if you love jesus you'll tithe anyway

8/10/2019 If You Love Jesus You'll Tithe Anyway

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If You Love Jesus You'll Tithe AnywayBy Patricia Backora

Greedy preachers screech scary scriptures, clobber Christians with cursesand traumatize tender souls with terrifying texts to control the cash cows outin their pews. Spiritual oodoo practitioners dish out all kinds of doctrinaldung to instill fear in God!s children and preent hungry saints from eatingthe so"called tithe, although #euteronomy $%&'( C)**+#-# sraelites toeat /and drink0 their tithe. )ne guilt tactic 1ackboot preachers use is 2f 3esus ain!t 4ord of your loot 5e ain!t 4ord of your life, and you don!t reallyloe 5im.6 )biously then, the more cash you flash in church, the more youloe 3esus. But who is on the receiing end of the sacrifice /money0 set uponthe altars of Christendom7 8he kingpin wearing the fancy suit and driingthe fancy car. 9heneer :tithe: money is taken up by church ushers, it is notsent by Space -xpress up to God;s celestial bank. God already ownseerything that exists. 5e owns the cattle on a thousand hills. 5e doesn;tneed some poor granny!s grocery money to sustain 5is eternal life.

Psalms <=&> will not reproe thee for thy sacrifices, or thy burnt offerings,to hae been continually before me.

?erse @ will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thyfields.?erse $= Aor eery beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon athousand hills.?erse $$ know all the fowls of the mountains, and all the wild beasts ofthe field are mine.?erse $' f were hungry, would not tell thee& for the world is mine, andthe fulness thereof.



God doesn;t need for ushers to shake down people on welfare in order tofeed 5imself. +nd after the serice it is gleefully counted by clergymen whohae many dreams they need to finance. 8his money is often taken fromthe mouths of poor families who are low"paid and struggling to put bread on

the table. *onetary tithing is nowhere taught in either 8estament. t is anunmerciful doctrine of deils. + fund"raising gimmick cooked up by Catholicprelates way back in the *iddle +ges.



8he 2laity6 are taught that :if they -+44 loe 3esus, they;ll make aneternal sacrifice to 2God6 /the preacher0 out of their meager incomes. 8hecommon pew"warmer must neer eat what ought to be sacrificed to theirspiritual superiors as sacred. But in *atthew $'&D"% Christ speaks of howthe staring #aid ate the sacred showbread, which was meant for the

priests only. 3esus says in erse E& But if ye had known what this meaneth, will hae mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not hae condemned theguiltless. -en if tithing on money were legitimate /and compulsory0, God!smercy would surely take priority oer sacrifice. !m sure 5e would allowsome poor mother to buy a bit of food for her hungry child, rather thanpressure her to tithe her meager welfare check to the church. n *atthew$<& D"( and *ark E& $="$D 3esus upbraids some Pharisees who hae plentyof religion but no loe. 8hey taught their disciples to offer a :corban:, amonetary gift which could hae relieed the want of elderly parents. 8hus,the true 9ord of God was rendered ineffectual by their ain traditions.

es, some would far rather hae sacrifice /money0 than mercy. 8he wholereason for the tithe was to keep food in God!s 5ouse for the hungry. Aorproof of that, refer you to #euteronomy $%&''"'@. *ost of this passagedeals with the Aestial 8ithe, paid on the first, second, fourth and fifth yearsof each seen"year tithing cycle /none was paid at all in the seenth yearwhen the land was allowed to lie fallow0. would especially like to Fuoteerses '>"'@, which speak of the special third and sixth"year tithe set aside



for hungry 4eites and poor people. + tithing law hidden under a bushelbasket by money"hungry preachers who hope no one discoers 95+8 thetithe was /food )40, 95) paid it /ranchers and farmers )40, and 95)ate it /the P)), the 4eites, and the worshipper himself0

?erse '> +t the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thineincrease the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates. H H H otice,the tithing was not done out of a person;s decrease, or poerty, but out of his increase /harest from +GCI48I-0. +nd this third"year tithe was notlaid up in a church treasury, but within the gates of the city for the benefit of poor people who needed to eat it.

?erse '@ +nd the 4eite, /because he hath no part nor inheritance withthee,0 and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow which are withinthy gates, shall come and eat, and be satisfied, that the 4ord thy God maybless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest. H H H 8he 4eite/who fulfilled deacon duties back in )ld 8estament times0 was countedamong the poor. +nd instead of being ordered to tithe out of her welfarecheck, the poor widow helped to eat the tithes of agricultural producebrought by more prosperous sraelites.

