TITHING
Ministers like to use the verse Malachi 3:8 saying “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.”, to make their members feel guilty if they haven’t given 10% of their income to the church, but that verse was directed to the priests, not the congregations, and it is being used out of context. It was the priests who robbed Yahuwah by not dividing the produce the way they were instructed by Yahuwah.
Hebrews 7:5 King James Version
5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:
Malachi 3:10 King James Version
10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith Yahuwah of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Deuteronomy 26:12-13 King James Version
12 When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, which is the year of tithing, and hast given it unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;
13 Then thou shalt say before Yahuwah thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten them.
Tithing is not a weekly thing – there are actually three tithes, and one is brought to some of the yearly festivals, which center around the harvest, and one is to be given every three years. It is a complicated subject that I am not going into detail about, since it’s not even applicable today. The modern-day ministers or pastors do not qualify for receiving this, because they are not Levitical priests and there is presently no temple, so the tithing system is not operating at this time. The tithe was to maintain the Levites as they cared for and guarded the tabernacle. They would tithe 10% of what they got and give 1% to the high priest. And part of the tithe was to support the orphans and widows.
You can give ‘OFFERINGS’ of money, supplies, clothing if they have a clothing ministry, your time and labor, basically anything you feel led to give, to ministers whom you trust that they will use it wisely, to help support their ministries, and if it’s money, you could give them even more than ten percent if you are able. It takes money to keep the lights on, the heat or air conditioning on, pay the water bill, to print up fliers, books, lessons, etc., and we should help support the ministers who bless us with their knowledge, time and money. Just don’t call it a tithe. An offering is over and above the tithe.
But most ‘ministers’ are NOT teaching the gospel correctly, the true gospel which lets people know they must keep Yahuwah’s commandments/laws, and don’t even come close to qualifying for this. However, if they do qualify, and also have a food pantry, this can be one way to carry out the tithing commandment as best we can with what we have available. Another idea is if there isn’t a minister near you who qualifies to do this with, since we are a royal priesthood ourselves, through Yahushuwa, our High Priest, then we could create our own storehouse of food, and use it to help feed the needy in our congregation if we have one, or in our neighborhood. I think this is a way to at least come close to doing this commandment since there is no official priesthood or temple presently.
2 Corinthians 9:7 King James Version
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for Yahuwah loveth a cheerful giver.
It doesn’t have to be limited to ten percent. This is something you give out of love, not out of law. I encourage believers to give OFFERINGS to their congregation leaders to help them with their needs, such as paying the heating and light bills, rent of the sanctuary, buying teaching and ministry supplies, and things like that. Since there is no Levitical Priesthood presently to give our tithes of produce to, congregations could at least have food banks, soup kitchens, clothing ministries, and things like that, and encourage their followers to donate their time and goods to these, so that the poor people don’t go hungry and can have their clothing needs met.
You can give ‘OFFERINGS’ of money, supplies, clothing if they have a clothing ministry, your time and labor, basically anything you feel led to give, to ministers whom you trust that they will use it wisely, to help support their ministries, and if it’s money, you could give them even more than ten percent if you are able. It takes money to keep the lights on, the heat or air conditioning on, pay the water bill, to print up fliers, books, lessons, etc., and we should help support the ministers who bless us with their knowledge, time and money. Just don’t call it a tithe. An offering is over and above the tithe.
But most ‘ministers’ are NOT teaching the gospel correctly, the true gospel which lets people know they must keep Yahuwah’s commandments/laws, and don’t even come close to qualifying for this. However, if they do qualify, and also have a food pantry, this can be one way to carry out the tithing commandment as best we can with what we have available. Another idea is if there isn’t a minister near you who qualifies to do this with, since we are a royal priesthood ourselves, through Yahushuwa, our High Priest, then we could create our own storehouse of food, and use it to help feed the needy in our congregation if we have one, or in our neighborhood. I think this is a way to at least come close to doing this commandment since there is no official priesthood or temple presently.
2 Corinthians 9:7 King James Version
7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for Yahuwah loveth a cheerful giver.
It doesn’t have to be limited to ten percent. This is something you give out of love, not out of law. I encourage believers to give OFFERINGS to their congregation leaders to help them with their needs, such as paying the heating and light bills, rent of the sanctuary, buying teaching and ministry supplies, and things like that. Since there is no Levitical Priesthood presently to give our tithes of produce to, congregations could at least have food banks, soup kitchens, clothing ministries, and things like that, and encourage their followers to donate their time and goods to these, so that the poor people don’t go hungry and can have their clothing needs met.
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