Some of the remnant people are having trouble paying their regular bills, of which our Lord has promised to help us with. Yes, the Lord promised to care for us in this area, as I will get into a little later, but only when we are faithful to our duty first. Those of us that tithe see that the Lord does indeed give us what we need each and every month, but not always what we want. He is truly a Father to His children in that respect because quite often we want that which is not good for us, and so out of love for us, He prevents such a prayer from being answered. For example, can you imagine all the trials and temptations we go through in life being compiled along with having massive riches some of us dream about?
Often the Lord keeps riches from His people simply because He knows what it can do to us. How many of us have heard about those people that have gone from rags to riches by winning the lottery only to see their lives completely destroyed by the money? First off, the lottery is gambling, and gambling is in fact a sin. How so you ask? What is the main objective to gambling? A quick unnatural increase in money without working for it. Ask any gambler and they will tell you, once you get your first "big win" you are hooked into an unnatural lust for money.
When the devil helps them win riches the Lord did not plan for them, they fall hard. They actually made a TV special on Discovery channel some years back about how people were destroyed by winning millions. This ended up on TV because some look at it as a strange phenomenon. It’s amazing what money can do to some peoples lives. Yes some people are rich by God’s will because He needs them to help further His message by using their riches to do so. Even so, what does the Lord declare to those that are given much in this world?
Years ago when I saw one of those specials on Discovery I found that almost all of them that won the lottery blew their fortunes on absolutely ridiculous things! Even though the lottery payments were set in stone to only last 20 years if received over time, everyone of them spent the money as if it would never run out. The fix was in and Satan had created a love for money within their hearts. They trusted the riches instead of the God of Heaven, and their idol failed each and every one of them. What most fail to realize is, the Lord lays claim to all that own, as it is His gift to them in whatever measure He declares is good for them.
Since we came into the world with nary a stitch of clothing upon us, how is it man is able to gain anything, let alone the power to get wealth? It all has to do with the Father’s will for each individual. For it is written,
Since it is all God’s decision as to what lot in life we receive, especially since this is also the same God that grants us eternal life when all is said and done, what should be our attitude towards such a God as this?
Besides accepting Christ as Lord, as is every man’s God given right, wise choice, and Heavenly gift. How else can we honor God and declare Him Lord in our life?
How do we honor Him in this way? What is it He is asking us to do here?
According to this passage, the Lord literally owns the tithe before He gives it. Just like the tree in the midst of the garden, and just like any test we experience in life, tithing is also used by our Father to see if we will do His will. He gives us whatever we need in life to pay our bills, as well as a few extra blessings. Seriously, look around in your own home and you will find all sorts of things that cannot be eaten. So, yes He understands that we need the little extras in life from time to time.
Since we understand, according to Leviticus, the tithe is holy unto the Lord. If we do not give back that which He has given in the first place as a test unto us to further the work of the Gospel, what sin are we guilty of?
What is the Lord talking about here? How do we rob Him? Is it when we use our tithes to pay our bills, to help friends in need, get a toy we’ve been craving for, or simply refusing to tithe altogether? Why does He consider it robbery? Think about it. First of all, it was never your money to begin with, just like the tree in the Garden of Eden was not given to Adam and Eve. The tithe was given to you only so that you would give it back. When you don’t, you rob God. And if that's not bad enough for the Christian to contemplate, perhaps reading what Ecclesiastes 5:13 says may help; which is, "There is a sore evil which I have seen under the sun, namely, riches kept for the owners thereof to their hurt."
The other toss of the coin is, there are many wonderful things the Lord wants to do through His people, especially in the last days. But when they refuse to tithe, the ministers called to do the work are crippled, and the work slows to a crawl and even stops at times. Truth is, this is why some projects have been prevented over the years at this ministry. I pray about this often. There is so much we could be doing right now, but we simply cannot afford to do it. I praise and thank the Lord for those of you that do tithe faithfully. We do get a lot done with what you send because the Lord has taught us how to be wise stewards of our money. Those that do tithe will, and are being blessed for it. If it wasn’t for God’s people being faithful to the Lord’s voice, we would not have this ability to meet online each Sabbath, let alone keep the website going. So again I say thank you for being faithful to your Father’s voice on this. But the only true praise goes to the Father, who gives those blessings to share in the first place. As you all know, I never ask for money from a pulpit. But that does mean those that if you are blessed by the work done by this ministry on a regular basis are free not to tithe to it. If that which is shared here blesses you, then would it not be wise to tithe to this ministry to assure others get the same blessing you receive? This is how the church was able to spread the message 2000 years ago. This is how it spreads today.
The amazing this here is, many seek a way to do God’s work in their lives that are unable to teach or preach. Tithing is just such a blessing for all concerned. Even if you are not called to preach or teach, you can still do the work of the Lord by tithing to those that are called to teach and preach. However, if you refuse to do as the Lord leads, then you literally rob Him of what is rightfully His, and that which He wants done is slowed by your disobedience.
Who can the tithe be sent to? According to the Word of this God we worship, tithe is to be used in a very specific manner.
