Fellow Lander,

Is it a sin when you are in situation not able to pay your tithe, i told my Pastor of my situation when i start attending the church that after i pay my mortgage and others expenses am left with nothing, though i make sure i pay as much i can on my offering but from few months a go my Pastor keep talking about people not paying their tithe, you are thief, you are rubbing God, it will be tight foryou on & on & on to the extent he said {YOU MAY SAY BUT PASTOR  WE;V DISCUSSED THIS} thats when i felt may be is talking about me. Am feed up of going to the church but because of my kids they enjoy going every  sunday may be because of the fun.

Please your advise and help needed fellow landers.

Don't worry about it. Tithing is not a new testament requirement for Christians.

Your pastor is lying to you. It is one thing to have the means of giving to the Church, and choosing to find an excuse not to. But another thing when you really don't have the means to give. It's ok, don't beat yourself up over it.

Why would an almighty God want money? Beats my imagination.

Chrisbenogor:

Why would an almighty God want money? Beats my imagination.

It's not wanting money, it is giving what he has given you to build up his church. It is not just money, you can give in other ways. It isn't compulsory. You can give your time, by lending a helping hand to those in need. You can help in cleaning your parish, you can help in sending holiday greeting cards, you can help in paying the bill for someone who needs it, you can help by giving food to those who need it especially during the holidays, you can visit old people in the home, or those in the shelter.

Somepeople are able to give money so that resources can be bought. Is that wrong?

Why do you think any advice from here would make a difference?  Supposing I were to say any of the following;

1)  Pay your tithes before your mortgage.

2)  Your Pastor is inspired by God, so disregarding your Pastor is tantamount to disobeying God.

3)  Instead of paying tithes, why don't you give 10% of what you would have given to tithes to some poor child in Nigeria. And keep the other 90% to meet you family needs.


How would you reason out the best of the above three options?

I really find it funny that people think their having a means to survive was God given.
So apparently God does not like those who don't have?
Its not wrong to want to help those in need but personally I don't think we need a bible to tell us and secondly how many will give if they knew there was no reward for it in some afterlife?

Chrisbenogor:

I really find it funny that people think their having a means to survive was God given.
So apparently God does not like those who don't have?
Its not wrong to want to help those in need but personally I don't think we need a bible to tell us and secondly how many will give if they knew there was no reward for it in some afterlife?

that's the whole point, to give from your heart, not becuase you will get a reward. If you are a God fearing person, nothing would restrict you from giving without a reward. The whole message is to love God and your neighbour. In love there's no you do me, I do you.
Those who do because they are looking for a reward in heaven, will be very shocked when they get to judgement.
It is supposed to be pure and unselfish love. We do it in our community as Christians.

My means to survive is God given, your means to survive could be devil given, he'll just be happy to have your sould at the end of it.

I agree with you huxley, but sadly they would rather line the pockets of their pastors and the vatican.

Thanks Huxley, afterall i need a place to lay my head and i believe in giving directly to those who need it. and thank you all for your post.

So would you classify stolen money as not God given ?

In fact, I quite like this:

3)  Instead of paying tithes, why don't you give 10% of what you would have given to tithes to some poor child in Nigeria. And keep the other 90% to meet you family needs.

I think this is so good a proposition, I think you should do this and tell your pastor that this your preferred method of serving or giving back to God.  You should also encourage some of your fellow church members to do likewise.  It would save you a great deal of money and at the same time alleviate the dire poverty of some more needy children.

Chrisbenogor:

I agree with you huxley, but sadly they would rather line the pockets of their pastors and the vatican.

Then you know nothing about the Church. I don't know about the others and their pastors, but the Vatican doesn't line it's pocket with anything. The misconception is that the vatican is rich, meanwhile the Pope flies commercial. The vatican runs on a deficit because it is being the government of other nations by providing jobs for people there, and means of survival. The money that I give is not going to the Pope's pocket especially since the Pope lives in one room, literally one room about the same size as my bathroom.

So please until you know the truth, don't start making accusations. That is something I detest, you don't have to believe in God, you don't have to like the vatican, but at least know what you are talking about before you even speak.
At least come with honesty and knowledge. The knowledge that you so proudly boast to have because you are not a believer in God, you really don't have.

Chrisbenogor:

So would you classify stolen money as not God given ?

Yes.

oh yeah hux, I agree with # 3 also

@ Topic
You are supposed to pay your tithes before your mortgage or car loans or school loans or any other loans you need to pay. A lot of people had the same problem, thank Goodness our own pastor had the good sense to bring in a Christian financial expert to help us understand the Principles of Tithing i.e the Hows, Whats and Whens now the problem is slowly becoming a thing of the past.

Sure, some people are on the verge of losing their homes because they are behind on their payments and their cars are on the repossession list but as long as the church gets their 10%, all is well!

