Heavenly Father, I ask You to please answer Marinlilly's needs. Father God, please bless them with enough money to pay all bills and have plenty for all the funds a family needs.
2 Corinthians 9:8 In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ. Amen
I give a Tenth. It is what God laid on My Heart from the beginning. But Look at Scripture and Elisha who poured out into the vessels continuously of oil. Her Husband a Man of God died Penniless, broke. Peter said , Silver and Gold have I None but Such as I have I give unto Thee Rise and Walk in the Name of Jesus of Nazerath. Jesus was a proponent for the poor. So much that He began His Ministry by saying, He has Anointed Me to Preach the Gospel to the Poor.
A visitor to a large Church wandered into a back room accidentally. In this room were Money Counters and a Enormous amount of money laid across the tables. He was embarrassed and apologized and the Counters were shocked that someone would walk in. One of the Counters trying to get rid of the awkwardness said , Well The Church can't say Silver and Gold have I None anymore. As He closed the door, God spoke to Him and He stuck His head back around and said, No and neither can They say Rise and Walk in The Name of Jesus. The Tenth is upheld by a Religious Organization that mirrors that of Christ's day. Burdens too Grievous to be bourne for so Many. I am a Minister,a Pastor. I understand the Financial needs of the Church. But this Doctrine of not paying a Tenth is Jeopardizing Your Soul or if you only pay a fifth, etc,just keep it. You are going to be Cursed and Die and go to Hell is Blasphemous. It's Rejecting the Works and Salvation of God. Paul said to Give as You have Prospered . Jesus said whatever You have freely received then freely give. Now,,, if You are willing to Walk by Faith and not by SIGHT and trust God. You will begin to give beyond Your means. Not because of a Denomination or Man or Pressure. But God is going to deal with You and test You and see if You are Trustworthy. The reason a lot of People don't have much or struggle financially continually even in the Church is because They are not Givers. I gave 20 dollars in 1996 when I had literally 23 dollars. God put the 20 in My hand that Night .
I Am A Real Baptist Brider 1979 - In Reply - 1 year ago
XXI. OF THE GRACE OF TITHING AND GIVING
I believe God's plan of finance for His Baptist Church's is to be tithes and offerings. Scriptural giving is one of the fundamentals of the faith. I believe that every Believer, as a steward of that portion of God's wealth entrusted to him or her, is obligated to support his or her Baptist Church financially. I believe that God has established the tithe as a basis of giving but that every Believer should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of his or her Baptist Church for the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. I believe that Church members are commanded to bring their tithes and offerings into the Storehouse (Common Treasury) of their Baptist Church upon the first day of the week (Sunday). I believe that a Believer relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made. I believe under grace we give, and do not pay, the tithe - "Abraham GAVE a tenth part of all." "Abraham GAVE the tenth part of the spoils," and this was four hundred years before the Law, and is confirmed in the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Himself said concerning the tithe, "... these ought ye to have done ..." ( Genesis 14:20; Leviticus 27:30; Proverbs 3:9, 10; Malachi 3:10; Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42; Acts 4:34, 35, 37; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 8:7; 2 Corinthians 9:6, 7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:17, 18; Hebrews 7:2, 4; 1 John 3:17).
Strategic of Success. God bless me to help others.
Purpose pursuit must be sovereign resolve. My success must be anchored in what God says on every area of my life. I must show God's works in my life.
1. Success prospective Anchored in God
2. S aligned with God spiritual priority that is aligned in God's word matt 6:33
Doing it God's way, seek God in every area
3. I must stay praying. He said He will grant my desires
Staying prayerful always Jeremy 33:3
I must have a lifestyle of praying. Breakthrough is inevitable
4. Must have a strategic plan analysis prov 24:3 Things don't just happen it must be planned ex. The process of buying my house. I must write the vision make it plain. Time to write plan for everything.
I will have a surge and surplus for my life and Newlight
CCC.
5. Sovereign planting in Agreement with scripture
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 God will use others favor to help me! Sowing will activate a covenant promise from God that He will Bless Me. Malachi 3:8 I want to live in a open house of God's Blessings
6. Sanctioned Partnerships matt 18:19
I want Faith Filled Agreement Agents. 2or3 in Agreement
7. Scriptural proclamation prov 18:20-21
I must speak life into my situations, family,home job,over My Pastor over my church, etc. I must monitor what comes out of my mouth.
8. Shun persecution from All Opposition 2 Timothy 3:11-12 Haters the devi. Remember on the other side is the blessings. No platform for such. No attention of such. God will pull me in front of those and show Himself in my life and situation. My DNA is built to outlast persecution
9 Steadfast perseverance over setbacks heb 10:35-36
Never give up
10. Supernatural Praise for accelerated manifestation. Heaven takes notice just as Paul and Saulus the chains fell off in the midsts of it!!!
