Hello!!! I'm not exactly trying to start a debate but, I work so much and I don't make it to church often and I am truly a babe in Christ, still trying to read and understand the bible and I was always taught to tithe, because tithing is what you owe and offerings is what you choose to give, then I had some people tell me that I shouldn't tithe because its not necessary. We had an open discussion about it and all I could do is sit there and listen because they were so sure that tithing was not necessary and I did not know what to say. I'm in my twenties and I try to tithe and give my ten percent but at times I do fall short and I mess up, but I am praying about it. So, if anyone can explain this process to me, it would be great appreciated!!! TIA!!

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" so you give ALL of your paycheck? "

Oh Noesss :-)
I never said I did THATall of the time...I stated what I am supposed to do all of the time with all of it.

And when I say give it all to Him - I dont mean give it to the man in the pulpit - I mean what ever I use it for - it should be something that glorifies God by how I spend it.
Such as - paying my bills and owing no man, giving to the poor, buying only what would be necessary.
And any and everything else I shell out I need to be asking - would Jesus be spending His money on this.
Every dollar, every dime and every penny.

Am I that consciencious? No, but where there's life - there's hope.
I hope to grow in perfection every day.
Technically speaking, you're viewing the tithe from a wrong angle, B Sam. The tithe is not the 10% owed to GOD. View the tithe as HIM keeping His 10% and gracing you to work with the rest. You aren't giving Him anything; if anything, HE's giving you 90%! So be faithful with what you are given, and do not rob GOD of what is rightfully His in the first place.

Remember, it was His before you ever saw it..........

The offering is "Kingdom investments". If you want increase, then give your offering and "invest in Kingdom business", aka fund the spread f the Kingdom message. A wise investor will only sow into ground that is fertile, or in Wall street lingo, a stock and business that is booming.

JESUS gave a parable about talents (money) given to certain individuals. Each one invested their funds and gained an increase. They were greatly rewarded for it. There was one that didn't however and was deemed a wicked man. JESUS said that the Master in the parable said "you at least could have placed it within the bank, that way I could have gained some interest". This is symbolic of placing it back within the storehouse of the Church and its' Ministers, the Apostles, Bishops, Prophets, ect.

Don't let ANYONE tell you that sowing is bad! Just know where to sow.........
Thank you so much!
It is an interesting subject - but, there are ten laws concerning tithing. Those laws cover what the tithe is, what they a required to provide, and what the recipients of the tithe are required to do with it.

For example, the tithe is NOT to go to the pastor! It is to be distributed equally between everyone who labors in the Temple - from the door keeper, the dancers, musicians, the current team of priests and those not on duty for the week, all of the families above related family members, and of course, the poor (both Jew and Gentile). Then, the priests must take a tithe of what they receive and give it to the high priest. But, today our High Priest is Jesus Christ - not the self appointed representative. Nor do we have a third Temple.

Of course there is yet another consideration: Ministers today neither believe in biblical tithing nor trust God to provide for them. I say this because if ministers who require tithing from their congregations, refuse to give up their secular jobs - both for themselves and all of their family members, and obtain 'approved' sources of income, e.g. reinstituting the Temple tax. There is yet another 'of course' attached to that too. Jesus did not think very highly of that source of income for the Temple - and the local church building is not the Third Temple of God, and the pastor is NOT serving as this year's high priest in that nonexistent Temple in Y'rushalay'im (Jerusalem).

Now, if anyone is really interest in following the precepts of biblical tithing, then let them actually study and learn the law (its interpretation and application) before attempting to teach others how to observe it! Why do folks preach tithing? What is the purpose and the expected results (goal).

If one is convinced that they should give some percent of their income to another - then please do so - and do it with joy! However, do not preach the letter of the ordinance of the law - which caries the curse of death! Rather teach the precept of freely giving to those who are in need and as necessary, to those who travel about preaching the good news.

