Tithing

[AvilaSurfer]

And how do we make God first? By obeying His commandments, perhaps?

LOL Pretty funny. What does this have to do with what your posted? Is 1Timothy a commandment? I think you're just aiming at one of those boring circular arguments, so, being bored, I'm out.

 

[AvilaSurfer]

You sound like a Pharisee... or a goat (see the parable of the sheep and the goats). .

Well, thanks for analyzing my faith on a message board. And yeah, everyone knows about the goats. Please don't feel the need to lecture me.

 

[RC1970]

Is 1Timothy a commandment? I think you're just aiming at one of those boring circular arguments, so, being bored, I'm out.

Why yes, yes indeed it is a commandment. Sorry you're bored.

 

[Hazelelponi]

I just want to please God and receive the blessings promised. That is all. To give to my church, have what I need, and just have a life categorized by my obedience to Him. I would be lying if I said that having a lot of what I want is also in my desires too.

I've only read to this point so forgive me if I reiterate anything.

The entirety of the law is fulfilled in love. In love of God and His people, His church, we give freely out of our excess..

Not according to law, but in accordance with love - which is greater.

Christ in us gives us this desire... as you have this desire. But God doesn't want you to go without your needs, He provided you an income to meet those needs and in that there is neither guilt nor shame.. When you have excess again then give again in love, not according to percentages and law, but according to what you have to give, in love.

Not everyone can give the same. God doesn't expect us all to be able to..

 

[Blade]

i just deleted all I wrote.. lets make this small and simple. What ever you desire when you pray believe you receive it and you will have it. What ever you ask the Father in JESUS name He will do.. if you ask ANYTHING... if just two of us agree as one.. the Father will answer. He supply's all your needs according to? Riches in Christ Jesus? If we know He hears us then we know we have the petitions we asked for. His WILL? Is His word.

That was just the NT...shall I start now on whats in the OLD Testament? There are over 7k promises in His word for ALL of us. And "OLD Testamen" is the wrong word for GODS words are ALIVE and ALWAYS HAVE to do what HE said. They can NEVER return to Him void. Did He not ask us to remind Him of what HE said? He never forgot.. WE DO!

So far.. GIVING has NO EFFECT on any of this. MAN truend GIVING into something its not.. there is a truth in GIVE and HE will bless give back overflowing.. its a PROMISE! But to give just to get back.. does not work with God. So about GIVING. Do you have a PEACE right now about it? Then those THOUGHTS FEELINGS are NOT from God.. toss them out.

NO God would not expect me to CUT BACK on things in my life so I can GIVE more at Church. I am 57 and have talked heard seen things from my Father..been PRAISE GOD GLORY TO JESUS so blessed to have these things. Never once has He ever talked about me GIVING money. As in HAD TO. Its a free choice. He wants me to CHEERFULLY give. If He has to ASK for it.. as I can see in my life then He does not want it..

See He does not want it that way..since HE would not be able to bless me. I KNOW when I give my Father in some way or another be it people work money or what ever...will always bless me in return. THAT IS NOT why I give.

So... what are the FRUITS of the spirit (Gal 5)? Whats LOVE 1st Cor 13.. THATS how God talks to you. Your blessed going in and going out.. NEVER had to GIVE anything to receive that. TO LOVE Him is whats required. We so do NOT Know Him.. He LOVES to give and give and give and give. This world takes and takes..

So.. you pray you seek HIM..you ask HIM what HE wants. And tell Him.. if your heart is.. I need more because I want to give more..then HE WILL do that. So I give you this " Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,"

Now Paul was talking to some about SOMETHING else but whats true here is.. YOU alone must decided in your heart... now do you have a peace about it? Then its NOT the amount.. But you gave with a CHEERFUL HEART..wow.. wow.. blessed myself..... so NOW when you give.. your happy.. be it small or great.. your HEART was in it. AND HE WILL bless you. Go in peace

 

[Sketcher]

Personally, I believe you should give what you can, and work your way up to 10% as you are able. Don't go into debt or fail to feed or clothe or get medical care for your kids to make that number.

 

[Stone-n-Steel]

I just want to please God and receive the blessings promised. That is all. To give to my church, have what I need, and just have a life categorized by my obedience to Him. I would be lying if I said that having a lot of what I want is also in my desires too.