2 Corinthians 9:7..."Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Tithes was an OT law to ONLY the Levitical priesthood. Jesus, as you know, was the fulfilling of the law. End changed a few things in the NT. When he was here, the tithing was in effect. But after him, it wasn't.
I'm sure there are those who will disagree and that's fine. But if you are "required" to give, how "cheerful" is that? How could that NOT be of "necessity"? How can one "purpose" in his heart, if he/she is "compelled" to give 10%? Jesus brought mercy and grace. The Law was force.
I do believe in giving. I think God works in each person's heart as to how, when, which cause, how much, etc. I would say it's a personal thing between a person and God. He doesn't "need" our money. It's the point of helping and doing it cheerfully to bless. We are a vessel that should flow. We get, we give, we receive, repeat.
Well said. Jesus has become a curse for us all on the cross ( Galatians 3:13), so now every believer that is covered with His Blood is protected. In fact there are no curses at all (from God) in the world even for unbelievers since we live in the age of Grace, not Law.
Now about tenths, Paul in 1 Cor 16:2 says "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come". So there isn't a fixed amount of money that we should give to the church, ie tenths, but a much as we wish to give, if we have anything to give.
Give freely as you purpose in your heart, you are forced if you give knowing that you will not receive a curse then you're not a cheerful giver because you're giving under pressure.
Concerning giving i know God cares more about worshiping him with all our hearts with all our mind and soul in his house more than Tith.
Infact God said to the People of Israel he did not speak to them about burnt offering by They ware to obey his words which they failed and got carried away by Burnt offering
Jeremiah 7:22
For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them q concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this command I gave them: r 'Obey my voice, and sI will be your God, and you shall be my people. t And walk in all the way that I command you, u that it may be well with you.'
I pray this gives you understanding.
So Please Pray and ask God to help you understand.
We as a church still should give of our tithes unto the Lord. However, I still believe that to not give the tenth does not place a person under an Old Testament curse as many would tend to believe. If a curse remained upon us because of our giving, this would nullify the the work of the cross and the atonement that Jesus afforded us. I tend to believe it puts us rather, under the Law of the sowing and reaping benefits of 2 Cor chapter 9: He that sows sparingly shall reap sparingly and He that does bountifully shall reap bountifully. But our salvation is not In jeopardy from a curse if we don't . What is your take on it?
TITHES & OFFERINGS ARE INTENDED TO HELP SPREAD THE GOSPEL OF GOD
Malachi 3:11 Context 8Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10Bring 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. 11And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 12And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
CHEERFUL GIVER
2 Corinthians 9:6 - 7 6But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
TITHES = NOTE: God created and owned all things. You and I are servants or stewards of God. So God doesn't need our money, BUT wants what tithes represent: our hearts, trust and faith in Him. As our Father, He is teaching us to always put God first in our lives.
OFFERINGS = represent the best fruit of our labor offered to God as a return of thanks for God's favors, love, and blessings.
Hello Vicki. Ps. Dollar would have quoted from Malachi 3:8-10. He would probably also have said that this passage pertained to Israel who neglected to perform all that was required of them. In one passage ( Deuteronomy 12:6,11), the LORD instructed Israel that when they got to the Promised Land, that all their sacrifices, offerings, tithes, & vows were to come over as well & nothing to be left behind or undone. But in Malachi, the tithes that were made (the tenth of their farm produce gain) were not being brought forward & kept back by them. These tithes were needed & used by the priests & Levites serving at the Tabernacle for their support.
This command of tithing wasn't given nor applied to the Church, as the Church (at least in New Testament times), didn't have paid clergy or even a rented building & utilities supplied. Their giving was for the needs of one another & maybe their community ( Acts 2:41-47), thereby fulfilling the Command of Christ to love the LORD thy God and to love your neighbour as yourself. But as the Church grew & spread, the Apostle Paul made the believers aware that some of their Jerusalem brethren weren't doing so well in material things. So Paul sometimes collected stuff to take to them ( 1 Corinthians 16:1-3). So apart from these instances of providing relief to those in need, we don't read that tithing was practised. Rather, that Christians should not give grudgingly but willingly & cheerfully ( 2 Corinthians 9:6-8).
So, as much as tithing is not prescribed for the Church today, I believe that it should be a proper & sacrificial response to help in the support of a Church ministry, that now has far more expenses than the early Church. And not limited to a tenth on one's earnings, but also to share more if possible for other programs & missionary endeavours of the Church. But we're not limited to giving ten percent nor are we compelled to do so.
God is true to His words. I stop thinking. Surely understand to walk in Spirit.
