THE TITHE
The tithe continues to be food, to be eaten from house to house while sharing the whole counsel of God, resulting in daily addition of new souls (Acts 2:46-47).
Freewill offering is to be used for specifically sowing extravagantly to reap a bountiful harvest. The first Pentecostals sold their extra property, laying it at the apostles’ feet with gladness, and they lacked nothing (2 Cor. 9:6-7; Acts 4:34-35).
Whereas Jews gave dutifully, we give cheerfully. Money follows apostles, never the other way around.
Anyone who does not provide for his own is worse that an infidel (1Tim.5:8).
THREE SYSTEMS OF GIVING IN THE SCRIPTURES
Temple Tax. Every Israelite over the age of twenty was to give half a shekel as annual Temple Tax. This would be about two days’ wages of a laborer. The rich did not pay more, nor the poor less. This was used to support the Temple service (Exo. 30:12-16). Yeshua, a law-abiding Jew, paid this tax after sending Peter to catch a fish that had a shekel in its mouth (Matt. 17:27). With the destruction of the Temple in AD 70, this tax came to an end. What you give to your church is Temple Tax as a service provider, to marry you, to baptize your babes, and to bury you, but it is not the biblical Tithe.
Tithe was Food. Every landowner had to bring the tithe of his increase. “Bring your Tithes, so that there may be food in my house” (Mal. 3:10). Landowners brought the Tithe of the increase of their harvest, which included grains, fruits, oil, wine, and animals. After placing the blood, the head and the fat with the organs on the Altar, priests would waive the animal over the Altar and then hand over the animal back to the devotee. The devotee ate the tithe with his Household, the Levite, the widows and orphans and the strangers.
The priest kept one leg and the skin for himself. If the tithe-payer came from a distant place, then he could sell his Tithe locally, bring the cash to Jerusalem and buy whatever food he desired. Every third year the landowner gave a double Tithe. This he ate within his gates with his Household, the local Levite, the widows, orphans and strangers who were Gentile farm hands (Deut. 14:22-29). Yeshua, Peter and Paul paid no Tithe, because they had no land, nor did they ask believers to give Tithes to the church. Tithes are still food that believers bring to their house Ekklesia, share with others, and eat with gladness of heart (Acts 2:46-47; 1 Cor. 11:20-23).
Freewill Giving. There were boxes located outside the Temple treasury where people could give whatever they wished: gold, silver, money or minchah, a bloody or bloodless offering (Lev. 7:16; 2 Chron. 31:14). A widow once dropped in two coins, all that she had. Yeshua said that she had given 100 percent (Luke 24:1-4). There was no set limit (Luke 6:38). Freewill offerings are not for supporting a church but for supporting those who are reaping a harvest of souls. “He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:6-7).
“Things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).
GOD DID NOT START THE TITHING TRADITION
Melchizedec, of Salem greeted Abraham with “Praise the Lord” and got a tithe-full of loot. But later Abraham offered Isaac, the most precious thing of his life and became a friend of God forever (Gen. 14:18-20; 28:20-22; 2 Chron. 20:7). Jacob offered a conditional tithe, only if God would provide him with food, raiment and security (Gen. 28:20-22).
The OT was a shadow and everything in the tabernacle changed into substance in the NT. Saints became the temple and the priests of the living God. The animal sacrifice was replaced with sacrifice of broken and contrite hearts. The altar of incense became the house of prayer for all nations. The menorah in the dark and dingy Holy Place became the light of the world and the tithe which was always food eaten in the presence of the Lord now became the “breaking bread from house to house” that was eaten, resulting in growth and multiplication of the Ekklesias. Many consider all the OT Laws as obsolete but strongly advocate tithing because it predates the Mosaic Law. But so do circumcision, sacrifice and polygamy.