Note: In some organizations, if one does not tithe (pay tribute, or bribe) the current presiding high priest (Senior Pastor), they cannot minister within the body of Christ.What is wrong with that picture?
Follow up comments:

While there are ample examples where a 'traveling preacher/minister' should receive substance from the local congregations to assist him in his travels, there are no examples of ministers of a local assembly being supported (honored, yes – supported, no) by the members of the local congregation.

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I cannot speak for the church throughout the world, but here in the west and especially in America, we have a great many ministers who have made their calling a profession. These ministers have done violence to the word of God and perverted both their calling (if in truth they have been called) and they have stood as a barrier between the saints and their God and even have used the believers as merchandise (as their source of income, even to become personally wealthy). In the past, there was one legitimate spiritual professional, the Levitical Priest. Not even prophets were 'professionals' in that they received a payment for their prophesies. Today, there is not one single practicing Levitical priest on the face of the earth! Why? Because there is no Third Temple in Jerusalem for him to officiate in.

I also believe that as the day of the Lord approaches even closer, the number of these wolves is growing and affecting both the unwary believer and spiritual seeker, as well as those ministers who are struggling to bring the local flock to spiritual maturity.

When one percent of the local police becomes corrupt, no policeman, anywhere, can be looked upon without suspicion. When a teacher molests a student, every teacher has become untrustworthy in the eyes of parents. So it is with ministers, i.e. the servants of Jesus Christ and His physical body in this world, who have placed themselves between the saints and their God and have become self-appointed mediators between men and their God, and have taken up the staff of Moses and have become 'Law Givers' to the body of Christ.

We cannot serve the head while abusing the rest of the body! We are not true servants of Christ when we speak blessings to the head, while we are cutting up and eating the master's own body. No! Those who do such things are murders, not servants. True disciples of Jesus who sit in assemblies such as this are saved in spite of the leadership, not because of it. The saints grow and mature because of their faith in Jesus Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit and the truth expressed in the Bible, because those combined powers are greater than that of any corrupt leadership. Witness those who first came out of – and later those few who actually survived – the Jim Jones disaster. Or, those saints who received their salvation while sitting under an immoral preacher. Or, those saints who received spiritual and physical blessings while sitting under a pastor who demanded their money and their personal allegiance.

I hit hard on the moral aspects of the ministry failings because this is the expected end of those ministers who have turned their calling from God into a human based religious profession. Each of us must decide for ourselves what we shall be, a servant to the master’s body or the master over it, we cannot be both!

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One additional note: Is it possible for one to become a "professional servant"? Yes. See John 10:11-14 (in context). The danger is that when one looks to the church as the source of their support and physical survival (income), what happens all too frequently is that the ministers become entangled in money matters and their focus becomes blurred or even all together misdirected.

The bottom line: A hired servant works for what he/she can get from their employment (physical rewards). A servant of love labors out of - and for - the reward of a love returned (there is no price tag on this).
Please note that I did not cite a single scriptural reference. That was not an oversight. Rather, scriptures were omitted in order to encourage everyone to open up the Bible and search the scriptures for themselves - and to study those same scriptures to show themselves approved unto God - not man!

Can one set aside the traditions of men and the dogma of the church to discovering what God is actually saying? For example, who knows, as a biblical fact, that establishing and supporting the Levitical Priesthood was not what God intended at all - it was His 'Plan B'? And, it is God's Old Covenant Plan B that we are now attempting to modify to so that a few men can live better than those they are suppose to be called to serve.

Do the math for a congregation of 5, 10, 20, and 50 members who tithe on an average congregational income of $20.000 each. One will quickly discover that 'numbers do count and why 'sheep stealing' becomes a capital offence.

All of this still allows for a congregation to provide both food, money and other gifts to the ministerial staff - should they choose to do so, but there is no biblically based law that 'requires' a congregation to support their local elders.
I am still a bit confused if any one truly feels led BY GOD to send me a message so that I can understand and learn about this, please do....only if you feel led....i will be praying for understanding because I know that God is not the author of confusion and I'm gonna trust that he will send someone to help me whether its here on at home!! God bless everyone for your responses...

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