THE TRUTH OF TITHING
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Author: George Potkonyak, Seventh Edition: August 1996
Edited by: Paul Thibodeau
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1. IS THIS A DOCTRINAL OR A THEOLOGICAL DEBATE ON THE CONTINUING VALIDITY OF TITHING?No, it is not, even though many would like to present it that way. The issue is: Are the scriptures on tithing being properly taught in the church? It's as simple as that. This is not a theological debate on whether tithing is valid for the New Testament church - I have left this question open, so as not to complicate the matter and draw attention away from the real issue: are we being told the truth about Old Testament tithing or not? If you believe that tithing is valid for the New Testament church you will find this study very useful; if you believe that it is not valid, you will find a source of inspiration from God's commandments to His people in the Old Testament concerning the support of those whom He has called into His ministry and those who are less fortunate than ourselves. (Note: Bible quotes are abbreviated to save space, however, you are encouraged to read the full Biblical texts quoted at your convenience. Emphasis in CAPITALS is mine. All the quotations are from the New King James Version). 2. TITHING2.1. THE BASIC FRAUDThe following text from the book of Malachi is quoted often very accurately and truthfully by most of those who "teach" on tithing:
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Malachi 3:8-12 "Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, 'In what way have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse for you have robbed Me... Bring all the TITHES into the STOREHOUSE, that there may be food in My house and try Me now in this... If I will not... pour out for you such blessing... And all nations will call you blessed..." ------------------------------
It is obvious from the above text that God was not at all pleased with the Israelites concerning their tithing practices. Now, all those who believe that tithing is valid for the New Testament church are right in believing that the above verses apply to them: if they tithe they may expect blessings, if they don't, they may expect curses. One may ask, "What's wrong with the above statement?" The answer is that there is nothing wrong with the statement; it is the word of God. The fraud comes from the redefinition of two keywords, used in the above text, by those who want to present tithing in their own way. The "tithes" are presented to be the tenth portion of your income which is given away and deposited into the "storehouse". The "storehouse" is presented to be your church's account. BOTH OF THESE TWO DEFINITIONS ARE FALSE. The key to understanding this is in the preceding verse: --------------------------------
Malachi 3:7 "Yet from the days of your fathers you have gone away from MY ORDINANCES and have not kept them..." --------------------------------
God is pointing the Israelites (and us!) to His ordinances concerning tithing. 2.2. TITHING ACCORDING TO GOD (GOD'S ORDINANCES)-------------------------------
Deu. 12:17-19 "You may not eat within your gates the tithe of your grain or your new wine... But YOU MUST EAT THEM before the Lord your God... you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, and the Levite who is within your gates; and you shall rejoice before the Lord your God..." Deu. 14:22-23 "You shall truly tithe all the increase... year by year. And YOU SHALL EAT before the Lord your God... the TITHE of your grain and your new wine... that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always." Deu. 14:24-26 "But if the journey is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the TITHE... then you shall exchange it for money... And YOU SHALL SPEND THAT MONEY for whatever your heart desires; YOU SHALL EAT there before the Lord your God and you shall rejoice, YOU AND YOUR HOUSEHOLD." ---------------------------------
The above quotes are COMMANDMENTS OF GOD concerning tithing: He has instructed the Israelites to EAT THEIR TITHES before the Lord, rejoicing. We have to bear in mind that these commandments were given to Moses, to pass them on to the Israelites, while they were still in the wilderness, and they were to be observed after the Israelites crossed the Jordan river and possessed the promised land. ---------------------------------
Deu. 12:5-7 "But you shall seek the place where the Lord your God chooses... there you shall take... your tithes... and there you shall eat before the Lord your God, and you shall rejoice..." Deu. 12:8-9 "You shall not at all do as we are doing here today - every man doing whatever is right in his own eyes - for as yet you have not come to the rest and the inheritance which the Lord your God is giving you." ---------------------------------