8ithe"enforcers argue that :all Scripture is profitable for doctrine andinstruction in righteousness /' 8imothy D&$(0:. Such actiities as gatheringtogether to share a meal with other belieers to re1oice in the 4ord!sgoodness, and making proision for true works of God and for the poor areapplicable to the ew Coenant of Grace, but the *osaic ordinance which

financed these things cannot be laid upon ew 8estament belieers. Corinthians D&( says& 9ho /God0 also hath made us ministers of the newtestamentJ not of the letter, but of the spirit& for the letter killeth, but thespirit gieth life. 8o sum it up& 9hen you minister the 4aw instead of theSpirit of 4ife in Christ 3esus, you dish out #-+85 But predatory preachersdon!t gie a flip that you run the risk of falling out of the grace of God /andforfeiting your salation0 by liing under law.

Galatians <&$"% /K3?0 $ Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christhath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. '

Behold, Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit younothing. D Aor testify again to eery man that is circumcised, 85+8 5- S +#-B8) 8) #) 85- WHOLE 4+9. % C5S8 S B-C)*- )A ) -AA-C8I8) )I, 95)S)-?- )A )I +- 3IS8A-# B 85- 4+9J - +-A+44- A)* G+C-.



Tithing: Money Just Doesn’t ill the !ill

)ne unscriptural scripture fatcat tithe takers club the :laity: oer the headwith is& :8he first tenth of your paycheck belongs to God:. 9rong t +44belongs to God, because we ourseles are 5is purchased possession

Some think they!re doing God a faor by reinenting and transplanting )ld8estament 4aws /ones they deem profitable0 into the Body of Christ. But didGod really tell the people to take the first item off the pile to pay as a tithe,

or the tenth7 4et!s dig into a little Scripture, and you 1ust might get aneen more iid picture of how ridiculous it is, trying to marry the )ldCoenant, with its obsolete rules and regulations, to the ew, which is aCoenant of 4iberty in Christ 3esus. 8alk about strange bedfellows

9hat constitutes tithable commodities under the )ld 4aw is summed up in4eiticus 'E&D=& +nd all the tithe )A 85- 4+#, whether )A 85- S--# or )A85- 4+#, or )A 85- AI8 )A 85- 8--, is the 4)#!S. t /not money0 isholy unto the 4ord. )4 -#B4- 8-*S G-9 ) +S-# ) 85- 4+#/cattle, sheep, wheat, grapes, etc.0 were sub1ect to being tithed.

?erse D$& +nd if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall addthereto the fifth part thereof. 5ow can a dirty dollar bill, dirtied by countlesssinful hands, be redeemed as a holy thing7 5ow can you redeem moneywith money anyway7 #oes God run a Saings and 4oan, authorizing 5issupposed representaties to charge 5is children a prime rate of '=Linterest7 4ogically, if some of the rules of )ld 8estament tithing on farmproduce apply to tithing on a ew 8estament Christian!s cash wages, then



they +44 do f you :borrow: M$== of :tithe money: to go see the doctor,you!e gotta pay :God: /the preacher70 back M$'=, or you break that same4aw you!re so anxious to return to, and you!re counted as a transgressor f you!re determined to earn faour with God by keeping one of 5is old laws,you can!t make up your own new"and"improed rules on how to tithe instead

of tithing 5S way. *ake a messy dog!s dinner out of 5is old laws and you!llbe in the doghouse with your *aker

?erse D'& +nd concerning the tithe )A 85- 5-#, ) )A 85- A4)CK, -?-)A 95+8S)-?- P+SS-85 I#- 85- )# /-er seen a twenty"M billtoddling on two legs to pass under the rod70 , the tenth shall be holy untothe 4ord.

#id God -+44 ask for the best tenth, or 1ust the tenth, period7

?erse DD& 5- S5+44 )8 S-+C5 95-85- 8 B- G))# ) B+#, -85-S5+44 5- C5+G- 8& and if he change it at all, both it and the change shallbe holyJ it shall not be redeemed. 5ow comical, the idea of applying thisprinciple to filthy lucre. magine diiding your M$=== salary into $= M$==bills, then putting them in a bag to shuffle them up. 8hen you pull them outone by one, till you get to the last one. 8hat one, not the first, counts as the:tithe:. +nd een if it!s a rumpled up bill with Susie N;s phone number on it,you!e still got to count that one as the tithe. But money"hungry preacherstell you, regarding tithing& :Gie of your best and first tithe /money0 to the*aster, before you meet eery other obligation.: But the aforementionedpassage is proof that it was the 8-85 item counted in a series of tithable

commodities which was set aside by farmers and herdsmen as the holy titheunder the )ld 4awJ not the first, and not necessarily the best one. 8he word:tithe: simply means :tenth:. -en if a rancher!s tenth cow was thescrawniest of the whole lot, it was still counted as the tithe. 8he :best of thetithes:, or a mere $L of the total, were to be offered by the 4eites to the5igh Priest in umbers $>& '<"D'. t would be sheer blasphemy for anyman to claim to sit in the office of the 5igh Priest under the ew Coenant,so as to claim the best tenth of a tithe of any man;s paycheck or otherpossessions. 3esus, not some man, is our )4 5igh Priest /5eb.%&$%"$(0.

