Poster | Thread | rookie Member
Joined: 2003/6/3 Posts: 4821 Savannah TN
| Does your church tithe? | | I was just wondering if your church gives ten percent of what is tithed and offered? Any testimonies?
In Christ jeff _________________ Jeff Marshalek
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| 2007/3/26 2:12 | Profile | iansmith Member
Joined: 2006/3/22 Posts: 963 Wheaton, IL
| Re: Does your church tithe? | | Had a chance to hear a wonderful man of God by the name of Ralph Winters speak recently... he lamented about a Pastor of a church that thought their church was giving too much to missions. When Mr. Winters asked how much they were giving he found out they were only giving one thousand dollars a month. This was like less than .001% of the church budget or something (sorry I can't quote exactly, I regretted not bring a tape recorder).
He said that there were many smaller congregations giving as much as 50% of their funds to missions (which he implied was faithful use of their funds).
If a church spends more money on music, lighting, buildings, chairs and staff than it does on feeding the poor, clothing the naked, healing the sick and overseas missions, then that church may be in sin. _________________ Ian Smith
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| 2007/3/26 4:20 | Profile |
| Re: Does your church tithe? | | I left a church that I went to for almost 5 years over this same topic!! Well, it was over the pastor's reaction to my question, "Does ____ ____ Fellowship tithe?" I was told yes several times but then he couldn't prove it on paper. After about 15 minutes, the truth eventually came out, that if they did take 10% off each Sunday's tithe, they couldn't survive as a church.
Why I eventually left is because of his lying (in that conversation he told me 3 things that were not true at all). Then when I confronted him about the lies, he told me that he said what he did because it's what I wanted to hear, therefore it wasn't a lie and he was not apologizing. (???) We were supposedly good friends "until" I wanted to know about things that were none of my business.
I personally believe that churches should tithe. I haven't found another church yet because it's hard to find a church that hasn't become indebted to the world and they need ALL the tithes to make the building payment and all the other payments and no one is getting any type of help.
Well, that's just my two cents worth. My experience or opinion isn't much, it's really what the Lord thinks of it all.
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| 2007/3/26 6:44 | | arbustum Member
Joined: 2005/7/3 Posts: 96 Sydney Australia
| Re: Does your church tithe? | | hey rookie,
yeah our church does tithe. our tithing allows for all sorts of things that help to see the church grow and reach many many people across the world.
Tithe is all about an attitude of choosing to 'invest' your income and sacrificing a couple of hours worth of work a week-doing that for free in order to further the kingdom of God, starting with your home church.
the money from your tithe goes towards not only making sure church runs every event from the sermons to the extra curricular activities it houses and can pay the staff that aid your walk with God, but also to extend their hand to the community and even further touch countries in missionary groups. my church doesnt do missionary groups but there is a band called youth alive which travels all around the world and sings praises to God-seeing thousands upon thousands saved and bringing to them a chance to praise God where it is otherwise an opportunity unattainable. thats just one aspect though. our head pastor travels the world to preacha nd has such pastors come and preach to us. each word housed in an environment that seeks to build people.
our church reaches out to expand across sydney australia and all to house more people and reach them in the revival that is seriously taking this city by storm. its so great when you see so many fresh faces and know that lives are being transformed by an anmosphere funded by those that learn the principal of tithing and apply that same principal of generosity when they give their time and effort to seeing people set free of things that bind them and hold them down from reaching their full potential.
i can sit here and say that i am a product of many a person's tithe, because without that, i would have never been able to do the free courses i have to set me free of sexual abuse, this course is run at my church by people who have been set free of the same thing in the same church. its a place of retoring, where God literally calls people together and manifests himself. it houses broken and hurting people and restores them to living (not just existing) hope-breathed people who are then free to go and live their lives in all that God has called them to.
i believe that tithing is an important principal and in light of what i have mentioned above, its the kind of place i would like to fund, myself, and see others through their respective trauma.
seeing a broken, lost, hurting and fallen world transformed and given a hope? yeah i think i will tithe to that.
_________________ holly
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| 2007/3/26 6:45 | Profile | enid Member
Joined: 2006/5/22 Posts: 2680 Nottingham, England
| Re: Does your church tithe? | | So far, no one has quoted any scriptures on this subject. I don't know why.
Still, I do tithe. It is a Biblical principle.
Simply obey the word.
