If You Love Jesus You'll Tithe Anyway

By Patricia Backora

Greedy preachers screech scary scriptures, clobber Christians with curses

and traumatize tender souls with terrifying texts to control the cash cows out
in their pews. Spiritual voodoo practitioners dish out all kinds of doctrinal
dung to instill fear in Gods children and prevent hungry saints from eating
the so-called tithe, although Deuteronomy 14:26 COMMANDED Israelites to
eat (and drink) their tithe. One guilt tactic jackboot preachers use is If
Jesus aint Lord of your loot He aint Lord of your life, and you dont really
love Him. Obviously then, the more cash you flash in church, the more you
love Jesus. But who is on the receiving end of the sacrifice (money) set upon
the altars of Christendom? The kingpin wearing the fancy suit and driving
the fancy car. Whenever "tithe" money is taken up by church ushers, it is not
sent by Space Express up to God's celestial bank. God already owns
everything that exists. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. He doesn't
need some poor grannys grocery money to sustain His eternal life.
Psalms 50:8 I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices, or thy burnt offerings,
to have been continually before me.
Verse 9 I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy
fields.
Verse 10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a
thousand hills.
Verse 11 I know all the fowls of the mountains, and all the wild beasts of
the field are mine.
Verse 12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and
the fulness thereof.

God doesn't need for ushers to shake down people on welfare in order to
feed Himself. And after the service it is gleefully counted by clergymen who
have many dreams they need to finance. This money is often taken from
the mouths of poor families who are low-paid and struggling to put bread on
the table. Monetary tithing is nowhere taught in either Testament. It is an
unmerciful doctrine of devils. A fund-raising gimmick cooked up by Catholic
prelates way back in the Middle Ages.

The laity are taught that "if they REALLY love Jesus, they'll make an
eternal sacrifice to God (the preacher) out of their meager incomes. The
common pew-warmer must never eat what ought to be sacrificed to their
spiritual superiors as sacred. But in Matthew 12:3-4 Christ speaks of how
the starving David ate the sacred showbread, which was meant for the
priests only. Jesus says in verse 7: But if ye had known what this meaneth,
I will have mercy and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the
guiltless. Even if tithing on money were legitimate (and compulsory), Gods
mercy would surely take priority over sacrifice. Im sure He would allow
some poor mother to buy a bit of food for her hungry child, rather than
pressure her to tithe her meager welfare check to the church. In Matthew
15: 3-6 and Mark 7: 10-13 Jesus upbraids some Pharisees who have plenty
of religion but no love. They taught their disciples to offer a "corban", a
monetary gift which could have relieved the want of elderly parents. Thus,
the true Word of God was rendered ineffectual by their vain traditions.

Yes, some would far rather have sacrifice (money) than mercy. The whole
reason for the tithe was to keep food in Gods House for the hungry. For
proof of that, I refer you to Deuteronomy 14:22-29. Most of this passage
deals with the Festival Tithe, paid on the first, second, fourth and fifth years
of each seven-year tithing cycle (none was paid at all in the seventh year
when the land was allowed to lie fallow). I would especially like to quote
verses 28-29, which speak of the special third and sixth-year tithe set aside

for hungry Levites and poor people. A tithing law hidden under a bushel
basket by money-hungry preachers who hope no one discovers WHAT the
tithe was (food ONLY), WHO paid it (ranchers and farmers ONLY), and WHO
ate it (the POOR, the Levites, and the worshipper himself)!
Verse 28 At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine
increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates. * * * Notice,
the tithing was not done out of a person's decrease, or poverty, but out of
his increase (harvest from AGRICULTURE). And this third-year tithe was not
laid up in a church treasury, but within the gates of the city for the benefit of
poor people who needed to eat it.
Verse 29 And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with
thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow which are within
thy gates, shall come and eat, and be satisfied, that the Lord thy God may
bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest. * * * The Levite
(who fulfilled deacon duties back in Old Testament times) was counted
among the poor. And instead of being ordered to tithe out of her welfare
check, the poor widow helped to eat the tithes of agricultural produce
brought by more prosperous Israelites.
Tithe-enforcers argue that "all Scripture is profitable for doctrine and
instruction in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16)". Such activities as gathering
together to share a meal with other believers to rejoice in the Lords
goodness, and making provision for true works of God and for the poor are
applicable to the New Covenant of Grace, but the Mosaic ordinance which
financed these things cannot be laid upon New Testament believers. II
Corinthians 3:6 says: Who (God) also hath made us ministers of the new
testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the
spirit giveth life. To sum it up: When you minister the Law instead of the
Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus, you dish out DEATH! But predatory preachers
dont give a flip that you run the risk of falling out of the grace of God (and
forfeiting your salvation) by living under law.
Galatians 5:1-4 (KJV) 1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ
hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2
Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you
nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, THAT HE IS A
DEBTOR TO DO THE WHOLE LAW. 4 CHRIST IS BECOME OF NO EFFECT
UNTO YOU, WHOSOEVER OF YOU ARE JUSTIFIED BY THE LAW; YE ARE
FALLEN FROM GRACE.

