Hi everyone...

I've been going through threads created months and years back about tithing. Some people are of the opinion that tithing is good, some say tithing is an old testament law which pastors of our generation resurrected in order to extort members, others are indifferent about the whole issue.

I would go with the bolded...and by the time you finish reading this article which I put together, you would agree with me.

In this thread, we're going to be discussing about what the new testament says about tithing, and also to understand the purpose of tithing.

2 Chorinthians 9:6-7  Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 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.

In this passage, we're made to understand that God loves a cheerful giver. Tithes if you ask me, shouldn't be a specific amount. It shouldn't be something you make a sermon out of...also, it shouldn't be enforced on members. Members should be allowed to decide what they feel they can afford, cos that's the only way such giving can attract God's blessing. I believe its wrong for pastors to continually preach about tithing.

Now look at Jesus views on tithing

Matthew 23:23-24.  "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cumin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Here Jesus made it very clear for we believers that God isn't interested in our money...he wants us to go out into the world and practice mercy, faithfulness and love...your 10% offering would be rendered useless in the sight of God if you lack the qualities of a child of God.

Secondly...and still on the passage above, I believe pharisees could be likened to the preachers of today...they spend their time teaching and enlighting you on reasons why you must pay your tithe...they abandon God's commands and criticize every christian whom they suspect doesn't pay his tithe.

I heard a story about a young church worker who was expelled from church when the pastor discovered that he doesn't tithe...now tell me, is the pastor more holy than that young man?

The stiff penalty given out to that man shows clearly that we still have pharisees in our midst today. They lay emphasis on irrelevant issues of the bible and ignore the important ones.

Its so sad that most christians are victims of this kind of preachers.

Now check out the kind of tithing God wants we christians to pratice...

Acts 4:32-35.  And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35 And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.


The kind of tithing God wants we christians to practice is clearly stated in the passage above...use your money to help the needy in the church. The tithe is to ensure that no one lacks just as the early christians did. Its not meant for pastors.

The money is to help one another. To make sure that your fellow christian brother can feed his family, that he can send his children to school, that he has good clothes to put on. I hate it when fellow christians are tricked into paying their hard earned money into the account of one rich man the call their pastor whereas they themselves are languishing in poverty.

Christians in the house, feel free to share your views.

Thanks.

Vry true

U re omitting the place of partnernship in ministery..agreed money cannot advance the kingdom of God cos the kingdom itself is zoe..the very life of God...but money has a role to play in kingdom advance...how can missionaries go out into world and preach d gospel witout d financial backing of d church? Unless u come to dat understandin by d help of d Holy spirit dat selling all ur possesions and giving to d right kind of ministeries for kingdom advance is necessary..am afraid u ave not yet entered d kingdom.phil2:25,2cor9:1-12.1cor9:9-16.

Bidam: U re omitting the place of partnernship in ministery..agreed money cannot advance the kingdom of God cos the kingdom itself is zoe..the very life of God...but money has a role to play in kingdom advance...how can missionaries go out into world and preach d gospel witout d financial backing of d church? Unless u come to dat understandin by d help of d Holy spirit dat selling all ur possesions and giving to d right kind of ministeries for kingdom advance is necessary..am afraid u ave not yet entered d kingdom.phil2:25,2cor9:1-12.1cor9:9-16.

But that still doesn't justify tithing.

There are offerings and donations, which I believe should serve that purpose.

Some churches even collect a special offering for missionaries.

Tithing is a scam

@crazyman,
Thanks for your effort. However all the above verses you cited are not talking about tithe. You need to have an understanding of the real truth about tithe before you start writing on it.

ogoamaka99: @crazyman,
Thanks for your effort. However all the above verses you cited are not talking about tithe. You need to have an understanding of the real truth about tithe before you start writing on it.

Bros in that case, can you show us any scripture addressed to christians talking about tithes? Or any scripture that says tithes should be from monetary income?

Sometimes, you will never know the true value of a moment until it becomes a memory[img]http://www.forexchartingsoftware.info/pc.gif[/img]

Sorry, i had been away and left my laptop behind. Pastorku, you don't know the meaning of tithe. If you do, nobody will tell you to pay or not to pay. Nevertheless i advice you TO FIRST GIVE YOUR HEART TO GOD and you will not refuse other obligations.

ogoamaka99: Sorry, i had been away and left my laptop behind. Pastorku, you don't know the meaning of tithe. If you do, nobody will tell you to pay or not to pay. Nevertheless i advice you TO FIRST GIVE YOUR HEART TO GOD and you will not refuse other obligations.

