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"I
agree with you. Thanks for standing up."
Russell Earl Kelly Ph. D. Author of "SHOULD THE CHURCH
TEACH TITHING?"
"There
he goes again, speaking the truth. He better be careful, because
someone might actually hear him.
"Great job, Rev. Anderson. Let us move away from the law
and into God's grace, completely.”
Rev.
J. W. Axsom Th.D
"The book is very informative. Also, he quotes scripture
to back up what he says. Every Christian of tithing faith should
read this book; it is an eye opener."
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Facts
about tithing
Pastors don't want you
to know! |
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Book
Excerpts
Chapter
Two: In Need of a Pastor
What
is a pastor? Flawed traditions and popular perception would have
one to believe that anyone with the ability to preach is a pastor.
Thank God, this is not the case. The Greek translation of the word
pastor literally means “shepherd”. Shepherds are teachers
who guide their sheep in the right direction. Too many churches
are headed by “pacifiers” saying the things that people
want to hear, and look like what people assume they ought to look
like.
Dr.
Anderson identifies five “Distorted Leadership Models"
that most pastors tend to possess. Three of the five I can personally
relate to, having been under two pastors with distorted leadership
qualities. These three are:
“The
Sheriff,” resorts to coercion in order to get cooperation.
He does not ask if you like it; he just demands that you do as he
says. I have discovered that these types are the “know it alls”.
No one else’s answers or comments are right but theirs. They
are frequently overpowering and insensitive to the rights and convictions
of others. In many cases, at least in some Black Holiness churches,
this type of pastor tends to exert a cultic control over the minds
of his flock.
Chapter
Three: Why is the Church in Financial Debt?
Great
question! The answer is simple because we seek after the things of
the world. The Church says, “Seek God,” but teaches seek
MONEY. Church leaders say by their actions, “Look how the
Lord blessed me,” after they have squandered away the people’s
generous giving of money. The modern day Church is not the best example
of good stewardship.
Experts such as the Barna Group say that there is no distinction
in the Christian community from the secular world when it comes
to consumerism and debt? The data seems to say that there’s
not much difference at all. Whatever our avowed values, our behavior
looks very much like that of the world: high levels of spending,
large credit card debt, foolish financial choices and a self-centered
mindset.
Many Christians are in an atmosphere where they are taught and pressured
into believing that, “It’s yours, go get it.”
Or “God does not want you to live below your means.”
Those of you, who have known me for some time, know what I say and
believe, and that is, If your foundation is flawed, your
works will be also. With this in mind, let me dispel the
bad teaching that so many of our Church leaders have and are promoting.
God wants all of us to be good stewards of what He gives us, this
includes money and how we give it as well as how we spend it.. He
does not want you to live above your means.
Chapter
Four: Controlling Ministries and Spiritual Abuse
Here is an issue that some believers tend to sweep under the rug,
turn a blind eye to, or are just too afraid to do anything about
it. At the same time, we all at some point in our walk with Christ
have seen and (many) have experienced this issue first hand. This
issue is by no means written to demean or criticize Church leaders,
but instead written to bring attention to an issue that we must
face and fix if we are to truly be prepared for Christ’s return.
A lie is an untruth. It empowers the ones telling the lie and deceives
those who believe the lie. Why are church leaders dominating, controlling,
manipulating, and exploiting their followers for their own personal
gain and private kingdom building? Without realizing it, many faithful
followers have become “slaves of men" in blatant violation
of God's explicit warning against that very thing:
Before I became a pastor, I once was one of the many loyal and sincere
church members and leaders who faithfully and cheerfully attended,
supported, and participated in a local church with a leader who
systematically committed spiritual abuse, psychological enslavement,
and exploitation on the members of the church.
In these groups, the "authority" of the "shepherd"
is absolute. He can do no wrong. Any semblance of anything other
than total and unquestioning obedience to the desires of the church's
leadership is considered rebellion and insubordination and is simply
not tolerated. Members live under the constant threat of being branded
as a “rebel", openly denounced and shamed from the “bully”
pulpit and consequently shunned by members of the church.
