Does God ONLY care about how much money you put in the collection plate?

[ExactionForce10]

This is a serious question, and I would like some serious theologically correct answers here, please. I;'m just trying to get all this stuff figured out. 

 

I was watching some "prosperity gospel" preacher online and that church was saying that the ONLY THING God cares about is your tithing 10%, that that is ALL you have to do to get the "favor" of God and be blessed. They were teaching that God doesn't even care if you're a good person or if you really even believe in God, that He only responds to your tithing 10%.

Is that true? For example, if you were poor yourself and were not tithing 10% is it true that God won't care about you and bring you blessings because you are not tithing 10%? When  I read the Bible, it seems to say that the poor ARE BLESSED automatically because they are poor, and that those that have are supposed to give them money so that they won't be poor anymore. 

Also, that prosperity gospel church was teaching that we are gods, and it's okay to say that you are a god as long as it's god with a little g. We are "little gods' with a little g (whatever that means?). That is what they teach. They also teach that "money is god" and it's okay to go around saying that money is god. I wonder if the people in Ukraine would say money is God when the Russian bombs paid for with money are being dropped on their town? 

Is that correct theology according to the gospels? 

 

This is a serious theology question, because they are teaching this in their prosperity gospel churches.  Is that proper theology? 

Edited June 14, 2024 by ExactionForce10

[Sower]

53 minutes ago, ExactionForce10 said:

This is a serious theology question, so please answer with that in mind. 

The wisest thing I believe you can do is cut off the TV and stop watching prosperity gospel church messages.
If you are really serious as you say, that is. Find a small bible believing church and be your part as God tells us to do.

Giving should be to your local assembly where you go, to support the expenses of maintaining the facility, and salaries.
Most of this is decided at our church by members, not the pastor. Our pastor receives a salary to match average members.

As a new believe 40+ yrs ago I heard the normal giving was 10%, so we tithed. A no brainer.  Was NEVER a problem.
Because we learned we couldn't out give God. Since then I learned that some say  tithing wasn't for today.
Cool. But 10% for us is only a basis, a starting point.The more God blesses us, the more we can bless others.
I'm a retired self employed carpenter, not a banker. My wife and I worked into our mid seventies.

Find a decent church. Most if not all you describe above, is false teaching to appeal to our greed, and put $$ in their pockets.

Your forum name was interesting so I looked it up..

Exaction;   "the act of demanding and getting something, sometimes using force or threats, or an example of this: exaction of Any exaction of money or property was prohibited by law. These exactions sometimes led to lawsuits"

Force 10;   "A storm of gale force on a scale of 0-10-13 to help mariners determine severity of sailing safety"

Interesting..............
Thanks, Exaction...  I'm sure others here can/will give you a more biblical answer with scriptures.

PS Edit, I just say your post giving your membership name. Right on.
And most times here it is a warm cohesive group of believers discussing together.
The trolls visit from time to time which causes us to have to 'filter' new members.
And a WARM welcome to Worthy...

[Marathoner]

Ah, here we go again. 

[ExactionForce10]

1 hour ago, Sower said:

Thanks, Exaction...  I'm sure others here can/will give you a more biblical answer with scriptures.

 

Thanks for the reply, hope that actually happens. 

Believe me, I have no problem with tithing, I'm actually passionate about giving to help the poor. It is, however, important to me to not support any church that I feel is preaching a false gospel. Isn't that supposed to matter too? I mean, that place was all wrong scripturally, IMO. I mean, dude up there saying that he doesn't disclose what he does with all the money that his church brings in because, "it's none of your business (he actually said those exact words), and you should just trust him." Huh??? Please show me the scripture that says we are just supposed to blindly trust a minister because he tells you to.  I challenge you to find it. 

And you didn't really address any of my other questions. For example: is it okay for Christians to go around saying that they are gods, just because they mean gods with "a little g?" Isn't that blasphemy? If you think not, then please explain to me how that is not blasphemy. Please explain to me how that is not breaking the first commandment. 

Don't get me wrong, I’m not saying to not tithe, I am tithing right now and things have NOT suddenly gotten totally good for me the way the prosperity gospel preachers promise. In fact, it seems like some things have gotten worse, much worse. What about that? 

 

[Tristen]

3 hours ago, ExactionForce10 said:

I was watching some "prosperity gospel" preacher online and that church was saying that the ONLY THING God cares about is your tithing 10%, that that is ALL you have to do to get the "favor" of God and be blessed

"ALL you have to do to get the "favor" of God" is sincerely surrender ownership of your life to Christ as a faith response to His Gospel.