Tithing: Money Just Doesnt Fill the Bill

One unscriptural scripture fatcat tithe takers club the "laity" over the head
with is: "The first tenth of your paycheck belongs to God". Wrong! It ALL
belongs to God, because we ourselves are His purchased possession!
Some think theyre doing God a favor by reinventing and transplanting Old
Testament Laws (ones they deem profitable) into the Body of Christ. But did
God really tell the people to take the first item off the pile to pay as a tithe,
or the tenth?
Lets dig into a little Scripture, and you just might get an
even more vivid picture of how ridiculous it is, trying to marry the Old
Covenant, with its obsolete rules and regulations, to the New, which is a
Covenant of Liberty in Christ Jesus. Talk about strange bedfellows!
What constitutes tithable commodities under the Old Law is summed up in
Leviticus 27:30: And all the tithe OF THE LAND, whether OF THE SEED or OF
THE LAND, or OF THE FRUIT OF THE TREE, is the LORDS. It (not money) is
holy unto the Lord. ONLY EDIBLE ITEMS GREW OR RAISED ON THE LAND
(cattle, sheep, wheat, grapes, etc.) were subject to being tithed.
Verse 31: And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add
thereto the fifth part thereof. How can a dirty dollar bill, dirtied by countless
sinful hands, be redeemed as a holy thing? How can you redeem money
with money anyway? Does God run a Savings and Loan, authorizing His
supposed representatives to charge His children a prime rate of 20%
interest? Logically, if some of the rules of Old Testament tithing on farm
produce apply to tithing on a New Testament Christians cash wages, then

they ALL do! If you "borrow" $100 of "tithe money" to go see the doctor,
youve gotta pay "God" (the preacher?) back $120, or you break that same
Law youre so anxious to return to, and youre counted as a transgressor! If
youre determined to earn favour with God by keeping one of His old laws,
you cant make up your own new-and-improved rules on how to tithe instead
of tithing HIS way. Make a messy dogs dinner out of His old laws and youll
be in the doghouse with your Maker!
Verse 32: And concerning the tithe OF THE HERD, OR OF THE FLOCK, EVEN
OF WHATSOEVER PASSETH UNDER THE ROD (Ever seen a twenty-$ bill
toddling on two legs to pass under the rod?) , the tenth shall be holy unto
the Lord.
Did God REALLY ask for the best tenth, or just the tenth, period?
Verse 33: HE SHALL NOT SEARCH WHETHER IT BE GOOD OR BAD, NEITHER
SHALL HE CHANGE IT: and if he change it at all, both it and the change shall
be holy; it shall not be redeemed. How comical, the idea of applying this
principle to filthy lucre. Imagine dividing your $1000 salary into 10 $100
bills, then putting them in a bag to shuffle them up. Then you pull them out
one by one, till you get to the last one. That one, not the first, counts as the
"tithe". And even if its a rumpled up bill with Susie Q's phone number on it,
youve still got to count that one as the tithe. But money-hungry preachers
tell you, regarding tithing: "Give of your best and first tithe (money) to the
Master, before you meet every other obligation." But the aforementioned
passage is proof that it was the TENTH item counted in a series of tithable
commodities which was set aside by farmers and herdsmen as the holy tithe
under the Old Law; not the first, and not necessarily the best one. The word
"tithe" simply means "tenth". Even if a ranchers tenth cow was the
scrawniest of the whole lot, it was still counted as the tithe. The "best of the
tithes", or a mere 1% of the total, were to be offered by the Levites to the
High Priest in Numbers 18: 25-32. It would be sheer blasphemy for any
man to claim to sit in the office of the High Priest under the New Covenant,
so as to claim the best tenth of a tithe of any man's paycheck or other
possessions. Jesus, not some man, is our ONLY High Priest (Heb.4:14-16).
Which reminds me of this minor point: Every true Christian believer has
been made ONE SPIRIT with Christ Himself (I Cor.6:17). Therefore, it follows
that when oily-tongued parasite preachers dun Christians for tithe money,
theyre taxing Jesus Himself!
Offerings brought to the Altar always had to be without spot or blemish
(Deuteronomy 15:21). Since tithes were taken at random from every tenth
item counted, and worshippers were not to "search (check) a tithed animal

