Tithing…Is it a command?

[Sister Alvear]

I have never missed paying my tithes for over 40 years...I am blessed!

[Truthseeker]

Originally Posted by Sister Alvear

I have never missed paying my tithes for over 40 years...I am blessed!

Doesn't mean it's bible though. That's the question is it a command for us.

[Truthseeker]

Originally Posted by Digging4Truth

Wow... my arms are sore from reading all those stretches.

LOL The funny thing is the tithe folks post scripture as if it's a rock solid position blinded to the misinterpretations.

[rava61]

Excellent...........
RV

[rava61]

Originally Posted by gloryseeker

"plunder widows houses" is equivalent to teaching the tithe? Depending on your usage of the word "require" I guess you could be accurate. Teaching the tithe is not to be done under duress just as teaching prayer, study, church attendance. Ultimately it is the believer who is going to accept the Word of not, but that to think teaching the Word is some form of extortion would be totally ludicrous.



Heb 7:5
5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: (KJV)



One of the biggest mistakes non-tithers make is to think that the tithe is "under the law." The tithe is present WAY before the law was ever given.



That was mighty nice of him, but very unscriptural. What ever happened to believing God? Would it be okay for a pastor to give you approval to rob from the local 7/11 to catch up on past due bills? Why is theft in one area okay and not in another? Personally, I would find a new Pastor...and I don't just say that, if my Pastor ever recommended something like that I would actually get under a different Pastor.

Furthermore, I think the bigger question would be why were you loosing your house. Have you ever considered that correct tithing may have prevented the circumstances that caused you to get into the situation?

I am not making that statement for the purposes of this thread. I had a guy call me on Saturday with a financial problem. $1,500 shortfall for the month. He wanted me to write him a check and bail him out I talked to him about his faithfulness in giving.



I do agree with you here. I am not saying that tithing is the most important thing known to man. It is the command of God and it works. So many Christians are trying to get God to bless what they are doing and God is saying do what I said because it is already blessed.




Not even close. The mark of the Pharisees were that they were separatist who focused more on their status, rules, and rituals than the heart. Yes they practiced tithing to the nth degree, but notice in the scripture you quoted Jesus said they should continue it, He only reprimanded them on the lack of mercy was was of a higher priority.




your usage of the word "command" here makes me wonder if we are not more on the same page then different pages. God commands, not man. God in His commands still gives us the right to choose what we will do. If you are in a church where you have to do things under duress, whether it's tithing or any other thing you are in the wrong church.

Economic times has nothing to do with anything. God's system is not subject to the worlds system. You need to build your faith in God's system and know that when He has your life in control it doesn't matter what gas prices, taxation, inflation or anything else is going on. God is able to handle all things.



Key word here is "devour". That is different than teaching God's system of economy. It has nothing to do with the tithe.



Couldn't disagree with you more. There is not "a time" to be merciful. We are to be merciful as God is merciful. It's a lifestyle. The same is true in giving, we should live a giving lifestyle. There is however a time for tithing....every time we increase.

We had a Pastor to tell us that since we were having a struggle with paying our tithe, we really didn't have a right to worship - WOW, that really hurt; especially when we had two small children in the house. RV

[gloryseeker]

Originally Posted by rava61

We had a Pastor to tell us that since we were having a struggle with paying our tithe, we really didn't have a right to worship - WOW, that reallt hurt; especially when we had two small children in the house.

Wow, amazing. While I disagree with the statement "having a struggle with paying our tithe" since that only means you put something else before the tithe, I would in no way ever tell a person they couldn't worship. It's like telling someone they can't come to the alter until they clean up first

[RandyWayne]

Originally Posted by gloryseeker

Wow, amazing. While I disagree with the statement "having a struggle with paying our tithe" since that only means you put something else before the tithe, I would in no way ever tell a person they couldn't worship. It's like telling someone they can't come to the alter until they clean up first

Like a mortgage? The electric bill? A car or insurance payment?

We don't know the situation here (and I have known many who 'struggle' when all they would have to do is cut their HBO and SHOWTIME movie packages from their cable bills to make ends meet), but it seems awfully 'easy' to have faith for someone else.

