TITHING AND GIVING
I have compiled this page on tithing to show that modern Christian pastors/preachers are stealing if they take for themselves your tithes that belong to God, and also lying if they say they have a right to the tithes.
This page will be hated by many modern pastors.
It deeply bothers me to see 10% of peoples income going to false teachers and to building up vain congregation buildings.
Please do not support wolves in any way by helping them to preach the false gospel, when you could give the money to the poor and needy and to go and outreach to the lost and unreached and do as Jesus commanded, MAKE DISCIPLES.
I do not want everyone to assume that every preacher/pastor is intentionally scamming them, surely many are just going along with the tradition and think it is how things are supposed to be, however while not all of these men are scamming, it does reveal that the men who are not lying and scamming have not studied the scriptures in full..
Even after seeing these scriptures on tithes, there will still be many people who fall for men twisting the scriptures to make them think they have a right to their tithes.
Those who give tithes to their congregations often want to defend what they are doing and their preacher whom they have given their trust to.
Like other topics there are many debates on this subject. and before I go into the subject I like to share this with you.
Dear brothers and sisters,
It’s not about the percentage of what one gives, it’s about the desire and heart to support the Body of Christ in ministry. God does not need our money, He desires our love. The issue is always will be, do we love God enough to support ministries that bear fruit and bring forth a harvest of righteousness into the Kingdom of God. Remember this, Jesus talked about fruit, He never talked about the gifts of the Spirit other than to say that He would send us the Comforter who would teach us all things. Do what you can, give what you can and share what you can. God will receive it, bless it and use it to His glory.
Make sure it is used in the proper way and for His glory and not man’s bank accounts and not all these great big silly building that are across all nations. This to me is the meaning of "let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Now we go to the subject of tithing and giving
Q. Pastor do you believe in tithing?
A. No.
Q. Do You believe I should give 10% of my income as a tithe?
A. No I don’t
Q. Then pastor do you believe in giving at all to the church?
A. Yes, very much so.
I will like to explain why I don’t believe in tithing before going further in this Message.
First, you can look through every single passage in the Bible where the tithe is mentioned, and not once will you find God asking anyone for ten percent of their money!
This includes Jesus, who never tithed, asked for tithes, or commanded that anyone bring Him ten percent of their money. If Jesus didn’t do it, why are so many modern preachers doing it?
Jesus did not say that you should tithe but open your homes and share your possessions with others so that no one lacks anything. (Matthew 23:23; Acts 4:32-34; Deut. 8:17-18.
In today's world, look at the possessions of many people, and then look at many millions of poor crying just for a crust of bread to survive another day.
Never in history has God asked anyone much less all His people to tithe ten percent of their monetary income. Now let’s apply that to the most popularly preached “tithing” verse, Malachi 3:10. In this verse, God was rebuking the Israelites for neglecting to do something He had told them to do in the Old Testament law
Q. What Old Testament law command of God had the Israelites neglected?
A. They had neglected to “bring the tithe”.
So what does the word “tithe” mean in Malachi 3:10 – according to the Bible?
As part of the law of Moses in the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelite farmers and ranchers to bring the tenth portion of their crops and livestock to where the Levites lived.
This was because in God’s Old Testament law of Moses system (detailed national instructions for the nation of Israel), the Levites were not allotted any land on which to grow their own crops or tend their own livestock.
So the word “tithe” does mean “10% ”, but it does not mean “ 10% of every paycheck every modern Christian receives”. It means “the tenth portion of every ancient Israelite farmer or rancher’s crops and livestock”.
Again, nowhere in the entire Bible will you find God asking anyone to bring 10% of their money to Him or to the church.
God asked these Israelite farmers to help the poor in need by sharing the crops with them, He did not say give so the preacher can live well or use it to build and repair great big empty buildings that we call Church and temples.
Second: With Malachi 3:10, many preachers are just making a common mistake or a deliberate mistake that many people make when interpreting the Bible: taking a verse or statement completely out of context and making it mean whatever you want it to mean without defining the terms Biblically. Many preachers know what it means but use it anyway to build up their bank accounts.
