At one old country school any kids who “cut up” in class would get a visit from the Board of Education.  They would be taken out to the “hallway” by the teacher who swung it.  You could “git two licks” for talkin’ in class or  five for chewin’ gum. “Goofin’ off” in class (falling asleep at your desk) got you ten licks.  Smokin’ was downright scandalous.  If a kid got caught, the teacher could “wear him out” with his holey paddle.

Some sins are a heckuva lot worse than smokin’. Nowadays, bullying is just about the worst sin being committed in schools or in the workplace.  Bullying is even being done from church pulpits!  Deceitful doctrines are  a bonus to some, a bully to others.  Any unscriptural tradition used to pry money out of God’s people is like the bully on the bus who beats up weaker kids if they don’t fork over their lunch money.

Scaring money out of folks with religious lies is slightly worse than smoking, so bad doctrine should git a few licks, too, straight out of the Bible.   I’m sure there are as many tithin’ lies as Carter’s got peanuts, but we’ll just “wear out”  22 of the worst.

LIE NO.1:YOU’LL BE CURSED WITH A CURSE IF YOU DON’T TITHE YOUR WAGES.

The TRUTH: The death of Christ ushered in a new, and far better, covenant, making the Old Covenant obsolete (Col.2:20-22; Heb.8:13). Christians are not under the Law (Gal.5:18). If you “covenant with God” to keep tithing, or any part of the Law of Moses, you make yourself a debtor to do the whole Law (Galatians 5:3).  Instead of bringing a blessing, tithing could make you fall from the grace of God (Gal.5:4).  That means you cease to rely solely on Christ’s Sacrifice of Himself to remain justified before a Holy God. Tithing is service to the Law, not the Risen Lord. Tithing brings you back under the curse of the Law spoken of in Galatians 3:13.

Hebrews 10:38: Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.

VERSE 39: But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.

Galatians  3:10: For as many as are under the works of the Law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in ALL things which are written in the book of the Law to do them (This includes such ordinances as circumcision, animal sacrifices, keeping the Sabbath, covering every container in your house (Numbers 19:15)!

LIE NO.2: KEEPING THE TITHING LAW IS AN ACT OF FAITH.

The TRUTH: Jesus called tithing a matter of the Law (Matt.23:23).  Galatians 3:12 says: But the Law is NOT OF FAITH: But, the man that doeth them (ordinances of Mosaic Law) shall live in them. In II Corinthians 3:7 and 9, Paul refers to the letter of the Law as being the “ministration of death” and the “ministration of condemnation.” Serving under the Law leads to the bondage of fear, not the freedom of faith (Gal.5:1; Rom.8:15).

LIE NO.3: GOD COMMANDS ALL BELIEVERS EVERYWHERE TO TITHE.

The TRUTH: Tithing was given as an ordinance to ISRAEL only! Leviticus 27:30-33 deals explicitly with the TITHE OF THE LAND (edible products only).  Verse 34, which is the final verse of Leviticus, the Book of the Law, reads:

These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses FOR THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL in Mount Sinai.

LIE NO.4:  SINCE CHRISTIANS ARE SPIRITUAL ISRAEL, CHRISTIANS MUST TITHE TO US, THE SPIRITAL LEVITES.

The TRUTH: Next time your preacher uses that line on you, ask him if he’d accept spiritual dollars.  We are commanded to offer up SPIRITUAL SACRIFICES ONLY, and we do that as Christ’s Royal Priesthood (I Pet.2:5,9). Most members of the Tribe of Levi were not altar priests. Only sons of Aaron could be priests (Ex.28:1; Heb.5:4).  The Levites served the priests (Numbers 18:6).  THE LEVITES TITHED TO THE PRIESTS (Num.18:25-32).  OLD COVENANT PRIESTS DID NOT TITHE.  Tithers deny their own priesthood in Christ Jesus.

