The Simple Answers… To Life’s Most Important Questions.
Bible Study Course Lesson 2 – 11
Would you? If God left His house unlocked, would you sneak in and take money out of His wallet? You know He’s going to notice, you know He’s going catch you, and you know He’s going to punish you. So what IDIOT would do that? Almost every Christian on the planet, that’s who! See for yourself: Malachi 3:8-10. Those are strong words – God calls people who don’t pay tithes thieves! He considers not tithing to be breaking the eighth commandment! So this is serious! But what is a tithe? To whom should you give it? And why?
Who owns the stars? Deuteronomy 10:14. Who owns the Earth? Exodus 9:29. What about the wealth on the Earth? Psalms 24:1. (Read this in several translations to understand it properly.) Who owns all the gold and silver? Haggai 2:8. And all the animals? Psalms 50:10-11. And the people on the Earth as well? Ezekiel 18:4. Does EVERYTHING belong to God? Job 41:11. We do not own the Earth, we do not own our cattle, our homes, our money. God owns it all. He created it, He was here first, and it all belongs to Him. He has set man in charge of the Earth which He created (Psalms 8:4-8), and all the things on it, but that doesn’t change the fact that God still owns it! We live here BY PERMISSION, not by right.
Imagine you’re going to be out of the country for a few years, and so you let someone house-sit for you – they use your furniture, grow a garden, use your tools… and all you ask is a tithe in exchange. That’s fair, right? So then how would you feel if they started thinking it was THEIR house, THEIR land, THEIR tools? Once again, we find ourselves back at the Golden Rule. You would call those people thieves, not guests; criminals, not friends. And as soon as you could get home, you would evict them and claim what’s rightfully yours! You know you would… so why wouldn’t God do that to you?
Read Mark 12:1-9, Luke 19:12-27. Don’t those make more sense now, in this context? What job did God give man upon placing him in the garden? Genesis 2:15. And to perform that job, did He give man authority? Genesis 1:28. Did God give man ALL of the wealth, or did He reserve some portion for Himself? Leviticus 27:30.
God lets you live in His house, but in exchange He demands a tithe which He uses to pay His servants who still live on the farm. Wouldn’t you do the same? Those servants are helping YOU work the fields and harvest the grain, why should God have to pay them? It should come out of YOUR profits! God gave man all this Earth to use, and all this cattle and wealth to have dominion over. He has one simple requirement – a tithe of all the wealth His Earth produces. A sort of yearly dividend that goes back to the owner, which He uses to pay His servants.
One tithe belongs God. That is the rent God charges us in exchange for giving us this beautiful place to live in, allowing us to enjoy the wealth it provides, and leaving us His servants to show us how to work it properly. But what is a tithe?
TITHING
The Hebrew and Greek words translated “tithe” in the Bible literally mean “a tenth”. The English word “tithe” is an archaic word which also means simply “a tenth”. So when you read “tithe” in the Bible, you should mentally replace it with the word “tenth” to properly understand it. What percentage is a “tithe”? Leviticus 27:32. Did Paul say that tithing was COMMANDED? Hebrews 7:5. What was the tithe used for? Numbers 18:21. Did Jesus condemn tithing? Matthew 23:23, Luke 11:42. Notice, Jesus did not condemn tithing! He condemned making a big show of tithing diligently while ignoring “judgment, mercy, and faith”. Jesus said they should have done those things AND also tithed! But to tithe faithfully while murdering, to tithe while oppressing the poor, to tithe while breaking the law in far more important areas is POINTLESS; not only pointless, but actually offensive to God!
Judgment (keeping the commandments, and helping others do the same), Mercy (forgiving sins against you), and Faith (believing that you are obeying God) are the “weightier”, the more important matters of the law! That is why this is Lesson 2-11, after you’ve studied almost thirty other lessons! Because this is less important! Anyone who talks about money before they talk about adultery is not a minister of God. They’ve shown you what is important to them, “for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34).
