Tithing

[OneLight]

I currently do not attend a church, but I want to tithe. I usually just watch Christian shows on TV. I always have been adement about tithing. The scripture came to mind I know your supposed to plant your seed(tithe) into good ground for a harvest, but if there's someone who is in need, should you not bless them with money you have set aside for the Lord. after all, In the word it says, " Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it to me. Matthew 25:40

I thought about sending my tithes to the preachers on TV where I get the word from daily, but wouldn't it do more good if I give it to someone who would really appreciate it and could really use it.

What is God telling you? Tithing can be argued about all day long with the legalities of it, but it always comes down to how God is directing you in the end. Read His word about tithing and pray and ask Him directly, since you are not a member of a local body.

[irishcowboy]

I currently do not attend a church, but I want to tithe. I usually just watch Christian shows on TV. I always have been adement about tithing. The scripture came to mind I know your supposed to plant your seed(tithe) into good ground for a harvest, but if there's someone who is in need, should you not bless them with money you have set aside for the Lord. after all, In the word it says, " Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it to me. Matthew 25:40

I thought about sending my tithes to the preachers on TV where I get the word from daily, but wouldn't it do more good if I give it to someone who would really appreciate it and could really use it.

I am happy that you want to tithe....

however, are those TV preachers really doing what they say they are doing??? how much of the money they get is used for the program that they say? such as what percentage is used to actually feed a child and how much of it is for advertising and how much is used for administration.... you might be surprised.

What as God given us to do, what is every person called to do? The Great Commission......

you can go and purchase food, and donate it to the food pantry, or even find out what is needed in your area, and start a food pantry if there is not one already.....

my thoughts would be to investigate several ministries that are local, and check out their practices before you choose one to give your hard earned money to....

if you are looking at a TV church, you might find one, again, that is local, and one question to ask them is if they would come and visit you.... you might be surprised to know that the pastor does no visitation, and you would be hard pressed to get anyone to come visit you from the TV churches.....

you might even be surprised at the responses you might get if you go to a church and ask them for assistance, one man I know, limited income, disabled, a vet (not disabled while serving), needed some house repairs. he was attending church at a very large church in the area, and they even had a food pantry, he had been attending for many years, giving from his tithe. when a plumber found out he needed some work done, he did what he could do, and some of the issues were actually safety issues.... this plumber also, attending the same church, took the issue before the Board, and the pastors (head, young adult, Youth, Childrens, and discipleship pastors) and was told that it was the job of SRS to do what they would do first...... I tryed to explain to them that it really was the churchs jobs to do this, and not the government, and I was told that SRS was the first ones to do the work, then the church would (and only after SRS was done) might be able to help a little.......

this was a man that was a faithful man to the church fellowship. no, the plumber did not tell the man he had gone to the church, and it was not until later, the man came, and the church told him the same thing..... after that the membership started dwendling really fast, they use to run 150 plus every week for youth, down to less then 35..... the rest of the congregation also dropped......

if there is a soup kitchen, or a shelter, that might be a good place to donate... I would also want to see their budget constraints as well, to know how they are handling it..

one of the preachers on TV in this area, even said, that He does not want you to call him your pastor, unless he has met you in person in the church he pastors.... he does not say dont send in the money, and he does not get on and beg for money either, he does not do hospital visits, and he does not do home visits for those that are not a member of his congregation......

just something to think about.. we are told to be good stewards, this does not mean we take 10% and just throw it up in the air and what ever ministry it lands on is the one that we are to send it to.....

mike

[irishcowboy]

When one tithes, who does one tithe to since there is no more Levitical Priesthood? (Leviticus 27)

When one tithes, is it as God's tithe was set up in Numbers 18 and Leviticus 27?

Is the one receiving the tithe following the Biblical requirement of the one who receives the tithe and not owning their own land? or when did that change to the one receiving the tithe could own property?

Is there a specific verse in the Word of God that says the tithe God requires of His children was money? I can only find the tithe being crops, flocks and herds in the Old Testament. (Numbers 18) Where can I find a verse or passage that tells us that it was amended to money?

