The Tithe God declares without reservation, that "He owns ALL the silver and ALL the gold. Hag 2:8 He also declares that "He owns ALL the earth and ALL the creatures that dwell on the earth. Ex 19:5; Lev 25:23; Num 3:13; Ps 24:1, 50:10, 11, 74:16, 89:11, 95:4-5; Pv 16:4; Eze 18:4; 1Cor 6:20 Gen 14:20, 28:22; Lev 27:30-31; Num 18:21; Mal 3:10; Heb 7:5-9 As the owner of the earth, and the people, and the wealth, God has exercised His right to dictate what we are to do with His wealth that He lets pass through our hands. Accordingly, the Holy Spirit has commanded us to place the "FIRST" of HIS MONEY into His church. This first 10% NEVER DID belong to you, though you collected it and put it into your pocket. Since you don't own this 10%, you cannot determine where this money is to be used.
IT IS NOT YOUR MONEY! You just collected it for the real Owner, Jesus Christ; and if you don't stop spending His money, He will probably not let you collect it for Him very much longer. This is a tithe (a return to God of 10% of your increase) that Jesus Christ has ordered you to pay to Him. THIS IS NOT AN OPTIONAL OFFERING! The fact that He has dedicated His tithe to someone else is none of your business.
Since God prevented the priests from owning large parcels of land, He gave them tithes and offerings to suffice as their inheritance. The tithe is the "salary" of the church workers for their labor. It is their inheritance from God. No one else can spend the inheritance of the church workers as they please.
Even the pastors had to give a tithe on the salaries that they derived from the tithes of others.
As scripture shows, though the tithe goes to Him, Jesus in turn, has given this 10% to the consecrated Levites, i.e., "life-long church workers" who have obeyed God's appointment to consecrate their lives to Him, to do the work He assigns them (e.g., associate pastors, elders, deacons, teachers, singers, musicians, custodians, doorkeepers, or ushers). Periodic volunteers who serve at the request of the pastor or an elder have no legal right to the inheritance of a consecrated Levite. Still, as laborers, those who serve full-time are to be paid for their labor. This tithe is to be divided equitably among the consecrated Levites as their portion for doing the work of the sanctuary. The 10% that is taken from the pockets of believers, is given by God to the Levites via ordinance and statute, Lev 18:21, 24, 26, and is their "inheritance" forever. "Consecrated" Levites is the term used because technically the Levites have been disbanded. The work done by these men was work assigned to a family and handed down to sons. Though this family no longer does the work in the church, much of the work is still there to do. We see no where in the New Testament where Jesus abrogated: a) the method of payment to get this work done, or b) the right of those who do the work to be fed from the altar. On the contrary, Paul spoke of ministers having a right to "reap carnal things" from the congregation - 1Cor 9:7-14. Also, he spoke of the Philippians providing offering for him when other churches would not - Phpn 4:10-20. {Consecrated elders who have labored well in "word and doctrine" should be given a double portion - 1Tim 5:17.} The consecrated Levites are to then give 10% of what they have received to the priest (or senior pastor). Num 18:28-32 This is their tithe to the Lord. The Lord in turn gave this to the priest. When one does not tithe, THEY ARE STEALING THE INHERITANCE OF THE LEVITES, and are greatly angering God. Mal 3:8-12 Stealing the inheritance of His church staff will most assuredly hinder your prayers with God.
