Tithing

[SwordmanJr]

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.

The best thing you could do is study what the tithe really was in the Old Testament. That tithe never had anything to do with monetary wages. It was exacted ONLY against crops and livestock.

No carpenter had to hand over every tenth chair, table, bench, or anything else they made (knock on wood, hint, hint) to the Levites or priests. Clothiers did not have to turn over every tenth yard of material they wove, wine makers didn't have to turn over every tenth gallon of wine they made, and fishermen didn't have to hand over every tenth fish they caught to the Levites. Get the picture? The tithe was not about money and wages. If you want to know why, then I will tell you, but will not belabor the point here.

Today and historically, however, preachers and priests the world over make the tithe about money, money, money. Rather than to teach the truth, they teach lies in the belief that the end justifies the means. They know intuitively that they would not have all the fancy monuments to their pride all around the world. Think about how much good could have been done with the trillions of dollars poured into real estate, buildings, cathedrals, pipe organs, artistically stained glass windows, et al. That's TRILLIONS! Do you get that? All of those trillions supposedly were what was "given to God," and yet billions have had to walk on by those monuments to men's pride with empty stomachs and unfulfilled needs.

Yes, there are all kinds of testimonies out there of tithing allegedly bringing people blessing. It's easy to blindly draw parallels to something that is actually unrelated, and bring to bare the battering ram of Malachi against anyone who dares challenge their lies. Never do those false teachers behind pulpits allow testimonies from people who tithed faithfully, and yet suffered loss.....with some suffering tremendous losses. If it is heard in the community that a faithful tither suffered loss, it is vomited that they must have fallen into sin or suffered a lack of faith in some matter. Reality just won't do to further their agenda for getting the people hand over a full tenth+ of their income for the furtherance of programs. Reality is just too painful to deal with, so they spin the illusions that faithful tithing (to them) ALWAYS leads to prosperity and blessing.

So, my question to you is: Do you want testimonies you can't substantiate, or do you want the TRUTH; keeping in mind that Malachi was talking to a people who were still under the Law, as was Jesus when He addressed the pharisees about their gardens of anise and cumin. Jesus also told men to go to the priests and offer up their burnt sacrifices after having healed them.....just in case someone chirps about Jesus's words about the tithe. They will yammer about faithful tithing on that basis, and yet ignore the burnt sacrifices.....claiming that Jesus fulfilled those, but not the other. They say that nonsense at the expense of ignoring that the veil of the temple was ripped open from top to bottom, exposing the Holy of Hollies for all to see and enter. The tithe was tied DIRECTLY to that temple, its activities, the priesthood that served there, and its storehouse. That temple was destroyed in about 70 AD, and was never rebuilt. Even had it been rebuilt, it is meaningless, for WE are the temple of Holy Spirit. WE are the priests unto the Most High God.

What about you? Do you still want illusions, or do you want reality and TRUTH? Seek the truth in God's word, not from men. Read the truth yourself. Take responsibility for what you choose to believe by reading it for yourself, as is encouraged in 1 John 2:27. I'm not looking for a following, as do so many false teaching preachers and priests out there. I would rather you become a conveyor of TRUTH in a religious world of lies.

Jr

 

[Redd5]

THIS. THIS. THIS. (Swordsman)

Amen Brother.

and then of course pro tithe arguments will turn to Abraham (if Malachi and Leviticus applied to Christians why would you turn to Abraham, but whatever)... and of course, Abraham’s 10% to Mel was a one time event, not of his Income, after he was already blessed etc... and an interesting point rarely thrown out there is that if one presumes that Abraham allegedly tithed on a regular basis (that is not in the Bible), then who did he tithe to? that would be some damn important information and without it, it is an extremely flimsy argument for tithing.

 

[Bobber]

I don't believe one has to tithes. I believe that was under the law. There is one thing however that people should consider. It is a good thing to step out in faith perhaps you don't need to do this all the time but some of the time.....practice giving more then you normally could to demonstrate money doesn't have a hold on you.

Put yourself every once in a while where God has to bless you a do a miracle financially speaking to provide . It's good to have your faith developed in case something happens to the world of economics where you have experience at using your faith to see God answer prayer.

