The Word of Truth Ministries

 
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The Truth of Tithes:
Never for New Testament Saints
Malachi 3
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Introduction:

Tithe as a system of giving in the New Testament church has become controversial, even dangerous to talk about in many circles because a proper analysis of the word of God cuts into a large source of revenue for which many churches were started and for which many ministers have gotten into the ministry. The tithe system is a system that has made many ministers rich while not helping that same number of poor tithe payers. And it is a system that cannot be sustained as a New Testament method of giving if one rightly divides the word of God.  

On this issue, many ministers who actually know or should actually know what God says about New Testament giving have misinterpreted God’s word. And when looking at a number of church manuals and biblical analyses, I see that many ministers turn toward money instead of the Word of God. This is especially true among many Pentecostal churches. 

Because of a deliberate misinterpretation of God’s Word on this money issue, unscrupulous men have made the people of God into merchandise and have turned the grace of our God into cash for themselves; having misapplied the Word of God some oppress the people of God, threatening the fires of hell if they do not pay tithes. 

As a matter of looking at the Word of God on this subject, I ask that you print out this document and give yourself at least one hour to read it and two to three hours to study it. I have written in easy to understand language as much as I could; I have given all the scriptural references so that what is said can be looked up. Furthermore, this ministry gives the Word of Truth Challenge to anyone to show that we have misinterpreted the Word of God. 

I. Disclaimers:
First, I have no vested or other interest in saints’ money—whether tithes or offering; my concern is that all have a clear understanding of God’s Word so that God’s people will know the truth. At this writing, I am not a pastor; I am not receiving tithes of anyone, and when I was a pastor, I received no tithes from anyone. I am not rich; my lifestyle is middle-class, and the possessions I have, God has blessed me to have through my own labor--no saint of God has enriched me. Furthermore, I have been a pastor of three churches, I have looked at and considered the word of God for many years, and I do not come to this subject void of relevant experience, opportunity, or knowledge.  

Second, this tithe discussion is not directed at any one person, pastor, or minister, but all those who want the truth of God’s Word. And only the right division of God’s word is the truth. And only the truth shall make us free.  

Third, I ask that you accept nothing that I say or that another minister says, but accept the Word of God rightly divided. On this subject many will brow-beat you and try to dismiss anyone who would tell you the truth of God’s Word on this subject—this is about their money. Please understand, as a minister this discussion goes against my financial grain and gain, if my grain is not for the truth of God’s Word. If I were in the ministry for the money, I, too, would misinterpret the Word of God on this and many other matters. But thank God, I am not in this glorious gospel for the money. So let no one suggest such naïve notion that my motivation is jealousy of their having fleeced the people of God into their own rich status. Were I unscrupulous, I am certainly better equipped than most to fleece God's people. But I have never and will never use the talents that God has given me to harm the people of God for financial or any other gain. My motivation is simply this:  I love the truth and want to see the people of God free from oppression. God has not made us free to be bound by man’s or Satan’s oppressive devices—we are not under the Law but Grace!  

Fourth, the tithe as it is administered in most churches has prompted poor, uneducated, unscrupulous, and even reprobated men to enter into the ministry and become wealthy at the expense of the poor and in the name of God.  Because of this fact, many will not come to truth on this matter; they will remain in darkness because it is profitable for them to do so, and they will teach blindness to the people of God, from whom their wealth comes. Their love for money is greater than their love for the truth of God’s Word. For them, the book of Malachi becomes their leaning post and also their whip with which they excoriate God's people to plunder their meager sums.  

Fifth, Paul said to the church in Acts 20:29-30 that once he departed grievous wolves would enter in among the saints, not sparing the flock. Also, of yourselves shall arise men who shall speak perverse things. Paul identified two types of wolves: those from out and those from within. The only way you can know who individuals are is through a right division of the Word of God and by comparing their behavior by the Word. A wrong division of God’s Word is not God’s Word. 

I am aware of the strong tithe culture that has been built up in many Pentecostal churches and how it is enforced with every tactic man can muster, short of a gun. But carefully consider this discussion of God’s Word and see if it is flawed in any way. I will look at all scriptures and arguments that have been used on New Testament saints, and if I have missed one that you have heard, please let me know of it so that I can include it in a discussion. [Click here] 

Finally, if the Bible is the basis and the underlying principle on which a church is based, every true saint and minister of God’s Word should love a correct dividing of the Word. I beg of you, please do not take anything that I say in this analysis to mean that I do not believe in giving to the church. I do believe in giving to God’s house; giving according as God has prospered me to give; I give as unto the Lord, not unto man. There are real financial needs of a church—assisting the poor and needy, assisting the sick and afflicted, the upkeep of the House of God, and the sustenance of the ministry. The scripture teaches that we are not to muzzle the Oxen that tread the corn and that the minister should live by the ministry. But sustenance of the ministry does not mean that any minister should be made rich above other members of the assembly; as I will show you, that very idea was the error of Annais and Sapphira that got them killed. 

Let no man fool you or make you fearful of seeing the truth of God’s word. And I assure you, on this subject, they shall try! The Word of the Lord, and only it, is right [Psa.33:4] The rest is simply browbeating tactics. The privileged seldom give up their privileged positions voluntarily. It must be demanded. [MLK, Jr., A Letter From a Birmingham Jail, 1963] 

II. Tithe first mentioned in the Bible:
The first mention of the tithe was with Abram, later called Abraham. He had gone out to rescue Lot, his nephew who had been taken captive and many of the people of the town he lived in, Sodom. [Gen. 14:12]  Abram was a rich man with armed men  at his command. [Gen. 13:2]  and when returning from battle with Chedorlaomer and those who had taken Lot hostage, along with the possessions of Sodom, the king of Sodom and those with him, went out to meet Abram—no doubt to thank him. At that time, Melchizedez, king of Salem, brought bread and wine.(1) He was the priest of the most high God. That priest blessed Abram and told him that God delivered Chedorlaomer into his hands. It was here in Genesis 14: 20 that the Bible says: “…He [Abram] gave him tithes of all.” 

In biblical analysis, the doctrine of first mention is important. It sets the conditions and tone for other mentions. Abram was already rich, according to Genesis 13:2, and it is important also to determine where they were physically located when this king met Abram? That will determine what precisely Abram gave to the priest of the most high God. 

They were located at the Valley of Shaveh, which is the King’s dale, Lot’s dwelling--Sodom and Gomorrah. [Gen.14: 18] Abram was not at his own dwelling when he returned Lot; Abram lived in the land of Canaan. [Gen.13:12]  He had agreed to an arrangement between Lot and he after their herdsmen got into a dispute. Therefore, the booty he had with him was the source of the tithes given to Melchizedez. The Bible says that Abram gave Melchizedez tithes of all—all that he possessed there; all that he brought back from that incursion, in which God had delivered the enemy into his hands. Notice verse 16, “He brought back all the goods, and Lot and his goods and the women and people.” 

