TITHING

TITHING

It is time to cut through the fog and confusion surrounding tithing and get to the simple truth of the matter.

ONE   Christ commanded that His first wife Israel tithe, to finance the Levitical Priesthood. Christ does not change Heb 13:8. Christ will therefore finance the new Priesthood of Melchisedec by tithing and will require that His new bride tithe.   Jesus Christ is consistent, He does NOT CHANGE His methods!

TWO   A labourer is worthy of his hire Lu 10:7. Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth the grain 1 Ti 5:18 and 1 Cor 9:9. Someone who devotes himself, full time to serving God, has a right to receive support and should not be expected to starve. A WARNING; Many an ox who ate more than he trod ended up on the barbecue! A minister must CONTROL his appetites and live a simple, basic life. He should NEVER burden the flock by expecting to live a life of luxury. Further, third tithe was to help those who could not help themselves, those in genuine need, it was NOT intended to be used to decorate a minister's home. The Levites were a tribe in Israel with their widows, orphans and poor. They were not simply employees of a religious corporation like the ministers of today.

THREE   Any corporation or organization has the right to set up it's own rules. If they choose to finance themselves by exacting dues or tithes, that is their right. If you want to be a part of such an organization or to benefit from their services you should expect to live by their rules or be removed.

FOUR   Any person supporting a religious group, should be absolutely convinced that they are a truly Godly organization. To send monies to those that you believe are teaching error, makes you personally responsible for the propagation of that error. When you give, do so with a clear conscience that you are DOING GOOD, NOT HARM.

FIVE   Over the years, many have been told that they are STEALING from God if they do not tithe. I tell you, that a minister or church officer who misuses tithes is a MUCH BIGGER THIEF! To syphon huge amounts of God's tithe money away from preaching the gospel into personal pet projects like The Ambassador International Cultural Foundation or for an extravagant lifestyle is STEALING FROM GOD. Such persons will not go unpunished. As a basic rule; a minister should NOT live any better than his flock, for he is their example of humble service. If only that one rule were followed, vast funds would be released for the preaching of the WORD OF GOD! It is time that ministers began caring for their flocks and for God's word. It is time many of them shed their luxurious living and selfish desires and started setting a Godly example of humble service and love.

WHAT TO TITHE ON
Tithing should always be counted as ten percent of one's INCREASE. That is; ten percent of one's gain. If a farmer places one ton of seed on his field and reaps one hundred tons, his increase was 99 tons. If a man must have work clothes, such as mechanic's or painter's clothes, this cost can be deducted from wages before tithing. Even the cost of transportation to and from or involving work should be deducted first, as it is an expense incurred to earn wages. The key word is INCREASE or profit after costs. Any expense necessary to accomplish one's job or earn one's wages should be deducted before calculating tithes. God's way is NOT as burdensome as some would make it!

The mark of the True Church of God, the True People of God is not what great buildings or schools they have, it is the love they share with one another and the RIGHTEOUSNESS of their CHARACTER. It is their obedience to Almighty God and their loving fulfillment of their obligations to their families and their fellow man. The ministry and the corporate church should be a help and NEVER become a heavy burden on God's people. His people should be known for their JOY, HAPPINESS, PEACE OF MIND and LOVE Gal 5:22. A successful church will be revealed by it's fruits, by the SUCCESS of it's PEOPLE! Mat 7:16-20. The ministry and church are there to warn the world, but also to set an EXAMPLE of a better way. To set an example of a greedy, avaricious leadership, ruling with rigor over an impoverished, beaten down people does NOT impress either man or God! YES we should fulfill our obligations to God by tithing on our INCREASE and we should give an offering three times a year, but we MUST also meet our obligations to mankind. We MUST show LOVE for BOTH man and God.

WHY has there been a true famine of the word these many years? Because when God blessed His people the blessings were squandered, so those blessings were withdrawn. Even now, God would bless us, if we truly served Him. Attacks on tithing and the misuse of funds both amount to the same thing; A FRONTAL ATTACK on the ability of the church to publish the gospel and care for the flock!

OFFERINGS

Finally a word about offerings. Many people go home feeling depressed after giving huge offerings at the festivals. Why? Is it not because they have to go home to a life of stress and poverty? Perhaps we need to be reminded that a man who does not take care of his own household is WORSE than an infidel 1 Ti 5:8. We need to consider the words of our Lord Mat 5:23-24, it is just as important to meet our obligations as it is to give an extraordinarily large offering. Yes, give an offering but also make sure your brakes are safe and your family is fed and properly cared for. It is a question of BALANCE and doing the right thing by the family that God has given you, as well as giving huge offerings. If you give a very large offering to show God how grateful you are for the family He has given you and yet neglect the needs of that family, what does God think of that? Did not Jesus Himself condemn those who give gifts and neglect their responsibilites toward parents Mat 15:5 ?

WILLS & INHERITANCE

A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children's children Pro 13:22. Some feel that they are doing God a service by willing their estates to the church or charities. This can be very helpful and welcome for the recipients. However, if this act disinherits children, it is a GREAT SIN! Those who neglect their own families and the children that God gave them the responsibility to care for; are WORSE then infidels 1 Ti 5-8, worse than the unconverted, who do love their own children. It is NOT an act of love to deprive ones own children and if one does not even love his own children, how can he claim to be filled with the love of God? What if those children are hostile to this way? They are still your children and you are setting an example of righteousness, which if they don't understand now, they will in their resurrection. Your example, good or bad, will someday be remembered by those children and that example will either help or hinder their future. Remember that we are COMMANDED TO RENDER GOOD FOR EVIL Mat 5:44-45. This instruction was not given without the HOPE, that the example being set, would bear fruit in the future!