When was the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year tithe amended to a weekly tithe in God's Holy Word?

The Old Testament teaches us that the Levites were not to receive tithes from people living outside of national Israel. Can you point me to the verse or verses in the Bible where that was amended to include people all over the world?

I have so many questions concerning the tithe and hope someone is able to show me the Biblical answers that I seek.

who was it that Abraham Tithed to?

and does it not say that it is of the INCREASE? which would be flocks, herds, crops, and well, if we are not farmers or ranchers, the increase then would be what? salt? well, it use to be a form of money, as was Oil... so are we going to pay a tithe of the oil we produce?

what does a person produce when they work in a warehouse? carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, rubber dust, paper dust... what they do have is a pay check...... MONEY.... so their increase is MONEY...... they could go out and buy a sheep and donate it, or they could go buy a bovine and donate it, or some donkeys, or goats, or corn...... that would be good

or would it?

would it be easier to store up the monies to be used later, instead of purchasing something that needed tending until it was to be used? this could cost more then it was worth at times.....

when Moses collected what was he collecting? the collection even came to an end after a time.

as has been said many many many times, this can be argued days over......

when was the laws put aside? NEVER.... Christ did not come to abolish the law.....

mike

[Born Crucified]

who was it that Abraham Tithed to?

Abraham tithed to a Semitic Canaanite king... Melchizedek. That tithe was of the spoils of war, not Abraham's own property. Abraham is never said to have tithed again. If people are going to say we must pattern Abraham and his tithe, then we must pattern it all the way. Go to war, and if victorious, give a tithe of the spoils to the king of the land and then give the rest to another king; just as Abraham gave the remainder of the spoils to the king of Sodom. Abraham's tithe was not of his increase because he had already vowed to God that he would not keep any of the spoils of war for himself.

and does it not say that it is of the INCREASE? which would be flocks, herds, crops, and well, if we are not farmers or ranchers, the increase then would be what? salt? well, it use to be a form of money, as was Oil... so are we going to pay a tithe of the oil we produce?

Money was in abundance prior to God's tithe being instituted. Money is mentioned no less than 44 times prior to God making it a law that Israel tithe. And yet, money is never said to be a tithe. As a matter of fact, in Deuteronomy 14, we read that if the tithe was too great to carry, one could sell the tithe FOR MONEY. Then when they arrived at the place that God had ordained, they were to BUY BACK THE TITHE WITH THE MONEY. Then they were to eat the tithe with the Levites. Tithes were not money even though money was in abundance.

what does a person produce when they work in a warehouse? carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, rubber dust, paper dust... what they do have is a pay check...... MONEY.... so their increase is MONEY...... they could go out and buy a sheep and donate it, or they could go buy a bovine and donate it, or some donkeys, or goats, or corn...... that would be good

Leviticus 27:30-32 is specific as to what the tithe is from... the produce of the land; i.e., the fruit of the trees or the seed (grain) of the land, and of the flocks and herds. That which is given of the oil and wine, etc., as a firstfruit or off the top is not the tithe. Tithes and firstfruits were two separate things. Nehemiah 12:44 distinguishes the difference between the tithes and the firstfruits.

or would it?

Actually, no. Because the man worked for the money, not the sheep. The herdsman was the one responsible for tithing of his flock, not the one who bought a sheep and there was no increase from the purchase of that sheep.

would it be easier to store up the monies to be used later, instead of purchasing something that needed tending until it was to be used? this could cost more then it was worth at times.....

What would be the purpose of the purchase of the sheep? would it be for starting a flock? There would have to be more than one in the beginning. If the purchase is just for food from that one sheep, there would be no tithe required. Even if the purpose was to raise sheep, then the tithe would not be required until offspring were born, and that, enough offspring to tithe from.

when Moses collected what was he collecting? the collection even came to an end after a time.