Does Spirit of Prophecy confirm this?
Also notice this...
"Christ is of the order of Melchizedek, and Christ is our High Priest today. That being the case, is it not written that "Abraham paid a faithful tithe to Melchizedek; (Gen. 14:17-20) and Jacob promised to pay tithe of all, even if he received only food and raiment. (Gen. 28:20-22) Those who belong to the great household of faith and are children of Abraham, will "do the works of Abraham." (John 8:39) They will pay a faithful tithe for the support of those who, like the Levitical priests, give their lives for the advancement of Christ's kingdom upon the earth. Just as the priest lived "of the things of the temple,...even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." (1 Cor 9:9-14)" -The cross and its shadowIf the tithe was abolished as some preach, then why I ask doesn't Paul say so here? He is speaking of the tithe and if it was abolished he had a perfect opportunity to say so. But he never did. Plus the Word is plain in Malachi 3:6. It says "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed." And so if they tithed in the OT, they will tithe in the NT, for it is also written in Hebrews 13:8 that, "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever."
Some wonder if this priesthood is still valid today. In Hebrews 6:20 it says that, "…Jesus, (was) made an high priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec."
If Abraham paid tithe to the order of Melchisedec, and Jesus, who is in fact our high priest of the very same order, are we to follow Abraham’s lead here?
Does Jesus confirm that which Paul preaches here to be truth?
Better yet, while Jesus walked among us 2000 years ago, did He approve of the system of tithe even then?
He acknowledged they were doing right by paying tithe, and in the same breath rebuked them for ignoring other aspects of their duty. What does Paul say about those that did the work of the Lord in the Old Testament temple?
The tithe is to be given to the minister or pastor that you feel is blessed to do the Lord’s work as his only work on earth. In other words, when speaking of ministers that qualify to receive the tithe, this only applies to those that are working full time in ministry, and rightly so for as it is written in, 1 Corinthians 9:14, "Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel."
The tithe has been the norm since day one. Notice what it says here.
In other words, the portion that the Levites depended solely upon to survive was what the people brought for sacrifice. That is why they were never given their own land as the other tribes had. The Lord set it up that way to test the obedience of the people as well as the faith of the leaders. Just like today's tithe; if people don't tithe, the full time preacher simply doesn't eat. And so in reality, as they did in the Old Testament, they still do so in the New. Jesus said in…
As we know, the Word says the tithe is holy unto the Lord. This means we must obey and render unto God that which is His.
Paul also confirms years later that it is the duty of the New Testament Christian to give carnal means unto the ministers that were ordained to give them the spiritual things they needed.
Also notice what it says in Philippians 4:17. When speaking about the tithe Paul says it is "Not because I desire a gift: but I desire fruit that may abound to your account." In other words, he didn't need their money. But he did need to see their fruit of obedience towards doing their God given duty with the tithe. Paul did not require their tithe for his need. It was simply a way to verify their Christian fruit.
As we learned earlier, the main reason the Gentiles were to tithe their carnal means unto the ministers is because 1 Corinthians 9:14 said, "…the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel." In other words, if the people didn’t tithe, the ministers would have to get secular jobs and therefore be unable to dedicate all their time to doing the work of God. Their studies would be less frequent, their knowledge of God’s will would weaken, their sermons would be less blessed, and the people would suffer for it. Amazing isn't it? When the people refuse to tithe, THEY are the ones that suffer spiritually for it. This is why we see a movement today by many false teachers that declare the tithe was done away with at the cross. I’ve even seen some SDA preachers teach this lie recently.
Some that refuse to tithe ignore all the New Testament references to it here and some even claim the tithe was only as it was in Abraham's day when he gave of his flocks and fields. They claim nowhere in the Bible Old or New Testament that we will find people tithing cash. Yet notice what Jesus says regarding a Pharisee who is in prayer the same time a publican is in prayer. As we know the Pharisee boasts of his good fruits of not being an extortioner, unjust, adulterer or even as the publican that can't even look up to Heaven as he prays. After exalting himself and insulting the publican he says in Luke 18:12, "I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess."
Now as we know, all the Pharisees were all about the money. Like Judas who carried the bag of money, they had cash on them at all times. This is why Jesus asked them to toss Him a coin so as to illustrate what He did in Matthew 22:21. And what of the fact the man behind the Pharisee was in fact a publican, or as we call them today, a tax collector. Or what of the fact the Pharisees had 30 pieces of silver to give to Judas who betrayed our Lord? No, those that claim there was no one ever tithing with cash are simply lying so as to hold on to their own cash.