I have 7 different Bibles here, not one of them say anything about money tithes and they all tell how God asked the Israelite farmers to tithe their crops to help the poor in need.
Or are you some one that have a book on tithing that say different, written by a man or a women preacher that you so looooooooooooove to hear preach and read his or her books.
There is this one book that contains the true facts, read it study it and if a preacher base your messages on it.
THE BOOK IS THE HOLY BIBLE
There is so much hype around the issue of tithe and money in today’s modern churches.
The tithes we give in modern world are not from farm produce , but money so you can see how the mammon is controlling the minds of many pastors, and preachers that have become very greedy and base all their teachings on money.
It is no longer news that some preachers use the tithe to enrich themselves. This is one among many reasons that the churches and many preachers are losing their integrity.
I see on TV, I see on websites, I read and hear so many cases about Pastors and ministries and I am far from happy with some of these pastors that made their teachings around money and giving.
But I am not to judge, their day will come if they not repent of this shameful sin. On judgement day they will say " but Father................"
They take but they don’ give back. They think because they preach it means they are giving. This have made many that gave stop giving, we pastors have all became tarred with the same brush in some peoples minds.
This is one of the reasons I and others struggle week in and week out to raise enough income to help the people that is in great need and to take the gospel to the lost and un-reached.
Because many greedy men and women have turned God’s mission into money making business for themselves, and people think we are all tarred with the same brush.
Please look at what your church, ministry and pastors are doing with any gifts before you give or stop giving.
GIVING
Before I go into the subject of what to give we need to understand the formula of tithing. I searched the word “Tithe” in the New Testament and came out with just only two scriptures , and they are both saying the same thing (Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42).
Matthew 23:23 “How horrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give God one-tenth of your mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the most important things in Moses’ Teachings. You should have done these things without neglecting the others. Does this sound familiar to you?
Q. If you don’t believe in the 10% Tithe, what then do you believe in?
A. I feel we have gone beyond the era of the 10%, and giving is by faith and not by law. Also giving is between you and God.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
Remember we walk by faith and what determine the quality of your giving are the quality and the nature of your heart. It is not the amount you give here that matters.
This is maybe the very reason most of us are not being blessed by our giving as we give traditionally and not by faith.
Q. Now-do we give according to the Old Covenant tithe as one under the Law, or do we give from our heart as a New Covenant believer under grace?
A. Yes, Christians should support the preacher, (1Corinthians 9:9-14) but we are not told to give a “tithe” We give what is in our heart to give.
Let look at the scripture: 1 Corinthians 9: 14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.
Let's read it from the New Living Bible so it is clear to you. "In the same way the Lord has given orders that those who peach the Gospel should be supported by those that accept it."
Before moving on another important verse here is 15. Yet I have never asked you one penny. And I am not writing this to hint that I would like to start now. In fact, I would rather die of hunger than lose the satisfaction I get from preaching to you without charge.
It does not matter what you give so long as you give by faith and from the heart.
Jesus illustrated this with the widow’s giving. If you look at this story and think deep about it, you will find she gave the less money, but actually gave more than all.
We are told it was her last money so she gave a hundred percent of what she had with a clean heart. The others that gave much were not rewarded because their heart was not in it.
They gave so that people will notice and appreciate them and maybe respect them more for who they are.
Now do you understand the importance of giving? It is not in the amount of money that you give. It is through faith and with the heart you give. . God investigates the quality of your giving through the quality of your heart.
Your gift it do not matter even if it is a great amount, makes no difference if your heart is not right.
Let’s do another quick check form scriptures
Does the New Testament require a tithe? No, it does not mention tithing by name, except for Jesus correcting the Jews abuse of tithing Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42 and Paul's historical description of Abraham giving Melchisedec a tithe Hebrews 7:1-4. Also again Jesus never tithed, asked for tithes, or commanded that anyone bring Him ten percent of their money. If Jesus didn’t do it, why are so many modern preachers doing it?
Does the New Testament require giving? Yes, it requires giving by doctrine and precept for the very same things as the Old Testament – the ministry and the poor Acts 20:35; I Corinthians 9:1-18; 16:1-3; II Corinthians 8:1-24; 9:1-15; Galatians 6:6; I Timothy 5:3,17; 6:17-19; I John 3:17-18.