God reserved 1/10th of all our net income for the year as His own – our rent payment to Him. Remember, all the money we make, all the land we own, belongs to Him. It isn’t ours. He allows us to use it on the condition that we pay our rent. Like any rental, as long as we pay our rent we have a full right to use the land however we want – subject to the terms of the rental contract, of course. But the moment we are late with our payment, it becomes the landlord’s property once more, and using it is a form of theft.
So regardless of how much money we have in our bank accounts, it is illegal to use any of it until we pay the rent on our money – until we “buy” it from God by tithing. And if we do not give God ten percent of all our profit, God says we are stealing from Him. People speak of “my tithe this”, and “my tithe that”. But the tithe you give is not yours. It never was yours. You were merely holding it for God, but it is not your tithe. It is not your contribution to God. It is God’s rightful possession. And until you give a tithe to God – a full 10% – none of your money is yours!
ANOTHER REASON TO TITHE
But there is another solid reason to tithe, and that is because you inherited a debt. You should remember from Lesson 2-1 that anyone who accepts the true gospel becomes an Israelite, regardless of their biological heritage. You’re not a Gentile anymore! If you’re a true Christian, you are now a brother to the Jew; to the Levite; to the Danite; to all the other tribes. That means you are also a child of Isaac and of Jacob. Most importantly, if you have faith you are a descendant of Abraham, and can legally call him father. Well, grandfather. Great-great-great-gran…… well, you know.
This is the gospel! The good news that as part of this family, you stand to inherit the tremendous blessings God gave these three men. For an idea of the physical part of these blessings, begin reading in Genesis 28:10-13. Now pay attention when God uses the word “seed”, because that means God is speaking of Jacob’s children – speaking of you. Now read Genesis 28:14 -15. These promises are tremendous; Jacob’s seed – his offspring – would number like the sand of the sea. Millions, perhaps billions – maybe more. And these promises are that they would inherit the land far and wide in every direction – the same promises God made to Abraham and Isaac before. And now read how Jacob responded to God’s promise: Genesis 28:16-22.
So Jacob took God’s promise and made an additional deal; that if God would be with him and bless him, then Jacob would give God a tenth of all the blessings God would give him! Get that! All that God had promised, the land, the wealth, the offspring and the wealth God would give that offspring – of ALL that blessing, Jacob vowed to give a tenth to God! In effect, Jacob made God a 10% shareholder in all his actions, in exchange for God’s blessing. A very good deal for Jacob! But Jacob did not live to see these promises fulfilled! He didn’t live to see ALL of what was promised by God, so he couldn’t have tithed upon all of it! Because those blessings were promised to HIS SEED!
It was his CHILDREN who would inherit those magnificent blessings, and so it is HIS CHILDREN who are obligated to give God a tenth of all! The true story of these blessings through history, the remarkable way they’ve been fulfilled and who has inherited them must wait for another lesson. For now we will confine ourselves to the spiritual aspect; your father Jacob obligated himself and his spiritual children – you – to give a tenth of all the wealth God gives them back to God. When you are adopted into the family of Jacob – the house of Israel – you are adopted into its wealth and into its debts. And one of its debts is to give God a tenth of all the wealth He gives you. Even in this world, if you don’t give a shareholder his rightful 10% of your company’s earnings, you will go to jail; what do you suppose will happen to someone who cheats God out of His 10%?
DOES GOD REALLY NEED MONEY?
It has been established that God owns, free and clear, the Earth and everything that is in it – to say nothing of the universe beyond! So why does God need us to give Him back a tiny fraction of that wealth? There are two reasons; first the physical reason, then later I’ll show the spiritual reason. This tenth that Abraham, Jacob, and Moses and the Israelites gave God didn’t get whisked off to heaven. God gave it back to someone else, to His employees, to help them do the job He gave them to do. In the time of Abraham, His ministers were led by Melchizedek. We know almost nothing about that period, but it is clear that whatever true gospel was being spread was done by Him. He received the tithes before Moses.
