Tithing--a Mandate?
Hi Everyone,
Today has been a day of prayer with my family members, for our 94 year old mother was going to have hip surgery this morning. God is faithful, the doctor said that it all went well. We were not only praying for healing but also for her salvation. While praying, the Lord gave me two visions and a passage of scripture that I want to share with you.
The second half of this post, addresses tithing, but not as you might expect. It is a comparison between what the Old Covenant demanded and what the New Covenant teaches about giving. They are entirely different things.
The Visions
The Trampoline
In the first vision, I saw a young man standing on a 4’ high platform that surrounded a trampoline on three sides. He was looking at the trampoline, but did not jump onto it.
The Car
In the vision that immediately followed, I saw a new car highly polished with very large, highly rounded fenders, like those on a classic car. The car’s hood was orange and the two front fenders were yellow. A young man walked around the car looking at it, but he did not touch the car or open the door.
The two visions speak of the same thing. The young man in the first vision, was looking at the trampoline but made no attempt to jump on it, or even walk across it. It was as if he were apprehensive, not sure about it. In the vision of the car, the man walked around the car, examining it but not touching it. It shows that he had an interest in it, but not enough to touch it or open the door.
What I believe that the visions point to is the apprehension that people have about making commitments. Many young men are highly aware of bad marriages, and nasty divorces and are very skeptical about marriage for themselves. We see that some people are “trying it out,” by living together as a married couple, but making no commitment other than saying “We’re engaged.” This of course does not please God for it is simply rebellion and fornication.
The same thing happens when people are introduced to the gospel and are skeptical about making a commitment to God. They may be willing to go to Church on occasion, but not on a regular basis. They are willing to bow their heads at a table for grace, but not willing to call upon God for themselves. We know that this stems from the attitude that “I am the captain of my own ship, and I call the shots.” Coming to the Lord requires us to come as little children, without conditions, but with a willingness to trust God and believe that he is who he says he is.
Without surrender to his Lordship, we make a shallow commitment. If things go wrong, and we don’t get an answer from God right away, we want to bail out. Many people are very protective of their time, their independence and freedom. Anything that acts to encroach upon these, they immediately reject. Those that are afraid to make a commitment to God are concerned with changes that may come as a result. Change is difficult for a lot of people. They may fear that they have to leave certain relationships, change the manner in which they make money, or change habits and entertainment choices. The commitment may overwhelm them and they may postpone the decision indefinitely. There are others who believe they have all the time in the world to consider, so they stay uncommitted. And some people are overly cautious about everything, and it takes a while for them to make a decision. So some are weighing the cost against the benefit, while others are practicing avoidance techniques.
Following the two visions I was given this scripture:
And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,” declares the Lord. Isaiah 59:20
This passage spoke to me of those for whom we have prayed for days, weeks and years. We want salvation for them, but it comes in God’s timing. It is not always soon, but it will happen someday if we stay faithful to pray.
“So they shall fear the name of the Lord, and a Redeemer, (Jesus) will come…to those..who turn from transgression.”
The words that followed were so very comforting to me in regards to my family:
“And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the Lord, “from this time forth and forevermore.” Isaiah 59:21
The Lord not only promises me, but he promises all his faithful ones that their children, and their children’s children, will serve the Lord. How wonderful is such a promise! Even the ones who are not yet committed or willing to jump in with God, will someday be as zealous as we are for the Lord. “My words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouths of your offspring. “
God’s love is so much greater than we will ever know. His mercies are new every morning, and we are blessed to know him! He is faithful, and everything he does is perfect.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
So let us remain steadfast in our prayers:
Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
A Testimony
This morning, my sister shared an awesome testimony of God’s faithfulness and provision that just happened to her and her husband:
Every summer, my sister and her husband travel to the northern states to sell jewelry that they have designed and have had made. The last day of the show or fair in Wisconsin was cancelled due to flooding. Their sales were less than usual because of the weather. She prayed to the Lord, asking him for help in covering their worker’s wages. On her way to the fairgrounds, her husband said, “That’s a dollar!” He pointed to a dollar that had blown through the air. They stopped the car and she got out to pick up the dollar. It turned out to be a twenty dollar bill. As she looked around, she saw twenty dollar bills flying everywhere in the breeze and some laying on the ground. The cars that passed by didn’t see a thing. So she hurried and gathered 27 twenty dollar bills, amounting to $540!
