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Can The Church Be Supported Without Tithes?

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As we continue our ‘Tithing on Trial’ series, we will evaluate the most common tithing arguments used to defend its practice. So let’s evaluate another argument used to promote tithing:

Argument:  How can the Church be supported without tithing?

Jesus Supported His Ministry Without Tithes

“After this, Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, 2 and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; 3 Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others. These women were helping to support them out of their own means.” Luke 8:1-3

Jesus supported his ministry of the freewill offerings of others as mentioned here in Luke 8. If Jesus’ ministry can be supported without tithes, why couldn’t we expect the same thing? Many emphasize the example of priesthood and Levitical system in Old Testament times, but de-emphasize the example of Jesus’ ministry. Why would we value the Levitical system over Jesus’ example?

In other passages, this method of ministry funding is further validated. Matthew 10:7-10 states, “As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts—no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep.” (NIV)

If Jesus had faith that his ministry and the ministry of his followers could be funded without tithing, why would we expect that the Church would fail under the same model? Jesus wouldn’t tell his disciples to follow him and live by the gospel if he thought it would fail. Unfortunately, we’ve become so addicted to the security blank that mandated funding offers us that we fail to see the forest from the trees.

The Church Already Operates Without Tithing

According to Non-Profit Source, here are some statistics about giving

  • Only 5% tithe, and 80% of Americans only give 2% of their income
  • Christians are giving at 2.5% of income
  • Only 3-5% of Americans who give to their local church do so through regular tithing
  • Tithers make up only 10-25 percent of a normal congregation

Some may be thinking about how much more of an impact we could have if everyone just tithed. That’s a fair point, but the whole premise of the argument is how could the Church operate without the tithe. It can, because it is already operating without the tithe. It’s not like if tithing stopped existing the Church would dissolve because tithing is hardly practiced in the first place.

So what’s the point of convincing people that tithing is not required if no one’s doing it? Even though people aren’t following through with tithing, the ones with the voice on stage still emphasize it. The reason why people even worry about how the Church can operate is a matter of being educated or a matter of being rational about the actual reality.

Only 1% Went To Ministers Serving at the Temple

“To bring the firstfruits of our dough, our offerings, the fruit from all kinds of trees, the new wine and oil, to the priests, to the storerooms of the house of our God; and to bring the tithes of our land to the Levites, for the Levites should receive the tithes in all our farming communities. And the priest, the descendant of Aaron, shall be with the Levites when the Levites receive tithes; and the Levites shall bring up a tenth of the tithes to the house of our God, to the rooms of the storehouse” Nehemiah 10:37-38.

The Levites were divided into two factions. The priestly faction (descendants of Aaron) served at the temple, while the non-priestly faction served within the city gates. The priests rotated throughout the year and individually served 2-weeks in the Temple. When their two-week term finished, they served alongside Levites for the remainder of the year.

The entire Levitical tribe received 10% (a tithe) of Israel’s food (more on food later). The tithe was divided into two parts. First, to support the service at the temple, the priests received 10% of the tithe while the Levites (not serving at God’s house) received 90% of the tithe given. There is no question we need to be more generous Christians, but the fact was God’s house (the temple) was supported by 1% of Israel’s increase of food products, then is it fair to ask if the Church can be supported by 2-3%?

Stewardship is a two-way street. Should Christians give more? Yes. Is the Church body being efficient with what’s been given already? No. 1% was given to support the ministerial duties at the temple. The Church is supplied with 2-3% of income from every financial sector, not just from agricultural increase.

Christian Ministries and Missionaries Thrive on Freewill Offerings

Aside from a small fraction, Christian ministries that operate beyond the local Church function receive support from freewill offerings. Most of these ministries perform Church functions such as spreading the gospel and supporting the needy. We may not see them in the traditional sense that they have preaching and worship every week, but just like any local church, they are ordained by God and the Holy Spirit, and are a part of the body of Christ.

Ma y missionaries are commissioned and actively supported through freewill offerings. Certainly, they are ministers who are part of the apostolic calling to spread the gospel and build the Church of God. Yet, they thrive on freewill offerings.

If we support different parts of the body of Christ through freewill offerings, why would specific functions within the body of Christ get separate treatment for funding? Whatever the Holy Spirit commissions, He supplies for. The Holy Spirit should not be compartmentalized in a way that excludes his influence on funding. Whoever he leads, He feeds.

If Christian ministries that serve God, preach the gospel, and serve the needy thrive on freewill offerings, why would we believe that a local body would dwindle without tithes? Hundreds of thousands of Spirit-led ministers reach millions of people throughout the world with freewill offerings.