Note: In this chapter I list the signs and symptoms of
what Dr. Steven Lambert describes as a controlling ministry and
spiritual abuse.
Chapter Five: Is the Lord your Shepherd or is your
Shepherd your Lord?
"Spiritual
covering", as it is practiced and used today, is an absolute
myth. There is no resemblance of the current form "spiritual
covering" anywhere in the bible, especially under our current
New Testament covenant of Grace. In many so-called Holiness or Charismatic
denominations, it has become the centerpiece of spiritual abuse
by church leaders.
"Spiritual covering", in the vein it is presented and
used by certain denominational leaders, is an outright deception!
It is a complete lie invented by its originators, the Discipleship/Shepherd-ship
doctrine of the 70’s and 80’s. This non-biblical doctrine
teaches "delegated authority", "covering", "unquestioned
submission to the shepherd & his teaching", "covenant
commitment to the group", and more subtly control through disapproval,
manipulation and peer pressure. In the late 70’s, many Charismatic
or Holiness Churches began to repent and denounce this doctrine
of “Lording” and forcing Gods people but unfortunately
many still exist and clones are spun and hatched every year.
This
nonsense has become a primary mechanism of control, manipulation,
domination, and other wicked activities, in an array of circumstances
ranging from preventing members from leaving the church or group,
to sexually-oriented abuse under the cover of spiritual authority.
Chapter Six: Tithing – What Your Pastor Failed
to Tell You
Fact:
There were no Christians under the Law. You can’t find any
Christians in the Old Testament. Gentiles were not included under
the old covenant of the Law. And the disciples were called Christians
first in Antioch. Acts 11:26.
Christians didn't tithe until the 8th century, and Americans Churches
did not teach tithing until 1872. This is historical fact!
In Genesis 14, Abraham risked his life to rescue his nephew. Remember,
Abraham could have taken spoils of the war, but refused to do so.
Abraham's only motivation was to save his nephew. After this selfless
act to save a brother, suddenly the Christ type, King of Jerusalem
appears with bread and wine. Abraham passed the test by being willing
to sacrifice him self for another. Later, he would be willing to
sacrifice his son. This was the purpose of Melchizedek's appearance.
It was not to teach mandated tithing as some false teacher would
have you believe.
In the book of Acts, chapter 15: 24-29, the Apostles, the elders,
and the brethren in Jerusalem wrote the Gentiles saying,
"We have heard that certain people which went out from
us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying,
"You must be circumcised, AND KEEP THE LAW; to whom we gave
NO SUCH COMMANDMENT. ..."for it seemed good to the Holy Ghost
and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary
things: Abstain from meats offered to idols and tasting blood and
from eating the meat of animals that have been strangled and from
sexual impurity. If you keep yourselves from these things, you will
do well."
Notice, the apostles said nothing about tithing.
Chapter Seven: Tithing – What Your Pastor Won’t
Tell You
If
or when we teach and believe that we are offered or promised a physical
blessing when we tithe, Paul says in Galatians 3:10, that “We
are depending on the law to make us right with God.” He goes
on to say that if we do, we are under the curse of Christ. He says
this because like today’s Christians, the Galatians were picking
and choosing the parts of the Law that they liked. Modern day Church
leaders love tithing, but you will not see them stone anyone for
adultery, even though that’s part of the law, and it is obvious
that today animal sacrifice has no application to the Christian,
even though that too is under the law. You will not see the church
give a tenth of all their earnings to the poor every three years,
even though that’s part of the law as well.
Paul says in so many words, if you are going to hold on to the law
to make you right with God, it should be all of the law or none
at all, but even in that, Paul goes on to say in Galatians 3 verse
11, “Consequently, it is clear that no one can ever be right
with God by trying to keep the law.” (NLT)
Saints, I truly believe that because this modern “church”
system loves the Law [among many other things] more than Christ,
it is cursed. Its structure, its leadership, and its current system
of operation are all cursed. When we pick and choose parts of God,
be it under the law or under grace, we curse ourselves, our ministries,
and God’s people. The
only parts of the Law that believers are obliged to keep are the
ethical and moral principles of the O. T. (Matt. 7:12, 22:36-40,
Rom. 3:31, Gal. 5:14)
The O. T. Law which applied directly to the nation of Israel, such
as the sacrificial, ceremonial, social, or civil laws, (This includes
the ordinance of tithes as stated in the Leviticus Law, Heb 10:1-4,
Lev. 1:2-3, 24:10 Lev. 27, Num. 18:21-29 Deut. 12:6-18, 14:22-29,
26:12) are no longer binding. (Gal. 3, Gal.10, Rom. 8:3, 2 Cor.