Blessed be the Church with wise pastors.

Sisi Jinx

Do you mean your Pastor help those behind in paying their mortgage, and you rather pay your tithe than your kids school loan. well i believe God does not want suffernes.

Sisi Jinx:

@ Topic
You are supposed to pay your tithes before your mortgage or car loans or school loans or any other loans you need to pay. A lot of people had the same problem, thank Goodness our own pastor had the good sense to bring in a Christian financial expert to help us understand the Principles of Tithing i.e the Hows, Whats and Whens now the problem is slowly becoming a thing of the past.[/size][color=#990000][/color]
Sure, some people are on the verge of losing their homes because they are behind on their payments and their cars are on the repossession list but as long as the church gets their 10%, all is well!

Blessed be the Church with wise pastors.[size=8pt]

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
I'm speechless!!!!!!!!!

Sisi Jinx:

You are supposed to pay your tithes before your mortgage or car loans or school loans or any other loans you need to pay.

Ok; er, how about before tax?

Are you supposed to pay your tithe on your gross earnings?

Inquisitive minds should like to know.
.

Please anybody forcing you you give money to the church is a thief and should be treated as so

chukwudi44:

Please anybody forcing you you give money to the church is a thief and should be treated as so

I wonder why God the greatest provider still need people to give him money.

bindex:

I wonder why God the greatest provider still need people to[b] give him money.[/b]

Tithes is not required of christians and the tithes the jewish people gave wasnot money it was farm produce which they ate and shared with others. Tithing today is a gross and deliberate fraudulent manipulation of scripture for material gain of those promoting it.

We shd be careful with our choice of words, if we re not sure of a topic or the implication of the concept.

Paying of tithe is Biblical.

aus123:

We should be careful with our choice of words, if we re not sure of a topic or the implication of the concept.

Paying of tithe is Biblical.

Obviously you haven't been reading your bible and you don't even understand the passage your pastor as been mis -quoting to you on tithes. Tithing as NO scriptural basis in christianity

Tithing doesn't make u a better xtian, or a licence to make heaven, Agreed!

Where will there be meat in the household of God, if all the brethren doesn't pay their tithe?

I am not into any argument with u, it's a personal thing with God.

aus123:

Tithing doesn't make u a better Christian, or a licence to make heaven, Agreed!

Where will there be meat in the household of God, if all the brethren doesn't pay their tithe?

I am not into any argument with u, it's a personal thing with God.

Meat/food the jews gave was not money our pastors are asking for today and it cannot be substituted for money. Besides there is no directive to christians in the new testament to pay tithes cause tithe givin was done under Judaism(jewish religion) the apostles/ Jesus never preached about tithes cause it was not meant for christians. God requires nothing from you apart from your soul. Churches should make do with voluntary offerings, it is greed that makes them instituite tithes which was never directed at christians in the bible.

Please without tithes the church cann still survive.People should be encouraged to give freely on their own volition and not as a requirement of the obsolete mosaic law. DID THE APOSTLES RECEIVE TITHE?

chukwudi44:

Please without tithes the church cann still survive.People should be encouraged to give freely on their own volition and not as a requirement of the obsolete mosaic law. DID THE APOSTLES RECEIVE TITHE?

Yes, I think it can be argued that the apostles received tithes or other forms of contributions from the flock, perhaps on pain of death. Check out the narrative in Act 4: 32 - Act 5: 11 where a husband and wife are struck dead by the holy spirit for not make declaring in full their revenue from a sale, as such as intended to be given to the church. I raised a thread about this here.

Acts4.34 Nor was there anyone among them who lacked;for all who were possessors of land of houses sold them and brought the proceeds of things that were sold(NB not by compulsion but freewill and not necessarily 10 percent)and laid them at the apostles feet and they distributed to each as any one had need.(NB THEY DID NOT TAKE IT FOR THEIR OWN USE)
Acts4.36And Joses whowas also named barnabas by the apostles ,a levite of the country of cyprus(EVEN LEVITES BROUGHT THEIR MONEY ,WHICH MEANS IT IS NOT TITHE SINCE LEVITES DONT PAY TITHES) having land sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles feet.

The point I am trying to make is that people brought money out of their own freewill and not as a requirement of the obsolete mosaic law.Ananias and saphira were only punished because they lied to the holy spirit .Nobody died because the didn't bring money

Another way to look at the issue of tithing is to read this post in Ochuko's blog "I stole from God"

answer my question DID THE APOSTLES RECEIVE TITHE?

The truth about God is that He gives us a free hand in most of the things we do, the truth is that the only thing that God gives free and unconditionally is His love, his blessings are conditional, we are the ones that activate His blessings, we are the ones that authorize Him to bless us.

For those who tithe be rest assured that the blessings for tithing in malachi 3: 10 shall come to pass in your lives

For those who do not, I leave it to you to decide