Romans
15:26
For
it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution
for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.
The
only thing that I can find ‘wrong’ in the book of Philippians (as far as the
conduct of the saints goes) is that they had slacked in their
contributions.
Philippians
4:10
But
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath
flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
We
don’t take tithes and offerings today in this dispensation. Tithing was a system of giving for the nation
of Israel under the law. And, by the
way, it was not money.
Deuteronomy
12:6
And
thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes,
and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill
offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks:
I
throw that out to preachers and they are shocked. But when you study tithing in the scriptures,
you will find that it was never money.
It was fruits and grains; lambs, bulls and goats – the fruit of the
ground. In fact if you were an Israelite
and you were outside of the land and you were supposed to bring your tithe to
the Levitical priests in the temple, and the journey was too long for the
animals to make, you could sell an animal, pocket the money, and then buy
another animal to offer when you got to Jerusalem.
Deuteronomy
14:23-25
And
thou shalt eat before the Lord thy
God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of
thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of
thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the Lord
thy God always. And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou art
not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the Lord thy God shall choose to set his
name there, when the Lord thy God
hath blessed thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the
money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose:
That
is why they had moneychangers there.
John 2:14
And
found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers
of money sitting:
Mark 11:15
And
they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to
cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of
the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves;
The
Lord rebukes the Pharisees regarding their tithe:
Matthew
23:23
Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and
anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law,
judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the
other undone.
Their
tithes were mint, anise and cumin – not money.
In Malachi 3 God is speaking to the priests and the people of Israel
about tithes and offerings which were food for the priests…
Nehemiah
13:5
And
he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat
offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the
corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded to be given to the
Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests
Ezekiel
42:13
Then
said he unto me, The north chambers and the south chambers, which are before
the separate place, they be holy chambers, where the priests that approach
unto the Lord shall eat the most
holy things: there shall they lay the most holy things, and the meat
offering, and the sin offering, and the trespass offering; for the place is
holy.
…so
there would be meat in his house.
Malachi
3:8-10
Will
a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee?
In tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have
robbed me, even this whole nation. 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.
The
Lord blessed Israel based on that covenant.
If they were good he would bless them; if they were bad he would curse
them.
Deuteronomy
11:26-28
Behold,
I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; A blessing, if
ye obey the commandments of the Lord
your God, which I command you this day: And a curse, if ye will not obey
the commandments of the Lord your
God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after
other gods, which ye have not known.
Tithing
is not for you and me today. We are not
under the law, we’re under grace.
Romans
6:14b
…for
ye are not under the law, but under grace.
For
denominations to take people back to the law of Moses (legalism) and call them
cursed of God and accuse them of robbing God because they don’t give 10% of
their gross income, even to the point that they are requiring them to show
their paystubs, is an abomination in the eyes of God.
Today
we give under grace. What you give is
between you and God (not you and your pastor); you give as God has prospered
you.
1
Corinthians 16:2
Upon
the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God
hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
It
is regular; it is a faithful thing between you and God or you and your family
and God, and you give as God has prospered you according to the riches of his
grace. You look at what Christ did for
you on the cross, and you say, “This is how thankful I am, Father, and I want
this word to get out.” It is not a tithing
system. You can give 1% or you can give
100%. It is up to you. It is between you and God. So don’t let anyone put you under a
performance-based acceptance system.
So
the Philippians had been helping Paul by giving…
Philippians
4:15, 18
Now
ye Philippians know also, that in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed
from Macedonia, no church communicated with me as concerning giving and
receiving, but ye only. But I have all, and abound: I am full, having
received of Epaphroditus the things which were sent from you, an odour
of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, wellpleasing to God.
…but then they slacked off.
Philippians
4:10
But
I rejoiced in the Lord greatly, that now at the last your care of me hath
flourished again; wherein ye were also careful, but ye lacked opportunity.
It
was a weariness in well doing.
2
Thessalonians 3:13
But
ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.
So
Paul sent word to them to support the ministry.
By the way, there was one man who worked with his hands to help the
apostle Paul.
Philippians
2:25
Yet
I supposed it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and
companion in labour, and fellowsoldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.
Here is what our apostle Paul tells us
about giving today:
2
Corinthians 9:7
Every
man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or
of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.
Transcribed from a Message by Ron Knight
at TCGF on 1 Cor. 1
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