Live Free For Jesus
You mean I can give as I please
and feel Free in my heart?
"Yes you Can"
We will look at Giving with Gladness
instead of sadness.
It's actually New Testament Scriptural...
We will actually see
what JESUS said
And Early Believers Did
You can say "NO" to the
Church & TV Programs
And have the JOY of GIVING
Restored to You!!!
3 TIMES! The Holy Spirit has given me leading in this Area - including Tithes - through the years. In the 80's, the 90's and
the last time was in 2012, so I thoroughly Researched it. I had the Bible Verses....and so I sought to find out "Did the Early Believers Tithe?"....and I think you will be as surprized as I was where Christians Tithing Today actually originated from.
I let you know my findings here. I just knew the Holy Spirit could not be wrong.
There are various Perspectives and Explanations on Tithes and Offerings given by Churches
and Preachers using Scriptures. That's why we will call on Early Church History to
settle the account and bring PEACE and JOY to our Hearts.
IS TITHING SCRIPTURAL
for New Testament Christians?
Ed Priebe
DID YOU KNOW THAT —
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Jesus never asked His disciples to tithe 10% of their income! Instead, he taught them to “remember the poor” and to give to those in need.
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Tithing is a legalistic part of the Temple worship of the old Mosaic Law, “the Old Testament, which ... is done away in Christ.” (2Cor.3:14)
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For three centuries after Jesus, Christians gave to help the poor, widows and orphans, and to support those preaching the Gospel. But they did not tithe!
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Tithing first began to come in to the Church after Christianity was recognized by Constantine (313 AD) and they needed money to support their hierarchy and build church buildings.
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Church fathers continued to speak against tithing as late as 400 AD, saying that it was no more of a requirement than circumcision.
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The Church made tithing a law nearly six centuries after Jesus, in 585 AD, at the Council of Macon! Most Christians still did not tithe.
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Everyone was finally forced to tithe 800 years after Jesus, when Charlemagne founded the Holy Roman Empire and made tithing a state law! People tithed because they would go to prison if they didn’t!
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Priests “cursed for their tithes”, threatening believers that those who didn’t tithe would lose their salvation and go to hell!
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In the 1500s, Protestant state churches preached “salvation by grace”, but they wanted revenue, so they continued the Catholic practice of tithing.
Does Malachi 3:9-10 apply to Christians Today?
First, the context of this passage concerns the Israelites not bringing their offerings to the temple. Because of their disobedience, God had judged them with a small harvest. The Lord challenged them to bring the “full tithe” of grain sacrifices Leviticus 6:14-23 and see that He would bless them with an abundance of future crops. The “storehouse,” mentioned in verse 10, is a place to store grain in the temple.
Second, this passage teaches that the Jews were to give a tithe as part of the temple worship, but it does not teach that Christians are to give to churches. Malachi was written more than 400 years before the start of the first church in Jerusalem. Applying its command of temple giving to the local church takes these verses out of their original context.
Does Malachi 3:9-10 apply to Christians Today?
First, the context of this passage concerns the Israelites not bringing their offerings to the temple. Because of their disobedience, God had judged them with a small harvest. The Lord challenged them to bring the “full tithe” of grain sacrifices Leviticus 6:14-23 and see that He would bless them with an abundance of future crops. The “storehouse,” mentioned in verse 10, is a place to store grain in the temple.
Second, this passage teaches that the Jews were to give a tithe as part of the temple worship, but it does not teach that Christians are to give to churches. Malachi was written more than 400 years before the start of the first church in Jerusalem. Applying its command of temple giving to the local church takes these verses out of their original context.
Read more:
http://www.gotquestions.org/Malachi-tithing.html#ixzz36w7pVcTL
So should Christians really be Tithing?
The New Testament nowhere commands, or even recommends, that Christians submit to a legalistic tithe system. The New Testament nowhere designates a percentage of income a person should set aside,
but only says gifts should be “in keeping with income” (what you can afford).
1 Corinthians 16:2
Some in the Christian church have taken the 10 percent figure from the Old Testament tithe and applied it as a “recommended minimum” for Christians in their giving.
Read more:
http://www.gotquestions.org/tithing-Christian.html#ixzz36w99OGoN
Is there such a thing as a Grace Tithe?
"A confusing paradox indeed"
Yet so many of us have been sold on this Hybrid Teaching
for years - traditions die slow.
