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Friday, January 31, 2014

Tithing



I understand that this is a sore topic for a lot of people due to its personal nature. Heck! It was tough getting Ma Petrillo to even talk about it.

However, I am genuinely interested in exploring it.

For the longest time, I wasn’t that much of a tither.  It just wasn’t ever an issue for me. I’d give offerings, sometimes more generously than I usually would. Sometimes, I’d “dash” out money, more than I’d normally give out, as the spirit led. And then, I started a relatively “real” job and that’s when the confusion began for me. From the bible, the Israelites were required to give a tenth of their livestock and everything. Let’s just say, a tenth of everything they owned. Did that change in the New Testament? Where? What does that translate to in the present day world?

I have raised this topic before on twitter (wait, you didn’t know I was on twitter?!!!  Here’s your lastma Card. You may follow me on honey_dame  J), however, it wasn’t bantered as much as I would. Or perhaps it wasn’t because of the personal nature of the topic at hand. But I figured that I’d be able to generate more view points from here. 

One of the responses I got is captured below.

What are your views concerning tithing?  I genuinely want to know because with the way some Pastors go about it, one might be inclined to think that if you do every other thing right but not tithing, na hell fire straight. The aim of this post is not so much to debate whether tithing is good for your health or bad, it is more to help enlighten me in the calculations of it.

Ehnehn, in other news, I can barely believe that January has ended! Now I am understanding how people just.....get old....without achieving much...Time really does fly! Thank God time is on my side, being that I just turned 12 last year (Argue that in your own blog post biko!!!)

Ehnehn!!! (typical, Yoruba woman), for those of you who still dont know, Nitty Gritty is back with a new blog. She now blogs here:http://newdawn40.blogspot.com/ and already has plenty gists there. Head over and drop some love joo!

In other other news, I miss my elder sister.......sooo much! This adult life is such a sham! I long for those days when my greatest dilemma consisted of having to decide if to stay at home and eat my mother's Beans and Dodo or head over to my landlady's house to eat rice and Ijebu Egusi soup.
HUGE SIGH

16 comments:

  1. It would be great to have a discussion with you about validity tithing. Feel free to contact me any time via email to have a healthy discussion about this topic. Tithing one of my favorite topics to talk about, and i can see you are passionate as well. In the mean time, keep up the good work in encouraging sacrificial giving.

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  2. hmmmmm... The priest in my church talks about tithing and quotes verses from Malachi to buttress this (Malachi 3:8,10). Thing is, I have heard some parishioners in my church say (whenever the priest goes down the tithe giving road) that in the old testament, people were to pay their tithe to support the priests cos the priests dint work and all they really did was to be priests. Today, a lot of priests have other jobs (in my church we call the priests with other jobs worker priests) and even if they don't have other jobs, they are paid salaries by the church. So then the argument there is, what is the essence of tithing today? Wouldn't the money be better spent giving to the poor and needy than to see to the upkeep of priests who already have more than enough?
    I know I'm supposed to comment to help you out of your confusion, but here I went and added my own. I do like one of the replies you got to your tweet about not feeling pressured to tithe but to do it cos you wanna. Well, when the priest in my church talks about tithing, he says it more like it's an obligation (an order with biblical backing) and parishioners should feel pressured to tithe and should tithe whether they want to or not.

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  3. Yes o! Us 12 year olds still have our lives ahead of us, he he he.

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  4. Seeing as people harass me for not having respect, I have decided to be better. So here goes: *goes on knees* Good evening ma :D

    P.S: Seeing as I'm 15 ^__^ I'm pushed to remind you that your ikebe ain't nowhere near 12 auntie.

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  5. I don't think tithing is something that's set in stone, and many preachers make out like it is. There's not much point in tithing if one is going to do it grudgingly. Whichever one chooses, it should come from a place of personal understanding.

    Happy new year and month!!!

