₦airaland Forum

@KunleOshob,

She will come back

Actually, these are issues I have been bothering about for a while, if not for the grace of God, I almost stopped going to Church. You hear if you do not tithe, it means you are a this or that, some names I cannot mention here etc. And, you must do it consistently or else you are still a robber anytime you miss it, pastor keeps the record and knows those who are paying and those who are not, it seems like a serious burden.

Leaving the church, where to, all are thesame for most Pentecostals here where I live, reason why I started searching everywhere to know more about this topic. I used to pay but I stopped that method of giving when it became like a bondage, VERY strict regulations and while some of the pastors were building estates back in Nigeria.

True story (a guy came here to live with his brother, after few weeks of searching for job, they got him one, but  he said, he already found another job, asked what kind of job, he's starting a church)

@Pilgrim.1 Mnh, , I hear you,sista.
Abeg, try mail me now

sarmy:
@KunleOshob,

She will come back

I know she would come back, is it not pilgrim?? Not one to back out of an argument or topic even when she is arguing from a weak perspective I am sure she would be browsing through the whole  http://www.bible.com/ as i write trying to find something she can at least quote out of context to justify her position. Trust me ma dear as far as tithes is oncerned in the bible i have read every single thing written in the bible about it and there is no biblical way to justify the type of tithng practised into churches today it as nothing to do with your income or money.

@ Sarmy
In my own understanding let me attempt to answer your questions with or without scriptures as applicable.
The New Testament position is not opposed to tithing.
Heb 7: 8
Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.
Mt 23:23, Lk 11:42 Here Jesus never opposed tithing but the scribes and pharisees and their approach.

1. What to pay as tithe (10% of gross income b/4 tax or net after tax including any other income or gifts)

From Deut 14:22, tithing is seen as "the tenth part of ur increase"
22"You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. (NKJV)
22 ¶ Thou shalt surely tithe all the increase of thy seed, that which cometh forth from the field year by year. (ASV)

Going by these, i pay 10% of my net income after tax, as my tithe.

2. When (monthly or weekly, regularly and consistently even when you are owing or having pressing financial needs, what about if you did not pay for a while, must you re-pay back)

One should pay his tithe as regularly as he/she earns it, or you could have a plan to make it monthly, quarterly or yearly, as you deem fit. However it should be paid willingly and cheerfully, whether in debt or not. Since it is God's portion and it definitely has its own attendant rewards. (Mal 3:10)

3. Where to and how (local church, local pastor or those in need or as led by the Spirit of God)

I pay mine to my local church, but basically, it should be as the spirit leads (Deut 14:25). It should be where you get spiritually nourished, which is in your church.
However say, you are a billionaire, and your company make billions of dollars annually, spreading your company's tithe around your church, the poor, disaster victims, NGOs, missionaries, corporate social responsibility etc. might make more sense than giving the whole lot to your church alone. (That's my opinion)

4. If a percentage of ones income is given to the local church and some to less privileged in the body of Christ/society but not as tithe, would this be acceptable to God.

When you give to God, he accepts it (as an offering, and not a tithe, since you didnt give it as a tithe in the first place) when it comes from a willing and cheerful heart.(2 Cor 9:7, Ex 35:5, Lev 23:38 etc.)

sleekymag:
From Deut 14:22, tithing is seen as "the tenth part of ur increase"
22"You shall truly tithe all the increase of your grain that the field produces year by year. (NKJV)
22 ¶ Thou shalt surely tithe all the increase of thy seed, that which cometh forth from the field year by year. (ASV)

Going by these, i pay 10% of my net income after tax, as my tithe.

I thought your salary is your gross pay? you also PAY taxes. if you pay 10% of your net then your not being honest because you earn X naira and pay taxes, your tithe ( If you must pay) should be on your gross.

One man I would always admire and respect is John D. Rockefeller.
John Davison Rockefeller (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American industrialist and philanthropist. Rockefeller revolutionized the petroleum industry and defined the structure of modern philanthropy. In 1870, he founded the Standard Oil Company and ran it until he officially retired in 1897.
Rockefeller kept his stock and as gasoline grew in importance, his wealth soared and he became the world's richest man and first American billionaire, and is often regarded as the richest person in modern history.

From his very first paycheck, Rockefeller tithed ten percent of his earnings to his church. As his wealth grew, so did his giving, primarily to educational and public health causes, but also for basic science and the arts. He was advised primarily by Frederick T. Gates after 1891, and, after 1897, also by his son.

