Tithing for Christians?

The tithe is uniquely Jewish or for Israel and it has not been revoked for them or carried over for Christians. This article includes all the New Testament Scriptures mentioning tithe, tithes, and tithing.

 I think that you will find it interesting that when the Apostles as a council wrote the Gentile Christians to gave them the necessary requirements that neither, tithe, tithing or Sabbath are mentioned. --- (Acts 15:22 KJV) Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen  men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren: (Acts 15:23 KJV) AND THEY WROTE LETTERS BY THEM AFTER THIS MANNER; THE APOSTLES AND ELDERS AND BRETHREN SEND GREETING UNTO THE BRETHREN WHICH ARE OF THE GENTILES IN ANTIOCH AND SYRIA AND CILICIA: (Acts 15:24 KJV) FORASMUCH AS WE HAVE HEARD, THAT CERTAIN WHICH WENT OUT FROM US HAVE  TROUBLED YOU WITH WORDS, SUBVERTING YOUR SOULS, SAYING, YE MUST BE CIRCUMCISED, AND KEEP THE LAW: TO WHOM WE GAVE NO SUCH COMMANDMENT: (Acts 15:25 KJV)  It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, (Acts 15:26 KJV)  Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 15:27 KJV)  We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth. --- The letter follows---

(Acts 15:28 KJV)  FOR IT SEEMED GOOD TO THE HOLY GHOST, AND TO US, TO LAY UPON YOU NO GREATER BURDEN THAN THESE NECESSARY THINGS; (Acts 15:29 KJV) THAT YE ABSTAIN FROM MEATS OFFERED TO IDOLS, AND FROM BLOOD, AND FROM THINGS STRANGLED, AND FROM FORNICATION: FROM WHICH IF YE KEEP YOURSELVES, YE SHALL DO WELL. FARE YE WELL.

Please notice there is no mention of tithes, tithing, or Sabbath in this letter from the Apostles to the Gentile Christians. True Christianity is not and never will be a branch or subsidiary of what the Apostle Paul, called the Jewish religion! --- (Acts 15:30 KJV) So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle: (Acts 15:31 KJV)Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. --- (Gal 1:13 KJV) FOR YE HAVE HEARD OF MY CONVERSATION IN TIME PAST IN THE JEWS' RELIGION, how that beyond measure I persecuted the church of God, and wasted it: (Gal 1:14 KJV) AND PROFITED IN THE JEWS' RELIGION above many my equals in mine own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the traditions of my fathers.

I know that many are, as always, trying to put more on the Christians then they could bear then and now. --- But this letter in the Bible and endorsed by the Apostolic Council is THE authority for Gentile Christians, though the organized church has ignored it for centuries. Other than the few verses Mat 23:23, Luke 11:42, and Luke 18:12 where Jesus was specifically talking to and that still apply to the Scribes and Pharisees of whatever name today, who think they can buy God's favor with money. And of course Paul in Hebrews 7 and 8 proving that because Abraham paid tithes to Melchisedec Jesus priesthood was greater than Aarons. I am being very brief on this probably someone has written a book on it. And Jesus talked about the love commandments in Mat 22:22-37 below. See also "The Ten Commandments and the Church" free via email on request.

The scripture used most to raise money in and for the church today is, 2 Cor chapters 8 and 9. But Paul and others were gathering up an offering for the poor saints at Jerusalem. It was not the gentiles paying tithes. The saints in Jerusalem were poor for 2 reasons --- first they had been giving everything they had houses, land, Seed Capital, that is, money to start again or to run their farms or businesses to the church to feed the hungry. And Poor because of the persecution, the established religion and the government took everything the Christians had including sometimes their life, leaving families with nothing. If you look closely you can see a world of difference between tithing and this offering. But really you can see a world of difference between the way this offering was taken and distributed and the way the offerings taken in church today are taken and distributed.

This teaching of the organized church of the Tithe and The Ten Commandments is really a lowering of the standards that Jesus set for Christians. See Matthew 5 and --- (Mat 22:37 KJV) Jesus said unto him, THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIND. (Mat 22:38 KJV)  This is the first and great commandment. (Mat 22:39 KJV)  And the second is like unto it, THOU SHALT LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF. (Mat 22:40 KJV)  ON THESE TWO COMMANDMENTS HANG ALL THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS. --- Jesus said that these two commandments are what the whole Old Testament the Law and the Prophets were saying.