The above verse is very interesting and I will refer to it later on. For now, let's summarize: The Israelites were supposed to take their tithes to the appointed place and EAT THEM there before the Lord, rejoicing, TOGETHER with their family, their servants and their local Levite - "the Levite who is within your gates". The Levites were to be allocated cities within each tribe ("within your gates") where they were supposed to live with their families. These Levites were not those who served in the Tabernacle (or, later on, in the temple), but those who have chosen to remain in their cities within each tribal land. They would join the Israelites on those special trips to the appointed place of worship, where they would join in the celebrations and consumption of tithes. Considering that there were about 30 to 33 Israelites to each Levite (ref. Numbers, chapters 1 to 3), it is likely that each Levite would consume a very small portion of tithes - not even worth mentioning. The Israelites were commanded to eat their tithes. The tithes were supposed to be consumed in an atmosphere of celebration, sharing, and communion with fellow Israelites and with God. Therefore, this is not the tithe spoken of in Malachi given for the storehouse. Was the temple used as the storehouse for the tithes? -----------------------------------
Neh. 10:37-38 "...to bring the firstfruits... and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities. And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse." -----------------------------------
Some rooms in the temple were indeed referred to as the "storehouse", but they were used to store the tithes of the tithes - the "heave offerings" that the LEVITES were to give to the priests. Therefore, these rooms in the temple were not the "storehouse" where the ISRAELITES were to bring their tithes. The Levites were to receive their tithes in the places where they lived ("in all our farming communities"), from which they would give tithes to the priests. The priest was present for this collection. Another example of the tithing practices of the Israelites is found in 2 Chr. 31. During the rule of king Hezekiah, the nation of the southern kingdom (Judah) returned to the Lord and, among other observances of the Law, tithing was restored. This time the rooms of the temple were used as the storehouse for the tithes brought in by the whole community of the southern kingdom, from where distribution was made to the priests and Levites according to their genealogy. Note that a tithe of 10% was too great for the temple to store, and additional rooms had to be built. The tithes were lying on the ground in great heaps: ------------------------
2 Chr.31:10 "And Azariah the chief priest... said, 'Since the people began to bring the offerings into the house of the Lord, we have had enough to eat and have plenty left, for the Lord has blessed His people; and what is left is this great abundance.' " The tithe was then distributed back to the local Levites, from which it would have come if the law was properly being observed all along. During the restoration though, this distribution appears to have been centralized at the temple. How were the tithes distributed? What proportion went to whom? We don't get an answer here. We will be discussing this biblical pattern shortly. Before I return to the book of Deuteronomy, I'd like to say a few words on the nature, types and the method of selecting tithes. -----------------------------------
Lev. 27:30 "And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's. IT IS HOLY TO THE LORD. Lev. 27:32-33 "And concerning the tithe of the herd or the flock, of whatever passes under the rod, the tenth one shall be HOLY TO THE LORD. He shall not inquire whether it is GOOD OR BAD..." ----------------------------------
First, there were several types of tithes, according to the source of an Israelite's income: the tithes form the land (seed and fruit) and the tithes from the domestic animals (flock and herd). In later years, as other income generating occupations developed, there would be other kinds of tithes. In other words, God expected His people to set aside one tenth of ALL "increase" (income). The second point worth remembering is the fact that the tithes are SELECTED AT RANDOM. They are not supposed to come from the "best portion" or the "fat portion" as you may have often heard, but it was a randomly selected portion "whether it is good or bad". The third and a very important point is: the tithes are HOLY TO THE LORD. What does this mean? It simply means that they are to be used ACCORDING TO GOD'S INSTRUCTION and not for any other purpose, no matter how 'godly' that purpose may appear. A frequent argument is that everything we own is God's anyway, so it really doesn't matter how much or how we give back to Him. But God knew this when He gave His commandments regarding tithing, yet, He said that a certain portion of our income (10%) is holy to Him and He wants us to use it in a way that He commanded. ----------------------------------