But after Moses came along, God set up the Levitical priesthood and called them His people (Numbers 3:12). What were they supposed to do for Him? Numbers 3:5-10. These Levites, the entire tribe, were appointed priests to help Aaron with the maintenance, moving, sacrificing, and teaching of the temple. In short, to spread the gospel in the time of Moses. This priesthood tribe belonged to God, and He rewarded them differently than the other tribes (Numbers 18:24).
The other tribes received a piece of land to be passed down from generation to generation as their inheritance. But the Levites didn’t get land, they were given instead 1/10th of all the increase (net production, profit) in Israel. And that tenth was to be of the very best quality (Numbers 18:12-13). This tenth belonged to God already, and God explicitly gave it to the Levites. This tenth was to be used for the operating of the temple, the salaries of the priests, and the teaching of the truth. Considering the priesthood was only 1/13th of the tribes, but they received the best 1/10th of the product of the nation, theirs was the best inheritance. But theirs was also the hardest job.
What was the job of Levi (the tribe of Levi)? Malachi 2:4-7. And in exchange for Levi’s service, what did he receive? Numbers 18:30-31. And has that principle changed today? 1 Corinthians 9:13-14. So who is the priesthood today? 1 Peter 2:5, 9. The church today is the priesthood. And the job of the priesthood, then as now, is to teach the law of God. This, properly done, is more than a full time job (Luke 10:2). And then as now, it takes money to spread the gospel. And so God gave the priesthood a tenth of all the proceeds in Israel to pay for it.
This tenth was Levi’s sole income, and thus God considered it “increase”. Therefore, God commanded Levi to tithe on the tithes (Numbers 18:25-32). Thus, 10% of the nation’s profit went to the Levites. Then out of that 10% a “sub-tithe” was divided, with 9% of the nation’s profit going to the Levites and their families for living expenses. The other 1% was for the actual maintenance of the temple. These verses confuse some people, but it is clear that they speak strictly of the Levites tithing in the same way as the other tribes tithed their corn and wine. Simple, as always! It simply means that even the priests tithed on the tithe given to them! But when Levi stopped doing the job God gave him to do – when the Levites no longer taught the gospel as they should have, when they corrupted God’s teachings… God fired them. He took back His tithe, and abolished the Levitical priesthood. So who should receive it now?
NEW TESTAMENT TITHING
Most people realize that tithing exists, and many churches, realizing the money-making opportunities inherent in this idea encourage it, to say the very least. But others teach that, like all laws and obligations, it was “done away in Christ”, and today we “give gifts of love”, but are not required to do so by any law. They cite scriptures like 2 Corinthians 9:7. So is that what the Bible says… or not? As usual, people turn to the often-confusing works of Paul to support bad ideas. Also as usual, it’s in the immediate context that the confusion is resolved. The first key passage is in 1 Corinthians 9:1, so turn there and read along.
He was being wrongly condemned for taking money from the Corinthians, and he was defending his actions here. He first establishes that he has the same right to being called an apostle as Peter and the others (1 Corinthians 9:2-3). Then in 1 Corinthians 9:4-6, he asks rhetorical questions, the point of which is that he had the right not to work for a living, and instead to be supported by the church. And not only to be supported himself, but also to support a wife, sister, or other apostles with him like Cephas (Peter) did, all at the church’s expense.
In 1 Corinthians 9:7-10 he shows that since the ox has a God-given right to eat of the things he works for, therefore the ministry has the same right to live at the expense of the people they teach. He compares it to a war tax, where nations tax their subjects to go to war; only here God taxes the church to pay for warring against the sins of this world. In verse 11, he makes his conclusion; that if he planted spiritual things with them, it is only fair if he reaps their physical things. And they are by far getting the better end of the deal, trading physical food for spiritual food. Money for wisdom. Bread for truth (Proverbs 3:13-15).