Jesus adds --- (Luke 14:33 KJV) So likewise, WHOSOEVER HE BE OF YOU THAT FORSAKETH NOT ALL THAT HE HATH, HE CANNOT BE MY DISCIPLE. I believe that ALL that we have, is slightly more than the 10% insisted upon and actively collected by many churches.  (There are several of these, "So Likewise" in the Bible and they are worth studying.) This one says in effect, "You possibly could be a believer and keep something but to be a disciple you must at least be willing to give up everything you have especially including your old life and your new one if required. Or --- (John 13:35 KJV) BY THIS SHALL ALL MEN KNOW THAT YE ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YE HAVE LOVE ONE TO ANOTHER.

But let's look at how the Israelites were to tithe and why (Deu 26:12 KJV)  WHEN THOU HAST MADE AN END OF TITHING ALL THE TITHES OF THINE INCREASE THE THIRD YEAR, WHICH IS THE YEAR OF TITHING, AND HAST GIVEN IT UNTO THE LEVITE, THE STRANGER, THE FATHERLESS, AND THE WIDOW, THAT THEY MAY EAT WITHIN THY GATES, AND BE FILLED; --- Unlike today, Tithes were to make sure the workers in the temple and that the stranger, the fatherless or orphan, and the widow were fed. To Illustrate, Anna the widow one of the only two prophets at the temple in Jerusalem who recognized the baby Jesus as Messiah lived in the temple and apparently ate there. --- (Luke 2:36 KJV)  And there was one ANNA, A PROPHETESS, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser: she was of a great age, and had lived with an husband seven years from her virginity; (Luke 2:37 KJV)  AND SHE WAS A WIDOW of about fourscore and four years, WHICH DEPARTED NOT FROM THE TEMPLE, BUT SERVED GOD WITH FASTINGS AND PRAYERS NIGHT AND DAY.

But notice carefully THE TITHE WAS PAID ONLY ON THE INCREASE EVERY THIRD YEAR --- That is, the Lord expected them to keep track and if a bad year or two or three came, they still figured the actual increase, if any, of animals and etc and then paid 10% of that increase at the temple in Jerusalem. There are a lot of creative ways to figure increase then and now. But the ones who wanted to love and please God obeyed then and now

(Deu 14:28 KJV)  At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: (Deu 14:29 KJV) AND THE LEVITE, (BECAUSE HE HATH NO PART NOR INHERITANCE WITH THEE,) AND THE STRANGER, AND THE FATHERLESS, AND THE WIDOW, WHICH ARE WITHIN THY GATES, SHALL COME, AND SHALL EAT AND BE SATISFIED; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

Let's summarize, the tithe was for the priests, the Levites, the poor, the hungry, the widows and orphans. Each one who tithed had a feast at the temple in Jerusalem and invited the poor and all including of course his family to the feast. There were rules of course.  --- (Mal 3:10 KJV) BRING YE ALL THE TITHES INTO THE STOREHOUSE, THAT THERE MAY BE MEAT IN MINE HOUSE, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

Today many tithe and many more than tithe but far too few stop and consider that The Lord God Himself said --- BRING YE ALL THE TITHES INTO THE STOREHOUSE, THAT THERE MAY BE MEAT IN MINE HOUSE, --- If you are tithing to some church or other entity that does not provide actual food, spiritual and or natural, to the poor, the hungry, the widows and orphans and of course the preachers and teachers who need natural food in order that they may provide spiritual food to the hungry, are you not missing the point?

Christians are to give generously of course, but Christians are not required by the Bible to tithe. However MANY Christians if they figured their actual increase each three years, would be amazed at how much they had overpaid.  It is not usually advertised but many Christians and some Christian nations have been impoverished by the teaching and taking of tithes by the Christian church of the time or place. For me the important questions are: --- Is there meat, spiritual and physical, being provided by the ministry? Who if anyone is actually being fed?  We as a family sent a monthly offering to one of the, well known at the time, ministries to feed the orphans in India. Perhaps you can imagine how we, and our teen aged daughters, felt when we discovered that only something over 1% of all we gave actually went to the orphans care. The girls were just crushed, I was Very angry.

