And my people shall know the truth and the truth shall set them free Will a man

rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse for ye have robbed me even this whole nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the store house and prove me now herewith saith the lord of hosts if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing, that there would not be room enough to receive it. Malachi 3 : 8 -10 The above quoted scripture is probably one of the most quoted in the bible. Unfortunately, it is being quoted out of context and used as a weapon of mass intimidation, manipulation, extortion, oppression, cajolery and outright lies and deceit by some church leaders to collect 10 per cent of the gross income of their church members who have been hoodwinked into believing that they are doing Gods will. Before I go into the details of this discourse, I want to state categorically that I am a God-loving, bible-believing Christian who has the fear of God in his heart. I am also not writing this article to undermine any church or pastor, but to let people realise the truth about tithes and remove the yoke placed by some pastors upon them. I also want to state categorically that I strongly believe in giving to the church for the sole purpose of propagating Gods work and the Christian ministry. I will continue to encourage all Christians to give their all to God as exemplified by the widows mite which Jesus Christ himself referred to in the bible. Now, back to Malachi 3:8-10, the first question one should ask is who was this message directed at? The answer lies in the book of Numbers 18:25-28 which states that The Lord commanded Moses to say to the Levites, when you receive from the Israelites the tithe that the Lord gives you as your possession, you must present a tenth of it as a special contribution to the Lord. This special contribution will be considered as the equivalent of the offering which the farmer makes of new grain and wine. In this way you would also present the special contribution which belongs to the Lord from all the tithes which you receive from the Israelites. You are to give this special contribution for the Lord to Aaron the priest. From the above, it is clear that it was the Levites that were directed to pay a tithe they collected from the Israelites to the priest who represents God and not the people of Israel. It was these Levites that were being referred to in the book of Malachi as those who rob God. A thorough study of the book of Malachi would reveal that in those days the Levites were collecting the tithe from the people of Israel and not remitting a tithe of it to the house of God, hence Malachis statement which is now being quoted out of context. To understand what tithe really means one would have to understand the social reasons and cultural/religious setting within which it was situated. This concept of tithes was properly explained in the bible as stated in the laws of the tithe which can be found in the books of Leviticus 27:30-34, Numbers 18:25-31 and Deuteronomy 14:22-29. Upon reading these passages one would understand what tithes really mean, but unfortunately most pastors prefer to neglect these passages that tell us the

true meaning of tithes and emphasise on Malachi 3:8-10 which was directed to the Levites of that time to remit the priests share of the tithes they collected to him. It is worthy of note that Malachi does not even define what tithe is and how it should be paid. The definition of tithes, as practised today, was manufactured by modern day pastors to suit their purpose as it is completely in contrast with what is in the bible and it only seeks to manipulate Christians to believe that God requests 10 per cent of their gross income from them. So what is tithe and why did God request that it be paid to the Levities? The answer can be found in the following passages: Leviticus 27:30-32 which states that one tenth of the produce of the land, whether grain or fruit belongs to the Lord. If a man wishes to buy back any of it he must pay the standard price plus an additional 20 per cent. One in every ten domestic animal belongs to the Lord. When the animals are counted, every tenth one belongs to the Lord. And Deuteronomy 26:12 which states that every third year give the tithe, a tenth of your crops to the Levites, the foreigners, the orphans and the widows, so that in every community they will have all they need to eat. The above quoted passages clearly tell us what tithe is and the reason why God directed the people of Israel to pay tithes. It is very evident that it was a social arrangement for the less privileged in the Jewish society of that time. It was also meant to take care of the Levites because they had no land or property of their own (today, pastors are amongst the wealthiest property owners in Nigeria). This social arrangement is obviously not relevant to us today. It also states that every third year is the year of tithing, not the weekly/monthly tithes being extorted from church members today. Another passage illustrates the true meaning of tithes properly and also states clearly that tithe is not money. Deuteronomy 14:22-29 says: Set aside as tithe a tenth of all that your fields produce each year then go to the one place where the Lord your God has chosen to be worshipped and there in his presence eat the tithes of your grain, wine and olive oil and first born of your cattle and sheep. Do this so that you may learn to have reverence for the Lord your God always. If the place of worship is too far from your home for you to carry there the tithe of the produce that the Lord has blessed you with, then sell your produce and take the money with you to the one place of worship, spend it on whatever you want ,beef, lamb, wine, beer and there in the presence of the lord you and your family are to eat and enjoy yourselves. Do not neglect the Levites who live in your towns for they have no property of their own. At the end of every third year, bring the tithe of all your crops and store it in your towns. This is food for the Levites since they own no property and for the orphans, foreigners and widows who live in your towns. Do this and the lord your God would bless you in everything you do. From the above passage, it is very clear that tithe is not money and it is not the exclusive preserve of the Levites (church). It was a religious practice in those days to give reverence to God and to celebrate God in his place of worship. The Levites were only included for the main reason that they had no land of their own and that reason is not relevant in todays society. Yet some pastors would tell you that you are cursed and would not go to heaven if you dont give them 10 per cent of your gross income. All this hypocrisy would not have bothered me if all the money being collected was