Choosing to follow God in the face of persecution and hardship is just what God would like to see. It is not about what you do with your possessions since ever thing is the Lords already. If you want to up the ante at the table start telling people how they can be reconciled to God through belief on the cross of Christ. If you think it is tough now you might be surprised at just how hard it can get. Not that the Lord will not supply all your need and comfort in tribulation.

 

[Stone-n-Steel]

i just deleted all I wrote.. lets make this small and simple. What ever you desire when you pray believe you receive it and you will have it. What ever you ask the Father in JESUS name He will do.. if you ask ANYTHING... if just two of us agree as one.. the Father will answer. He supply's all your needs according to? Riches in Christ Jesus? If we know He hears us then we know we have the petitions we asked for. His WILL? Is His word.

That was just the NT...shall I start now on whats in the OLD Testament? There are over 7k promises in His word for ALL of us. And "OLD Testamen" is the wrong word for GODS words are ALIVE and ALWAYS HAVE to do what HE said. They can NEVER return to Him void. Did He not ask us to remind Him of what HE said? He never forgot.. WE DO!

So far.. GIVING has NO EFFECT on any of this. MAN truend GIVING into something its not.. there is a truth in GIVE and HE will bless give back overflowing.. its a PROMISE! But to give just to get back.. does not work with God. So about GIVING. Do you have a PEACE right now about it? Then those THOUGHTS FEELINGS are NOT from God.. toss them out.

NO God would not expect me to CUT BACK on things in my life so I can GIVE more at Church. I am 57 and have talked heard seen things from my Father..been PRAISE GOD GLORY TO JESUS so blessed to have these things. Never once has He ever talked about me GIVING money. As in HAD TO. Its a free choice. He wants me to CHEERFULLY give. If He has to ASK for it.. as I can see in my life then He does not want it..

See He does not want it that way..since HE would not be able to bless me. I KNOW when I give my Father in some way or another be it people work money or what ever...will always bless me in return. THAT IS NOT why I give.

So... what are the FRUITS of the spirit (Gal 5)? Whats LOVE 1st Cor 13.. THATS how God talks to you. Your blessed going in and going out.. NEVER had to GIVE anything to receive that. TO LOVE Him is whats required. We so do NOT Know Him.. He LOVES to give and give and give and give. This world takes and takes..

So.. you pray you seek HIM..you ask HIM what HE wants. And tell Him.. if your heart is.. I need more because I want to give more..then HE WILL do that. So I give you this " Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. 9 As it is written,"

Now Paul was talking to some about SOMETHING else but whats true here is.. YOU alone must decided in your heart... now do you have a peace about it? Then its NOT the amount.. But you gave with a CHEERFUL HEART..wow.. wow.. blessed myself..... so NOW when you give.. your happy.. be it small or great.. your HEART was in it. AND HE WILL bless you. Go in peace

Do you think the Martyrs in Foxes book of the Martyrs were asking for deliverance? If you go to your death refusing to deny Christ that sounds sincere.

 

[dqhall]

Malachi 3:10 comes to mind each time its brought up. I have failed in this regard.

Could anyone share testimonies on tithing with me? We're not doing so well financially, my wife and I. Its hard to wrap my head around making it and not having to duck bills by paying out more money. Just being honest as a human who is slow to learn.

Jesus taught people to help the poor (Matthew 25:35-40).
He also taught them to give alms to the poor, but to give in secret (Matthew 6:1-4).

When I was poor, I begged charities for assistance. After I was out of trouble and not needing assistance, I tried was able to repay some of the charities.

I used to study in a theological seminary library as a visitor, not as a student or faculty. I donated checks to the library in recognition of their service to me. The Seminary sent me their bulletins for years afterwards. Quid pro quo.

 

[RaymondG]

Malachi 3:10 comes to mind each time its brought up. I have failed in this regard.

Could anyone share testimonies on tithing with me? We're not doing so well financially, my wife and I. Its hard to wrap my head around making it and not having to duck bills by paying out more money. Just being honest as a human who is slow to learn.