whether it be good or bad" before counting it as the tithe, the peoples tithe
didnt qualify for the Altar anyway. All this sanctimonious drivel about rankand-file Gentile Christian "laity" offering up "tithe" money, an inedible item
on the Altar, just doesnt wash with Scripture! Only that 1% of all the
produce OF THE LAND OF ISRAEL, the Heave Offering (KJV) hand-picked
from the peoples tithe and PAID BY THE LEVITES to the High Priest, was
ever presented at the Altar!
What about those times where terms like "without spot or blemish",
"firstfruits" or "redemption money" are applicable? Lets dig up a few more
Old Testament observances, and after reading the following sections tell me
whether youd like to go back to keeping this mind-bogglingly complicated
Scroll of the Law, with its 600-odd ordinances. Or rather, just read it so you
can better appreciate what a colossal burden Christ has delivered you from!
The Law: Fulfilled In Christ, but Misapplied With Lies
God has opened my eyes. Now I am able to see through the religious
razzle-dazzle going on in churches and "miracle crusades" presided over by
Prosperity gurus. One favorite fund-raising gimmick is to prime the pump of
pious fervor by bedazzling believers with a lot of Old Testament buzzwords,
and doing it with the right theatrics. At least once I was in a meeting where
the preacher appealed to his flock to present a "wave offering to the Lord"
(with cabbage of the highest denominations, what else?).
Knowing his trusting, bah-h-h-ing sheep would readily follow, the man said,
"God loves a cheerful giver. Lets see you wave your biggest bill as your
firstfruits offering unto the Lord. Thats it! Wave those bills high now, and
make a joyful noise unto the Lord."
Now, in a crowd of thousands of excited people, you must have enough
sanctified common sense to
master your own emotions and avoid being
swept along on a tide of error. You need to be grounded in Gods truth
enough to judge the collective "blessing" by the strict yardstick of Scripture.
Have you ever read of the Apostle Peter groaning to organ music and
appealing to old Levitical laws to make the money flow like milk and honey?
What did the Firstfruits offering and the Wave offering consist of anyway,
and what was the significance of these ancient rituals?
It was to the Altar that the Firstfruits, the very first ripening fruits of a
harvest, were brought in a basket (not a checkbook) by the Israelite farmer
(see Exodus 23:19; Numbers 18:13; Deuteronomy 26:1-11; Nehemiah 10:
35-37). From this the "wavesheaf" was taken and offered up as holy unto