LIE NO.5: ALL ISRAELITES HAD TO TITHE ON THEIR WAGES.

The TRUTH: Money was NOT a tithable commodity. Only FOOD was ever tithed under the Law of Moses.  Tithes were payable  only by owners of farms and ranches.  Tithes were NOT taken from the wages of fruit pickers, fishermen, potters, weavers, etc. 

Leviticus 27:30: And all the tithe OF THE LAND, whether the seed OF THE LAND, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord’s: it is holy unto the Lord.

LIE NO. 6: TIHES MUST BE PAID EVERY WEEK.

The TRUTH: Tithing was done only at harvest time, when the crops ripened. No tithe was paid during the Sabbatical (seventh) year, because no crops were grown, and the land was allowed to rest (Lev.25:4).  How many preachers give poor people a break from tithing TO THEM every seventh year?

LIE NO.7: PAUL DEMANDED TITHES IN I CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 9.

The TRUTH: ALL believers in Christ are part of His Royal Priesthood (I Pet.2:5,9; Rev.5:10). If we owe pulpit preachers tithes, they owe “pew Christians” tithes too!

Christ established no clergy/laity pecking order in His church!  Power-seeking men did that hundreds of years after Pentecost. Pulpits and pews did not appear in Christian assemblies until the church got paganized and organized into just another religious institution OF MEN which called for cathedrals, clergy and ecclesiastical cloaks.  When ministers ASCEND the pulpit, you must literally look UP to them. But Jesus DISCOURAGED hierarchy  in His Body.  He said in Matthew 23:8: But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and ALL YE ARE BRETHREN.

Paul suffered terrible privations (I Cor.4: 9-13).  But he NEVER commanded tithing.  Paul faithfully fed the flock of God with spiritual things, but they often failed to help him obtain literal food.  Paul felt (rightly so) that the believers should support his full-time ministry.  Paul asked only for edible things, not for tithes on wages (I Cor.9:7; I Tim.5:18). Paul would have been a rich man if he had taken ten percent of everybody’s wages!

Paul was a Benjamite, not a Levite.  Paul had no right to demand tithes. Christians should have met Paul’s need out of love.  If tithing on money is a Biblical doctrine, the silence of Scripture is deafening.  In Acts 20:33: Paul declares: I have coveted no man’s silver or gold, or apparel.* * * * *Paul also says in verse 27: For I have not shunned (evaded) to declare unto you ALL the counsel of God.* * * * *If Christians had to tithe and Paul never taught it, Paul DID avoid teaching all God’s counsel!

LIE NO.8: THE TITHE IS ALWAYS TEN PERCENT, PERIOD.

The TRUTH: Three different tithes were paid in ancient Israel by ordinary Israelites.  One-tenth of Israel’s agricultural output went to the Levites (Numbers 18:21). Out of what remained, The Festival Tithe was collected to be consumed in a joyous celebration before the Lord (Deuteronomy 14: 22-27). The  Poor Tithe  was collected every three years in each seven-year tithing cycle  (Deuteronomy 14:28-29; 26:12-15). This tithe was consumed by the poor, which included the Levites! Still another tithe was presented by the Levites to the High Priest (Num.18:25-32).

It is debatable whether Israelite farmers paid all three tithes on  all six tithing years of the seven-year tithing cycle. Some scholars believe that the Festival tithe was collected  all six years. Others think the Festival Tithe was suspended in the third and sixth years when the Poor Tithe was gathered. Depending on which viewpoint is correct, the Israelite farmer would have tithed between 19 to 23 percent of his total harvest, not just ten percent!

