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Anyway, I've already said (in so many words) that if a person cannot tithe willingly, he shouldn't bother. I tithe, but am more than happy to do so. If someone tithes but does so grudgingly, I don't see much point in it.
Kat...I agree with what you say here. If you give willingly out the goodness of the heart ...then it shouldn't matter who benefits. This is what I do too whenever possible....just not to a church who demands it....
The OP wanted to know whether or not...it is right for church goers to be forced to give 10% of their income...and I say, it is better to give to the poor and needy directly. No middle-man involved.
My mother's church makes the members sign a contract with the tithe stipulation to be adhered to. And just like owing the bank...when you miss a month...it will be added on to you plus interest.
Don't get me wrong..I have no idea whether or not all churches do this.
My mother's church makes the members sign a contract with the tithe stipulation to be adhered to. And just like owing the bank...when you miss a month...it will be added on to you plus interest.
Yes, I understand that Jesus sacrifice hadn't been made yet, but you can't just automatically assume that every law given in the Old Testament is no longer applicable to us today. Maybe that's not what you're doing, but it sounds like it to me. Anyway, I've already said (in so many words) that if a person cannot tithe willingly, he shouldn't bother. I tithe, but am more than happy to do so. If someone tithes but does so grudgingly, I don't see much point in it.
I think you may be misunderstanding the position I am upholding. In no way do I mean that all laws in the OT are gone, as a matter of fact none of them are.
They are ALL completed fulfilled in Christ.
Zech 14...Feast of Tabernacles, which is the feast commemorating God..i.e. worship.
When I worship Christ, as I am doing right now with you, all ordinances al completely fulfilled in this very conversation, including, tithing.
We are giving to God what is God's. Praise. Blessings to you.
My mother's church makes the members sign a contract with the tithe stipulation to be adhered to. And just like owing the bank...when you miss a month...it will be added on to you plus interest.
Can you please tell us what church that is.... to make sure that we stay away from it.
If I absolutely had to tithe to go to heaven...
I wouldn't give 10% to church, I'd give 1% to church and 9% to the poor.
There's way too many millionaire pastors around flying in private planes.
I think you may be misunderstanding the position I am upholding. In no way do I mean that all laws in the OT are gone, as a matter of fact none of them are.
They are ALL completed fulfilled in Christ.
I haven't read the Bible in a while, but what I got from reading it, is that Jesus said that the old laws stay... but at the same time, he came to change the laws.
Whether or not that makes sense.... that's what I got from reading the Bible.
Now,
there's A LOT of laws in the Old Testament that I guarantee 99% of Christians wouldn't approve of.
Remember, God told Abraham to take his son to the mountain top to sacrifice him in his name.... and he was going to do it, but God stopped him.
Is it ok for a person to sacrifice his son on a mountain top because "God told him to do it"????
In the New Testament, Jesus told us that he's the ultimate sacrifice and there's no need for anymore sacrifices to go to heaven.
In the New Testament, Jesus told us that he's the ultimate sacrifice and there's no need for anymore sacrifices to go to heaven.
That's an interesting way of paraphrasing Jesus' teachings. I didn't get that out of my reading of it at all. Consider Luke 18:18-23, which says, "And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God. Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother. And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up. Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich." He was telling him to sell all that he had and give the proceeds to the poor. It certainly doesn't sound to me as if He was saying there is no need for us to sacrifice.
Here's a quote I like. It's not from the Bible, but it expresses my personal feelings pretty well...
Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things. It was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life; and it is through the medium of the sacrifice of all earthly things that men do actually know that they are doing things that are well pleasing in the sight of God. When a man has offered in sacrifice all that he has for the truth's sake, not even withholding his life, and believing before God that he seeks to do his will, he does and will accept his sacrifice and offering, and that he has not, nor will not seek his face in vain. Under these circumstances, then, he can obtain the faith necessary for him to lay hold on eternal life.
Sacrifice causes us to grow and progress. It increases our faith and helps us recognize the degree to which we rely on the Lord.
Malachi is a great book to begin studying deeper on this subject.
The book of Malachi...the book preachers use to brainwash their members into believing they are cursed and condemned to Hell if they do not pay their tithe. Stay away from it.
Sacrifice causes us to grow and progress. It increases our faith and helps us recognize the degree to which we rely on the Lord.
I'm not talking about "sacrificing 1 hour a day"
I'm talking about sacrificing as mentioned in the old testament.
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Wow! Now that is wrong!
