1st Corinthians 16:1-2, “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.”
It bothers me immensely how 99% of pastors pressure their congregation to "give until it hurts." I'll never forget when I attended the shameful Harvest Baptist Church on Guam in 2013 to 2014. I was sitting in church one Sunday morning. They invited a guest speaker from the Philippines. A major typhoon had just decimated the Philippine islands. The guest preacher said that 1,900 churches were about ready to close their doors forever in the Philippines. He said, "I know the people of Harvest have given generously in the past, but we need for you to give until it hurts today to help keep the doors of these 1,900 churches open." As he spoke I looked down to my right and saw a church bulletin. I was sickened when I read inside that a few dozen church members were taking a lucrative vacation to Israel the next week. No doubt that trip cost well over $100,000, not including all the goodies they bought while in Israel. I'd dare say that the whole thing cost them $200,000. If 1,900 churches were literally about to go under and close their doors forever, then why couldn't they cancel their trip to Israel? I am not against taking a trip to Israel (although I'd rather go to Honolulu, Hawaii...lol), but it just shows the utter hypocrisy of these money hungry pastors today. They horribly browbeat and pressure their congregations to "give until it hurts," but then they are guilty of living large at the same time. You can't drive a fancy car, live in a luxurious home, take dozens of trips to Israel and then beg your people to sacrificially give until it hurts. They should fire the pastor!
Having said all that, not one verse in the Bible commands saints to tithe 10%. But 99% of pastors will go to task with you, ready to fight to the death in defense of the BIG LIE that God's demands you to tithe 10%, or else God will kill your children, burn down your house, take away your wife and let Satan strip away everything you own and love. I've heard pastors galore threaten their congregation with the wrath of God if they don't tithe 10% ,and then give above and beyond. I heard a pastor teach that you haven't given God anything unless you give above and beyond the 10% tithe. The Bible says in 𝟏𝒔𝒕 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝟏𝟔:𝟐, "𝑼𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝒂𝒔 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆." The Bible teaches to give "as God hath prospered him."
I know a dear Christian woman who has been hoodwinked by the 10% tithing lie. She is an elderly woman, only works a part-time job due to her age and health. She is low income, receiving government subsidized housing and Food Stamps because she cannot take care of herself. Yet, all her life pastors have instilled the BIG LIE in her head that she is robbing God if she doesn't tithe 10% of her income. So, she does tithe, faithfully, even though she unethically needs to borrow money from people all the time to survive. That is just plain WRONG!!! It is wrong when you cannot afford to pay your own bills, and you need to ask other people to help you financially, while you are tithing 10% and then giving above and beyond in addition. That is unethical and stupid. Even worse, the church pastor's bills are all paid. He drives a nice guy, lives in a luxurious parsonage and has all his material needs met—all compliments of the church.
I have really come to hate the BIG LIE of a 10% tithe. Nothing disgusts me more than money hungry pastors. One of my pet peeves is pastors who are living large financially, but then expect low income people to tithe 10%. No Sir, that is very wrong! The Bible says to give "as God hath prospered" you. If you are surviving on a shoestring, then you may only be able to give a dollar.
Having said all that, I do firmly believe that saints should ALWAYS give something. I heard a guest preacher at Hyles-Anderson College teach us students in chapel 35 years ago, to never let an offering plate pass in front of us empty. You should always give something, even if just a nickel or a dime (unless you truly have nothing to give). Little children should also give something, even if just a penny. Everyone should stay in the habit of giving.
Also, some people whom God has prospered could and should give 50 to 90% to God's work. Dr. Russell Anderson (co-founder of Hyles-Anderson College) gave at least 50% of his hard-earned $100,000,000 to the Lord's work.
It sickens me to see ungodly clowns like Oprah Winfrey have a net worth of $2,500,000,000 and yet Christian missionaries suffer on the foreign field, lacking enough money and resources. But God is able. The Lord owns the cattle on a thousand hills. 𝑷𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒔 𝟓𝟎:𝟏𝟎, "𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔." Thank you for reading.