Of all of Abram’s riches before that time, he gave no tithes. He gave a tithe to Melchizedez because as the priest of God, he was paying tribute to God because God had delivered the enemy into his hands. This act was an act of Abram’s largess. He could have given a fifth, a fourth, a third, etc. There was no command to give; there was no scope for his giving.  This is the only time Abram or Abraham gave tithes, and he gave, [he did not pay] tithes on all the booty that he had recaptured from that battle, but not on his existing riches, and there is no mention in scripture that he gave on any other sum after this one giving. All of his riches were the blessing of God. Hence, he did not give tithes on all the possessions he owned, just those possessions he took when he brought Lot back. Notice Hebrews 7:2-4 makes this point clear that when “…Abraham gave a tenth part of all” he actually gave a tenth part of “…all the spoils.” The spoils of war that he had just been engaged in, not any of his fortune! 

It is noteworthy for us to see, there is no mention of Abram PAYING tithes in Genesis or in the New Testament; there is no mention of Abraham giving tithes ever again after Lot's rescue. The Doctrine of First Mention sets the standard: a tithe was given voluntarily by Abram to Melchizedez and never given again. It was a tribute that Abram made; he could have set any amount he chose to give. He decided on ten percent.  No demand was made upon Abram; it was a voluntary act he chose to involve himself in. It was done once and never again. It was given of the booty he rescued when rescuing Lot. 

Now, let's look at the actions of Melchizedez. He was the King of Salem, peace, and he brought bread and wine to Abraham. The gifts he brought to Abraham represent several things--truth, the word of God, the bread; the baptism of the spirit of God--the new wine Joel talked about--the wine that he brought to Abraham. The true ministers of God feed the flock of God, not fleece the flock. (1) He gave and demanded nothing of Abraham.

This concept of men paying tithes is of the Law, where the Jews were obligated to pay to the Levites who received no land inheritance, [Numbers 18:23] only the tithes of the other tribes. The Bible says Abram gave a tithe to Melchizedez. This is a different word with a different meaning from paid. The word paid implies and means an obligation has prompted the behavior. The word gave implies and means one does at his/her own free will and one’s own discretion. Abram gave of his own free will and discretion to Melchizedez of the spoils he captured as he freed Lot from hostage takers.  

Tithe is not capitalized. It is not a proper name of anything here. It simply means a tenth. 

The next time a tithe/tenth is offered and seen in scripture is when Jacob obligates himself to give God a tenth. [Genesis 28:22] After Isaac had come to grips with Jacob having stolen his brother’s blessing, he sent him to Paddanaram to get a wife. While going Jacob slept over at Haran, at a certain place we later learn is Bethel. As he slept that night God appeared to him in a dream and confirmed his covenant—the covenant He had made with Abraham and Isaac—and now with him. That night God became more real to Jacob, and he realized that where he slept was sacred ground. He exclaimed: The Lord was in that place and I knew it not. As a result of his encounter with God that night and God having given him His covenant, Jacob rose up early, vowed a vow to God: 1.) If God would be with him and take care of him along the way, 2.) Provide him with food and raiment to put on, 3.) Allow him to get back to his father’s house in peace, then shall the Lord be his God. Second, during that vow he took a stone and set it as a pillar for the house of God, promising that of all God shall give him, he will “…give the tenth unto thee.” 

This was Jacob’s personal commitment to God. Again, notice what his commitment was: First, the Lord shall be my God. Second, in that vow he took a stone and set it as a pillar for the house of God and promised that of all God shall give him, he will “…give the tenth unto thee.”  This was more than a commitment of a tenth of his substance to God; Jacob vowed that the Lord would be his GOD and he would give a tenth of what God gave him. There was no command to give to God—Jacob voluntarily gave; voluntarily decided how much to give and of what portion of his wealth he would give. To vow is to make an independent commitment. God made no commitment on him; instead, he made commitment on himself to God. This is the exact principle God uses in the New Testament church. [2 Cor. 9: 6-7]  

These are the only times in the Old Testament, before the Law, that tithes or a tenth to God is ever spoken of.  The next mention of tithes is under the Law. And it is quite instructive to see how it was administered under the Law.(2) 

III. Tithes under the Law:
After the children of Israel had come out of slavery in Egypt, God gave Moses commandments to give to them. In Leviticus 27:30-34 there is a discussion of tithes and the last verse says plainly, “These are the commandments which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in Mount Sinai.” 

There is an extensive discussion in Numbers 18 of the tithing system under the Law. The Levites had no inheritance of land; they were set-aside, along with Aaron, to minister the things of God, to keep God’s House, to receive the sin offerings, and all other offerings of the people to the Lord God. Since they and Aaron had no inheritance, they received the tithe of the people, and Aaron received tithe of them. This was God’s system under the Law. It was mandated, codified, and rigid.  

All other 11 tribes of Jacob/Israel received a land inheritance. God said that He would be Levi's inheritance. As a result, God gave Moses commandments that the other 11 tribes pay tithes to the Levi tribe for their inheritance. Aaron received tithes of them for his family’s sustenance. Both Aaron and the tribe of Levi were dedicated to the service of God, and God was their inheritance. [Numbers 18] 

The tithes went to the Levites for their inheritance, but they were the keepers of God’s temple, those who waited on God’s people, and offered the sacrifices to God. The temple required keeping; the people of God required servicing. 

During Nehemiah's time, the people talked about bringing various supplies for God’s dilapidated and destroyed house and the tithe to the Levites, as their portion in the Lord. These Jews under Nehemiah were restoring the house of God from its decay and restoring the system of the Law that God had given to them through Moses.

There were other discussions of the tithe in the Old Testament that applied as it related to the Law. But Malachi 3 has been used to force the church of God to pay tithes with the threat of hell’s fire and thievery of God’s people when they cannot afford to pay it. 

VI. Malachi 3: 6-10:
Much is made of Malachi 3:6--10. More than much. It has become the cornerstone of the entire tithes discipline for New Testament giving that is preached in many churches. One would think that there was nothing in this book but tithes in the manner it is often preached. 

This is a perfectly wonderful scripture, but like all scriptures, it has to be rightly divided. Wrongly divided word of God is not the word of God at all. Paul told Timothy to rightly divide the word of truth. God’s word has to be divided correctly to determine what is applicable and what is not applicable to the New Testament church. All of God’s word is for us to learn by, [Rom. 15:4] but not all of it is for us to do. [Acts 15:28-29] This is the great task that is upon ministers of God. The apostles appointed deacons [Acts 6: 2-4] to look after the finances and the administration of the church, while they gave themselves continually to prayer and the ministry of the Word. They wanted to show themselves approved unto God. [2Tim. 2:15]. Apparently being approved of God is not something many are concerned about today. Many are more concerned about approval of men and the acquisition of more money. 