9hich reminds me of this minor point& -ery true Christian belieer hasbeen made )- SP8 with Christ 5imself / Cor.(&$E0. 8herefore, it followsthat when oily"tongued parasite preachers dun Christians for 2tithe money6,they!re taxing 3esus 5imself

)fferings brought to the +ltar always had to be without spot or blemish/#euteronomy $<&'$0. Since tithes were taken at random from eery tenthitem counted, and worshippers were not to :search /check0 a tithed animal



whether it be good or bad: before counting it as the tithe, the people!s tithedidn!t Fualify for the +ltar anyway. +ll this sanctimonious driel about rank"and"file Gentile Christian :laity: offering up :tithe: money, an inedible itemon the +ltar, 1ust doesn!t wash with Scripture )nly that $L of all theproduce )A 85- 4+# )A S+-4, the 5eae )ffering /K3?0 hand"picked

from the people!s tithe and P+# B 85- 4-?8-S to the 5igh Priest, waseer presented at the +ltar

9hat about those times where terms like :without spot or blemish:,:firstfruits: or :redemption money: are applicable7 4et!s dig up a few more)ld 8estament obserances, and after reading the following sections tell mewhether you!d like to go back to keeping this mind"bogglingly complicatedScroll of the 4aw, with its (=="odd ordinances. )r rather, 1ust read it so youcan better appreciate what a colossal burden Christ has deliered you from

The Law: ulfille" In #h$ist% &ut Misalie" With Lies

God has opened my eyes. ow am able to see through the religiousrazzle"dazzle going on in churches and :miracle crusades: presided oer byProsperity gurus. )ne faorite fund"raising gimmick is to prime the pump of pious feror by bedazzling belieers with a lot of )ld 8estament buzzwords,and doing it with the right theatrics. +t least once was in a meeting wherethe preacher appealed to his flock to present a :wae offering to the 4ord:/with cabbage of the highest denominations, what else70.

Knowing his trusting, bah"h"h"ing sheep would readily follow, the man said,

:God loes a cheerful gier. 4et!s see you wae your biggest bill as yourfirstfruits offering unto the 4ord. 8hat!s it 9ae those bills high now, andmake a 1oyful noise unto the 4ord.:

ow, in a crowd of thousands of excited people, you must hae enoughsanctified common sense to master your own emotions and aoid beingswept along on a tide of error. ou need to be grounded in God!s truthenough to 1udge the collectie :blessing: by the strict yardstick of Scripture.5ae you eer read of the +postle Peter groaning to organ music andappealing to old 4eitical laws to make the money flow like milk and honey7

9hat did the Airstfruits offering and the 9ae offering consist of anyway,and what was the significance of these ancient rituals7

t was to the +ltar that the Airstfruits, the ery first ripening fruits of aharest, were brought in a basket /not a checkbook0 by the sraelite farmer/see -xodus 'D&$@J umbers $>&$DJ #euteronomy '(&$"$$J ehemiah $=&D<"DE0. Arom this the :waesheaf: was taken and offered up as holy unto



the 4ord /4eiticus 'D& @"$'0. 8his ritual was performed on the second dayof Passoer, or E weeks before Pentecost /erse $<0.

8he Airstfruits is not synonymous with the tithe of the whole harest offeredby the laity of the ation of srael. 8he tithe was payable later in the season,

when the whole crop ripened. ehemiah Chapter $= describes howsacrifices, tithes, and offerings were resumed after being discontinued inexile. otice in erse DE& +nd to bring the firstfruits of our #)IG5 /breaddough, that is0 and our offerings, and the AI8 )A +44 *+- )A 8--S,unto the priests, to the chambers of the 5ouse of our GodJ and the tithes )A)I G)I# /the Airstfruits and the tithes are listed separately0 unto the4eites /who receie the people!s $=L0. +nd remember, the 4-?8-!S titheof the tithe /)r $L of srael!s agricultural output0 comprised the 5eae)ffering /umbers $>&'<"'> K3?0, /5eb.:8erumah:0. Christ, our unblemished Passoer 4amb, fulfilled the 9aesheaf offeringwhen he offered 5imself up to God once and for all for our redemption fromsin /see 5ebrews Chapter $=0. Paul the +postle compares the dying andburial of the natural body to the sowing of a seed which results in a harest,where that seed is changed into a new, far more glorious form, speaking of our own resurrection to immortality / Corinthians $<&D<"%%0. Christ is theAirstfruits from the dead /erses '="'D0, and the Airst to be resurrected toimmortality and offered to God, in happy anticipation of the resurrection of 5is saints. Christ S the Aulfillment of both the Airstfruits and the 9aeSheaf offerings, een as as 5e fulfilled in 5is own sacrificial death the animalsacrifices of ancient srael. suspect God is offended by the way fishers for