We offer this information to build up the Christian community including keeping the members solvent financially and we encourage you to give your gifts to the Lord in love and wisdom remembering --- (Mat 25:40 KJV) And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, INASMUCH AS YE HAVE DONE IT UNTO ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE MY BRETHREN, YE HAVE DONE IT UNTO ME. (Mat 25:45 KJV)  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, INASMUCH AS YE DID IT NOT TO ONE OF THE LEAST OF THESE, YE DID IT NOT TO ME.

Remembering also, that true love consistently does what love does and true love, loves and actually delights in giving. I get so much pleasure out of doing a good deed and getting away with it. That is, no one or at least the one I did it for will not have a clue who did it or gave it.
 

If you will judge your love for God and man by your giving to those who need, including the gift of your time, many of you
will see a very different idea of your giving than you may have thought before. As always, true love does what love does! Hate will continue to do what hate does! Greed and lust will continue to do what they do and pretend, lying even to them selves to keep up the pretence. And indifference will continue to do nothing to help, as always. Change is possible! Let me ask what will you do?

By Ben Lucas
 

(Published with Permission)

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Public Apology

 I have always promised that if I made an error in a publication
 I would make a public apology. Well the time has come, last
 weeks Ezine was badly flawed. I plan to show my errors
 below in caps because that is all we have in the text files to
 differentiate with and the truth in regular type. I am sorry!!!
 The worst of it is, as soon as a kind Brother brought it to my
 attention I knew it already and the only thing I can think of is I
 must have left my brain upstairs or unplugged. We won't be
 redoing the whole article just showing my mistakes. Your
 forgiveness will be greatly appreciated! Thank you! Ben

           Tithing for Christians?

 THE TITHE IS UNIQUELY JEWISH OR FOR ISRAEL AND
 IT HAS NOT BEEN REVOKED FOR THEM OR CARRIED
 OVER FOR CHRISTIANS. --- Actually Abraham paid tithes
 to Melchisedec long before there was a Jewish state. And
 importantly Christians inherit at least some of Abraham's
 promises.

 I think that you will find it interesting that when the
 APOSTLES AS A COUNCIL WROTE THE GENTILE
 CHRISTIANS TO GAVE THEM THE NECESSARY
 REQUIREMENTS THAT NEITHER, TITHE, TITHING OR
 SABBATH ARE MENTIONED. ---Of course, Sabbath wasn't
 mentioned here, Sabbath started at creation and continues! So
 my basic premise was wrong on both tithe and Sabbath 

 PLEASE NOTICE THERE IS NO MENTION OF TITHES,
 TITHING, OR SABBATH IN THIS LETTER FROM THE
 APOSTLES TO THE GENTILE CHRISTIANS. Of course not,
 tithing and Sabbath were a given --- Even a moments thought
 should have caught this before I sent it out! 

 I know that many are, as always, trying to put more on the
 Christians then they could bear then and now. --- But this letter
 in the Bible and endorsed by the Apostolic Council is THE
 authority for Gentile Christians, though the organized church
 has ignored it for centuries. Other than the few verses Mat
 23:23, Luke 11:42, and Luke 18:12 where Jesus was
 specifically talking to and that still apply to the Scribes and
 Pharisees of whatever name today, who think they can buy
 God's favor with money. AND OF COURSE PAUL IN
 HEBREWS 7 AND 8 PROVING THAT BECAUSE
 ABRAHAM PAID TITHES TO MELCHISEDEC JESUS
 PRIESTHOOD WAS GREATER THAN AARONS. --- Here I
 refute my original premise. Again sorry to all! I promise to pay
 more attention and am thankful to my corrector.

 The following is true. Remembering also, that true love
 consistently does what love does and true love, loves and
 actually delights in giving. I get so much pleasure out of doing
 a good deed and getting away with it. That is, no one or at
 least the one I did it for, will not have a clue who did it or
 gave it.

 If you will judge your love for God and man by your giving to
 those who need, including the gift of your time, many of you
 will see a very different idea of your giving than you may have
 thought before. As always, true love does what love does!
 Hate will continue to do what hate does! Greed and lust will
 continue to do what they do and pretend, lying even to
 themselves to keep up the pretence. And indifference will
 continue to do nothing to help, as always. Change is possible!
 Let me ask what will you do?

 Thank you, all of you! Perhaps in a few months I will try again
 on tithing, as I do believe and feel strongly about Christians
 being taken advantage of in this area, but adding to the
 confusion won't help and is certainly not my job!

 By Ben Lucas

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The International College of Practical Christianity
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