WHAT LORD, YOU WANT ME TO GIVE--HOW MUCH? When you look in your Bible you will notice that the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are listed as the first four Books of the New Covenant-(Testament). But I prefer to list them as in between the Old and New Testament, as a meeting place of the two covenants, for the New Covenant of Grace did not come until after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus was born under the law-(Old) Covenant, taught His ministry by the law, live according to the law and fulfilled the law and the prophets. And after His death and resurrection many aspects of the law was deemed invalid because He became those parts of the law, such as the observance of the Sabbah, the ceremonial laws of scarifice, the food laws of clean and unclean, the division of Jew and Gentile, etc., etc. 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-(the spirit) of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. COMMENTARY: We tend to think of judgment as the eternal judgment and the sorting of sheep to the right and goats to the left at the return of Jesus Christ. While this ultimately comes into play, we first need to examine some elements of judgment in the here and now rather than the there and then. For the converted Christian, judgment is now on the house of God-(I PETER 4:17). As used here in MATTHEW 23:23 as a weighty matter, judgment is translated from the Greek word krisis, meaning decision for or against and suggesting a tribunal or formal judgment. It implies justice. Justice has several meanings, the first of which is impartial adjustment of conflicting claims or assignment of deserved punishment or reward. More simply, when a conflict arises among people, justice is administering what is just, factual, reasonable, faithful, morally upright, good, fair, righteous, impartial, and legally correct. The Pharisees took one element of that definition - the legally correct part - and based their relationships with others on it, conveniently deleting fairness, impartiality, reasonableness, etc. from their thinking. Christ wanted them to be legally correct, for it is part of proper decision-making, but there is more to it than that! The Pharisees made their first major error in this area of judgment. They had abandoned the proper yardstick-(measurement) for their basis of judgment. As MATTHEW 15:1 thru.9 shows, they had developed their own laws, rules, and traditions that transgressed the law of God-(Verse 3). Their worship had become vain, selfish, worthless, as they substituted the doctrines of men for the doctrines of God-(Verse 9). Isnt this what is happening today in most Churches, even after all the warnings that Jesus and Apostle Paul left us with about adding too or taking away from saved by our faith in Jesus Christ by the grace of God. The Pharisees had lost touch with Gods instructions, His mind. They leaned on carnal reasoning, which always decided in their favor. Situation ethics ruled, rather than the precepts-(commandments) of God. They became very harsh in their dealings with the common people, taking advantage of them simply because they could-(MICAH 2:1 and 2). Sounds much like the America of todays politicians. A just weight and balance are the Lords, all the weights in the bag are His work. It is an abomination for kings, rulers, political leaders to commit wickedness, for a throne-(seat of power) is established by righteousness-(PROVERBS 16:11 and 12). Though the Pharisees additions to the law seemed innocent enough at their inception, over time they became increasingly partial to those who made the additions. This destroyed godly standards, and wickedness reigned. Since the religious leaders righteousness had been destroyed, their leadership was void of justice. Significantly, the Bibles final warning is not to add to or subtract from Gods Word-(REV. 22:18 and 19), for our own judgments do not have the purity and objectivity of Gods. This problem never seems to go away. Christ excoriated the Pharisees for it. James addressed the Church about it because some were showing partiality to the wealthy in the congregations-(JAMES 2:1 thru.12). Decision-making, judging, discerning, and evaluating fruits often become subjective. We base them on how they may affect our own well-being rather than render them impartially and objectively in the light of Gods Word purified seven times-(PSALM 12:6). this is the standard we should judge by. Each of the Ten Commandments can be considered a weighty part of the law. The statutes, precepts, and judgments, rendered by God and Moses and added to the scriptural record, are not as weighty as the law itself, but are still important, since they show how we should interpret and apply the law. Christ singled out judgment, mercy, and faith as the weightier matters of the law. Why? Since we are discussing judgment here, why is it so weighty? Though the law itself is very important, we can perhaps consider judgment or justice to be even weightier, for it is the aim and purpose