There are already numerous threads on this forum about this subject, with varying views.
Ever notice how the words miser and miserable go together?
God bless. |
| 2007/3/26 7:22 | Profile |
| Re: | | Quote:
Still, I do tithe. It is a Biblical principle.
Good for you, "Blessed is he who condemneth not himself in the thing which he alloweth".
Quote:
Malachi 3:7 Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the LORD of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?
Malachi 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Malachi 3:9 Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.
Malachi 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
Malachi 3:11 And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts.
All verses in the Old Testement that every Minister uses to show a TYPE and a FORESHADOW, its the above verses that they leave intact and do not interpret it's true meaning, LEST (lest means fear) they lose thier income.
Since I am not one who is concerned about losing any money, my desire is to set minds free from the bondage of men who keep men bound by using the scriptures to condemn one another. People need to learn the truth of what is being said here.
Am I saying we should stop giving? God forbid! Give 10%, 50% or 100% be free in your giving, and Praise the LORD while your doing it.
We are going to look deeper into these verses, without commentaries and the like, but only by the revelation of what the LORD gives by His Spirit. Amen?? |
| 2007/3/26 9:54 | | John173 Member
Joined: 2007/1/30 Posts: 289 Omaha
| Re: | | Seeing as the initial question had nothing to do with whether tithing is scriptural or not, I'll relate a pair of events that happened at two churches I've attended. While I do not know whether either tithed at the ten percent level, both did pass along funds to other ministries.
The first story happened back in the mid 80s. This church had seen God faithfully provide for its financial needs for many years. They had a box in the entry way and never received an offering. The pastor disliked preaching on the subject and rarely mentioned it, except that once a year he would devote a sermon to the subject as giving is indeed scriptural.
One month the funds simply dried up. When the pastor realized there was some hindrance to God's provision he sought the Lord and ultimately received one word. Guatemala.
One of the ministries they had faithfully supported was an orphanage in Guatemala. What had occurred was a change in church secretaries. When the pastor came to look into when the last gift was sent the new secretary was clueless. No one had informed her to make such a donation. The pastor instucted her to find out the current balance and send [i]all[/i] available funds [i]immediately[/i]. The following week the box was full of donations.
The second story is quite similar. One Saturday morning at a small men's breakfast our pastor shared conversationally that the giving was down considerably and asked us to pray. There were some larger bills on the horizen that would not be met if the current levels did not change. After praying I shared the above story, not as an accusation, but simply relating to another time when I had seen church giving dry up.
Two Sundays later the pastor shared what had happened from the pulpit. He and his wife had been personally supporting a certain ministry for a number of years until that month. He had received something in the mail from them asking for money. This offended him and so he decided to end his support. After hearing my story he felt a strong conviction that the Lord hadn't told him to stop giving to them and sent out a check right away. Once again, the following Sunday the funds necessary to pay the bills had been released.
In Christ,
Doug _________________ Doug Fussell
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| 2007/3/26 10:11 | Profile |
| Re: | | We do not tithe because tithing is not taught in the New Testiment... it is a teaching of the Old Covenant, not the New.
We do however give as the Lord leads. It is usually much more than 10% (actually it's closer to 90% because we have no overhead)... and I dont know what others in our churches give, so I cant answer for other people.
Krispy |
| 2007/3/26 10:20 | |
| Re: Does your church tithe? | | Maybe I'm mistaken since I'm not the author of this discussion but I think the question wasn't on the issue of tithing per se but... Quote:
if your church gives ten percent of what is tithed and offered? Any testimonies?
I personally liked the question, Do you know if YOUR church tithes what is brought in through tithes and offerings? I don't think many do. I'd like to see how many know if their church tithes or not without it getting lost in the drama of the tithing issue itself. But who am I?? :-D |
| 2007/3/26 10:51 | | arbustum Member
Joined: 2005/7/3 Posts: 96 Sydney Australia
| Re: | | good point enid
Malachi 3:10 "bring all your tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house, and prove me now by it(in other versions it says 'test me now by it') says the Lord of hosts, if i will not open the windows (the floodgates) of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to recieve it.
Proverbs 3 vs 9-10
1 Timothy 6:18
Luke 16:10-12
Proverbs 11:24-25
2 Corinthians 9:6-15
and i have many more recorded. _________________ holly
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| 2007/3/26 10:58 | Profile |
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