Now with that background, having read that context, NOW we continue reading into the part people always read, while they skip the first part; in 1 Corinthians 9:12 he says that although he had a RIGHT to collect tithes from them, he hadn’t done so. Does this mean that tithing is abolished in the New Testament? Think about it! He just spent half a chapter clearly proving that he had the right to take tithes from them! Why would he then turn around and contradict himself?
Reading on, in verses 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 he again proves those who preach the gospel should make their money from the gospel, just as the Levites earned their living through the work in the temple. Then in 1 Corinthians 9:15 he says he didn’t take advantage of this right, nor did he teach them about it, lest they accuse him of false motives (and yet ironically, as verse 3 said, they accused him anyway!). After that, he changes the subject and doesn’t really get back to it in this book. However, in his next letter to the Corinthians he talks about money again. Remember, he’s had a few months or years to think about his actions and see the results, and “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20).
So did Paul have second thoughts about taking tithes from the Corinthians? 2 Corinthians 11:7. What does he say he did to other churches? 2 Corinthians 11:8. Did he take tithes from someone else? 2 Corinthians 11:9. Does Paul believe he did the right thing by not taking money from them? 2 Corinthians 12:13. Get that! Paul begs the Corinthians from whom he took no tithes to “forgive me this wrong”! And although he intends to continue not charging the Corinthians (2 Corinthians 11:14), he knows it will only cause them to love him even less (2 Corinthians 11:15).
Not teaching them to tithe from the beginning was a MISTAKE! He HURT them by not taking money from them! And he ROBBED other churches by taking tithes from them so he could preach to the Corinthians for free! There is another passage which people use to dismiss tithing which is often abused – because it isn’t talking about tithing at all! Start reading in 2 Corinthians 9:1-5. Now what does that say Paul is about to talk about? “The ministering of the saints”. Unlike 1 Corinthians 9 and 2 Corinthians 11-12, this money is not for Paul’s use! This is not a tithe, and it is not to pay for spreading the gospel! It is for taking care of saints – the rest of the church!
Now keep reading; up to 2 Corinthians 9:5, he talks about how proud he is of them, and how he knows they will give generously TO THE SAINTS. Then in 2 Corinthians 9:6-9 he talks about the good of giving, and how God will repay gifts given to the poor. Get that! It is the POOR who are going to receive this gift, not the pastors! 2 Corinthians 9:12 makes it absolutely clear what this is to be used for; it “supplieth the want of the saints” – the needy! Then conclude with 2 Corinthians 9:13-15, but read them in something other than the KJV, which mangles them pretty badly. This entire chapter is about gathering a free will offering for the poor saints; and since it is a free will offering, by definition you are free to give however much you want, or none at all! Which is what verse 7 says! But it is not talking about giving however much you want as a tithe. Because a tithe is a TENTH. No more, no less. You can’t give more or less than a TENTH and have it be a TENTH!! Anything over that is an offering – and anything under that is stealing!
NEW COVENANT TITHING
Tithing was the subject of a bitter struggle in the first century, because it involved something that carnal people care very much about: money! For over a thousand years 10% of all income, plus offerings and sacrifices, had gone to Jerusalem to the temple. After Christianity became popular, people began to stop doing that and gave it to the apostles instead, which meant a huge loss of revenue for Jerusalem. Naturally, Jerusalem didn’t like this. So when Paul wrote a letter to the Hebrews, tithing was one of the key subjects he addressed. Most of the book is spent explaining that Jesus is greater than Moses (Hebrews 3:1-4). And that Jesus now holds the office of Melchizedek, high priest of God. And one reason Paul went to such lengths to prove that Jesus was greater than Levi was to show who deserved to receive the tithe under the NC! In Galatians 3:17, Paul gives us a principle that what didn’t come into existence with Moses, couldn’t be destroyed when Moses’ covenant was abolished. He shows that since the covenant of faith was made with Abraham 430 years before Moses, then the abolition of the covenant of Moses cannot affect the covenant God made with Abraham.