funds make a big haul by pererting the simplicity of the Gospel of Christ byplaying the 2f you loe 3esus you!ll do it anyway6 guilt trip card. n the Book of ehemiah, the exiles of 3udah are returning from captiityafter a E="year absence. ow 8emple worship was being reinstituted, alongwith all the arious ordinances which could only be kept in the 4and of srael. 8urn to Chapter $=& D> to get a real thrill& +nd the priests the sons of +aron shall be with the 4eites, when the 4eites take tithes& and the 4eitesshall bring up the 885- )A 85- 885-S into the 5ouse of our God, to thechambers, unto the treasure house /ow, get this0 8hat!s the ery same

:storehouse: /5ebrew& outsair 0 so often Fuoted from *alachi D&$, the loneerse tithing teachers base most of their doctrine on 8hat was the placewhere 85- 4-?8-S /whom modern preachers readily identify with0 tooktheir own tithe /$L of the total0 to 85- P-S8S /higher ranking membersof the priestly 8ribe of 4ei who were descended from +aron0. 8hese are thesame 4eites who are cited by *alachi as being guilty of withholding the bestof the tithe from God 8hey, )8 85- 4+8 /other tribes of srael0, were the



ones primarily responsible for keeping this treasure house full of goodthings

f any religious leader still insists on playing 2spiritual 4eite6, let him go thewhole gamut and keep all the (=="odd points of the )ld 4aw. Stop eating

pork, ham and shrimp. Southerners, you!ll hae to gie up catfish, as thathas no scales /#eut. $%&@"$=0. #on!t work on Saturdays. 9ear a beard andside locks. #on!t order cheese on your Big *ac, Ocause you can!t mix meatwith dairy products. f your brother dies childless, marry his widow to raiseup a son to perpetuate his name. t works both ways, now

:+h, but couldn!t do that,: you say. 9hy7 :9ell, Paul says church leadersare to be the husband of only one wife.: es, he did say that. ou are notexpected to follow the ancient custom of leirate marriage. either arebelieers bound by 8ithing, which neer was on money to begin with.

(i)* One Law% You Ma$$y +E, All

3ames '&$= says& Aor whosoeer shall keep the whole 4aw, and yet offend in)- point, he is guilty of +44. 8he 4aw of *oses is not a restaurant menu.9here commitment is concerned, the 4aw of *oses is indiisible. f you owfaithfulness to one law, you yoke yourself to the whole clan. ou can!t 1ustcoenant with God to keep one law you like and shine off on all the rest.5ow long has it been since anybody sent their friendly 8? preacher aredemption fee for a firstborn kitten or puppy

9ily preachers pull out this ace& 8ithing predated the 4aw of *oses. 9ell, sodid animal sacrifice and circumcision. But they!re #)- +9+, Ocause theyain!t big money"makers like tithing



What A&out A&$aha,’s Tithing E-a,le.

+n example is not a command 8ithing teachers misapply ' 8im.D&$( to 1ustify tithing on the basis that since tithing appears in scripture, it!s still a

binding law today. o big deal that the items tithed are changed from foodto funds contrary to #eut. $'&D'. So what if all the minute, nitpicky,unprofitable Biblical regulations which comprise God!s true tithing law areignored, and only the ten per cent aspect is applied by the preacher7

9hat preacher forces Christians to apply 85-S- scriptures to their lies7 f they did, they!d end up at a war crimes tribunal or in a nut house sraelitewarriors wiped out male babies and non"irgins. 8hen they forced all the fairyoung irgins to hae sex with them /um.D$&$E"$>0. 3udges '$&$@"'%0.3oshua committed mass genocide to take the 4and 8he men of Ben1aminkidnapped girls who were dancing at a festial and forced them to marrythem /3osh.$=&'>0. 3ephthah offered up his daughter as a burnt offering/3udg.$$&'@"D@0. sraelite soldiers ate raw meat / Sam.$%&D'0. 8he prophetSamuel hacked a prisoner of war to pieces / Sam.$<&DD0, saiah went nakedand barefoot on his preaching tours /sa.'=&'0. Paul shaed his head as partof a *osaic ow een after he became a Christian /+cts $>&$>0. Paulcircumcised 8imothy, making him a debtor to do the whole law /Gal.<&D0.-zekiel did weird things with his hair and beard to illustrate his sermon/-zek.<&$"%0. 9ill Christians go to hell if they don!t fuel their stoe with bullbutane /-zek.%&$<07

+s for +braham!s tithe, a plain, unbiased reading of Genesis $% reeals thathe paid tithes )C-. +braham!s tithe was taken from the spoils of war, notfrom his own business earnings. 9icked, degenerate Sodom was thesource of +braham!s tithe. f the preacher insists on his people imitating+braham!s tithing example, the closest parallel would be to rescue a gang of prostitutes /and their belongings0 from kidnappers, take ten per cent of theirrecoered possessions, and present the loot to the Pope.