The Holy Spirit Empowers the Church

The previous section is a great segway – We have the Holy Spirit. “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” John 14:26

God gave the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us. “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” John 16:12-15

The Holy Spirit isn’t limited as a guide to our conscience helping us weigh the consequences of good and bad decisions. He is more powerful, detailed, and instructive than that. John 16:15 states that all that belongs to the Father is mine. This includes all the riches, influence, and power the father has. Why do we question the Holy Spirit’s ability to provide for his Church? The Holy Spirit supported Jesus ministry in this fashion and even guided Jesus in his decisions: Matthew 4:1, Luke 2:27, Luke 4:1, Luke 4:14, and Luke 4:18.

If the Holy Spirit calls a missionary to forgo the comforts in his life to serve in the darkest parts of the world, isn’t the Holy Spirit powerful enough to instruct supporters?

The Levites Could Not Always Receive Tithes

The Bible states that the tithe was to support the Levites and their service, but depending on the land where the tithes were from, they did not always get the tithe. As Israel wandered the wilderness for years, the Levites did not collect tithing. God was clear in his instructions that the tithe was to come from crops harvested in the promised land and animals born there as well.

This means that while the Israelites were in the wilderness, they did not tithe. God only considered a tenth of the animals or crops within the promised land to be holy. Anything outside of the promised land was considered unholy. Read Deuteronomy 12:5-11

Israel did not tithe while in captivity in other nations either. Again, crops or animals that were raised or grown outside of Israel were unholy for the tithe. As Israelites found themselves under captivity in other nations, they had to rely on other offerings to support any type of ministry or Levitical service. Is it ok that we are tithing outside the promised land today? If the Levites did not have tithes for extended periods of time, then could the Church do the same?

The Levitical System Was Not Exclusively Funded by Tithes

The Israelites gave other types of offerings that supported the poor and the ministers. The dozens of other ways the Israelites gave included wave offerings (Exodus 29), heave offerings (Exodus 29), trespass offerings (Lev. 6:24-30), first fruit offerings (Exodus 23:19), burnt offerings (Leviticus 1:3-17), grain offerings (Leviticus 2:1-16), peace offerings (Leviticus 3:1-17), sin offerings (Leviticus 6:21-30), freewill offerings (Leviticus 7:16-18), and vows (Leviticus 22:21-23).

Not all of these offerings were consumed by the Levites. But If the Levitical system and operations was supported by offerings in the Old Testament, then why would we be concerned with the Church being supported without tithes in the New Testament?

Israel Gave Much of the Tithe for Alms and Feasts

The Bible describes three different tithes – A Levitical tithe, a festival tithe, and a poor tithe. The Levitical tithe went completely to the Levites (Numbers 18:21-26). The Festival tithe was shared among all Israelites (Deuteronomy 14:22-23). While the poor tithe was shared among the Levites and the poor (Deuteronomy 14:28-29).

Let’s break this down into numbers. To keep this simple, since there were three tithes, let’s assume that each tithe equaled 33.3% (10 divided by 3) of the whole tithe. I am sure this oversimplifies, but it does prove the point that the Levites did not operate on 10%.

  • Levitical tithe = Levites received 33%. (The entire portion of 33.33%)
  • Festival tithe = Levites received 2.77%. (Levites were 1 of 12 tribes. So they received 1/12th of 33.33%).
  • Poor tithe = Levites received 16.66%. (Assuming the tithe was split evenly between Levites and the Poor, The Levites received half of 33.33%.)

Drumroll….If my math is correct, the Levites received 52.76% of the whole tithe (There is a high chance that I am not that smart, so please recheck the numbers). So, this means the Levites did not receive 10% Israel’s food increase, they received closer to 5%.

It’s a possibility that we could have calculated from 9% instead of 10% since 1% may have gone to the temple right off the top. If that’s the case, then the final number the Levites received would be more like 4%. This is not far off the 2-3% of giving statistics.

Freewill Offerings Funded the Temple

Much of the battle of funding a local Church is paying for the lease, operation, and maintenance of a church building. Many people do not realize the temple was built and maintained by other offerings other than tithes.

“And everyone who was willing and whose heart moved them came and brought an offering to the Lord for the work on the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the sacred garments. All who were willing, men and women alike, came and brought gold jewelry of all kinds: brooches, earrings, rings and ornaments. They all presented their gold as a wave offering to the Lord. (Exodus 35:21-22)

“Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the Lord.” (Exodus 3:13)

If Israel built and maintained the temple without tithing, why would the Church need tithing to fund building construction and maintenance? Since Churches today allocate tithing towards the operation and building of our worship centers, it’s no wonder why we think we are so dependent on it. Israel wasn’t, so why are we?