When Jesus went into the temple, he showed us the importance of a correct division of the word. [Luke 4: 17-20] He took up the Book of Isaiah, at Isaiah 61:1-2, and read it in part: “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, …to preach the acceptable year unto the Lord.” Luke said that at that word “…he closed the book and he gave it again to the minister and sat down.” [Luke 4:20] Jesus split that second verse of Isaiah into. He rightly divided the word of God. The whole of Isaiah 61:2 reads this way: “To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn….” This second part was not applicable to him at that time that is why he stopped reading. That second part refers to his second coming. If Jesus had imposed it at that time, he would have been wrongly dividing the Word of God. There are many such scriptures that Paul divides and other apostles divide as well. This is the task of God’s ministers—rightly dividing the word of truth for his people. 

God’s people are His flock and His flock live by the Word of God. The wrongly divided Word of God will poison the flock, and they will have no taste for truth; they will love darkness rather than light. And because of the condition that many are already in, many will read this truth that we have labored in the scriptures to present and walk away, accepting still the lies and customs of men. But God has told me to write the vision and make it plain. What you do with this truth is between you and God--I am merely God's watchman who cries that the sword cometh! I will not be able to snatch many from the fires of hell because they have been poisoned too severely. 

One final example of rightly dividing the Word of Truth is this: in Isaiah 66:15, it says that the Lord will come with fire and his chariots…. This scripture says chariots, not chariot without the S. To rightly divide this word concerning what the chariots of the Lord are, we must look at Psalms 68:17--The Chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels. This Psalms passage shows that the chariots of the Lord are his angels. This is further seen and supported in 2 Thessalonians 1:7. In that scripture, Paul said that the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels. If we had gone to Psalms 104: 3 we would not have had a right division of the word because that passage says that he makes the clouds his chariot. Notice the absence of the pluralization on the word chariot--no S. Paul does a similar analysis when discussing the seed of Abraham. He divides between the word seed and the word seedS. [Gal. 3: 16]

For many years, Malachi 3:6-14 has been misapplied to the church. God has another system for us. It is a system of faith--the same system that Abraham used; for we are justified by Christ and we are the just, and the just live by faith, not the commandments of the Law. 

Looking at Malachi 3:10 it is not a difficult scripture to rightly divide. There are New Testament and Old Testament scriptures that provide much more of a challenge than does Malachi 3:10. God is saying to his nation of Israel to bring the tithes into his house.  In the ninth verse He says, “You have robbed me, even this whole nation.” The word is to the nation of Israel. For they were the only people given this system of tithing. To attempt to place Malachi upon the church is flawed reasoning and a wrong division of God’s word, making it not the Word of God at all. And to go beyond that flawed reasoning and invoke a charge of robbery on God’s New Testament saints is more than flawed reasoning, it is an abuse of scripture and a slight of hand in interpreting the  word of  God. Clearly as you read on in this book, God says that all nations will call them [Israel] blessed and they will be a delightful land. [Malachi 3:10-12]  

To use Malachi 3 on the church demonstrates flawed analyses of the Word of God or no analysis at all. Such reasoning is similar to the proverbial man who wanted a word from God. He thereafter determined that wherever he opened the Bible, when opening it at random, would be God's word to him. He opened the Bible and read: Judas hanged himself. He opened it again and read: Go thou and do likewise. Of course God was not saying to him what he was reading. An "analysis" that allows one to conclude that Tithes is a New Testament teaching is similarly flawed as the proverbial man's word from God.

V. The New Testament Method of Giving:
Later in this discussion I will review the historical facts on this subject, but now let’s look at the New Testament scriptures to see if tithing is a New Testament method of church giving taught by any apostle or disciple. Malachi 3 does not apply to any saint of God in the New Testament church as a mandate for giving today. And when saints are coerced into paying tithes by the use of Malachi 3 that is an abuse of the scriptures and should not be done by any minister of God. 

The New Testament way of giving is clearly outlined by the Apostle Paul and others. In fact, it is so clearly outlined that there should be no confusion about it. And in fact, there is no confusion in millions of churches. But a segment of churches, predominantly unlearned Evangelical, Holiness, so-called Apostolic Faith church organizations and some national evangelists who can easily take the money and run without accountability have adopted the Old Testament way of tithing as a New Testament church way of giving, and they have mandated it. Of course, this was tried on the church a number of times before. Aside from being an incorrect analysis of scriptures on this subject, it has other more profound problems that actually place saints in jeopardy of their very salvation.  

A. New Testament Church’s Concern for Widows:
First, the church that was started on the Day of Pentecost had few obligations, other than helping the poor and needy, taking care of the needs of the widows, etc. They were not into church buildings and all of the activities that churches are into today. 

A dispute arose between the disciples about the widows being properly taken care of in Acts 6. The Grecian Jews complained that the Hebrew Jews were neglecting their widows in the daily ministration. As a result of that complaint, the Apostles rose up and appointed deacons to administer the tables for securing the necessary provisions and for overseeing the fair administration of those provisions to all the widows. This is the first church concern for provisions and fairness of the distribution of those provisions. Before this, the disciples who were gathered with the Apostles had all things common. [Acts 2:42-44; 4:32] But I do note, lest someone attempt to misapply this scripture, this was a voluntary commonality of all things. No mandate was made on any of the saints to give all. Dr. Scofield, in his notes, also vigorously asserts that point. 

At Jerusalem those Christians who had properties sold their possessions and brought the price to the Apostles for distribution to the needs of all the saints. And each person got according to his/her needs. [Acts 4:32-37] Again, this was a voluntary act; no one was mandated to so this, as Acts 5:1-9 clearly shows.  The disciples in the early church felt the return of Christ was imminent. That was a major ethos of that church. Peter writes briefly about that ethos and how some mocked when Jesus tarried. [2 Pet. 3: 3-5] Consequently, the selling of all their resources was a natural consequence of that idea and expectation. John also commented on this ethos indirectly in his gospel. [John 21:22-24]

B. Annais & Sapphira lying About Possessions:
Ananis and his wife Sapphira owned property, and they too sold that property. But when they brought the prices received for that property to the Apostles, they claimed they were giving all when in fact they were giving only a portion. The offense was not that they were only giving a portion and not all. The offense was that they were saying that they were giving all, when in fact they were only giving a portion. 

