scarphase:




I beg to differ! Giving to the poor is the surest way to give to God. Have you come across the passage that says whatever you do to the least of my brother that you do unto me. Math 25 vs 31 to 40! Careful about what you say. God is passionate about the less privileged

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And what if the poor is not "my brother"?

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And what if the poor is not "my brother"?

ProjectNaija:


Jesus considered the poor as his brethen, if you think they are not your brothers, you can't possibly be a follower of Christ.

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Don't be doing hasty generalisation, the year is young. What Jesus said was to give preference to Himself/God above the poor. It's good to help poor brethren, but not all the poor are brethren and not all the brethren are poor.

ProjectNaija:


Jesus said giving to the poor is the same as giving to him or God. Don't get it twisted. If you want to give to God, give to the poor. You don't need to start twisting scriptures to suit your agenda.

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You're the one twisting it. It is very clear and straight to the point, "my brethren"

Matthew25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

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You're the one twisting it. It is very clear and straight to the point, "my brethren"

Matthew25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

ProjectNaija:


Read in proper context from verse 31, Jesus made it crystal clear that his brethen he is referring to are the poor and less privilege.

MrPresident1:


In that story of the good Samaritan, how does the injured man qualify as brethren?

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Mat 25:31  When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: 
Mat 25:32  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: 
Mat 25:33  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 
Mat 25:34  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 
Mat 25:35  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: 
Mat 25:36  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. 
Mat 25:37  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? 
Mat 25:38  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? 
Mat 25:39  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? 
Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me. 
Mat 25:41  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: 
Mat 25:42  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: 
Mat 25:43  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. 
Mat 25:44  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? 
Mat 25:45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

brocab:
I remember the day's when I was first told about tithing-God didn't tell me to tithe, it was the Church that told me I had to tithe. At the time, as a young Christian I never understood tithing, it never made sense, why a God would freely call us into His kingdom for the money?
I played the game-but my heart was never there, the problem was, I was seeking after the truth, I read the scriptures over and over and still, the tithing I had read, wasn't the tithing the Church claims today!
The tithing system had caused so much trouble within the body of Christ-reading {1 Timothy 6:3-5} the Lord tells us to withdraw ourselves from men of corrupt minds, who are destitute of the truth who suppose that godliness is the means to their financial gain..
Look at Kenneth Copeland, if the Church could afford to pay out the money this man earns in one day-Africa would be free from starving, the world wouldn't have to live in poverty, everybody would live like those in a non poverty state..
If these men and women were from God-then why doesn't the Church prosper as good as these who live in mega mansions, build mega Churches, and drive and fly mega machines? And why doesn't this line up with the Word of God?

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Lying for Jesus will get you into hell fire oh.

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Lying for Jesus will get you into hell fire oh.

brocab:
Now I am glad this had got your attention-then maybe if you could explain yourself-who told you that the Gentile Christians should tithe, and if you haven't any evidence to prove tithing is for the Church today-then why preach it as it has power to your word?
We have all been down this merry-go-round, but it takes just a few little steps to know the truth about tithing>Jesus said: first seek the kingdom of God and all things shall be added to you!
So the Church seeks after health and wealth-they teach martial merchandise and having your best life now is God's blessings to you! Tithers are taught, blessed is he who tithe, then those who don't tithe, Jesus said: first seek the kingdom of God and all things shall be added to you-but what does this mean, seeking after Him is not tithing, seeking after Him means 'study the scriptures, it means show the Lord you are interested to learn His will, and In His name ask and it shall be given..
But what do you say:
Is it so much a lie when I defend the bible-when the scriptures tells me, the command to tithe was given only to the Jewish people, "Not the Gentiles!
The tithe was intended to provide for the upkeep of the Temple in Jerusalem and to support the Priesthood who owned no land and did not work to support themselves. these day's there is no longer any need to support a priesthood made up of people who do not own land or work for a living.
If we were to search the scriptures, and clearly read them, we would find-the tithes were paid directly to the Levites-not priest-the levites were the cleaners, they were the car-park attendants, they set up the seats, they stood at the door, they set up the stage, they played the music, they sang the songs, 23% yearly they received tithes, and gave the high Priest Aaron that year only 10%-the rest of the tithes were disputed between they families, the poor the stranger, the widows etc etc etc.But no tithes built mega homes, mega temples, like it is today!!