That same principle holds true with tithing. Yes, Moses taught tithing – but was he the first person to tithe? Genesis 14:18-20. So Abraham gave tithes to Melchizedek, who was the high priest of God. Not because the covenant of Moses required it – Moses wouldn’t be born for 350 years – but because the covenant of Abraham required it! The covenant of faith that Paul taught the Gentiles to follow! As you should remember from Lesson 2-1, Melchizedek was the Being who became Jesus Christ. Now start reading in Hebrews 6:20. Then Hebrews 7:2. So Jesus received tithes from Abraham! This means that the father of the NC, Abraham, paid tithes to Jesus, not to Levi! Abraham didn’t pay tithes to the physical priesthood, but to the spiritual priesthood! Hebrews 7:3-4 tell us that Jesus is a permanent, perpetual high priest, and if even Abraham gave Him tithes, clearly we should as well. Hebrews 7:5 shows that Levi had a right to take tithes from the other tribes according to the commandment of God. Notice those words, “commandment” and “law”. Tithing was not a voluntary gift! It was a LAW.
Hebrews 7:6-8 repeat that Melchizedek received tithes from Abraham, proving once again that Melchizedek was greater than Abraham. But in Hebrews 7:9-10 he finally makes his point: that if Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek, then so, in a sense, did Abraham’s children. That means that just as all the children of Israel paid tithes to Levi, so in turn Levi himself paid tithes to Melchizedek – clearly establishing that Melchizedek is greater and has first right to the tithes! Hebrews 7:11 says that the priesthood changed; under Moses, God worked through the Levitical priesthood. But it wasn’t having the desired results, so God changed the priesthood to a new priesthood; not another priest descended from Aaron, but a priest who was eternal and incorruptible – Jesus. This priesthood was not of the rank of Levi, but of the rank of Melchizedek – a higher rank! Finally Hebrews 7:12, a much misunderstood verse, makes sense because we have read the context! What law has Paul been discussing? What commandment has been the topic of this chapter? Stealing? Idols? What “law” is this that changed? Read verse 5 again – the law of TITHING!
That law HAD to change when the priesthood changed, because if Levi was no longer the tribe of the high priest, then Levi no longer had a right to take God’s tithe from the people! Notice the law was not abolished when the priesthood changed, the law was CHANGED! Which means the new priesthood of God should receive the tithes of God! The rest of the chapter just repeats that Jesus is our high priest, and all things that pertained to the original priesthood now apply to Jesus; thus if the original high priest (Aaron) had a right to take tithes from the people, so the new high priest (Jesus) has a right to take tithes of the people, just as Jesus did as Melchizedek before Levi was born. And just as Aaron didn’t personally collect the tithes but instead had the priests whom God had given him collect them for him, so Jesus doesn’t personally collect the tithes but has the ministers whom God has given Him collect them for Him.
THE SPIRITUAL REASON
I said earlier there are two reasons why God collects tithes. First, obviously, is that the money is used to support the ministry, the teaching of the gospel, and the various things required to make all that happen – travel, office supplies, study materials, advertising, and so on. But secondly, and more importantly to you, is that tithing is an act of faith. According to God, what is your best investment? Matthew 6:19-20. Why is it important? Matthew 6:21. What does God compare the gospel to? Matthew 13:44-46. When you see the truth, what should you do? Proverbs 23:23. Which is better – understanding or money? Proverbs 16:16. Does God make some people choose between the two? Matthew 19:21. Must you be willing to forsake EVERYTHING (not just 10%) to be a true disciple of Christ? Luke 14:33. See, tithing requires you to “put your money where your mouth is”. It’s easy to scream “I love Jesus!” at the top of your lungs. It costs you nothing. It also means nothing. Millions of people say it every day, then go right out and do the exact opposite of what Jesus said.