being used to propagate Gods work. But the truth as we all know today is that this money is being used to finance lavish, flamboyant and exotic lifestyle that is unbecoming of a man who truly claims to serve God, as a pastor who is expected to be meek and humble like our Lord Jesus Christ was. As a concluding part to this article, I would want to refer us to the book of Hebrews, which was written to the early Christians. This provides irrefutable proof that Christians are not meant to pay tithes as the priesthood of our Lord Jesus Christ does not require it. Hebrews 7:5, says: And those descendants of Levites who are priests are commanded by the law to collect one tenth from the people of Israel, that is from their own countrymen even though their countrymen are also descendants of Abraham. From this verse, we can jump to verses 11-13 which say: It was on the basis of the Levitical priesthood that the law was given to the people of Israel. Now, if the work of the Levitical priests had been perfect there would be no need for a different kind of priest to appear, one who is in the priestly order of Melchizedek not of Aaron. For when the priesthood is changed, there also has to be a change in the law. And our Lord of whom these things are said belonged to a different tribe of Judah and Moses did not mention his tribe when he spoke of priests. The above passage is self-explanatory and it states clearly that the practice of tithing has no place under the priestly order of our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, the passage suggests that the collection of tithes is belittling of the priestly order of our Lord Jesus Christ. It states that it is wrong for us as Christians to receive or pay tithes and is not relevant to us as Christians because we belong to a superior priestly order. Once again, I would like to state that this article is not meant for us as Christians to revolt against the church or our pastors. It is just meant to establish the biblical truth about tithes and remove the yoke from people who labour to pay tithesnot required of them by Godwhile their pastors are living luxuriously. Today, many pastors see the church as their personal business and even fraudulent people are opening up churches so that they can have access to peoples tithes and use it for their personal comfort. I encourage all of us as Christians to remain vigilant and continue to serve God in truth and in faith to the glory of his holy name. Amen. Another point of note is: how come out of the 613 biblical laws of Moses which were handed out to the people of Israel, it is only an adulterated version of the law of tithe that is still being practised today, apart from the Ten Commandments? How come we are no longer required to offer burnt sacrifices? How come we no longer stone people to death for sinning? The truth is that only tithing was dug out of the laws of Moses because it presents material benefits to the collectors of tithes. Given that most Christians do not study their bibles and depend on their priests to guide them through, it was easy for pastors to pick a passage in the bible (Malachi 3 : 8-10), quote it out of context and use it to manipulate the flock into parting with 10 per cent of their income. Furthermore, it is worthy of note that neither Jesus Christ nor any of the apostles ever preached about or collected