Notice Peter’s reasoning in this matter: Peter asked Annias, “Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost and to keep back part of the price of the land?” He had sold the land as if he too was going to lay all before God. But he laid a portion, and God showed that fact to Peter. Peter then reasoned with him: “While it remained, [in his possession] was it not thine own? After it was sold, was it not in thine own power?” [Acts 5: 3-4]  

Peter reasons and allows us to see the great flexibility Annias had. He could have not sold his land and would have been blameless--it was his to do with as he willed. Second, Peter reasoned, when he sold it, the price was still in his own discretion; he could have given all or any portion of that money to the Apostles at his own will. That is the flexibility God allows us. We must, however, with that flexibility remember that as one sows so shall he reap, etc. [2 Cor. 9:6] Having the money in total or in part was not the offense. The offense was he lied to God as if God did not know what he was doing. Notice Peter’s word to the wife, Sapphia: “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much? And she said, ‘Yea, for so much.’” She and her husband had agreed to lie, tempting God. [Acts 5: 7-9] Their offense was their lie even when they had no need to lie because of the great flexibility they had in giving or not giving. But their lie was perpetrated to do something even more than keep back some of their own money.

C. Annais & Sapphira Attempted to defraud the Saints:
According to Acts 4: 35, the saints had all resources in common; from that point was there a distribution to each saint according to his needs. If Annais had been allowed to get away with his lie, distribution would have been made to him according to a supposed need, based upon his lie, not his real need. Therefore, he would not have had all things common as the other saints, although pretending to have, but he and his wife would have had more than all saints. That deception was a form of defrauding the saints of God! In some states, that act is called Fraud by Deception, and it is a crime! God would not then allow that form of deception and self-vaunting above all the other saints. 

This form of deception is present in churches and some attempt to label it the blessing of God. That is much like a person who goes into a supermarket, buys food, tenders a $10 bill and tells the cashier he tendered a $20 bill, and when he is given cash back for that $20, he labels that deception a blessing of God. But God does not need to use deception or to rob the poor to give anyone a blessing. If that were the way God did it, it would not show his wealth or power. The cattle on a thousand hills are His; all the silver and gold is His; indeed, the wealth of this world is His. No poor person has to be made poorer for God to supply the needs of others. 

D. Model of Giving Delineated by Paul:
The New Testament Church had individuals who were rich and did not sell all they had to place at the Apostles’ feet. This model at Jerusalem was not a model that other churches subscribed to because it was not a model that was mandated. The Ethiopian Eunuch was rich, Phillip preached him into the church, but there is no indication in scripture that he or Queen Candace sold all they had. [Acts 8:26-39]   Cornelius was wealthy [Acts 10] and Peter preached him into the church, but there is no indication that he sold all to give to the church. The Books of Luke and Acts were written to Theophilus, presumably a wealthy and well respected person. There is no indication in scriptures or history that he became poor by giving all he had. And so on.  Neither is there any indication in scripture that these individuals paid or gave a tithe.

The model for giving in the New Testament church is found in 2 Corinthians 9: 1. In this first verse, Paul said: “For as touching the ministering to the saints….” Notice, the Apostle Paul is talking about ministering to the needs of the saints. The same thing the original Apostles talked about in Acts 6:1--the daily ministration. These two scriptures both talk about attending to the needs of the saints. And that is one of the main purposes for giving by the saints. 

In 2 Corinthians 9: 5 Paul instructs the saints that in giving for the needs of the saints, which he calls their bounty, to keep in mind that, “He who soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly and he that soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully.” This concept was also expressed in Galatians 6:7-9. The concept is this: Whatever way you freely give, that is the way God will freely receive from and return unto you; the more you give, the more you get; the less you give the less you get from God. This method is a method of faith. Old Testament giving was of works. 

Furthermore, Paul said, “Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give, not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.”  This admonition can be outlined as: 1.) An individual should only give of his own free will; he must determine in his mind what he is going to give. No pressure should be applied to him. [vow a vow, much like Jacob did in Genesis 28]  2.) A saint should not give grudgingly [not be pressured to give] 3.) A saint should not give out of necessity [take away from their own needs to take care of their own house or out of a demand on to give].  

Clearly, Paul’s admonition is the method of giving that would allow saints to give cheerfully by faith. God loves a cheerful giver. This method of giving depends upon God moving on the individual to give, not a pastor or a minister moving on an individual to give. Matter of fact, we see that Peter and the Apostles appointed deacons to take care of the financial and administrative aspects of the church while they [ministers] gave themselves to prayer and the word of God. Too often the offering has become the exclusive purview of the pastors. They TAKE the offering by using every scriptural slight of hand they can use.  Yet this is contrary to scriptural modeling.

One brother announced that God had anointed him to TAKE an offering. Of course, that is a strange anointing, since God did not anoint Peter or the other Apostles to TAKE an offering. Why would God give such an anointing to a preacher? What that meant in practice was that he would coerce, cajole, pressure, etc., the people to give more than a mere deacon who only receives the offering.  Did not the Apostles say they would give themselves to continual prayer and the ministry of the word? [Acts 6:4] Why have ministers gone so far away from this behavior?

Another minister opens his Bible to Malachi 3: 8 and reads, then he comes down from the pulpit, and personally receives the tithe offering in his hand and prays for each tithe payer. After that he goes back to the pulpit and allows the deacons to receive the church offering—the tithe offering is totally his. Another pastor stands over the total offering and calls upon every scripture that makes mention of giving; he stays there for an hour, if necessary, TAKING an offering. Still another pastor asks to see members’ check stubs so he can personally see if they are paying the right amount of their tithes. These are jokes, gimmicks, and disgraceful activities in God’s house--I will discuss the preacher gimmicks used for extracting money out of the saints and what God’s word says about those gimmicks later. 

Paul goes on in his discussion in 2Cor. 9:1-15 and says that this bounty that the saints give is for the administering to the needs and wants of the saints and it is thanksgiving unto God. 

Look at how Jesus expressed the same notion that Paul laid out in Corinthians: “Give and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete it shall be measured to you again.” This is the method Paul admonished the Corinthians to use.  This is God’s way of faith giving, not forced giving. 

Again, in 1Cor. 16, the Apostle writes that he had given orders at the church in Galatia to do as he orders the Corinthians to do. We have no copy of that order, but we see what he has told the Corinthians to do. In 1Corinthians 16 he sets the time for giving:  “Upon the first day of the week let everyone of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gathering when I come.”  Of course, there are those who argue that this was some special offering. That certainly adds nothing to their tithes is the rule argument. This was a special giving of the Corinthian church to help the saints in Jerusalem. That is what the church is supposed to do. Saints help other saints. A careful reading of Acts Chapters 4, 5, and 6 shows us what the offering was for—helping the saints. The members of the church are no less saints than the ministers are saints. The offering, bounty, collection, gathering, etc., in the New Testament church does not have a designated offering for the pastors and not for the saints. 

God’s method depends on God moving on the hearts of believers, not preachers moving on the purses of believers. God's method is of faith. The Bible says that without faith it is impossible to please God. The Bible also says that the just shall live by their faith. A pastor given by God will depend on God and believe that He will touch the hearts of the believers to attend to the needs of the saints, the needs of the church building, his needs and other church obligations. 