9hy don!t preachers apply a few of 85-S- scriptures to their congregation7Inder the )ld Coenant, the first"born of eery man and beast was the

4ord!s /-xodus $D&$"'J umbers $>&$<"$(J 4eiticus 'E& '("'E0. 5umanmales under < had to be redeemed with a payment of < 8emple shekels, Dfor females. 8he redemption fee was higher for an older person. 8hefirstborn of all unclean /non"kosher0 animals had to be redeemed instead of being offered, e.g. the 1ackass /-xodus $D&$DJ 4eiticus. 'E&'E0 8his is oneexample of hundreds of *osaic ordinances preachers hae neglected totransfer oer to our #ispensation of Grace. f anybody hopes to scorepoints with God by obserance of one *osaic ordinance, that indiidual must



place himself under +44 of the 4aw of *oses, and keep those laws exactly asGod dictated them to *oses, not some money"hungry preacher!s new"and"improed ersion of them t!s a package deal f one *osaic ordinance istransferable to the ew 8estament +ge of Grace, eery other *osaicordinance is transferable and binding, not 1ust the money"makers 8he whole

4aw includes circumcision for men, purification rituals and pigeon offeringsfor women, arious cleansings and washings, animal sacrifices, physicalinactiity on the Sabbath, abstinence from pork BBN, going to the Priest tohae your zits checked, and paying a redemption fee for your firstborn child.8hanks to Christ, we are redeemed from the condemnation of imperfect4aw"keeping, without haing to muddle through all those 4eitical 4aws andfees /saiah <'&DJ Peter $&$>0.

ou really open up a can of worms when you try to enforce )ld 8estament4aws in this #ispensation of Grace. -en if monetary fees still had to be paidtoday in fulfillment of ancient 4eitical law, God wouldn!t accept I.S.currency, with its mystical inscriptions and images of men, as these iolate5is 4aw against making images /-xodus '=&%0. *inisters simply couldn!taccept MD.== as a redemption fee for a baby girl, instead of three Shekels of the Sanctuary 8he 3ews of Christ!s time had to exchange their omancoins, engraed with images of Caesar, for acceptable 8emple shekels/*atthew '$&$'0. -en then, those coins were not used to pay tithes, buttaxes for the maintenance of the 8emple, as in the census tax taken fromeery sraelite oer twenty /-xodus D=& $$"$(0. -ach person, whether richor poor, was charged the same amounthalf a shekel. 8hat wouldconstitute far less than $= Lof a rich man!s income. Inder ehemiah!s

leadership, God allowed this small sum to be reduced to one"third of ashekel, perhaps because the people at that time were under foreign tributeand needed a bit of relief. 8his is one example of God!s compassion. 8he 8emple 8ax, howeer, cannot be used to argue that money secured theeternal redemption of the sraelites, een if this tax was easily affordable bymost eeryone. Psalms %@& E"> tells us that nothing we can gie God canransom anyone!s soul from death, and the redemption of our soul is precious/costly0. t is the Blood which makes atonement for sin /4eiticus $E&$$J5ebrews @&''0. ather, paying that census tax was a tangible reminder

/memorial0 of the faith each person directed toward the God 9ho inhabitedthe 8emple, and also symbolized the fact each )ld 8estament saint had aneFual ested interest in the benefits of its rites. 8he money paid for theupkeep of a 8emple which performed substitutionary animal sacrifices ontheir behalf. 8hese rites were crucial in the salation of belieing sraelites inthat they sered as :promissory notes: before God until their ultimatefulfilment in Christ, the perfect 4amb of God. 8he Blood of Christ, not silerand gold, has redeemed us /3ohn $&'@J 3ohn $&'@J Peter $& $>"$@0.