Deu. 12:20-26 "When the Lord your God enlarges your border as He has promised you, and you say, 'Let me eat meat', because you long to eat meat, you may eat as much meat as your heart desires. If the place where the Lord your God chooses to put His name is too far from you, then... you may eat within your gates as much as your heart desires... Only the holy things which you have, and your vowed offerings you shall take and go to the place which the Lord chooses." ---------------------------------
Now, having in mind the above three points, let's get back to the book of Deuteronomy:
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Deu. 14:27-29 "You shall not forsake the Levite... at the end of EVERY THIRD YEAR you shall BRING THE TITHE of your produce of THAT YEAR and store it up WITHIN YOUR GATES. And the LEVITE, and the FATHERLESS and the WIDOW... may come and eat and be satisfied, that the Lord your God may BLESS YOU in all the work of your hand which you do." ---------------------------------
As you can see, God hasn't forgotten those whom He has called into His ministry, He has allocated them a just portion - on average, about ONE THIRD OF 10% of an ordinary Israelite's yearly income. The Israelites were to leave that portion of tithes in the "storehouse" from which the Levites and those in need were to get their food. This is the "storehouse" mentioned in Malachi 3, and mind you, it is to be accessed not only by the Levites but by the poor as well. As already mentioned, Levites were allocated cities within each tribal land in which they were to live with their families and, apart from houses, they were allocated the "pasture land". This pasture land was a part of the "storehouse" in which the tithes were deposited: some of the tithes were in the form of grain, seed, wine, oil and other farm produce, and some were actually live domestic animals, rather than killed meat. So, these animals which were received as a tithe were to be pastured till they were taken and killed for food either by the Levites or by those in need. God repeats the statement on the "year of tithing" - just in case... ---------------------------------
Deu. 26:12 "When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase IN THE THIRD YEAR - THE YEAR OF TITHING - and have given it to the LEVITE, the STRANGER, the FATHERLESS and the WIDOW, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled..." ---------------------------------
THIS is the portion of the tithes that is actually GIVEN AWAY by the Israelites - one tenth of their income every THIRD year, not of every year - and this portion is not taken to the place of worship, but to one of the storehouses within the tribal land. The biblical pattern is: a tenth every third year for the Levites (on average one-thirtieth of an Israelite's annual income), and a tenth of this is given by the Levite to the priests (one three-hundredth of an Israelite's annual income). As will be discussed later, this pattern ensures a comparable standard of living for God's ministers, based on their actual number in relation to God's people. God does not abuse the wealth of others to enrich his ministers, but generously provides for them a comparable standard of living from the wealth of the people they serve. ----------------------------------
Deu. 26:13-14 "...then you shall say before the Lord your God: 'I have removed the HOLY tithes from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, ACCORDING TO ALL YOUR COMMANDMENTS which You have commanded me... nor have I removed any of it for an unclean use... I have obeyed the voice of the Lord my God, and have done ACCORDING TO ALL THAT YOU HAVE COMMANDED ME." ----------------------------------
I don't think that I have to add any comment to the above verses - God's word is so clear and specific. Anyone who wants to obey His word, can do so without any further interpretation. One thing only I would like to mention: God has instituted tithing not as a burden to His people but rather as a blessing: "...that it may go well with you and your children after you forever...", "...that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always", "...that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hand which you do." There is one condition: that we do it according to His word, not according to some other definition.
2.3. ALTERNATIVE INTERPRETATIONSThere is another teaching which claims that God instituted three tithes: a) 10% every year for the believers themselves, b) 10% every third year for the Levites and the poor, and c) a full 10% every year for the Levites.
There is NO COMMANDMENT in the Bible that requires the Israelites to give away 10% of their income every year to the Levites. The text that can possibly be interpreted as the "third tithe" is found in:
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Numbers 18:21 (God speaking to Aaron) "Behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tithes in Israel..."