Standard Oil was convicted in Federal Court of monopolistic practices and broken up in 1911. Rockefeller spent the last 40 years of his life in retirement. His fortune was mainly used to create the modern systematic approach of targeted philanthropy with foundations that had a major effect on medicine, education, and scientific research.
His foundations pioneered the development of medical research, and were instrumental in the eradication of hookworm and yellow fever. He is also the founder of both The University of Chicago and Rockefeller University. He was a devoted Northern Baptist and supported many church-based institutions throughout his life. Rockefeller adhered to total abstinence from alcohol and tobacco throughout his life.

When his compay was broken up in 1911 into 36 diferent comanies, its value was even found to be more than when it was just Standard Oil. Some of the companies it broke into include Exxon, Amoco, Mobil and Chevron, leaders in the oil sector even till date. ExxonMobil was ranked the number 1 on the Fortune 500 list in 2007 and is currently ranked number 2.

Some of John D. Rockefeller's quotes include

"I had no ambition to make a fortune. Mere money-making has never been my goal, I had an ambition to build".

"If your only goal is to become rich, you will never achieve it".

"God gave me my money. I believe the power to make money is a gift from God, to be developed & used to the best of our ability for the good of mankind. Having been endowed with the gift I possess, I believe it is my duty to make money & still more money & to use the money I make for the good of my fellow man according to the dictates of my conscience." John D. Rockefeller

I thought your salary is your gross pay? you also PAY taxes. if you pay 10% of your net then your not being honest because you earn X naira and pay taxes, your tithe ( If you must pay) should be on your gross.

Let me put it like this. As an employee, i receive my paycheck, out of which tax has been removed already by my employer. Of what i receive as my salary, i tithe 10% of that, which in this case, may be seen as gross pay.

On the other hand, as a new entrepreneur, i pay tithes (or have a plan in place to do that) from my net profits, after overheads, salary, and taxes have been sorted. That's d way i see it.

When his compay was broken up in 1911 into 36 diferent comanies, its value was even found to be more than when it was just Standard Oil. Some of the companies it broke into include Exxon, Amoco, Mobil and Chevron, leaders in the oil sector even till date. ExxonMobil was ranked the number 1 on the Fortune 500 list in 2007 and is currently ranked number 2.

ExxonMobil currently ranks number 2 on the Fortune 500 list while Chevron ranks number 4. Can you beat that?

Hi @sleekmag,

I enjoyed the answers you provided to sarmy's questions. I'll try and post a few thoughts in addition thereto. Cheers.

@KunleOshob,

KunleOshob:
I know she would come back, is it not pilgrim?? Not one to back out of an argument or topic even when she is arguing from a weak perspective I am sure she would be browsing through the whole http://www.bible.com/ as i write trying to find something she can at least quote out of context to justify her position. Trust me ma dear as far as tithes is oncerned in the bible i have read every single thing written in the bible about it and there is no biblical way to justify the type of tithng practised into churches today it as nothing to do with your income or money.

Hehe. . Kai, na wah for you! You no even want me to breathe sef. Lol, anyways. . . I don't go to websites to harvest my ideas from anyone - and that is why I often offer pointers that I can defend after having done my own study. Maybe if I hook or hang somewhere, me and you fit run to www.bible.com/ and make excuses from there, No?

Stay blessed o jare.

@sarmy,

I understand that the experiences some of us pass through could be very dire indeed. My advice is that if you find that someone is manipulating about anything for his own gain, there should be no reason why you would want to remian under such oppression. As you search out where to fellowship, you will come to find a few churches where ministers will help your walk in Christ with integrity and wisdom in God’s Word.

In additionto the succinct answers provided by sleekmag, let me address your questions. The first thing to note is that I don’t argue tithes or any type of giving for the Christian upon the basis of the Law – I have often consistently laid that position clear. Are there principles in the Law we can benefit from as regarding tithes and other offerings? Yes, and I’m aware of so many of them. However, my approach in this matter is not to “justify” tithes by a literal application of the Sinaitic/Mosaic Law. That said, let me share a few pointers with you:

sarmy:
I 100% support giving, 10% of ones income to God should not be problem as a child of God, but according to Paul, as one purposed in his heart which is as led by the Spirit not strictly by a percentage of ones income should one give to God, many have disagreed with this in relation to tithe,

Actually, that should have answered your questions. However, if we address them individually, I should note the following:

sarmy:
OK no problem but,

Please, before I finally succumb, kindly clarify the following, with bible reference from the new testament if need be, either for or against. Thanks and God bless you.

