Present your BEST argument for church tithing

We ultimately agree. I was just emphasizing the point that although a "tithe" is not a NT requirement it is not specifically forbidden given the other principles of faith, purpose of the heart, joyful attitude, etc.

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.

HankD

 

Matt. 5:42, Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.

The two commandments to which you refer are commandments to love. Tell me, how is love manifested?

God so loved the world that He gave...

 

I grew up in a church where the pastor told us it was not his business who tithed and who didn't. He always said, "Don't tell me what you give or IF you give...it's between you and the Lord". I tithed all my birthday/Christmas money and as soon as I got a job. It wasn't because I felt obligated, but because I wanted to give.

The last church I was in (before this present one), the pastor told us "I don't care WHAT you think, I am going to keep track of who tithes and who doesn't. It's my business to know this".

After a church 250 miles from us hit the $1 million mark for missions (my sister was a member of that church), our pastor yelled at us (not calmly advised, but yelled) "** Baptist Church just hit the $1 million mark for their missions goal and we are barely making ** !!"(can't remember what ours was, but not even close). He added, "It shouldn't matter that their church is in a metropolitan area and ours is in a small town! I know what some of you make and it's not right that we are not promising one million dollars!!"

This had nothing to do with missions. It had to do with the embarrassment this pastor was feeling in front of his peers (yes, pastors face peer pressure, too).

I tithed up until I found out he was monitoring our giving and then I quit. I know I was wrong, but suddenly I felt like I didn't want to give if it was now an obligation instead of an intimate act of love between my Lord and myself.

[I just deleted a LOT of information about that church...I'll save it for a book contract ] But I will say the present pastor at that church is VERY human. I'll leave it at that.

My pastor at my present church tells us that tithing is something between the Lord and us. I won't tell you now what I do about tithe because it is intimate, but I don't think I have to say anything, either. I simply love our new church and the people in it.

My point is, tithing is an act of love. It should not be something screamed from the pulpit by pastors who want to compete with other churches or show off in front of other pastors.

Please, somebody, tell me that not all pastors strut their feathers at pastor conventions. Because from what I've seen at these conventions, they brag about everything from new carpeting to how many busses are running (and even count the ones that aren't) all the way up to how many members join, babies are born and how much money is given.

Yes, money is necessary for a church to run, but sometimes churches pad the pews and carpet the floors with plush velvet when the money could be going to missionaries who have little more than a grass hut to keep the rain out.

Yes, we all need to priortize our checkbooks, but the churches also need to priortize...competing with other churches should not be a part of the budget.

BTW, I don't think anyone from my previous church visits here. I'm not writing this to get even with anyone. I'm just trying to bring up a few points...but they are NOT points for why we should not tithe. Again, I believe this is a personal thing between the giver and the Lord. I believe the Lord convicts us to give.

 

You don't really mean "give your all," or you wouldn't be arguing to withold some of your money.

Study the bible and you will see biblical giving takes nothing away from your perceived notion of tithing.

Tell me, just what IS my view of tithing? I certainly didn't reveal it in this thread. My observation is that those who kick against the tithe are usually trying to justify being tight-fisted. And that's the case here.

Whether I think the tithe is justified or not is irrelevant.

Giving—liberal giving—is commanded. Paul's words cannot be taken to mean that one can justly purpose in his heart NOT to give liberally. God loveth a cheerful giver, not those who only give what costs them nothing.

 

I think we should all go to the top of a mountain and leave all our belongings there. After you leave them, you can return to your homes. I'll watch them for you to make sure the Lord gets it all.

Seriously, if you think of it in a spiritual sense, we are giving all our money to the Lord. For instance, what doesn't go into tithe and missions is used to feed our family *COUGH!*and pets*COUGH!* and to pay the electric and water bills, mortgage, etc.

If we use the money the way the Lord intended, we are still giving it all to Him. We are using it for His purpose. However instead of feeding the missionary family or pastor's family, we are feeding our own kids.

But if we use it to buy beer or raunchy videos, then we're not giving it all to Him.

Perhaps we should pray for the Lords guidance before we make purchases like a computer (I know you have one!) or television set, etc. It's all His money. If it wasn't for my husband's good health, we wouldn't have money. The Lord gave him good health to perform his job.

The same goes with our time and things we own.

I dunno. It's still early and I'm just now getting coffee in me.

 

Simple. There is no tithe for the church. If there is, then we better be tithing EVERYTHING. Our livestock, etc. If we are bound by a tithe then we are bound to sacrificing animals. Oh...and we better not shave our beards.

 

My point was that everything we own belongs to the Lord, anyway. I'm not saying we are obligated to give everything--or even a tenth--to the Lord. I'm just saying perhaps we should bear in mind that everything IS the Lord's and we'd be more conscious to use our possessions for the glory of God (what we watch on television, for instance).

I'll try not to shave my beard.

 

Although, I personally believe in tithing, but that's a decision between myself and the Lord. What you do with your money and possessions are your personal business and it's no one else's place to hold you accountable for what you do with your possessions. They'll be useless when we're dead, anyway.

 

Here is an exchange in which your erroneous notions of giving are stated:

TexasSky said we should give what we can spare. You said, "I totally agree with you TexasSky. That is the biblical way to give." Yet, when one examines the Scriptures, we find an attitude of giving commended by Christ wholly different than the one you commend. The widow gave out of her need. And truly, sacrificial giving is the only giving that receives the approbation of God.

So, on one hand, you say one should only give what he can spare, and on the other you say one should give liberally.

You say my case is weak, but you're the one flip-flopping.

Your comments thus far:

God only wants what you can afford, and giving is only suggested, not commanded.

It still looks like your gripes about tithing are really a way to sanctify being a skinflint.

 

NKJV 1 Corinthians 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing.

HankD

 

Yep. Long ago. Just chose not to update my profile.

Give what you can afford means exactly the same thing as give what you can spare.

I did.

No I didn't. The context is there for all to see.

Now, to the discussion at hand:

What percentage was given by the widow? (Remember, Christ commended her giving.) In comparison would you call giving only 10% liberal giving?

I don't remember ever asking you how much you gave. I have merely been discussion the ideas you've put forth in this thread.

 

Whether we eat, drink, or whatever we do, do all for the glory of God. Everything is God's. However, as far as money goes, IMO giving anything less than 10 percent to the Lord is unbiblical. Paul was thanking churches for sacrificing in their giving, and in Acts people are selling their houses and giving all the money to the Church. I'm sorry, but if someone thinks he can just give 10 percent and think by doing so he is fulfilling his obligation, well that is not biblical either. But people are escaping the biblical pattern. Why would God ask for 10 percent at any time in history if that number has no significance at all to him? And if tithing wasn't a biblical pattern, what in the world is the author of Hebrews using it for as his argument to NT believers? "And here men that die receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he liveth" (Heb 7:8). The Levites received tithes, but God is the one who really received them in heaven, because he is the one who initiated the whole system in the first place.

Cheers, Bluefalcon

 

This is a very interesting thread.
I do not believe that tithing is commanded for the Church, I pretty well agree with Soulman on this issue.
I do have one point to make.
If you have decided to give a set amount that week and you notice a brother in need in your church, slip the money to him instead of it going into the plate, is this wrong?
In the OT God would meet them in the temple.And the tithes of the people went to supporting the Levites and the temple.
Now we are the temple, God is in us. We are the "church" the building is where we meet that is all.
Would it displease God to give to a brother truly in need.