THE JEWS WERE NO TAX DODGERS
Three thousand years ago, Moses commanded them to declare their income and account for every penny, to make sure that they had not stolen or misused it. Only then, with a clear conscience, could they ask God to look down from heaven and bless their land to flow with milk and honey (Deut. 26:12-15). Jews normally gave ten percent of their profit every year and another ten percent every third year. They offered Burnt offerings, Peace offerings, Thanksgiving offerings as well as Vow offerings. They offered grain, wine, oil, first fruits, the firstborn of their flocks and special sacrifices to redeem their own firstborn. The Jews were good givers because they believed that their material blessing depended on their faithful giving. Even the Levites gave a tithe of their tithes (Neh. 10:38). But tithing was for the Jews, who gave dutifully but not for us, who give cheerfully. Zacchaeus the greedy tax collector, experienced abundant joy only after he gave away his wealth with reckless abandon. Sadly, along with all Jewish sacrifices, tithing for the Levites (clergy) was also nailed to the cross forever.
POVERTY IS A SIGN OF A CURSE
Hunger, thirst, and nakedness were a curse imposed on those who did not serve the Lord with joy and gladness of heart (Deut. 28:47-48). Jews opened their hands freely to the needy such that there were no poor among them (Deut. 15:4-11). It is common to threaten Christians with dire consequences for robbing God, in support clergy. However, it is not giving to the poor that is unscriptural (Mal. 3:5, 8-10).
The Didache, also called the “Teaching of the Twelve Apostles”, written circa AD 65-80 reads, “Let your alms sweat in your hands, until you know to whom to give. Do not be a stretcher forth of hand to receive but to give… Gathering for others’ sake is valid, but he who asks for self is a false prophet”.
YESHUA ABROGATES TITHING
The Greek word didōmi implies giving our most precious possession of our own free will, not by coercion (Acts 20:35). Yeshua never asked us to give tithes to the Ekklesia. He even condemned the Pharisees: “You pay tithes of mint, anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy and faith.” God never asked the Jews to give tithes of anise and cumin. Opening our homes to the lost and least remains the best way to offer to God everything we own and our house becomes a house of prayer for all nations. (Matt. 23:23; 5:20; Luke 19:5-10; Mark 11:17).
GET A HUNDREDFOLD RETURN ON INVESTMENT
Yeshua said, “Whoever has left houses, brothers, sisters, father, mother, wife, children or lands for His name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold and inherit everlasting life and the right to judge in the regeneration” (Matt. 19:27- 30). Tough conditions, but still the best investment you can make. Sadly, some churches spend the bulk of their income on themselves.
USE YOUR MUSCLE POWER TO FULFILL THE GREAT COMMISSION
“Then you shall say in your heart, my power and the might of my hands have gained me this wealth. For you shall remember God, for it is He who gives power to earn wealth that He may establish His covenant, which He swore to your fathers” (Deut. 8:17-18). He is more interested in what you keep and why you keep, than in how much you give. God is the All Sufficient who does not need our money. God gives us wealth to fulfill His covenant: “Through Abraham, all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:13).
All true believers are the descendants of Abraham (Gal. 3:7-9), therefore all our income must bless the unblessed families of the earth. If we are going to share immortality with them, then there is no reason why we should not share our mortal resources to make them immortal. We should not be deluded into thinking that whatever we earn by our hard labor is ours to use as we wish, but we should clearly understand that it still belongs to God who gave us the strength to earn it in the first place. We should earn all we can, to redeem all those who are not yet the children of Abraham (Eph. 3:5-6). This is a privilege for those who are in Messiah, the seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:29).
BREAK THE CURSE OF POVERTY BY GIVING
Scripturally, poverty is a sign of curse (Deut. 28:47-48). Yeshua did not own a house or property. Instead, he carried all His worldly possessions in a shoulder bag (Luke 9:58). Even so, He lacked nothing, until the day he gave up everything to die on a cross. There on the cross He suffered hunger, thirst, nakedness, pain, and suffocation, everything, because He had become the curse for the world. It was only after Yeshua gave up everything, that the blessing of Abraham became operational for the Gentiles (Gal. 3:13-14).