of the law. The laws very purpose is to make sure justice is done! Since God is the very embodiment of love and justice to all without partiality, He did not need the law codified for Himself. We need it, along with all the precepts, statutes, and judgments based on it because we do not yet have His mind. So He gave us the Bible, which contains enough of Gods mind for us to strive toward perfection with it as our daily guide, helping us learn to judge righteous judgment. Within its pages God has written enough laws-(dos and donts), principles, and circumstances for us to determine the proper course of action in any situation: Which Scripture applies here and now? Do we answer this fool according to his folly or not-(PROVERBS 26:4 and 5)? Can we judge him a fool at all-(MATTHEW 5:22)? The problem is that we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God-(ROMANS 3:23). Hold any of our lives up before the pages of the Bible, and we fall far short. If justice were truly done, we would all die eternally, for the wages of sin is death-(ROMANS 6:23). That is harsh reality. But God is merciful and gives us time and help to correct our course. The Pharisees thought they were living sinless lives and came to judge anyone falling short of their expectations as being far beneath them-(LUKE 18:10 thru.14). Not only had they perverted justice through hypocrisy and partiality, but they had also completely lost the next weighty matter Christ urged them to consider: mercy. Why is mercy so weighty? Those who teach grace only apart from the law do not even see a need for mercy, since, to them, grace cancels any need for mercy. By their definition, mercy is automatic once they are forgiven of past sins. In theory, they can breeze through a happy, happy, joy, joy life with no fear of eternal consequences. If that were true, why did Christ not make grace one of the weighty matters and leave out mercy? The Pharisees believed in keeping the law perfectly and being saved as a result. Modern Christianity teaches the law is done away, and all they need is saving grace, given when they accept the Lord. Neither of these opposing approaches will work on their own. First there must be repenance and repentance comes about through the knowledge of Gods law and that we are guilty of breaking His law-(s). But to reach sincere sorrow for repentance we must begin to be obey Gods word, His commandments-laws. By obedience to His word we repent and receive forgiveness for the sins-(broken laws) that we did. The Greek word for faith can also be translated fidelity, as it is in TITUS 2:10. To understand what the scribes and Pharisees lacked, we need to examine fidelity along with the traditional definition of faith. Fidelity, as defined by Webster, is the quality of being faithful, accuracy in details, exactness. The dictionary adds an interesting modern analogy to explain fidelity: the degree to which an electronic device-(such as a record player, radio or television) accurately reproduces its effect-(as sound or picture). We know we are to bring every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ-(PHILIPPIANS 2:5). John tells us to walk just as Jesus walked-(I JOHN 2:6). Peter advises, Christ left us an example, that you should follow His steps-(I PETER 2:21). Spiritually, fidelity is to reproduce faithfully and exactly the thoughts, attitudes, steps, and paths of Jesus Christ. The sounds our lives make on earth reach heaven either as the scratchy, tinny, garbled clanging of carnality, or as harmonic, melodious, pleasant reproductions of Christ in us, the hope of glory. This is where the Pharisees missed the whole point of the law. They were not like God at all! They were so busy with their little additions to make it better, they forgot how to treat each other and the laymen. This is a great danger facing the Church today. We can focus so intently on a specific point of doctrine, the calendar, divorce and remarriage, or Church government, that we forget that God bases our judgment on how we treat others-(MATTHEW 25:34 thru.46). Christ went about doing good-(ACTS 10:38). He showed compassion, healed, helped, and set a righteous example in all His activities. He never once gossiped, slandered, or verbally abused anyone. While correct teaching is of extreme importance-(2 JOHN Verse 10), living it is of even greater importance because doers will be justified, not hearers only-(ROMANS 2:13 and JAMES 1:22 thru.25). The sounds the scribes and Pharisees produced were low fidelity, unrecognizable to God in the intent of His law. When God hears our voices, does it sound to Him just like Christ did? Because we are still alive, we are better off than the Pharisees. We still have opportunity-(until we die) to learn to think and act like Christ, to work on reacting to wrongs and persecution, deserved or undeserved, just as He would. We hope to have time to grow in saying just the right thing at the right time to help, encourage, inspire, or guide others. JAMES 3:9 says, we bless God and curse men