My heart already literally stopped last year due to COVID and yet God brought me back. I know I still have things to do for His Glory.
Deuteronomy 33:25
Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
26
There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
27
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Revelation 12:11 KJV
My opinion on the topic of tithes does not fall in line with that most Christian pastors say.
First I'd have to define tithe- what exactly is being tithed? I believe in the verses in the old testament that talk about tithing included food, cattle, grain. The paper of money in itself is worthless, it only represents a credit towards trading things. I personally believe that one's time and labor have just as much value. Sometimes its more meaningful to personally help someone directly rather than hire someone to do the same thing. Like raking leaves in your grandmother's yard, or helping someone in need find a job.
Next, the 10 percent figure is only in the old testament. The new testament says this for example: 2 Corinthians 9:7. When most speak of tithing they speak of an obligation to fulfill, but here it says don't do that. It specifically says not to do grudgingly or out of necessity, but as he purposeth in his heart. Maybe God doesn't even want us to keep track, but to just give generously as the opportunities present themselves, without guilt or shame for meeting an potentially unnecessary percent figure that isn't discussed in the new testament. To me this means helping people maybe like Jesus did. I don't think you have to have money to help people. It's my opinion that this interpretation is a little closer to the intent behind 2 Cor 9:7.
Finally, I strongly dislike mega churches who pay pastors six figure salaries, have state of the art sound and lighting systems, and they meet once a week for an hour then the building sits vacant 95% of the week. Think of elderly on social security tithing to help a rich pastor get richer and for them to buy more HD projectors, and heat/AC bills for a mostly empty building. That seems wrong to me. It would seem to help people more to give to a charity that is more efficient as found through charity ratings site, or to even better to help a neighbor directly. God bless.
Tithes and Offerings Unto God__through the local Church - In Reply - 2 years ago
2 Corinthians 9:7 - Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a CHEERFUL giver.
Malachi 3:8-12 - Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Malachi 3:10 - 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.
Matthew 6:1-4 - Take heed that ye do not your giving before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 23:23 - Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Luke 6:38 - Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye give withal it shall be measured to you again.
Luke 11:42 - But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Luke 18:12 - I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. [don't brag]
Acts 2:44-47 - And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
Acts 20:35 - I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
1 Corinthians 16:2 - Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. 2 Corinthians 8:1-24
Yes, Dear Junnybug, your pastor is right about that "where we still give as we feel led to and where we feel led to", although in my opinion this has nothing to do with the Law that was fulfilled by Jesus, simply such a thing is not mentioned in the NT.
On the contary, Paul in his epistle to 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 is very clear about it. "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come".
See also 2 Corinthians 9:7 "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver" If there would still be tenths he wouldn't ask this but he would demand that corinthians kept the commadement.
No one can demand such thing.
Paul in his last meeting with the elders of Ephesus Acts 20:17-36 (see v 33-35) asks them to serve the members of the church there free, like he was always doing. Why? Because he didn't want them to put such a heavy weight on christians there. So how about asking now for 10%? No, certainly not. GBU
There is no place in the NT that commands a believer to tithe. The OT tithe requirement meant that you were to give 10 percent of everything you owned, not just money. How many do that today? Now, if a believer chooses to give 10 percent of their income to the church, that's okay, but it's not required.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 gives us the principles of giving. "But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully, (and that's the word blessing). He who sows a blessing shall also reap a blessing. Every man according as he purposes in his own heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, (that's the word grief), or of necessity: (and that's the word pressure), for God loves a cheerful giver.
The term cheerful giver in the Greek is the word hilarious. God loves a hilarious giver. And no, I've never seen one!
This is also covered in Proverbs. Basically, God's principle is this: He blesses us with more than our necessity, because we are a steward of our possessions that belong to Christ. There are needs in the body of Christ and a lot of them God creates on purpose just so we participate in helping those in need.
There's a principle in the OT that's carried over that if God blesses us with an abundance of more than what we need, and we decide to spend it on ourselves, He has a way of making that money go to waste if we're not going to use it under His direction.
I'm not saying that everything we spend on ourselves is selfish. I'm just stating principle. We are dictating to God what He gives to us. If I'm going to sow sparingly, I'm going to reap sparingly. But if we sow a blessing, we reap a blessing!
It's a heart condition, not an amount. It's the attitude of what we do with what God gives us. It's up to each individual to purpose in their own heart whether they want to be the steward of their possessions in service to Christ. We're not to give out of grief, nor out of stress, for God loves a cheerful giver!
A lot can be said about this topic Lets see what is written in the Gospel about it.
1 Corinthians 9:1-18.
Apostle Paul clearly states that God gave the right who they teach the Gospel to live from the Gospel. But Paul denied that privilege and worked with his own hands to meet his and his accompanions' needs although sometimes he accepted help from the churches he established. i.e Thessalonians.
