TO TITHES OR NOT TO

To Tithe, Or Not To?
Written By Chaplain Crystal R. Hill
Copyright 2009. All Rights Reserved.


What does the word "Tithe" Mean To You Today?
Tithe in Greek literally means 1/10 percentage, and it also means the same in Hebrew.
That today means one tenth of your money or material possessions.
Tithing is a way to worship God, to not tithe is to rob him- Lets Learn How...

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Abraham our early church father, gave tithes to Melchizedek in the Old Testament,
and it makes reference in the New Testament to it also. ( Hebrews 7:1,2,6) In the New
Testament it is used as a reference a typology of priesthood before Jesus' priesthood had begun
officially, it is a prophetic and symbolical reference to Jesus Christ coming into his priesthood.
( Hebrews 7:15-28)

We are to give unto the Lord as Abraham gave unto Melchizedek still today. Hebrews 13:16
also stresses that tithes and sacrifices ( or offerings) are two different things. Like faith and
works are 2 different things yet they work together.

Jesus was the ULTIMATE sacrifice so there is no need for sacrificial offerings unto God
( Hebrews Chapter 7 through 13 Explains this) BUT tithing is still obligatory to sustain the
church and the furtherance of the Gospel.

I. MORE FACTS ON TITHING

A. Tithes Promised From Jacob ( Genesis 28:22)

* Jacob pledged to Tithe a 10th of EVERYTHING God gives him
* We should draw a moral lesson from this story that should apply today,
God gives and we should give back

B. Tithes Belong To God ( Lev. 27:30-33)

* We must set apart that which is Holy, it is Gods, He never said that we could have 100%
from the beginning! WE CLAIMED THAT!!! He gave us 90% and asked us to give our BEST 10%
we are robbing God in his generosity in today's church!
* Tithes are STILL relevant today to us 2 Cor. 9:7 makes reference to it. Not only are we to do
so today but we are to do so CHEERFULLY- or don't do it at all because it will be in vain.

C. Give To The Levites ( Num. 18:21-24)

* God made the tithing system PERMANENT from generation to generation!
* vs 32 says as WE are to pay tithes, PREACHERS are also to beware of how they BELITTLE
what we give, it is a two way system of worship!

D. Given By Levites To Priests ( Num. 18:25-28)

* The people give to the church then the church gives to God
* The Levites even had to give a 10th of what they had received from the people to their
temple priests as their offering unto God
* The Levites were equivalent to today's Preacher and they had to give 10% to the temple priests
( equivalent to a elder) to sustain the ministry
* No one was exempt from tithing there was a system set in place to sustain the temple of God!
* Tithing is still relevant today it is used for meeting the needs of our community and our laborers
to sustain the ministry and spread the gospel, in today's terms that would be called
"Benevolence" and " Ministers Pay, or Ministry Allotments Per Ministry", and so on...This
system WAS NOT set up for NON believers!!! It was set up to sustain God's people. We fail
today to meet the churches needs and keep Gods people from suffering becasue we are busy
as a church given our resources to those who do not believe or even care to- those resources
could help a CHRISTIAN in the church to stay well and laboring in their faith.
* We are to give cheerfully and generously becasue we know it is going to our church or
those of faith, We are not to give foolishly as poor stewards, or to things that do not help
other Christians or we are robbing God and his people!

E. Taken To Temple ( Duet. 12:5-19)

* Tithes were to be taken to the temple , or in today's words " Church"
* Vs. 11 says we MUST take our tithes to a DESIGNATED place of worship to be offered
* GOD designates places of worship NOT US! ( He gives us everything that is good)

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II. TITHING HAS RULES TO FOLLOW ( Duet. 14: 22-29)

1. "SET ASIDE": a 10th of all you have yearly
( that applies to wages, material worth, etc.)
2. Bring to the designated place of worship
3. Eat and Celebrate there, celebrate what he has done for you!
4. DO NOT neglect church leadership in their labor
5. At the end of every 3rd year bring your tithes to the church leader, orphans, widows, foreigners
( the 3rd year is a special year to give to individuals and not just the church)
6. There is a blessing to those who are obedient to this system, He will bless you in ALL
your WORK!!!

These were what is called OLD TESTAMENT LAWS that were to be taken LITERALLY
by the Jewish People. Today we are spiritual Jews by rebirth and we should follow
these laws in a spiritual sense ( morally) by:

1. Whatever you do 1st with your money is what you VALUE the most ( sad fact)
2. Giving to God first puts immediate attention on God and helps us to focus spiritually
on being a good steward.
3. When God is first it gives us proper perspective on everything else
4. Giving to the needy makes faith active in everyday life!

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III. HONESTY IN TITHING ( Duet. 26:13-15)

When we do not give honestly we are lieing to God himself, he knows what he gave you!
We must be honest in all we do especially in our giving.
When we lie we are grieving the spirit, becasue God knows what is his, hes waiting to
see what you do with what he gives you!

God has a promise that applies today to those who are honest in this moral system:
Mal. 3: 7-12, Remember:

A. God is willing to give us a chance to restore our relationship with him, even financially!
B. Malachi urged to STOP holding back tithes and robbing God!
C. DO NOT ignore Gods command to tithe
D. EVERYTHING that we have is God's he only asks us to give him back 10%
SO when you do not give it back to him you are being a FLAT OUT THIEF!
E. NOT ALL God's blessings are meant to be received here on earth, SO BEWARE
of prosperity preachers who promise a immediate return on your tithes unto the church.
Blessings come in various forms NOT JUST FINANCIAL! ( For example maybe God feels
like healing of cancer would be a more suitable reward for your faithfulness- its all HIS
control, not mans!!! YES he tells us we will be blessed but he doesn't specifically guarantee
1000 for every 100 you give.....that's mans notion!

ALSO< we should not give legalistically ( Luke 18:9-14)
Self righteous tithing is forbidden! IT is not about rituals, its about faith and honoring
God for what he has blessed us with, he gave to us and we are to share in faith,
not for show or ritualistically, it should mean something special to us, its personal
intimacy with him.

REMEMBER: TITHING IS A FORM OF WORSHIP....
HOW IS YOUR WORSHIP???

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