The tithe is God's tax for using His earth. Like all other taxes, there are fines for late payments. There is a 20% fine for the late payment of a tithe. Lev 27:13, 15, 19, 31 If your tithe was to be $100.00 because God gave you an increase of $1000.00 (cash or value), your penalty (one fifth of $100.00 = $20.00) causes your tithe now to be $120.00. God knows who is honest, and who will honestly pay His tax. God is the only Employer that permits you to keep approximately 85% - 90% of the wealth that He allows to pass through your hands. The Bible says, "The LOVE of money is the root of all evil." Dt 16:19; 1Tim 6:10 We find this too often to be true in God's House, and in government. {Money not labored for is most often misused by those given charge over us.} Since all money belongs to God, He allows each person to retain certain portions of His money to do the work He has set aside for them. Some will need more money, others less, but each has been given a certain portion of money to do the work given to them by God. Disobedient men often misuse the funds God has granted them, to further their own ungodly interests, explaining why: 1.) Men and women do not tithe and give offerings as commanded, but they do make payments for RVs, room additions, clothes, jewels, and lavish sound systems. 2.) We pay for the expensive trials of corrupt politicians. The government has access to large amounts of money because of burdensome taxes placed upon its citizens. The possibility of controlling large sums of money that someone else labored for, lures many corrupt politicians who greedily seek office, intent on trying their hands at misusing tax money. 3.) Some have more cars than they can drive, while others lack food, medical treatment, and shelter. 4.) Many "pastors" use all types of devious methods to extract money, effectively fleecing their sheep in the name of God. 5.) Drug abusing parents neglect their children, choosing to spend more time and energy committing crimes and chasing drugs, than they spend loving and nurturing their children. 6.) Many parents send their children to public school instead of paying for them to go to Christian schools. This enables those parents to redirect their spending to pursue pleasures like night clubs, restaurants, or expensive clothes. These parents are often dangling their children before the gates of Hell, by exposing them to so much secular teaching, and so little Christian teaching. If these children are not purposely balanced with Christian values, they will often find themselves trapped by the lures of evil, suffering from the wiles of the demons of Hell. Not having a solid foundation of Christian ethics, many sons and daughters take ungodly advantage of their parents' love by inducing them to co-sign loans, against the commands of God, Pr 6:1-5, 11:15, when proper management of the child's funds would have accomplished the task. Freewill Offerings When the old Levirate system of blood sacrifice was in existence, the priest (not the Levite) was endowed with several types of offerings, including animal parts to be eaten, and animal skins. Some parts were to be eaten by the priest and his sons only. Num 18:1-2, 7-10 Other parts could be eaten by his sons and daughters, but all offerings were portions of his subsistence. Num 18:11-19 The priest was also endowed with money that was separate from the normal tithe. This was the redemption money, spent by those who were redeeming their firstborn sons and firstborn animals that God had placed a sovereign claim upon, as His property from their birth. Num 18:15-16 The priest also received a tithe from the Levites. Num 18:26-28 The difference between the priests and the Levites is similar to the difference between high-ranking officers and low-ranking officers in the Army. Both the high-ranking officers and the low-ranking officers serve their countries, hold staff meetings, and are responsible for the thrust and success of the men put under their commands. However, the low-ranking officers serve the high-ranking officers, and they have fewer responsibilities and fewer benefits than do the high-ranking officers. The priest could be considered the high-ranking officer. The consecrated Levites could be considered the low-ranking officers. The Bible says that the Levites were given to the high priest "for a gift." Num 18:6 This means the consecrated associate pastors, elders, deacons, teachers, singers, musicians, doorkeepers, ushers, or custodians "were given to the priest, used at "his disposal, for the work of God. The priest or pastor runs the church, not a board of elders. Num 18:1-2 If there should be several assistant pastors in a congregation, the chief pastor should have the greater decision making capability (though a wise pastor will hear scriptural counsel and promote teamwork in most decisions). The priest or pastor "stands in" as Christ's representative, and is responsible to make those decisions Christ would make. God did not command that His church operate according to the vote of the laity.
The priest and the Levites (associate pastors, elders, deacons, teachers, singers, musicians, doorkeepers, ushers, or custodians) are responsible for the spiritual thrust and success of those souls put under their command. Jer 3:15, 23:4; Jn 21:17; Acts 26:25; 1Pt 5:1-3 As a gift to the pastor, Num 3:12, 45, 18:6, God claimed the Levites as His own, later giving them as a gift to the priest (pastor). The elders are to serve as the pastor's advisors and supporters, not judges and critics of the pastor. They are to provide the pastor with spiritual unity, and not be a thorn in his (or each other's) side. When one does not give freewill offerings, THEY ARE STEALING THE INHERITANCE OF THE PRIEST, Num 18:8, 11, 19 and greatly angering God. Stealing the inheritance of the priest who is standing in the stead of Christ, will most assuredly hinder your prayers with God. {This theft of the priest's offerings, is different from the theft of the Levites' tithe.} Freewill offerings given to the priest (pastor) by the Lord (from the pockets of the congregation), and the tithe given to the priest by the Lord (from the pockets of the Levites) are the "inheritance of the priests forever, by ordinance and statute. Notice, these tithes and offerings still belong to Christ technically, though He has assigned the "tithes" to the Levites and the "freewill offerings" to the priests. When the people who lived in the time of Malachi the prophet, withheld their tithes and offerings, God sternly rebuked them for withholding their tithes and offerings from Him, assuring them they would receive curses for "robbing Him" of tithes and offerings. Mal 3:8-11 Although God doesn't need the money, clearly His attitude is that one is stealing from Him when they withhold tithes & offerings. "He stated, "Ye have robbed me . . ." He did not say you have robbed the pastor. Mal 3:8-9 Many in God's family incur more troubles than necessary because they do not obey these commands, to give a certain portion of the money in their pocket to the priest or pastor. These funds do not belong to them.
