Abide under the shadow of the great white dove....
The WORD is TITHING

I have a difficulty in my spirit about the doctrines of tithing that people preach nowadays. I was born in 1934 so was raised up in a church time when tithing was not a doctrine, but a responsibility to the members and congregations to give money to the church for the pastor, and the workers, and the electric and maintenance of the church building, and a deacon's fund for hard times. It certainly was not preached as a 'doctrine' to seed and get, or tithe and receive, or give and get doctrine, and if you do not, you will have nothing, that what you gain in this world is all done by tithing and seed sowing. And if you do not receive you simply did not tithe with faith they say, in this great 'heavenly' lottery called seed sowing.

It should not cost a man so much to go to church and worship GOD. Jesus said, Freely ye have received, freely give. What do these words of Jesus mean? There are some churches you go to that take up many offerings, not just one. And you cannot listen to even one program about Christ without hearing, give, give, give. Go charge money on your credit card and send it to me. Go borrow money and send it to me. Go in debt and send me some money. And you hear also, If you don't send me some money, I'm going off the air in your area.

Coming back to this word of our Lord Jesus Christ, Freely ye have received, freely give, what does He mean? Are you or we who have received Christ freely to now give to those who minister Christ, or does it mean we who have received Christ now freely minister Christ to all men? For Jesus said, Go ye into the world and preach the gospel, baptizing men in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, teaching them to do all things that I have commanded you to do.

And then did Jesus add, Exact tithes from men? When Jesus preached all throughout the gospels, when did He ever pass a tithing basket? When did Jesus ever receive a tithe or an offering for ministering the Word and the Spirit? When? Into which home did His Apostles go that they were commanded to receive tithes? When and at what service of healing did Jesus therefore ask for a tithing for healing? or for prayer? or for preaching? I've searched the gospels carefully to find one evidence even that Jesus took up tithes. He never did. I found none! I not only found none, Jesus berated those who came to Him but for the loaves and fishes, being angry at them for coming only for the belly, the bread of this world, they caring only about the things of the flesh and of this life. It angered Him then, and it angers Him now!

I know you are preached to over and over again that GOD loves a cheerful giver, and give and it shall be given unto you, pressed down and running over. But Jesus and the Apostles ministered the Kingdom of GOD without tithes, without price, and without offering the people baubles and trinkets to exact tithes from them.

The merchandisers of GOD's Kingdom shall receive a reward from an angry GOD for their trafficking of souls, as it says in Revelation. Do I say not to tithe? Of course not! I am asking you to give freely what the LORD tells you to give and not what men tell you to give through threats of curses if you do not or through promises of blessings when you do. Some services you will go to and never leave until your pockets are emptied out. Revivals....telethons.....patterned after the ways of the world to gather in the coins.

Give freely, not to gain, but to simply give, because you love GOD and the souls of men. Give to prosper the gospel, not yourself. Jesus said, Look at the lilies of the fields. They neither toil nor sweat, but your heavenly Father provides for them. Your heavenly Father provides for those who cannot give, those who give, and those who do not give. What man can think he can buy GOD? Let the LORD Jesus lead you and not the doctrines or words of men. Giving is a fruit of salvation as so many other things of righteousness are, fruits. By all means, do not be led by a spirit of guilt or condemnation, or from a spirit of greed and getting. Give as the Holy Spirit burdens you yourself to give. Have you no understanding of why the scribes and pharisees were so angry at Jesus? Did He not say, give all you have to the poor and come and follow Me? When did Jesus ever say go and give all you have to the scribes and follow? or the pharisees and follow? or the temple and follow? Jesus is the atonement for sin, and therefore, no more sin sacrifices! no more doves sold! no more sin and sacrifice, sin and sacrifice! no more animals sold for sacrificing! no more money hitting the coffers for the forgiveness of sin! Money, money, money......When Jesus came and took down the god of mammon, those enslaved to it nailed Him to the cross. Jesus overturned the money changers in the temple and said, Make not my Father's house an house of merchandise!

Matt. 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13 And said unto them, it is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.

And Peter said.....2nd Peter 2:1 But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. 3 And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.

How is it these doctrines deny the Lord that bought them? By saying, send in a tithe to save your loved ones, your children, your mother and father, your brothers and sisters. By the giving of coins souls are saved? As Peter said, This is a damnable heresy!