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This is frequently understood as saying that the children of Levi are to be given a tithe every year. And they are, but two out of three years it does not go to the local storehouse. The Levites receive all of the tithes, BUT AS GOD COMMANDS: receiving a full tithe every third year, and sharing in the Israelite's tithe in celebration and reverence as part of the community before the Lord the other two. I must say again: God NEVER issued a commandment that directs the Israelites to give 10% of their income every year to the Levites, therefore, there is no equivalent "principle" which instructs believers today to give 10% of their income to the church. In Numbers 18, we can see that the tithe that came from the "best portion" was the one that Levites were to give back to God as a "heave offering" from all the tithes they received. So, pastor, beware of this instruction, if you "believe in tithing"! In the Old Testament it meant giving to the high priest; today it may mean giving to someone holding a "higher office", or to the poor (as we will see, giving to the poor is giving to God). Was God stingy toward the Levites? No, not at all. If we check Numbers, chapters one to three, we will find that there were approximately 30 to 33 Israelites to one Levite. If each Israelite was to give 10% of his income of every year to the Levite, the Levite would end up with about THREE TIMES AS MUCH as an ordinary Israelite! Was that God's intention? He never said so. 3. ABRAHAM'S "TITHING PRINCIPLE" We all know that Abraham gave to Melchizedek, the priest of the most high God, "tithes of all" (Gen. 14:20). Many proponents of tithing are using this verse to "prove" that tithing is valid (as some "eternal principle") for the church today, because Abraham, the father of our faith, established the principle. They normally never mention what God said about tithing in the book of Deuteronomy because it is "the Law" - as if God didn't know about Abraham's "eternal principle" when He established the Law. I would think that the real reason is that what God said there contradicts what they would like us to "know" about tithing. So, let's examine "Abraham's tithing principle".
1. Abraham gave 10% to the priest.Comment: so far, so good.
2. Abraham gave from the spoil he repossessed from the enemy kings.Comment: somehow, this fact has been ignored by those preaching the "Abraham's principle".
3. Abraham gave the remaining 90% to those to whom the goods belonged in the first place. Comment: as in 2 above.
4. Abraham gave only once in his lifetime (as far as the Bible recorded).Comment: as in 2 above.
5. Abraham didn't touch his own property or income (and he was an "exceedingly wealthy" man). Comment: as in 2 above. It appears to me that the proponents of "Abraham's principle" are very selective: they adopt only one out of five points from Abraham's example on tithing. We must never forget that when we give our tithes according to God's instruction, we are giving our tithe to God. We are giving our tithes to God and to his ministers, 10% of our yearly income, AS HE COMMANDS. And He commanded that the Israelites do this in a specific way, two out of three years eating their tithe with God's ministers before the Lord, and the third year giving the whole tithe to the Levites and the poor. 4. THE EQUALITY PRINCIPLENow, what shall we say? I will let you dear brethren, decide for yourselves. I would like to mention only one thing: I personally believe that we should consider the tithing instruction as God Himself defined it in the books of the Law, not as a legal obligation, but rather as an eternal PRINCIPLE. It is for the benefit and the blessing of the donors and the recipients, and it is for the PROTECTION of the donors AND the recipients. It gives us all a good measuring stick by which we may determine how much is reasonable to expect to give or to receive.
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2 Cor. 8:13-15: "For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an EQUALITY, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack - that there may be equality. As it is written: 'He who gathered much had nothing left over, and he who gathered little had no lack' ". ----------------------------
If we look at the above principle we will find that it is the principle of equality, a comparable standard of economic equality for God's servants. In the Old Testament there were ordinary Israelites who were in majority, who had received their inheritance, their land on which to grow their produce. Today, we have, in the kingdom of God, ordinary people who have their secular jobs or businesses from which they derive their income. In the Old Testament there was a group of people set aside by God unto His service: the Levites. Today we also have people whom God has called into His ministry. In the Old Testament God commanded the Israelites to give a fair share of their produce to provide a comparable living standard for those whom He had set apart - one third of 10%. He also made provision for those less fortunate by allowing them to partake of the tithes set aside for those in His ministry. And, last of all, He has ordained that two out of three years the believers themselves take 10% of their income and spend it on themselves and their families in a special manner, giving honor to God for His goodness, joining the Levites and all Israel in celebration and reverence before the Lord. The actual practice of tithing feasts was most likely a communal celebration where people would come together and rejoice before the Lord in the material blessings He had provided for them. These are some of the principles behind God's ordinances on tithing, whether you believe tithing is binding or not - the principles remain. Of course, you may give more to the church, or to the poor, or you may spend more on you and your family. Special situations may arise, as happened in the early church when believers in one part of the world suffered from natural disaster. That is the kind of giving Paul is talking about in 2 Cor. 8 and 9. 5. THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCHIn the above texts I haven't mentioned the New Testament verses which teach that those who are called to preach the gospel ought to live by the gospel. I totally agree with this, and hope you do as well. However, Paul often worked at secular jobs to provide for himself and others rather than risk offending the immature Gentile converts by asking them for the material support. God's ministers must consider this as well.