Aaithfulness to ritual obligations, as in paying the 8emple tax, showed theirfaith in the future coming of the final Sacrifice for sins, 3esus.

n eery dispensation, good works spring from true faith /3ames '&'(0. )none occasion 3esus took 5is own 8emple tax from the mouth of a fish

/*att.$E&'E0. 8his speaks of grace, not works. 3esus did not labor to earnthis contribution to a religious system which was growing more corrupt bythe day. 3esus was not the slae of that system which had deiated so farfrom God;s original plan that instead of feeding the widow, it now deouredwidows; houses /*att.'D&$%J 4uke '=&%E0. +nother obseration can be madefrom this incident& 8aking money from the mouth of a fish is the ancienteFuialent of rummaging through the couch cushions for spare change. 8hisincident should foreer put to rest the assertions of Prosperity teachers that3esus was not materially poor when 5e lied on earth

+fter they got the money out of the fish;s mouth 3esus asks Peter whetherthe kings of the earth take custom, or taxes, from their own children, orfrom strangers /*att.$E&'<0. Peter replies in erse '(& :Arom strangers.:+nd 3esus replies, :8hen are the children free /of religious taxation0.: 9e,beloed, are the children of God. 9hat right has any self"appointed religiousS agent got to dun a hard"working man or woman for $=L of his netincome, let alone the gross /before taxes0, as so many churches practicetoday, contrary to the 9ord of God7



#espite 3esus! clear declaration that children of the King are free, tithecollectors trap God!s gullible kids in their -8 by demanding a G)SS titheGod abhors as an abominable heresy which pererts the integrity of 5is9ritten 9ord. o matter how burdensome and un1ust their demands,

preachers say&

/If You Love Jesus You'll Do it Anyway/

8hat tried"and"true religious guilt trip has been used repeatedly throughoutthe history of the institutional church to part a fearful saint from his money.n one church knew of, subtle Fuestioning of a person;s loe for 3esus wasused to persuade seeral dog"tired saints to get out of bed eery nightduring the wee hours of the morning, get dressed and go man a '%"hourprayer chain which zealous young elders pressed the pastor into starting.)nly trouble with that was, only a few dozen adults, at most, regularlyattended the church serices, some women couldn;t drie or had smallbabies, and the way it panned out, the ery same ones had to take the sameone"hour shifts night after night. don;t recall much fruit coming out of thatprayer chain, as most eeryone in that sleepy rural area was asleep duringthose hours. Perhaps a prankster or two might hae called, but importantspiritual principles were being iolated. 8he prayer chain was imposed onthe so"called laity, :those on the outside looking in:, by those in the :innercircle:. 8he burden of many was laid upon 1ust a few /4uke $$&%(0.

9heneer the pastor of a small church dreams up a fancy building pro1ect,

based on pro1ected income from the :tithes: of the saints, he is laying theburden of many upon 1ust a few, and lading men with burdens grieous tobe borne /*att.'D&%0. challenge anybody who beliees that :tithe money:ought to be used for building pro1ects to Fuote 1ust one erse where theBible specifically commands :tithe money: to be used for building churchbuildings. n the ery beginning, church buildings as we know them todaydid not een exist. +nd no, ;m not talking about Fuoting some age"oldreligious tradition of men which was fabricated by applying some aguemystical interpretation of Scripture. f anyone can Fuote alid 9)# A)9)# scripture stating that the +postle Paul used :tithe money: to

construct a cathedral, then ;ll concede that was wrong about this. +nd ;llgo so far as to state emphatically that not one erse of Scripture proes that3esus eer financed 5is own ministry off of unscriptural monetary tithes.3esus and 5is followers were helped by freewill offerings )4. 3esus /andmost of 5is disciples0 were sraelites, but they were not descended from thetribe of 4ei /5eb.E&%0. 8herefore, it would hae been against *osaic 4awfor them to collect any type of tithe in fulfilment of that law.



A 3-SIS, + -+4 3-9, ##!8 NI+4A 8) 8+K- 885-S, 5)9 #+- +G-84- P-+C5- 8+Q C5S8+S 5S +*-

)nly members of the priestly 8ribe of 4ei eer collected tithes under the )ldCoenant /um.$>&'(0. 8ithing was a P)8 )A *)S+C 4+9 /*att.(&$(0,which was neer intended for Gentiles. 8his ordinance, along with all the restof 3ewish laws associated with the 8emple, -#-# 95- 85- )*+SBI8 #)9 85- 8-*P4- E= +.#. +nimal sacrifices ceased. Priestlyrituals ceased. +nnual pilgrimages to the 8emple ceased. Collection of the8emple tax ceased. 8he 8emple storehouses burnt down. +# 85- 885-C-+S-# 8hat is, until Catholic prelates cooked up a new and improedersion of that old law in the *iddle +ges.

Because the 8emple hasn!t been rebuilt, een modern"day 3ews don!t feelbound to tithe like they did in Bible days.