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  6. Tithing is a personal and 'as you're led' thing because I have tried to calculate and reason it at times but meeehhhnn. Okay for example, if you get a car now as a gift, how do you tithe 10%? Do you find how much the car was sold (google) and then pay your tithe from there? or how do you go about that? Oh I don't know.
    Mmy understanding though is that you pay 10% of your 'income/wages'.

    Ahhh (Aunty) Honeydame, how can you say that we (you) are 12? We are 10.5years old o ehen. :-)

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  7. Thank you for the shout out dear. xo.
    And happy new month to you...how time begins to fly..so true what you said.

    Tithing is a very sensitive matter.
    I once briefly talked about it in an older post stating my stand, and few of the comments under-tones came off angry, it seems some people see it as a gateway to heaven and a way to prosper. Give GOD 10% and HE would double our blessings as we expect money-doublers or magicians do. Forgetting GOD sees every motive, knows all thoughts, HE is never deceived. 10% = Prosperity! Simple equation!

    The way tithe is hammered on , even thieves ( both armed and corporate) come to pay tithe in the church because at the back of the mind, they are doing good for obeying the word of GOD and their sins would be wiped off. Forgetting again, that GOD can never be bribed!

    A guy's car was stolen, and a church member asked him if he pays his tithe regularly, when he said no, he said that was why he was robbed. Fast forward months later, this same tithe-paying-Christian brother was robbed, the other guy asked him sarcastically, but you pay your tithe nah? ....This portray the mentality of some tithe-paying-Christian.

    When we discuss....they tell me it must be paid into the house of GOD...and I ask..Is our body no longer the temple of GOD?....afterall, HE no longer dwells in buildings built by men since Christ came to pay the price, and I can convert my sitting room into place of worship, does it makes it the house of GOD? HE said where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, HE is there...so anywhere/ anyplace HE is present because HE is omnipresent! And since tithe is/was MOSTLY meant for the widows, orphans, fatherless, poor and the Levites ( who are not to work, or have lands shared unto them or any inheritance, but solely priests unto GOD} why can't I give it unto the orphanages? Or to a poor neighbour? Or a widow? Or a fatherless child? Whom I know are in dire need? Some say give freewill/love offering.....and I say, the word free and will explains itself.....I give freely when I want to! I personally feel blessed when I give to such people, while I give my offering to the church. Some say it is for the maintenance of the church, and I reply that is why there is offerings. Some offerings are bigger than tithes sef!

    More-over, Abraham gave tithe out of the spoils of war to the priest....I don't see any other place in the bible where it was stated he gave again.

    The bitter truth is that tithing is abused! Because of the greed of men! If the tithes are put to the proper use it was meant for, there would be less sufferings amongst the people and as I always tell people, action speaks louder than words...feed a hungry man, and he would be loyal to you....take care of people, you don't need to preach too much to convert them!

    Gosh! I have written a post here! Pardon me.

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  8. Permit me to steal something Madam salt put on facebook, and share it here. That is because I felt she nailed it, and I don't have more words to add to what she has said.

    If only we would take our personal relationships with God more seriously.
    If only we would listen to Him more instead of asking, asking, asking.
    If only we would go into His word more for ourselves with prepared hearts Then many of these arguments about tithing, fasting and first fruits would be unnecessary.

    If you believe the pastor, who is your brother in Christ, has missed it then just go and ask your Father-God yourself. And once God has spoken to you and you have peace about his direction, please just follow it. No need to fight anybody...This our walk is a personal one. There is no joint report card.

    When all of us get 'home' we shall see who was right and who was wrong (assuming that would even matter at that time). Truth of the matter is that neither tithes nor first fruits nor fasting will get us to heaven......The only thing that guarantees that is acceptance of the eternal salvation offered by Jesus Christ and making him Lord & Saviour of our lives. Offerings, tithing, fasting, praise and worship, etc are all things God asks us to do for our own benefit and enjoyment here on earth.....If we don't do them, God does not lose anything. We do.