the Lord (Leviticus 23: 9-12). This ritual was performed on the second day
of Passover, or 7 weeks before Pentecost (verse 15).
The Firstfruits is not synonymous with the tithe of the whole harvest offered
by the laity of the Nation of Israel. The tithe was payable later in the season,
when the whole crop ripened. Nehemiah Chapter 10 describes how
sacrifices, tithes, and offerings were resumed after being discontinued in
exile. Notice in verse 37: And to bring the firstfruits of our DOUGH (bread
dough, that is!) and our offerings, and the FRUIT OF ALL MANNER OF TREES,
unto the priests, to the chambers of the House of our God; and the tithes OF
OUR GROUND (the Firstfruits and the tithes are listed separately) unto the
Levites (who receive the peoples 10%). And remember, the LEVITES tithe
of the tithe (Or 1% of Israels agricultural output) comprised the Heave
Offering (Numbers 18:25-28 KJV), (Heb."Terumah").
Christ, our unblemished Passover Lamb, fulfilled the Wavesheaf offering
when he offered Himself up to God once and for all for our redemption from
sin (see Hebrews Chapter 10). Paul the Apostle compares the dying and
burial of the natural body to the sowing of a seed which results in a harvest,
where that seed is changed into a new, far more glorious form, speaking of
our own resurrection to immortality (I Corinthians 15:35-44). Christ is the
Firstfruits from the dead (verses 20-23), and the First to be resurrected to
immortality and offered to God, in happy anticipation of the resurrection of
His saints. Christ IS the Fulfillment of both the Firstfruits and the Wave
Sheaf offerings, even as as He fulfilled in His own sacrificial death the animal
sacrifices of ancient Israel. I suspect God is offended by the way fishers for
funds make a big haul by perverting the simplicity of the Gospel of Christ by
playing the If you love Jesus youll do it anyway guilt trip card.
In the Book of Nehemiah, the exiles of Judah are returning from captivity
after a 70-year absence. Now Temple worship was being reinstituted, along
with all the various ordinances which could only be kept in the Land of
Israel. Turn to Chapter 10: 38 to get a real thrill: And the priests the sons of
Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites
shall bring up the TITHE OF THE TITHES into the House of our God, to the
chambers, unto the treasure house (Now, get this!) Thats the very same
"storehouse" (Hebrew: outsair ) so often quoted from Malachi 3:1, the lone
verse tithing teachers base most of their doctrine on! That was the place
where THE LEVITES (whom modern preachers readily identify with) took
their own tithe (1% of the total) to THE PRIESTS (higher ranking members
of the priestly Tribe of Levi who were descended from Aaron). These are the
same Levites who are cited by Malachi as being guilty of withholding the best
of the tithe from God! They, NOT THE LAITY (other tribes of Israel), were the

ones primarily responsible for keeping this treasure house full of good
things!
If any religious leader still insists on playing spiritual Levite, let him go the
whole gamut and keep all the 600-odd points of the Old Law. Stop eating
pork, ham and shrimp. Southerners, youll have to give up catfish, as that
has no scales (Deut. 14:9-10). Dont work on Saturdays. Wear a beard and
side locks. Dont order cheese on your Big Mac, cause you cant mix meat
with dairy products. If your brother dies childless, marry his widow to raise
up a son to perpetuate his name. It works both ways, now!
"Ah, but I couldnt do that," you say. Why? "Well, Paul says church leaders
are to be the husband of only one wife." Yes, he did say that. You are not
expected to follow the ancient custom of levirate marriage. Neither are
believers bound by Tithing, which never was on money to begin with.
Pick One Law, You Marry Em All
James 2:10 says: For whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in
ONE point, he is guilty of ALL. The Law of Moses is not a restaurant menu.
Where commitment is concerned, the Law of Moses is indivisible. If you vow
faithfulness to one law, you yoke yourself to the whole clan. You cant just
covenant with God to keep one law you like and shine off on all the rest.
How long has it been since anybody sent their friendly TV preacher a
redemption fee for a firstborn kitten or puppy!
Wily preachers pull out this ace: Tithing predated the Law of Moses. Well, so
did animal sacrifice and circumcision. But theyre DONE AWAY, cause they
aint big money-makers like tithing!

What About Abrahams Tithing Example?

An example is not a command! Tithing teachers misapply 2 Tim.3:16 to
justify tithing on the basis that since tithing appears in scripture, its still a
binding law today. No big deal that the items tithed are changed from food
to funds contrary to Deut. 12:32. So what if all the minute, nitpicky,
unprofitable Biblical regulations which comprise Gods true tithing law are
ignored, and only the ten per cent aspect is applied by the preacher?
What preacher forces Christians to apply THESE scriptures to their lives? If
they did, theyd end up at a war crimes tribunal or in a nut house! Israelite
warriors wiped out male babies and non-virgins. Then they forced all the fair
young virgins to have sex with them (Num.31:17-18). Judges 21:1924).Joshua committed mass genocide to take the Land The men of Benjamin
kidnapped girls who were dancing at a festival and forced them to marry
them (Josh.10:28). Jephthah offered up his daughter as a burnt offering
(Judg.11:29-39). Israelite soldiers ate raw meat (I Sam.14:32). The prophet
Samuel hacked a prisoner of war to pieces (I Sam.15:33), Isaiah went naked
and barefoot on his preaching tours (Isa.20:2). Paul shaved his head as part
of a Mosaic vow even after he became a Christian (Acts 18:18). Paul
circumcised Timothy, making him a debtor to do the whole law (Gal.5:3).
Ezekiel did weird things with his hair and beard to illustrate his sermon
(Ezek.5:1-4). Will Christians go to hell if they dont fuel their stove with bull
butane (Ezek.4:15)?
As for Abrahams tithe, a plain, unbiased reading of Genesis 14 reveals that
he paid tithes ONCE. Abrahams tithe was taken from the spoils of war, not
from his own business earnings. Wicked, degenerate Sodom was the
source of Abrahams tithe. If the preacher insists on his people imitating
Abrahams tithing example, the closest parallel would be to rescue a gang of
prostitutes (and their belongings) from kidnappers, take ten per cent of their
recovered possessions, and present the loot to the Pope.
Why dont preachers apply a few of THESE scriptures to their congregation?
Under the Old Covenant, the first-born of every man and beast was the
Lords (Exodus 13:1-2; Numbers 18:15-16; Leviticus 27: 26-27). Human
males under 5 had to be redeemed with a payment of 5 Temple shekels, 3
for females. The redemption fee was higher for an older person. The
firstborn of all unclean (non-kosher) animals had to be redeemed instead of
being offered, e.g. the jackass (Exodus 13:13; Leviticus. 27:27) This is one
example of hundreds of Mosaic ordinances preachers have neglected to
transfer over to our Dispensation of Grace.
If anybody hopes to score
points with God by observance of one Mosaic ordinance, that individual must