made in His likeness, we respect God but not His creation. James shows this is a contradiction and wrong. Disrespecting Gods creation is disrespecting Him. He expects high fidelity from us in what we say, pure, peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy-(JAMES 3:17). He will not listen to what is earthly, sensual, demonic. For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing will be there- (JAMES 3:15 and 6). Fidelity is the kind of faith mentioned in JAMES 2:14 thru.26. Just believing or blindly trusting that we are qualified to enter Gods Kingdom is not sufficient. Christ must see Himself in us. Faith without works is dead, so we show real faith by our words and actions-(Verses 17 and 18). Even the demons believe God exists and they tremble in fear-(Verse 19), but they are unwilling to think like Him, talk like Him, live like Him. Theirs is a dead faith. We are to show our faith by our works, by walking exactly as He walked, by our fidelity. The real problem with the scribes and Pharisees is that they were totally selfish. They weighted their judgment toward themselves, and so they had no room for mercy for others. Nothing about them resembled Christ, no fidelity. They did not see a need for faith in the forgiveness in Christ, for they felt they needed none. Christ gave them the answer to their problem. If they would render proper judgment, without partiality, emphasis on self would diminish. Their mercy would allow people to make mistakes and have space to repent rather than fear being destroyed financially or otherwise. Finally, with true fidelity, they would treat everyone as Christ did. Their faith would increase, as would the faith of those under their influence. Had they properly applied these three qualities, judgment, mercy, and faith, their attitudes would have turned from selfish carnal goals to outgoing concern for others. They would have begun displaying the real love of God. If we apply them as part of our tithing, we will have the confidence and boldness of which Paul spoke of, and the kind of faith required for salvation. The scribes and Pharisees lacked it. Being alive, we still have the chance to obtain it. What is Christ saying here? These people should have tithed, of course, there was nothing wrong with that. The Expositors Bible Commentary, concerning this Verse, says, Jesus does not condemn scrupulous observance in these things. Jesus instituted the tithing law and knew what it was intended to do for the ministry. He knew the purpose for it, even as we do now, but the Pharisees did not understand the spiritual intent. They knew to tithe, but did not understand the rest. LUKE 11:42 thru.44 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. Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. COMMENTARY: Ye tithe mint and rue. Rue: this is a small garden plant, and is used as a medicine. It has a rosy flower, a bitter, penetrating taste, and a strong smell. THREE WOES AGAINST THE PHARISEES: Although suggestive of the longer list of woes recorded in MATTHEW Chapter 23, which Christ in the temple-(MATTHEW 21:23), this is a different list, spoken on another occasion, and under different circumstances, this time-(LUKE 11:37), Christ speaks this to a Pharisee that had invited Him to his home to dine. The trouble with the Pharisees, as revealed in both places, however, seems to have been of one kind. They were specialists in trifles and externals. Their whole concept of religion had degenerated into a gross, unspiritual preoccupation with outward forms and ceremonies, while neglecting utterly the great moral verities of true religion. Their tithing of garden herbs, even to the extent of counting tiny seeds and weighing mint leaves, and their multiplying man-made sabbath rules past the boundaries of all reason, all such things had destroyed the spiritual life of the nation. Volumes have been written regarding their silly sabbath rules, Let us look at the following which was one of the most notable examples, thus: One of the forbidden works on the Sabbath was the tying of knots, such as sailors and camel drivers knots, and knots in ropes, but a woman might tie a knot in her girdle. Therefore, if a bucket of water had to be raised from a well, a rope could not be knotted to it, but a womans girdle could, and it could be raised by that! These ought ye to have done, applies to justice and love of God, and not to leave the other undone applies to tithing, an act for which Jesus commends them. It was their stress of that to the neglect of more important duties which was wrong. Ye love the chief seats. These were seats at the front of the synagogue, behind the speaker, and this place of seats and the pulpit was higher than the seats of the congregation. This seating projected an attitude of being in a higher class than that of the congregation. What men love determines their destiny, and, as it was brought out so forcefully in the Gospel of JOHN 12:43, it was the love of the Pharisees for the glory which they received of