Because preachers preach about ten percent and neglect   the third-year Poor tithe and the Festival tithe, modern tithers fall far short of what the Law demanded.  Tithing was done on a farmer’s  increase, or harvest (Deut.14:22). “Increase” is one key word tithe teachers seize on to build their straw doctrine. The increase from Christmas and birthday gifts, stocks and bonds, money saved by free baby-sitting, increasing home value, perks at work, etc. are usually NOT tithed on by people.  As for monetary tithing,  the Law plainly states that if you chose to redeem (buy back) your tithe for cash, you had to pay an extra “fifth part” of its value, or a 20% surcharge  (Lev.20:31. But even the greediest preachers know not to overload their blessing boat or it might sink.  If the real truth were to get out that the total amount tithed by the Israelites was more in the neighborhood of 20%, it could start a  rebellion out in the pews! Remember the “KISS” principle? Keep It Simple, Stupid.  Preachers had better,  or they’ll KISS their cash cows goodbye!

LIE NO.9: ABRAHAM SET THE PRECEDENT FOR CHRISTIAN TITHING.

THE TRUTH:  Wicked Sodom was the SOURCE of Abraham’s tithe, the very first tithe recorded in Scripture! Genesis Chapter 14 tells how Lot, Abraham’s nephew, dwelt in Sodom.  Sodom was invaded by “the Kings of the Plain”.  All its citizens were kidnapped and their goods looted.  Abraham fought these kings and miraculously defeated them. Abraham rescued Lot and all the people of Sodom, along with their stolen goods.  In verses 17-20 Abraham receives a blessing from Melchisedek, “the priest of the Most High God”. Abraham presented a tithe TAKEN FROM THE SPOILS OF WAR to Melchisedek. But God nuked Sodom.  So the closest you could do to imitating Abraham’s tithing would be to:

1.  Organize a posse to help you fight a gang who invaded  a wicked city where your relative lives. All its inhabitants and their belongings were carried captive.

 2.  Fight the gang and rescue the people and their looted valuables.  Set the captives free but don’t give them any of their junk back.

3.  If Melchisedek doesn't show up, donate ten per cent of the proceeds to the Salvation Army, since your pastor might not take anything but money.

4.  Give all or part  of the rest  of the loot to your allies as their reward for helping you win, instead of or restoring it to the original owners. Keep NOTHING for yourself! Abraham refused to keep anything, but he did let his confederates Aner, Eschol, and Mamre  take their share of the loot (Gen.14: 22-24).

4.  Make that the ONLY time you tithe in your life! No other Scripture records Abraham tithing on any other occasion, or on any of his personal property.

LIE NO. 10: SURELY JACOB’S EXAMPLE VALIDATES CHRISTIAN TITHING.

The TRUTH: Jacob, like Abraham, is recorded as offering to tithe only ONCE. Jacob’s vow to tithe to the Lord was CONDITIONAL.  IF God would provide food for Jacob to eat, clothes for him to wear, protect him in his journeyings, and bring him safely back to his father’s house, THEN the LORD would be his God, and Jacob would give God a tithe of all that God would give him (Gen.28:20-22)! Far from “giving sacrificially”, Jacob knocks the ball in God’s court and makes sure all his bases are covered “just in case”! Forget the sniffy sentimental picture preachers paint of this tale to woo your wallet. Here’s  the REAL way Jacob tithed (if he ever did).

1.  Jacob was a wheeler-dealer who swindled his own brother (Gen.25: 27-34; 27:1-40).  Contrary to what “faith” (fake) teachers teach about giving out of your lack, Jacob said that God must first bless him BEFORE he can  tithe to God.

2. Scripture doesn’t say whether Jacob ever kept his end of the deal. Jacob’s tithing vow  wasn’t even payable unless or until he got safely home to his father’s house, which did not happen for over twenty more years.

3. There was no Temple or Levitical priesthood in the time of Jacob, only the  priesthood of mysterious Melchisedek.  Did Jacob know how to reach him? If Jacob ever kept his vow, perhaps he repaid God by giving to the poor.

4. Abraham was Jacob’s grandfather.  If Abraham taught his descendants that God required them to tithe, then Jacob could no more have used tithing as a bargaining chip with God than a tenant could use his rent money to buy a car from his landlord!