I think God will honor that and bless you for you're wanting to make sure that you could live with God being your source. I'm not saying one has to do this all the time but maybe once in awhile. I recall hearing one minister who was a pastor for years saying while he was all his needs were met and all was fine.

Then God called him out of pastoring and preaching on the field ministry that is as a special speaker from place to place. What a difference he said. He found he really had to trust God at times in ways he never had to do that as much before but felt it was really good to have to exercise his faith.

 

[GenemZ]

The best thing you could do is study what the tithe really was in the Old Testament. That tithe never had anything to do with monetary wages. It was exacted ONLY against crops and livestock.

No carpenter had to hand over every tenth chair, table, bench, or anything else they made (knock on wood, hint, hint) to the Levites or priests. Clothiers did not have to turn over every tenth yard of material they wove, wine makers didn't have to turn over every tenth gallon of wine they made, and fishermen didn't have to hand over every tenth fish they caught to the Levites. Get the picture? The tithe was not about money and wages. If you want to know why, then I will tell you, but will not belabor the point here.

Today and historically, however, preachers and priests the world over make the tithe about money, money, money. Rather than to teach the truth, they teach lies in the belief that the end justifies the means. They know intuitively that they would not have all the fancy monuments to their pride all around the world. Think about how much good could have been done with the trillions of dollars poured into real estate, buildings, cathedrals, pipe organs, artistically stained glass windows, et al. That's TRILLIONS! Do you get that? All of those trillions supposedly were what was "given to God," and yet billions have had to walk on by those monuments to men's pride with empty stomachs and unfulfilled needs.

Yes, there are all kinds of testimonies out there of tithing allegedly bringing people blessing. It's easy to blindly draw parallels to something that is actually unrelated, and bring to bare the battering ram of Malachi against anyone who dares challenge their lies. Never do those false teachers behind pulpits allow testimonies from people who tithed faithfully, and yet suffered loss.....with some suffering tremendous losses. If it is heard in the community that a faithful tither suffered loss, it is vomited that they must have fallen into sin or suffered a lack of faith in some matter. Reality just won't do to further their agenda for getting the people hand over a full tenth+ of their income for the furtherance of programs. Reality is just too painful to deal with, so they spin the illusions that faithful tithing (to them) ALWAYS leads to prosperity and blessing.

So, my question to you is: Do you want testimonies you can't substantiate, or do you want the TRUTH; keeping in mind that Malachi was talking to a people who were still under the Law, as was Jesus when He addressed the pharisees about their gardens of anise and cumin. Jesus also told men to go to the priests and offer up their burnt sacrifices after having healed them.....just in case someone chirps about Jesus's words about the tithe. They will yammer about faithful tithing on that basis, and yet ignore the burnt sacrifices.....claiming that Jesus fulfilled those, but not the other. They say that nonsense at the expense of ignoring that the veil of the temple was ripped open from top to bottom, exposing the Holy of Hollies for all to see and enter. The tithe was tied DIRECTLY to that temple, its activities, the priesthood that served there, and its storehouse. That temple was destroyed in about 70 AD, and was never rebuilt. Even had it been rebuilt, it is meaningless, for WE are the temple of Holy Spirit. WE are the priests unto the Most High God.

What about you? Do you still want illusions, or do you want reality and TRUTH? Seek the truth in God's word, not from men. Read the truth yourself. Take responsibility for what you choose to believe by reading it for yourself, as is encouraged in 1 John 2:27. I'm not looking for a following, as do so many false teaching preachers and priests out there. I would rather you become a conveyor of TRUTH in a religious world of lies.

Jr

I have not forgotten your words... I just found the following.

I believe it puts into words a bit better what you were trying to convey. If it were not for your explanation I would have not been looking out for it. So, thanks! ..

The Reason Why Israel Only Tithed Food |

 

[NothingIsImpossible]

Can of worms with this subject lol.

I can give the PERFECT reason why you should tithe. Because you will be blessed in return. BTW not saying you earn rewards or anything like that. I'm saying when you trust God with your money, He will provide.

I never really tithed alot growing up. I just seen money as "My money!". When I met my wife online I realized I would have to come up with a TON of cash for traveling there, food, somewhere to stay, wedding....etc. It would be over $10,000. Now at the time I was only getting money from the gov, which paid my rent. So technically speaking coming up with 10k would be impossible.