Why is there no clear teaching in the New Testament on tithing? There are at least two possible answers to this question: The Gentile community already gave freely and joyfully of its material possessions, as per the teaching of Jesus that it is more blessed to give than to receive. The New Testament emphasizes the importance of freely giving, as in the passages on storing treasure in heaven, the dangers of the love of money, anxiety over wealth, the incompatibility between serving God and serving money, possessions, daily material anxiety, the rich young man, contentment with basic necessities, the four gospel seeds, etc. Many early church believers were from the Jewish community. Jews knew the Law and strictly observed its requirements. They probably continued to observe the law except where they were specifically told not to. There is an interesting passage in the book of Acts: ---------------------------------
Acts 2:44-47 " Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people." ---------------------------------
Could this be the fulfillment of the law of tithing according to the book of Deuteronomy? It may or may not be the case. 5.1. "EATING" THE TITHESWhether one believes that Old Testament tithing is valid for the New Testament church or not, given the contemporary teaching on tithing, God's commandment to the Israelites to eat two out of three of their yearly tithes sounds ridiculous. But, if we take a closer look, we will find that it makes perfect sense; it is only our "tradition" that makes it sound silly. God commanded that one tenth of an Israelite's income is HIS. Therefore, He, as the rightful owner, is entitled to decide how to spend it. If He decides to give it all back to the one who brought it in, who are we to oppose Him? Besides, why is it any more ridiculous to spend God's tithe on an "ordinary" believer than on someone who is in the ministry? If God said "eat this portion of tithe and give the other portion to someone else", we better do it. When He declared Jericho to be dedicated to Him, He commanded the Israelites to bring all the gold, silver and brass into His treasury and to utterly destroy the rest. And the Israelites obeyed - all except Achan: he thought that he found a better use for God's devoted things - and he found out that he was terribly wrong! Today we find that many churches have found a 'better' way to use the tithes: they use them to "build the kingdom". THIS sounds ridiculous! Does God really need our money to build His kingdom? He who created the whole universe, now depends on His creation to build Him a kingdom?
5.2. GENEALOGY OF LEVITESNow, if we look back to the Old Testament and tithing we will see that God was the one who separated the Levites for Himself - and He provided for them EXACTLY the amount they needed to have a comparable standard of living with the rest of the Israelites. Today, it is God who calls those in the ministry and it is He who brings people to salvation, i.e. to each particular church. If anyone claims that we need much more (than one-third of 10% of our income) today to support those in the ministry, we better think twice. If we have overproduced the "ministers" it is our fault. In the time of Nehemiah they checked the genealogy of those who claimed to be Levites before they were allowed to minister (Neh. 7). How about if we start checking the "genealogy" of those claiming to be called of God to preach?
Finally, if a "church" requires assets and a standard of living above the individual assets and wealth of an average supporter, we had better wonder about what is happening to God's church! 6. GIVING TO THE POORThere is so much talk on the subject of giving (apart from tithing) in churches today. In my seven years of "hard labor" in my ex-church, I heard the subject of giving mentioned more often than any other. Usually the Bible was quoted, however, the instruction was incomplete: To whom does the Bible teach us to give? Sadly, this teaching is neglected in many, if not most of the churches that place giving and tithing in a prominent position. I examined hundreds of references in the Bible in order to find out which kind of giving God gives most prominence to. One doesn't have to be a statistician to quickly conclude that God speaks about giving to the needy more often than about all other giving put together! And He stated, in the Old Testament and the New Testament, that the poor will always be among us. Anyone who teaches differently is making God a liar and Jesus a false prophet.