What matters is what you do, and what matters most is what you do with what is really important to you. Few things are more important to most people than money, so what you do with that is a good indication of what really is in your heart. Think about it; if you give a beggar a scrap from your plate after you’re full, it doesn’t mean much. It just means he happened to be closer than the trash can. However, if you give him your last meal when your family is starving, well, now that means a lot. Giving God money when you have lots to give doesn’t mean much – Jesus said so in Luke 21:1-4. There are lots of people who think “well, I just can’t afford to tithe!” – and those people need to tithe more than anyone else! They can’t afford NOT to tithe! Because not tithing is probably WHY they are poor in the first place! See for yourself: What’s the best way to get wealthy? Proverbs 3:9-10. Do many people steal from God? Malachi 3:8. Does stealing from God bring with it a curse? Verse 9. What happens if you repent and stop stealing from God? Malachi 3:10-12.
Here is advice from God to all those in financial troubles: Haggai 1:5-7. Does that describe you? Does it seem like you put your money in a bag filled with holes? Keep reading in verses 9-11. Why did He do that? Why is God “blowing” on your earnings? Because His house – His church – is in ruins, and you’re worrying about your own petty problems and ignoring your responsibilities to Him! You’re stealing from God, and so you are under a divine CURSE until you pay the rent you owe! You can’t afford to tithe? Yet you CAN afford to pay the penalty of the curse God has put you under? That’s like saying “I can’t pay my credit card bills on time”, yet somehow you CAN pay the late fees every month… while still owing the bills PLUS interest!
Others say “I can’t tithe while I’m in debt”. Ok… you have two debts. You owe a mortgage on your house to the bank, and you owe a mortgage on your life, your money, and the Earth itself to God. One debt to is to a banker who loaned you money that wasn’t his to begin with, and one debt is to God who created the money AND the banker AND you. Which debtor do YOU think should take priority?? Whose debt should be paid FIRST? (Matthew 6:33). If you rent a house to someone, and they don’t pay their rent on time, you make them pay a penalty fee AND they still owe the rent! And under the Golden Rule, that’s what God does to you! If you don’t give God “a tenth of all”, then you’re behind on your spiritual rent-payments! You ignore tithing so you can pay down a bank loan using money that doesn’t belong to you, money you haven’t earned – and you WONDER why God is angry, and you have financial worries? How is that different from King Asa taking the gold out of the temple to bribe a pagan king? (2 Chronicles 16:1-9).
God rewards those who diligently tithe. He makes it up many times over, often in the most dramatic ways. The widow’s mite meant more to Jesus than the thousands put in by the rich men. It’s not about the amount, or how much you have, it’s about your obedience and your faith. Again, tithing is an act of faith. You have to TRUST God to make it up to you. TRUST God to take care of you. You have to step out on a limb and INVEST in that treasure in heaven, and see if there is a God or not – God commands you to TEST HIM, and SEE what sort of an investment He is! (Malachi 3:10).
I have tested Him, and so have many others, and no matter how much I gave, I always got more back; and since I began tithing diligently, I’ve turned my financial life around, and so will you… IF you do it diligently, the same way God expects you to diligently not steal from anyone else! Paul merged “thou shalt tithe” with “thou shalt not muzzle the ox”, which in turn traces back to “thou shalt not steal”, “thou shalt love thy neighbor as yourself”, and “do unto others”… just as we discussed in the earliest lessons! So if you break the law of tithing, you are as guilty of not loving your neighbor as if you had lied to him or slept with his wife.