place himself under ALL of the Law of Moses, and keep those laws exactly as
God dictated them to Moses, not some money-hungry preachers new-andimproved version of them! Its a package deal! If one Mosaic ordinance is
transferable to the New Testament Age of Grace, every other Mosaic
ordinance is transferable and binding, not just the money-makers! The whole
Law includes circumcision for men, purification rituals and pigeon offerings
for women, various cleansings and washings, animal sacrifices, physical
inactivity on the Sabbath, abstinence from pork BBQ, going to the Priest to
have your zits checked, and paying a redemption fee for your firstborn child.
Thanks to Christ, we are redeemed from the condemnation of imperfect
Law-keeping, without having to muddle through all those Levitical Laws and
fees (Isaiah 52:3; I Peter 1:18).
You really open up a can of worms when you try to enforce Old Testament
Laws in this Dispensation of Grace. Even if monetary fees still had to be paid
today in fulfillment of ancient Levitical law, God wouldnt accept U.S.
currency, with its mystical inscriptions and images of men, as these violate
His Law against
making images (Exodus 20:4). Ministers simply couldnt
accept $3.00 as a redemption fee for a baby girl, instead of three Shekels of
the Sanctuary! The Jews of Christs time had to exchange their Roman
coins, engraved with images of Caesar, for acceptable Temple shekels
(Matthew 21:12). Even then, those coins were not used to pay tithes, but
taxes for the maintenance of the Temple, as in the census tax taken from
every Israelite over twenty (Exodus 30: 11-16). Each person, whether rich
or poor, was charged the same amount__half a shekel. That would
constitute far less than 10 %of a rich mans income. Under Nehemiahs
leadership, God allowed this small sum to be reduced to one-third of a
shekel, perhaps because the people at that time were under foreign tribute
and needed a bit of relief. This is one example of Gods compassion.
The Temple Tax, however, cannot be used to argue that money secured the
eternal redemption of the Israelites, even if this tax was easily affordable by
most everyone. Psalms 49: 7-8 tells us that nothing we can give God can
ransom anyones soul from death, and the redemption of our soul is precious
(costly).
It is the Blood which makes atonement for sin (Leviticus 17:11;
Hebrews 9:22). Rather, paying that census tax was a tangible reminder
(memorial) of the faith each person directed toward the God Who inhabited
the Temple, and also symbolized the fact each Old Testament saint had an
equal vested interest in the benefits of its rites. The money paid for the
upkeep of a Temple which performed substitutionary animal sacrifices on
their behalf. These rites were crucial in the salvation of believing Israelites in
that they served as "promissory notes" before God until their ultimate
fulfilment in Christ, the perfect Lamb of God. The Blood of Christ, not silver
and gold, has redeemed us (John 1:29; John 1:29; I Peter 1: 18-19).