LIE NO. 11: IT’S A SIN TO EAT THE LORD’S TITHE.

THE TRUTH: The only tithe God ever asked for was the fruits of the Land of Israel. The money tithe demanded by preachers is unscriptural and it is a SIN to burden parishioners with tithing! Everything ALREADY belongs to God, not just ten percent!  The earth is the Lord’s and the fullness thereof (Psalms 24:1).  Even the Jews don’t tithe to their synagogues.  There are descendants of Levi in Israel, but their Temple has not yet been rebuilt.  There are no officiating Levites and priests to collect tithes and firstfruits in Israel today.  There is no Mosaic priesthood to eat the Firstfruits Offering. Biblical tithes WERE eaten by the worshipper, and also shared with Levites, the fatherless, widows and other needy folks in the Land (Deut.14:22-29; 16:13-14). Part of Israel’s tithe was consumed at their annual Ingathering celebration (Feast of Tabernacles) when the drudgery of farm work ceased for a happy time of thanksgiving celebrations before the Lord. Tithes WERE eaten!  What else could be done with grapes, grain, veal chops, fruits and honey?

Deuteronomy 12:17: Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of they corn, or of thy wine, or of the firstlings of the herd of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings (even OFFERINGS are edible here!), or heave offering of thine hand:

VERSE 18: But THOU MUST EAT THEM before the Lord thy God in the place which the Lord thy God shall choose; thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and they manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thy hands unto.

LIE NO. 12: THE CHURCH BUILDING IS THE SAME AS THE STOREHOUSE OF MALACHI 3:10.

THE TRUTH: Early Christians had no church building.  They met mostly in private homes (Rom.16:5; I Cor.16:19; Col.4:15; Philem.2). Sometimes believers  even met out in the open air (Acts 16:13). Even if some of the Jewish Christians continued to observe the Law, Scripture gives no examples of First Century Christians tithing to the Jewish Temple, which remained until it was destroyed in 70 A.D.

The only tithing storehouses in existence belonged to the Levitical Priesthood, whose members served in 24 rotating courses throughout the year (I Chron.24:1-19).  Instead of being told to tithe to the Temple, Christians were taught that under the New Covenant,  they AREthe Temple of God (I Cor.3:16; II Cor.6:16).  The apostles NEVER taught Gentile Christian converts to start tithing (see Acts15:28-29)! Tithing is part  of the Law (Matt.23:23). Peter said it would be TEMPTING GOD to impose Mosaic Law on them (Acts 15:10). How many preachers tempt God today!

LIE NO.13: BRING YE ALL THE TITHE INTO THE CHURCH BUILDING!

THE TRUTH: NOWHERE in the New Testament, not even in the Old, does God command a wage earner to tithe.  The tithing storehouse mentioned in Malachi 3:10 was just that: a storehouse (Heb.owtsar).  This storehouse wasn’t a money safe.  It was a depository of foodstuffs to feed those priests who were in Jerusalem taking their turn to minister at the altar. While the firstfruits offering was brought to the priest by the ordinary farmer (Neh.10:37a), the tithe for the priesthood (heave offering) was brought BY THE LEVITES, not by the ordinary Israelites (Num.18:25-32; Neh.10:38). The Levites’ tithe was stored in their cities for their consumption (Neh.10:37b).The Tithe of the Poor was not destined for  the Temple storehouse either.  This one was paid every three years.  It was laid up WITHIN THE GATES of the Israelites’ cities so Levites and poor people could eat (Deut. 14:28-29). 

LIE NO. 14: TITHES ARE GOD’S WAY TO  FINANCE CHURCH BUILDINGS.