Acts 20:32-35
During the meeting with the elders from Ephesus he suggests that they follow his example.
So yes the right to live from the church is given by God (but nowhere in the New Testament that right is defined as 10%, on the contrary everybody may give anything he wants, 2 Corinthians 9:7) but the best thing is to follow Paul's example.
In the congregation i attend, the bishop, the elders and the deacons have a job to live from and get nothing from the church. The members of the church give every Sunday anything they want and can to meet church's expences. 2 Corinthians 9:7
Finally being a bishop IS NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE A PROFFESION just like all the other ones to live from.
about Malachi 3:10, why is it used so readily by pastors for tithing? When in
2 Corinthians 9:7
"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.", And in
1Peter 5:2-3 2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock.
Hi fren ,.. thank you for your honesty an understanding of scriptures you have noted , an of course I hold no judgement, nor did I take your response as confrontational, I've seen a lot of your work on this site , an I find that you approach everything with kindness an love , an the maturity to respect that we all have opinions on what we learn.
I am one to think that Christ has redeemed us, not just in our spirit, but our souls, mind, will, emotions, body-all of us entirely. So, we use all of our being in apprehending Jesus, our Truth.
I have always loved the way that the apostle Paul did not just lost a set of truths for us to believe, rather, he explained the What He received from Jesus. He called it " the faith passed down".
So, we know Jesus, the Ultimate Truth. But we are also charged by Paul to know this "faith" which are the tenets taught by the apostles in the churches planted by them.
It was important to the apostles that believers had agreement of doctrine across the churches. They knew that correct doctrine will help to uphold and unite the faith believers had in Jesus and that teaching of false doctrine was spiritually damaging and dangerous.
So, I hear you on determining that Jesus is our Truth, but we are also to be wise about whom He is , what He did, said , and taught as well as how He continues to be Present and at work in the church through the centuries.
As Paul said,
One Lord, one faith, one baptism.
So all of these are important, in my opinion.
That is why we discuss so many matters of Christian doctrine on this site. If we did not think it was important to understand these things we would just be saying,
Jesus lived, died, rose from the dead, and those who believe this and trust Him will receive the salvation He offers.
We don't believe in Hum and immediately go to heaven. We remain in this life and it matters how we live and what we believe about doctrines for the good of our souls and the church
Thank you for your words of encouragement. You've said some things that truly ministered to me. What stands out the most is "We all can err and make mistakes in interpretation." It takes an honest believer to admit that, and I say amen to that. There's something I said here a long while back. I said it's not what I say that is truth, it's not what you say (Not you personally, but anyone), it's not what anyone of us says that is truth. It's God's word (Logos) alone that is truth.
And yes, we are fallible beings. It doesn't mean were stupid, but we are incapable of knowing the mind of God. I do value the things everyone here has to share. I don't have to agree with it all, but I do value it. We're all to be as the Bereans and search the scriptures daily to see if the things we are being told are true.
But then again, what is truth? Is truth just a bunch of words written in the pages of a book we call the Bible? Many would say "Yes, God's word is the truth" (And it is), but then we turn around in our fallible human minds we think we understand but do we really? I think a lot of it has to do with human pride. I would be the first to raise my hand and say "Guilty."
Once again, what is truth? Here's what truth is to me, but first, here's what truth is not. It's not what I say, period! To me, truth is a person, and that person is Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the WAY, I am the TRUTH, and I am the LIFE."
So, do you or I or anyone else here have the truth? We do if we have Christ. He is the only truth a believer has. It's not head knowledge and it's not the words written in a book, but Christ Himself. If there were no Bibles, we would still have Christ, and He's all the truth we need!
Jesse, I appreciate your well thought out sincere posts as well. So many people contribute good words to ponder and hold up to the word to see if the view is supported by Scrpture or not.
We have an obligation to do that as well as an obligation to speak sound biblical doctrine to others.
We may have many words in our minds, some may be of questionable scriptural merit, but we should not post those thoughts, but only those that we believe honor the truth of God's word. We all can err and have make mistakes in inerpretation, but there is a whole body of writing online from devout Christian thinkers over the centuries who have spent their lives searching, studying, and teaching scriptures and the doctrines of the church that we can read and find out more about a view and help us form a mindset that aligns with revealed truth.
Some on here do not value the contributions of these forefathers, thinking each person can decide for themselves how to interpret Scripture. We are all fallible, and I do not think that anyone on their own can correctly interpret scripture and doctrinal views solitarily without the input of others. I think it is foolish to believe that, that is why I research and have done so all my life.
I have had to change my thinking on some things over the years. We can stay flexible enough to let the Spirit mold our mind to conform with truth.
