Is TITHING really what God wants from you? Did He give only 10% for you, or did He bankrupt heaven to redeem your soul? (Jesus is priceless, He gave 100% for YOU) Do you REALLY think God will settle for a mere 10%? Jesus is not your AGENT, He is your Lord! (if you are one of His flock)
For years, the clergy (a non-biblical term) has badgered believers into forking over their money, saying they are ROBBING God if they hold back their tithes and offerings. Little old ladies can be seen handing over their last few dollars, to preachers who arrive at church in expensive luxury cars. Is this not like the MONEY CHANGERS who Jesus chased out of church with a whip? Does God really want your last few bucks enough to SCARE you into giving?
When you come to Jesus for salvation, you come JUST AS YOU ARE. (remember the hymn Just As I Am?) This means that you come rich or poor, drunk or sober, nice or mean, or WHATEVER. If you HOLD BACK anything (good or bad), you are not able to be SAVED! God wants the REAL YOU, the TOTAL YOU. (or NOTHING at all) The blood of Jesus can only wash away the sins that you present to Him. If you drink whiskey to extreme, you had BETTER come to God as a drunkard. He will accept you as you are, and begin to change you in His way and time. (the FORGIVENESS will be IMMEDIATE)
If Jesus had HELD BACK anything, or only offered 10% of Himself, we would all be doomed to HELL. No one can enter heaven with unforgiven sins, even if the percent of remaining sin is less than 1%. Our Lord is not interested in playing numbers games. He deals TOTALLY, or He does not deal at all,
When you belong to Jesus, 100% of what you are, and what you own, is His. He purchased you with His own blood, you NO LONGER your own. Jesus is our sabbath, EVERYDAY is His day, not just Saturday or Sunday. Our are citizens of ABOVE, and NOT OF THIS WORLD. Since these are biblical FACTS, why do we act like we get saved, and then just go on living for OURSELVES? In reality, most Christians give about 1% of their time and money to God.
Let's get a few things straight, before we go any further. First, Jesus did tithe! He also kept the Sabbath, and He did not eat crawfish, crabs, or ham. Don't you get it, He was a JEW. Our Lord kept ALL of the old testament laws. The NEW TESTAMENT times did not start until Jesus died on the cross, which ended the dispensation of the law. Now, we live in the dispensation of GRACE. All believers are royal priests, we worship in the spirit, and we are the church. (not the building we fellowship in) Our tradition of denominations has split the Body of Christ into many factions, and created crazy doctrines which ROB and DESTROY believers of the JOY of their salvation.
Do you really believe God wants 10% of ANYTHING you own? He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and the sheep dogs too! (along with the shepherds) If you are saved, you really love God more than ANYTHING else. You give from you HEART, and WITHOUT measure. (just like God does) If you are really a member of THE KINGDOM, you will automatically give because you obey the Holy Spirit who directs your thoughts and actions. You don't need some preacher in a $1000.00 suit, telling you how much you owe God. You already know that you owe Him EVERYTHING. The truth is, many PREACHERS are robbing God by demanding money from people with money that God had OTHER PLANS for. (talk about playing on dangerous ground)
In the new testament, the money was collected by the saints to be used to help those in need. (not in greed) The money was not to furnish the pastor with goodies, it was dedicated to helping others, A lot of the giving, was in the form of food from the harvest. The Levites in the old testament lived off of tithes, but that priesthood was abolished. (now, ALL believers are ministers of the gospel) There are still valid reasons to support those who devote themselves to the ministry full time, people who have no other income. Even the apostle Paul, made tents to supplement his income.
To sum up, the new testament guideline is for believers to give as the Lord prospers them, in accordance with the guidance with their NEW HEART. (which God creates at the new birth) Allow the Holy Spirit to TEACH YOU ALL THINGS, and to GUIDE YOUR EVERY STEP. If you do this, you will AVOID the modern day money changers who attempt to pry your funds out of your pocket. God will take care of His own, and He really can do it WITHOUT YOU if you do not want to contribute to His work...
P.S. There are many scriptures I could have used to validate my position in this matter, but I believe those who know God will understand the SCRIPTURAL BASIS of this text. I do not want ANYONE to go by what I say here, look up the scriptures that relate to this subject matter for YOURSELF. These truths are well grounded in the WORD, but they are not what is taught (or preached) much in today's churches. If someone tries to FORCE you to give, they do not really understand God's word. If this happens, DO NOT give any money to them! They do not need money, they most likely need SALVATION. (and the guidance of the Holy Spirit) Our commission is to preach the Gospel. If we do this, God will surly provide for our needs,,,