Did New Testament believers give? Yes, they gave with cheerful liberality and obvious personal sacrifice both in public and private, for their position or assets in this world meant little to them Acts 2:44-47; 4:32-37; 6:1; Philippians 4:10-18; Philemon 1:4-7; Hebrews 10:34; 3 John 1:5-8.
What did New Testament believers give for? They gave to ministers who labour full time in the ministry this included spreading the Gospel,and to the poor, including widows indeed, in their own church and in other churches Acts 6:1; 11:28-30; Romans 15:25-27; I Corinthians 9:7-14; 16:1-3; Galatians 2:10; 6:6; I Timothy 5:17-18; 2 Timothy 2:4.
Should Christians tithe? No, Again, nowhere in the entire Bible will you find God asking anyone to bring a tithe of 10% of their money to Him or to the church. But we under the blessings of the New Testament should give more than they did in the Old Testament, and the Spirit-filled examples agree Galatians 4:9; Hebrews 7:19,22; 8:6; Acts 2:44-47; 4:32-37.
Should a church require a tithe? No, a church cannot require a tithe from anyone. But a church should preach about giving. I Corinthians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:6.
My final Answer:
YOU SHOULD NOT TITHE BUT GIVE TO GOD A GIFT FROM THE HEART, But only give to those that use your gift wisely doing God’s will which includes helping the very poor and spreading the Gospel and making disciples.
Not many churches spread the Gospel and make disciples, in so doing they are not doing God's will.
If you are in one of these denominations or church building that do not go out and spread the Good News ask them to start and be a part of this, if they refuse, then you should by faith find another church to go to. If all you do is go to church to hear the word and do nothing to build new disciples then you are not in the Christian family of our Lord Jesus.
God will be pleased with the giver who understands that all he possesses belongs to the Lord. Such an attitude allows him to give generously, cheerfully and according to his prosperity. Such giving cannot be forced or demanded as a debt which is due.
Sorry if I offend anyone I am not here to please your heart, but to preach the message based on God's word to you.
I have compiled this page on tithing to show that modern Christian pastors/preachers are stealing if they take for themselves your tithes that belong to God, and also lying if they say they have a right to the tithes.
This page will be hated by many modern pastors.
It deeply bothers me to see 10% of peoples income going to false teachers and to building up vain congregation buildings.
Please do not support wolves in any way by helping them to preach the false gospel, when you could give the money to the poor and needy and to go and outreach to the lost and unreached and do as Jesus commanded, MAKE DISCIPLES.
I do not want everyone to assume that every preacher/pastor is intentionally scamming them, surely many are just going along with the tradition and think it is how things are supposed to be, however while not all of these men are scamming, it does reveal that the men who are not lying and scamming have not studied the scriptures in full..
Even after seeing these scriptures on tithes, there will still be many people who fall for men twisting the scriptures to make them think they have a right to their tithes.
Those who give tithes to their congregations often want to defend what they are doing and their preacher whom they have given their trust to.
Like other topics there are many debates on this subject. and before I go into the subject I like to share this with you.
Dear brothers and sisters,
It’s not about the percentage of what one gives, it’s about the desire and heart to support the Body of Christ in ministry. God does not need our money, He desires our love. The issue is always will be, do we love God enough to support ministries that bear fruit and bring forth a harvest of righteousness into the Kingdom of God. Remember this, Jesus talked about fruit, He never talked about the gifts of the Spirit other than to say that He would send us the Comforter who would teach us all things. Do what you can, give what you can and share what you can. God will receive it, bless it and use it to His glory.
Make sure it is used in the proper way and for His glory and not man’s bank accounts and not all these great big silly building that are across all nations. This to me is the meaning of "let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Now we go to the subject of tithing and giving
Q. Pastor do you believe in tithing?
A. No.
Q. Do You believe I should give 10% of my income as a tithe?
A. No I don’t
Q. Then pastor do you believe in giving at all to the church?
A. Yes, very much so.
I will like to explain why I don’t believe in tithing before going further in this Message.
First, you can look through every single passage in the Bible where the tithe is mentioned, and not once will you find God asking anyone for ten percent of their money!