I deeply appreciate what I read on this site. I am blessed everyone I read on it.
Off the top of my head, I believe the scripture you are referring to is in the book of Titus but don't quote me on that one. I'd have to look it up. As far as equality, I think scripture would support God seeing both men and women as equal in His eyes, just not when it comes to function and the role of each in the church. But yes, this is one of those hotly debated topics that will get us put in the hot seat no matter what view we present. However, sticking with scripture is the best indeed!
My dear sister in Christ Jesus, thanks for all you contribute to this forum. God Bless!!!
Giving, witnessing, making disciples, praying, teaching Bible, preaching, etc are works "OF" righteousness; not works "FOR" righteousness.
May we be faithful in our walk with CHRIST. November 16, 2023
2 Corinthians 9:8 In the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ. Amen
A visitor to a large Church wandered into a back room accidentally. In this room were Money Counters and a Enormous amount of money laid across the tables. He was embarrassed and apologized and the Counters were shocked that someone would walk in. One of the Counters trying to get rid of the awkwardness said , Well The Church can't say Silver and Gold have I None anymore. As He closed the door, God spoke to Him and He stuck His head back around and said, No and neither can They say Rise and Walk in The Name of Jesus. The Tenth is upheld by a Religious Organization that mirrors that of Christ's day. Burdens too Grievous to be bourne for so Many. I am a Minister,a Pastor. I understand the Financial needs of the Church. But this Doctrine of not paying a Tenth is Jeopardizing Your Soul or if you only pay a fifth, etc,just keep it. You are going to be Cursed and Die and go to Hell is Blasphemous. It's Rejecting the Works and Salvation of God. Paul said to Give as You have Prospered . Jesus said whatever You have freely received then freely give. Now,,, if You are willing to Walk by Faith and not by SIGHT and trust God. You will begin to give beyond Your means. Not because of a Denomination or Man or Pressure. But God is going to deal with You and test You and see if You are Trustworthy. The reason a lot of People don't have much or struggle financially continually even in the Church is because They are not Givers. I gave 20 dollars in 1996 when I had literally 23 dollars. God put the 20 in My hand that Night .
I believe God's plan of finance for His Baptist Church's is to be tithes and offerings. Scriptural giving is one of the fundamentals of the faith. I believe that every Believer, as a steward of that portion of God's wealth entrusted to him or her, is obligated to support his or her Baptist Church financially. I believe that God has established the tithe as a basis of giving but that every Believer should also give other offerings sacrificially and cheerfully to the support of his or her Baptist Church for the relief of those in need, and the spread of the Gospel. I believe that Church members are commanded to bring their tithes and offerings into the Storehouse (Common Treasury) of their Baptist Church upon the first day of the week (Sunday). I believe that a Believer relinquishes all rights to direct the use of the tithe or offering once the gift has been made. I believe under grace we give, and do not pay, the tithe - "Abraham GAVE a tenth part of all." "Abraham GAVE the tenth part of the spoils," and this was four hundred years before the Law, and is confirmed in the New Testament, the Lord Jesus Himself said concerning the tithe, "... these ought ye to have done ..." ( Genesis 14:20; Leviticus 27:30; Proverbs 3:9, 10; Malachi 3:10; Matthew 23:23; Luke 11:42; Acts 4:34, 35, 37; 1 Corinthians 16:2; 2 Corinthians 8:7; 2 Corinthians 9:6, 7; Galatians 6:6; Ephesians 4:28; 1 Timothy 5:17, 18; Hebrews 7:2, 4; 1 John 3:17).
Purpose pursuit must be sovereign resolve. My success must be anchored in what God says on every area of my life. I must show God's works in my life.
1. Success prospective Anchored in God
2. S aligned with God spiritual priority that is aligned in God's word matt 6:33
Doing it God's way, seek God in every area
3. I must stay praying. He said He will grant my desires
Staying prayerful always Jeremy 33:3
I must have a lifestyle of praying. Breakthrough is inevitable
4. Must have a strategic plan analysis prov 24:3 Things don't just happen it must be planned ex. The process of buying my house. I must write the vision make it plain. Time to write plan for everything.
I will have a surge and surplus for my life and Newlight
CCC.
5. Sovereign planting in Agreement with scripture
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 God will use others favor to help me! Sowing will activate a covenant promise from God that He will Bless Me. Malachi 3:8 I want to live in a open house of God's Blessings
6. Sanctioned Partnerships matt 18:19
I want Faith Filled Agreement Agents. 2or3 in Agreement
7. Scriptural proclamation prov 18:20-21
I must speak life into my situations, family,home job,over My Pastor over my church, etc. I must monitor what comes out of my mouth.