tithe. In fact, in the bible, Jesus Christ only spoke about tithes in Luke 11:42 which states that: But woe unto you Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue all manner of herbs, and pass over judgement and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Here we can see that Jesus Christ is rebuking the Pharisees for laying emphasis on tithes instead of the more important things of the spirit, like our pastors are doing today. In Acts 15, we find outlined what the apostles all agreed was necessary for the newly converted Gentiles to practise, and by inspiration of the Holy Spirit of God, tithing is conspicuously missing. Yet, what is one of the very first legislated duties taught to Gentile converts by the Church today? It is that they must tithe their annual salaries to the Church. Where did this unscriptural law of Christian tithing come from? Notice this telling bit of history from the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1963, volume 22, page 253, TITHES). Tithes in ChristendomThe earliest authentic example of anything like a law of the State enforcing payment appears to occur in the capitularies [Ecclesiasticals] of Charlemagne at the end of the 8th or beginning of the 9th century. Tithes were, by that enactment, to be applied to the maintenance of the bishop, clergy, the poor, and the fabric of the church. In the course of time the principle of payment of tithes was extended far beyond its original intention. Thus, they became transferable to laymen and saleable like ordinary property, despite the injunctions of the third Lateran Council; and they became payable out of sources of income [not just farming and herding, but other trades and occupations and salaries paid in the form of money] not originally tithable. The Catholic Church knows its own history. Here is how tithing got back into the Church after being absent for nearly five centuries: As the Church expanded and various institutions arose, it became necessary to make laws which would insure the proper and permanent support of the clergy. The payment of tithes was adopted from the Old Law The earliest positive legislation on the subject seems to be contained in the letter of the bishops assembled at Tours in 567 and the [canons] of the Council of Macon in 585.The Catholic Encyclopaedia. They extended their base of tithe collecting to eventually include all forms of income. All Christian scholars know that although money was in wide use in ancient Israel, it was never a titheable commodity. But modern pastors dont want tithes of goats or oil or corn, they want moneycold, hard cash! God has a word to the shepherds of the sheep, and it is the very same message that He had for the Levites in the book of Malachi. And it is this: My people have been lost sheep, their shepherds have caused them to go astray (Jer. 50:6). Were Israelites aware that they were being led astray by their spiritual leaders? Not most, and neither are Christians today aware that they are being led astray by their spiritual leaders.

NO ONE, absolutely NO ONE pays the Biblical tithe today. THE FIRST TITHE Leviticus 27:30-33 defines this tithe as a tenth of crops and animals in herds and flocks. Numbers 18 gives the ordinances, or instructions, for this tithe, and commands this tithe be taken to the Levites. Purpose of this tithe: to support the Levitical Priesthood. SECOND TITHE Deuteronomy 14:22-27: aka The Festival Tithe - a tenth of crops, plus add to that the firstborn animals, and take for the yearly feast. Purpose of this tithe: that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always THIRD TITHE Deuteronomy 14:28-29: aka The Three-Year Tithe aka The Poor Tithe - a tenth of crops, kept at home, and invite the Levites, widows, orphans, stranger to eat. Purpose of this tithe: to feed the poor. Now, tell me. Which of the above three tithes commanded by God does anyone follow today? The ONLY people in the Old Testament that were commanded to tithe were those who INHERITED THE PROMISED LAND WITH EVERYTHING ON IT. They got the land, house, animals, crops, etc. ALL FREE AND CLEAR. No mortgage payment or rent to pay. And THEY were commanded to tithe on the crops and animals and take it to the Levites who INHERITED the tithe INSTEAD OF the promised land with everything on it. No one else tithed. Wage earners did not tithe. Jesus did not tithe as a carpenter. Paul did not tithe as a tent maker. Peter did not tithe as a fisherman. When God gave the Israelites the promised land, He RESERVED, for Himself, a tenth of the crops and every tenth animal. They NEVER did belong to the Israelites. In other words, the tithe was from God's increase of FOOD, not from man's income. It was a way to distribute FOOD to the Levites and priests who did NOT inherit any land. No one, not even the farmers, tithed on their income. The farmers made their income by SELLING and/or barter-exchanging their crops and animals but did NOT tithe on that income. Today, ALL born-again believers are priests. ALL of us are called to be deciples of the Lord. No one of us is higher than another. Our bodies are the Temple where the Spirit dwells. According to the scriptures, priests do not tithe.