E. Paul's Planned Omission of Tithes
In our system of reasoning and logic, meaning can also be taken from that which is not said by one who is well familiar with a subject.  In higher levels of academia, we cite delimitations of a discussion. There is a noted delimitation and oversight that is made in Paul’s epistles to the saints as they relate to giving. This great Apostle, certainly the most intellectual of all the Apostles, had been a Pharisee of Pharisees; he had sat under the feet of the most noted Jewish scholars of his day; he was zealous of the Law beyond other Pharisees. Hence, Paul knew the Law and all its commandments excellently. And with all that knowledge, not once did Paul ever utter the need for New Testament saints to give or pay tithes as under the Law or as given by Abraham or vowed by Jacob. But he spent a great deal of time and words discussing  Abraham. Logic and systematic interpretation of Scripture demand that such an omission is intentional and therefore must be construed as a statement. Certainly a man with Paul’s knowledge of the Law could not forget or overlook tithes, especially when discussing giving by the saints, unless it is planned. 

F. Support of the Ministry:
Just as Paul set forth a method of support for the saints in need, he also said that ministers of God should be supported. That support comes from the same pool of resources that the saints are to be supported by—saints giving as God has prospered them to cheerfully give.  In 1 Cor. 9:7-15 Paul has an interesting way of discussing the support of the ministry. 

Paul uses various analogies to teach the saints that the ministry should be supported: 1.) A vineyard planter eats of the vineyard; 2.)  One who feeds a flock eats of the flock; 3.) One does not muzzle the oxen that treads the grain; 4.) He who plows does so in hope of a harvest; 5.) The sower of spiritual things should reap of carnal things [artifacts, not sinful things]. Then he says plainly: “The Lord ordained that they who preach the gospel should live of the gospel.” [1 Cor. 9:7-14; Gal. 6: 6 and 1 Tim. 5: 17-18] This discussion is really what Jesus had taught while in the flesh: “In the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give; for the laborer is worthy his hire.”  [Luke 10:7-8] 

There is ample scripture that says the ministry should be supported, but it is noteworthy to read that 15^th verse of 1 Cor. 9. For in it Paul says that “But I have used none of these things; neither have I written these things that it should be so done unto me…” As a matter of fact, Paul was a tent maker by trade and employed himself in that trade while with Aquila and Priscilla in Corinth. They too were tentmakers. He seemingly preached the Corinthian church into creation while working as a tentmaker. [Acts 18:1-4]  He worked for a living so that he would be blameless. 

Another point that should be extracted from the scriptures before we move on is this: Paul indicated that the ministry should be supported; that ministry, however, consists not just of a pastor but the entire ministry. And he identified that entire ministry--Eph. 4:11 and 1 Cor. 12: 28—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers, and then miracles, healing, helps, government, etc. In most tithe paying churches, the tithe goes directly and totally to the pastor and no other ministry. In better organized and administered churches, the lead minister and the other ministers are paid salaries. It is this total ministry—the five-fold ministry and others—that will take the saints unto perfection. But perfection [a discussion I write and discuss elsewhere] is a lost goal in most churches; and even though it is the next step after salvation from sins, which too many never receive deliverance from, many churches have bought into the world’s notion and definition of perfection and concluded that it can only be achieved when we are dead. [Mat. 5:48; Eph. 4:15; Heb. 6:1-2; 1 Pet. 2:5; 5:10]  

G.) New Testament giving summarized:
We have looked at the scriptures as the New Testament guides us through the method of giving for the church. The Apostle Paul was the major teacher on this subject of giving, but much of what he taught was taken directly from what Jesus taught while here in the flesh. In summary, Paul stated the following principles of giving for New Testament saints:

1.)    Saints should give as God has prospered them to give, remembering that as one sows he will also reap; he takes this principle directly from the earthly teachings of Christ;

2.)    One should never give because he is forced to give—not grudgingly or out of necessity—because God loves a cheerful giver;

3.)    The offering that one is to give is for the saints and their needs—that also includes the ministry. Paul outlines who the ministry is—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. And these ministries are needed for the perfection of the saints.

4.)    The giving should be stored up the first day of the week and should be distributed to the saints as their needs dictate;

5.)    The giving is voluntary and individualistically decided. The only formula is this: as you give so will you reap; if you lie to God, that lie could cost your life;

6.)    Giving to help the saints is to bless the Lord.

It is worth noting that Paul nowhere in the scriptures talks about tithes; nor does he assume it for the New Testament church. In Acts 15, there was a dispute by Pharisees who were Christians over whether Gentiles should be circumcised and obey the Law. [Acts 15:5] This was the second concern of the church as a whole, but the first church council. The issue was whether to keep the Law. The Apostles at Jerusalem resolved it and issued this command to the gentile church in Acts 15:19-29: We don’t want to burden you. You are not obligated to keep the Law. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and unto us that we lay no greater burden on you other than this—abstain from things offered to idols and from blood, and from things strangled and from fornication. And if you do those things you will do well.  This was all they were commanded when brought face to face with a discussion of the Law and the need for saints to obey it.  No Law, No Tithes!

H. The perils of placing saints under the Law:
Paul was more emphatic about Gentiles Christians being placed under the Law than the first church council.  And although he was more emphatic, his admonition was the same. Regardless of what the argument for tithes in the New Testament church is, tithe is a part of the Law. It was commanded, it was codified, it was paid to the Levites rigidly under the Law. 

Paul looking at the idea of the Law or any of its parts in the New Testament Church wrote extensively to the Galatians Church and to the Roman Church about the perils of taking saints back under the Law. In Galatians 3:1, Paul calls them foolish for wanting the beggarly elements of the Law. He tells them that they have been bewitched into craving aspects of the Law that certain men felt it convenient to have them subjected to. 

Paul plainly tells them and us that we are not under the Law; our faith in God takes us to the covenant of Abraham. Abraham was never under the Law; he believed God and that belief was imputed to him for righteousness.  And Paul argues that we who believe God are the children of Abraham. We, thank God, are not under the Law nor the works of the Law. Indeed, we are justified, being Gentiles, by faith in the preaching of the gospel. 

Nowhere in the preaching of the gospel is tithes preached. And if we look at how Abraham gave a tithe, he gave it once and only of a certain booty. Furthermore it was up to him to decide whether to give and what amount to give.

Paul argues that the covenant God made with Abraham 430 years before the Law cannot be made void by that Law. Tithes was not a part of that covenant.(3) We were never under it, and if one places us under it today, Paul says that we are fallen from grace, and Christ is made of no effect unto us. [Galatians Chapters3-5: 4-9] This is a real danger posed by those who would place Christians under the Law for financial purposes—they would take away the grace of God from the saints for a hand full of dollars. But were they to use the New Testament’s way, God would bless by faith. 

