The Truth About the Tithe
Pastor Jerry Wilhite,
author
Before we go to the truth about the tithe we need to understand interpreting. We need to know that there is understanding and it is available for all who seek it. I am not talking about understanding based on man’s word, but based on the truth.
To call yourself a Christian you are saying you are of Christ and to be of Christ first you must be of Jesus.
Romans 10
9. That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
10. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
To be of Jesus is to be saved from death, hell, and the grave. It does not mean that you are of the church or Christ. Both require a relationship with God that goes beyond believing and confessing Jesus as Lord.
Matthew 16
15. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16. And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
18. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
When we hear from God and hear Him tell us who Jesus is as the Christ and the Son of the living God then we are growing into the church. The problem people have understanding this fully is two fold. First there are two sides to the word of God. One is physical because we are physical and one is spiritual because God is a Spirit. The second problem is in verse 18, "that thou are Peter". The word in the Greek for Peter is Petros meaning a piece of the rock not just the name Peter. If you re-read verse 18 you see how "piece of the rock" flows with "upon this rock" (meaning bedrock) better than "Peter".
To be of Christ is to be of God/Spirit.
Strong's Ref. # 5547
Romanized Christos
Pronounced khris-tos'
from GSN5548; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:
KJV--Christ.
Luke 4
18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
.
Jesus stated that the Spirit of the Lord (God) was upon Him because He (God) anointed Him. We know "Christ" means to be anointed and with Luke 4:18 we know that anointing is the Spirit/God on, in and through us. To help you better understand the anointing imagine a sponge soaked with water. It is anointed with water because the water is in it, on it, and all the way through it to the point of saturation.
John 4
23. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
John 14
26. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
The problem is Satan started dividing us every way possible 2000 years ago.
Matthew 12
25. And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
So for more than 2000 years now we should have learned and understood that Christ was not the title or last name of Jesus and known what it really means.
By the early 4th century the ruler of Rome (Constantine) who was newly born again decided (good intention) that he would make a law requiring that only those who were of Christ could own land or have any power. His good intention was that this would cause more to accept Jesus as Lord not realizing most would lie about the truth to get the power and land in exchange. So, instead of growing the kingdom, this caused more nonbelievers to become part of the church. In turn this caused the church to be run by nonbelievers for most of the subsequent 1500 years.
By now you should realize that being of Christ is much more than just accepting Jesus as Lord. When you do fully realize the truth you will be set free.
What if anything you should know now is that a relationship with God is more desirable than anything else and that His will is for us to have that relationship.
You need to know this to learn how to hear from God. I John 4:1-3 tells us what to ask to verify we are hearing from God and not Satan. If you are able to hear then you are able to verify the truth and know who is telling you the truth and have understanding of the word and God, not just interpretation of His word.
Now we can talk about the tithe. The tithe is not a donation, seed, or a gift. It is a comand to follow and a test of God.
Malachi 3
10. 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.
11. 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.
As you hear from God He will guide you where to tithe. Normally the tithe will go to wherever you are fed the word. What I have learned is to tithe to where it was that I was fed the word that lead to my hearing from God. That is just my situation. He may have you tithe to a church, ministry, etc. because it is where you are fed the truth of His word and not just fed interpretation of His word.
The tithe is not for the poor, or the lost, etc. It is to make sure there is food in His house so others will be fed as well as you were. It is not for missions. It is for those who feed you to keep them in place to continue feeding you and others.
issions, evangelists, and the poor are all helped from the tithe of the church or ministries to which you tithe and from donations and seed for a harvest for said church/ministry.
To help you understand the spiritual side of this better read the following verses:
John 6
26. Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
35. And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
John 4
31. In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
32. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
33. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
34. Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
Jesus was fed something more than physical food but based on the tithe both are covered.
It is now up to you to learn the truth by first asking God to help you hear from Him. Then find a place that is free from distractions and quiet. Spend at least 30 minutes a day there listening quietly for and to the voice of God.
For more on hearing from God (proof you should hear from Him) find all the verses where Jesus said that His sheep (we) would know His voice.