How does this rant answer my question I asked you to show us from scriptures were we as christians are asked to tithe of our income and you are telling me I don't know the meaning of tithes. Why don't you tell me? Cos according to my bible tithes is 10% of food stuff produced from the land of Israel. If you have any better biblical definition state it here and also state why it should be applicable to believers who are under grace.

ogoamaka99: Sorry, i had been away and left my laptop behind. Pastorku, you don't know the meaning of tithe. If you do, nobody will tell you to pay or not to pay. Nevertheless i advice you TO FIRST GIVE YOUR HEART TO GOD and you will not refuse other obligations.

this guy may be surviving on tith money.

Can you answer pastor kunle questions?

If you cannot then stop telling lies.

Pastor Kun:

How does this rant answer my question I asked you to show us from scriptures were we as christians are asked to tithe of our income and you are telling me I don't know the meaning of tithes. Why don't you tell me? Cos according to my bible tithes is 10% of food stuff produced from the land of Israel. If you have any better biblical definition state it here and also state why it should be applicable to believers who are under grace.

some people are angry that the truth is coming out and exposing their fraud and as such they are uncomfortable.

Tithe
The most controversial issue in mordern christianity is the issue of tithing. Many pay tithes without really knowing what it is meant for, many also collect tithes without knowing what they are to use it for. I have made a small research strictly from the bible to get the origin and use of tithes. As a guide, the bible reference relating to each paragraph is listed at the end of the paragraph.   Tithe is the tenth of increase outputs of the people of Isreal and is to be given to the children of Levi who dedicate their whole lives for service in the house of God. Because they have no right of inheritance in Isreal (they cant own land, oxen, sheep etc.), they are essentially collectors of the tithe and not the owners. They had to also pay their own tithe being a tenth of all the tithe collected. This is mainly for accounting purposes: It is done in order to quantify the job done by the levites. They are to offer that tithe which has been given unto them as their heave offering to Aaron the priest. Heave offering are considered to be offerings to God mainly eaten from by the priests and the Levites. (ref: Numbers 18:21-28).  

Before we continue with the usage of tithe as it is recorded in the scripture, we need to be reminded of the exit of the Isrealites from Egypt as they were led out by Moses. They sojourned for forty years in the wilderness. They were on their way to the Land that God had promised them. The origin of Mosaic tithe was to build a reserve that would help them as a people to settle in the Land of Judea which God had promised them. This ascertion is evident in the several counsels in the scripture where it is said that they will use the tithe in the Land where God had chosen for them. Many may argue that Abraham paid tithe to Melchizedek. Yes he did but the law of the tithe as stipulated by Moses did not stipulate that tithes be paid on spoils of war which Abraham did. It was to be paid from the increase of farm outputs. So we can safely say that the tithe paid by Melchizedek was not same as was ordered by Moses.    

Things that the Isrealites brought in prepartion for this new Land included Tithes, heave offering, sacrifices, free will offerings and burnt offerrings. Of all the categories, it was tithe that had a specific quantity and was compulsory for all who produced on the Lands either herds, oils, corn etc. As stated earlier even the Levites' tithe was quantified from the much they collected. Tithes were to be used by the children of Isreal rejoicing in what the Lord has given them i.e the New Cities of Judea. This was to be done in a place where the Lord had given the children of Isreal their Land (Judea). They were warned not to use the contributions until they got to their destination. It mentioned those to partake in the usage of tithes/offerings as: ye, and your sons, and your daughters, and your menservants, and your maidservants, and the Levite that is within your gates. It is obvious from this that Isreal was using the offerrings/tithes in order to build a wealth for the nation which they were to posses in the future. It should be noted that the book of Deuteronomy is regard as the second book of the law for the Isrealites. It was preapring them for the task ahead of them in the promised land. (Deuteronomy 12:6-17). It was commanded them that If the tithe was too heavy to be carried, it should be converted to money and the money taken to the chosen place of the Lord. The money will be used gotten will be used by the children of isreal for anything that they wished to use it for: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou and thine household. (Deuteronomy 14:22-28)  

The Isrealites were constantly reminded of the people who are to partake as: The Levite, stranger, the fatherless, and the widow may eat and be filled. (Deuteronomy 26:1-12)  