The Law is not of faith, and those who go under the Law have fallen from grace. The Law was added because of transgressions till Abraham’s seed came. It was nothing more than a school guide to take us to Christ, the seed of Abraham, with whom God had made a covenant 430-years before the Law. And that covenant was not voided out, but it was passed down to us through Christ. He came and fulfilled the prophecy of the Law. [Gal. 3:19—25] The word till indicates and denotes that an action will transpire for a prescribed duration. Once that duration has occurred, it ceases to exist. The law had a prescribed time; its duration ended on Calvary! That was why the veil of the temple was rent. The covenant God made with Abraham took hold upon us at Pentecost. That is why we call this the New Testament. A testament is a covenant. The terms of that new covenant Jesus begin to teach while here and after leaving, he gave commandment to the church through the Holy Ghost via his holy Apostles. [Acts 1:1-2] 

Second, the scripture teaches that without faith it is impossible to please God. [Heb.11: 6] The New Testament way of giving requires that we trust God to move on the hearts of his people to give. Tithe is a prescribed method requiring no faith, just a calculator. 

Jesus said, “Think not that I am come to destroy the Law; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill it.” [Mat. 5:17] Thus, Jesus shows us that the Law was prophecy to be fulfilled, and Jesus fulfilled the Law for us! He also said that the scriptures [all] testified of him. [John 5:39]. The Law is not a code we are obligated to follow; and if we do, we fall from grace because we are complete, without the Law, in Jesus who fulfilled the Law for us. Wherefore do we serve the Law? 

If one tries to take a portion of it, Paul said he is obligated to do the whole law. [Gal. 5:3] Paul says this in duplicate: A little leaven leavens the whole lump. [Gal.5: 9] 

IV. Various Arguments used and their weaknesses:
Some of the most torturous interpretations have been used to justify the parceling of the Law to make it seems as if it is not the Law. I want to look at as many as I have heard and read. Since most are parochial but still they sway some of God's people to err, I need to deal with them

a.)    Tithe was before the law:
It is true that Abraham gave a tithe to Melchizedez of the booty he had captured from rescuing his nephew Lot. That sum was a tribute to God for having delivered the enemy into his hands. Abraham gave an amount he decided; nothing was requested of him. Abraham gave nothing of his vast wealth that God had blessed him with before or after the rescue of Lot. Furthermore, there is no scripture that Isaac gave any sum to God. Yet the covenant God made with Abraham was passed down to Isaac. The next mention of a tithe was when Jacob vowed a vow to God. A vow is a volitional act, not a compelled act. Jacob could have given, even as Abraham, or not given anything. That was their option. Isaac exercised his option to give nothing. 

If these two instances of tithing before the Law, and no tithing of Isaac at all, indicate anything, they indicate that they, as we, had/have an option to give or not give any amount we desire. Indeed, that is exactly what the New Testament Church did. Where then is a mandatory tenth? We are the spiritual children of Abraham and the Abrahamic covenant, a covenant of faith, has no mention of giving tithes.

b.)    Jesus approved of it [Mat. 23:23; Lk. 11:42]:
The interpretation of the above scriptures is one of the most tortured I have heard, but it is made.  In these scriptures, Jesus chides the hypocritical Pharisees and Scribes for paying tithes and doing other acts of the Law, and He tells them that they should have done those acts and not to have left the others undone. From that scripture, the argument is raised that Jesus is placing tithes on the church. This is reasoning is weak beyond measure; it does not dignify our treatment, but because God's people are being hurt by this and other similar foolishness, I will address it.

Of course, the Pharisees and Scribes should have paid tithes. They were under the law. The New Testament  [the new covenant] did not take place until the veil of the temple was rent and the church was established on Pentecost. When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His son, made of a woman, made under the Law. After he had completed his work, Jesus went back into heaven and gave commandments to the church through the Holy Ghost that now inhabits the church. No commandment was ever given to the church for tithe. The conspicuous absence of such a commandment stands prominently not as an oversight, but as a statement.

c.)    If we sing and play instruments in church, that is under the law:
This is the most pedestrian of all these small arguments. It is so frail that it can be blown away by a light wind; it has no substance to it. Yes, music was under the law, but the Apostle Paul admonishes us in Ephesians 5: 19 and Colossians 3:16 to speak to ourselves and admonish one another in Psalms. James writes in James 5:13 that if one is happy let him sing in Psalms. These writers from the church give us explicit use of the Psalms. But in the Psalms, there is no mention of paying tithes. David said that he would pay his vows. This is what New Testament saints do. We are under a different code of behavior—Grace. Therefore, that which is in the psalms we have been granted to do at our will. That is the liberty of Grace.         

IV. The Historical Basis for the false teaching of Tithes in New Testament Church  

The Catholic Encyclopedia of Church History states that the early church had no system of giving other than that stated by Paul and the Jerusalem church. But in 525 AD, the Council of Mason was called and tithes were decreed from that council. Apparently that decree did not succeed in causing the church to accept tithes as the rule of giving. By this time, [323 AD] Constantine had taken over the church and brought many false teachings into the church.

Later on the Council of Trent was called and again, the church decreed that tithes would be the method of giving for the saints. That too would not hold. The French Revolution brought to a complete halt the idea of tithes. And with the church member having a total Bible that they could read for themselves, it became hopeless to try to argue that tithe was a part of the New Testament teaching.

IIIV. Why Tithes even when it cannot be sustained by the Word?
Some churches have the total tithe go directly to the pastor--without any church accounting for this money. Some have a portion go to the pastor. But when you look at the amount of money that can be generated by a pastor receiving all  the tithes, it becomes unconscionable to those whose consciences are educated by God's word--and that may be a very few in the face of large sums of money that can be gotten out of a few people. 

Let’s look at some of the math of giving in a system where there is tithe-paying and the pastor takes all the tithes. If a church has 50 members and each member makes $3,000 a month, according to the tithing system in most churches, each one would be obligated to pay $300 to that church as a monthly tithe. That amount multiplied by 50 times is $15,000 a month that the pastor would get each month. While his members make $3,000 monthly, he is receiving five times as much as they for the work he does. Increase the congregation's number by two, to 100; the pastor pockets $30,000 a month. Increase the original 50 by three to 150 members paying tithes on $3,000 month salaries; the pastor pockets $45,000 each month. Now multiply that sum by 12 months, and the pastor takes away $540,000, a half million dollars a year.  (Can you imagine what a minister would get in the system where the pastor takes all the tithe if he/she had a congregation in the thousands?)

This amount is a minimal sum; many members average salaries from $3,000-6,000 monthly in urban areas, some $10-15,000 a month. Beyond this monthly amount from the tithe, there are special monthly set-asides and yearly appreciations/anniversaries when they are given from $10-50,000 in one lump sum, depending on the size of the congregation; plus, some are given cars, homes, etc. Churches can average in size from 50-500 members in smaller churches. If a church is a mega-church, it would not only be unconscionable for a pastor to pocket such large sums, such should be criminal.