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Exactly, merry go round, you seem to love it.

brocab:
Now you are here let us hear you verdict, tell us, who told you that the Gentile Christians should tithe, and if you haven't any evidence to prove tithing is for the Church today-then why preach it as it has power to your word?

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So you can actually type two clear lines instead of the usual confused ramble? Who told you that gentiles should not tithe? Is there a punishment or commandment that forbid them?

brocab:
I would only expect someone like a pastor to return an answer like yours, so the Word is ramble jumble-If Gentiles were to tithe, the bible would have said so: if Christians were to tithe-the bible would have told us that as well!
But sadly it doesn't tell us to tithe-and if we were to tithe the old way-we shouldn't break the rules like the tithers do today!
And if tithing was so much in line with scripture-today-then at least Jesus should had been a good example to collect tithes-and tithed-and if we were to become like Jesus-then why does man expect the Church to tithe from wages to a non taxable profit, that has no interest..
Is this clear for you to understand?

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No, you're rambling again. We've been through this many times. You failed to produce your assumed rule. Again, if it's tithe, what's the fuss about?

KunleOshob:
The truth your pastor would not tell you about tithes

“And my people shall know the truth and the truth shall set them free” John 8:32

“ will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say where in have we robbed thee?  In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse for ye have robbed me even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the store house and prove me now here with saith the lord of hosts if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing, that there would not be room enough to receive it” Malachi 3 : 8 – 10

The above quoted scripture is probably one of the most quoted scripture in the bible. Unfortunately it is being quoted out of context and used as a weapon of mass intimidation, manipulation, extortion, oppression, cajolery and outright lies and deceit by some church leaders to collect ten percent of the gross income of their church members who have been hoodwinked into believing that they are doing God’s will.
Before I go into the details of this discourse, I want to state categorically that I am a God loving, bible believing Christian who as the fear of God in his heart. I am also not writing this article to undermine any church or pastor but to let people realize the truth about tithes and remove the yoke of tithes being placed by some pastors upon them. I also want to state categorically that I strongly believe in giving to the church for the sole purpose of propagating God’s work and the Christian ministry. I would also continue to encourage all Christians to give their all to God as exemplified by the widow’s mite which Jesus Christ himself referred to in the bible.

Now back to Malachi 3 : 8 – 10, the first question one should ask is that who was this message directed at? The answer lies in the book of numbers 18 : 25 -28 which states that “the lord commanded Moses to say to the Levites when you receive from the Israelites the tithe that the lord gives you as your possession, you must present a tenth of it as a special contribution to the lord. This special contribution will be considered as the equivalent of the offering which the farmer makes of new grain and wine. In this way you would also present the special contribution which belongs to the lord from all the tithes which you receive from the Israelites. You are to give this special contribution for the lord to Aaron the priest” from the above it is clear that it was the Levites that were directed to pay a tithe of the tithe they collected from the Israelites to the priest who represents God and not the people of Israel. It was this Levites that were being referred to in the book of Malachi as those who rob God. A thorough study of the book of Malachi would reveal that in those days the Levites were collecting the tithe from the people of Israel and not remitting a tithe of it to the house of God, hence Malachi’s statement which is now being quoted out of context. To understand what tithes really means one would have to understand the social reasons and cultural / religious setting within which it was situated this concept of tithes was properly explained in the bible as stated in the laws of the tithe which can be found in the books of Leviticus 27 : 30 – 34, Numbers 18 : 25 – 31 and Deuteronomy 14 : 22 – 29. Upon reading this passages one would understand what tithes really means, but unfortunately most pastors prefer to neglect these passages that tell us the true meaning of tithes and emphasize on Malachi 3 : 8 - 10 which was directed to the Levites of that time to remit the priest’s share of the tithes they collected to him. It is worthy of note that Malachi does not even define what tithes is and how it should be paid. The definition of tithes as practiced today was manufactured by modern day pastors to suit their purpose as it is completely in contrast with what is in the bible and it only seeks to manipulate Christians to believe that God requests 10 per cent of their gross income from them.