1. What to pay as tithe (10% of gross income b/4 tax or net after tax including any other income or gifts)

The point here is not to be so fastidious about an exact amount – whether 10%, 75.58% or even 100%. We learn in Scripture simply that Abraham gave ‘tithes of all’ (Genesis 14:20, KJV) the same thing which the NT calls the ‘tenth of the spoils’ (Heb. 7:4, KJV). The NIV, the AMP and a few other versions use “tenth” in Gen. 14:20, and technically they are the same thing. If one was to be meticulous of exacting figures around gross or domestic income, how would one have calculated what exactly is 10% of Abraham’s spoils?

Suffice to say that giving one’s tithes should not be based solely on the traditional idea of 10% of income, allowances, earnings or wages. It has been the adopted mindset of so many people that tithes/tenths should always be some deductions of exactly 10%; and that is because they always based their ideas on the Law - but it ought not necessarily be so. We know that there is such a thing as the “tithe of the tithes” [Neh. 10:38]; so how does one go about calculating the “tenth of tenths” today in economic terms? Facetiously, we may refer to it as merely 1% and not 10%.


Numbers 18:24 shows that tithes could also be referred to as heave offering – “the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD” (cf. verse 27). It is not until one carefully considers verse 29 that we find the basic principle of what the tithe actually represents – it is the “principal” or “best” part of the offerings given for God’s glory:

“Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the LORD,
of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it.”

The point here is that what the priests presented as their own tithe/heave offering was only 1% of all the tithes in value among the children of Israel – and yet, it is that 1% that God called “the best part thereof, even the hallowed part”. This should humble us to see that God is not looking at the cleverness of actual figures of 10% running in our heads – He rather looks at the heart and the value we place on our offerings. Whether it is 1% or 10% or even 100%, the basic point in tithes is simply that it is the “hallowed part”.

sarmy:
2. When (monthly or weekly, regularly and consistently even when you are owing or having pressing financial needs, what about if you did not pay for a while, must you re-pay back)

There are so many questions embedded in that single one; and let’s see if we could deal with them inidvidually:

(a) when should it be – monthly, weekly, regulalry and consistently?
I think the keyword there is ‘consistently’. If one wants to do so more regulalry or even monthly or weekly, it is a transaction between him-/herself and God.


(b) what about when there are pressing financial needs (like bills to be paid)?
I think that the Bible has a direct answer to that:

‘For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted
according to that a man hath,
and not according to that he hath not.
For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened’
~~ [2 Cor. 8:12-13]

The verses above clearly states that giving, even when it is based on a willing mind, is accepted according to what a man has and not to be made under a burden where you don’t have. If one is cajoled to pay or give anything under a burden, then something else is operating rather than the Word of God.

Now, please understand that these are my thoughts – and I may be wrong. However, let’s balance the concept by recognizing that some people’s hearts have been moved to give ‘according to their ability’ (Ezra 2:69 and Acts 11:29) while others were moved even under deep poverty to give more than their abilities (2 Cor. 8:2-4). The underlying current is that each giver should know that God does not wish to burden them in this ministry at all.


(c) what about if one does not pay for a while – should he/she repay?
Hmm, I don’t think tithes and freewill offerings for the Christian should be treated as rents that we owe landlord O! Under the Law, the concept of repaying tithes was well established – problem is that one was to add 20% of the value of the tithe before repaying it (Lev. 27:31). However, this was not the case with those who preceded the Law, nor is it the case with those who came after the Law. I may be wrong, but for the Christian, the idea of repaying tithes is not Biblically tenable. That is because tithing for the Christian is not predicated upon the Law of Moses.

sarmy:
3. Where to and how (local church, local pastor or those in need or as led by the Spirit of God)

I would say that our offerings are a ministry of the Church and was not meant to be carried out just about anyhow according to our fancies.

One could always give to the poor however one chooses (Mark 14:7); whereas the ministry of the saints is something which is gathered in Church (1 Cor. 16:1-3). Again, as this minsitry also extends to the support of ministers (1 Cor. 9:14; Galatians 6:6) as well as elders (1 Tim. 5:17-18), it makes sense that they are made collectively in Church. That does not mean that we cannot support the poor directly, though; yet, such a support is no excuse for not obeying what the Lord had ordained in 1 Cor. 9:14.

sarmy:
4. If a percentage of ones income is given to the local church and some to less privileged in the body of Christ/society but not as tithe, would this be acceptable to God.

