word says regarding first fruits?) Just as our church gives more than it can sometime afford. Not just financial support but time as well. 10% is just a start,a least amount that God expects from you but i believe that the more you receive from God, the more blessings He rains down upon you then the more you should give. like someone else here said, you should always give what ever amount God lays upon your heart and as a Christian, a true follower of Christ. You should know what He expects from you without asking and you should always be willing to give all that you can.

.......as it is written so should you do.

 

[Neogaia777]

Tithing and "sowing" can be done in many, many different ways with many different things, there are so, so many "variations" on it I can't get into them all, but if your asking if one should "absolutely" give exactly 10% in cash money to say ones church or a charitable organization, then I can't quite answer that

but, can (may) I ask you, do you give to homeless people begging on a street corner, and if you do, is that considered "tithing" or if you just help a friend out who is say, having difficultly paying for a roof over their head, is this tithing?

Should we "invest" our "tithe" money locally or overseas, and what if it's not just "money" one can "sow" other things, like time and effort... "time" spent volunteering maybe, or effort spreading and sharing and sowing the gospel with people, lifting them up, offering, "tithing", sowing hope, or just spending time with a homeless man (or woman) and giving them food, provisions, backpacks, tents, whatever they may need, "giving" and I also believe "tithing" does not have to be limited to just money. "Do" unto others as you would have them do unto you (if you were in their shoes)

I would say just "give" to and from whatever comes up in your heart, "if someone presses you into to service for a mile, then go with him two miles, "give" to the one asking you, not expecting anything back, and you will have "treasure in heaven" "Do" whatever comes up in your heart, would be my advice, my "opinion"

 

[tturt]

If Yahweh doesn't have our wallets, we haven't submitted to Him completely.

 

[abysmul]

"The Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance among you, and the alien, the orphan and the widow who are in your town, shall come and eat and be satisfied, in order that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do"

Nope, we don't wait. This is done every week in feeding the poor and giving to those with very little. And no we don't just do 10%, we do as much as we can afford, sometimes more. (Remember what the word says regarding first fruits?) Just as our church gives more than it can sometime afford. Not just financial support but time as well. 10% is just a start,a least amount that God expects from you but i believe that the more you receive from God, the more blessings He rains down upon you then the more you should give. like someone else here said, you should always give what ever amount God lays upon your heart and as a Christian, a true follower of Christ. You should know what He expects from you without asking and you should always be willing to give all that you can.

.......as it is written so should you do.

... and it's safe to assume you do not eat pork?
... and grant a remission of debts every 7 years?
... and stone to death any stubborn and rebellious sons who do not obey their father or mother?
... and you have a parapet for your roof?
... and you don't wear a material mixed of wool and linen together?
... and you make yourself tassels on the four corners of your garment with which you cover yourself?
... and if anyone commits adultery in your congregation, you put them to death?

 

[Kings servant]

... and it's safe to assume you do not eat pork?
... and grant a remission of debts every 7 years?
... and stone to death any stubborn and rebellious sons who do not obey their father or mother?
... and you have a parapet for your roof?
... and you don't wear a material mixed of wool and linen together?
... and you make yourself tassels on the four corners of your garment with which you cover yourself?
... and if anyone commits adultery in your congregation, you put them to death?

So let me see if I understand the point you are trying to make. If we can't keep to every single letter of the Bible then we should not even waste our time in at least trying?