themselves which blinded their eyes to the Christ of glory. The desire for pre-eminence among men, the coveting of honors bestowed by men, the popularity awarded by men, such things still snare and entrap the unwary soul, and the damage can be no less appalling than that which ruined the Pharisees, and yet how reluctantly men forego such things. A commentator whom I will not name said, Of course, it is not wrong to sit in the chief seats, it is only wrong to LOVE such things! For ye love the chief seats in the synagogues, and the salutations in the marketplaces. They were vainglorious, loving the honors and attentions given by men-(JOHN 5:44). They loved on week days to be saluted in the marketplace, and on the Sabbath to sit in the semi-circular row of seats which were back of the lectern, or desk of the reader, and which faced the congregation. Ye hypocrites! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them. By the law of Moses, if anyone touched a dead body, that person was consider unclean for a period of time and was left to be alone. But the Pharisees-(man) added to the law of Moses and said if any one stepped upon a grave, then they were unclean and was to be separated to be alone for seven days. In the days of Jesus the people would white wash the graves, plainly marking its place to prevent any one from stepping on the grave. What Jesus is saying to the Pharisees is: You are as an unmarked grave that is flatten with time and covered with grass and no one sees your defilement for you smile a pretence of holieness with kindness while inside you are ful of rot and decay as the person in a grave. You Pharisees give a widower and orphans a few pence, but you call it a loan, and when she cannot pay and with interest, you take her home. Woe unto you, Pharisees! TITHE: The word tithe simply means a tenth. The English word tithe is translated from the Old Testament Hebrew word maasrah meaning=A tenth. The English word tithe as it is used in MATTHEW 23:23 and LUKE 11:42, was translated from the Greek word apodekatoo meaning=To tithe as debtor or creditor, as in to give, to pay or to take. The English word tithes as it is used in the New Testament book of Hebrews was translated from the Greek word dekatoo meaning=To tithe, to give or take a tenth. To pay or receive tithes-a tenth. GENESIS 14:20 And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy-(Abrahams)hand. And he gave him-(Melchizedek) tithes of all. LEVITICUS 27:26 thru.33 {26} Only the firstling of the beasts, which should be the LORDS firstling, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox, or sheep: it is the LORDS. {27} And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall redeem it according to thine estimation, and shall add a fifth part of it thereto: or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation. COMMENTARY: Redemption of the consecration vow for the firstborn. But the firstborn of the animals, which should be the Lords firstborn, no man shall dedicate, whether it is an ox or sheep, it is the Lords. And if it is an unclean animal, then he shall redeem it according to your valuation, and you shall add one-fifth to it, or if it is not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to your valuation. But the firstborn of the animals, which should be the Lords firstborn, no man shall dedicate: Since the first born already belonged to God-(EXODUS 13:2), you could not buy it back from the Lord, if it was a clean animal, it had to be sacrificed. It shall be sold according to your valuation: However, an unclean animal could either be sold or bought back from the Lord with an offering of its money worth plus 1/5th of the value added on. You cant dedicate to the Lord what is already His! {28} Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote-(offer to the LORD for destruction) unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD. {29} None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death. {30} And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORDS: it is holy unto the LORD. {31} And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. {32} And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD. {33} He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. COMMENTARY: So God just laid claim. He just came and laid claim to a tenth of everything, of the first-fruits, the first tenth belongs to God. Whatevers left is yours. There wasnt any, there wasnt any quibbling about it, its just first tenth belongs to God. Now if you would hold back that tenth, if you would at all redeem that tenth that belongs to God, He just considers it belongs to Him. If you are going to hold back at all, then you have got to add twenty percent. Some people borrow from their tithes, and man, thats rough interest. Twenty percent if you borrow on your tithes. Because God said, Thats mine, keep your hands off of it, it belongs to me. If you take from it, then add a fifth part thereto, twenty percent. And if a man-(Verse 31) will redeem all of his tithes, he shall add thereto a fifth part-(another twenty percent. 