Lets look closely at Abrams tithe. First, the goods that Abram gave the tenth from didnt even belong to Abram: Genesis 14:21 (KJV) - And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself. Notice in verse 21 the king of Sodom didnt ask Abram if he would give back to him the people, but rather said GIVE ME the people and keep the goods for yourself. The way that is worded indicates that the king of Sodom was claiming that the people and the goods belonged to him, but he offered the goods to Abram. It would normally have been the custom that the victor owns the spoils, but normally the spoils would have belonged to the enemy. In this case, Abram was RECOVERING goods belonging to the King of Sodom. NOTE: The king of Sodom had an original right both to the persons and to the goods, and it would bear a debate whether Abrams acquired right by rescue would supersede his title and extinguish it; but, to prevent all quarrels, the king of Sodom makes this fair proposal (v. 21). --Should the Church Teach Tithing by Dr. Russell Earl Kelly, pages 24-25 Genesis 14:22-24 (KJV) 22And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth, 23That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich: 24Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion. Notice in verses 23 and 24 Abram also acknowledges that the goods belonged to the king of Sodom. But the king of Sodam offered that Abram could keep the goods for himself. Abram declined the offer. He didnt want man to take credit for his wealth. By not accepting any of the goods for himself, Abram was putting all his faith in God to provide for him rather than man. Therefore, it is clear that both the king of Sodom and Abram acknowledged that the spoils of war did NOT belong to Abram, yet he gave a tenth of the spoils to King Melchizedek. This would seem that Abram did something wrong, if not even illegal, but Biblical historians agree that it was custom in Abram's day to give the king a tenth of the war spoils. Had Abram not given the tenth, he would have gone against custom. Conclusion: Abram did NOT give a tenth of his income, or his wealth. Abram gave a tenth of the spoils of war that didnt belong to him and declined to keep the goods offered to him. That is NOT an example of tithing for Christians to follow today. By declining to keep any of the goods for himself, Abram showed his faith that God would provide. That is the example of faith that Christians should be following. Furthermore, the law did NOT require a tenth of war spoils to be given, so to say that tithing was before the law and then in the law is not true. What Abram did was NOT even codified into the later law.

In this article I intend to examine an aspect of this idealism that is either avoided or simply unknown. For in as much as many have undertaken the argument of whether tithing is a valid practice under the new covenant, an issue I leave to the discretion of each individual, few have considered the purpose for which God initially instituted the tithe. Ironically, the purpose of tithing proves to be a more fascinating and understandable than the circular, often ambiguous arguments of its validity. So then let's begin with a careful examination of the institution of tithing by the Lord in Deuteronomy, and then consider several modern positions of the practice in light of what we discover.

First, it is necessary to understand that tithing took on two distinct forms depending on the period of Israel's history that you consider. While in the wilderness the Lord commanded that the entire tithe should go to the sons of Levi in return for their service at the tent of meeting (Num. 18:11). However, when Israel settled in Canaan God, redefined the practice of tithing since the lifestyle of the people and their subsequent interaction with the priests and Levites markedly changed. It is this second form of tithing that the current practice is supposedly modeled after and therefore becomes the subject of our enquiry. We find its institution in Deuteronomy 14 immediately as Israel is preparing to cross the Jordan and enter Canaan. Now I will warn you, the scripture you are about to read will challenge your current understanding of this popular Christian paradigm. It is a direct quote from the New American Standard version and only the emphasis of certain words has been added. You shall surely tithe all the produce from what you sow, which comes out of the field every year. You shall eat in the presence of the Lord you God, at the place where He chooses to establish His name, the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and your flock, so that you may learn to fear the Lord your God always. If the distance is so great for you that you are not able to bring the tithe, since the place where the Lord your God chooses to set His name is to far away from you when the Lord your God blesses you, then you shall exchange it for money, and bind the money in your hand and go to the place where the Lord your God chooses. You may spend the money for whatever your heart desires: for oxen, or sheep, or wine, or strong drink, or whatever your heart desires; and there you shall eat in the presence of the Lord your God and rejoice, you and your household. (Deuteronomy 14:22-26) Before we continue you may want to read this passage again. In fact you may want to read it out of your own Bible just to verify that I quoted it correctly. When you are sufficiently satisfied that it really does read this way, I encourage you to read on. In verse 22 it is clear that the Lord is commanding Israel to tithe saying, "You shall surely tithe" However in

