What caused you to excerpt your own material?
You could just post the whole thing.
I find it interesting that for all Christians and pastors like to remind us that we are not under the law any more and our works do not do anything to move us toward God or compel him to bless us, when it comes to tithing, they are virtual pharisees.
I know people who above and beyond tithe and still are having financial difficulties and people who don’t tithe who don’t have financial problems.
We are so legalistic in this one area, and it’s perfectly acceptable in the vast majority of churches.
There is need for an expert on Tithing ?
2nd Corinthians
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver”
uh...”by compulsion”
Impossible to make the argument without including this red herring.
So what you do, pretty much, is pimp your own blogs on FreeRepublic.
Ah, I see you take PayPal.
It seems some in the church are waking up to the false teaching of tithing which is only 200 years old. When the establishment clause ended the religious tax, the tithe teaching then started in the US and spread to other nations. It was easy money, no faith required and this vulgar “don’t rob God” preaching made the gullible sheep fill the offering plates out of fear not joyful hearts. Mammon has a strong place in many churches and church leaders.
The Levite priesthood ended 2000 years ago.
The Levites were not allowed to own anything or to earn anything, they were supported by the other Israelite tribes via the tithe.
They could not tithe money either only 10% of the one year old livestock and grain (produce of the field). If it was too far to travel and bring your cattle or grain you could sell it for money travel to the place God has chosen for your tithe and then buy livestock or grain to tithe. The Levites did not receive money. Deuteronomy 14:24-26 God has always tried to keep his priesthood from the love of mammon. BTW we all are now the priesthood and if there was still a tithe we would be tithing to ourselves not a church and a leadership that has not the faith to live by faith. This “you are robbing God” is a con, it is evil.
This does not mean we should not support our church or our leadership. Let each of you decide in your own heart what to give to your church and to your leaders/Pastor. Give your support directly to your Pastor if you desire to support him, let him live by faith. 2 Cor 9:7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
The New Covenant instruction to give from your heart not a compulsory law as the tithe was. This is primarily for the needy, orphans, widows, the least of these (Matt 25) and your own (1 Tim 5:8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.) I believe it is more than just your relatives but everyone God has given you care for. If you neglect the ones God sends for you to help you miss God and His heart. Giving is also to be done is secret, it is between you and God. Matt 6:3-4
If you want to give 10%...20%...90% to your church go ahead but don’t be ruled by this Tither lie.
bump
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What you give, like everything else, is as the Holy Spirit leads you. I agree that tithing = legalism.
Most of the time you will find that, if you ask, the Spirit will lead you to give generously, somewhere in the neighborhood of the strict 10% tithe.
I once heard a well known radio preacher (may have been David Jeremiah, but not sure, it was long ago) preach that, in ancient Israel the tithe was your contribution to the Temple plus your taxes to the government, so under that standard most of us give well above the tithe anyway.