The Early Church Flourished with Freewill Offerings

Does the Church need tithing to grow? I think the early Church would beg to differ. The early Church did not practice tithing. First, if they were Jewish, they only knew how to give to the Levitical system, so ecclesiastical funding was a new concept to them. Second, the Gentiles were completely ignorant about how Israel’s support system functioned so their only familiar form of giving was freewill offerings

As we read in the book of Acts, the Church exploded within a few years. This growth did not happen because tithing was at an all-time high. The Church expanded for other reasons. Yes. They sacrificed much and shared equally with one another, but this type of giving is different than tithing.

The point is that the Church does not need tithing or any compulsive giving to grow. We do not need to institute a mandated minimum amount to even sustain our growth. Freewill giving was the basis of growth for the early Church and can sustain the Church for future generations.

“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:7

Only the Tithes from Agriculture & Animals Supported the Levites

If Israelites did not raise animals or grow crops, they did not tithe off their increase. In other words, the Levites did not receive a tithe out of income from bankers, lawyers, tax collectors, blacksmiths, or carpenters. Contrast that with expectations today that assume all market sectors should tithe from their increase. Read more about why Israel could only tithe from food.

According to USDA.gov agriculture, food, and related industries amount to 5.5% of U.S. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2023. Even if agriculture and food-related industries amounted to 50% of ancient Israel’s gross domestic product, it still means that a tithe was given from only 50% of the entire Israelite income.

This means that the Levites received only 5% of Israel’s entire increase of all incomes, and I think 5% is being generous. The standard in churches today is to expect a tithe from every income sector. Today, the church receives tithes from more market sectors than Israel did. It’s hard to determine what percentage of Israel’s GDP counted towards food, but one thing I know for a fact is that the amount of food it takes to feed one person today is the same amount it took thousands of years ago. Israel did not grow more food than necessary per person than we do today. If we’re being honest, we probably raised more food products per person in America today than Israel did, which would be more beneficial to the ministries today than compared to ancient Israel. Knowing that Levites survived without a tithe from everyone’s income, we should find it more plausible that the Church can survive without a tithe.

Tithes Funded Israel’s Government

Tithes were not used exclusively for ministry since Israel was a Theocracy. Many of the Levites held civil and leadership duties in Israel’s form of government. They had educational, judicial, and safety responsibilities. They taught children, guarded city gates, and acted as mediators of the law.

On the other hand, tithes focus explicitly on ministry today, while our taxes are used for duties such as education and judicial responsibilities. This means that 100% of the donations to Churches do not go towards the added responsibilities that the Levites had.

We should consider ourselves privileged that church donations can go towards 100% focus of Gospel outreach. We can even claim that much of the responsibility to care for the poor, educate children, and settle disputes has been taken away from the Church. Our burden to care for the poor has been reduced since many state programs already care for the poor and the needy today. This means that the Church has more donations to use for their discretion than Israel had. With a large reduction in responsibilities, why couldn’t church ministry function on offerings alone?

Many Local Churches Don’t Teach Tithing

This website provides a list of organizations and churches that do not teach tithing. You can also see a list of prominent pastors, authors, and theologians who do not teach tithing. Read quotes from C. S. Lewis, C. I. Scofield, Francis Chan, John MacArthur, and even Creflo Dollar.

Thousands of local churches around the world already do not collect tithes, so we don’t even have to guess what would happen without tithes. The worry about what would happen to the Church if we didn’t demand compulsive giving is living by fear, not faith.

Summary

Let’s analyze how much the Levites truly received from Israel

  • First, the Levites received 5% (my generous estimate) of Israel’s overall increase in income since they only collected food tithes.
  • Then, the bible states that 10% of that went to the Temple Storehouse for service. This leaves 4% of Israel’s overall increase in income for the Levites in the cities.
  • Finally, 52% remained after the poor tithe and feasts, leaving 2.08% of Israel’s overall income/increase for Levitical consumption outside of feasts.

Even if I was more generous with my estimates, the final percentage still would not come close to a ten-percent figure from Israel’s entire increase. At best, we could say the priests received 0.5-1% of Israel’s increase for temple service, while the Levites received 2-3% for general service. The irony is that giving statistics state Christians are giving 2.5% of their income. The percentage of Israel’s increase that the priests received is so low that we need to consider the serious possibility that the Levitical system was supported more abundantly through offerings than it had been through tithing. With that in mind, shouldn’t we consider that to be the case for the Church?