5:21) Nowhere
in the bible are Christians promised any physical
blessings, yet preachers and teachers love to use Malachi to support
their deception or ignorance. I choose to give them the benefit
of the doubt and say that it is just ignorance. As I said earlier,
God is not the author of confusion, man is.
Chapter
Eight: Tithing – Who Was Malachi Really Talking To?
The
following are not biblical but man made. I’m sure that you
have heard your pastor or Daystar mention at least one of these
false statements.
1. Tithing opens the window for blessings; the giving over and above
the tithe is what brings the "windfall" blessing.
(This is true only if you are still living under the Law of Moses)
2. "We don't allow people to serve in the church who are not
confirmed tithers."
(This is called legalism which is a sin. See Galatians Chapter 3)
3. God is always going where the money is flowing.
(This is called smoke and mirrors)
4. “My wife and I will give $100. How many will stand in faith
or in agreement with us and give $100 or more? Please, stand over
here.”
(This is called tradition based on ignorance)
5. Send your money where the financial anointing is flowing to receive
your blessing.
(This is called pimping)
6. "Every Christian who isn't honoring the Lord with the tithe
is guilty of robbing God, is living under a curse, and will remain
in financial bondage until he or she obeys God's Word, and begins
to tithe. Tithing breaks the curse!”
(This is called tradition based on ignorance. This is only true
if you are not living under the new covenant of Grace.)
Who was Malachi talking to? I can tell you with all confidence
that he was not talking to Gentiles or any Christian under the covenant
of grace. All we have to do is read, but because the devil knows
that most Christians will not read, it makes it easy to deceive
them from the pulpit or the television. If by chance you do decide
to read Malachi 1 verse 1, you will discover who he was talking
to.
To prove that Malachi was not talking to Christians,
nor are we today obligated to pay tithes, we must first look at
the historical and biblical origin of tithing. When we do this,
we will get a better understanding of who Malachi was talking to
and why. I will try to do this without boring you to death.
Chapter Nine: Tithing – Old Covenant Store
House in a New Covenant Church?
Today,
many people are fond of calling the building in which the Church
meets, the “House of God” or “the Lord’s
house.” In the New Testament, there is never any reference
to the Lord’s house being a structure in which Christians
worship, nor is there any indication that the church gave any special
consideration to the building in which they met. Yet, many use Malachi
3:10’s reference to the storehouse to support their justification
of pushing tithing on Christians under grace.
The terms “House of the Lord, "My House," "House
of God," or "God’s House" as used in the Old
Testament, always refers to the tabernacle or tent assembled and
erected in the desert, or the temple that was built and rebuilt
again, in Jerusalem.
The term ‘storehouse’ is used in the Old Testament,
three ways:
1. As the place to store stuff
2. As the symbolic place in which God keeps his supplies, like snow,
hail, and blessings
3. The storage areas established inside the temple
In Old Testament times, there were storehouses (See 1 Chronicles)
that were built inside of the Temple. In them, were the tithes which
were to be eaten by the Levites and the priests.
When Malachi rebuked Israel and told them to bring the tithe and
offering to the storehouse, he was referring to the O. T. Temple’s
storehouse. He was not referring to the N. T. buildings where Christians
worship today. Remember, there were no Christians in the Old Testament
or under the Law.
Chapter Ten: Giving Under Grace Not Under Pressure
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New Testament Giving vs. Old Testament Tithing
We have arrived at the final chapter on tithing. I saved
the best for last. In this final chapter, we will discuss giving
as it was done and how we are instructed to give under the Law and
under grace. Too many times church leaders like to mix the Law and
Grace when it comes to this subject, as if it all means the same
thing. Not so! To do this is to curse yourself, your ministry, and
God’s people. (See Galatians 3)
This chapter is intended to teach Christians, leaders, and lay persons
how we are to give under grace. It is also intended to take the
pressure off of God's people to give what they don't have.