8. Shun persecution from All Opposition 2 Timothy 3:11-12 Haters the devi. Remember on the other side is the blessings. No platform for such. No attention of such. God will pull me in front of those and show Himself in my life and situation. My DNA is built to outlast persecution
9 Steadfast perseverance over setbacks heb 10:35-36
Never give up
10. Supernatural Praise for accelerated manifestation. Heaven takes notice just as Paul and Saulus the chains fell off in the midsts of it!!!
Tithes was an OT law to ONLY the Levitical priesthood. Jesus, as you know, was the fulfilling of the law. End changed a few things in the NT. When he was here, the tithing was in effect. But after him, it wasn't.
I'm sure there are those who will disagree and that's fine. But if you are "required" to give, how "cheerful" is that? How could that NOT be of "necessity"? How can one "purpose" in his heart, if he/she is "compelled" to give 10%? Jesus brought mercy and grace. The Law was force.
I do believe in giving. I think God works in each person's heart as to how, when, which cause, how much, etc. I would say it's a personal thing between a person and God. He doesn't "need" our money. It's the point of helping and doing it cheerfully to bless. We are a vessel that should flow. We get, we give, we receive, repeat.
Well said. Jesus has become a curse for us all on the cross ( Galatians 3:13), so now every believer that is covered with His Blood is protected. In fact there are no curses at all (from God) in the world even for unbelievers since we live in the age of Grace, not Law.
Now about tenths, Paul in 1 Cor 16:2 says "Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come". So there isn't a fixed amount of money that we should give to the church, ie tenths, but a much as we wish to give, if we have anything to give.
GBU
Concerning giving i know God cares more about worshiping him with all our hearts with all our mind and soul in his house more than Tith.
Infact God said to the People of Israel he did not speak to them about burnt offering by They ware to obey his words which they failed and got carried away by Burnt offering
Jeremiah 7:22
For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them q concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices. 23 But this command I gave them: r 'Obey my voice, and sI will be your God, and you shall be my people. t And walk in all the way that I command you, u that it may be well with you.'
I pray this gives you understanding.
So Please Pray and ask God to help you understand.
Malachi 3:11 Context 8Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. 9Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation. 10Bring 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. 11And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. 12And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.
CHEERFUL GIVER
2 Corinthians 9:6 - 7 6But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
BIBLICAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
TITHES = NOTE: God created and owned all things. You and I are servants or stewards of God. So God doesn't need our money, BUT wants what tithes represent: our hearts, trust and faith in Him. As our Father, He is teaching us to always put God first in our lives.
OFFERINGS = represent the best fruit of our labor offered to God as a return of thanks for God's favors, love, and blessings.
This command of tithing wasn't given nor applied to the Church, as the Church (at least in New Testament times), didn't have paid clergy or even a rented building & utilities supplied. Their giving was for the needs of one another & maybe their community ( Acts 2:41-47), thereby fulfilling the Command of Christ to love the LORD thy God and to love your neighbour as yourself. But as the Church grew & spread, the Apostle Paul made the believers aware that some of their Jerusalem brethren weren't doing so well in material things. So Paul sometimes collected stuff to take to them ( 1 Corinthians 16:1-3). So apart from these instances of providing relief to those in need, we don't read that tithing was practised. Rather, that Christians should not give grudgingly but willingly & cheerfully ( 2 Corinthians 9:6-8).
So, as much as tithing is not prescribed for the Church today, I believe that it should be a proper & sacrificial response to help in the support of a Church ministry, that now has far more expenses than the early Church. And not limited to a tenth on one's earnings, but also to share more if possible for other programs & missionary endeavours of the Church. But we're not limited to giving ten percent nor are we compelled to do so.
God is true to His words. I stop thinking. Surely understand to walk in Spirit.
My heart already literally stopped last year due to COVID and yet God brought me back. I know I still have things to do for His Glory.
Deuteronomy 33:25
Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be.
26
There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.
27
The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them.
2 Corinthians 9:8
And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Revelation 12:11 KJV
Agape
My opinion on the topic of tithes does not fall in line with that most Christian pastors say.
First I'd have to define tithe- what exactly is being tithed? I believe in the verses in the old testament that talk about tithing included food, cattle, grain. The paper of money in itself is worthless, it only represents a credit towards trading things. I personally believe that one's time and labor have just as much value. Sometimes its more meaningful to personally help someone directly rather than hire someone to do the same thing. Like raking leaves in your grandmother's yard, or helping someone in need find a job.