1/5th of the whole number 1 is .20). And concerning the tithes of the herd, or the flock, even whatsoever passes under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. Now when you bring your flock in, every tenth one belonged to God. You know the little firstling lamb that comes through, every tenth one, the Lords, separated. You are not to look and see the tenth one coming through, and you watch, and say Oh man, that one coming that will be the tenth one, oh my thats a nice one, and move the line. No, no, no, God doesnt want any fudging. And so as youre passing them through the rod the tenth shall be the Lords. And you shall not search whether it is good or bad, neither shall you change it: because if you change it, then both the one that was supposed to be the Lords, and the one you changed it for, both belong to God, it shall not be redeemed. These are the commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai. So you think God is asking quite a bit. Yeah, but look what Hes giving you, three seventh-day vacations during the year, and every seventh year off. Plus plenty, plus His presence. Id say that youre getting a pretty good deal. Now if you do your part, God does His part. God says, If you will obey, this is what I will do. As we come into the New Testament and we read scriptures such as, Christ is the end of the law to those that believe-(ROMANS 4:12), Peter said, in the name of Jesus. So He is our hope. He is the basis of our covenant that we have. He is the basis of our relationship with God, and we have fellowship with God through Him, and through the blood of His covenant. So go back and read Hebrews this week. You are going to find the Book of Hebrews is just going to come alive and open up to you like never before, having now had this foundation in Leviticus, and this old covenant which did fail. Now go back and reaffirm that relationship that you have with God through this new covenant in Jesus Christ, established under better promises. How shall we stand? NUMBERS 18:26 thru.31 {26} Thus speak unto the Levites-(the priest), and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave-(a wave) offering of it for the LORD, even a tenth part of the tithe-(a tenth part of the tenth). {27} And this your heave offering shall be reckoned unto you, as though it were the corn of the threshingfloor, and as the fulness of the winepress. {28} Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the LORD of all your tithes, which ye receive of-(from) the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the LORDS heave offering to Aaron the priest. {29} Out of all your gifts ye shall offer every heave offering of the LORD, of all the best thereof, even the hallowed part thereof out of it. {30} Therefore thou shalt say unto them, When ye have heaved the best thereof from it, then it shall be counted unto the Levites as the increase of the threshingfloor, and as the increase of the winepress. {31} And ye shall eat it in every place, ye and your households: for it is your reward for your service in the tabernacle of the congregation. COMMENTARY: The heave offering was for a thank you to God, and the tenth part from the children of Israel was for the Levite priesthood and to be gave to feed for the needy of the poor, the widows and orphans, and some put in storage for times of famine. Tithe It is an Old Testament custom carry forth into the modern Church. But remember Jesus nailed these customs, traditions of laws to the cross, in todays Church there is no set amount. TITHES IN THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH: The first order of tithe. 1 TIMOTHY 5:8, But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. Second order of Tithe. ACTS 11:29, Then the disciples, every man-(every one) according to his-(or her) ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea: 2 COR. 9:5 thru.8 {5} Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness. {6} But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. {7} Every man-(every one) according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or-(out) of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. {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: 1 PETER 4:8 thru.11 {8} And above all things have fervent charity-(love) among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. {9} Use hospitality one to another without grudging. {10} As every man-(evert one) hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. {11} If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. The tithe is to render assistance to the fellow brother and sister in the Church when needed. The tithe for a ministers wages are in whatever a person tithe to the Church for all members who are in need. TITHING WAS WORKS OF THE LAW: Tithing was works of the law: and EPHESIANS 2:8 Says, For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: It is believed by some that since the tithes were part of the Law of Scarifice, which is no longer applicable