This includes Jesus, who never tithed, asked for tithes, or commanded that anyone bring Him ten percent of their money. If Jesus didn’t do it, why are so many modern preachers doing it?
Jesus did not say that you should tithe but open your homes and share your possessions with others so that no one lacks anything. (Matthew 23:23; Acts 4:32-34; Deut. 8:17-18.
In today's world, look at the possessions of many people, and then look at many millions of poor crying just for a crust of bread to survive another day.
Never in history has God asked anyone much less all His people to tithe ten percent of their monetary income. Now let’s apply that to the most popularly preached “tithing” verse, Malachi 3:10. In this verse, God was rebuking the Israelites for neglecting to do something He had told them to do in the Old Testament law
Q. What Old Testament law command of God had the Israelites neglected?
A. They had neglected to “bring the tithe”.
So what does the word “tithe” mean in Malachi 3:10 – according to the Bible?
As part of the law of Moses in the Old Testament, God commanded the Israelite farmers and ranchers to bring the tenth portion of their crops and livestock to where the Levites lived.
This was because in God’s Old Testament law of Moses system (detailed national instructions for the nation of Israel), the Levites were not allotted any land on which to grow their own crops or tend their own livestock.
So the word “tithe” does mean “10% ”, but it does not mean “ 10% of every paycheck every modern Christian receives”. It means “the tenth portion of every ancient Israelite farmer or rancher’s crops and livestock”.
Again, nowhere in the entire Bible will you find God asking anyone to bring 10% of their money to Him or to the church.
God asked these Israelite farmers to help the poor in need by sharing the crops with them, He did not say give so the preacher can live well or use it to build and repair great big empty buildings that we call Church and temples.
Second: With Malachi 3:10, many preachers are just making a common mistake or a deliberate mistake that many people make when interpreting the Bible: taking a verse or statement completely out of context and making it mean whatever you want it to mean without defining the terms Biblically. Many preachers know what it means but use it anyway to build up their bank accounts.
I have 7 different Bibles here, not one of them say anything about money tithes and they all tell how God asked the Israelite farmers to tithe their crops to help the poor in need.
Or are you some one that have a book on tithing that say different, written by a man or a women preacher that you so looooooooooooove to hear preach and read his or her books.
There is this one book that contains the true facts, read it study it and if a preacher base your messages on it.
THE BOOK IS THE HOLY BIBLE
There is so much hype around the issue of tithe and money in today’s modern churches.
The tithes we give in modern world are not from farm produce , but money so you can see how the mammon is controlling the minds of many pastors, and preachers that have become very greedy and base all their teachings on money.
It is no longer news that some preachers use the tithe to enrich themselves. This is one among many reasons that the churches and many preachers are losing their integrity.
I see on TV, I see on websites, I read and hear so many cases about Pastors and ministries and I am far from happy with some of these pastors that made their teachings around money and giving.
But I am not to judge, their day will come if they not repent of this shameful sin. On judgement day they will say " but Father................"
They take but they don’ give back. They think because they preach it means they are giving. This have made many that gave stop giving, we pastors have all became tarred with the same brush in some peoples minds.
This is one of the reasons I and others struggle week in and week out to raise enough income to help the people that is in great need and to take the gospel to the lost and un-reached.
Because many greedy men and women have turned God’s mission into money making business for themselves, and people think we are all tarred with the same brush.
Please look at what your church, ministry and pastors are doing with any gifts before you give or stop giving.
GIVING
Before I go into the subject of what to give we need to understand the formula of tithing. I searched the word “Tithe” in the New Testament and came out with just only two scriptures , and they are both saying the same thing (Matthew 23:23 and Luke 11:42).
Matthew 23:23 “How horrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give God one-tenth of your mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the most important things in Moses’ Teachings. You should have done these things without neglecting the others. Does this sound familiar to you?
Q. If you don’t believe in the 10% Tithe, what then do you believe in?
A. I feel we have gone beyond the era of the 10%, and giving is by faith and not by law. Also giving is between you and God.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”
Remember we walk by faith and what determine the quality of your giving are the quality and the nature of your heart. It is not the amount you give here that matters.