Next, the 10 percent figure is only in the old testament. The new testament says this for example: 2 Corinthians 9:7. When most speak of tithing they speak of an obligation to fulfill, but here it says don't do that. It specifically says not to do grudgingly or out of necessity, but as he purposeth in his heart. Maybe God doesn't even want us to keep track, but to just give generously as the opportunities present themselves, without guilt or shame for meeting an potentially unnecessary percent figure that isn't discussed in the new testament. To me this means helping people maybe like Jesus did. I don't think you have to have money to help people. It's my opinion that this interpretation is a little closer to the intent behind 2 Cor 9:7.
Finally, I strongly dislike mega churches who pay pastors six figure salaries, have state of the art sound and lighting systems, and they meet once a week for an hour then the building sits vacant 95% of the week. Think of elderly on social security tithing to help a rich pastor get richer and for them to buy more HD projectors, and heat/AC bills for a mostly empty building. That seems wrong to me. It would seem to help people more to give to a charity that is more efficient as found through charity ratings site, or to even better to help a neighbor directly. God bless.
Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts.
Psalms 119:46 | View whole chapter | See verse in context
I will speak of thy testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed.
2 Kings 8:11 | View whole chapter | See verse in context
And he settled his countenance stedfastly, until he was ashamed: and the man of God wept.
Hosea 4:19 | View whole chapter | See verse in context
The wind hath bound her up in her wings, and they shall be ashamed because of their sacrifices.
Romans 9:33 | View whole chapter | See verse in context
As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
2 Corinthians 9:4 | View whole chapter | See verse in context
Lest haply if they of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in this same confident boasting.
2 Timothy 1:16 | View whole chapter | See verse in context
The Lord give mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus; for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain:
Isaiah 45:17 | View whole chapter | See verse in context
But Israel shall be saved in the LORD with an everlasting salvation: ye shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end.
Job 11:3 | View whole chapter | See verse in context
Should thy lies make men hold their peace? and when thou mockest, shall no man make thee ashamed?
Romans 5:5 | View whole chapter | See verse in context
And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
2 Corinthians 9:7 God loveth a cheerful giver.
Malachi 3:8-12 - Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Malachi 3:10 - 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.
Matthew 6:1-4 - Take heed that ye do not your giving before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 23:23 - Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Luke 6:38 - Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye give withal it shall be measured to you again.
Luke 11:42 - But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
Luke 18:12 - I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. [don't brag]
Acts 2:44-47 - And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
Acts 20:35 - I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
1 Corinthians 16:2 - Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. 2 Corinthians 8:1-24
Give to missionaries
On the contary, Paul in his epistle to 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 is very clear about it. "Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come".
See also 2 Corinthians 9:7 "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver" If there would still be tenths he wouldn't ask this but he would demand that corinthians kept the commadement.
No one can demand such thing.
Paul in his last meeting with the elders of Ephesus Acts 20:17-36 (see v 33-35) asks them to serve the members of the church there free, like he was always doing. Why? Because he didn't want them to put such a heavy weight on christians there. So how about asking now for 10%? No, certainly not. GBU
There is no place in the NT that commands a believer to tithe. The OT tithe requirement meant that you were to give 10 percent of everything you owned, not just money. How many do that today? Now, if a believer chooses to give 10 percent of their income to the church, that's okay, but it's not required.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 gives us the principles of giving. "But this I say, He which sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which sows bountifully, (and that's the word blessing). He who sows a blessing shall also reap a blessing. Every man according as he purposes in his own heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, (that's the word grief), or of necessity: (and that's the word pressure), for God loves a cheerful giver.
The term cheerful giver in the Greek is the word hilarious. God loves a hilarious giver. And no, I've never seen one!
This is also covered in Proverbs. Basically, God's principle is this: He blesses us with more than our necessity, because we are a steward of our possessions that belong to Christ. There are needs in the body of Christ and a lot of them God creates on purpose just so we participate in helping those in need.
There's a principle in the OT that's carried over that if God blesses us with an abundance of more than what we need, and we decide to spend it on ourselves, He has a way of making that money go to waste if we're not going to use it under His direction.
I'm not saying that everything we spend on ourselves is selfish. I'm just stating principle. We are dictating to God what He gives to us. If I'm going to sow sparingly, I'm going to reap sparingly. But if we sow a blessing, we reap a blessing!
It's a heart condition, not an amount. It's the attitude of what we do with what God gives us. It's up to each individual to purpose in their own heart whether they want to be the steward of their possessions in service to Christ. We're not to give out of grief, nor out of stress, for God loves a cheerful giver!
1 Corinthians 9:1-18.
Apostle Paul clearly states that God gave the right who they teach the Gospel to live from the Gospel. But Paul denied that privilege and worked with his own hands to meet his and his accompanions' needs although sometimes he accepted help from the churches he established. i.e Thessalonians.
Acts 20:32-35
During the meeting with the elders from Ephesus he suggests that they follow his example.
