Tithing An Act of Worship or Doctrine of Demons?
Is tithing an act or worship or a doctrine of demons? I want you to understand where Ark Builder stands on this. We are NOT a ministry supported by tithes. At our inception, we collected tithes thinking this was the function of churches. For the most part, it is. However, this is not the way we sustain. Ark Builder has a lot to accomplish and tithes are not how we are going to do it. But there are games people play with tithing we won’t and can’t be a part of. We can’t be bought. Our role is to tell the truth no matter the cost.
In our beginning, when we were funded through tithes we did well. Our bills were paid every month and life was moving along. We were making a difference in the community and families were getting assistance where we could. Our focus was and continues to be housing and health care. Then the Lord asked what we would do if we lost the support of every tither. We said, “We will stay faithful no matter the circumstance.”
That’s when it happened, our biggest donor came to us and the lie the donor wanted to hear versus the truth we had to tell were going to conflict. I knew the moment we spoke the support would end. But that was a moment of truth, I told the donor the Lord’s truth and that was the end of their support. He called me crazy and said I didn’t know what I was talking about and to date I have never heard from him again.
The Lord asked: “You can’t serve Me and Money. Choose one. You will, at some point, worry more about money than me.” It was at that point, He forever changed the way we are funded and now we are free to share his word without worry of financial backlash.
To make this clear, we are not sustained through the tithes of a congregation. We like it this way because then there can never be any question as to where our loyalties lie. Let’s clarify the truth of tithing.
Let’s make is so you really understand tithing, Tithing is an act of worship to your Heavenly Father. It is the one area where he challenged you to test Him. He told you “test me on this and see if I won’t pour out a blessing to much for you to contain.” Remember God doesn’t change. His rules and laws don’t change so for someone, anyone to come to you and tell you that tithing is not of God but is the greed of man is simply wrong.
There are a great number of people out there bad mouthing tithing; but the facts are simple; try it and watch things turn around in your finances and your life. Understand this. The billionaires of old swore by it. In Napolean Hill’s “Think and Grow Rich” one of the top 10 things all the most successful people did was give 10% of their earnings to charity or the church; each and every one. They found that decision always increased their wealth. Napolean Hill did not elaborate on how it increased just that it did.
Tithing is the same today as it was for those high earners. When tithing is the norm, there is less talk of people losing entire fortunes. Someone do the research and see for yourself. You will find a direct correlation between tithing and sustainable fortunes.
In recent years, people have begun to refer to tithing as a doctrine of demons. First off, that is 100% erroneous. Tithing is found in both the Old and New Testament. In the Old Testament the most common book is Malachi, but both Leviticus and Deuteronomy also cover tithing. In the New Testament, Jesus makes reference to tithing in the gospels. For those of you who don’t agree let’s talk about the woman who gave the two small copper coins in Luke 21. Jesus never aligned Himself with anything that was against his Father. If tithing was not something from God; Jesus would have spoken on it, spoken against it or ignored it.
To really grasp this concept let’s look at history. Tithing was the way the tribe of Levite was fed. The people would bring their sacrifices to the priests and the priests would sacrifice the offering and then they would take the meat or offering and cook it. Taking a step back, when the family brought the animal to the Levites there were steps they took.
- They blessed the animal and asked God to accept it on behalf of the family.
- The family then made their petition or the Levite Priests made the request on the family’s behalf.
- Then they broke or killed the sacrifice.
- Once the “ritual” (for lack of a better word) was completed the family left.
- The Levites cooked the meat and then ate.
God’s priority is taking care of His servants. Don’t misunderstand that. The Levitical priests were responsible for the care of the people and for interceding on their behalf. That is a job most don’t understand. It is also not a position that pays well.
So God created provisions for them through the people they worked with.
Throughout history tithing has been a part of God’s system and now, to see people speak out against it is comical. The fact is, those of us who tithe regularly know it is better to live off of 90% than it is to live off of 100%. We accomplish more with less every time.
There are many pastors worth their salt out there and too many people trying to defile what they say. Understand the bigger picture, If the adversary can destroy the images of pastors he can keep the people away from God. All attacks against the Father are orchestrated by his most rebellious of sons: The devil.
To believe Satan doesn’t exist is to love the lie more than you love the truth. Anyone who claims to be of God yet speaks against what is good is aligned with the wrong team. Be sure to ask for clarification. Remember tithing is between you and God one’s desire to refrain from tithing shows a heart condition bigger than the money. It is an unwillingness to trust and submit to Him; not the church and certainly not to man.
Finally, are there some people who have taken it too far? Well who can say that? When the average income of your congregations is $250 million dollars per year asking for a plane is not out of line. You are the leader of a congregation with those financial resources. When the average income of your congregation is $25,000 annually, now we have a problem.
A $40 million dollar plane when Oprah, Tyler Perry, Warren Buffett and Bill Gates are members of your church is very different than when John Smith, Jane Smith and John Hancock who are all blue collar workers are the bulk of your members. It is also very different when you as the pastor are a multi-millionaire from all your outside projects and you buy yourself a plane and donate it to the congregation. There are times when that request is not off base. The most important point is Jesus’ stance on money. Jesus has no problems with money. You can have as much money as you want. He will give you all the money you can handle but it is really up to you how much that is. Can you handle billions and not let it change you?
Saying yes and that being factual are two different things. Remember, on her way to the top Oprah blessed a number of people. How many of you remember “You get a car, and you get a car, and you get a car”? Oprah didn’t allow money to change her behavior. That humility allowed her to access more. Solomon on the other hand allowed his wisdom, wives and wealth to jade him. He became embittered with the world instead of staying faithful to his heavenly father.
Welp, gotta run. Let me know your thoughts or questions in the comments. Later gator!