8ithes were neer taken up by Gentiles. Back in Bible days, they would haebeen stoned to death for presuming to 2play 4eite6 and collect religioustribute in God!s ame /um.$&<$0. So next time your pastor takes up tithesask him what tribe of srael he;s descended from /ask for documentedproof0, whether he plans to let the poor hae all the tithe eery three years/#eut.$%&'>"'@0, whether he!ll allow the worshipper to eat /+# #K0 hisown tithe as God commanded /#eut.$%&'(0, and whether he plans onskipping tithe"taking during eery seenth sabbatical year of the tithing

cycle, and let his people rest from their labors for a whole year and lie off the land /4e.'<0. 9hen hell freezes oer

God does indeed hae a spiritual priesthood under the ew Coenant, butthat includes eery member of the Body of Christ, not 1ust a priileged fewot only hae 9- /eeryday belieers0 been made a royal priesthood and aholy nation in Christ / Peter '&<,@0, but we +- the 8emple of God /Corinthians D&$(0. 9hat right does anyone hae to force us, the so"calledlaity /a man"made diision in the Body of Christ0 to pay tithe money to:spiritual 4eites:, when eery blood"washed belieer in Christ is called a

priest7 )ld 8estament priests -?- paid tithes +s preiously stated, the4eites paid tithes to the priests out of the tithes they got from the people.+ belieer!s position under the ew Coenant is a much more desirable onethan that en1oyed by any )ld 8estament sraelite or 4eite. 9hy7

8he term :laity: , as we understand it, could be applied to all )ld Coenantsraelites not of the tribe of 4ei, since these other tribes were not chosen todraw near unto God to perform sacred rituals. :+lthough srael was God!s



Chosen People, only sons of +aron, descended from 4ei, were chosen byGod to minister before 5im at the +ltar. +nd of that one clan of 4ei , onlythe 5igh Priest was allowed to pass beyond the inner ?eil of the 8abernacleinto the 5oliest Place of all, the 5oly of 5olies, where the sacred +rk of theCoenant was. +nd een he could only enter once a year /5ebrews @&E0, to

sprinkle blood upon the *ercy Seat of the +rk, as an atonement for himself and for the people. 5ebrews $=&$@"'' assures us that now eery truebelieer can enter into the 5oliest Place and draw near unto God becausethe Blood of Christ makes us acceptable to 5im. 9e who are saed by faithin Christ +- the 8emple of God, and God!s 5oly Spirit dwells in us /Corinthians D&$(J Corinthians (&$(0.

9e show our belief in what God;s 9ord says /or lack of it0 through ouractions. f we pay unscriptural money tithes to men, it shows that we seethose men as God!s only priests and ourseles as mere laity, a diisionintroduced by the Catholic Church but foreign to the ew 8estament.

8he same church which deeloped a complex clergy"laity system unknown tothe early church created the church tithing doctrine. *onetary tithing was)8 enforced in Christian assemblies until the sixth century +.#., when itwas made church law by the oman Catholic Church. +ccording to*cClintock and Strong!s Cyclopedia of Biblical 4iterature, two church councilswere held legislating mandatory tithing on money. 8he first was the Councilof 8ours in <(E +.#. 8he second, the Council of *acon in <>< +.#., en1oinedthe payment of tithes under pain of excommunication.

Protestant pastors often criticize Catholics for unscriptural beliefs. But whenthey collect tithes, they!re following a Catholic doctrine, not the teachings of the early apostles or the custom of the early church. 8ithing to men underthe ew Coenant denies the priesthood of all belieers in Christ. Christianswho take :tithes: to some :church building6 deny what the 9ord of God hasto say about belieers themseles being the 8emple of the 4iing God.nstead they beliee the church building is God!s 8emple.

8here!s lots of 1umping and re1oicing about Christians! /alleged0 freedomfrom the 4aw. But one law is still misinterpreted, mangled, and misapplied

to the church& tithing. o wonder people don!t come to Christ if they thinkthey!re trading one deil for another one who will curse tithes out of them tillthe day they die. 9ith good reason they wonder why 3esus! free salationhas to be paid for in tithing installments out of their pitiful paychecks. 8ithing is about much more than money. t!s about P)9-. 8hose whocollect tribute are the kingpins on top of the totem pole /*att.$E& '%"'E0.3esus expressly forbade a clergyRlaity diide in the Body of Christ where thestrong oppress the weak and demand priileged treatment /*att.'D&>,$$0.



9ould greedy preachers be happy if they found out there!s no money inheaen7 #o they expect to continue taking tithes up there /if they make itthere07 3esus, who, B89, neer once took up tithes, or een offerings in 5ismeetings, said in *att.(&$=& 8hy will be done on earth as it is in heaen. f saints and angels in heaen aren!t under the tithing law, neither are we.

So much more is at stake here than dollars and cents, saints. +lthough Godcommands us to owe no one anything but loe /om.$D&>0, religious tyrantsinsist 2pew Christians6 owe 85-* ten per cent of all their G)SS income for

life, till the day they drop dead from oerwork.



eligious tyrants don!t care about the welfare of your soul, or how tithingdistorts a belieer!s relationship with the 4ord and changes him from aprince of God and heir of all things into a tribute"paying peon who sweats toget money for the preacher. 8his point is extremely important.