So I cut some money from my check and tithed it every Sunday. I lived at home so my parents were ok with me cutting out the money (well mostly). And not long after tithing suddenly opportunities came out of no where. I fixed some PCs, I baked pastries for events. All within a few week span. Someone gave me some money...etc.

Now you may say "Eh, could be a coincidence!". Well I should say until all this stuff with my wife I never got anywhere financially. Kept "my money" for myself. Didn't tithe. And yet I start to tithe with my whole heart in it trusting in God and suddenly within weeks I had money to do what I needed to.

To top it off guess how much I got and how much I came back with after the trip? After we landed back home I had EXACTLY $5 left. God had provided the exact amount I needed for everything. Which actually was a bit more then I thought.

So do you need to tithe? I mean you don't have to. God won't send you to hell for not tithing. But you will miss out on many blessings. It may seem hard to tithe when you need money to pay the bills. But trusting in Him is worth it. Life seems so much easier. Not that its some magical thing where life doesn't have issues once you tithe.

 

[zoidar]

Can of worms with this subject lol.

I can give the PERFECT reason why you should tithe. Because you will be blessed in return. BTW not saying you earn rewards or anything like that. I'm saying when you trust God with your money, He will provide.

I never really tithed alot growing up. I just seen money as "My money!". When I met my wife online I realized I would have to come up with a TON of cash for traveling there, food, somewhere to stay, wedding....etc. It would be over $10,000. Now at the time I was only getting money from the gov, which paid my rent. So technically speaking coming up with 10k would be impossible.

So I cut some money from my check and tithed it every Sunday. I lived at home so my parents were ok with me cutting out the money (well mostly). And not long after tithing suddenly opportunities came out of no where. I fixed some PCs, I baked pastries for events. All within a few week span. Someone gave me some money...etc.

Now you may say "Eh, could be a coincidence!". Well I should say until all this stuff with my wife I never got anywhere financially. Kept "my money" for myself. Didn't tithe. And yet I start to tithe with my whole heart in it trusting in God and suddenly within weeks I had money to do what I needed to.

To top it off guess how much I got and how much I came back with after the trip? After we landed back home I had EXACTLY $5 left. God had provided the exact amount I needed for everything. Which actually was a bit more then I thought.

So do you need to tithe? I mean you don't have to. God won't send you to hell for not tithing. But you will miss out on many blessings. It may seem hard to tithe when you need money to pay the bills. But trusting in Him is worth it. Life seems so much easier. Not that its some magical thing where life doesn't have issues once you tithe.

Thanks for sharing your story. I believe it's a blessing to give, it doesn't have to be a tenth. You are to give from what you have. There may be times when it's hard to give even 1%, other times you can give 10, 15, 20, 30%, what do I know... God blesses a generous man or woman.

 

[GenemZ]

Can of worms with this subject lol.

I can give the PERFECT reason why you should tithe. Because you will be blessed in return. BTW not saying you earn rewards or anything like that. I'm saying when you trust God with your money, He will provide.

.

What if you do as you say with your money? But, neglect learning continuously sound doctrine?
Will God still bless you?

Tithing is not trusting God with your money. Tithing was God tax. That you owe God.

Is God a vending machine? Put in money and out comes blessings?

Tithing was a set amount in Israel. Its has nothing to do with what's in your heart to give.

Here is what the NT Church age believer is to follow. Not some percentage (tax).

"Each of you should give what you have decided
in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under
compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Cor 9:7​

A tithe would demand an amount, which would be a compulsion. It was a theocracy tax for whom it applied.

 

[GenemZ]

Thanks for sharing your story. I believe it's a blessing to give, it doesn't have to be a tenth. You are to give from what you have. There may be times when it's hard to give even 1%, other times you can give 10, 15, 20, 30%, what do I know... God blesses a generous man or woman.

Not if the believer neglects growing in grace and sound doctrine It would be a lazy, short-cut, blessing if giving were a means for blessing. Just give and be blessed. Remain ignorant, but give.

Giving is not a means to blessing. Blessing is the means by which we give.