God says that we are BLESSED and that the curse that was a result of the
Fall of Man is REVERSED because of JESUS Work on the Cross -
we are REDEEMED and this is a DISPENSATION OF GRACE.
The OT Law is OBSOLETE and does not have any place for THIS AGE
now that the NATURE of GOD has been RESTORED to those IN CHRIST.
Furthermore, the Tithe that Abraham gave was not from his income as proposed but
the spoils of war......and he also gave the other 9 tenths to the King of Sodom
stating his reasons for doing so. Read it in Gen 14:17-23
What about Jacob? It may enlighten you to find that he actually made a one-off tithe too.
He actually made a conditional vow with it. Read this in Gen 28:20-22.
And as for Malachi 3:9-10, Grace is not found there. Yet it has become the preacher's
point of persuasion to extract money from you in God's name - they take in vain -
attempting to change Paul's counsel from God because__
Tithing is a part of God's covenant with the Jews only.
LAW was the OT Covenant with Israel.
GRACE is the NT Covenant with Believers.
CHRIST'S Sacrifice on the CROSS has made the Old Covenant OBSOLETE
God no longer deals with us according to our misdeeds.
JESUS Himself is the Mediator of this Better Covenant. Heb 8:6
It is a Covenant of COMPASSION and GRACE not Judgement!
God has now BLESSED US with ALL Spiritual BLESSING
in Heavenly Places making us HOLY and BLAMELESS because of JESUS.
Surely the Windows of Heaven are OPEN NOW did you just read the above?
"He has Cancelled the Bond that stood against us with it's Legal Demands"
Read Eph 1:6-8 and Col 2.14-15
Yes, in Vs 6 of Malachi, The Lord addresses the tithers as "Sons of Jacob"
(Israelites) and speaks of His intention to them "a Land of Delight and all the nations
shall call them blessed" in Vs 12.
We have to be careful we don't confuse God's Ways with Israel with His Ways with the Church.
This is a different dispensation with a different Covenant and a different Calling.
Where's the Grace?
JESUS encourages us to give Generously
MINISTERS make us give Painfully
NEW TESTAMENT encourages Giving to the Poor
MINISTERS attempt to Make you Poor
PAUL counsels us to give wisely as we are able
MINISTERS empty your pockets, even if you have debts
PAUL said to decide in your heart how much to give
MINISTERS tell you how much you must give
PAUL says not to give grudgingly
MINISTERS enforce and encourage it
PAUL says not to give out of compulsion
TELEVANGELISTS have all manner of enticements
SCRIPTURE says not to give out of covetousness
MINISTERS do the very things they preach against
PAUL said as we have purposed in our hearts
MINISTERS tell you to pray first so your hearts are disturbed
and you give more!
Paul says that God Loves Cheerful Givers
and we said
"We would love to give Cheerfully without all the pressure!"
Whose obedience is in question here, yours or theirs?
Quite honestly, most ministers harden our hearts in the area of Giving.
God's Ministers are not supposed to Coerce you and find ways to your purse.
The privilege of Giving ought to be a JOY and DELIGHT.
The work of the Holy Spirit ALWAYS keeps a Softening effect on our hearts
He does not bring pressure on you.
Paul's Counsel on Giving in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9 are Pictures of
Benevolence and Willingness rather than Obedience and Constraint.
He encourages us to SHARE our BLESSINGS with Those in Need not preacher's
PAY for your BLESSINGS and the way many Televangelists entice us to
make Shopping Lists with God. IE "He will give you this, that and that if you give your
Best Offering!"
THERE ARE MANY GENUINE MINISTERS WHO SINCERELY BELIEVE IN TITHES
AND OFFERINGS. IF YOU ARE ONE OF THESE, THINK AGAIN.
For the most part. Ministers apply Pressure
Paul did Not - Jesus did Not
They both give you a Choice!
I SAY TO YOU, TAKE CARE THAT YOU DON'T FIND YOURSELF AT CROSS PURPOSES
WITH THE COUNSEL OF GOD IN SCRIPTURE IF YOU PREACH TITHES.
LET'S SHARE ABOUT PLEASURABLE GIVING
Happy Giving Ideas Here
See also my page Misleading Televangelists
The Lord Delights in His Children
Let us Rejoice!