Faithfulness to ritual obligations, as in paying the Temple tax, showed their

faith in the future coming of the final Sacrifice for sins, Jesus.
In every dispensation, good works spring from true faith (James 2:26). On
one occasion Jesus took His own Temple tax from the mouth of a fish
(Matt.17:27). This speaks of grace, not works. Jesus did not labor to earn
this contribution to a religious system which was growing more corrupt by
the day. Jesus was not the slave of that system which had deviated so far
from God's original plan that instead of feeding the widow, it now devoured
widows' houses (Matt.23:14; Luke 20:47). Another observation can be made
from this incident: Taking money from the mouth of a fish is the ancient
equivalent of rummaging through the couch cushions for spare change. This
incident should forever put to rest the assertions of Prosperity teachers that
Jesus was not materially poor when He lived on earth!
After they got the money out of the fish's mouth Jesus asks Peter whether
the kings of the earth take custom, or taxes, from their own children, or
from strangers (Matt.17:25). Peter replies in verse 26: "From strangers."
And Jesus replies, "Then are the children free (of religious taxation)." We,
beloved, are the children of God. What right has any self-appointed religious
IRS agent got to dun a hard-working man or woman for 10% of his net
income, let alone the gross (before taxes), as so many churches practice
today, contrary to the Word of God?

Despite Jesus clear declaration that children of the King are free, tithe
collectors trap Gods gullible kids in their NET by demanding a GROSS tithe
God abhors as an abominable heresy which perverts the integrity of His
Written Word. No matter how burdensome and unjust their demands,
preachers say:
"If You Love Jesus You'll Do it Anyway"
That tried-and-true religious guilt trip has been used repeatedly throughout
the history of the institutional church to part a fearful saint from his money.
In one church I knew of, subtle questioning of a person's love for Jesus was
used to persuade several dog-tired saints to get out of bed every night
during the wee hours of the morning, get dressed and go man a 24-hour
prayer chain which zealous young elders pressed the pastor into starting.
Only trouble with that was, only a few dozen adults, at most, regularly
attended the church services, some women couldn't drive or had small
babies, and the way it panned out, the very same ones had to take the same
one-hour shifts night after night. I don't recall much fruit coming out of that
prayer chain, as most everyone in that sleepy rural area was asleep during
those hours. Perhaps a prankster or two might have called, but important
spiritual principles were being violated. The prayer chain was imposed on
the so-called laity, "those on the outside looking in", by those in the "inner
circle". The burden of many was laid upon just a few (Luke 11:46).
Whenever the pastor of a small church dreams up a fancy building project,
based on projected income from the "tithes" of the saints, he is laying the
burden of many upon just a few, and lading men with burdens grievous to
be borne (Matt.23:4). I challenge anybody who believes that "tithe money"
ought to be used for building projects to quote just one verse where the
Bible specifically commands "tithe money" to be used for building church
buildings. In the very beginning, church buildings as we know them today
did not even exist. And no, I'm not talking about quoting some age-old
religious tradition of men which was fabricated by applying some vague
mystical interpretation of Scripture. If anyone can quote valid WORD FOR
WORD
scripture stating that the Apostle Paul used "tithe money" to
construct a cathedral, then I'll concede that I was wrong about this. And I'll
go so far as to state emphatically that not one verse of Scripture proves that
Jesus ever financed His own ministry off of unscriptural monetary tithes.
Jesus and His followers were helped by freewill offerings ONLY. Jesus (and
most of His disciples) were Israelites, but they were not descended from the
tribe of Levi (Heb.7:4). Therefore, it would have been against Mosaic Law
for them to collect any type of tithe in fulfilment of that law.

