Tithes and Offerings
Supporting the True Church of God and God's True Servants Financially
The Bible teaches the importance of supporting the true Church of God financially.
In fact this paying of tithes and giving of offerings goes way back to the time of Moses and the system of offerings worked out to support the Levites. The Levites were the Priesthood tribe, chosen specifically by God to do God's work. The Levites were financed by the offerings of the people.
Today we are under the New Covenant, and the Priesthood has been changed and Christ is our High Priest in heaven. God's true servants today are the modern day Levites, and so are entitled to receive tithes and offerings from the people - to do God's work. The Levites today under the New Covenant are the Elders and Ministers and brethren in the Church, who labour and do God's work. Some of these positions are unpaid, but the basic principle of supporting God's servants financially remains in place as does the system of tithes and offerings. This money and resources are used to do God's work. It is used to support the Ministry, and support financially the Work of God. And there is so much to do, like preaching the Gospel.
Numbers 3:5-13 " And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Bring the tribe of Levi near, and present them before Aaron the priest, that they may minister unto Him. And they shall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the service of the tabernacle. And they shall keep all the instruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Israel, to do the service of the tabernacle. And thou shalt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his sons: they are wholly given unto him out of the children of Israel. And thou shalt appoint Aaron and his sons, and they shall wait on their priest's office: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death. And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the children of Israel instead of all the firstborn that openeth the matrix among the children of Israel: therefore the Levites shall be mine; Because all the firstborn are mine; for on the day that I smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt I hallowed unto me all the firstborn in Israel, both man and beast: mine shall they be: I am the LORD.
Numbers 3:41 " And thou shalt take the Levites for me (I am the LORD) instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel; and the cattle of the Levites instead of all the firstlings among the cattle of the children of Israel. "
Numbers 3:44-45 " And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take the Levites instead of all the firstborn among the children of Israel, and the cattle of the Levites instead of their cattle; and the Levites shall be mine: I am the LORD. "
Numbers 8:5-6 " And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. "
Numbers 8: 9-18 " And thou shalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt gather the whole assembly of the children of Israel together:
" And thou shalt bring the Levites before the LORD: and the children of Israel shall put their hands upon the Levites:
" And Aaron shall offer the Levites before the LORD for an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service of the LORD.
" And the Levites shall lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks: and thou shalt offer the one for a sin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, unto the LORD, to make an atonement for the Levites.
" And thou shalt set the Levites before Aaron, and before his sons, and offer them for an offering unto the LORD.
" Thus shalt thou separate the Levites from among the children of Israel: and the Levites shall be mine.
" And after that shall the Levites go in to do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation: and thou shalt cleanse them, and offer them for an offering.
" For they are wholly given unto me from among the children of Israel; instead of such as open every womb, even instead of the firstborn of all the children of Israel, have I taken them unto me.
" For all the firstborn of the children of Israel are mine, both man and beast: on the day that I smote every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for myself.
" And I have taken the Levites for all the firstborn of the children of Israel.
" And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atonement for the children of Israel: that there be no plague among the children of Israel, when the children of Israel come nigh unto the sanctuary. "
The Priesthood and the Levites were to be supported by the offerings of the Israelites. The Levites did the work surrounding the tabernacle, but they also lived off of the offerings of the people.
Nehemiah 10:32-39 " Also we made ordinances for us, to charge ourselves yearly with the third part of a shekel for the service of the house of our God;
" For the shewbread, and for the continual meat offering, and for the continual burnt offering, of the Sabbaths, of the new moons, for the set feasts, and for the holy things, and for the sin offerings to make an atonement for Israel, and for all the work of the house of our God.
" And we cast the lots among the priests, the Levites, and the people, for the wood offering, to bring it into the house of our God, after the houses of our fathers, at times appointed year by year, to burn upon the altar of the LORD our God, as it is written in the law:
" And to bring the firstfruits of our ground, and the firstfruits of all fruit of all trees, year by year, unto the house of the LORD:
" Also the firstborn of our sons, and of our cattle, as it is written in the law, and the firstlings of our herds and of our flocks, to bring to the house of our God, unto the priests that minister in the house of our God:
" And that we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.
" And the priest the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house.
" For the children of Israel and the children of Levi shall bring the offering of the corn, of the new wine, and the oil, unto the chambers, where are the vessels of the sanctuary, and the priests that minister, and the porters, and the singers: and we will not forsake the house of our God."
Numbers 18:20-21 " And the LORD spake unto Aaron, Thou shalt have no inheritance in their land, neither shalt thou have any part among them: I am thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Israel. And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. "
Numbers 18:24 " But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance. "
Nehemiah 12:44 " And at that time were some appointed over the chambers for the treasures, for the offerings, for the firstfruits, and for the tithes, to gather into them out of the fields of the cities the portions of the law for the priests and Levites: for Judah rejoiced for the priests and for the Levites that waited. "
Hebrews 7:4-6 " Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils. 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: But he whose descent is not counted from them received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises. "
Malachi 3: 1-3 " Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. But who may abide the day of his coming? and who shall stand when he appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap: And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the LORD an offering in righteousness. "
1 Peter 2:5-10 " Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. "
Luke 8:1-3 " And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him, And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils, And Joanna the wife of Chuza Herod's steward, and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him of their substance. "
1 Corinthians 9:13-14 " Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live of the things of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar ? Even so hath the Lord ordained that they which preach the gospel should live of the gospel. "
Luke 10:10 " And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. "
Malachi 3:6-12 " For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
" 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?
" 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 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.
" 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.
" And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts. "
I claim to be God's true servant, and claim to be doing the true God's work. So I am asking you to put the real Living God to the test and take Him up on His challenge to you in His book:
Malachi 3:9 " 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. "
God actually commands us to pay Him the tithes due to Him, and God says in His book that if you don't pay Him the tithes you are stealing from God. Strong words here folks.
God promises to bless you for paying your tithes. The when and how is up to God, but you can Bank on His promise, since God is faithful to keep His promises. You can also hold God to His promise.
If you run a business a tithe is 10% of your net income. Not 10% of your gross income, but 10% of your profits only. If you lose money or have no profit - then you pay nothing.
If you are an employee a tithe is 10% of your net income or take home pay. After all the deductions on your pay cheque are calculated and taken off. It is not 10% of your gross income, before all the taxes and other deductions. If you receive an income tax refund - you pay 10% of that, since this is income.
I claim to be God's true servant, and claim to be doing the true Living God's work. So therefore put God to the test and send in your tithes and free will offerings.
You can donate through PayPal on my web site , or you can sent a cheque or money order to me through the mail. This site will have a SSL certificate in the future. We have applied for one, and the application has been approved, but we are having some technical problems downloading it, and putting it on the site.
Right at this time - this work that is being done has no official charitable donation status. That is there is no registered charitable - non-profit organization behind it. It is just me and my immediate family doing God's work - mostly just myself, but my children and wife have helped out. Nothing more than that. So you won't be eligible for a refund on your income tax, when you donate at this time.
It remains to be seen exactly how this work will be organized in the future. There is a lot of work to do. We will have to look carefully as to how this work will be organized, so as to insure the monies are used to further God's work, but also to insure the government does not gain control over the church, and its resources. There has to be legal ways and means we can organize it, so as to protect the independence and financial integrity of this work, and still remain within the Laws.
Also it is very important to structure it so that the resources are protected from those who might want to take advantage of these monies - like through excessive salaries for example. We do not want some unscrupulous individuals getting their hands on the money that MUST GO to doing God's work.