It is the blood of Christ Jesus that is the Saviour of men and the Holy Spirit is the overseer of every child of GOD and every flock of GOD. Give generously that your church lacks nothing, and the pastors and servants of the Lord lack no earthly necessity or need as they minister to you the Word of GOD, remembering that the helps and needs of every church are overwhelming, including their needs of paying their debts, and keeping a roof over your head while you worship, and heat in winter and cool in summer.

Let the stewards of GOD's Kingdom keep the debt load off of their flocks and the stewards of the finances of every assembly govern wisely the earthly goods entrusted to them, with sobriety, realizing that they shall have to account to GOD for every single penny given. Be wise in your giving. Know those that labour amongst you bringing you the WORD of GOD as the scriptures command you to do. Know those that care for your souls and also your earthly substances and finances as you send in tithes to the works of the gospel of Christ.

Tithe to those who ask for no tithes, and receive a real blessing. Tithe to those who freely minister the gospel and receive blessing. Do not the scriptures say that the just shall receive their rewards at the resurrection? How then can we minister the WORD of GOD and say, tithe and you shall receive all things whatsoever that you carnally need and want? How can I preach such things when Jesus promises those things already through the prayer of faith and asking and receiving? And did He not also say, Seek ye first the Kingdom of GOD and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you? If your pastor needs a new cadillac, let him get a job. If your pastor needs diamonds and pearls, let him get a job. If he is going to be of the world, let him go and work in the world and lose his hypocrisy that he might be awakened to the peril of his own demise and the error of his faith.

Is any among you afflicted? The commandment is to pray. Is any among you sick? The commandment is to call for the elders of your church and they shall anoint you in the name of the LORD and you shall be healed, and if you have sinned, you shall be forgiven your sins. You do not pay for healing. You do not tithe for healing. You do not give money to have a servant of GOD pray for you. A paid servant of GOD is pretty worthless at the throne of GOD and a paid servant of GOD is busy about labouring for a paycheck and not busy about ministerng the Kingdom of GOD with power and evidence and truth. He is busy being a merchandiser and a business man.

The Kingdom of GOD means business! The Kingdom of GOD is not in business! IT IS FREE. THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS FREE!

Matt. 17:24 And when they were come to Capernaum, they that received tribute money came to Peter, and said, doth not your master pay tribute? 25 He saith, Yes. And when he was come into the house, Jesus prevented him, saying, What thinkest thou, Simon? of whom do the kings of the earth take custom or tribute? of their own children, or of strangers? 26 Peter saith unto him, Of strangers. Jesus saith unto him, then are the children free. 27 Nothwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee.

The children of the LORD are free from tribute. The children of the LORD are free from tithes and offerings. The children of the LORD are free! They have freely received, and they are to freely give. They are no longer under the laws of tithing and offerings and tributes, but shall now be judged under the law of freedom, under the law of liberty.

They asked Jesus......Luke 20:22 Is it lawful for us to give tribute unto Caesar, or no? 23 But he perceived their craftiness, and said unto them, Why tempt ye me? 24 Show me a penny. Whose image and superscription hath it? They answered and said, Caesar's. 25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things which be Caesar's, and unto God the things which be God's.

Now......and now.....see what these same ones said when they dragged Him before Pilate ....Luke 23:2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.

Now so there is no misunderstanding concerning this thing called tributes or taxes, the Apostle Paul said:

Rom. 13:1 Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. 2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. 3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: 4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid: for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. 5 Wherefore we must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake. 6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God's ministers, attending continually upon this very thing. 7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

So then, the conclusion of this matter is this, we pay our taxes, being under the law of taxes to Caesar, and we are not under a law of tithing or paying tributes and taxes to GOD, but are under freedom. And that freedom may take some, any, or all, because GOD is free to ask for little, or much, or all. And He has, and He does, and He shall. We are under the law of freedom that not only requires the all, but that takes the all, when the all is needed. For GOD will not have His servants be unclothed, or hungry, or destitute, or in want or need. He shall supply the needs of His anointed. He is the saving strength and power of His own.

If GOD freely bestows food and water and grain upon the wicked, how much more does our heavenly Father bestow upon us our daily bread?

lst Tim. 6:3 If any mean teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself. 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. 9 But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. 10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

2nd John 9 Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11 For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.

James 4:1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

The next time you send in your pledge to the golden image that eats coins, think upon these things!

Background and graphics are Copyright 2011 - All Rights Reserved