[rava61]

My good Bro. HaShaliach,

You have a beard, and to most 'Pentecostals' this would automatically disqualify
you from sound Biblical advice or even from heaven.

RV

[Scott Hutchinson]

Some of you all might be interested in these videos.
http://www.thewordoftruthministries....%20Library.htm

[rava61]

Originally Posted by alanhosch

The idea that the New Testament church didn't tithe just because the New Testament doesn't mention a commandment to tithe (and I would argue that point) is preposterous. The principle of tithing is PRE-LAW.

In Hebrews 7, Paul (the probable writer of Hebrews) mentions that Levi received and paid tithes in Abraham before he was born. Genesis 14 states plainly that Abraham, who we all know wasn't under the law, because he lived before the law, recognized the need to tithe to Melchisedek.

The principle of tithing is a law unto itself. Those that follow that principle will understand that the Biblical promises and blessings of financial sustenance are only for those who are righteous according to the Word of God. In other words, those who do not tithe will not be blessed, sustained, or provided for by God in the same way as those who do tithe. Furthermore, if a person who knows of and is convicted of the principle of tithing and ignores it is guilty of the sin of disobedience and is willfully (Hebrews 10:18-26; James 4:17) 'robbing God' (Malachi 3:8-10, one of those outdated and supposedly non-binding prophecies of the Old Testament).

The times that Paul and other epistle writers mention tithing by default along with the subject of giving are too numerous to mention. Here are a few that obviously show that I believe the New Testament churches were tithing.

Matthew 10:10 is a scripture dealing with the concept of the disciples of Jesus going forth to do His service in Israel living off provision of the people to whom they were ministering. This was pre-church, however, Jesus' commandments for how to sustain ministry were taught by Paul as commandments. Paul even referenced the Law of Moses when giving commandments about financially sustaining the ministry.

1 Cor. 16:1-3 deals specifically with Paul's commandment to tithe as evidenced by several words and phrases, including: 'first day of the week' signifying the Old Testament concept of giving and tithing to God first, before other bills are paid (the only way tithing will work, incidentally); 'lay by him in store' shows us that we are to not let anything touch the money (this is because tithing is not only in obedience to God's financial system - to which non-tithers do not belong - but it is a form of worship as all of our money is God's, the tithe or the FIRST tenth is only our release unto God of 10% of what is already his) and we are to set aside the tithe; 'as God hath prospered him' clearly means that this partcular collection was dealing with weekly tithing associated with income (tithing is of the increase - whatever comes in not whatever is left over); and finally, verse 3 shows us that Paul was to 'send' for the money to be delivered to Jerusalem, this statement, above all, shows that the money was intended for the administration of the various needs of the ministry council (Galatians 1:17).

James 5:1-4 is a prophetic writing by James dealing with the collection of tithes for the service of the ministry.

In my experience, those who despise tithing usually evangelize to that end. Sometimes, their misunderstanding of this Biblical concept is based upon jealousy. This is sometimes caused by ministers being perceived as living too prosperously on the income of their respective churches. Many don't understand that tithing is literally given to God, not to the ministry. God, not man, has provided this for the ministry. Once it leaves our hands, we have obeyed, we are not to worry about the use of that money (exempted are, of course, church boards which give a pastoral salary, however, this is a totally different issue).

Other times, misunderstanding tithing is simply caused by a heart that simply refuses to believe that God will honor the vaccuum caused by the release of the first tenth. So many people just don't trust God to be faithful today, like He was for so many men and women of old.

This is why God challenges us today as He did in Malachi. Try Him. He can change your life through tithing. I don't mean by financial prosperity, though it is a given that God's righteous ones will prosper in many ways. There is a peace when one begins to obey God's commands. The Spirit causes a tither to become a giver. Then a giver becomes a generous person. This generous person then loses all signs of materialism. The person freed from worldly materialism then moves into a deeper friendship with God. A friendship which cares nothing for money or fleeting prosperity, but doing God's Will on the Earth.

It works.

Yes the 'tithing' is prelaw; however, it was still directed to the Jews. There is not a lot of info in the New Testement concerning this subject. Many of the scriptures that are used to justify it have been twisted to fit the need. If a person chooses to do this it is between them and God, but they should never be guilted into thinking that they have to do it, or if they don't then there is no place in heaven for them.
RV