We bring a curse upon ourselves by disregarding the needs of others, especially those of itinerant evangelists. Those who spend all their money on themselves constantly complain that their income is too little. That same income becomes more than enough when we thank God and use it to advance His kingdom. The best way to break the curse of poverty is to give from the little that we have until it hurts. The woman of Zarephath broke her curse of poverty by giving her last morsel to Elijah. After that, her bin of flour and jar of oil never ran dry (1 Kings 17:14-16). The widow who gave her last two mites became the greatest donor of all times (Luke 21:1-4).
NOT THE RELIGIOUS BUT THE POOR ARE IN GOD’S FOCUS
In the OT, the tithe was food given only by the landowners who gave a tenth of their grain as well as every tenth animal that passed under the rod (Lev. 27:30-32). A landless fisherman did not give every tenth fish, nor did a carpenter give every tenth plough. No land, no tithe.
Yeshua came from a poor family because they offered only a turtle dove at His dedication, a sign of poverty. He became poor so that we might become rich. Christians are a Diaspora people who care for the widows, orphans and ethnic minorities, migrants fleeing war, persecution, and poverty, in search of better life, who are not only geographically but also socially, culturally, emotionally and economically dislocated and often more than ready to receive Yeshua (Lev. 19:33-34; Deut. 10:17-18). He is not asking us just to be their benefactors but consider them as fellow pilgrims. He said, “What you did unto the least of these my brethren you have done it unto me (Matt. 25:40). This is in radical contrast to the way the world despises them (Luke 22:25).
It is not the religious, but the poor, the weak, the meek and the freak, the exploited, the powerless, the untouchables, and plain nobodies that are in focus. “Take heed that you despise not one of these little ones for in heaven their angels always see the face of God. It is not the will of the Father that one of these little ones should perish” “Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith, to inherit the kingdom? (Luke 6:20; Jam. 2:1-9; 1 Cor. 1:26-31; Matt. 9:13, 18:10, 14).
THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF POVERTY
Poverty is primarily the result of fracture of relationships between the Creator and his creation. Hence poverty of love for God and your needy neighbor, are the root causes of poverty manifesting as material, relational, emotional, intellectual and spiritual poverty. When Yeshua was carrying the sins of the world to the cross, His relationship with the Father was temporarily broken and He suffered all kinds of poverty. However, when the loving relationship is restored with the Creator and His creation then the poverty turns into prosperity (Rom. 8:19-23).
FOOLS EARN FOR THE WISE
“God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight, but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God” (Ecc. 2:26). In God’s economic system, a sinner works hard to earn wealth to benefit the godly. This is God’s justice. It is wise to give away what you cannot keep, to gain that which you cannot lose.
CARING AND SHARING EKKLESIAS BREAK THE CURSE OF POVERTY
The NT church was not so heavenly minded that it was of no earthly use. It practiced holistic ministry of taking care of the body, soul and spirit, “”. Scripture teaches us to give our offerings to take care of the poor, and to support those in itinerant ministry laboring in the harvest fields. “Double honor” means respect with honorarium for effective rulers and teachers. Ephesus had a school in the Hall of Tyrannus where Paul’s assistants both taught and supervised seekers. They were so effective that all Asia (now part of Turkey) heard the Gospel (Jam. 1:27; Luke 10:7; 1 Cor. 16:2-4; 2 Tim. 2:34; 1 Tim. 5:17; Acts 19:8-10).
Those NT believers that owned “lands and houses” (plural), sold their extra property, laying the proceeds at the apostles’ feet, and they lacked nothing (Acts 4:34-35). This is a sign of a caring, sharing Ekklesia that broke the curse of poverty. They only sold their extra houses and lands. Mary, the mother of Mark, kept her large house, opening it for a house Ekklesia where the last Supper took place and the Holy Spirit fell on disciples on the Day of the Pentecost (Acts 12:5, 12). Ananias and Sapphira tried to cheat and died instantly. All who believed were together and had all things in common (Acts 2:44-46). Selling extra property turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because when persecution came, those who had not sold and shared, lost everything. Barnabas was a landowning Levite, which was forbidden, so he sold it and laid the proceeds at the apostles’ feet, later becoming an apostle himself (Acts 4:34-37). Give to the needy all that you do not really need and start counting your blessings. God has provided enough for everyone’s need but not for anyone’s greed.