First do this...

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." 2 Pet 3:18​

Many are giving their opinion here. Their gut feeling which is not based upon sound doctrine.

The devil can bless also. He does it all the time. The devil can give money if it keeps a person from gaining the knowledge of sound doctrine. The very thing that would ultimately leave the devil impotent.

 

[GenemZ]

You are to give as you determined in your heart.

If a pastor is neglecting sound teaching? To tithe is to guarantee an income that God would not want continued. Yet, many of those kind of pastors are salesmen and people will give because they simply like his personality and how he can make them feel. Worse yet..They do not want sound doctrine. They pay for entertainment. Nothing wrong if a teacher is entertaining. As long as he can really teach soundly.

We are in an age of gimmick churchianity. Sound doctrine is worth its weight in gold, silver, and precious stones.

 

[zoidar]

Not if the believer neglects growing in grace and sound doctrine It would be a lazy, short-cut, blessing if giving were a means for blessing. Just give and be blessed. Remain ignorant, but give.

Giving is not a means to blessing. Blessing is the means by which we give.

First do this...

"But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen." 2 Pet 3:18​

Many are giving their opinion here. Their gut feeling which is not based upon sound doctrine.

The devil can bless also. He does it all the time. The devil can give money if it keeps a person from gaining the knowledge of sound doctrine. The very thing that would ultimately leave the devil impotent.

You are to give as you determined in your heart.

If a pastor is neglecting sound teaching? To tithe is to guarantee an income that God would not want continued. Yet, many of those kind of pastors are salesmen and people will give because they simply like his personality and how he can make them feel. Worse yet..They do not want sound doctrine. They pay for entertainment. Nothing wrong if a teacher is entertaining. As long as he can really teach soundly.

We are in an age of gimmick churchianity. Sound doctrine is worth its weight in gold, silver, and precious stones.

Of course we can't earn our way to heaven. If we live an otherwise unrighteous life giving won't save us. We are to give and be generous, each person have to look inside what that means, there is no fixed number.

I believe you should be careful of making too much theology of those few verses. Look at the early Christians how they lived. We are to learn from them, and also from our relationship with Christ.

 

[RaymondG]

Not if the believer neglects growing in grace and sound doctrine It would be a lazy, short-cut, blessing if giving were a means for blessing. Just give and be blessed. Remain ignorant, but give.

Giving is not a means to blessing. Blessing is the means by which we give.

Giving and receiving is a law unbroken.....you cant related it to other subjects just like you cant relate the law of gravity to other subjects. E.G. if you were to go slap someone, God will not say that you have become a bad person, therefore my law of gravity will no longer apply to you so you will fly into outter space.

The law of gravity will continue to work for the just as well as the unjust.. So will the law of giving and receiving... If you equate having money with blessings....you shouldnt......and the amount of money you have is not necessarily linked to your closeness with God. One can follow many laws in their favor, without knowing that they are.

The devil can bless also. He does it all the time. The devil can give money if it keeps a person from gaining the knowledge of sound doctrine. The very thing that would ultimately leave the devil impotent.

It is only God who gives and takes. He is Lord and besides Him there is no other. It is Best not to give any credit to an adversary.

 

[GenemZ]

Of course we can't earn our way to heaven. If we live an otherwise unrighteous life giving won't save us. We are to give and be generous, each person have to look inside what that means, there is no fixed number.

Who said heaven? Some here think they can buy God's blessings by simply giving.

They think by giving money God will bless them. Before all else, God wants us to transform in our minds into the way of thinking gained from learning sound doctrine. After that, giving will then simply become a detail in our life.

Some teach giving as if giving is rubbing the bottle to have the genie appear in their lives. Its reverting back to paganism, but in the name of Christ.

 

[zoidar]

Who said heaven? Some here think they can buy God's blessings by simply giving.

They think by giving money God will bless them. Before all else, God wants us to transform in our minds into the way of thinking gained from learning sound doctrine. After that, giving will then simply become a detail in our life.

Some teach giving as if giving is rubbing the bottle to have the genie appear in their lives. Its reverting back to paganism, but in the name of Christ.