You Be the Judge

Now it’s time for the jury to weigh in:

Can the Church Be Supported Without Tithes?

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Tithing is For Liberals

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I love politics and philosophical debates about it, so right off the bat, i am NOT apologizing – this will offend many of you (Republicans & Democrats, Liberals & Conservatives). If you are a pansy and can’t take logic and reason, then go suck on a pacifier.

Laws Are For Thee But Not For Me

Hillary-pointing-at-you-all

Liberals want to put the people under a set of laws while they themselves would be under a different set. Take the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) for example. They rammed that junk down our throats and made a bunch of promises they couldn’t keep. Heck, they didn’t even keep the most appealing and obvious promises to us. our healthcare costs went up and we lost our doctors.

They also put on restrictions for small businesses and threatened them with fines and fees. Of course, they exempted themselves and their staff from particular laws because they couldn’t afford the costs of it. Such a lovely thing to do!

Let’s transition to tithing. Particularly, those who preach about tithing. They stand behind a pulpit and quote bible verses calling out pestilence and destruction if they don’t give exactly 10.00% on the dot. I always gave 10.50% because I was worried I may have missed something and the tithing boogie man was going to come out of the closet and tear up my valuable baseball card collection.

Anywhoooo. So um. yeah back to tithing preachers . . . Here they are preaching about your requirement to tithing and how you need to support the pastor and the Church because it’s an obligation. While on the other hand, they have not once been under an obligation to serve God as a requirement. They are completely free to start a ministry and preach by the grace and freewill Spirit of God. No one pointed a gun at their head and told them that they must minister to these people otherwise the boogeyman will come and get them.

The church ministry itself is under the leading and calling of the Holy Spirit. If the church wanted to minister downtown, it can. If it wanted to minister to the homeless, it was free to do so. If the Church wanted to minister to rich people, then by all accounts and measure it was up to the leaders and the Holy Spirit to guide in that direction.

No one threatened the Church to minister here nor there. There was no obligation to do such and such. We also know that because, in all honesty, the Church is doing jack squat anyway. I put myself in that category as well. I am hardly doing anything to impact those around me.

Tithing Enables Jacka_ _ _ _

donkey

Tithing could be why there is so much Christian fraud out there. We are gullible sheep going into the slaughterhouse. Our motivation is fear, not joy. Obligation, not grace. Duty, not love.

There are televangelists who get on TV and demand your penance. They promise things that they have no authority nor power to promise. They fly in jets have huge mansions and pretend that your sacrifice is bringing glory to God and not making their wallet any fatter. They are not the only examples. Only the obvious ones.

All they have to do is declare themselves worthy of the office they tell you they were called to, and in return, you have no choice but to support God’s anointed.

Liberals Love Taxes

dollar bills in a mouse trap

Tithing is a tax and we all know that liberals love taxes. If you study tithing in the Old Testament, you will know that it was a tax for Israel. Tithing was used to pay for the bureaucratic side of things as much as it was to pay for the religious.

The way I see it, there are three categories of people when it comes to taxes and tithing.

  1. The Enforcer: Responsible for setting the rules and enforcing them upon others. This would be a congressman or your pastor
  2. The Receiver: Those who are privileged enough to receive the benefits of the tax or tithe. This could be the enforcer or it could be the receiver and would resemble the poor and lower class.
  3. The Payer: These guys foot the bill. They aren’t in charge of setting the rules and neither do they benefit from them. This would be the middle class or it would those sitting in the pews.

The ultra-rich have no problem paying their taxes. They have the resources and capabilities to hedge against losses. They either have large tax write-offs or can protect their assets in other ways. In the same way, the ultra-rich love tithing. Only 10%? This would be a tax write-off anyway and they get to look so benevolent and great for donating hundreds of thousands or millions. Must be nice to donate a small percentage of your salary and get the most credit.

In 2008 a study on Giving Statistics was done on church spending to show that 85% of the money went to internal operations. Want to know something very ironic about a current liberal friend? The Clinton Foundation (a non-profit) raised 500 million dollars between 2009-2012 and consumed 85% of its donations on internal operations (source)? How do you like that my conservative, evangelical friends who abhor anything Clinton? The Church is using its donations no more wisely than the Clinton Foundation is. Just think about your own Church budget next time you criticize the Clinton Foundation.