God just permits a believer to use most of the money He has caused to be in the believer's pocket. But, God has not lost ownership of the believer, or ownership of what is in the believer's pocket. Scripture says, "Thou shalt not muzzle the o that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward." 1Tim 5:18 Notice, everything in the field did not belong to the owner of the field, after the ox had labored on his behalf. Some corn was the rightful property of the ox. As a practical matter, the ox gets to eat of the fruit its labor produces. An ox whose labor produces more fruit gets to eat more because there is more available. So too, the laboring priest and Levites get to eat more when they produce more. Since they cannot physically eat of spiritual fruit, nor can they eat of the souls they bear to fruition, the only thing left for them to "eat" in a practical sense, is the bread and meat they purchase with tithes and offerings. Should not the priest who ministers eternal bread be more worthy of just due than the ox who ministers earthly bread? 1Cor 9:9-14 "Those that lay themselves out to do our souls good should
not have their mouths muzzled, but have food provided for
them." Matthew Henry's Commentaries, Vol 6, p. 549
"It is the people's duty to maintain their minister, by
Christ's appointment..." Matthew Henry's Commentaries, Vol 6, p. 550
Look at what Paul said: 1Cor 9:9 Pastors have a right to the "fruit" produced by their flock, because these "sheep" are "assigned" to this shepherd. Pastors operate somewhat like sharecroppers. As they labor to bring forth spiritual fruit from their congregation, they have a right to eat of any material crop. The larger the spiritual crop, the greater share of the material crop the pastor should receive. Neither the pastor nor sharecropper own the "sheep" nor the land, but they are to be paid according to their successful labors. In another version, Paul plainly says in 1 Corinthians, Chap. 9:11 (NIV), "If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap material harvest from you?" This is nothing more than an echo of God's original command, that freewill offerings of meat, fruit, and grain are to be taken by the priest as HIS INHERITANCE, by statute and ordinance FOREVER. Today, freewill offerings must be in the form of food, clothing, material goods, or cash gifts. "Many in the pulpit do not teach that freewill offerings ARE REQUIRED just as tithes are required, and this ignorance causes curses to come upon the flock. {Freewill does not mean "when" one desires, but rather "what" one desires.} The freewill offering is to be regular and dependable, just as the tithe is to be regular and dependable. As the Lord provides for a man regularly (e.g., a paycheck every two weeks), that man is to provide for the workers of God's Kingdom regularly on earth. The Bible never condemns any priest for entering a contract for hire, where a person pays the priest to righteously intercede to God, on his behalf. It only becomes corrupt when the hired priest: 1.) Does not keep himself as holy as possible to remove any hindrances to God receiving his prayers, or 2.) Does not offer up righteous prayers of intercession, speaking for the one who hired him, or 3.) Does not motivate, teach, and ehort the one who hired him to obey the commands of God. It is foolish for "a flock" to think their pastor will never sin. God commanded the very first high priest, Aaron, to make sacrifices to atone for his own sins. Lev 4:3, 9:2, 7; 1am 3:14; Heb 5:1-4; 7:27-28, 9:6-7 The people should earnestly pray that: a) their pastor's sin not be grievous in nature, and b) they be forgiving toward a repentant pastor. If the Levirate ministry (an inferior ministry in comparison to Christ's ministry) was supported from the "holy things" of the temple, how much more should Christ's ministers have maintenance "out of the temple?" Heb 7 Have Christ's ministers less reason to etract their support from holy things? Look at Paul's perspective. Ph 4:17 Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account. Paul is plainly telling them he desired their account to flourish before God. He is implying their gifts of support to him were more fruitful to themselves. Paul wanted them to obey God in giving, so God would give to them. {Paul really received very little from his churches, forcing him often, to make tents for a living.} Acts 18:3 Does this mean if we haven't given properly to our priests and Levites, that our fruit will be diminished? We think so.
Note the sequence of when God will supply all your needs, after a sacrifice is determined by His minister, to be acceptable to God. In other words, God has promised to meet all your needs AFTER you have paid His pastor ALL your tithes AND offerings. If you slack on one or the other, you can be sure that He will slack on meeting your needs.
Are you giving to church what you are commanded to, or are you thieving? How can a thrice holy God honor the prayers and requests of one who is guilty of purposeful theft? |