Deuteronomy as we noted was a book of expected behaviour while Chronicles is a factual account of what happened. In Chronicles, it is seen that the people of Isreal had reached their Land of Promise i.e. Cities of Judah. There, everyone gathered all the tithe and offerrings and the things that have been consecreted to the Lord. It took them 4 months to gather them in heaps. This was presented to Hezekiah and the princes. It was organised by the priests and the Levites. When asked about it, they said people had brought them and they had eaten and had their fill. Hezekiah then ordered that they should put them in stores. The store was to be manned by Connoniah the Levite and Simei was his assistant. Here, a factual account is given of how the tithes/offerings were gathered. It is evident that many people kept their tithes at home and only brought them out when it was requested. It may also be that it was brought in by the Levites who may have been safe-keeping them.   A point of note here is that it was the first time that Hezekiah saw the kind of heap of food gathered. It was also then that he requested a store to be prepared to keep the left overs. It was only then also that he appointed people to take care of the store. This confirms that throughout their journey, they were gathering the tithes/offerings for use in the distant land where the Lord had promised. Recall also that, as stated earlier, it was said that if the tithe was too heavy to be carried allong, they should convert it to money and taken to the promised land where they could use it for what they wished. (2 Chronicles 31:5-12)  

Because of the successes gained as described above, tithing and offertory became the practice in Isreal. The practice continued to be that the Levites do not have an inheritance and are not expected to have an inheritance so they were made to collect the tithe under the supervision of the priest and they are to put it in the store which was mentioned in the previous paragraphs. To be administered and used by the people of Isreal as mentioned already. This practice continued to the time of Jesus.   At some point in time, the practice of issuance from the stock was defiled. For example, the Levites at a point were not given their portions by those Levites who where in charge of sharing of the things in the store. This made some levites to go back to tilt the land for a livelihood against their original purpose. Nehemiah made some reshufflements in the tithe management cabinet in order to preserve the essence of the Levites . The abuse of tithes is not a new thing.  

Malachi was also a Levite and decried that he will bear witness against those who defraud the poor, the widows and the strangers. This is in relation to the storehouse mentioned earlier especially for those that were contributing the tithes and other offerings. He said that wrong doers will be put on trial because they "deprive laborers of their wages, they oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice,”. It should be understood that the levites were were primarily civil servants, readers of the books of the law, teachers of the law, gate-keepers, singers etc. And their wages were paid from the tithes/offerrings. Here Malachy decries that people do not pay their tithes and offerings which forms the stock of store. He calls this wrong as robbing God as it is from where the widows, the poor, ophans are fed. He further encouraged the Isrealites to bring their tithes and their offerings so that there may be food in the house of the Lord. This He said He will send his blessings so that they will have much more. (Malachi 3:9-11)  

Conclusion: The new testament did not encourage payment of tithe. It condemned the Pharasees for bragging about their payment of tithe and not obeying the other laws. He said wore unto them. In todays world, pastors and men of God should be careful when they call for tithes. Tithes are meant, as we have seen, for the beterment of the entirety of the widows, ophans, priests, church workers. It is also meant to provide for education of the people and provision of food and and health care. The closest of the contemporary item to tithe is the tax that we pay monthly which Government uses to care for people. If you evade tax payment, be sure that God will hold you responible for the less priviledged. If you are a government official and you mis-use taxpayers funds, God will hod you responsible. If you collect tithes and you dont remit as was done in Isreal, God will hold you responsible. The decision is yours.  

You may wish to send me your private comments in my mail dgdatong@yahoo.com or dgdatong@gmail.com

I don't try 2 rationalize anything abt tithe. God gave me d source of my income. If God asked 4 all my income, wouldn't I give?

I do wat I feel is right and wholeheartedly give. Wat I want is 4 God 2 give success 2 d works of my hands.

Watever d church uses it 4 is between d Church and God.

To summarise, tithing is not compulsory and you can give whatever you want.

One issue that is never discussed is "how churches spend their income ". It would be great to have churches present public accounts of their expenditure.

Atheist:-D:
To summarise, tithing is not compulsory and you can give whatever you want.

One issue that is never discussed is "how churches spend their income ". It would be great to have churches present public accounts of their expenditure.

This is the first time I would ever agree with you on an issue...I guess this calls for celebration.

CrazyMan:
This is the first time I would ever agree with you on an issue...I guess this calls for celebration.

Lol. I guess it does.

Winneygirl: I don't try 2 rationalize anything abt tithe. God gave me d source of my income. If God asked 4 all my income, wouldn't I give?

I do wat I feel is right and wholeheartedly give. Wat I want is 4 God 2 give success 2 d works of my hands.

Watever d church uses it 4 is between d Church and God.

How do you know if God asked for your income? Why does God need your income? Dont be too afraid to think about these issues.