Taxes are a mandatory burden and so is tithing. No matter how many different ways I hear it spun in sermons. IT IS STILL A TAX! Pastors will try to put some new age, progressive-sounding spin on it saying that we tithe under grace instead of under the law, or that the New Testament always raises standards, or that we get to tithing but we don’t have to. All of these statements are just placing the sheep’s wool over the wolf to trick you into believing that a rule that looks like the Law, smells like the Law, and acts like the Law, somehow is not the Old Testament Law.

Tithing = Anarchy

Anarchy

Any individual has the ability to stand up and say, “God is calling me to start a ministry”. At that moment, believers then would be required to tithe. Why? Because of the simple fact of their existence. Doesn’t this seem absurd? If you have not seen John Oliver’s example on Comedy Central, the absurdity of what I’m saying is not far off

Levites were required to serve due to their bloodline and in turn, the Israelites were required to give to them because of their own bloodline. Each were bound by the same authority, the same set of laws, and the same stringent legal system. The Levites were bound by the law to serve while being supported by a structure that also bound the givers.

Let’s take an example – The Constitution. The constitution gives authority and direction to Congress, while in turn, the constitution is also the authority that tells supporters how to pay and elect them. Congressmen can’t be free from the constitution to run the country however they please and yet use the constitution (that they themselves aren’t bound to) to enforce others to pay for their ideas. This dysfunctional model would reap major corruption and scandal. The same goes for the gospel. God’s Spirit gives authority and direction to ministers, while in turn, the Holy Spirit is also the authority that tells supporters how to pay and who to elect. Ministers cannot use the law (that they themselves aren’t bound to) to enforce payment for ideas that came from God’s Spirit.

The Bible says that the apostles lived from the Gospel because they preached from the gospel. What does this mean? Does it mean that they lived off the tithe? Did they invoke the Priesthood and Levitical covenant and then expected that they receive the same compensation that they preached upon? Maybe it just means they ate the paper from their scrolls? Or could it mean that they lived off the gospel in the same way in which they were called by the Gospel? A Levite was commissioned by the Law and received their living from the Law. A pastor was commissioned by the Holy Spirit and should receive their living from the Holy Spirit.

Allowing the Spirit to call ministers and allowing the Spirit to call supporters will promote accountability and deter corruption and scandal.

Conclusion

I apologize to all my liberal friends. I congratulate you if you’ve gotten through this post without having an anxiety attack. Go hug a tree and see a social worker for counseling services. You should feel better sometime tonight after you’ve eaten your soy dinner. For my conservative tithing friends. I congratulate you as well. You are now considered the thing you abhorred the most – a Liberal! You’ll feel better after watching a few episodes of Hannity tonight. Keep applying the rules to everyone but yourself, allow the jackasses to rule the media, and keep promoting anarchy since tithing is for liberals.

If you’re bored and want to read the other “Tithing Is For” Series. Here are the links

Bible Verses About Spirit Led Giving

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Because of my stand against the tithing mandate, many have asked me for bible verses that support Spirit led giving. So I’ve compiled a list of the more obvious bible verses that i believe support Spirit led giving as opposed to tithing. There are definitely other verses that may support Spirit Led giving in an indirect way, but i do not feel that they are as obvious as these bible verses below. I have included a monetary offer at the end to the best one who contributes an additional bible verse on Spirit led giving.