Can you imagine such a thing? It was certainly “manna from heaven!” She was so excited that God had answered her prayer in such a remarkable way! God is faithful! My sister and her husband are also faithful in their work for the kingdom of God. Mike teaches a Bible study every night to a small group over the phone. And my sister has always been loving and compassionate. She has been my prayer partner for many years. Even when we were children, I would tell others that “She would give the shirt off her back for anyone that was in need.” And that is still true today.
God responds to our love and our faithfulness, for He is love, He is faithful and He is our provider. God is looking for people who will devote themselves to pleasing him, seeking his face and aligning with his purpose. We should all have such testimonies, for God loves every one of us who chooses him, over the things of the world.
Old Covenant Tithing vs New Covenant Giving
Last night I led a Bible Study on the subject of tithing. One of my friends wanted to have clarity on the topic, so we decided to study whether or not it was right for us as Christians to tithe.
I shared with the group many passages of scripture to discuss and to gain insight. I also shared two short teachings on the topic that expose the truth of what the Bible says about tithing. The first teaching came from Jonathan Cahn a Messianic Rabbi and Pastor of a church that I used to attend. In this YouTube recording: The Tithing Myth , he instructed his hearers of the purpose of the tithe as it was in the Old Testament. And that Jesus had come to fulfill the law. The tithe along with the Old Covenant law was made obsolete with his death on the cross. But it was officially terminated when Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed 40 years later within “this generation,” as he had prophesied.
The New Covenant (made in the Lord’s blood) does not mandate the tithe, but gives guidelines to our giving. We are to be generous and to give from the heart, without compulsion. Giving is to be an act of worship and not the payment of a debt, or a means of gaining God’s favor.
Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7
The second teaching came from Billy Graham whose message aligned with that of Jonathan Cahn’s. Billy Graham spoke of the harmful and blatant error of the contemporary Church to mandate or obligate its members to tithe. In this YouTube recording: Tithing Isn’t Required , he points out the many negative results come from reverting back to an Old Testament law. The teaching of mandatory or obligatory tithing brings bondage to the individual and legalism to the church.
I believe that most of us can attest to the emotional and spiritual issues that arise when the teaching brings condemnation and guilt. That is what the devil does. He is the accuser of the brethren. But the church is not to condemn.
“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For in Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set you free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful man, as an offering for sin. He thus condemned sin in the flesh, so that the righteous standard of the law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. Romans 8:1-4
The churches that are teaching tithing are not following the Biblical teachings of Christ and the Apostles, but are following their denomination’s mandates. Some churches promote the tithe because they do not trust God with their own needs. And they do not trust the Holy Spirit to move in people’s hearts to give “what they believe they should.”
Tithing can become an emotional whip in the hands of a non-caring pastor. One of the ladies at our study shared last night, that a pastor where she used to attend, had told his congregation that the shirt or blouse that they were wearing was taken from God’s tithe, and that they would suffer for it.
With such threats and misguided teaching a pastor can cause great harm to his people. They may feel ashamed or guilty if they do not, or cannot, afford to tithe. Those who struggle financially may deprive their family of a genuine need, just to satisfy the tithe, and appease a guilty conscience. Some pastors claim that it is a lack of faith in God that causes them to not tithe, and that their poverty is a result of not tithing. But in reality, it is the pastor’s lack of faith in God that makes him demand the tithe, when God has not required it.
It is hard to believe that this abuse of position comes from those who were entrusted to protect and oversee the flock. (Note: pastor means shepherd)
“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” declares the LORD. Jeremiah 23:1
And they are shepherds who have no understanding; they have all turned to their own way, each one to his unjust gain, to the last one. Isaiah 56:11
“Woe, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the flock? You eat the fat and clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fat sheep without feeding the flock. Those who are sickly you have not strengthened, the diseased you have not healed, the broken you have not bound up, the scattered you have not brought back, nor have you sought for the lost; but with force and with severity you have dominated them.” Ezekiel 34: 2-6
What was the tithe for in the first place?