Moses, being a Levite, would have followed God's command to accept tithes and offerings. He would not have owned any property of his own and would have taking his turn working in the Tabernacle carrying out the duties God set forth for that ministration. The Levites were to receive the tithes and offerings from the congregation. The third year, the tithe was not to be eaten at the Tabernacle, but was to be used to feed the widows, the orphans, the Levites living in one's city, and the foreigners who were in the city as well. It was not used in the Tabernacle at all.

as has been said many many many times, this can be argued days over......

It really should not be argued at all since God's Word declares who was to tithe, who was authorized to receive the tithe, what the tithe consisted of, and how often the tithe was required.

when was the laws put aside? NEVER.... Christ did not come to abolish the law.....

mike

So, since God's tithe was not to be received from people outside of national Israel, and that law was never abolished, why do people give what they call a tithe all over the world when God specifically said they were not to tithe? Leviticus is specific as to the tithe. The tithes of Leviticus 27 could not be received from proselytes, from non-Israelites, from unclean animals, from defiled lands inside Israel, nor from the defiled lands outside of Israel.

There is no Scripture that says the tithe was amended to include those living outside of the boundaries of national Israel.

Back to Melchizedek... Abraham gave him tithes of all. But the law, which you say was not abolished, states that all God requires from the spoils of war is 1/1000th of the spoils... not a tenth! Abraham gave Melchizedek a tenth... tithes. The tithe received of Melchizedek was not God's requirement, but rather the act of obedience to an arab custom to give a tenth of the spoils of war to the king of that land.

[Openly Curious]

I currently do not attend a church, but I want to tithe. I usually just watch Christian shows on TV. I always have been adement about tithing. The scripture came to mind I know your supposed to plant your seed(tithe) into good ground for a harvest, but if there's someone who is in need, should you not bless them with money you have set aside for the Lord. after all, In the word it says, " Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it to me. Matthew 25:40

I thought about sending my tithes to the preachers on TV where I get the word from daily, but wouldn't it do more good if I give it to someone who would really appreciate it and could really use it.

Hello God has made gold,

It is my opinion that God has entrusted you with His money I think what a person feels in his heart to do is the right thing to do. There are a lot of ministries I will not give money too because I have a very bad feeling about them. I will probably get back lashed for this but a person may be a member of a church and they are under no obligation to pay their tithes there. Remember you are the steward of what God put into your trust and in the day we are living in I think it wise to do the will of God as you stated above.

Matthew 25:40--Verily I say to you, Inasmuch as ye have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it to me.

[ThePastorsWife]

I appreciate this debate based on scripture! The tithe has an interesting history, for certain.

I believe strongly in the tithe and I've done it for the last ten years. It has nothing to do with my spouse's profession because he gets a base salary no matter what, nothing more or less. I see for myself that tithing keeps the church doors open, the heat on, the coffee perking...

I had to learn firsthand what tithing is all about. It's about faith because, imho, tithing means 10% of any income I receive (including monetary gifts, tax refunds, etc) PLUS sum... NO MATTER WHAT, it's the first check I write. The plus part is determined by the Spirit. I can always sense what it needs to be. The additional part is the part I give to others directly... and to whom, how much and where varies. Often, it's determined by the needs that are revealed to me.

The blessing that comes with tithing are astounding...from being financially sound to a unique sense of purpose with my money. The plus part simply enriches that feeling.

Edited April 18, 2009 by ThePastorsWife

[Born Crucified]

I appreciate this debate based on scripture! The tithe has an interesting history, for certain.

I believe strongly in the tithe and I've done it for the last ten years. It has nothing to do with my spouse's profession because he gets a base salary no matter what, nothing more or less. I see for myself that tithing keeps the church doors open, the heat on, the coffee perking...

I had to learn firsthand what tithing is all about. It's about faith because, imho, tithing means 10% of any income I receive (including monetary gifts, tax refunds, etc) PLUS sum... NO MATTER WHAT, it's the first check I write. The plus part is determined by the Spirit. I can always sense what it needs to be. The additional part is the part I give to others directly... and to whom, how much and where varies. Often, it's determined by the needs that are revealed to me.