  1. Galatians 5:18
    But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
    Um, need i say more? Sure, because there are 10 more bible verses still to write about.
  2. Romans 12:6-8
    Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, [let us use them]: if prophecy, [let us] [prophesy] in proportion to our faith; or ministry, [let us use it] in [our] ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
    This just plainly states that our giving is a Spiritual gift, not an action that is determined by a numerical calculation.
  3. Matthew 10:8
    Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, [fn] cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.
    With this verse in correlation with other spiritual gifts, such as healing, we should see that our freewill, spirit-led giving is a command and is a spiritual gift as well.
  4. Acts 1:8
    But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
    It is the law and sin that no longer has the authority and power over our lives, including our giving.
  5. Acts 5:3
    But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself
    In this passage Ananias disobeys the Spirit of God and convinces himself into believing a lie that he should keep back part of the price of land.  If the Holy Spirit was not responsible for instructing Ananias to give everything, then Ananias had no reason to hide part of the price. The guilty need no accusing. This is why i believe that Spirit led giving is not an easy way out of giving. There are direct consequences for disobeying the instructions of the Holy Spirit. With tithing in the Old Testament, you had some idea of what the consequences of not tithing were.  I would think that the worst part about some types of punishments is not knowing what the consequence would be.
  6. 1 Peter 4:10
    As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
    Many times we pray and plead for an opportunity to minister our gifts except when it comes time to minister our gifts of giving. It seems that we have the opportunity to bypass the intense pleading and praying part because the ministry of giving is calculated through tithing, not prayer.
  7. Acts 2:44-46
    Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart,
    This is not a verse that even mentions the Holy Spirit, but can we deny that the leading of the Holy Spirit is not upon them? Can we deny that the worries of possessions and materialism have faded into the gladness and simplicity of their communion?
  8. 2 Corinthians 8:1-9, 9:7
    Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia: that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality. For I bear witness that according to their ability, yes, and beyond their ability, they were freely willing, imploring us with much urgency that we would receive the gift and the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And not only as we had hoped, but they first gave themselves to the Lord, and then to us by the will of God.
    So we urged Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete this grace in you as well. But as you abound in everything–in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all diligence, and in your love for us–see that you abound in this grace also. I speak not by commandment, but I am testing the sincerity of your love by the diligence of others. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.     . . .[So let] each one [give] as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity[law]; for God loves a cheerful giver.
    Yes, this is one of the more vague passages to support Spirit led giving, but in this whole passage about giving, i have underlined 2 phrases to summarize this passage on giving. After Paul’s admonishment on liberality and freewill giving, he states, “I speak not by commandment” and “not of necessity”. These phrases should strike a stake into the heart of all tithing supporters, and should make it clear that no standards or laws are a substitute for the Holy Spirit.
  9. Acts 11:28-30
    Then one of them, named Agabus, stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea. This they also did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.
    Here we have a man/woman who revealed through the Holy Spirit that a great famine was going to come. And because of what the Holy Spirit had revealed, the early Church was able to prepare relief for those who would be most effected by this famine. The Spirit led gift of giving many times is not so much the ability to give, but more or less the ability for one to see a financial need that should be filled.
  10. Luke 4:1
    And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness.
    Do we see giving mentioned in here, no. But we do see the Holy Spirit as a leader, and a guide.
  11. John 16:13
    Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
    I think we need to realize that Holy Spirit isn’t just this being that puts a permanent smile on our face. Many people believe that Spirit led giving is just simply performing the action of being cheerful. This is not the truth. We not only should be Spirit filled with our giving, but also Spirit led. The Holy Spirit is an instructor, and brings revelation for our lives.
  12. 2 Corinthians 9:7
    [So let] each one [give] as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

We need more verses that support Spirit led giving, SO PLEASE ADD SOME SPIRIT LED GIVING VERSES IN THE COMMENTS. I would definitely love old or new testament verses. There are lots of bible verses on giving in the new testament but it’s hard to really pinpoint that a spiritual gift is being used or that the Holy Spirit is guiding someone. So take that into consideration if you wish to add a verse. Also, please add your own little commentary to the verse as well, so i can add your explanation. I don’t want my voice to be the sole interpreter of scripture on this blog. I will send $15 through paypal to the best new verse and explanation of Spirit led giving.

Incompatible Systems: Tithing v. Holy Spirit

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Could you imagine if God told the Israelites to use the laws in the Roman tax code to pay for the Levitical service in the temple? I’m sure a lot of objections come to mind right now. here are a few of my objections:

  • The Roman law does not know how much resources are needed to run the temple operations
  • The Levites have no influence or authority over the Roman laws
  • Old Testament laws and the Roman laws have 2 different duties to fulfill
  • The two different statutes are just incompatible, so there would be no way to merge Roman law with the Levitical laws

Using the laws in the Roman tax code to pay for the services of the Jewish temple seems ludicrous. But, as bizarre as it may seem, the Church today is financing it’s ministries in this same bizarre fashion. We are using two separate statutes that are incompatible with one another to either govern or finance Church ministry. The Church body uses the Holy Spirit as our guide and our counsel. He is responsible for ordaining evangelists, teachers, apostles, and prophets; and yet we use a different tax code to pay for the service of these offices.

Instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to finance the same ministries that He governs, we use the tithing tax code to pay for them. Since the law used tithing to support the Levites and a type of priesthood that does not exist today; why do we use tithing to support ministries that have no connection with the law still? Here’s my objections:

The tithing law does not know how much resources are needed to run Spirit led operations.

Let me give a practical example. The U.S. Constitution delegates specific powers to our government. So naturally, our constitution delegates funding for it’s own operations. We couldn’t use the financial data from European laws to pay for U.S. government operations. So, how can we use tithing laws to finance the operations that the Holy Spirit has delegated? Tithing has no ability to predict the amount of resources that the Holy Spirit needs.