XI. Tricks and Gimmicks:
A.) Trumpeting Financial Gifts:
A major gimmick used to raise funds in the church is Trumpet Giving. The intent of this method is to provoke others to give an amount equal to the amount trumpeted, or give some greater amount. This method is in direct contradiction to the word of God. [Matt. 6:1-5]

This technique is practiced this way: The pastor or some minister stands over the offering and announces that he/she will give $100 or $50 or some other amount. Then he/she encourages members to match the amount trumpeted to the audience. Second, there may be an amounts line--the $100, $50, etc., line. The minister will ask the members to stand and give their large amounts so everyone can see them.

This form of pop psychology is used to coerce more money from each person and allow that person to have commonality of giving with other saints. However, in Matthews 6 Jesus explicitly condemns this type of trumpet giving. He said don't give before men to be seen of them. When this type of giving takes place the blessing these givers receive is from the crowd and not from God. Jesus says that such behavior is sounding the trumpet and it is hypocritical; instead, you should give in secret and unto God, not unto men.

B.) Pastor's Aid:
This is another one of the gimmicks used to make pastors rich. Why should the pastor live more sumptuously than the people of God? None of the early apostles lived that way. Modern pastors of tithe teaching and pastors' aid have no relationship to the apostles' behavior, yet they call themselves apostolic. The early church had no such thing as pastors' aids or pastors' aides, other than deacons. [Acts 6] These are creations of modern men who hedge themselves in the word of God but wrongly divided.

Most pastors have become oversized financially and physically from the poor of their congregations. Pastors' aid groups are not aiding poor men of God without shoes or clothing. In fact, the pastors have more clothes, shoes, and more food than all members. Many pastors are eating the fatted calf and also eating themselves to death literally.

Why is there pastors' aid when they are getting monthly tithes, special love offerings, etc.? The proverbial rich man was asked, "How much do you need to be satisfied?" His answer was, "A little more." This is the nature of greed and the condition in many churches. Always a little more for those who already have more than enough. Apparently, in the pastor-takes-all churches, other ministries are out of God's plan. But no one ministry can bring the people of God up to the level God wants them to be. And God has given a range of ministers for taking his people on to perfection.

What about Saints' Aid? Is that not what the early church did? [Acts 2: 44-45; 4:32; 6:2-4] Have the saints no needs? Is the pastor the only one in need? We know and have seen that when saints are in need, even those who have been in the church for years, they receive only the pastor's prayers. But a pastor, who is not in need, he receives the saints' money. This is unconscionable.

C.) Faith Giving:
This is another gimmick that preachers use. They ask the saints to pledge a special amount as an act of faith. Vow a vow to God for a $1000, $10,000, etc., and God will return it to you in some greater amount. Usually they attach some special need for their request. But why do they not ask God for the money? Why not trust God to move on the hearts of some of those who can afford to give, instead of pressuring the people to give? These ministers go directly to the people instead of God; they prevail mightily upon the people, and some even ask for their rent, mortgage, bill, money, etc., claiming that God will give it back.

I was told of a case of a pastor's wife prevailing on certain saints to give even rent money. And a member, a renter in the congregation, took her up on God will restore that rent money promise made. He gave the money and when rent time came, he told his landlord what his plight was--why he didn't have money to pay his rent. That landlord was not a person who wanted to hear that her rent money was not available to her at the time the rent was due because he had faith given it to the church. The landlord, however, was the pastor's wife who had urged the poor, weak saints to give even if it was their rent money. I am sure this has happened many times; that which they say, they do not believe. It is only bread for fools. The cons and gimmicks used on the saints will not be tolerated by con men/women who employ them.

If one gives in faith, that person's faith is to God in secret, not to a man in open. [Mat. 6:1-4] What we do, we do unto God. Because of the cult of personality and cult of men built up in God's church, there is too much deference to man and not enough reference to God.

D.) Consecration Offering:
A few months ago I was introduced to a new method: Consecration offering. I have no idea where this comes from in scripture, but the people come up to a table, place a sum of money on that table, and pray that God bless them financially. I found this to be different. But these small sums add up too, and I have no idea where that money goes.

E.) Auxiliaries/Teams:
In some churches, some pastors have organized their churches into a series of teams and auxiliaries. An auxiliary is a help, a support. What they help beyond the pastor's bank account is often hard to see. Some have other minor functions, but most of the time their primary purpose is to raise money to go to the pastor's aid, to the pastor's appreciation, or to just go directly to the pastor.

Instead of working for God and really doing the work of God, many are so busily working for the pastor and for his wife that the work of God goes undone. The pastors, like King Saul of old, have taken the people of God and made hewers of wood and dressers of their vines. And, of course, they have made them cash cows.

F.) Appreciations/Anniversaries:
These are the big budget, lump sum and yearly sums [and sometimes some of these occur more frequently] grand finales of all giving to the pastors. If they have established a tithe system of giving and they take all--and there are few of these types of ministers who do not take all--they will have already cleared big sums. So the anniversaries/appreciations are like Christmas presents of money: big clumps of money.

In many churches, words like appreciate, honor, double honor, love, and all similar words have been defined as money that goes to pastors. Appreciate often means give as much as the members cannot afford to give or be embarrassed for not giving enough. They assess each member a certain amount that they have to give in the pastor's appreciation.

The saints strain, beg, and borrow to give more money to a pastor who usually has more money than anyone in the congregation.

At one national meeting, the presiding bishop needed a new Rolls Royce. They asked the people and the people bought him a new $120,000 car for their minister of god (?) to go from his gated home to church. I am sure he preaches that God smiles on their kindness to him! And the people believe that?

There so many gimmicks and tricks that ministers of their god-money have created that it would be impossible to delineate all of them. In short, many make churches into dens of thieves and their own personal cash-cows that are tethered and milked dry. This abomination has gone on so long, until it seems perfectly normal to them.

I was at two appreciations some months ago, and I was simply stunned and grieved, as the ministers took and took from the poor of God's people without blinking an eye. And when the poor raised huge sums of money, they shouted as if a soul had been brought to Christ, as if one had received the Holy Spirit of God. But far was that reality from those scenes.

The poor people of God have been trained and conditioned to this foolish, ungodly behavior found nowhere in God's holy word. But what is found in God's word is this: The leaders have caused the people to err, and they are destroyed that follow them. [Isa. 9:16] But God will also deal with those who lead His people astray, make merchandise out of His people, make His house a den of thieves.