God blesses giving, God blesses kindness, God blesses generosity, God blesses those who pray etc. I'm a firm believer that God blesses service and goodness, it doesn't mean God blesses giving money more than helping a neighbour or helping out in Church. I don't believe giving money is the only way to bless and be blessed. Our attitude is to be a giver, and that goes for everything good in life.

 

[GenemZ]

It is only God who gives and takes. He is Lord and besides Him there is no other. It is Best not to give any credit to an adversary.

Oh no! The devil can bestow wealth where he can.

There are ministers who today are filthy rich did not get that money from God. Though they preach messages about giving as some here seem to believe is truth.

 

[GenemZ]

God blesses giving, God blesses kindness, God blesses generosity, God blesses those who pray etc. .

Become a Hindu then. Lots of "blessed" Hindus who pray to idols. It was not God.

 

[SwordmanJr]

I have not forgotten your words... I just found the following.

I believe it puts into words a bit better what you were trying to convey. If it were not for your explanation I would have not been looking out for it. So, thanks! ..

The Reason Why Israel Only Tithed Food |

That article is frought with error. It ignores the fact that there was oil in the temple for its lamps, which came from the tithe since the raw materials for the oils would have decayed before being processed. So, yes, some of the tithe was finished product, such as wine from the grapes. It would make no sense to hand over cart loads of grapes to a Levite, but hand over to him skins or containers of wine, and he would have something that didn't have to be consumed within a a couple of days without refrigeration or freezers.

That article also relies upon the commonly perceived dodge of the economy. If farming were the absolutely predominant form of living, then one would think that the majority of Israelites owned producing lands and/or livestock. Really?

What of that mass of people who lived in cities, and owned shops where they produced weave for clothing, leather for sandals and pouches, shaped wood for furniture, and others who crafted items from metal, such as knives and tools used to harvest crops and slaughter animals? That article was written by someone who is ignorant, but who also had an obvious agenda dirving them to the level of intellectual dishonesty.

If you're willing to believe the nonsense of that article without doing as Paul of Tarus instructed, which it to "prove all things," then you will only be engaging in willful disregard for the prusuit of truth. Many of land owners were possessed and worked by wealthy families, with the ownership of each piece of land owned by the family patriarch until his death, with the largest portion going to the eldest son.

The world is full of men and women with agendas. The difference is discerning the difference between honesty and dishonesty. That article appeals only to those who prefer to follow after what "pastor" taught from the pulpit. Sheeple will always find articles on the internet that back up their irrational bias. The web is full of such nonsense. There are also websites that back the idea of the earth being flat. I hope you don't fall into that bias as well.

Here's a hint for you: That article's title alone should have tipped you off of its being filled with falsehoods. Why? Simply stated, the explanation failed to point to the fact that Israel tithed from produce and livestock BECAUSE GOD COMMANDED IT.

That should be enough to satisfy even the most active itch within the inquisitive mind. Ahh, but many in this world want their ears tickled with all manner of seemingly reasonable explanations that justify their (desired) beliefs. Meanwhile, truth lies bleeding in the ditches in front of the many luxuries of edifices that the people lavish upon themselves by way of their own "giving".

Oh, my. We sure can lavish some of the most extravegant cathedral buildings and plush comforts upon ourselves, can't we? There is no end to what we can do for ourselves while the needy continue to march by in front of our lavishness, empty stomachs growling...but, hey, we have thousands of justifications for us having what we possess collectively. All those luxuries can be used to hand out food from pantries, and send out checks to pay a few bills of some of the needy. After all, as long as we're at least doing SOMETHING, we can fell better about ourselves. We can even break our own arms patting ourselves on the back in order to think that we can point at our buildings and draw a parallel from them to the temple that once stood in Jerusalem. Many call their edifices a "storehouse". Really? Storehouse of what? A couple of refrigerators and freezers of groceries to be handed out once a week as long as that meager store of food lasts?

I need to go get some stomach-soothing liquid for my belly. It's beginning to turn with all this talk about the massive hypocrisies of modern and historic churchianity. I too was once accustomed to the acid of the many falsehoods we all have become immune, but after asking the Lord for His thoughts and His ways for some years now, and for them to dominate me, I no longer have that immunity. The hypocrisies sicken me to the core if I let it.

Jr.