BREAK YOUR GREED SO GOD CAN BREAK INTO YOUR LIFE
Laying money “at the apostles’ feet” sends an important signal, that money is to be spent for apostolic purposes so that none will lack anything (Rom. 10:14-15). This frees up believers to save and give for specific purposes (1 Cor. 16:2-3). There is no provision for wasting money on land, property or court cases. Micah 2:13 describes a gatecrashing, wall-breaking, poverty-smashing God. But first, we must break our love of money, our socially and racially unjust, miserly, poverty-tolerating “attitudes”, before God will break into our life. We must honor God by offering whatever precious possessions we have, then watch our curses be broken, our wealth multiply, and our vats overflow with new wine (Prov. 3:9-10; 10:22).
PAUL WORKED HARD TO GIVE SOMETHING TO THE POOR
Paul a tentmaker, was a full-time missionary. He once reminded the Ephesian elders how he earned his living with his own hands, taking care of himself and his disciples, giving away the rest to the poor. “In everything, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus Himself: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive’” (Acts 20:3335; Luke 6:30). Paul said that he who does not work should not eat (2 Thess. 3:8-12). Even whilst under house arrest in Rome, he paid for his own expenses (Acts 28:30). The great missionary William Carey did the same in India. Paul said that “if anyone does not provide for his own, especially his family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an infidel.”
It is not what you give to the church, rather it is what you do for soul winners that counts (1 Tim. 5:8; Eph. 4:28; Matt. 25:40; Phil. 4:16-18). We think that the Lord took poor fishermen out from their jobs to enter full-time ministry (Matt. 4:19; Jer. 16:16). But the reality is that Peter probably rented out his boats (Luke 5:3-7) and went fishing from time to time. His call to ministry started with the sale of two boatloads of fish and the income from the 153 fish, caught after the resurrection, saw them through to the Pentecost (John 21:3,11). Honest, hard work is encouraged in the NT.
SPEND ALL YOU CAN FOR THE HURTING NEIGHBOURS
Yeshua gave us the dual Great Commandment, love God passionately and love your needy neighbor with equal gusto, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind… and love your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). Christians are gung-ho on gatherings but abrogate loving our needy neighbors to schools that teach but do not transform or the hospitals that cure but do not heal or worse still to governments, NGOs and church committees. For this reason, God has now sent global pandemic to close down all holy huddles that disregard the second Great Command. Christians are now helping the widows and orphans, victims of covid, with medical care, oxygen, vaccines and food etc., even helping with the disposal of the dead. They are also praying and sharing the gospel with the hurting people as never before. As a result, they are having an encounter with Yeshua in practical ways and coming to Christ in numbers unprecedented.
Scripture says, “It is sinful not to do good when we have the means to do it (James 4:17). The best way to prove that we love an awesome God is to love our awful neighbors. Interestingly, Christians give minimal yet expect maximal blessings. Pious proclamations of peace and goodwill among men without a holistic relationship with hurting neighbors are mere sanctimonious pretensions.
BEWARE THE WORSHIP OF MAMON
Most Christians are idolaters whose revered object of worship is wealth. For many leaders, the raising of funds remains a compulsion developed into a fine art with the help of laptops and video projectors. Raising money for the poor, for itinerant missionaries or for training programs remains legitimate. Paul did so. However, raising funds for worship centers, expensive musical instruments or other monstrosities that lie unused for six days a week, should be banned.
Some who are delighted to get creamy jobs often make contributions for church buildings and other facilities, but none for the those who labor in the harvest fields. The NT calls this a delusion (Jam. 4:13). Many avoid witnessing for fear of losing their job. But there will be no cowards or compromisers in heaven (Rev. 21:8). No one can serve both God and Mammon (Luke 16:13). Any job that is given to us is for God’s own glory and for meeting our need though not our greed.