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Deu. 15:11 "For the poor will NEVER cease from the land..." Mark. 14:7 "For you have the poor with you ALWAYS, and whenever you wish you may do them good..." -------------------------
Yet, we hear more and more frequently from the pulpit that there are no poor people, or "they are poor because they choose to be". Often, the book of Deuteronomy becomes valid (all of a sudden!) where it mentions the poor "within your gates", supposedly meaning that the poor should join "my church" in order to be eligible to get help. "Within your gates" in the Old Testament meant within the tribal land. God didn't want to make it hard for those needing help by sending them across the land to get their food. Today "within your gates" is as far as your bank is (or even your telephone or computer terminal). You can T-T your money to any destination in the world within minutes. Now, let's see first what the Old Testament says about giving to the poor. -------------------------
Ps. 41:1 "Blessed is he who considers the poor; the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble." Prov. 19:17 "He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given." Prov. 22:19 "He who has a generous eye will be blessed, for he gives of his bread to the poor." -------------------------
What is the Bible teaching us here? Those who give to the poor can expect only blessing, and more blessing and more blessing; not from those to whom they give, but from God Himself. Even if the needy happen not to be in your denomination, or your country, or even if he is your enemy, don't let it worry you. -------------------------
Prov. 25:21-22 "If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty give him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the Lord will reward you." -------------------------
Now, let's consider some more Bible teaching on giving (or lack of it ) to the poor: -------------------------
Prov. 28:27 "He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses." Prov. 21:13 "Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard."
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The above two verses are worthy of a long hard look. This is the "other side of the coin" which must not be ignored. This is the word of God! Now, Malachi 3 makes sense: God was telling the Israelites that they were cursed because they robbed Him by not following HIS ORDINANCES and not having food in His storehouse. In Deuteronomy chapters 14 and 26 He speaks specifically of the portion of the tithes that goes to the storehouse, not only to feed the Levites but also the poor. So, part of the tithes given away by believers belong to the poor (as well as to the priests). The following verse is very interesting:
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Prov. 22:16 "He who oppresses the poor to increase his riches, and he who gives to the rich, will surely come to poverty." -------------------------
Have you ever given to any of those "needy" ministries who claim to be in debt, like $40 million, or whatever? How many needy people do you know who manage to get into such debt? Or, to those ministries whose "head pastor" flies his own private airplane? Consider the above proverb: if you help their "needs" you are helping the rich. And what is the consequence? You will end up in the same boat with the one who robs the poor, that is, in poverty. Who is the one who robs the poor? If someone is poor you may say there is nothing to rob him of. Not so! The poor have their inheritance from God: they stand side-by-side with the "Levite" to get THEIR portion from the "storehouse" where the tithes are stored. So, whoever denies them access to that "storehouse" is oppressing the poor. And what is his destiny? He will come to poverty, says the Lord. You may say: "That's the Old Testament!" So let's see what the New Testament teaches on this subject. I wouldn't think that the God of the New Testament is any less concerned with the well-being of the poor than the God of the Old Testament - He is the same God and He changes not! -------------------------
Mat. 19:21 "If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give TO THE POOR, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." (refer also Mark 10:21 and Luke 18:22) Luke 12:33-34 "Sell what you have and GIVE ALMS [to the poor]; provide yourselves a treasure in heaven.. for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." -------------------------
What is Jesus saying here? Give to whom? Give TO THE POOR and you will have treasure in heaven! One may say that Jesus contradicts Himself by not having the costly perfume which Mary used to anoint Him sold and given to the poor (Mark 14:3-9). There is no contradiction here: Jesus was about to be buried on that particular occasion - and to never be buried again! The Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Galatian church, recalls the commission given to him and Barnabas by the elders and apostles in Jerusalem, when they were sent out to preach to the Gentiles. -------------------------
Gal. 2:10 "They desired ONLY that we should remember the poor, THE VERY THING which I also was eager to do." -------------------------