Also, what better way to confirm that a ministry was  called by the Holy Spirit, then by the same Spirit calling us to give to support it?

The Spirit led Church has no influence or authority over the tithing laws

Let’s just hypothetically say that in the Old Testament, Roman laws distributed a tithe proportionately to 10 levitical districts. What influence would the Levites have over these Roman laws if they felt a change in finances was necessary? The Levites do not have any authority over the Roman government, let alone any of the benefits of Roman citizenship. The needs of each levitical district varies year after year, but the Levites are stuck with the proportions delegated by the Roman laws.

Today, the Spirit led church has no influence over where their tithe must go. You may think that my claim is biased since the church leaders distribute the tithe and offerings after each Sunday. But I’m not talking about what Church leaders do with what others have given. I’m talking about what you do with what God has given you. You and I are the Church. Pastor Bob and his staff is not the entirety of Church operations.

According to most tithe teachers today, our tithe belongs in the local church storehouse. So, if we were to give our 10% anywhere else besides the local church, then we would be in danger of putting ourselves under the Malachi 3 curse. In some cases, our extended family could use some help with groceries this week, but choosing where our tithe can go is not our decision to make. We have no authority to change where the tithe must go, because neither the Holy Spirit, nor your ambitions have no authority to change it.

Even though Christians are to be led by the Spirit of God, what tithing really means is that once you’ve achievedthe minimum guidelines and standards, you are finally free to be Spirit led. Until then, you are under the authority of something other than the Holy Spirit.

Both the Old Covenant, and the New Covenant operations have different duties to fulfill

I’ve already stated that tithing was used to support the Levitical system and a type of priesthood that does not exist today. Tithing financed the duties of Levites in the Old Testament who held governmental positions, couldn’t own land, were guards, and also treasurers of the cities. The tithe in the Old Testament was their government welfare system and also funded multiple yearly festivals. The tithe did not pay for any salaries, nor did the tithe did not go towards any buildings or programs.

There is no way that tithing could have been integrated into a completely different New Testament system without any instructions in the bible on how to modify or migrate tithing into the Spirit led Church. The new testament Church is not the old testament system donning a new costume; so why should tithing be slipped under the cloak of the New Covenant legislation?

In the Old Testament, worship for the Israelites, Levites, and Priests was instructed through the Law. There was no question as to who was to serve, where you were to serve, and how long. This systematic worship, and governance made it quite simple to use a tithe to finance these straight-forward instructions. If the new covenant had laws that dictated who the ministerial class was going to be, as well as where and when they served; then i could see no problem with implementing a systematic way of financing that legalistic operation.

In the New Testament, because we all participate in the operations of priestly worship, our duties are not clear-cut for us. We are all given gifts that differ according to the delegations of the Holy Spirit. Since we all have duties of the priests, there is no Levitical class, there is no priestly portions. We do not have instructions written on who is to serve, how long, or where. The Holy Spirit is spontaneous, and radical. But please take note, that we have the responsibility to develop plans and create order. Spirit led giving is not the presence of anarchy and chaos.

The Holy Spirit and tithing are just incompatible

You cannot use water to fuel a combustion engine, and neither can we expect tithing to fuel the Spirit filled Church. The restrictions of tithing make it impossible to coordinate with the spontaneous and radical movements of the Holy Spirit. You cannot expect a dead, static law, such as tithing, to be fully compatible with a living, spiritual organism.

God’s children are born of the Spirit, so the letter of the law is dead. Nothing screams “letter” more loudly than prescribing a mathematical formula for our worship towards God. Seriously, what other aspect of our worship are we obligated to perform a minimum standard? Name me one – praying, serving, preaching, witnessing, attendance . . . ? Also, name me one spiritual gift, besides giving, where there is a minimum standard attached to it? Could tithing be any less discreet about it’s form of legalism? Tithing IS the definition of legalism! The letter and the Spirit do not mix.

Conclusion

Could you imagine if God told the Church to use the laws in the Roman tax code to pay for the ministries in His Church? It sounds ludicrous! So, stop trying to be a church that is governed by Julius Caesar and be a Church that is governed by the Holy Spirit and the Word of God – Jesus Christ.

Except for Spirit Led Giving

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Except

We ask the Spirit of God to . . .
guide our hearts
bring utterance
heal the sick
save the souls
train us
help us with decisions
open doors
rise up leaders
build the Church
We ask the Spirit of God about the impossible, except tell us how much to give.