to Christians, so too the tithes of a certain amount are no longer a requirement for us today. It is also a fact that many preachers, in a relentless greed for filthy lucre, have manipulated crowds into giving huge sums of money for worthless causes. However the issue concerning us is not whether certain preachers are worthy to receive financial support, but whether the New Testament requires of us the tithe and tithe of what? Money, good works, service to the Lord, or all or any of these at whatever is of our abilities. It must be noted that the tithe predates the law. The earliest reference to tithing before the Law was Abraham and Melchizedek-(GENESIS 14:20). HEBREWS 5:6 and 10, states that Jesus was a priest after the order of Melchizedek rather than after Aaron. In HEBREWS Chapter 7, it discusses how great Melchizedek was that Abraham paid tithes to him. Although it is not spelled out, it would seem obvious that if Jesus is a high priest comparable to Melchizedek, then we ought to pay tithes to Him as a testimony of His greatness-(HEBREWS 7:3). In MATTHEW 23:23 and LUKE 11:42 Jesus, in the midst of scorching condemnation of the Pharisees, stopped to commend their practice of tithing, even though they were not doing it with the right heart-(LUKE 18:12). One could always argue that they were still under the old covenant and Jesus was simply advising them accordingly. However the are other New Testament allusions to the principle of tithing. How much is the individual Christian required to give? ACTS 11:29 Then the disciples, every one according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea: COMMENTARY: Every one according to their ability; whether rich or poor, master or servant, everyone according to the substance they were in possession of, whether more or less, which was a good rule to go by: determined to send relief-(aid, support) to the brethren which dwelt in Judea, either because that Agabus might have suggested, that the famine would be the severest in those parts, and because that the Christians there had parted with their substance already, in the support of one another, and for the spread of the Gospel in other parts, and the Christians were being hunted and persecuted. Therefore the Christians at Antioch, in gratitude to them for having received the Gospel, and Gospel ministers from them, resolved to help them with their temporal things, when in distress. Among the reasons given for the tithe under the Law were: (1) The support of the ministry-(NUMBERS 18:21 thru.26, NEHEMIAH 10:37 AND Chapter 12:44 and MALACHI 3:10), (2) The support of the poor-(DEUT. 14:27 thru.29 and DEUT. 26:12 thru.14). Basically the tithe was used to further the work of God. Apostle Paul had much to say concerning this. In GALATIANS 6:6 Paul say, Let him that is taught in the word communicate-(distribute, share) unto him that teacheth in all good things. In other words, Paul says that we must share material things with those who teach us in the Word. 1 CORINTHIANS 9:7 THRU.14, Ministers are to be supported by the congregation. This is the way God ordained it. 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. There is a relationship between our earnings and our giving. Although the Old Testament gives that ratio as 10%, this Verse seems to leave it up to the individual’s discretion. I could hardly imagine though that the ratio would be less. Much more is demanded of us now than in the Old Testament-(HEBREWS 10:28 and 29 and HEBREWS 12:25). To conclude that we are not required to tithe since the New Testament does not explicitly command it, is to totally miss the point of the New Testament which is to love and provide for one another. LUKE 12:48, But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. The Congregation that Hears and Receives the Word of God From a 24/7 Preacher-Teacher is obligated for his/her support and wellfare. MATTHEW 10:10, Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. LUKE 9:1 thru.5, Then He called His twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And He sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick. And He said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece. And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart. And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony-(witness) against them. LUKE 10:7 and 8, And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: Thus the precedent is clearly set in the New Testament-(covenant) that ministers ought to be supported financially, very much as was the case in the Old Testament-(covenant). It is also clear in both testaments that they should not seek to live extravagantly but to be satisfied with their basic needs being met-(1 TIMOTHY 6:6 thru.10). There are other reasons why we should tithe. The golden rule implies that if we give generously, we would always be in a position to lend and not borrow. We are certainly not limited to the tithe, but the giving to the ministry and to the poor should be our way of life. And if you wish to call