IF JESUS, A REAL JEW, DIDNT QUALIFY TO TAKE TITHES, HOW DARE ANY
GENTILE PREACHER TAX CHRISTIANS IN HIS NAME!
Only members of the priestly Tribe of Levi ever collected tithes under the Old
Covenant (Num.18:26). Tithing was a POINT OF MOSAIC LAW (Matt.6:16),
which was never intended for Gentiles. This ordinance, along with all the rest
of Jewish laws associated with the Temple, ENDED WHEN THE ROMANS
BURNT DOWN THE TEMPLE IN 70 A.D. Animal sacrifices ceased. Priestly
rituals ceased. Annual pilgrimages to the Temple ceased. Collection of the
Temple tax ceased. The Temple storehouses burnt down. AND THE TITHE
CEASED! That is, until Catholic prelates cooked up a new and improved
version of that old law in the Middle Ages.
Because the Temple hasnt been rebuilt, even modern-day Jews dont feel
bound to tithe like they did in Bible days.
Tithes were never taken up by Gentiles. Back in Bible days, they would have
been stoned to death for presuming to play Levite and collect religious
tribute in Gods Name (Num.1:51). So next time your pastor takes up tithes
ask him what tribe of Israel he's descended from (ask for documented
proof), whether he plans to let the poor have all the tithe every three years
(Deut.14:28-29), whether hell allow the worshipper to eat (AND DRINK) his
own tithe as God commanded (Deut.14:26), and whether he plans on
skipping tithe-taking during every seventh sabbatical year of the tithing
cycle, and let his people rest from their labors for a whole year and live off
the land (Lev.25). When hell freezes over!
God does indeed have a spiritual priesthood under the New Covenant, but
that includes every member of the Body of Christ, not just a privileged few!
Not only have WE (everyday believers) been made a royal priesthood and a
holy nation in Christ (I Peter 2:5,9), but we ARE the Temple of God (I
Corinthians 3:16). What right does anyone have to force us, the so-called
laity (a man-made division in the Body of Christ) to pay tithe money to
"spiritual Levites", when every blood-washed believer in Christ is called a
priest? Old Testament priests NEVER paid tithes! As previously stated, the
Levites paid tithes to the priests out of the tithes they got from the people.
A believers position under the New Covenant is a much more desirable one
than that enjoyed by any Old Testament Israelite or Levite. Why?
The term "laity" , as we understand it, could be applied to all Old Covenant
Israelites not of the tribe of Levi, since these other tribes were not chosen to
draw near unto God to perform sacred rituals. "Although Israel was Gods

Chosen People, only sons of Aaron, descended from Levi, were chosen by
God to minister before Him at the Altar. And of that one clan of Levi , only
the High Priest was allowed to pass beyond the inner Veil of the Tabernacle
into the Holiest Place of all, the Holy of Holies, where the sacred Ark of the
Covenant was. And even he could only enter once a year (Hebrews 9:7), to
sprinkle blood upon the Mercy Seat of the Ark, as an atonement for himself
and for the people. Hebrews 10:19-22 assures us that now every true
believer can enter into the Holiest Place and draw near unto God because
the Blood of Christ makes us acceptable to Him. We who are saved by faith
in Christ ARE the Temple of God, and Gods Holy Spirit dwells in us (I
Corinthians 3:16; II Corinthians 6:16).
We show our belief in what God's Word says (or lack of it) through our
actions. If we pay unscriptural money tithes to men, it shows that we see
those men as Gods only priests and ourselves as mere laity, a division
introduced by the Catholic Church but foreign to the New Testament.
The same church which developed a complex clergy-laity system unknown to
the early church created the church tithing doctrine. Monetary tithing was
NOT enforced in Christian assemblies until the sixth century A.D., when it
was made church law
by the Roman Catholic Church.
According to
McClintock and Strongs Cyclopedia of Biblical Literature, two church councils
were held legislating mandatory tithing on money. The first was the Council
of Tours in 567 A.D. The second, the Council of Macon in 585 A.D., enjoined
the payment of tithes under pain of excommunication.
Protestant pastors often criticize Catholics for unscriptural beliefs. But when
they collect tithes, theyre following a Catholic doctrine, not the teachings of
the early apostles or the custom of the early church. Tithing to men under
the New Covenant denies the priesthood of all believers in Christ. Christians
who take "tithes" to some "church building deny what the Word of God has
to say about believers themselves being the Temple of the Living God.
Instead they believe the church building is Gods Temple.
Theres lots of jumping and rejoicing about Christians (alleged) freedom
from the Law. But one law is still misinterpreted, mangled, and misapplied
to the church: tithing. No wonder people dont come to Christ if they think
theyre trading one devil for another one who will curse tithes out of them till
the day they die. With good reason they wonder why Jesus free salvation
has to be paid for in tithing installments out of their pitiful paychecks.
Tithing is about much more than money. Its about POWER. Those who
collect tribute are the kingpins on top of the totem pole (Matt.17: 24-27).
Jesus expressly forbade a clergy/laity divide in the Body of Christ where the
strong oppress the weak and demand privileged treatment (Matt.23:8,11).

Would greedy preachers be happy if they found out theres no money in

heaven? Do they expect to continue taking tithes up there (if they make it
there)? Jesus, who, BTW, never once took up tithes, or even offerings in His
meetings, said in Matt.6:10: Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. If
saints and angels in heaven arent under the tithing law, neither are we.
So much more is at stake here than dollars and cents, saints. Although God
commands us to owe no one anything but love (Rom.13:8), religious tyrants
insist pew Christians owe THEM ten per cent of all their GROSS income for
life, till the day they drop dead from overwork.

