We were having a discussion on tithing and whether is Biblically required. Here is an interesting quote:

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Originally posted by themuzicman:
The institution of tithing does not come from the Levitical law, but from the order of Melchizedek, the order in which Christ falls (Hebrews 5-7 goes into this in more detail.)

Abraham paid Melchizedek a tenth of his spoils from a battle as a worship to God, and since Levi was still in the body of his ancestor, the tithe paid to the Levites is paid to Melchizedek as well.

Thus, since our High Priest is of the order of Melchizedek, and the tithe is a part of the standards of that order, the tithe remains in effect for Christians today.

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I do tithe and after tithing, I occasionally give more. Here is a list of what I've recently done:
1) Donated $200 extra to a Chinese ministry.
2) Gave a woman $750 (Her apartment burned down and she needed rent money)
3) Paid another woman's $175 electric bill (Long story on that one)

I already give lots of money away (faithfully and with weekly regularity for many years). My question comes from a scriptural standpoint: Are We Required to Tithe?

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The tithing link has been removed as it is against our forum rules to have a link to a site that hasn't been first deemed appropriate by Maritime SDA OnLine.

Daryl Fawcett
Administrator
Maritime SDA OnLine

[This message has been edited by Daryl Fawcett (edited April 12, 2001).]

Yes yes yes, I know we're supposed to give in secret (and the Lord will reward us openly). In all of the above cases, it was done in secret and I asked the recipient to tell no one.

People don't know the name of the person who did this.

Signed,

me again

It is obvious to me that tithing 10% of our increase is still a requirement of God as already shown in the quoted portion of the first post.

__________________________
In His Love, Mercy & Grace

Daryl

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The tithing link has been removed as it is against our forum rules to have a link to a site that hasn't been first deemed appropriate by Maritime SDA OnLine.

Daryl Fawcett

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I saw you logged on over there (I'm pretty sure it was you). What do you think?

Hi me again,

This is not the proper place to discuss the action that was taken, however, my also being a member of a different forum does not automatically make that an appropriate link from this forum to that forum. If you take a look, you will see that I am not even advertising this forum in my profile there.

Please re-read our Forum Rules, especially Forum Rule #8.

If you have any further concerns, please don't post them here. Send me an email, and we will arrange a more appropriate forum in which to discuss this further.

Thank you,

___________________
Daryl Fawcett
Administrator
Maritime SDA OnLine

[This message has been edited by Daryl Fawcett (edited April 16, 2001).]

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Posted by Daryl Fawcett:
This is not the proper place to discuss the action that was taken.

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Okay, sounds good to me. I really don't care that you deleted it, to be quite honest.

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Posted by Daryl Fawcett:
However, my also being a member of a different forum does not automatically make that an appropriate link from this forum to that forum.

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Sounds logical to me. Additionally, a forum such as this is private property (and is not public property) and, as such, may be controlled to a greater degree. .

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Posted by Daryl Fawcett:
If you take a look, you will see that I am not even advertising this forum in my profile there.

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Okay, I didn't look at your profile there. Their website is listed in my profile (here) because I like them a lot. You can print anything over there except:

-- Name Calling

-- Repeated Negative Postings

I have donated money to them, but I am in no way an owner. If you want me to remove their link from my profile, I would be happy to do so. (I guess you could say I was advertising "fun").

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Posted by Daryl Fawcett:
Please re-read our forum rules.

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Okay.

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Posted by Daryl Fawcett:
If you have any further concerns, please don't post them here.

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I never had any concerns, but I acknowledge you.

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Posted by Daryl Fawcett:
Send me an email, and we will arrange a more appropriate forum in which to discuss this further.

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Send you an mail? Oh, okay, I will.

[This message has been edited by me again (edited April 16, 2001).]

I have removed the link to TheologyOnline from my profile.

Okay, back to the question. Yes, tithing is an act of worship and belongs naturally to the Christian lifestyle. However, to whom do we pay tithe? To the organized Church only? Or is tithe intended to support ministers in ministry? And if so can we pay tithe directly to a minister of the gospel?

After studying this subject intensely I came to the conclusion that tithe paying is a personal form of worship and should not be regulated or dictated by another person or body of persons. So long as we worship God paying tithe it shouldn't matter if we appropriate those funds ourselves or through the organized Church.

What do you think?

Hoarding Money
I think it is important to avoid hoarding of money. This is the quickest way to shut the windows of heaven's blessings. It is sort of like the man who buried his money in the Bible, so the Lord took it away from him and gave it to the man who had much.

Fear is the Opposite of Faith
Being fearful of lack is another reason for not tithing (or giving or whatever name you want to use). We could also call this a form of unbelief because we aren't trusting the Lord to provide for our future needs. Crossing the bridge from fear to faith is not easy, but is necessary for spiritual growth.

I have tithed for many years. I first heard the message of tithing around 1980 and have done it faithfully since around 1984. For me, the question is not whether to tithe, but rather to whom I should tithe.

Should I faithfully tithe to a denomination? A ministry? A person in need? Example (true story): My organization sent me to a woman's house to talk to her and to make sure she was okay. I will call her "Betty." It was in the evening and was pitch black outside. All the homes in the neighborhood were lit up, except for Betty's house. It was pitch black at her house and it was very unusual. No porch light, no yard light and no interior lights.

When I knocked on the door, she opened it and it was pitch black on the inside of her house. I was thinking, "How can she see inside her house without tripping over anything?" She was an older black woman, probably about 55 or 60 years old. She had no job skills and had been a housewife all her life. Her husband had left her about two weeks earlier (for another woman). When he left, they were already in debt to the electric company and they finally shut off her electricity. Hence, no lights.

I explained to her that my organization was not designed to help with these kinds of needs and I apoligized and left. As she closed the door behind me and I began walking across the grass to my car, the scriptures began racing through my mind like a locomotive. I recalled:

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Paraphrased:

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not. Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

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As I walked away, I knew that I had to pay Jesus' electric bill. It was His bill and if I met her need, I was meeting the needs of Jesus. Her bill was about $275 and I only had about $300 in my personal bank account, but I had my checkbook with me. To whom should I have tithed that month? A denomination? A ministry? A person in need?

On that day, I tithed to Jesus and I wrote out a check to the electric company with her account number on it. I still had $25 left in my account and I know who my Source is. These are the kinds of acts that are done in secret, but are rewarded (by Him) openly.

What is tithe supposed to accomplish? Is it for the support of ministers? Or can it be used for any and all good deeds? What are offerings for?