THE TRUTH: The only building God seems interested in is the edification (building up) of the spiritual House of God (I Cor.3:16:II Cor.6:16; Eph.4:12;Heb.3:6; I Pet.2:5). There might be cases where it isn’t workable to meet in private homes (modern zoning laws, lack of space, health and safety regulations, tenant agreements, etc.). In such cases  a basic building might need to be rented or even built (through freewill contributions  based on ability).  But NOWHERE in any of the Gospels or epistles are believers commanded to construct fancy church buildings, much less use an unscriptural tithe (money) to do so! 

LIE NO. 15: TITHING IS GOOD DISCIPLESHIP!

THE TRUTH: A good disciple follows his Master’s example (John 13:15).  But NOWHERE is it written that Jesus ever tithed! Jesus was a Carpenter by trade (Matt.13:55; Mark 6:3).  Unless Jesus grew a garden or herded livestock on the side, He would not have owed ANY tithes!

LIE NO. 16: JESUS AND THE APOSTLES FINANCED THEIR MINISTRY WITH TITHES

THE TRUTH: NOWHERE does it state that Jesus, Paul or Peter asked for tithes to be paid to them!  Jesus sprang from the Tribe of Judah (Heb.7:14). Paul came from the Tribe of Benjamin (Acts13:21). According to the Law, only members of the Tribe of Levi qualified to collect tithes (Num.18:21,26; Heb.7:5)  And of this tribe, only the sons of Aaron  qualified to take first-fruits (cream of the crop) offerings (Ex.28:1; Num.18:8-19). Next time your preacher asks for a firstfruits offering, ask him which family tree he grew on!

By the time of Jesus most of the twelve Tribes of Israel had been carried away into captivity to northern Assyria, leaving only Judah, Benjamin, and some of the Levites in God’s Land. Most, if not all of, Jesus’ twelve disciples, must have come from the Tribe of Judah.  Even Levi (Matthew) didn’t qualify.  He collected taxes for the Romans (Mark 2:14). Matthew was despised as  an unclean traitor by respectable Jews. Even if Matthew had been of Levitical ancestry, not even he could have taken tithes.  Anyone who demands tithes today is an impostor!

LIE NO. 17: ONLY TITHERS QUALIFY TO SERVE IN THE MINISTRY OF THE CHURCH. 

THE TRUTH: WHOSE CHURCH? NOT ONE Scripture commands New Covenant Christians to tithe! In I Tim.3: 1-12 Paul lists the qualifications for men in ministry.  They include being vigilant (watchful), well-behaved, non-violent, temperate in wine drinking, NOT GREEDY OF FILTHY LUCRE, having a pure conscience, living a blameless life, whose wife is of godly character.  Deacons should have only one wife  and rule their own houses well.* * * * *If tithing is so all-fired important, why didn’t Paul mention it here?

LIE NO. 18: PEACE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN DOCTRINAL DIFFERENCES, SO PAY UP ANYWAY.

THE TRUTH: WHOSE peace? Every burglar has a more “peaceful” time of it when the lights aren’t turned on and no fuss is made about what he’s up to! Those who prefer that God’s people remain in ignorance are afraid of the light. God’s Word gives us light to be able to discern true doctrine from false traditions of men.  Some tithe-collectors might be truly ignorant, but those who have studied the Bible in-depth KNOW that the real truth about tithing isn’t as “profitable” as their made-up version!

It certainly isn’t the peace of the poor tithe payer the preacher is concerned about! How many have been driven out of church because pulpit lies robbed them of their close relationship with Jesus and  made them see God as just another bill to pay! How many have tossed and turned all night, worrying themselves sick about the “curse of Malachi” because they had to skip tithing that week!  Parents have denied their own children decent food just to “pay their tithe” on time to religious overlords who have more than enough (Isaiah 56:11).

Where is the compassion of those “spiritual Levites” who drive fancy cars and go on “conferences” to  Hawaii while poor people have their kids taken away because they can’t afford to keep their home together? How much of the PRACTICAL love of Jesus do they share  in public parks, where the homeless wander all day exposed to the elements? Or are “spiritual Levites” too scared to take a look at the real world outside their sheltered sanctuary?