Religious tyrants dont care about the welfare of your soul, or how tithing
distorts a believers relationship with the Lord and changes him from a
prince of God and heir of all things into a tribute-paying peon who sweats to
get money for the preacher. This point is extremely important.
1 Corinthians 3:21-23 (KJV) 21 Therefore let no man glory in men. For all
things are yours; 22 Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or
life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; 23 And ye
are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
Here Paul was addressing ALL the Corinthian Christians, not just the
leadership. He makes it clear that these ordinary believers are owners of
ALL things, even the very preachers who minister the word to them. This
should put the unscriptural tithing doctrine and the overblown submission
doctrine in proper perspective.
Romans 8:14-17 (KJV) 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they
are the sons of God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again
to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,
Father. 16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God: 17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs

with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified
together.
Revelation 21:7 (KJV) He that overcometh shall inherit ALL THINGS; and I
will be his God, and he shall be my son.
God promises that ALL THINGS will belong to us, not just the percentage left
over after having a GROSS tithe extorted out of us by Bible-misquoting
preachers. Monetary tithing is predicated on the lie that you owe some
professional minister ten per cent of all your finances till the day you give up
the ghost. Whether youre a rich businessman or a starving widow on social
security, or a bedridden invalid drawing disability, you owe them a sizable
hunk of your chicken feed till the day you stand at the Pearly Gates.
Only a crackpot preacher would ever arrogantly walk up to Prince Charles
and say, You owe me ten per cent of all the wealth you now possess, or
ever will possess, till the day you die, so fork it over, bud. Its an even
greater disgrace to treat a son or daughter of the Heavenly King this way.
Greedy preachers care only about building their own bank account, not the
true Kingdom of God. They demand UNCONDITIONAL submission and
slavish obedience from Gods own children who are sitting in heavenly places
with Christ Jesus. They demand that you repudiate the true Word of God,
RIGHTLY DIVIDED IN ITS PROPER CONTEXT, and embrace their lies, even to
the point of renouncing your exalted position in Christ (Eph.1:3; 2:6). Jesus
paid a terrible price for the spiritual freedom we enjoy as children of God.
For all their singing about how Christ hath freed us from the Law, spiritual
tyrants still shackle Christians to their favourite old laws to gain more
wealth and power. Theyre usually seminary graduates, so they know whats
in the Bible even if they dont preach on the sections that disprove their false
doctrines. And even if they GRUDGINGLY admit youve go a solid Biblical
case for freedom from tithing, theyll question your MOTIVE for wanting to
be out from under THEIR autocratic authority. It boils down to this:
Their attitude boils down to this: "I know the Bible REALLY says that, but IF
YOU LOVE JESUS, YOU'LL DO IT ANYWAY. IF YOU LOVE JESUS, youll work
day and night to get money for US so WE can live like royalty. Youll be our
slaves and exist solely for OUR benefit.
IF YOU LOVE JESUS. That thumbscrew catchphrase gets people whipping out
their wallets before you know it. Preachers push the AUTHORITY button
time and again to stop Christians from obeying the Bibles command to
PROVE ALL THINGS (I Thes.5:21). I recall the same church elder who
started the prayer chain also said that a woman should jump off a cliff if her

husband told her to, because "if you love Jesus you'll submit". Love of
Jesus has been used by unscrupulous men of the cloth for many
generations to make merchandise of the people of God (2Pet.2:1-3). They
know they must first deaden the discernment of the duped sheeple before
they can reach their wallet. Christians who feel they have no right to be led
and taught DIRECTLY by the Spirit of God (John 14:26; 16:13; I John 2:27)
are brainwashed to believe any lie dished up from the pulpit.
When satan misapplied Scripture to appeal to Jesus' religious sentiment to
get Him to jump off a cliff, Jesus stuck strictly to "It is written" (Matt.4:5-7).
No one, high or low, has the right to question our love for Jesus just because
we renounce unscriptural religious traditions in favor of the written Word of
God AS TAUGHT TO CHRISTIANS UNDER THE NEW COVENANT BY THE
ORIGINAL APOSTLES.

******
http://banpreachergreed.tripod.com
Read my free book on tithing and fasting:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/4617708/Fasting-Tithing-Blessing-Bringers-orBurdens