Perfectly so, I believe, because whatever we do with our money or material wealth is absolutely up to us (Acts 5:4 – “Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?”). One cannot dictate to another what and how their money or material substance should be used. Yet, whatever percentage we may want to set aside for the help of the poor, it should not be confused for the ministry of our giving in Church as outlined earlier.

Many blessings.

again picking one to obey and leaving the others

Chrisbenogor:
again picking one to obey and leaving the others

Lol, generalizations are not a healthy position to adopt. Reading issues out of [b]con[/b]text is [b]pre[/b]text, and it doesn't have to be interpretations on the Bible alone - it applies to any document. However, eisegesis and exegesis are not the same thing; and to be mindless about them will not yield any benefit to anyone.

@pilgrim
How body, me I no dey happy here at all, thread wey I take dey teach sunday school dem just lock am without notice self

generalizations are not a healthy position to adopt

Yes I know but I was talking about the thread as a whole, anyway sha no be new thing no be today nyash dey back.

@Chrisbenogor,

Chrisbenogor:
@pilgrim
How body, me I no dey happy here at all, thread wey I take dey teach sunday school them just lock am without notice self

Look at this gentleman! How can you ever hope to teach Sunday school on a Tuesday?

Hehe, just teasing you. Hmm, what can one say? I wish there was a way I could make you feel a bit happier though.

Chrisbenogor:
Yes I know but I was talking about the thread as a whole, anyway sha no be new thing no be today nyash dey back.

Okay, na you talk.

Look at this gentleman! How can you ever hope to teach Sunday school on a Tuesday?

But I go prepare my notes na now my students have to be referring to a locked thread. Shame

abeg make dem open that sunday school thread o. i wan learn from "pastor" chris.

pilgrim.1:
That is because tithing for the Christian is not predicated upon the Law of Moses.

So what is it predicated on, or better still what is the biblical basis or instruction for christian tithing??

@KunleOshob
Long time no type. How far now?
Read Luke 6:38.

@Obinna
Thanx for refering us to that beautiful passage which speaks about christian gving ( to the needy and less priviledge) how ever unfortunately a lot of our pastors have manipulated this scripture to mean giving to the church for their own selfish reasons. May God continue to enlighten us in his word. Amen.
Luke 6:38:
38 Give to others, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.[a]”

@Pilgrim
In additionto the succinct answers provided by sleekmag,  let me address your questions. The first thing to note is that I don’t argue tithes or any type of giving for the Christian upon the basis of the Law – I have often consistently laid that position clear. Are there principles in the Law we can benefit from as regarding tithes and other offerings? Yes, and I’m aware of so many of them. However, my approach in this matter is not to “justify” tithes by a literal application of  the Sinaitic/Mosaic Law. That said, let me share a few pointers with you:

Many Thanks, Pilgrim, Sleekmag, Kunle, & others - one LOVE

Pilgrim, that above submission summarises it all, remain blessed.

I think we are getting somewhere on this forum, lets list out areas of agreement, so we can look at other contention areas

Most of us agree, for Christians, children of God under His Grace tithe should not be based on Mosaic Law using Mal, Lev or Deut. (YES)

It's a principle we can apply as Christian for our own gain, we are NOT giving so God can be God, but we are giving to show our love for him, he will reward our giving accordingly (YES)

Must a Christian be crucified by God for not doing it (NO)
No record of Isaac, Enoch, Noah, Jesus, Paul, Peter, and early Christians church where they DIRECTLY gave tithe or asked for it.

Is it a sin to tithe (NO)

Is it a sin not to tithe (NO)

Would God bless us if we tithe (YES), give and it shall be given back to you (ANY type of GIVING done with the right mind will attract blessing)

If tithe or giving is good (YES), how do we give under the new testament so that we don't contradict ourselve, one leg under grace, another leg under law?

Lets see that from Pilgrims' quotes,

Now to the questions:-

1. What to pay 10% of gross, or 10% of net, plus any other income, gifts, bonus

@ Pilgrim
The point here is not to be so fastidious about an exact amount – whether 10%, 75.58% or even 100%. We learn in Scripture simply that Abraham gave ‘tithes of all’ (Genesis 14:20, KJV) the same thing which the NT calls the ‘tenth of the spoils’ (Heb. 7:4, KJV). The NIV, the AMP and a few other versions use “tenth” in Gen. 14:20, and technically they are the same thing. If one was to be meticulous of exacting figures around gross or domestic income, how would one have calculated what exactly is 10% of Abraham’s spoils?