Are street people going to be told to tithe out of their miserable begging cups if they want to serve Jesus?  Ten percent might not mean much to an affluent person, but poor families subsist on the very thin margin of income left after life’s big bills are paid.  If poor people think they’re robbing God by eating a meal bought with money that should have been paid as tithes, they’re the ones who come under condemnation, contrary to Romans 8:1.  It is those wrongly taught who lose their peace.  If they even THINK withholding money tithes is a sin, then their conscience is violated, even if it was MEN, not God, who instilled that lie in them (Rom.14:14)!

Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should contend (Gr. epagonizomai, struggle for) earnestly for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3).* * * * *Jesus Himself contended with the legalistic Pharisees throughout Matthew Chapter 23, and He didn’t mince His words!  Jesus exposed the thievery that was going on in the House of God, and He used a whip (John 2:13-17).

LIE NO. 19: SINCE SCRIPTURE SAYS “YOU SHALL NOT APPEAR BEFORE GOD EMPTY-HANDED” YOU’VE GOT NO RIGHT TO APPROACH GOD WITHOUT TITHES AND OFFERINGS!

THE TRUTH: That one’s a gold mine for  so-called Word Teachers who twist  the Word of God for gain (II Pet.2:1-3; 3:16)! They just love Old Covenant scriptures like Exodus 23:15.  Ignoring the main context (a celebration of the Feast of Unleavened Bread) they seize upon that part which enjoins certain ones not to appear before God empty.

WHOA!  SOME people were commanded to appear three times a year with certain offerings and sacrifices, but WHO? Just TWO VERSES later, we have the answer! 

Exodus 23: 17: Three times in the year shall all thy MALES  appear (with those offerings)!  (Sorry, Preach, that excludes me, and over half your congregation!) Exodus 34:23 repeats this order to appear before God thrice-yearly with an offering:

Thrice in the year shall all your MENCHILDREN (MALES!) appear, etc.* * * * *No amount of “positive confession” can transform a female into a male! Any preacher who badgers some poor widow for money with these Scriptures is banking on her ignorance and that preacher is a thief and a robber!

Exodus 23: 18 says that the sacrifice had BLOOD in it.  Now I’ve heard of creditors squeezing blood out of a turnip, but God didn’t have the firstfruits of your wallet in mind here! He wanted firstfruits offerings of agricultural produce to be brought to the priest, besides animal sacrifices performed according to the Law.

How often did the Israelite MEN have to obey this scripture?  Three times a year!  But preachers enforce it on male and female Gentile Christians 52 times a year and more! The most contemptible thing about this  “appear before God empty” thumbscrew is the profound spiritual damage it does to the poor of the congregation!  If God can forgive a sin like that, His grace is amazing indeed!

Any preacher who demands firstfruits offerings and sacrifices made TO HIM in response to the above scriptures, dares to put Himself in the place of God as receiving the glory due to Him alone.  He is supplanting the position of Christ, our only High Priest (Heb.4:14-16). The only Sacrifice New Covenant believers need in order to appear in God's Presence is the precious Blood of Jesus (Heb.10:19;I Pet.1:18-19). Christ IS our Firstfruits (I Cor.15:23)!

What sacrifices does God’s New Covenant Priesthood present to Him?

Romans 12:1: I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

Hebrews 13:15: By him (Jesus) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.

VERSE 16: But to do good and communicate (share with the needy) forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.* * * * * Any donation made by Christians should be cheerful and voluntary, not compulsory (II Cor.9:7).

I Pet.2:5: Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.* * * * *All spiritual sacrifices offered by the believer are brought to God through our great High Priest, Jesus Christ.  No human preacher is supposed to set himself as in intermediary between us and Christ, or demand  tithing as an admission fee to the Throne of Grace, to which we may come BOLDLY (Heb.4:16). 

