Try as hard as I do to escape this topic, it finds me. My family has given over to observing my face any time this particular topic comes up. Their habitual hope is that I will not blow up like a keg of dynamite when it comes up in conversation. I am convinced this topic finds me because when one knows truth, we must be prepared to defend it.
They said something very close to these words: "I've heard those who don't support the tithe. They say, 'I'll give what the Spirit says give,' but we all know that doesn't happen."
I could not disagree more.
You see, my family does not and will not "tithe."
It is not a concept anyone who belongs to The Church should support.
If you doubt me on this, go HERE -- scroll down until you come to the tithing article (currently it is the sixth article down) and then READ! Educate yourself.... even by digging beyond the facts I have shared in the article!
Way too many people do things because they have been told it is correct without a thread of personal digging into the Word. And for the love of all that is holy and right, please, STOP using the Malachi scripture to support tithing. Understand those infamous words were NOT words of promise, but a part of a curse upon Israel just before heaven went silent for 400 years.
Do you really want to stand on that ground for a "promise" of good? Think about it!
The degree of ignorance that runs through The Church these days is shocking. If that offends you, so be it. The truth is very few people study God's Word. I'm not talking about "quiet time." I'm talking about STUDY. I see herds of people running with everyone else "just because." If you're going to stand for something, at least study and know why you're standing where you are!
Well, try as I may to shake this individual's comments, I could not. One evening, after hearing what the individual shared with me, I awoke in the middle of the night from a dream. In the dream, there was a bridge, linking two steep cliffs. Interestingly, the bridge did not entirely close the gap. It was many feet short. To the point, one could not have leaped successfully to the other side from off the bridge. I heard the Lord say in the dream, "Their system comes up lacking, but they rely on it out of fear."
You see, tithing today is a part of the bridge believers build to make themselves feel "okay," but it comes up lacking and is rooted in fear.
"Well, what if I don't tithe?" Those who care have been programmed something bad will happen if they don't, or they will actively forfeit a blessing if they don't tithe.
(Keep in mind that what God required of Israel in the form of the tithe is SO VASTLY different than what churches call the tithe today. It truly is a part of the "system" modern generations have come up with.)
We like formulas, don't we? We have a formula for everything. A "safe debt" ratio. (Whatever that is; don't get me started!) A mortgage ratio. An income ratio. An investment portfolio ratio. A college savings ratio. And on and on our formulas go. What's one more? As in the tithe ratio.
Well, for one, ratios imply "CEO" concepts. The CEO is the one who determines what is invested, where it is invested, and when it is invested. Last time I looked God is to be the CEO of your life, but who is determining your giving? A formula? Your pastor? Or the Spirit who leads us into obedient, secret, generous giving?
Guaranteed -- someone is the active CEO in your life, but sadly the one we label as CEO is often NOT the one we give "CEO rights" to! (Think on that one for a minute or longer.)
The big kicker for me is that even the TRUE practice of tithing was not preformed by Jesus. Under Jewish law, HE did NOT pay tithes. He was not required to! (I'll give you a minute to pick yourself up off the floor...then if you did not take the time earlier, go read the tithing article at JITM's website. (Sixth article down.))
And as if the truth surrounding the tithe was not enough, it irks me that while churches overtly support the erroneous "tithe," they seemingly turn a blind eye to Matthew 6: 2-4 that says, "keep your giving secret."
Oh, I know, I know, the IRS "requires" they track their giving for tax purposes. That's if you choose to play the IRS game for 501 (3c)'s.
So, question: Why do churches become 501 (3c) "corporations" in the first place if the government's ways are in direct conflict to Scripture's commands?
What churches have done is to forsake God's ways of handling giving and default to IRS regulations. Keep in mind churches place their ministries VOLUNTARILY under the IRS as 501 (3c) corporations that require record keeping that violates Scripture (ie: keep giving secret). (There are no qualifiers on that Scripture that say it is acceptable for even church leadership to know your giving.)
Oh I know... I know ... the system is there... why not use it for our benefit? Simple. Because it violates God's principles. Again, Matthew says you can either take your own reward by making your giving known to man, or you can trust God with your reward by keeping it between you and Him. Your choice.
I just wonder what would happen if:
--- churches stopped encouraging "tithes" -- (Did you read the tithing article yet? If so, you would have discovered the tithe was NEVER money (even though money was in existence as far back as Abraham), but produce and animals off the increase of the land only in Israel.) --- and instead encouraged RADICAL, SECRET giving....
I just wonder.
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To begin your own research on the tithe, do an Amazon search under "Books," using the following authors' names:
Dr. David A. Croteau (Received his Ph.D. on the subject of tithing in 2005 from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, in my backdoor of Wake Forest, NC. He is a professor at Liberty University.)Dr. Russell E. Kelly (Born in 1944, Dr. Kelly received his Ph. D. on the subject of tithing.)
Alfred Edersheim (This author lived in the 1800's.) (Title: "Sketches of Jewish Social Life" not only addresses the tithe, but other aspects of Jewish life.)
By listing these three gentlemen, it is NOT my intent to recommend any *one* person's books, but instead I list these to GET YOU STARTED with your own digging.
Dr. David A. Croteau (Received his Ph.D. on the subject of tithing in 2005 from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, in my backdoor of Wake Forest, NC. He is a professor at Liberty University.)Dr. Russell E. Kelly (Born in 1944, Dr. Kelly received his Ph. D. on the subject of tithing.)
Alfred Edersheim (This author lived in the 1800's.) (Title: "Sketches of Jewish Social Life" not only addresses the tithe, but other aspects of Jewish life.)
By listing these three gentlemen, it is NOT my intent to recommend any *one* person's books, but instead I list these to GET YOU STARTED with your own digging.
As you dig, you must always carefully lay out what an author writes with the Word of God in the Holy Spirit's company. The Word of God is to always be THE plumb line by which we measure some one's work. Happy studying, all! DIG! It's FUN!
Again, this is just intended to get you started! My personal library contains hundreds of books. I am a self-confessed chronic reader/studier of all things relating to God and His Word, so understand these three authors should be, in my assessment, a potential beginning.
Blessings!
"Their system comes up lacking, but they rely on it out of fear." True.
ReplyDeleteThere is the scripture about the Christians bringing the proceeds from the sale of their land and putting them at the Apostles' feet. It does give a precedent for someone knowing what you gave.
Afternoon, Jonathan! So good to hear from you!
ReplyDeleteI presume you are referring to the end of Acts 4 and into Acts 5. I have heard these accounts referred to by Bible teachers as the "first defection" of The Church. Nice, right?
I don't believe it would be accurate to take the unfortunate accounts as a precedent to be duplicated, but rather take heed, as the events brought problems into the Early Church. Public giving brings out a number of stumbling blocks to both the giver and to those around them from showiness to pride to jealousy and on. To me, as I view it, the account you are referring to (at least I think you are referring to)is an example of what not to do. ;o)