$ Corinthians D&'$"'D /K3?0 '$ 8herefore let no man glory in men. Aor allthings are yoursJ '' 9hether Paul, or +pollos, or Cephas, or the world, orlife, or death, or things present, or things to comeJ all are yoursJ 'D +nd yeare Christ;sJ and Christ is God;s.

5ere Paul was addressing +44 the Corinthian Christians, not 1ust the 2leadership6. 5e makes it clear that these ordinary belieers are owners of +44 things, een the ery preachers who minister the word to them. 8hisshould put the unscriptural tithing doctrine and the oerblown 2submission6 doctrine in proper perspectie.

omans >&$%"$E /K3?0 $% Aor as many as are led by the Spirit of God, theyare the sons of God. $< Aor ye hae not receied the spirit of bondage againto fearJ but ye hae receied the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, +bba,Aather. $( 8he Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are thechildren of God& $E +nd if children, then heirsJ heirs of God, and 1oint"heirs



with ChristJ if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorifiedtogether.

eelation '$&E /K3?0 5e that oercometh shall inherit +44 85GSJ and will be his God, and he shall be my son.

God promises that +44 85GS will belong to us, not 1ust the percentage leftoer after haing a G)SS tithe extorted out of us by Bible"misFuotingpreachers. *onetary tithing is predicated on the lie that you owe someprofessional minister ten per cent of all your finances till the day you gie upthe ghost. 9hether you!re a rich businessman or a staring widow on socialsecurity, or a bedridden inalid drawing disability, you owe them a sizablehunk of your chicken feed till the day you stand at the Pearly Gates.

)nly a crackpot preacher would eer arrogantly walk up to Prince Charlesand say, 2ou owe me ten per cent of all the wealth you now possess, oreer will possess, till the day you die, so fork it oer, bud.6 t!s an eengreater disgrace to treat a son or daughter of the 5eaenly King this way.

Greedy preachers care only about building their own bank account, not thetrue Kingdom of God. 8hey demand IC)#8)+4 submission andslaish obedience from God!s own children who are sitting in heaenly placeswith Christ 3esus. 8hey demand that you repudiate the true 9ord of God,G584 #?#-# 8S P)P- C)8-Q8, and embrace their lies, een tothe point of renouncing your exalted position in Christ /-ph.$&DJ '&(0. 3esuspaid a terrible price for the spiritual freedom we en1oy as children of God.

Aor all their singing about how Christ hath freed us from the 4aw, spiritualtyrants still shackle Christians to their faourite old laws to gain morewealth and power. 8hey!re usually seminary graduates, so they know what!sin the Bible een if they don!t preach on the sections that disproe their falsedoctrines. +nd een if they GI#GG4 admit you!e go a solid Biblicalcase for freedom from tithing, they!ll Fuestion your *)8?- for wanting tobe out from under 85- autocratic authority. t boils down to this&

8heir attitude boils down to this& : know the Bible -+44 says that, but A)I 4)?- 3-SIS, )I;44 #) 8 +9+. A )I 4)?- 3-SIS, you!ll work

day and night to get money for IS so 9- can lie like royalty. ou!ll be ourslaes and exist solely for )I benefit.6

A )I 4)?- 3-SIS. 8hat thumbscrew catchphrase gets people whipping outtheir wallets before you know it. Preachers push the +I85)8 buttontime and again to stop Christians from obeying the Bible!s command toP)?- +44 85GS / 8hes.<&'$0. recall the same church elder whostarted the prayer chain also said that a woman should 1ump off a cliff if her



husband told her to, because :if you loe 3esus you;ll submit:. 24oe of 3esus6 has been used by unscrupulous men of the cloth for manygenerations to make merchandise of the people of God /'Pet.'&$"D0. 8heyknow they must first deaden the discernment of the duped sheeple beforethey can reach their wallet. Christians who feel they hae no right to be led

and taught #-C84 by the Spirit of God /3ohn $%&'(J $(&$DJ 3ohn '&'E0are brainwashed to beliee any lie dished up from the pulpit.

9hen satan misapplied Scripture to appeal to 3esus; religious sentiment toget 5im to 1ump off a cliff, 3esus stuck strictly to :t is written: /*att.%&<"E0.o one, high or low, has the right to Fuestion our loe for 3esus 1ust becausewe renounce unscriptural religious traditions in faor of the written 9ord of God +S 8+IG58 8) C5S8+S I#- 85- -9 C)?-+8 B 85-)G+4 +P)S84-S.

H H H H H H

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if you love jesus you'll tithe anyway

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