How many of you have been out to see the documentary on intelligent design by Ben Stein? I went to see it last week. It was very practical and I enjoyed it. Anyways, that’s not the point of the post here. The point I want to bring here is how the Church amid their tithing rants, and obligatory giving has expelled grace giving. They allow no opportunity for the children of God to use any discernment or spiritual intelligence when it’s time to give. Instead, many pastors preach on Sunday morning, that 10% of your overall income belongs to this organization. No discernment allowed. No Spirit guidance. No and’s, if’s, or but’s about it.
The children of God who are reborn in his Spirit are not allowed to exercise the gift of giving. Churches say that we are allowed to practice Spirit-led giving with offerings, but first we must meet the tithing obligation. Is there any spiritual gift like the gift of giving where we have a minimum requirement before the Spiritual gift takes effect?
Many pastors think that if we were left up to grace giving without a standard to uphold, then everyone would would stop giving. This is not just a judgment on human kind, it is also a judgment on the Spirit of God. Isn’t the Spirit capable of calling and equipping people to perform ministry? There is no command to feed a certain amount of poor people. Also there is no command to witness to a certain amount of unsaved. Neither of these endeavors have ceased just because there is no minimum requirement that we had to meet.
From a science and evolution/creation standpoint it takes an insurmountable amount of faith for scientists to take their reasoning and allow an intelligent being to initiate creation. In the same light it takes faith on behalf of churches and pastors to allow the Holy Spirit to direct people in giving rather than rely on a law that enables a predictable amount of income each week. With grace giving, the amount is unpredictable, and it shows how tithing has been the security blanket for church budgets and pastoral salaries for ages.
Grace giving has been expelled because it makes pastoral salaries, and church budgets nervous. Pastors, if you truly want your congregation to be led by the Spirit, then let’s begin with your pocket book. Church accountant, . . . same thing.
Everytime an American pastor lives by faith without trust in the tithe that pastor is the eception to the rule. This is no small issue. Pastors are leaders and if they cannot examine the scriptures to find things that might cause them to move out into greater faith then their congregations will also be hindered. Many pastor in the world today are living under a cloud of percicution and these pastors do not expect to be finacially secure as a result from ministry. If pastors let their congregations live by faith and released them from the cumpulary 10% of money belongs to the local church or you are in sin doctrine, more ministry would occur outside of the box. I too have experienced the extreem cold shoulder given by pastors when one even questions the tithe. I tell pastors I believe in offering not tithing. This kind of talk is treated like insubordination. Tithing is not even open to debate. Ask a pastor can I give to starving children in Africa, or can I go to visit my sick mother in another state and consider the money I speant as tithes? Many will still respond with “the money tithe belongs to the local church” as if ministry can only occur with a paid pastor and a building. Are not all Christians called to be ministers? What about our responcibilities to our Parents and the poor? Freewillgiving is what is taught in the New Testement. If debate were allowed more would become convinced that the current popular tithing doctrine is leagalistic and hinders Christians from their own ministries.
This vid is a perfect example of what you are talking about. Master pimp Creflo Dollar at work here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8-V1gvyb_c
These are really some good points! I have felt in the past, and have been taught, that I wasn’t giving anything to God, until the tithe was paid. One former pastor even said that if your tithe was late you were subject to a late charge of 20%! This is actually somewhere in the bible — Old Testament Law of course. It still is hard to not feel guilty if giving less to the church but I really started studying the subject in an effort to give more to Missions, which my church doesn’t give much to, and I really want to help a missionary who left all and went to Africa and founded an orphanage — now she has 1600 children she feeds, cares for etc. There are so many forgotten missionaries struggling and if we, the church in the U.S., don’t support overseas missions who will??
Celeste,
I think many people might misinterpret the passage about owing God 20%. They are referring to Leviticus 27, where it talks about redeeming the tithe, and adding a fifth to it. From what i understand in the passage it is talking about when someone was to sell their tithe for transport or for whatever reason, that when they buy their tithe back, of course it would have been marked up in price since businesses have to make money and raise the price of the product in order to resell it. Because of this scenario, they were to add 20% to their total when they purchased it back. Anyway, that’s my take on it. Could be wrong though.
Thanks for your site; these things need to be said.
2 Corinthians 9:7 Each man must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
This is the believers standard for giving. This is perplexing in relation to what many churches teach in regard to the subject of tithing.
I ask how are those who do not hold to tithing and believe in grace giving to sit under those who do without feeling like a second class believer? Because some will really come down hard on those who don’t tithe to the point of telling them they are under a curse if they don’t tithe. In the area where I live I don’t know of any church that doesn’t promote tithing. Right now my wife and I are looking for a church that does not teach tithing. We visited one recently and the preacher said that if your a born again believer you will join yourself to a local church and start paying tithes. Are we to be submissive to this or attend without joining?
I have come to the conclusion that no church is perfect. I just consider churches like dinner buffets and take the spiritual teachings that I find confirmation for in the Bible, and leave the others untouched, without complaining. I believe God judges our hearts, and we should give as the Holy Spirit leads us. What is the difference if I give tithes to a church, and then the church supports the missionary of their choice. Well, I have a missionary that I want to support so I will do so. Also, we help people in need, and if I gave tithes to the church, I could not help needy people to the extent that we do. Our church has just sent the youth who graduated from high school on an expense paid trip to Florida, which is wonderful and I am happy for them. But is my choice of wanting to give to Orphans Unlimited any less important – where there are orphans who need food, shelter, medical care and God’s Word?