If you believe that you will be blessed by giving 10% of your money and cursed if you don't, you are correct. Best to give it always even if you have to skip a few streak dinners. Eventually you will be blessed beyond measure, for your faithfulness.

 

[RaymondG]

Some churches name a specific percentage of income, which really is not a fair way of doing it. 10%, or even 5% may be no big deal to someone who makes several thousand a month. But they same percentage can be impossible for someone who barely has enough income to pay their rent and feed their family. The fairest way - It's between you and God. Give what you can honestly afford to give, even if it's only a dollar.

Actually, I find this to be the fairest way to collect money that their is. If you give a set price......say 200.......how would it be fairer for the one who makes 400 a month and the one who makes 4000 a month to give the same amount? In this case they one who makes less is affected much more. But if it is a percentage, one gives 40 and the other 400, and both are affected the same. You will have to make your point usage a method other than discrediting giving based off of income percentage .

 

[RaymondG]

I just want to please God and receive the blessings promised. That is all. To give to my church, have what I need, and just have a life categorized by my obedience to Him. I would be lying if I said that having a lot of what I want is also in my desires too.

You want to please God by giving Him money? And then you will expect your promised blessings? Exactly how much money do you think God will require before he opens those windows of heaven?

 

[Russ Campbell]

Malachi 3:10 comes to mind each time its brought up. I have failed in this regard.

Could anyone share testimonies on tithing with me? We're not doing so well financially, my wife and I. Its hard to wrap my head around making it and not having to duck bills by paying out more money. Just being honest as a human who is slow to learn.

Yes, although I don't have much money to give either, tithing is more than just money. Its giving to the church, in material possessions that they need, your time is a precious commodity that can be given to the church, I will ask you this question: How much is your time worth to you? Think about that when you want to tithe , and give them at least something monetarily, above all keep your tithing secret only with the Lord.

I hope that this helps you. Russ Campbell

 

[salt-n-light]

Malachi 3:10 comes to mind each time its brought up. I have failed in this regard.

Could anyone share testimonies on tithing with me? We're not doing so well financially, my wife and I. Its hard to wrap my head around making it and not having to duck bills by paying out more money. Just being honest as a human who is slow to learn.

You’re not required to tithe. But give freely and be sound in judgement.

I do have testimony whenever I do give in general, someone blesses me in return. I can’t say that it’s a direct result of me giving, but I can say that it’s a result of God’s grace as well as operating in faith. That no matter what God is in control. There’s peace with that whether I get anything or not.

For anyone that say it is I can’t trust. I can give everything and end up still poor because of expectations to get back. Those are not guarantees. But what guaranteed is that you are in good hands, in the hands of God.

 

[zoidar]

Malachi 3:10 comes to mind each time its brought up. I have failed in this regard.

Could anyone share testimonies on tithing with me? We're not doing so well financially, my wife and I. Its hard to wrap my head around making it and not having to duck bills by paying out more money. Just being honest as a human who is slow to learn.

Wasn't tithing under a special time peroid for the Jews? Jesus says nothing about tithing, like someone here said: Jesus told the rich young man to give all he had to the poor. I think that also was situational. We are to give our lives to Christ, all we have financially, even die for him IF there is such a situation. Othervise I believe we are to give generously, and what that means everyone has to decide for themself. 10% is a good ground. If we can't give 10%, try 5%. If 10% is easy for your economy you can give 15% or 20% or more. We are to give, I don't think there is a certain number, just have a generous heart.

Further more, I believe we are to help the poor. So if your church doesn't focus on this I think we should also give to the poor through other means.

Christ love!
/P

 

[RaymondG]

For anyone that say it is I can’t trust. I can give everything and end up still poor because of expectations to get back. Those are not guarantees. But what guaranteed is that you are in good hands, in the hands of God.

God says that it is guaranteed. And if you dont believe Him, he says to test Him and see if he wont give you more than you can receive. You say it is not a guaranteed....Have you tried Him?

 

[RaymondG]

Wasn't tithing under a special time peroid for the Jews? Jesus says nothing about tithing, like someone here said: Jesus told the rich young man to give all he had to the poor. I think that also was situational.