Having said all that, not one verse in the Bible commands saints to tithe 10%. But 99% of pastors will go to task with you, ready to fight to the death in defense of the BIG LIE that God's demands you to tithe 10%, or else God will kill your children, burn down your house, take away your wife and let Satan strip away everything you own and love. I've heard pastors galore threaten their congregation with the wrath of God if they don't tithe 10% ,and then give above and beyond. I heard a pastor teach that you haven't given God anything unless you give above and beyond the 10% tithe. The Bible says in 𝟏𝒔𝒕 𝑪𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒂𝒏𝒔 𝟏𝟔:𝟐, "𝑼𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒅𝒂𝒚 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒆𝒆𝒌 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒍𝒂𝒚 𝒃𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒎 𝒊𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒆, 𝒂𝒔 𝑮𝒐𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒈𝒂𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑰 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆." The Bible teaches to give "as God hath prospered him."
Sadly, 99% of preachers teach the exact opposite. They teach to give first and then God will prosper you (aka, Give to get). If God has not prospered you, then you shouldn't give more than what you can reasonably afford.
In the Old Testament, under the Mosaic law, God require the other 11 tribes of Israel to tithe 10% to support the priestly tribe of Levi. This was a closed culture only for Old Testament Jews living under Mosaic law, not a precedent to pattern local churches after. Preachers have been arguing over tithing for millenniums! Dr. John R. Rice (1895-1980) taught that a believer could donate their tithes to parachurch ministries like the Sword of the Lord. However, Pastor Jack Hyles (1926-2001) taught that it is wrong to support parachurch ministries with your 10% tithe. Dr. Rice believe in Storehouse Tithing (i.e., letting money build up in the bank account), but Dr. Hyles didn't. My point is that even preachers cannot agree on how to handle money.
The following Scripture indicts pastors! Isaiah 56:11, “Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.” The prophet Isaiah was scolding the clergy, the priests! My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.
I know a dear Christian woman who has been hoodwinked by the 10% tithing lie. She is an elderly woman, only works a part-time job due to her age and health. She is low income, receiving government subsidized housing and Food Stamps because she cannot take care of herself. Yet, all her life pastors have instilled the BIG LIE in her head that she is robbing God if she doesn't tithe 10% of her income. So, she does tithe, faithfully, even though she unethically needs to borrow money from people all the time to survive. That is just plain WRONG!!! It is wrong when you cannot afford to pay your own bills, and you need to ask other people to help you financially, while you are tithing 10% and then giving above and beyond in addition. That is unethical and stupid. Even worse, the church pastor's bills are all paid. He drives a nice guy, lives in a luxurious parsonage and has all his material needs met—all compliments of the church.
I have really come to hate the BIG LIE of a 10% tithe. Nothing disgusts me more than money hungry pastors. One of my pet peeves is pastors who are living large financially, but then expect low income people to tithe 10%. No Sir, that is very wrong! The Bible says to give "as God hath prospered" you. If you are surviving on a shoestring, then you may only be able to give a dollar.
Having said all that, I do firmly believe that saints should ALWAYS give something. I heard a guest preacher at Hyles-Anderson College teach us students in chapel 35 years ago, to never let an offering plate pass in front of us empty. You should always give something, even if just a nickel or a dime (unless you truly have nothing to give). Little children should also give something, even if just a penny. Everyone should stay in the habit of giving.
Also, some people whom God has prospered could and should give 50 to 90% to God's work. Dr. Russell Anderson (co-founder of Hyles-Anderson College) gave at least 50% of his hard-earned $100,000,000 to the Lord's work.
It sickens me to see ungodly clowns like Oprah Winfrey have a net worth of $2,500,000,000 and yet Christian missionaries suffer on the foreign field, lacking enough money and resources. But God is able. The Lord owns the cattle on a thousand hills. 𝑷𝒔𝒂𝒍𝒎𝒔 𝟓𝟎:𝟏𝟎, "𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒃𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒖𝒑𝒐𝒏 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒔." Thank you for reading.
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