There is no mention of making sure that they (Paul and Barnabas) should stay in the best hotels, use the best mode of transport, get people to build crystal cathedrals, get them to give for the "extension of the kingdom" etc... so that "the world can see that the Christians are the head, not the tail". Jesus' parable in Matthew 25 deserves careful consideration. He talks about two groups of people being judged: those on the right (the sheep) were those who took care of the poor and those on the left (the goats) were those who ignored the poor. What happened to those on the left? They were thrown into the lake of fire! Who were they? The unbelievers ("the world")? We should consider it carefully. Jesus said that the world was already judged, therefore there is no need for them to come for the judgment . Consider Matthew 25:44, they (the "goats") said, "Lord, when did we see You hungry...?". They addressed Him as "Lord". Were they really "the world"? 7. CHURCH EXPENSES-------------------------
Lev. 24:1-2 "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: "Command the children of Israel that they bring to you pure oil of pressed olives for the light, to make the lamps burn continually." -------------------------
The above commandment to the Israelites is a clear indication that God expected them to meet (some) of the running costs of the place of worship. He mentioned only oil. What were the other expenses? I can't think of any except for the wood for the fire on the altar of the burnt offering. The offerings themselves came from the Israelites as per commandments relating to the offerings (which is the subject of a separate study). -------------------------
Neh. 10:34 "We cast lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for bringing the wood offering into the house of our God..." -------------------------
We see here how Nehemiah and the elders solved the problem of the wood supply. It was a matter of putting in some work required to cut and bring the wood in. All of the people participated in the "draw", including the Levites and the priests. -------------------------
Neh. 10:32 "Also we made ordinances for ourselves, to exact from ourselves yearly one-third of a shekel for the service of the house of our God..." -------------------------
Nehemiah and the elders also decided to meet the running costs of the temple in a prescribed manner - each family a flat rate. Please note: one-third of a shekel (of silver) is not much by any standard. They were very modest: no private chariots (i.e. airplanes), no glossy publications, no fancy programs, etc... So, in principle, the church running costs should be met by the ministers and elders and a contribution from believers. 8. CHURCH BUILDING-------------------------
Ex. 25:1 "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering'." -------------------------
This was God's call to the Israelites while they were in the wilderness on their way from Egypt. As we know, God commanded Moses to build Him a tent (tabernacle) and He gave detailed plans to Moses. As we read on, we'll find that the Israelites, not only met the needs, but they had to be told to stop giving, for there was too much in the offering (Ex. 36:5-7). I'd like to hear that more often! A couple of observations here: a) If the giving is for God's purpose, people are willing to give even above the requirements, and b) the leaders will acknowledge when the requirements are met, and will ask people to stop giving. Have you ever heard a ministry ask people to stop giving? Isn't there always some new project to complete or some grand design? -------------------------
Prov. 30:15-16 "The leech has two daughters - Give and Give! There are three things that are never satisfied, four never say, 'Enough!': The grave, the barren womb, the earth that is not satisfied with water - and the fire never says, 'Enough!' -------------------------
Should we add to this the offering plate? -------------------------
Ex. 35:21 "Then everyone came whose heart was stirred, and everyone whose spirit was willing, and they brought the Lord's offering for work of the tabernacle of the meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments." -------------------------
Similarly, if we read the account of "fund raising" for the building of the first temple (1 Chr. 29) and the second temple (Ezra chs. 1 to 3) we will see that, firstly it was God's will to build and secondly the contributions were entirely free will offerings of the people who were following the example of their leaders. When it comes to the building of the places of worship, there is no direct "perpetual" commandment in the Old Testament and not even an example of any building project in the New Testament. So, what is my advice? If there is a clear indication that it is God's idea to build a place of worship, you will find that, in some way, it will be indicated to the people (e.g. a prophetic word) and the finances will come easily. Then, if need be, get involved! Otherwise, think twice before you subscribe to any building fund. Why? I have seen some extravagant spending on church building that borders on lunacy. People were drained of their resources so that they were not able to meet their other responsibilities to God. And a big question is: to whom do these buildings belong? To the church? And what happens when the "church" folds, as is often the case? Please don't misunderstand me. If it is economically more sound to build than to rent, it's fine. Let the elders and the financial experts work out what is the best solution, and if it is to build, then build. But, to be fair to each contributor, in case he/she decides to leave the church, let each one who contributes hold shares in the building ownership. And, if the decision is that it is better to build, once the church occupies its own building, it would be fair to advise the believers that the church running costs have been reduced (remember: it was an economical decision to build), so that they can adjust their level of contribution to the church's running costs. The Greek word for church means gathering together, not a building. Church is a group of believers together - no matter where they meet. 9. THE MONEY CHANGERS------------------------------