the next three verses He clearly articulates His intended purpose for the tithe; an even cursory reading of which reveals a conflict with the current paradigm of the tithe. So striking is the contrast that an honest student of the Word must ask the following questions: Who does the Lord say should eat the tithe? And who has control over the usage of the tithe? Without question the answer is, the tither, "so that (they) may learn to fear the Lord (their) God always." In fact the Lord even sanctions the tither to convert his or her tithe into money and subsequently ", spend the money on whatever (their) heart desires"! How can this be! Have we not been taught that the tithe belongs to the storehouse so that there might be meat in God's house? Have we not also been taught that we will be cursed if we eat our tithe? And have we not been taught that we learn to trust, or fear, the Lord by giving our tithe away, not by consuming it ourselves? Yet God Himself commanded that the tithe be eaten by the tither, and that in so doing they would learn to fear the Lord. He even went so far as to sanction the purchase of strong drink with tithe money for the express consumption of the tither! Pause and Think What do you make of this passage in the light of modern Christian teaching? Is it possible the current paradigm is flawed? Could it be that the current teaching is filled with enough truth to sound biblical, but in reality is designed to bring believers back under the Law. Most importantly, would you be willing to reconsider your position on this paradigm and judge its validity by the Word? If so, read on. Let's begin by examining this opening passage, for it seems to stand in direct opposition to the current paradigm of the tithe. In verse 22 it is clear that the Lord is commanding Israel to tithe saying, "You shall surely tithe" However the next three verses express His purpose for the tithe. Who does He say should eat the tithe? You! It is to be eaten by the tither, "so that (they) may learn to fear the Lord (their) God always." In fact the Lord even sanctions the tither to convert his or her tithe into money and subsequently ", spend the money on whatever (their) heart desires"! How can this be! We've been taught that the tithe belongs to the storehouse so that there might be meat in God's house. We've been taught that we will be cursed if we eat our tithe. We've been taught that we learn to trust, or fear, the Lord by giving our tithe away, not by consuming it ourselves. And yet God Himself commanded that the tithe be eaten by the tither, and that in so doing they would learn to fear the Lord. The Lord's Mind Regarding The Tithe To truly understand the Lord's mind concerning the tithe we must examine His instructions to Israel in their application of this practice. If you read the rest of Deuteronomy 14 you see that there was actually a threeyear cycle of tithing. The first two years were to be used as a celebratory feast by each individual family and

the third year the tithe was to be given to the Levite, who would then redistribute it to the alien, the orphan and the widow. Deuteronomy 26:12 further clarifies this point saying, When you have finished paying all the tithe of your increase in the third year, the year of tithing, then you shall give it to the Levite, to the stranger to the orphan, and to the widow, that they may eat in your towns and be satisfied. So then there is a distributive aspect to tithing, however the guidelines are very clear: for two years the tithe is yours to consume and the third year it is given to someone who will redistribute the tithe to the stranger, orphan and widow. To further clarify the matter, the Lord indicates that the two-years tithe is to be used for a feast or celebration or, one could even argue, a vacation. For did not the Lord sanction the conversion of the tithe into money and then allow the tither to "spend the money on whatever their heart desired." Then the third-year tithe would insure that the storehouse would be full so that strangers, orphans and widows would be properly cared for. And since each family would be on a different harvesting cycle the overall effect is that feasting, celebration and giving were perpetual within Israel. Indeed, it becomes obvious that the Lord instituted the tithe as a method of insuring that His people would set aside annual time to enjoy His blessings, remember His faithfulness and acknowledge His love for those less fortunate. One can easily see how beautiful and wonderful this system is, and yet how distorted and manipulative it has become. Speaking of which, let us now turn our thoughts to modern Christianity's version of this divinely instituted practice beginning with what has become the cornerstone passage for its defense--Malachi chapter 3. The Matter of Malachi "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' "In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse-- the whole nation of you-- because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. Is it true that the Lord is addressing the mishandling of the tithe in this passage? Yes. And is it true that He delivers a strong rebuke and speaks of a curse for their errors? Most certainly! However, the important question is, to whom is He speaking? To find this out we must look at Malachi 2:1, which reads, "And now this commandment is for you, O priests." For although Malachi begins as a general address to Israel, from this point on to the end of the book Malachi is addressing only the sons of Levi. You see it was they who had defiled the nation by robbing the Lord, for they were spending the tithe on themselves and neglecting the alien, orphan and widow. Indeed, the all to familiar verse 9 is not saying that the whole nation is robbing God; rather the priests were robbing not only God but all of Israel as well! For in as much as they neglected the alien, orphan and widow, they brought a curse on the whole nation effectively