it by a different name, fine. The principle of tithing and giving is clearly presented in both testaments. Furthermore, if tithing were more consistently practiced, most preachers would be able to devote themselves fully to the ministry, better able to minister to God’s people, and missionary work would be well funded. If we really are Christians, these things should be of foremost importance to us. ROMANS 13:6 thru.8, For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are Gods ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour. Owe no one any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. God loves a cheerful giver whether it be of money, material goods or service to our Lord and fellow man. 2 CORINTHIANS 9:6 thru.8, But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. EVERY MAN-(EVERY ONE) ACCORDING AS HE/SHE PURPOSETH IN HIS-(THEIR) HEART, so let him/them give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. 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: HEBREWS 13:17, Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with GRIEF: for that is unprofitable for you. CAN A CHRISTIAN TITHE WITH SOMETHING OTHER THAN MONEY: Tithe is an Old Testament term which means, a tenth and tithing is not the New Testament standard for giving. We should not just tithe, because God wants us to give generously, and tithing-(giving of 10%) is the bare minimum if your tithing is solely by money. But the New Testament standard is love and compassion, giving to, careing for, providing for the needs of another with what is most needful: And this is what is most needed, The Gospel, convicting a sinner with the knowledge of their sins and showing them the pathway to repentance in Jesus Christ. 2 CORINTHIANS 9:7, Every man-(every one) according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. We are not to give because we think we have to, but we should give because we want to and give what we want. It is not always money, especially if we havent any. It can be items of food, clothing, visiting the sick, the needy, the elderly. Giving of love and compassion with prayer, exercising the gift that God has gave to all His Children. Many local Churches especially in these days of hard times receive donations of food, clothing or any and many other articles that may be sold at Church yard sales to receive proceeds. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. LUKE 21:1 thru.4, And He-(Jesus) looked up, and saw the rich men casting their gifts into the treasury. And He saw also a certain poor widow casting in thither two mites. And He-(Jesus) said, Of a truth I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast in more than they all: for all these have of their abundance cast in unto the offerings of God: but she of her penury-(poverty) hath cast in all the living-(livelihood) that she had. You see how Jesus looked upon the giving of this poor woman as compared to them that had much and gave more. This woman gave out of her love for the lord and for the ones this giving may help. She gave from her heart and thats what the Lord looks at, not at what you give or how much. Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box, and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.” 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. Notice what Jesus said to the rich religious class: Ye pay tithe of mint etc., etc., and have neglected that which is most needed and He wasnt talking about money. They were remarkably scrupulous in the performance of all the rites and ceremonies of religion, but totally neglected the soul, spirit, and practice of godliness, and Judgment, which is acting according to justice and equity towards all mankind. Mercy-to the distressed and miserable. And faith in God as the fountain of all righteousness, mercy, and truth. The scribes and Pharisees neither began nor ended their works in God, nor had they any respect unto His name in doing them. They did them to be seen of men, and they had their reward- human applause. Jesus said, O K fine, these things you ought to have done. Our Lord did not object to their paying tithe with items other than money, even of common pot-herbs-this did not affect the spirit of religion, but while they did this and such like, to the utter neglect of the teaching and showing of justice, mercy, and faith, they showed that they had no religion, and knew nothing of its nature. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness. These you ought to have done, without neglecting the others. 