If we look at this critically, not giving exalt tenth of ones income and calling it tithe is more grivious of a sin than not paying tithe at all, if we look at the example of Ananih and Sapphira, they wanted to give like others but not exalt amount they aught to have given, and it attracted serious penalty.

When you bring tithe to the alter as demanded in most churches, you are saying for this period, this is exact tenth of all my income, increases, bonuses, gifts etc
If you are a business man, you'll need to ensure your accountant did a good job calculating your exact profit.

From this forum, it seems some support gross while others net income, should we say as led by the Spirit of God since this is not specifically stated in the new testament how tithe is to be paid, except in the old testament where we have different types of it but money unsupported.

sarmy:
Many Thanks, Pilgrim, Sleekmag, Kunle, & others - one LOVE

Pilgrim, that above submission summarises it all, remain blessed.

I think we are getting somewhere on this forum, lets list out areas of agreement, so we can look at other contention areas

Most of us agree, for Christians, children of God under His Grace tithe should not be based on Mosaic Law using Mal, Lev or Deut. (YES)

It's a principle we can apply as Christian for our own gain, we are NOT giving so God can be God, but we are giving to show our love for him, he will reward our giving accordingly (YES)

Must a Christian be crucified by God for not doing it (NO)
No record of Isaac, Enoch, Noah, Jesus, Paul, Peter, and early Christians church where they DIRECTLY gave tithe or asked for it.

Is it a sin to tithe (NO)

Is it a sin not to tithe (NO)

Would God bless us if we tithe (YES), give and it shall be given back to you (ANY type of GIVING done with the right mind will attract blessing)

If tithe or giving is good (YES), how do we give under the new testament so that we don't contradict ourselve, one leg under grace, another leg under law?

Lets see that from Pilgrims' quotes,

@Sarmy
I agree with your submission a hundred per cent but the reality on ground is that the church as mis-led and continues to mislead people to believe tithing is compulsory for christians even when the scriptures make it clear it is not and the version of tithing they preach is also unscriptural. My grouse really is the manipulation of the word of God for material benefit, it makes me feel betrayed as a christian that our "trusted" christian leaders can be deceiving us. In fact i walked out of curch two sundays ago because my pastor was preaching this false doctrine, i felt so bitter and betrayed that i didn't go to church last sunday. Personally i believe in and support christian giving which is free will with a good heart. Pastors owe it to their congregation to tell them the truth and that is were i stand.

2. When (monthly or weekly, regularly and consistently even when you are owing or having pressing financial needs, what about if you did not pay for a while, must you re-pay back)

pilgrim.1:
There are so many questions embedded in that single one; and let’s see if we could deal with them inindividually|_
(a) when should it be – monthly, weekly, reguregularly and consistently?
I think the keyword there is ‘consistently’. If one wants to do so more regularly monthly or weekly, it is a transaction between him-/herself and God.


(b) what about when there are pressing financial needs (like bills to be paid)?
I think that the Bible has a direct answer to that:

‘For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted
according to that a man hath,
and not according to that he hath not.
For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened’
~~ [2 Cor. 8:12-13]

The verses above clearly states that giving, even when it is based on a willing mind, is accepted according to what a man has and not to be made under a burden where you don’t have. If one is cajoled to pay or give anything under a burden, then something else is operating rather than the Word of God.

Now, please understand that these are my thoughts – and I may be wrong. However, let’s balance the concept by recognizing that some people’s hearts have been moved to give ‘according to their ability’ (Ezra 2:69 and Acts 11:29) while others were moved even under deep poverty to give more than their abilities (2 Cor. 8:2-4). The underlying current is that each giver should know that God does not wish to burden them in this ministry at all.

(c) what about if one does not pay for a while – should he/she repay?
Hmm, I don’t think tithes and freewill offerings for the Christian should be treated as rents that we owe landlord O! Under the [i]Law, the concept of repaying tithes was well established – problem is that one was to add 20% of the value of the tithe before repaying it (Lev. 27:31). However, this was not the case with those who preceded the Law, nor is it the case with those who came after the Law. I may be wrong, but for the Christian, the idea of repaying tithes is not Biblically tenable. That is because tithing for the Christian is not predicated upon the Law of Moses.

May God bless you, we might likewise say as led by the Spirit of God according to ones ability & financial responsibilities, no where in the new testament where it's compulsory to pay at a particular time, or when one is having pressing financial needs.