robbing them of the blessing of God. Remember, only the third-year tithe went into the storehouse. Therefore, it is only that portion of the threeyear cycle to which the Lord is referring: the portion over which the priest held responsibility. How ironic that the passage of scripture so widely used to validate and impose the practice of tithing is actually speaking against those who collect them! And What of Abraham? There is also the matter of Abraham, the father of faith, who is said to have instituted the concept of tithing in his giving 10% of war spoils to Melchizedek, with the New Testament proof text for this argument being the discourse in Hebrews chapter 7. But what truly is the point of this passage? Is it really saying that, since Abraham paid tithes we should also? Remember, the writer of Hebrews is arguing in favor of a new covenant and priesthood that does away with the old. Would it make sense then to reinvigorate practices under the old covenant when the purpose was to substantiate the replacing of the old with the new? Indeed, an unfiltered reading will support the fact that the writer is effectively invalidating the old covenant, with its associated practices, by showing that Abraham, acting as the representative of all who believe, has tithed once and for all - for Levi, even for you and I! Unfortunately, the somewhat ambiguous nature of the Hebrews passage, gives rise to debate and speculation. And though most scholars agree that Abraham was not intentionally tithing since the law was more than 500 years distant, there is simply not enough information to establish doctrine either way. Historical records indicate that the practice of sharing a percentage of the spoil with spiritual figureheads was customary in Sumerian culture - a culture in which Abram was immersed. Still, there is no way to mount a conclusive argument. What we do know is clearly articulated in Deuteronomy when God instituted the practice throughout Israel. Beyond that we are simply exercising our opinion. Conclusion "So then brother," you may now be asking, "what is the Lord's will concerning tithes and offerings?" What an excellent question, with such a simple answer. Remember, the tithe was a mandate imposed upon a people who did not have the Spirit of God dwelling inside them. They required a Law written in stone, for their hearts, not as yet transformed, were incapable of having the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus written on them. We, having been indwelt by the Spirit of Christ, have no need for the Law. Rather, we walk in His life and we give as liberally as we wish. As our dear brother Paul has said in 2 Corinthians 9:7: "Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." Am I then saying that tithing is not a New Testament principle? Absolutely! However, even if it were, the modern Christian paradigm regarding its purpose and practice would still be

grossly errant. Simply put, the tithe was always for the people: be they tither, alien, orphan or widow. So then what has God revealed as His nature and intention in this matter? First, that we should feel free to enjoy the blessings of the Lord and celebrate Him according to our abundance. Second, that there should be no poor or needy amongst us for the Lord has blessed us that we might be a blessing. Remember, the law was crucified in Christ Jesus, and He has become the end of the law for all who believe. We are, therefore, no longer constrained or directed by a set of rules, but by His Spirit. And since the Spirit of Christ dwells within us we no longer need an earthly law to direct our generosity. Rather, we walk by His Spirit, giving as He provides and directs, thereby fulfilling the law, not by our adherence to it, but by our living of it. Beloved, there is much more to consider with regard to this matter but this is a good stopping point to allow for study, prayer and meditation. In part 2, we will consider the questions of "Why?" and "How?" the doctrine of tithing has become so prevelant in modern Christianity.

I have not read through all the posts but i have a contribution to make. There is one thing that standeth sure and that is GOD CANNOT CHANGE AND HIS WORD IS TRUE. Tithing and all the numerous offerings that MOG's preach today is an unbiblical practice that was revealed to them by the master they serve "their belly". A critical examination of the scriptures especially in Hebrews 7: 5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham: Not even the priests could collect the tithes from the people only the Levites who would then tithe to the priests who are not required to pay anything to anyone. If we are a royal priesthood then it follows that we are not under obligation to pay any tithe to any man. The passage continues to explain that the levetical priesthood was insufficient to redeem man and that was why the redeemer was not a descendant of Levi but is a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. Having said that, giving is what we are enjoined to do with a cheerful heart. When God commanded the people to give for the building of the Tabernacle in the wilderness on their way to Canaan, the people gave excess out of their own free will and Moses had to give a decree in the camp that they should stop giving. Anything done without faith is Sin. If the Spirit convicts you to give a tenth of your income, please do so cheerfully. If he convicts you to give 100percent, please do, God will surely provide for you if it is done out of obedience to the Spirit. I did not give tithes for a long time because i wasn't convinced it is a new testament ordinance. I am still not convinced. however, i have been convicted to give a tenth of my income to the church and i

am doing so not bothered about what the pastors are doing. Everyman will face his own judgement and Condemnation. I will be condemned if I disobey the conviction of the spirit. If God has established a church, he is able to provide for it and meet all the needs ( not wants) that may arise. If he did it in the life of Muller, he can still do it today. God bless you all.