The blessing that comes with tithing are astounding...from being financially sound to a unique sense of purpose with my money. The plus part simply enriches that feeling.

Hi, ThePastorsWife.

Perhaps you can point me to the Scripture that says that tithing was for the upkeep for the tabernacle? From what I read, the tithe was specifically for the Levites who were not allowed to have an inheritance and not for the upkeep of the tabernacle. I would think freewill offerings would be more for the upkeep of the Church, etc..

Again, I do not believe that tithing means 10% of any income as the only tithe God required was of crops, flocks and herds. Many would be shocked to find that neither Christ, nor His Disciples were required to tithe according to the laws God set forth concerning tithing.

[ThePastorsWife]

I appreciate this debate based on scripture! The tithe has an interesting history, for certain.

I believe strongly in the tithe and I've done it for the last ten years. It has nothing to do with my spouse's profession because he gets a base salary no matter what, nothing more or less. I see for myself that tithing keeps the church doors open, the heat on, the coffee perking...

I had to learn firsthand what tithing is all about. It's about faith because, imho, tithing means 10% of any income I receive (including monetary gifts, tax refunds, etc) PLUS sum... NO MATTER WHAT, it's the first check I write. The plus part is determined by the Spirit. I can always sense what it needs to be. The additional part is the part I give to others directly... and to whom, how much and where varies. Often, it's determined by the needs that are revealed to me.

The blessing that comes with tithing are astounding...from being financially sound to a unique sense of purpose with my money. The plus part simply enriches that feeling.

Hi, ThePastorsWife.

Perhaps you can point me to the Scripture that says that tithing was for the upkeep for the tabernacle? From what I read, the tithe was specifically for the Levites who were not allowed to have an inheritance and not for the upkeep of the tabernacle. I would think freewill offerings would be more for the upkeep of the Church, etc..

Again, I do not believe that tithing means 10% of any income as the only tithe God required was of crops, flocks and herds. Many would be shocked to find that neither Christ, nor His Disciples were required to tithe according to the laws God set forth concerning tithing.

I am really not concerned about what the OT says about tithing other than I am commanded to do so with what benefits God, His church, right now. Bringing a cow to church won't do any good. If I sell a cow, however, I need to tithe that income... that is my belief. If someone else wants to debate the practice or question its applications, that's up to them. I just think they are really missing out on God's blessings and a marvelous means of learning what faith really is.

Edited April 18, 2009 by ThePastorsWife

[Born Crucified]

I am really not concerned about what the OT says about tithing other than I am commanded to do so with what benefits God, His church, right now. Bringing a cow to church won't do any good. If I sell a cow, however, I need to tithe that income... that is my belief. If someone else wants to debate the practice or question its applications, that's up to them. I just think they are really missing out on God's blessings and a marvelous means of learning what faith really is.

Perhaps you could post some New Testament Scripture that commands the tithing of money? or at least provide the verses that state the tithe was amended to include those outside the borders of national Israel?

If the Scripture was provided to show that we are to tithe our money, it would end debates concerning tithes once and for all.

[ThePastorsWife]

I am really not concerned about what the OT says about tithing other than I am commanded to do so with what benefits God, His church, right now. Bringing a cow to church won't do any good. If I sell a cow, however, I need to tithe that income... that is my belief. If someone else wants to debate the practice or question its applications, that's up to them. I just think they are really missing out on God's blessings and a marvelous means of learning what faith really is.

Perhaps you could post some New Testament Scripture that commands the tithing of money? or at least provide the verses that state the tithe was amended to include those outside the borders of national Israel?

If the Scripture was provided to show that we are to tithe our money, it would end debates concerning tithes once and for all.

The debates continue, as in this thread, and I don't worry about it. I know in my heart, as do the other tithing Christians, what God expects from us. And, again, I cannot say enough about the blessings we've experienced in our home because we have never failed to tithe. But to each their own!