Now, what I am about to share is for those among the remnant people that are having financial hardships that do not tithe. As intimated here, there is a reason you cannot make ends meet. I know, I too used to have such financial troubles. About 20 years ago or so I was convicted to tithe. But, since I had been doing the work for years along with a 9-5 job, I assumed I could tithe to my own ministry. Thing was, when I did this, I was still experiencing financial difficulties, until one day, I realized the tithe was to be a complete separation of my monies from myself. If I benefit in any way, even if it meant I bought tracts with it to pass out, I would not be blessed. Once I started to send tithes to other ministers that I trusted as preachers of present truth, the Lord blessed us in ways I cannot put into words. No, I did not become a millionaire, nor did I make any more money after tithing properly, and no my bills did not suddenly disappear. What I saw Him do was this. Before I was tithing properly, I was unable to pay my bills with 100% of my money each month. I was always late on my bills. Now that I was tithing properly, not only was I able to pay all my bills on time, even though I was doing so with 10% missing off the top, and a private amount missing in love offerings, I discovered each month that I would have money left over at the end of the month to bless my family with. I don’t know how the Lord did this, but suffice it to say, the car didn’t seem to break down anymore, the fridge ran smoother, and other unexpected expenses seemed to be far less in number through the month. It finally dawned on me one day that the Lord was actually protecting our finances just as He promised He would! And it was all done merely because we started to tithe properly!
Are you aware that this is one of those times in Scripture where the Lord says it’s ok to test Him?
One of the amazing things about tithe is, it’s one way to see God’s hand move. This is why the devil tempts people not to tithe. It makes God’s Word become very real in their lives. When I saw how the Lord blessed our finances it took me back a few steps. I was very surprised to say the least. At first I saw it as an amazing sign that He was involved in my life in a very personal way. And then conviction rested upon me that I was in fact robbing God when I held back the tithe.
We all know how unexpected expenses pop up now and again. These are of course tests from the Lord to see if we will continue to be faithful with our tithe. While at the same time warnings to those of us that are refusing to follow His will altogether. If we do as He commands in His Word, He will prevent Satan from taking all our hard earned cash on unexpected expenses!
And by the way, when unexpected financial emergencies arise, and the only extra cash you have on hand is your tithe, there is no sin in using that tithe to pay for the emergency as long as you replace the tithe monies as quickly as possible. Just because you had an emergency doesn't mean you don't have to tithe. You still owe that money to the Lord. This too is a test to see what you will do at your next tithe interval. Reason being is, now you’re sending twice as much the following month, and it can become tempting not to send it.
I recall years ago this happened to me where I was unable to tithe one month due to an unexpected expense. Sometimes I was tempted at the end of the month not to send a tithe off because it was 4 weeks worth, and when I had to send the tithe off that was 2 months worth, the enemy tried to tempt me again. The enemy of souls will try to tempt you by making you focus on how much money your actually sending off. Especially when it’s a lot more than you’re used to sending, even though you owe it. If you are faithful to the Lord, He will do as He promised, and all will be well.
Both my wife and I, as many of you have no doubt witnessed, when we give unto the Lord in tithes He blesses us as promised. And when we give love offerings, He blesses us in the way in which we give here as well. But here it is all based on how we give. Tithing is a set in stone 10%. Love offerings are based on your heart. If we are generous in our love offerings, the Lord is generous in the blessings. If we are stingy, then our blessing will be small as well. Because He clearly said in that passage, that He bases our blessings on how we bless others. Love offerings can be used for many things, and not just for the ministers. There are many things love offerings can be used for. One quick example is it can be used for the poor.
Some think it’s ok to send their tithe to the poor. But as we just learned, this is not to be done. Love offerings can be given them, but never the tithe. In fact, Spirit of Prophecy confirms this.
We can, and we must help the poor, yes. But not by crippling the work of the Lord. We are not to give love offerings to the point of crippling our selves either. This is why Sister White is quoting, 1 Corinthians 16:2 wherein Paul, when speaking of helping the poor in Jerusalem that those that give should only give “as God hath prospered” them.
All of us have been given means by which to bless our fellow man. We should do so as often as the Lord allows. But tithing, that is something he commands of His people to be given with every increase. If we are truly striving unto that perfection, it will be noted in our obedience to our God.
One last thing. Notice this:
Since we know Abraham tithed unto Melchisedec, and we know the order of Melchisedec that Jesus became our High Priest in, that order is INCHANGEABLE. And so, those that declare you no longer need to tithe declare the eternal priesthood of Jesus Christ is a lie.
If you truly want all the blessings the Lord has to offer. If you truly want to be part of the Gideon band. If you truly want to see your Father in Heaven smile. Then we must follow our Lord’s lead in this. In John 5:30 Jesus, our perfect example said, "…I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me."
ONE LAST THING:
Some claim thay verse 7 confirms the return of feast days (ordinances) for our day is legit; but they ignore the next verse (#8) wherein it does not say it's the feast days they need to return unto but the tithes and offerings instead.
If the previous verse (7) was about the feast day ordinances, why is there no mention of them in this verse wherein it answers the question on how they need to return unto the Lord?
And so, not only does this passage show it’s not about feast days, it also shows the tithe is still valid. For even to this day people think this passage speaks of today but to prevent having to tithe they mix it up to make it appear as feast days are how we return unto the Lord.
If you are moved by the Lord to tithe to this ministry, please click here.
"If you have sinned by withholding from God His own in tithe and offerings, confess your guilt to God and to the church, and heed the injunction that has been given you, 'Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse.'" -- Letter 16g, 1892. |