In terms of giving money to the church or charity, the Bible says to Christians:

2 Corinthians 9:7
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

 

3 hours ago, ExactionForce10 said:

Also, that prosperity gospel church was teaching that we are gods, and it's okay to say that you are a god as long as it's god with a little g. We are "little gods' with a little g (whatever that means?). That is what they teach. 

This is a very minor, semantic, and disputable doctrine based on a single verse from the Old Testament - which Jesus subsequently used to shut down silly religious arguments of His time. 

Do they typically teach it in that "church", or did one of their ministers simply say it a few times? If it is taught typically, then they have elevated the issue out-of-balance.

 

3 hours ago, ExactionForce10 said:

They also teach that "money is god" and it's okay to go around saying that money is god

Without any context provided, I would interpret that to be a warning against worshipping money. That is, people can make the pursuit of money the highest purpose in their life. I assume that is the context of such a claim.

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

 

 

[Marathoner]

1 hour ago, ExactionForce10 said:

What is that supposed to mean. [Admin Edit: Accusatory]

 

A simple forum search will steer you in the direction of a number of topics such as this one. 

[Marilyn C]

4 hours ago, ExactionForce10 said:

This is a serious question, and I would like some serious theologically correct answers here, please. I;'m just trying to get all this stuff figured out. 

 

I was watching some "prosperity gospel" preacher online and that church was saying that the ONLY THING God cares about is your tithing 10%, that that is ALL you have to do to get the "favor" of God and be blessed. They were teaching that God doesn't even care if you're a good person or if you really even believe in God, that He only responds to your tithing 10%.

Is that true? For example, if you were poor yourself and were not tithing 10% is it true that God won't care about you and bring you blessings because you are not tithing 10%? When  I read the Bible, it seems to say that the poor ARE BLESSED automatically because they are poor, and that those that have are supposed to give them money so that they won't be poor anymore. 

Also, that prosperity gospel church was teaching that we are gods, and it's okay to say that you are a god as long as it's god with a little g. We are "little gods' with a little g (whatever that means?). That is what they teach. They also teach that "money is god" and it's okay to go around saying that money is god. I wonder if the people in Ukraine would say money is God when the Russian bombs paid for with money are being dropped on their town? 

Is that correct theology according to the gospels? 

 

This is a serious theology question, because they are teaching this in their prosperity gospel churches.  Is that proper theology? 

Hi EF,

Tithing was for the people of Israel so that there would be money to help the widows and orphans and poor of the land. It was like a National Tax. 

`Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, "In what way have we robbed You?" In tithes and offerings. You are curse with a curse, for you have robbed Me, even this whole nation. (Israel).  Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me in this, " says the LORD of hosts.` (Malachi 3: 8 - 10) 

[ExactionForce10]

1 hour ago, Tristen said:

"ALL you have to do to get the "favor" of God" is sincerely surrender ownership of your life to Christ as a faith response to His Gospel.

In terms of giving money to the church or charity, the Bible says to Christians:

2 Corinthians 9:7
So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

 

This is a very minor, semantic, and disputable doctrine based on a single verse from the Old Testament - which Jesus subsequently used to shut down silly religious arguments of His time. 

Do they typically teach it in that "church", or did one of their ministers simply say it a few times? If it is taught typically, then they have elevated the issue out-of-balance.

 

Without any context provided, I would interpret that to be a warning against worshipping money. That is, people can make the pursuit of money the highest purpose in their life. I assume that is the context of such a claim.

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

 

 

Glad you bought that up. My Bible says it like this: 

2 Corinthians 9:5 I have therefore though it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you in advance and to get ready this promised contribution, so that it may be as a matter of bounty, and not extortion. 

"As a matter of bounty," that is implying that the more one has the more one should give, it is NOT exacting a certain pre-determined amount from people as they had to under the Old Testament Law. 

2 Corinthians 9:7 Let each one give according to as he has determined in his heart, not grudgingly or from compulsion. 

That couldn't be more clear, It's stating that each one should give according to what's in their heart, and following from verse 9:5 "as a matter of bounty" which means the more bountiful you are the more you can and should give, NOT a predetermined exaction of a specific amount. If it was a specific amount then it would not be worded this way, it would just say everyone bring 10%, like it did under the Old Testament Law. 

Matthew 6:24
“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.