The Spirit of God is in control of the gifts of. . .
teaching
prophecy
healing
wisdom
administration
leadership
faith
except giving, that’s controlled by tithing.

We ask the Spirit of God to rise up Godly . . .
missionaries
pastors
evangelists
teachers
leaders
politicians
parents
children
We ask the Spirit of God to rise up everyone, except givers, because every one’s suppose to tithe anyways.

We ask the Spirit of God . . .
where we should go
what we should do
when is the right time
how we should do it
why we need to
who it’s gonna be
except how much, because we already know the answer to that

We ask the Spirit of God about
anything
everything
everybody
everywhere
except when it comes to the all power dollar, our answers are found through tithing.

We inquire the Holy Spirit about every area of our life, except when it comes to money, we leave it up to tithing. We are encouraged to seek God’s counsel, to pray, to wait for answers, and to listen to that still small voice. But when it comes to our giving, it is baffling how the counsel is unneeded, prayer can be ignored, and the still small voice can be silenced. When tithing is the answer, there is no need to hear, no need to pray, and no need to seek counsel about our giving. Sure, other areas of our life still need prayer, answers, and counsel. With tithing, there is nothing to counsel about, and nothing to ask about.

As a Church, we wish to pursue the Spirit led movement pictured in the book of Acts, except when it comes to our pocketbooks, we don’t have the faith to rely on the actions of Spirit led giving and receiving.

What’s the Difference Between Spirit-led, Freewill, & Grace Giving?

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I hate being picky about terminology, but I feel this issue is important enough to be picky about. Many non-tithers use the terms “freewill giving”, “Spirit led giving”, and “grace giving” to describe how they give. The only problem is that the use of some of these terms to describe their philosophy of giving send out mixed messages. In this post I am going to describe the difference between spirit-led, freewill, & grace giving. I will tell you why grace & freewill giving is not a term that clearly describes our opposing view about tithing. In the end I will tell you why “Spirit led” giving is the correct terminology that does illuminate the differentiating properties between tithing and new covenant giving.

Here’s the issue, people who enforce tithing tend to say, “i believe in grace giving and I believe in freewill giving, it’s just that i believe 10% is the starting point.” I would venture to say, that they are probably right – they do believe in grace and freewill giving. Their motivation to tithe may not be as if it were a law; their motivation is because they are under God’s grace and love. The issue is that they are led by a law, not by the Spirit.

What is Freewill Giving?

I’m not going to pull up dictionary definitions, but generally, I believe that everyone has freewill. Whether you believe tithing is commanded or not, you believe that God doesn’t force you to do something. So freewill giving is a very broad definition. By nature, the term “freewill” doesn’t describe attributes that are against tithing. Tithing can be freewill also.

What is Grace Giving?

Ok, so grace giving sounds much more definitive right? After all, the Old Testament was under the law and we are under grace, so anyone who tithes is still under the law, right? Well, many tithers claim that they are under grace as well, simply for the fact that they are free from the curse. Typically these are the ones that tell you that the tithe is not a law that you will be punished for, and yet in the same sentence convince you how the tithe is the minimum, and God expects you to give it. Hence they somehow morph an old testament concept to fit under the new covenant relationship. Regardless, yes, we are all under grace whether we believe in tithing or not. So, the term, “grace giving” doesn’t exactly describe the attributes that are against tithing either.

What is Spirit Led Giving?

Here it is: Spirit led giving. What’s significant about this term? Simply the fact that the Holy Spirit is the sole distinguishing factor between the saints of the Old Testament and those of us under the New Testament. You see, neither Abraham, Moses, Noah, Jacob, King David, or Isaac had the gift of the Spirit. Their communication with God was between them and an earthly priest. They did not have personal communication with God. Only the priest, who entered the Holy of Holies had that privilege.

The most bizarre concept to me about tithing, is that God can’t trust his Spirit to help you make the right decision as to where you can give the first 10%, but he can trust his Spirit to guide you with offerings? Spirit led giving puts the Holy Spirit in control of what you do with every single penny. Don’t confuse, “spirit led” with “spirit filled”. Both terms are totally different concepts. Spirit-led is receiving instructions from the Holy Spirit as your source as opposed to using scripture to dictate your actions. Spirit filled is more or less obtaining character attributes of God.

I guess another term that would be safe to use is “new covenant giving“. When you debate others about tithing, this terminology stuff can get nit-picky, and sometimes frustrating. Next time you talk with someone about tithing, i challenge you to use the term “spirit-led giving”.

What do you think about all this terminology? Do you think it matters? Do you call your giving something different? If you do, I’d like to hear it.