Luke 19:45-46 Then He [Jesus] went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, "It is written, 'My house is a house of prayer' and you have made it a 'den of thieves' ". ------------------------------
I have heard and read numerous examples where so-called ministers of the word teach the most stupid and the most ridiculous "giving principles" which, astonishingly, many, even more mature believers fall for. As we have seen from the Biblical teaching on the subject of tithing and giving there is definitely a blessing for the giver-God ordained it so. But also, if a believer is not careful with his giving, he will end up with curses rather than with blessings, or, at best, squandering his money. It is gullibility as much as false teaching that causes such excesses in the church. If believers would pay more attention to Biblical truth there would be less room for those "teachers" to propagate their selfish "doctrines" . It makes me sad (and angry) to see so many Christian forums (and churches!) that do not allow discussion of the "controversial" subjects for fear of "division" - as if we were a united body. The real reason is that those in the position of "authority " (church authority is another sticky subject!) don't want anyone to challenge their pet doctrines, whatever the motive for those doctrines may be. Some, so-called Christian ministries have accumulated abundant wealth, not by preaching the gospel but by teaching a "prosperity doctrine". There are books and circular letters written on how to get "prosperous", of course, each one ending with the invitation to give to that particular ministry which will in turn pray for you and you will get blessed. They talk about "faith", about "mixing giving with prayers", about "agreeing" on your wish, about all kinds of superstition for which many believers fall. An often quoted example is the account of the prophet Elijah and the poor widow whose son was raised from the dead, supposedly, as a result of her giving to the man of God. So, if you give to the "man of God" you may expect a miracle in your life. Few of them mention that, in that particular instance, God actually commanded the widow to give food to the prophet, so she did. She obeyed God's specific instruction; therefore, the principle is: "Obey God's commandment", rather than "give to (any one who claims to be) the man of God". -------------------------
1 Kings 17:8-9 "Then the word of the Lord came to him [Elijah], saying, 'Arise, go to Zarephat, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. See, I HAVE COMMANDED a widow there to provide for you' ". -------------------------
I can go on and on... You may say that the above examples are extremes. But what shall we say about those "honest" preachers who use the passage from Malachi 3 to either scare people with curses or to entice them with blessings into "tithing", without explaining to their "flock" which ordinances God was talking about (regarding tithing), or lead them to believe that tithing is the giving of 10% of their income to the church? I'll leave the answer to you. I understand that all churches are not well off financially. Yet it should not be an excuse for the preachers to resort to dishonest teaching to get in extra funds. Can you imagine a person in a secular job resorting to a dishonest method for getting some extra money to feed his family? He would end up on the wrong side of the law, and possibly in jail. Yet, in our Christian world, it appears that dishonest gain is OK, as long as it is by a Christian for the "advancement of the kingdom of God". I believe that an offering to God gained in a dishonest way is considered unclean and an abomination and not acceptable to Him. With Him, the end does not justify means. I hope, dear brother or sister that you have learned something valuable from this message. May God bless you all. ACKNOWLEDGMENTSI wish to thank God who opened my eyes to the truth of His word which I tried to interpret with my utmost honesty. I also wish to thank all those who contributed by their comments and criticism of the earlier editions of this article. My special appreciation goes to my brother in Christ, Paul Thibodeau, who, in his own quest for the truth, has made a valuable and much appreciated contribution to this work. "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil." [Ecclesiastes 12:13-14]
Amen.
Dear Nathan 9/28/03
I found your website while surfing the Net. You have done quite a good job in addressing a number of issues that need to be addressed. You're welcome to link any of my pages to yours, if you like what I wrote.
Bless You.
George Potkonayak
