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The Word of Truth Ministries | |
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The
truth of Tithes: |
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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: 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. 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:
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. 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: 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 to 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. VI.
Malachi 3: 6-10: 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. 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 lives 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 know that 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]
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 Black
church organizations, White fundamentalists, and some national evangelists
who can easily take the money and run without accountability have
adopted this Old Testament way of tithing as a New Testament church
way of giving, and they have mandated it. Of course, this has tried
on the church a number of times before, and 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: 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 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
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. B.
Annais & Sapphira lying About Possessions: 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: 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
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 outline 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 and its need
or out of a demand on all 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. 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. 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.
F.
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 15th 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: 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. H.
The perils of placing saints 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. The biblical doctrine of first mention mandates
this analysis. 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 cease 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 a.)
Tithe was before the law: 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]: 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: IV. The Historical
Basis for the false teaching of Tithes in New Testament Church IIIV. Why Tithes
even when it cannot be sustained by the Word? 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: 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 snatch the amount trumpeted to the audience. Second, there may be an amounts line--the $100, $50, and on 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 give in secret
and unto God, not unto men. B.)
Pastor's Aid: 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 these new 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 the 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, receives the saints' money. This is unconscionable. C.) Faith
Giving: 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 she 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 the bread for fools. The cons and gimmicks used on the saint will not be tolerated by con men/women who employed 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: E.) Auxiliaries/Teams: 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: Words like appreciate, honor, double honor, love, and all similar words have been defined as money that goes to them. Appreciate means give as much as the members cannot afford to give or be embarrassed for not giving. They assess each member a certain amount that they have to give in the pastor's appreciation. This does not seem foolish to a pastor or members who have been conditioned to this fanatic fleecing. These poor saints strain, beg, and borrow to give more money to a pastor who is already richer than anyone in the congregation. And this sum is only chump change to these pastors. They simply take that money to buy another $60-80,000 Benz. At a national meeting, the people decided that their presiding bishop needed a new Rolls Royce. The asked the people for the sum to buy it. And those poor, conditioned people bought a new $120,000 car for this minister of god (?) to go from his gated home to church. I am sure that man of god teaches that God smiles on their kindness to him! But hell has enlarged itself without measure! 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, they make churches into dens of thieves and their own personal cash-cows that are tethered are 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. And 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] Be assured, God will also deal with those who lead His people astray, make merchandise out of His people, make His house a den of thieves, and disparage the true ministers of God who cry against their sins. God has set this ministry to cry against these wicked acts and practices that ministers have attempted to stabilize and make normal. But these actions are mutations from the Word of God, and He will not allow them to be stabilized and reproduced no more. God is saying enough is enough! X:
Conclusion: I have no vested interest in the people's money. God has always blessed me to be a lender and not a borrower. I have always and will continue to give money to the work of God, but never to the riches of one masquerading as a man of god to be a man of greed. Had I a desire to fleece the people of God, I am better equipped than most who crudely snatch the saints purses and wallets into their bank accounts. 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 awaken, 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. Most Southern Whites thought it normal and were not troubled by their consciences that Black people paid taxes and could not go to the schools their taxes helped support; it seemed normal that Blacks could not ride on the bus in dignity even though they had paid the same amount. These injustices seemed perfectly fine until, to use Dr. C.L. Franklin's words, God started stirring the nest with a Dr. Martin Luther King and the entire Civil Rights Movement. Then men started seeing things clearly. Many will not like me. But their dislike and disparage of me and this ministry are evidence of their wrong understanding of God's word. I openly ask that anyone show that our analysis of the Word is incorrect on this matter or any other analyses that this ministry does. We have also asked those who have vilified us personally, but when they are face to face with us, their tone and tenor are quite different than when they thunder in their 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. Jesus Name ministers have gone untargeted by God's word and God's ministers, and for me to teach and preach the word is threatening to them. And well it should be. But my calling is certain, my aim is clear--you and not yours; I have no love or greed for money, but God has always blessed me. And I know the certainty of that which I speak. 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 psychological phenomenon is this: an abused child will become an abuser unless he is treated. That is the case for many who have been raised under this system; they turn and 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 matter. 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? 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 in because they 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] Because a warped
pride, they cannot now say that they are wrong. But whether they
can say it or not, God's Word To make light of sin in order to justify wicked behavior is wrong. We all 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! __________________ 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. | |
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