So what is tithes and why did God request it be paid to the Levites? The answer can be found in the following passages : Leviticus 27 : 30 – 32 which states that “one tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit belongs to the lord. If a man wishes to buy back any of it he must pay the standard price plus an additional 20 per cent. One in every ten domestic animal belongs to the lord when the animals are counted, every tenth one belongs to the lord.”  And Deuteronomy 26 : 12 which states that “ every third year give the tithe a tenth of your crops to the Levites, the foreigners, the orphans and the widows, so that in every community they will have all they need to eat” The above quoted passages clearly tells us what tithes is and the reason why God directed the people of Israel to pay tithes. It is very evident that it was a social arrangement for the less privileged in the Jewish society of that time, it was also meant to take care of the Levites because they have no land or property of their own. (today pastors are amongst the wealthiest property owners in Nigeria). This social arrangement is obviously not relevant to us today. It also states that every third year is the year of tithing not the weekly/monthly tithes being extorted from church members today. Another passage that illustrates the true meaning of tithes properly and also states clearly that tithe is not money is Deuteronomy 14 : 22 -29 which states that “ set aside a tithe a tenth of all that your fields produce each year then go to the one place where the lord your God as chosen to be worshiped and there in his presence eat the tithes of your grain, wine  and olive oil and first born of your cattle and sheep. Do this so that you may learn to have reverence for the lord your God always. If the place of worship is too far from your home for you to carry there the tithe of the produce that the lord has blessed you with, then sell your produce and take the money with you to the one place of worship spend it on whatever you want beef, lamb, wine, beer and there in the presence of the lord you and your family are to eat and enjoy yourselves. Do not neglect the Levites who live in your towns for they have no property of their own. At the end of every third year bring the tithe of all your crops and store it in your towns. This is food for the Levites since they own no property and for the orphans, foreigners and widows who live in your towns. Do this and the lord your God would bless you in everything you do” from the above passage, it is very clear that tithe is not money and it is not the exclusive preserve of the Levites (church). It was a religious practice in those days to give reverence to God and to celebrate God in his place of worship. The Levites were only included for the main reason that they have no land of their own and that reason is not relevant in today’s society. Yet some pastors would tell you that you are cursed and would not go to heaven if you don’t give them 10% of your gross income. All this hypocrisy would not have bothered me if all the money being collected was being used to propagate God’s work, but the truth as we all know today is that this money is being used to finance lavish, flamboyant and exotic life styles that is unbecoming of a man who truly claims to serve God as a pastor who is expected to be meek and humble like our lord Jesus Christ was.
As a concluding part to this article, I would want to refer us to the book of Hebrews which was written to the early Christians, this provides irrefutable proof that Christians are not meant to pay tithes as the priesthood of our lord Jesus Christ does not require it. Hebrews 7 : 5,which states that “ and those descendants of Levi who are priests are commanded by the law to collect one tenth from the people of Israel  that is from there own country men even though their country men are also descendants of Abraham” from this verse we can jump to verse 11 - 13 which states that “it was on the basis of the Levitical priesthood that the law was given to the people of Israel. Now if the work of the Levitical priests had been perfect there would be no need for a different kind of priest to appear, one who is in the priestly order of Melchizedek not of Aaron. For when the priesthood is changed, there also has to be a change in the law. And our lord of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe and no member of his tribe ever served as a priest. It is well known that he was born a member of the tribe of Judah and Moses did not mention his tribe when he spoke of priests” The above passage is self explanatory and it’s states clearly that the practice of tithing has no place under the priestly order of our lord Jesus Christ in fact the passage suggests that the collection of tithes is belittling of the priestly order of our lord Jesus Christ. It states that it is wrong for us as Christians to receive or pay tithes and is not relevant to us as Christians because we belong to a superior priestly order.