This is maybe the very reason most of us are not being blessed by our giving as we give traditionally and not by faith.
Q. Now-do we give according to the Old Covenant tithe as one under the Law, or do we give from our heart as a New Covenant believer under grace?
A. Yes, Christians should support the preacher, (1Corinthians 9:9-14) but we are not told to give a “tithe” We give what is in our heart to give.
Let look at the scripture: 1 Corinthians 9: 14 Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.
Let's read it from the New Living Bible so it is clear to you. "In the same way the Lord has given orders that those who peach the Gospel should be supported by those that accept it."
Before moving on another important verse here is 15. Yet I have never asked you one penny. And I am not writing this to hint that I would like to start now. In fact, I would rather die of hunger than lose the satisfaction I get from preaching to you without charge.
It does not matter what you give so long as you give by faith and from the heart.
Jesus illustrated this with the widow’s giving. If you look at this story and think deep about it, you will find she gave the less money, but actually gave more than all.
We are told it was her last money so she gave a hundred percent of what she had with a clean heart. The others that gave much were not rewarded because their heart was not in it.
They gave so that people will notice and appreciate them and maybe respect them more for who they are.
Now do you understand the importance of giving? It is not in the amount of money that you give. It is through faith and with the heart you give. . God investigates the quality of your giving through the quality of your heart.
Your gift it do not matter even if it is a great amount, makes no difference if your heart is not right.
Let’s do another quick check form scriptures
Does the New Testament require a tithe? No, it does not mention tithing by name, except for Jesus correcting the Jews abuse of tithing Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42 and Paul's historical description of Abraham giving Melchisedec a tithe Hebrews 7:1-4. Also again Jesus never tithed, asked for tithes, or commanded that anyone bring Him ten percent of their money. If Jesus didn’t do it, why are so many modern preachers doing it?
Does the New Testament require giving? Yes, it requires giving by doctrine and precept for the very same things as the Old Testament – the ministry and the poor Acts 20:35; I Corinthians 9:1-18; 16:1-3; II Corinthians 8:1-24; 9:1-15; Galatians 6:6; I Timothy 5:3,17; 6:17-19; I John 3:17-18.
Did New Testament believers give? Yes, they gave with cheerful liberality and obvious personal sacrifice both in public and private, for their position or assets in this world meant little to them Acts 2:44-47; 4:32-37; 6:1; Philippians 4:10-18; Philemon 1:4-7; Hebrews 10:34; 3 John 1:5-8.
What did New Testament believers give for? They gave to ministers who labour full time in the ministry this included spreading the Gospel,and to the poor, including widows indeed, in their own church and in other churches Acts 6:1; 11:28-30; Romans 15:25-27; I Corinthians 9:7-14; 16:1-3; Galatians 2:10; 6:6; I Timothy 5:17-18; 2 Timothy 2:4.
Should Christians tithe? No, Again, nowhere in the entire Bible will you find God asking anyone to bring a tithe of 10% of their money to Him or to the church. But we under the blessings of the New Testament should give more than they did in the Old Testament, and the Spirit-filled examples agree Galatians 4:9; Hebrews 7:19,22; 8:6; Acts 2:44-47; 4:32-37.
Should a church require a tithe? No, a church cannot require a tithe from anyone. But a church should preach about giving. I Corinthians 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 3:6.
My final Answer:
YOU SHOULD NOT TITHE BUT GIVE TO GOD A GIFT FROM THE HEART, But only give to those that use your gift wisely doing God’s will which includes helping the very poor and spreading the Gospel and making disciples.
Not many churches spread the Gospel and make disciples, in so doing they are not doing God's will.
If you are in one of these denominations or church building that do not go out and spread the Good News ask them to start and be a part of this, if they refuse, then you should by faith find another church to go to. If all you do is go to church to hear the word and do nothing to build new disciples then you are not in the Christian family of our Lord Jesus.
God will be pleased with the giver who understands that all he possesses belongs to the Lord. Such an attitude allows him to give generously, cheerfully and according to his prosperity. Such giving cannot be forced or demanded as a debt which is due.
Sorry if I offend anyone I am not here to please your heart, but to preach the message based on God's word to you.