Throughout this book, I have stated that there is a difference between
tithing, offering, and giving and that giving is important and necessary
to do the will of God. Never once have I stated that the people
of God should not give. What I am saying, and what I have said,
is that Christians are not under the Law (See Chapter 5 & 7).
Therefore, the Old Testament system of tithing was brought to an
end at the death and resurrection of Christ.
Giving
is a heart thing. In other words, it is a, who-so-ever can and will
opportunity. So, Christians should give according to the example of
the New Testament Church. Why? Because we are under the covenant of
Grace, not the Old Testament covenant of the Law.
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of
Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their
inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God,
and they shall be my people. (Jeremiah 31:33) KJV
Here,
God is interested in their hearts and their sincere intentions. Too
many times we do things with the wrong intentions: for show or to
get people’s praise. Sound familiar? God now wants to do an
internal work, in contrast to setting it before them externally. Why?
So that it effectively governs their lives, in contrast to the ineffectiveness
of merely presenting it on stone.
The new covenant of grace supersedes the old covenant of the law,
fulfilling the law and achieving the purpose of grace. Tithing is
under the old covenant!
“Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets:
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill.” (Matthew 5:17) KJV
"Don't
misunderstand why I have come. I did not come to abolish the Law of
Moses or the writings of the prophets. No, I came to fulfill them.”
(Matthew 5:17) NLT There
are three meanings to the word fulfill: to bring into effect, to make
complete, and to bring to an end. Jesus' birth, teachings, miracles
and even His death, brought into effect all those things that were
written and stated by the prophets. At the same time, His death, burial
and resurrection made the law complete, which means to bring to an
end. The only parts of the Law that believers are obliged to keep,
are the ethical and moral principles of the O.T. (Matt. 7:12, 22:36-40,
Rom. 3:31, Gal. 5:14)
The O.T. Law which applied directly to the nation of Israel, such
as the sacrificial, ceremonial, social, or civil laws(this includes
the ordinance of tithes, as stated in the Leviticus Law, Heb 10:1-4,
Lev. 1:2-3, 24:10, Lev.27, Num.18:21-29, Deut.12:6-18, 14:22-29, 26:12)
are no longer binding. (Gal. 3, Gal.10, Rom. 8:3, 2 Cor. 5:21)
Chapter Eleven: Gird up thy loins, Arise and Speak!
This chapter was written to encourage Church leaders who have made
up their minds to live under grace and not under the law. Those who
have decided to follow God and His word rather than the flawed doctrine,
religion and traditions of man. Six years of prayer, research and
interviews have led to the contents of this book with the purpose
and hopes of ushering in a new breed of Church leaders who will lead
a lost generation back to Christ.
Jeremiah was a young man, in the mist of priest, in a city of priest
were his father was also a priest. Out of all these priest the Lord
chose a young boy, inexperienced, but uncontaminated by traditions,
flawed doctrines and the idols of the people. His father taught him
to be true to God and His word. Unlike his elders, Jeremiah didn’t
get caught up in the, “Name it and Claim it Crowd.” He
didn’t get involved with what was in style and what had become
common place. When the Lord got fed up with the ways of an older generation
of priests, (pastors) their neglect of the people and their turning
away from God to their idols, ie. their cars, homes, their cloths,
jobs, bank accounts, self promotions, Self! Self! Self! He decided
to uproot, tear down, to throw down, to destroy and overthrow, after
which God wanted to plant and rebuild. To do this God uses those who
love Him the most. Is this you? Will this be you? Can this be you?
Jeremiah certainly did not want the responsibility of being the vessel
that God chose to bring about the necessary changes, but, when God
calls... Jeremiah also understood the opposition that he would encounter,
and of course so did God. Because Jeremiah stood up and did what God
asked him to do, he was lonely and hated all his life. Family and
friends turned against him, so did all the priest. Too often change
is a bad word, let alone an uncomfortable and unimaginable action
for many in the Church.
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