And as for our “appearing before God”, we’re ALREADY in the Presence of Almighty God!  We don’t GO TO a Temple. We ARE His Temple (I Cor.3:16; II Cor.6:16). The Holy Spirit indwells us in a way unknown to Old Testament worshippers. He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit (I Cor.6:16). Preachers who appeal to Old Testament Law to get people to give out of guilt are coming  between Christ and His Bride, the Church.  That is spiritual perversion!

LIE NO. 20: IT IS A SIN TO QUESTION LONG-ESTABLISHED DOCTRINES.

THE TRUTH: Jesus attacked vain TRADITONS OF MEN.

Mark 7:9: And he said unto them:  Full well ye  reject (Gr. atheteo,frustrate) the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition.

VERSE 10: For Moses said, Honour thy father and thy mother; and whoso curseth father or mother, let him die the death:

VERSE 11: But if ye say, If a man shall say to his father or mother, It is a Corban (sacred offering), that is to say, a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, he shall be free.

VERSE 12: And ye suffer (allow) him no more to do ought (anything) for his father or his mother;

VERSE 13: Making the Word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered, and many such like things do ye.

False doctrine has no squatter’s rights in the Kingdom of God.  Saying the sky is orange for a thousand years just don’t make it so.

LIE NO.21: JESUS MIGHT HAVE NAILED MOSES’ ORDINANCES TO THE CROSS (Col.2:14) BUT GOD EXPECTS US TO BE GOOD STEWARDS. SINCE TITHING IS SUCH A GREAT IDEA, AND BRINGS MONEY INTO THE CHURCH, AN EXCEPTION SHOULD BE MADE AND THIS ONE POINT OF THE LAW OF MOSES SHOULD BE UN-NAILED FROM THE CROSS OF CHRIST AND CARRIED OVER TO THE CHURCH.

The TRUTH: Changing (adding to, or taking from)  the Scriptural requirements of God’s Word is NEVER a good idea (see Rev. 22:18-19)!  In I Samuel Chapter 15 God commanded Saul to “go and smite Amalek and utterly destroy all that they have.” But Saul decided God was being wasteful and the best of the animals would be useful as  religious sacrifices. As punishment for going against God’s revealed will, Saul lost his kingdom. Eventually the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul (I Sam.16:14). Samuel said to Saul in I Sam.15: 22: Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offering and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.* * * * *But profiteering prophets prefer sacrifice today, other people’s rather than their own!

As for stewardship, “faith teachers” love to milk the Parable of the Talents. (Matt.25:14-30) to prove we must tithe TO THEM or “sow money seed”. But you’ll notice in verses 14 and 15 that the master of the house GIVES his own goods to the servants to be good stewards over.  Nothing is said about the servants tithing their wages!  God already owns all things, including us. God is happy to see His children FREELY GIVE to the needy and to further His work (Matt.10:8).  That is being a good steward.

LIE NO. 22: ALTHOUGH WE ARE NOT UNDER THE LAW (Rom.6:14; Gal.5:18), TITHING IS STILL A “SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLE”, SO FAILURE TO TITHE IS A SIN AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT.   UGH!  You can guess who inspired this lie!

The TRUTH: In Acts Chapter 15 the apostles held a  church council to decide whether Gentile converts needed to keep the Law of Moses.  Their conclusion:

Acts 15:28: FOR IT SEEMED GOOD TO THE HOLY GHOST, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:

VERSE 29: That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.* * * * *Nothing is said here about “spiritualizing” the Law of Tithing and putting it on the Gentile converts.  It SEEMED GOOD TO THE HOLY GHOST to put only four restrictions on the liberty of the disciples, and NONE of them mention tithing of any kind! 

If anybody is sinning against the Holy Ghost, it’s those who are using fear of this sin to go against what He taught at the apostles’ church council of Acts 15!

Prove ALL THINGS, hold fast to that which is good (I Thes.5:21).

The other side of the coin is to reject that which is bad.