I have always tithed until I had a slow period in my business and realized I was taking money back out on a credit card to live after giving my 10%. I believe God does financial miracles but I will not challenge God and demand he reimburse me the 10% so I can make my house payment (anymore). God helped me out of this false belief. I live fairly frugal and don’t buy alot of worldly goods. I have been on fire for God since the Brownsville Revival where I first heard Dr. Brown.

I found myself giving because Pastors would say it was required quoting Malachi, ect. I learned that some early church history after Acts found the church giving according to their abilities. And they always gave a portion to the poor. I hope all the response to this subject help many like it did me. There are probably millions sitting at home on sundays because they felt like the church was after their money.

I want to thank the lady that quoted the scripture of the man saying “I was young and now I am old and I have never seen the righteous begging bread”. Somehow I had always connected this to tithing but as she pointed out: It’s not the tithing that never beg bread, it is the righteous. Thank You for that. It was quite a little guilt trip for me.

Finally I believe in giving and will always do so. I would like give more than 10% when I am able. But from now on, I will give cheerfully and by faith according to my ability. God bless Dr. Brown for this forum and all who contributed.

I understand your question was to Dr. Brown but I would also like to give my take on it. And of course, he can give his take too

If we cant recieve the curse (Galatians 3:13: Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), neither can we recieve the blessing. We cant pick and choose what we want from Scripture. The same thing goes for Deuteronomy 28 (the blessings, and curses for keeping the law).

First off, the blessing is talking about crops growing, NOT money, secondly, the book of Malachi is written to the children of Israel, and to the preists, NOT Gentile Christians and Pastors! Another thing is the Church is NOT a building, it is the body of Christ! In the Greek we have the word ekklesia which means, congregation, assembly, gathering, so again, NOT a building……….

If you are interested, I bring up some reasons why tithing is NOT for Christian in my post above

Take care and God bless

I have greatly enjoyed your input and dedication to the truth. I have one question about Malachi 3. Would that still apply to us today “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
“But you ask, ‘How do we rob you?’
“In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 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. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not cast their fruit,” says the LORD Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the LORD Almighty.

Are we cursed when we don’t tithe?

Once again thank you greatly.

Raul

Shalom,
Brandon

According to Scripture the tithe is 10% of the increase, established in (Lev. 27:30-33) as an offering holy to the Lord.
The scripture indentifies the tithe as grain and fruit, herd and flock. The tithe is food! Not that we go by it but even the Talmud says that if something is tithed it would have to be edible!

What was the tithe for?
The tithe was used to feed the Levite priests (and their families, the fatherless, the widows etc). Without the tithe, the Levite priests would have needed to raise their own food. Hence, the reference in Malachi 3:10, “that there may be food in my storehouse”.
The reference to “robbing God” in Malachi 3:8 is in fact robbing of ministry and worship by failing to take care of God’s priests through the tithe of food items. The Levites were not given land. Unlike the other tribes of Israel who were given land as their inheritance. God was their inheritance (Numbers 18:20-21).
Since the Levites had no land (inheritance) on which to grow their own food, the remaining tribes were obligated to provide food for them. If a Pastor is going to quote Malachi 3:8 in trying to get you to tithe he is disobeying the 4th commandment! Thou shall NOT take the name (Shem in Hebrew meaning ”authority” and/or ”character”) of the LORD thy God in vain (shawv in the Hebrew which can also be translated as ”lying” or ”falsehood”). And not only that, but if a Pastor wants to quote Malachi or any of the Scriptures that are refering to tithes which are to be given to Levite priests they are ALSO disobeying Numbers 18:6-7 ”Behold, I Myself have taken your brethren the Levites from among the children of Israel; they are a gift to you, given by the LORD, to do the work of the tabernacle of meeting. Therefore you and your sons with you shall attend to your priesthood for everything at the altar and behind the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood to you as a gift for service, but the outsider who comes near shall be put to death.” which basically says, if anyone tries to take the office of a Levite, or, in other words, if an outsider partakes in what is for the Levites he shall be put to death! This is serious! For a Pastor to quote a Scripture written for the Levites and twist it to not only intimitade Christians but to extort them of there money he is not only using the word of God decietfully but he is doing exactly what Numbers 18:6-7 condemns!

Where is the temple now?
1 Corinthians 6:19 says WE are the temple of the Holy Spirit. God no longer resides in a stone temple, but in the hearts of His children through the Holy Spirit.
The 3rd temple will be a spiritual temple (the Body of Christ).
John 4:21-24, one day God would no longer have to be worshipped in Jerusalem, in a Temple, or any specific place; but in Spirit and Truth. And that day is now here!

What happened to the Levite Priests?
The Levite priesthood is no longer necessary (Hebrews 7:11-12) as the old covenant system of animal sacrifice in the temple was superseded by the everlasting covenant of Christ’s blood.

Who is the priesthood now?
1 Peter 2:5-9 says, those who have received Jesus as Lord & Saviour are the priesthood.

How do we give to God now?
Matthew 25:31-46, You give to the poor as Christ always taught throughout the Gospels: ”Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me. ”
What we do unto others, we do unto Christ.

The tithe has been redefined from “flocks, herds, fruit, and grain” to “MONEY”!
The storehouse has been redefined from the Temple in Jerusalem to the local church building.
The tithe from the O.T. Law of Moses has somehow been brought into the new covenant of grace by Christ’s blood.

Just how we can’t choose how we want to get to God, as he told us the only way, we can’t choose how we want to tithe, as again, he showed us the rules and regulations for tithing; who it was for and how it was to be done. We cant do it our way. We should not follow the traditions of men!

The early Church didn’t tithe, they sold EVERYTHING they had and distributed it amongst themselves so that there would be equality (Acts 2:44-45, Acts 44:34-35 ).
Like is says in 2 Corinthians 8:13-14 ”Our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality. At the present time your plenty will supply what they need, so that in turn their plenty will supply what you need. Then there will be equality,”

I apologize for the extremly long message but I needed to get this off of my chest!

How about- “its not about working for you.”

Tithing is not a magic formula that puts you finances in order, and its not a way to get a (insert number here)-fold return. We give to God out of gratitude, and as an acknowledgment that it is His to start with. We give to support the work of the church, because that money is not just going to somehow show up in the church’s bank account if we don’t. Ten percent is a great starting point.

If money is running tight there may be valid reasons but more often than not we need to look at our priorities.

I love to tithe.