X: Conclusion:
I have written this analysis because too many of the people of God have been made merchandise of by unscrupulous men and women who should be ashamed of their misinterpretation of God's word, but they are not. Furthermore, I have written this document because Jesus said we shall know the truth and the truth shall make us free--God's people need to be free of the yoke of men's lies. So this ministry of God is unearthing those who have clocked themselves with sheep skins of righteousness, only to seduce God's people.

Finally, I have written this analysis because God has anointed this ministry and equipped us to cry aloud and spare not, to lift up my voice like a trumpet and to show God's people their sin.

God has some whom He uses to awaken the people to injustice and sin. But after they are awakened, there is a normal, human reaction to a condition endured for many years: acquiescence and rationalization of that condition. Seldom do individuals accept blame for wrongs they have done and a wrong state they are in.

Many will dislike and disparage of me and this ministry for presenting truth that cannot be refuted by the word of God. We have also talked to those who have vilified us personally, but when face to face, their tone and tenor are quite different from their thunder in the pulpits. That thunder is merely the politics of subjection and deception which has no currency with us. God has equipped this ministry to bring these thundering voices to truth, if truth is ever desired by them.

For years, Jesus Name ministers have gone untargeted by God's word and God's ministers, and for us to teach and preach the word is threatening to them. And well it should be. For our calling is certain, our aim is clear--you and not yours; we have no love or greed for money, but God has always blessed us. And we know the certainty of that which we speak and are able to defend by the Word of God.

There are many of you who want to think that your pastors and ministers are within the Word of God. That is understandable, and I, too, had to come to grips with certain realities when dealing with many Jesus Name ministers: some have been raised in this tithes way so long they actually think it is God's way. An interesting analogous psychological phenomenon is this: an abused child will in turn become an abuser unless he is treated. That is the case for many who have been raised under the tithe system; they turn without thought and certainly without any analysis of the Word, to commit the same financial abuses under which they were raised.

Still, some ministers actually know tithe is unsupportable for New Testament saints from the Word of God, but it brings in lots of money. One bishop admitted, after he could not defend his teaching, when confronted with God's word, that he knew tithe was not in the New Testament and that it did not apply to Christians, but he added, "If you told the people that, they wouldn't give anything." This was a minister without faith in God.

Others still have not studied the Word of God sufficiently to be ministering to God's people, so they have no idea what the word of God says about this and other matters. Jesus asked such ministers the same question he asked Nicodemus: How could he be a teacher and ruler of the people and know not those things? [John 3:10]

Many have given themselves titles and degrees they do not qualify for and have wedged themselves so tightly into those titles and degrees that truth and enlightenment cannot be allowed into them because it would disrupt their lives and ways of life. Unlike Zacchaeus, they will not come down to meet Jesus. But, sadly, their height is only that of a tree, although to them it seems lofty. [Lke. 19:6] And because of a warped pride, they cannot say that they are wrong. But whether they can say it or not, God's Word says that they are wrong.

I close this discussion with II Kings 22. One day Hilkiah the priest found the book of the Lord. It had been lost in the house of God. This is a behavior we see today: God's word has been lost in God's house--a famine that God sent upon the land. [Amos 8:11-13] Hilkiah took that book of God and gave it to Shaphan the Scribe, and he took it to the leader of the nation, King Josiah. The king, a right king and one who feared God, had him to read the book, and when he read it, the King was afraid when he saw the insufficiency of their behavior in the light of God's word. That is one of the purposes of God's word, to show the people their sins. The king sent Shaphan to the Prophetess Huldah to get a word from God about what would happen to them because they had not obeyed the word of God.

The Prophetess said that God would send evil upon the land because the people had sinned, but because the King's heart was tender toward God and His Word, he would not see the evil of God, but he would be gathered unto his fathers. Notice the King did not kill or vilify the Prophetess for telling the truth of God. [Gal. 4:16] Instead, he was man of God enough to accept the word as given. Where are these men of God today?

Many have wittingly not obeyed the word of God, and to them God has sent us to cry that the sword comes. Many will have to come back to those whom they have abused because of the truth that has been cried in the name of God. The politics of greed and deception may stand in their pulpits, but it cannot stand in the presence of God.

To make light of sin in order to justify wicked behavior is wrong;(4) to take saints back under the Law is to have them fall from grace. We must stand before the word of God now or we surely will stand before God later! I plead with all ministers who have harmed God's people for their own profit to turn and allow your hearts to be tender toward God, for the sword comes!

 __________________
1.) The bread and wine were symbolic of God's truth and God's spirit. Jesus is the bread of life; he is the word of God. Melchezidez was the King of Salem, which means peace. He was the Prince of Peace coming out to offer Abraham the peace of God, the bread of life--truth--and the holy spirit of God, which the wine represents. []

2.) Deu.12:6-17; 14: 22-28; 26:6-17; 26:12. Lev.5:11; 27: 30-31. Num. 10: 37-38; 12: 44; 13: 5-12; 18: 24-28. 1 Sam. 8:15-17; 2 Chron. 31: 5-13; and Amos 4:4.

3.) It is worth a study of what, exactly, what was in that covenant. See Genesis 13:14-16;15:12-21; 17:1-27.

4.) Stephen L. Carter, a Black scholar, writer, Law professor and Christian, wrote about the need to distinguish between honesty and integrity. And his distinctions are firmly based in the scriptures, although he cites no Bible passages. Carter argues that it is not enough to be honest alone. Instead one must have integrity and honesty working together. Honesty is simply functioning based upon a given set of knowledge without any attesting to the sufficiency of that knowledge. But that knowledge which one vaunts himself on being honest about can be wrong. Integrity demands that the knowledge that one seeks to be honest with should also be researched and correct. One is obligated to be correct about the knowledge that he is being honest in sharing.

This concept [which is only a part of Carter's thesis] is firmly found in God's word, which shows that Psalms 19 is correct, viz., that God's voice is in all nations. A minister, a saint, a lover of truth is obligated to know the truth of his belief and his ideas about what God is saying. Honesty is not enough; he has to know what God is saying; he has to seek it out through much study and prayer. That is the cost of this position.

The scripture says, he that knows to do good and does it not, to him it is sin. Every minister is obligated by the Word of God to know the truth on all subjects he/she is to teach and preach. [John 3:9-10] Second, ministers of God are to give themselves to prayer and the ministry of the word of God. [Acts 6:4] Third, the Apostle Paul tells Timothy, and by inclusion every minister, to study to show that the minister is approved of God and that he is rightly dividing the word of truth. [2 Tim.2:15]

Peter suggested that many ministers and saints are willingly ignorant concerning many matters of God. [2Pet.3:5] No minister can hide behind, "I thought tithes was right" now that we have labored in the word to make this matter clear. He/she should have studied long ago to attest to that which he/she teaches the people of God. There is now no shelter in ignorance--a commodity the Black Jesus Name churches have too much of--and being honest in that ignorance. We are obligated to know the truth of God's word.