KunleOshob:
@Sarmy
I agree with your submission a hundred per cent but the reality on ground is that the church as mis-led and continues to mislead people to believe tithing is compulsory for christians even when the scriptures make it clear it is not and the version of tithing they preach is also unscriptural. My grouse really is the manipulation of the word of God for material benefit, it makes me feel betrayed as a christian that our "trusted" christian leaders can be deceiving us. In fact i walked out of curch two sundays ago because my pastor was preaching this false doctrine, i felt so bitter and betrayed that i didn't go to church last sunday. Personally i believe in and support christian giving which is free will with a good heart. Pastors owe it to their congregation to tell them the truth and that is were i stand.

That deceit is the real issue, I had similar experience where pastor personally cursed those that did not pay tithe for that week, it's very painful. this kind of forum is necessary so this burden can be lifted off Christian shoulders.

3. Where to and how (local church, local pastor or those in need or as led by the Spirit of God)

pilgrim.1:
I would say that our offerings are a ministry of the Church and was not meant to be carried out just about anyhow according to our fancies.

One could always give to the poor however one chooses (Mark 14:7); whereas the ministry of the saints is something which is gathered in Church (1 Cor. 16:1-3). Again, as this minsitry also extends to the support of ministers (1 Cor. 9:14; Galatians 6:6) as well as elders (1 Tim. 5:17-18), it makes sense that they are made collectively in Church. That does not mean that we cannot support the poor directly, though; yet, such a support is no excuse for not obeying what the Lord had ordained in 1 Cor. 9:14.

Perfectly so, I believe, because whatever we do with our money or material wealth is absolutely up to us (Acts 5:4 – “Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?”). One cannot dictate to another what and how their money or material substance should be used. Yet, whatever percentage we may want to set aside for the help of the poor, it should not be confused for the ministry of our giving in Church as outlined earlier.

Many blessings.

Let's assume Local church as you said but, does it mean there is no liberty to give tithe to other churches in need if we are in position to help, especially if we also get from them, spiritual nourishment.

@Sleekymag

I pay mine to my local church, but basically, it should be as the spirit leads (Deut 14:25). It should be where you get spiritually nourished, which is in your church.
However say, you are a billionaire, and your company make billions of dollars annually, spreading your company's tithe around your church, the poor, disaster victims, NGOs, missionaries, corporate social responsibility etc. might make more sense than giving the whole lot to your church alone. (That's my opinion)

Many will agree with this position, should we then say as led by the Spirit of God, since there is no direct statement contrary to this in the new testament

4. If a percentage of ones income is given to the local church and some to less privileged in the body of Christ/society but not as tithe, would this be acceptable to God.

@Pilgrim
Perfectly so, I believe, because whatever we do with our money or material wealth is absolutely up to us (Acts 5:4 – “Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power?”). One cannot dictate to another what and how their money or material substance should be used. Yet, whatever percentage we may want to set aside for the help of the poor, it should not be confused for the ministry of our giving in Church as outlined earlier.

Ministry of giving in Church (Tithe or otherwise) as outlined in your submissions and supported by many is as led by the Spirit of God NOT STRICT RULE under new testament.

Therefore, we can sum all as follows:-

- Giving a tenth of ones income to God should be encouraged and not enforced as a do or die affair.
- Giving a percentage of ones income to church or charity or poor, not necessarily calling it tithe is also acceptable by God
- Method of giving tithe as outlined before, should be as led by the Spirit of God
- It also seems there is danger not giving exact tithe amount if it must be called TITHE (there is danger in lying to the holy spirit as in the case of Ananias and Sapphira

Would it not be better if body of Christ can lay more emphasis on ensuring that all children of God are filled with the Spirit of God so we can be led to give, willingly and cheerfully rather than mechanical method of placing a rule on giving.

If it is a MUST, then it is not willingly, if as led by the Spirit of God, then it is not a MUST.

one LOVE

The number of tithe topics is increasing.
Anytime we talk about tithe the first thing is money. There are other ways to give to God apart from money.

Thank God for this forum and for Christ's teachings and sacrificial life. This thread and others on tithe have helped me a lot to be relieved of the guilt and man-made yoke that had been weighing me down.
Glory be to God Almighty-Amen.

Grace giving which is according to what you pupose in your heart and how God has blessed you = New testament

Tithe = Old testament

interpretation = Tithe is no loger mandated we are under grace. You can give as much as 90% if God has empowered you to.

Beware of Charlatans, snakeoil salemen tha equate godliness to gain. From such, withdraw yourself.