    But you know what? these are my thoughts based on my walk....and my talk with my PapaGod......Don't agree with me? No worries *smiling* Go and ask him yourself.

    After all, He is your PapaGod too.

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  9. Between "New Dawn" and @tilola, everything i could possibly have said has been covered.

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  12. For all you mammas claiming 12yrs,God dey watch una on 1000inch 5D!!!

    Now,to the matter at hand.Here's what i know about Tithing.Tithing has NOTHING to do with what your pastor does with the money you give,same goes for offering.We miss it by considering how the materials we give as tithe & offering are used.Tithes and as well offerings are for personal gains.Malachi 3 talked about men robbing God through tithes & offerings.Luke 6:38 said 'Give,it shall be given unto you".Bottom line is that tithing,and of course offering,is between you and your God,it has nothing to do with your pastor or how your pastor uses such moneys.However,if God considers not paying tithes or giving offerings to Him as robbing Him,doesn't that tell us it is a sin? Tithe is a very important part of a Christian life,but tithing without Salvation is a futile & unfruitful effort.Also,Salvation without tithing is definitely an unfruitful effort.This is my 2 cents.

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  13. I like Atilola's take on it. The benefit of tithing is you! + I believe it's a commandment of God.

    There are some things that God is particular about and is expressly discussed in the bible. Malachi 3:10 is very clear when God says - bring all the tithes, where - to my storehouse, why - that there may be food in my house. And.. Try me in this and see if I will not open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that you will not have room enough to contain and I will rebuke the devourer for your sake.
    From the above, my own is to act on the instruction given by God and the rest is up to Him to fulfill His end of the bargain.
    Most often, we pay tithe on our salary because it is easily calculatable being monetary and it is kinda like our official 'increase'.. In those days, I believe farming was the job of the day and people were 'paid' by the increase of their crops. Our jobs are our livelihood therefore our increase could be regarded as our salary.
    On another note, it is important not to allow what men do act as a barrier or excuse to disobeying God.. You have a personal relationship with God, work on that, let God deal with/handle His servant. Also, if you are in doubt about the church you attend or paying tithe to your Pastor then you shouldn't be there.. Not all Pastors make you doubt giving to God.
    However, don't let the actions of a mere man like you make you disobey God.. It would almost sound like Adam to God about Eve.. "Err God you know I would have obeyed you and not eaten the fruit but for this woman that you gave me to be a helpmeet!" Unfortunately, it didn't quite make for a good enough reason..

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  14. Its better to get your answers from God directly. Read the Word, hear what He tells you specifically as it is a matter between you and your Father. Whether to church or other organizations is a decision you make after you have presented it before God.

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  15. I had a long comment on this post but NEPA struck...and the rest as they say, is history.
    1. On giving in general, I've learnt to treat money as God's money and me as a steward. Makes it easier to give.
    2. On tithe, I tithe on every increase, salary, gift, housing allowance, dressing allowance e.t.c
    3. On what tithe represents to me; it is an act of faith. God says bring the tithe to the storehouse...and test me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of Heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. As my friend Gemstots will say... so the ALMIGHTY God says test me and we are still debating? That verse was God beating His chest and betting on Himself. I want to take advantage of that. Don’t you?
    4. No where does it say in the bible that if you don’t tithe you go to hell…at least I have not seen it. As @ilola stated, tithing is for our own personal enjoyment. Sinners /people who don’t tithe have money, plenty money sef. Tithing just gives us access to a grace. We are able to return to God and say Father, you promised this. Anybody can chop the tithe, use it to buy Bentley, whatever. The God I gave the money to is not a cheat and He honors His word more than His name. So it is a grace for less struggle, it is a grace for not doing it on your own and a grace of totally relying on God for your sustenance. He is the source and every other avenue is a resource. When one resource dries up, your Source opens another avenue because HE promised it.
    Don’t know if I am ranting or I have answered your questions but I am a very proud and selfish tither. Because tithing is for our selfish ends if you look at it well. Lol.

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