“And my people shall know the truth and the truth shall set them free” “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say wherein 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 herewith 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 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 10 per cent 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 has the fear of God in his heart. I am also not writing this article to undermine any church or pastor, but to let people realise the truth about tithes and remove the yoke 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 will 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 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 they collected from the Israelites to the priest who represents God and not the people of Israel. It was these 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 tithe 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 these passages one would understand what tithes really mean, but unfortunately most pastors prefer to neglect these passages that tell us the true meaning of tithes and emphasise 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 tithe is and how it should be paid.

The definition of tithes, as practised 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 tithe and why did God request that it be paid to the Levities? 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 tell us what tithe 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 had 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 illustrates the true meaning of tithes properly and also states clearly that tithe is not money. Deuteronomy 14:22-29 says: “Set aside as tithe a tenth of all that your fields produce each year then go to the one place where the Lord your God has chosen to be worshipped 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 had 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 per cent 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 lifestyle 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, says: “And those descendants of Levites who are priests are commanded by the law to collect one tenth from the people of Israel, that is from their own countrymen even though their countrymen are also descendants of Abraham.”

From this verse, we can jump to verses 11-13 which say: “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 of Judah and Moses did not mention his tribe when he spoke of priests.”

The above passage is self-explanatory and it 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 comfort. 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.

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.

"Re: What Pastors Won’t Tell You About Tithes"


Again?

_{Thought there's already a thread on this?}

Copy and paste

Lol. . . let him share - it's all good.

why are people complaining about tithes and what the pastors do. if you don't like tithing, don't tithe, period. nobody is forcing you to pay them, neither is anybody preventing from going to church unless you pay your tithes.

Haba. pocket your money if you don't want to give your tithe. Tighten your purse if you dont want to give offering.period.Nobody will drag out of a church cos of tithe.I do give my own and will continue to do so. I give my tithe cos I love God and want to see His work progress.

@Poster
The article you posted was originally written by me and it has already been posted and discussed extensiveley on Nairaland It was also published in the News magazine and several other internet sites. Infact it has been a blessing and revelation to the lives of several christians who for years had been fraudulently deceived into parting with a tenth of their income. The shackles and burden of tithing was removed from them through this biblical revelation. Anyway thanks for spreading the gospel.

@kunle oshobi

thanks for the knowledge, i truly believe in this article that is why i posted it here brother, modern days ways of extortion

I attended a church recently (Free Church of Scotland), it's a pentecostal church but there was no preaching/praying about offerings and there was no time set aside for offerings. There was a box outside into which anyone could at anytime before, during or after the service put any offering if they felt giving offering/tithes.

I was very impressed with that system.

The sermon was about living for Christ and appreciating God's creation

I posted this before. However, no one is forced to give tithes so what's the problem. You either give because you feel the need to give or you dont give because you dont want to. What's the noise about tithes and offering about? You dont have to make it sound like anyone is being forced into doing it

dudu-bobo:

I posted this before. However, no one is forced to give tithes so what's the problem. You either give because you feel the need to give or you don't give because you don't want to. What's the noise about tithes and offering about? You don't have to make it sound like anyone is being forced into doing it

The truth is that people are being forced into paying it thruough biblical manipulation and instilling fear in them. Saying such statements that one is cursed if he doesn't pay is a way of forcing (thru manipulation) bible believing christians to pay. Some pastors would also threaten their congregaton with hell fire cause they are robbing God by not paying. If you read the caption of the topic very well, it says "truth about tithes" it is just an expose into biblical truth about tithes, i never for once said people should not pay, i was only trying to let people know what the bible truly says about tithes. If you know the truth and you still decided to pay, then it is your choice but if you are being intimidated to pay in ignorance then you are being forced to pay. The article justs seek to let people know the truth so they can decide based on the truth and not thru manipulative scripture.

Hmmm, interesting inputs. It's remarkable that more people are inclined to hold the basic principle in discussions like this: nobody will force you if you have made up your mind to not give anything. One doesn't have to use excuses from the Bible to buttress a disinclination to give anything. Cheers.

I must say that the article is good as it shows the need for people to read the bible and understand things for themselves, instead of just being pulpit churchgoers or "my pastor says". I am sure if personal efforts are made to read the bible, most of the religious lies that some pastors promote will be cleared up.

brainbox1:

I am sure if personal efforts are made to read the bible, most of the religious lies that some pastors promote will be cleared up.

True - but the same goes for untrue ideas that some people hold in assertion as if they are based on Scripture.

the article is flawed with lots of misunderstood scriptural connotations.

@sleekymag
how can u say this article is flawed! if you know this article is flawed challenge it with your own facts.

pcmecom:

@sleekymag
how can u say this article is flawed! if you know this article is flawed challenge it with your own facts.

Thanx for this response

@ KunleOshob

I went and did more searching, and consulted my Priest, well I think you may have been right.

Tithing is not required of us (Catholics) but we are encouraged to give 5% to the Church and the other 5% to Charities.

~Lady~:

Tithing is not required of us (Catholics) but we are encouraged to give 5% to the Church and the other 5% to Charities.

Nothing is required of anybody in the life of a Christian. I keep saying that we should watch our words - they are very powerful tools of convictions. God who has ordained this ministry does not require anyone to obey them as if He is forcing anyone to do so. Anything that one assumes on the basis of a mandate or compulsion is simply a misunderstanding of what the Word demonstrates for us.