HOW TO TITHE
The greatest key to wealth is tithing. God is the one who “giveth thee power to get wealth” (Deuteronomy 8:18). So it stands to reason that pleasing Him is the most important factor in obtaining wealth, and the primary command He gave regarding money is the 10% tithe. Not 10% of your gross, but of your net; it is a tithe on the INCREASE of your income, not on your total earnings. If you have cows, you tithe on your new calves this year – not on all the cows you own. If you have chickens, you tithe on your eggs and your new chicks, not on your chickens. If you grow corn, you deduct the seed you planted, the fertilizer you bought, and the tractor you repaired, from the money made in your harvest. The responsibility to determine the amount of the tithe to pay to God is yours and yours alone. You must decide based on your own conscience before Him. If you cheat Him, your conscience knows it, and your faith will suffer.
If you deal honorably with Him, your conscience knows that too, and so does He. Remember 1 John 3:19-22! If your conscience condemns you, you’re doing it wrong! Like with modern taxes, living expenses are not deductible, but business expenses are. Just remember that when you tithe, you’re giving God back His own money, not giving Him your money; make sure He gets all that is His. If you’re not going to do it right, don’t bother. Don’t give Him $20 now, once, and then and say “I tithed, God! Now bless me!” because you didn’t tithe! You’re still breaking the covenant your spiritual fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob made with God! You merely applied a moldy band-aid to your conscience – tithing is 10% or not at all!
You need to give your tithe to God. You NEED to pay the rent to your Landlord so you can enjoy the things you have legally. As long as God’s tithe is in your house, being spent on your wants, it is bringing a curse down on you. You need to get rid of it, so you can be blessed. But to whom should you give it? You can’t just give it to the poor or to a charity, because tithing isn’t for the physical poor; it is to feed the poor in spirit! It is for providing SPIRITUAL food to the world, not PHYSICAL food! So it MUST be spent on God and His gospel. On the other hand, giving it to the any of the Churches infected with false Christianity is, in a very real sense, tithing to Satan. Helping him to spread a perverted gospel with money that is rightfully God’s cannot possibly please God. So you can’t tithe to Antichrist!
You need to give it to whomever you believe is spreading the true gospel of God. To someone whom you believe represents God to the world. As I often say, everything I’ve said in this lesson is summed up in a single passage, if you’d only read it and understood it; read 1 Chronicles 29:11-16 slowly and think about what David said as he dedicated the first offerings for the temple. I’ll quote the high points from the BBE version: “…everything in heaven and on earth is yours… But who am I and what is my people, that we have power to give so freely in this way? for all things come from you, and what we have given you is yours. “…For we, as all our fathers were, are like men from a strange country before you, who have got a place for a time in the land… all this store, which we have made ready for the building of a house for your holy name, comes from your hand and is YOURS.”
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
I don’t need your money. I have been abundantly blessed since I started keeping these laws I’ve taught you, and God has provided ample for all my needs and most of my wants besides, and He will continue to do so without your support. I pay for the costs of this course, the website, research, travel, and the living expenses for my family and those God has given me to help me do this work, and I pay for it almost exclusively out of my own tithes. So I don’t need your money. But think about this: you found these lessons because we spent our tithes on advertising to try to find people like you who needed them! Therefore, as you wanted to find the answers I’ve given you, you should want someone else to find those same answers.
If you are glad you’ve found the truth in these lessons, yet you do not give God’s tithe to help other people find the same Truth… you are guilty of sin! Because you are not spreading the truth to others that you wanted for yourself. That breaks the Golden Rule. If you don’t value these lessons and don’t feel you’ve been benefited by them – then don’t tithe to me! Tithe to someone else. Help them spread the true gospel, if you feel they have it. But get it out of your house!
And if you do entrust me with God’s tithe, it’s because you believe I am spreading the gospel of God; because you believe that God trusts me to manage it. And it will be spent on whatever I believe best furthers that goal. If you don’t agree with that, please do not send it to me.
If you do, send tithes to:
Nathaniel Burson
The Simple Answers
10758 State Hwy 155 S
Big Sandy, TX, 75755
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For more lessons enrol in the Comprehensive Bible Study Course by Nathanial Burson The Simple Answers… To Life’s Most Important Questions.