Jesus did, in fact, mention tithing. He spoke of how the Pharisee gave it....and did not tell them to stop.
Why is it that you feel that what Jesus told the rich man, was situational? Is it because you feel it would be too hard for you to do?.....It was just a hard for him as well.

We are to give our lives to Christ, all we have financially, even die for him IF there is such a situation. Othervise I believe we are to give generously, and what that means everyone has to decide for themself. 10% is a good ground. If we can't give 10%, try 5%. If 10% is easy for your economy you can give 15% or 20% or more. We are to give, I don't think there is a certain number, just have a generous heart.

You say we are to give to Christ Financially....How to you believe we are to do that? How much money do you believe He requires , and what would be the end result of you giving it?

You say that you dont think there is a certain money to give, put you preceded with 4 different exact percentage amounts that we could give. If you believe we are to give from our hearts, why wouldnt "Give from your heart" have been enough, without the dollar amounts being inserted?

 

[zoidar]

Jesus did, in fact, mention tithing. He spoke of how the Pharisee gave it....and did not tell them to stop.
Why is it that you feel that what Jesus told the rich man, was situational? Is it because you feel it would be too hard for you to do?.....It was just a hard for him as well.

I have to check that passage closer with Jesus speaking with the pharisee about tithing... At least he didn't give any command about tithing in his teachings. If we were to tithe, why didn't he specifically mention it in the sermon on the mount, or the plains?

If we were to give all we have to Jesus financially, we all would be living like beggars on the street. That is not how the early Christians lived, so I don't think we have to give all we have, unless Jesus specifically asks us. What he demands is giving all our lives to him. It was hard for the young man, and it will be hard for us as well if Jesus asks us to give all we have. But if he asks us, how can we call him Lord if we refuse?

You say we are to give to Christ Financially....How to you believe we are to do that? How much money do you believe He requires , and what would be the end result of you giving it?

By giving to the poor we give to Christ. "Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me." (Matt 25:40). Christ wants servants, people who live for him with their whole life, that involves giving. To be a servant of Christ we have to give.

You say that you dont think there is a certain money to give, put you preceded with 4 different exact percentage amounts that we could give. If you believe we are to give from our hearts, why wouldnt "Give from your heart" have been enough, without the dollar amounts being inserted?

Because some people give less that 1% of their salary when they give from their "hearts" and think that is ok. In some very rare cases we can't give more than that, and that is fine, but most of us is not in such a situation. It's hard to give, and it's good to be generous, therfore I like to encourage generous giving, therefore I gave the numbers. I believe most western people can give 10% so I felt it was a good number to start from, and it's also been a tradition in some churches.

But like I said, there is no specific number, we are to give from what we have. If we have much we are to give much, if we have little we can give little, even a small gift from a poor man can be a big gift to God. It can be any number, but we are to be generous. We are not supposed to bathe in luxury, but live simple lives.

 

[exitstageright]

Malachi 3:10 comes to mind each time its brought up. I have failed in this regard.

Could anyone share testimonies on tithing with me? We're not doing so well financially, my wife and I. Its hard to wrap my head around making it and not having to duck bills by paying out more money. Just being honest as a human who is slow to learn.

Do you know that tithing is also a tax deduction? Many Christians,are surprised when I ask them that . Yes,I tithe,when I can.When I was working,I tithed regularly. One,tithing is supporting the work of God's Kingdom here on Earth.Two,the money one spends on tithing is a tax deduction under "Charitable Contributions". Therefore, with tithing,one gets the "benefits of both worlds, "or realms.

 

[Oldmantook]

So Malachi 3:10 is no longer valid? Sounds like that is what you're saying.

Take it from me as I used to be on pastoral staff where tithing was taught. Whenever the monthly tithing trended lower for a few months, the Sr. Pastor would pull out his tithing sermon spotlighted by one or two testimonies from the congregation. The NT never refers to "tithing" at all. It does refer to "giving" - joyful giving. Just ask yourself, how can you give joyfully when you have bills hanging over your head?
Moreover, giving in the NT never went to support salaries of pastors, building expenses, etc. Giving in the NT was urged and practiced in order to support the needy brethren.
Sounds like the church should be assisting you and your family if you're in need - not the other way around. My suggestion is to not tithe and use the money to support your own household.