DeepZone:

why are people complaining about tithes and what the pastors do. if you don't like tithing, don't tithe, period. nobody is forcing you to pay them, neither is anybody preventing from going to church unless you pay your tithes.

i tire ooo,its not by force,if u no wan pay,pocket ur money ,haba

DeepZone:

why are people complaining about tithes and what the pastors do. if you don't like tithing, don't tithe, period. nobody is forcing you to pay them, neither is anybody preventing from going to church unless you pay your tithes.

jennykadri:

i tire ooo,its not by force,if u no wan pay,pocket ur money ,haba

What are you tired for Are the people preaching tithing tired of deceiving people. Too many people i know are suffering under the yoke of tithing that they have been deceived into believing is required of them by God, I believe it is my duty to tell my fellow christians the biblical truth

This articles also lends credence to the fact that Tithing in the era of Grace makes the Word of God of no effect and makes you fall back to the burden of Mosaic law and not the generous Grace of Christ. I am not under the Law but under Grace.

This articles also lends credence to the fact that Tithing in the era of Grace makes the Word of God of no effect and makes you fall back to the burden of Mosaic Lucida Sans Unicode law and not the generous Grace of Christ. I am not under the Law but under grace.
@Cgift, u just says it all. WE ARE LIVING UNDER THE GRACE OF GOD THROUGH CHRIST THAT DIED FOR OUR SIN. PERIOD, HALLELUJAH

Nice to see one of my old write ups on tithe resurface here. I thank God that through this article thousands of people world wide have been set free from the shackles and yoke of the doctrine of mandatory tithing from monetary income invented by mere men for the sole purpose of fleecing believers. Surely the truth is out and is spreading like wild fire and very soon a time would come when majority of believers would have come to the knowledge of truth about this tithing scam and the charlatan pastors preaching it would find it difficult to preach as they would be seen by their congregation as liars and twisters of scripture.

dudu-bobo:


I posted this before. However, no one is forced to give tithes so what's the problem. You either give because you feel the need to give or you dont give because you dont want to. What's the noise about tithes and offering about? You dont have to make it sound like anyone is being forced into doing it

It is true that no one is forced to pay or not to pay, but the way and manner the preachers of today bring fort the tithe issue sounds forcing and it's very intimidating to many.
Even jobless widows in todays church are to pay tithe because, they only believe what PASTOR told. People should keep pouring out the truth, am sure alot of people will be revived from this intimidation.

The @Opost never said either that we should not pay tithe, This article is very clear and i believe anyone will get the goal of it.
Christ would ve really CAPITALISED on this tithe issue if it was the main goal. Let it not be a song in the church. Many people are called today to open thier own church why? lets wake up and seek God in all that we do. No man can manipulate me with his/her greedy intention. I chooseto give to my God freely, dont need anyone to sing it in my ears.

Good article all together POSTER GOD BLESS YOU.

pcmecom: @sleekymag
how can u say this article is flawed! if you know this article is flawed challenge it with your own facts.

GBAM!

Thank you for this article. I am a Christian and I always give 10% to my church based on my NET INCOME. My pastor always says, if you give your tithes based on your net income, NOT ON THE GROSS, then your blessings will also be net. He says this, over and over again! One day, something bad happened to my small business, then he mentioned in his sermon the Malachi verse, saying that God has already sent the pests into my grains! I feel, instead of giving us blessings and consoling us with bad circumstances in our lives, he is cursing us! He sees all our tithes because, he is the one depositing them, most members left already. Until last month, i decided to cut my tithes in half. I ordered pens online and used the money i am supposed to give to church. I have them special order, to put some words about Jesus. Then, My son and i started to give away pens on the streets with wordings saying Jesus loves you, salvation is free from Jesus. He is able and just to forgive us from our sins. Accept him now as your Lord and Savior and you and your household will be saved. I love what i am doing now. I am reaching out to other people to share His Love, rather than giving it to my pastor, who loves to shop rather than reaching out to other people. There were people who asked me to pray for them. There were people who asked me which church i belong. I told them, i do not promote my church nor myself, but only Jesus. Those pens do not have any wordings to identify me nor my church, but only to exalt Jesus' name. I believe this is what God wants us to do. Don't give away your money for something that does not go to his Will, but you could do it yourself. Help the poor, feed those homeless you see on the street. Buy them coffee. Jesus wants us to look after the widows, the orphans, the poor, not to build an expensive building for the church. He will then reward you, though good works will not save you, but only Him can save us! May God bless you all!

nataliek: Thank you for this article. I am a Christian and I always give 10% to my church based on my NET INCOME. My pastor always says, if you give your tithes based on your net income, NOT ON THE GROSS, then your blessings will also be net. He says this, over and over again! One day, something bad happened to my small business, then he mentioned in his sermon the Malachi verse, saying that God has already sent the pests into my grains! I feel, instead of giving us blessings and consoling us with bad circumstances in our lives, he is cursing us! He sees all our tithes because, he is the one depositing them, most members left already. Until last month, i decided to cut my tithes in half. I ordered pens online and used the money i am supposed to give to church. I have them special order, to put some words about Jesus. Then, My son and i started to give away pens on the streets with wordings saying Jesus loves you, salvation is free from Jesus. He is able and just to forgive us from our sins. Accept him now as your Lord and Savior and you and your household will be saved. I love what i am doing now. I am reaching out to other people to share His Love, rather than giving it to my pastor, who loves to shop rather than reaching out to other people. There were people who asked me to pray for them. There were people who asked me which church i belong. I told them, i do not promote my church nor myself, but only Jesus. Those pens do not have any wordings to identify me nor my church, but only to exalt Jesus' name. I believe this is what God wants us to do. Don't give away your money for something that does not go to his Will, but you could do it yourself. Help the poor, feed those homeless you see on the street. Buy them coffee. Jesus wants us to look after the widows, the orphans, the poor, not to build an expensive building for the church. He will then reward you, though good works will not save you, but only Him can save us! May God bless you all!

God bless you!