1 TIMOTHY 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel. COMMENTARY: But if any one provide not for their own. Their own people or relatives. Those of their own house, that is, their own family, or a poor widow or other relative member in need. Apostle Paul says even all the way to a nephew, meaning even the children of your brother or sisters children if they are of need. This includes also the teaching of the Gospel. Paul says, one that does not put their family first has denied the faith. The Christian religion, which strongly teaches and encourages love and benevolence to all mankind. Is worse than an infidel. For what are called the dictates of nature lead people to feel for and provide for their own families. Nature dictates that to every one of a persons own children and relatives should be the most dear. Every one should take care of the needs of their own family first. But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. ROMANS 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. COMMENTARY: This is what the Lord wants of you more than anything. To present yourself to Him, for the uplifting of the Church, to further the Gospel, even if it is just to invite someone in spiritual need to come and pray and hear the word of God. Just to reach out to those who are in need in a kind, loving manner explaining the life and benefit of having Jesus in their life. Yes, this is acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. JAMES 1:25 and 27 {25} But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. {27} Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. COMMENTARY: James wrote: But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this person shall be blessed in his/her deed. Law and liberty are not mutually exclusive. As a rule, denominationalists believe and teach that we are under a system of grace and liberty today hence, obedience to law is not required in order to be saved. We are in fact under grace and liberty-(EPHESIANS 2:8 and 9 and JAMES 1:25), however, obedience to law is required-(HEBREWS 5:8 and 9). Actually, we are under law-(not the letter of the law, Mosaic Code), but rather to the law to Christ-(1 CORINTHIANS 9: 21), to His commandments. Therefore, we read of the law of Christ-(GALATIANS 6:2). Reflective of law, Jesus asked the question, And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say-(LUKE 6:46)? Also, If ye love me, keep my commandments-(JOHN 14:15 and 1 JOHN 5:3). We are not simply under law. The essential difference between the Jew under the Law of Moses and the Christian under the law of Christ is that the only way for the Jew to have been justified, in the absence of grace-(JOHN 1:17), was flawless obedience-(earning salvation ROMANS 4:1 thru.8 and ROMANS 11:6). We cannot merit our salvation because all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God-(ROMANS 3:23). Hence, grace offers the means we need to supplement, if you will, our obedience-(TITUS 3:5). Brethren, Christs law is a perfect law of liberty. It is perfect or complete in that it is a system which contains laws and commandments which are not grievous, and yet, it is a system of grace and liberty-(1 JOHN 5:3 and GALATIANS 5:1 thru.13). We have liberty from sin when we obey-(ACTS 2:38 and ROMANS 6:1 thru.12). Christs system is the ideal combination of law and liberty. Also, Christs law does not contain the onerous requirements as did Moses law-(GALATIANS 4:5). Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. ROMANS 11:33 thru.35, O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor? Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been able to give God advice? Or who has given such a gift to God that He might be repaid by you? ROMANS 8:14, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Who ever is led by the Holy Spirit, will do the works-(will) of God, these are the sons of God. CONCLUSION: The tithing rules in the Bible were based specifically on the religious and social system of ancient Israel and on an agricultural economy. Modern day questions about what percentage we should give and whether it should be computed on gross income, net income or wealth are not answered in the Bible. Nor does the Bible tell us how much of our giving should go to a Church and how much to help the needy. In todays world, we must pray and listen to our consciences and consider the needs of ourselves and our families-(1 TIMOTHY 5:8) when deciding how much to give and to which organizations or individuals. No one should feel pressured to give a certain amount of money to a local Church or other ministry. When we give it must be given freely and with a clear conscience. In the New Testament Church there is no set amount to give, except for what each persons own ability is after you have provided for your own. May the Lord bless you and prosper you in His love, and in His grace, and in His fullness. May you just experience that joy of the Lord as your strength. May you be established in the hope that is ours through Jesus Christ, as we look for the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, who shall establish Gods kingdom and bring us all into that glorious age of ruling and reigning with Him, on an earth that has been renewed and revitalized. One on which we will keep the Sabbaths, no doubt, the years and the whole thing, glorious age of the King. May God sustain you, give you strength and power. In Jesus name. A-MEN
Posted on: Thu, 19 Jun 2014 11:38:38 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015