So yes the right to live from the church is given by God (but nowhere in the New Testament that right is defined as 10%, on the contrary everybody may give anything he wants, 2 Corinthians 9:7) but the best thing is to follow Paul's example.
In the congregation i attend, the bishop, the elders and the deacons have a job to live from and get nothing from the church. The members of the church give every Sunday anything they want and can to meet church's expences. 2 Corinthians 9:7
Finally being a bishop IS NOT AND SHOULD NOT BE A PROFFESION just like all the other ones to live from.
2 Corinthians 9:7
"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.", And in
1Peter 5:2-3 2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; 3 Neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock.
You are much too kind my brother. God Bless you!
Peace
Well said.
I am one to think that Christ has redeemed us, not just in our spirit, but our souls, mind, will, emotions, body-all of us entirely. So, we use all of our being in apprehending Jesus, our Truth.
I have always loved the way that the apostle Paul did not just lost a set of truths for us to believe, rather, he explained the What He received from Jesus. He called it " the faith passed down".
So, we know Jesus, the Ultimate Truth. But we are also charged by Paul to know this "faith" which are the tenets taught by the apostles in the churches planted by them.
It was important to the apostles that believers had agreement of doctrine across the churches. They knew that correct doctrine will help to uphold and unite the faith believers had in Jesus and that teaching of false doctrine was spiritually damaging and dangerous.
So, I hear you on determining that Jesus is our Truth, but we are also to be wise about whom He is , what He did, said , and taught as well as how He continues to be Present and at work in the church through the centuries.
As Paul said,
One Lord, one faith, one baptism.
So all of these are important, in my opinion.
That is why we discuss so many matters of Christian doctrine on this site. If we did not think it was important to understand these things we would just be saying,
Jesus lived, died, rose from the dead, and those who believe this and trust Him will receive the salvation He offers.
We don't believe in Hum and immediately go to heaven. We remain in this life and it matters how we live and what we believe about doctrines for the good of our souls and the church
Thank you for your words of encouragement. You've said some things that truly ministered to me. What stands out the most is "We all can err and make mistakes in interpretation." It takes an honest believer to admit that, and I say amen to that. There's something I said here a long while back. I said it's not what I say that is truth, it's not what you say (Not you personally, but anyone), it's not what anyone of us says that is truth. It's God's word (Logos) alone that is truth.
And yes, we are fallible beings. It doesn't mean were stupid, but we are incapable of knowing the mind of God. I do value the things everyone here has to share. I don't have to agree with it all, but I do value it. We're all to be as the Bereans and search the scriptures daily to see if the things we are being told are true.
But then again, what is truth? Is truth just a bunch of words written in the pages of a book we call the Bible? Many would say "Yes, God's word is the truth" (And it is), but then we turn around in our fallible human minds we think we understand but do we really? I think a lot of it has to do with human pride. I would be the first to raise my hand and say "Guilty."
Once again, what is truth? Here's what truth is to me, but first, here's what truth is not. It's not what I say, period! To me, truth is a person, and that person is Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 14:6, "I am the WAY, I am the TRUTH, and I am the LIFE."
So, do you or I or anyone else here have the truth? We do if we have Christ. He is the only truth a believer has. It's not head knowledge and it's not the words written in a book, but Christ Himself. If there were no Bibles, we would still have Christ, and He's all the truth we need!
We have an obligation to do that as well as an obligation to speak sound biblical doctrine to others.
We may have many words in our minds, some may be of questionable scriptural merit, but we should not post those thoughts, but only those that we believe honor the truth of God's word. We all can err and have make mistakes in inerpretation, but there is a whole body of writing online from devout Christian thinkers over the centuries who have spent their lives searching, studying, and teaching scriptures and the doctrines of the church that we can read and find out more about a view and help us form a mindset that aligns with revealed truth.
Some on here do not value the contributions of these forefathers, thinking each person can decide for themselves how to interpret Scripture. We are all fallible, and I do not think that anyone on their own can correctly interpret scripture and doctrinal views solitarily without the input of others. I think it is foolish to believe that, that is why I research and have done so all my life.
I have had to change my thinking on some things over the years. We can stay flexible enough to let the Spirit mold our mind to conform with truth.
I deeply appreciate what I read on this site. I am blessed everyone I read on it.
Off the top of my head, I believe the scripture you are referring to is in the book of Titus but don't quote me on that one. I'd have to look it up. As far as equality, I think scripture would support God seeing both men and women as equal in His eyes, just not when it comes to function and the role of each in the church. But yes, this is one of those hotly debated topics that will get us put in the hot seat no matter what view we present. However, sticking with scripture is the best indeed!
My dear sister in Christ Jesus, thanks for all you contribute to this forum. God Bless!!!