I'm glad you brought that up too, because that said same Prosperity gospel minister would be up in his church, on camera, YELLING loudly "I LOVE MONEY, I LOVE MONEY, I LOVE MONEY, I LOVE MONEY" over and over like some lunatic. That was another reason I said to myself, I can't support this lunacy" and stopped watching it. That is absolutely what he did. So if he LOVES MONEY, then he is telling you the master he serves, right?

You asked: Do they typically teach it in that "church", or did one of their ministers simply say it a few times? If it is taught typically, then they have elevated the issue out-of-balance.

And as far as saying we are gods/ "I AM god," that was not just a one-off. For them, it is a central part of their theology. They would tell everyone watching to write "I AM god" in the chat room, and if you did, they would compliment you and say "that's right, very good" and if you didn't, they would act like you were doing something wrong. They would say, "God doesn't mind you saying that. They would CONSTANTLY be saying "I am god" and exhort people to say that all the time. Which brings to mind another Bible verse where Jesus was teaching: 

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector. 9 He also told the following parable to some people who prided themselves about their own righteousness and regarded others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and said this prayer to himself: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—greedy, dishonest, adulterous—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and pay tithes on all my income.’

13 “The tax collector, however, stood some distance away and would not even raise his eyes to heaven. Rather, he kept beating his breast as he said, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner.’ 14 This man, I tell you, returned to his home justified, whereas the other did not. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

That's just like they were in that prosperity gospel church. That minister actually said that he thought "he was better than other people" because he tithed, and that whole thing about saying they are gods, isn't that exalting yourself? I mean, they even taught that you should NOT be humble. Yes, they taught that.

That fool even had the nerve to say that "he dares to think that he's equal to Jesus." I'm not kidding you, this fool said that up in his church sermon. So if you want to continue trying to minimize this stuff and say "it's just semantics," then I'm going to have to think that maybe you're really into that stuff yourself and that you're jusr trolling me. 

My Bible says: "You shall have no other God's before me" period. It doesn't say after that, buuuut it's okay if you mean god with a little g, LOL. And every time anyone called anything or anyone a god besides our Lord, God was not happy about that at all. 

Now that he's shown blatant disregard for what Jesus taught in the gospels, Now I’m supposed to take that guy's advice on what is biblically correct. Really???? 

Edited June 14, 2024 by ExactionForce10

[Logostician]

Micah 6:6-8

Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old?  Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil? shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?  He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

[Tristen]

25 minutes ago, ExactionForce10 said:

My Bible says it like this: 

2 Corinthians 9:5 I have therefore though it necessary to exhort the brethren to go to you in advance and to get ready this promised contribution, so that it may be as a matter of bounty, and not extortion. 

"As a matter of bounty," that is implying that the more one has the more one should give, it is NOT exacting a certain pre-determined amount from people as they had to under the Old Testament Law.

I think the contrast in verse 5 is between a gift based on generosity, rather than a matter of obligatory pressure. The Corinthian church had "promised" a gift. Paul sent people in advance of himself to make sure their gift was ready - as promised - as a matter of prepared generosity - and not a last-minute grudging obligation.

At the individual level, there is no mention of how much one "should give". An individual is to give "as he has determined in his heart, not grudgingly or from compulsion". It therefore is irrelevant how much "one has", but only how generous each individual determines in their heart to be with what they have.

 

38 minutes ago, ExactionForce10 said:

I'm glad you brought that up too, because that said same Prosperity gospel minister would be up in his church, on camera, YELLING loudly "I LOVE MONEY, I LOVE MONEY, I LOVE MONEY, I LOVE MONEY" over and over like some lunatic. That was another reason I said to myself, I can't support this lunacy" and stopped watching it. That is absolutely what he did. So if he LOVES MONEY, then he is telling you the master he serves, right?

Scripture is clear about the "LOVE" of "MONEY".

1 Timothy 6:10
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

 

42 minutes ago, ExactionForce10 said:

So if you want to continue trying to minimize this stuff and say "it's just semantics," then I'm going to have to think that maybe you're really into that stuff yourself and that you're jusr trolling me. 

That is an absurd misrepresentation of my stated position; and a ridiculous escalation; and a completely unjustified reaction to what I said in the context I said it.

 

45 minutes ago, ExactionForce10 said:

Now that he's shown blatant disregard for what Jesus taught in the gospels, Now I’m supposed to take that guy's advice on what is biblically correct. Really???? 

To whom are you addressing this?

I did not suggest you take anyone's "advice on what is biblically correct".