THE HARVEST IS READY BUT THERE IS A FAMINE OF SUPPORTERS
God has materially blessed many Christians, some are not yet a source of blessing to people of other faiths (Gen. 12:1-3). Laborers cannot go reap a harvest unless they are sent (Rom. 10:13-16; 2 Tim. 2:4). We have two options, either we must go, or we must send. The Scriptures teach us to supply from our abundance to the needy, especially apostolic teams, so that from their spiritual abundance they may supply our needs. Thus, we supplement and complement each other (2 Cor. 8:14-15).
CARPET BOMBING OR CLUSTER EFFECT
In Jerusalem, the disciples multiplied like wildfire from house to house, carpeting the whole city (Acts 6:1, 7; 5:28). Theirs was an urban model where rapid communication was available. All the Jews who joined the faith became resource persons. No money was required for this. However, when the gospel reached to the regions beyond, Paul planted Households of God that exploded like cluster bombs, with spiritual shrapnel reaching into the surrounding towns and villages. There, money was required to support itinerant missionaries. Although the giving of tithes to finance a church budget is not in the NT, the meeting of apostle’s urgent needs certainly is (Titus 3:13-14).
COLLECTIONS ARE FOR THE SAINTS, NOT FOR CHURCH MAINTAINENCE
How beautiful are the dirty feet of those who carry the gospel to the lost that dwell in distant villages and filthy shanty towns of the city! (Rom. 10:15). It is our duty and privilege to keep those feet moving. Those who labor among the lost are worthy of double wages (1 Tim. 5:17-18). They are not our servants, nor are they beggars, for their sender is the Lord Himself (Matt. 28:18-19). Therefore, we should welcome them in our homes with gladness, holding them in great esteem (Phil. 2:29-30). We can meet their needs in many ways such as providing food, clothes, bicycles, Bibles, literature, school fees, medical and travel bills, house rent, etc. (3 John 6-8). Paul asked the Galatians and Corinthians to lay aside something for the poor saints of Jerusalem. He was not setting a tradition, for it was only a one-time effort for a specific purpose (1 Cor. 16:1-2). There is no biblical basis for giving once a week. However, it is wise to keep funds handy for a deserving cause (Eph. 4:28). “He who sows bountifully, shall also reap bountifully” (2 Cor. 9:6).
THE BEST WAY
A financially strong church remains a contradiction in terms, just like a poor Christian is a contradiction. The law of abundance operates in our life. He who said, “Come unto Me, all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28) has promised, “My God shall supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Messiah Yeshua” (Phil. 4:19). All our needs cover every area of our life including body, emotions, soul, material and financial need.
We are accountable to God for His gifts of time, talents and other resources. If we give only a couple of hours once a week in the church, it is of no value to the lost of this world. Instead of building houses for Him, we should let Him build His Household in our homes. The best way is to make available all the resources in our house, so that Yeshua can build “a house of prayer for all nations” (Mark 11:17). The early Ekklesia did so by “sharing the whole counsel of God from house to house” (Acts 20:20, 27; 2:46). “To him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin” (Jam. 4:17).
GEMS:
- Yeshua declared the widow who gave her two mites, as the greatest donor of all times as she gave all that she had. (Mark 12:41–44)
- Yeshua declared that salvation has come to this house as Zacchaeus gave away all his ill-gotten wealth. (Luke 19:1-10)
- Anna and Saphira died instantly because they told lies about their giving. (Acts 5:1-10)
- Mary of Magdala, Joanna and Susanna supported ministry of Yeshua wherever he went from their own resources. (Luke 8:3,4)
- Barnabas went and sold his land and put the money at the Apostle’s feet because he was a Levite and was not supposed to have land. (Acts 4:36,37)
- Paul thanked Philippian Ekklesia for financially supporting him during the hour of his need. (Phil. 4:15)
- Scripture says, “Let the elders who rule (royal priests) well be counted worthy of double honor (Greek Time’ means both respect and money), especially those who labor in Word and doctrine.
- You shall not muzzle the ox treading out grain for the laborer is worthy of his reward.” (1Tim. 5:17,18)
- Cornelius, a Gentile was fasting and an angel appeared to him and said, “Your prayers and your gifts to the poor have come up for a memorial before God.” (Acts 10:4)
Copyright © 2023 Dr. Victor Choudhrie
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