The tithes in ancient Israel were multiple. They were a means of honoring and worshiping God for his provision and protection. Secondly, they were for the support of the Levites who had no inheritance of their own, for God was to be their inheritance. God had instituted the Levitical priesthood to perform certain duties in the House of the Lord. The tithes were to take care of their needs, and needs of the tabernacle in the wilderness, and then later the temple in Jerusalem. And thirdly, the several different tithes were to support the needs of the poor, the widows, the orphans, the aliens living among them, and disadvantaged.
These are a few Old Testament scriptures that explain the tithe in the Old Covenant age:
“A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord.” Leviticus 27:30
“Be sure to set aside a tenth of all that your fields produce each year. Eat the tithe of your grain, new wine and olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks in the presence of the Lord your God at the place he will choose as a dwelling for his Name, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always…And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of the their own.” Deuteronomy 14:22-23, 27
When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the year of tithing, give it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled. Deuteronomy 26:12
Since Jesus fulfilled the law, the law is no longer needed. Jesus became a high priest in the order of Melchizedek, offering his blood as the atoning sacrifice for sins. The temple sacrifices and the Levitical priesthood came to an end in AD 70 when the Old Covenant was terminated, and that age had come to a close. The New Covenant was established at that time, for the old is replace by the new.
Since the law was made obsolete and was fulfilled, the New Covenant does not require the tithe. Giving is now in this New Covenant Age an act of worship, and demonstrates our generosity towards God. Our giving is to be from the heart and directed by the Holy Spirit. These are scriptures that speak of Jesus as our High Priest. His own blood was shed for our sins so that now there is no sin offering necessary to be made again.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. Hebrews 4:14
But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified.
And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds,” then he adds, “I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more.” Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Hebrews 10:12-18
The only scripture in the New Testament that mentions tithing is Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees for their hypocrisy.
“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices–mint, dill and cumin, But you have neglected the more important matters of the law–justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. Matthew 23:23
The Apostle Paul does not mention tithing in any of his letters. He does encourage them to give generously and without obligation.
“Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and wherever sows generously will also reap generously. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7
The church must not use Old Testament passages to support or mandate the tithe, for this distorts the truth. It is the truth that sets us free. Lies on the other hand produce bondage. The following scripture is used often by churches to justify the tithe as if it applied to us.
Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me!
But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’
In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing me. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD of Hosts. “See if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out for you blessing without measure. I will rebuke the devourer for you, so that it will not destroy the fruits of your land, and the vine in your field will not fail to produce fruit,” says the LORD of Hosts. Malachi 3:8-11
The churches that promote the tithe and make it mandatory, use this scripture to emotionally guilt people into tithing. No one wants to believe that they are robbing God. So people are driven to give more than is feasible and neglect the needs of their family. Or they live in guilt and shame believing that God can’t possibly love them, or answer their prayers, for they are robbing God. This whole guilt trip that the church puts on people is similar to the very reason that the Lord was so angry with the Pharisees.
They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Matthew 23:4
If more people in the Church were aware of the New Testament scriptures that speak of giving generously without compulsion, we wouldn’t be misled and suffer guilt to please the pastors that are “laying heavy burdens on men’s shoulders.”
Now let’s see what the New Testament believers did with their giving. They gave sacrificially to all who had need. They gave from what they had, not what they did not have.
All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need. Acts 2:44-45
There were no needy ones among them, because those who owned lands or houses would sell their property, bring the proceeds from the sales. Acts 4:34
If the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have. 2 Corinthians 8:12
Right now you have plenty and can help those who are in need. Later, they will have plenty and can share with you when you need it. In this way, things will be equal. 2 Corinthians 8:14
Jesus taught the disciples how God sees giving in the gospel of Mark:
“And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them “Truly I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing. For they gave out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44
Jesus wants us to give generously from a thankful and compassionate heart. It truly is worship when we give from our heart rather than from a sense of duty, or obligation.
I know that you will be greatly blessed by watching the two YouTube links I have given above and below. They explain why we are not required to tithe, and the detrimental effects that come from teaching mandatory tithing.
The Tithing Myth with Jonathan Cahn and Tithing Isn’t Required with Billy Graham.
They are both excellent and will answer any questions that you may have. I hope that you will see the true freedom that Jesus purchased for you by his blood. We are to be led by the Spirit in our giving, not to give out of obligation and duty. The Lord wants us to be sensitive to the Spirit and have a willing heart to give generously with our time and our money.
Thank you for reading and sharing this with others. God bless you!