Once again I would like to state that this article is not meant for us as Christians to revolt against the church or our pastors, it is just meant to establish the biblical truth about tithes and remove the yoke from people who labour to pay tithes ( not required of them by God) while their pastors are living luxuriously. Today many pastors see the church as their personal business and even fraudulent people are opening up churches so that they can have access to people’s tithes and use it for their personal aggrandizement. I encourage all of us as Christians to remain vigilant and continue to serve God in truth and in faith to the glory of his holy name. Amen.

PS:
Another point of note is: how come out of the 613 biblical laws of Moses which were handed out to the people of Israel, it is only an adulterated version of the law of tithe that is still being practised today, apart from the Ten Commandments? How come we are no longer required to offer burnt sacrifices? How come we no longer stone people to death for sinning? The truth is that only tithing was dug out of the laws of Moses because it presents material benefits to the collectors of tithes. Given that most Christians do not study their bibles and depend on their priests to guide them through, it was easy for pastors to pick a passage in the bible (Malachi 3 : 8-10), quote it out of context and use it to manipulate the flock into parting with 10 per cent of their income. Furthermore, it is worthy of note that neither Jesus Christ nor any of the apostles ever preached about or collected tithe. In fact, in the bible, Jesus Christ only spoke about tithes in Luke 11:42 which states that: “But woe unto you Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue all manner of herbs, and pass over judgement and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.” Here we can see that Jesus Christ is rebuking the Pharisees for laying emphasis on tithes instead of the more important things of the spirit, like our pastors are doing today.

In Acts 15, we find outlined what the apostles all agreed was necessary for the newly converted Gentiles to practise, and by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, tithing is conspicuously missing. Yet, what is one of the very first legislated duties taught to Gentile converts by the Church today? It is that they must tithe their annual salaries to the Church. Where did this unscriptural law of Christian tithing come from?

Notice this telling bit of history from the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1963, volume 22, page 253, ‘TITHES’). “Tithes in Christendom—The earliest authentic example of anything like a law of the State enforcing payment appears to occur in the capitularies [Ecclesiasticals] of Charlemagne at the end of the 8th or beginning of the 9th century. Tithes were, by that enactment, to be applied to the maintenance of the bishop, clergy, the poor, and the fabric of the church. In the course of time the principle of payment of tithes was extended far beyond its original intention. Thus, they became transferable to laymen and saleable like ordinary property, despite the injunctions of the third Lateran Council; and they became payable out of sources of income [not just farming and herding, but other trades and occupations and salaries paid in the form of money] not originally tithable.”

The Catholic Church knows its own history. Here is how tithing got back into the Church after being absent for nearly five centuries:

“As the Church expanded and various institutions arose, it became necessary to make laws which would insure the proper and permanent support of the clergy. The payment of tithes was adopted from the Old Law… The earliest positive legislation on the subject seems to be contained in the letter of the bishops assembled at Tours in 567 and the [canons] of the Council of Macon in 585.”—The Catholic Encyclopaedia.

They “extended” their base of tithe collecting to eventually include all forms of income. All Christian scholars know that although money was in wide use in ancient Israel, it was never a titheable commodity. But modern pastors don’t want tithes of goats or oil or corn, they want money–cold, hard cash! God has a word to the “shepherds of the sheep”, and it is the very same message that He had for the Levites in the book of Malachi. And it is this:

“My people have been lost sheep, their shepherds have caused them to go astray” (Jer. 50:6).

Were Israelites aware that they were being led astray by their spiritual leaders? Not most, and neither are Christians today aware that they are being led astray by their spiritual leaders.