The Bible indicates that our gifts to God should be done on the first day of the week, not on Sabbath. While I agree that the tithes and offerings could be laid aside on a day other than the Sabbath, the question remains as to whether it is acceptable to then bring them to God on the Sabbath.

Personally, I feel it is just fine to pay one's tithes in church on Sabbath. However, when the topic came up at church, one fellow believer objected, saying we should not pay tithe on Sabbath.

How readest thou? (Bible text follows.)



Jesus also twice cleansed the temple of its merchants and moneychangers who were making merchandise of the temple service.

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

It seems your view of Scripture is producing a plethora of works-based dilemmas. I'm thankful I do not struggle with such minutia.

Also, these questions seem to reflect an early Hebrew-agrarian based economy, an environment we no longer live in. So I struggle with the legitimacy of transplanting specific rules designed for their cultural/economic/religious environment or understanding into our own 3rd millennium world.

The Cross initiated a change in salvation history. Jesus said this himself. "This cup is the new covenant in my blood." (Luke 22:20, Matt. 26:27, 1 Cor. 11:26, Mark 14:23). The Cross was the end of one covenant, and the start of another. Learn what this is, and what it means.

Hint: READ PAUL, NOT ELLEN WHITE!!!!!
Paul says the same thing, only you have been taught to interpret his meaning to agree with your ideas instead of drawing your ideas from Paul.


Reduce "salvation" to its bare essentials--to its core concepts. All Christian denominations, by the way, including SDA, will subscribe to these core beliefs. (These are nicely done for you in some of the early Christian creeds such as the Nicene Creed, but you don't have to use them.)

Find these in Scripture, not EGW. (If EGW agrees with the Bible this should not be troublesome.) Challenge everything, requiring clear statements from Scripture.

From these core concepts build (re-build) your understanding of God, salvation, and the Christian walk.

None of this should frighten one who believes their beliefs are Scriptural, unless, in the back of your mind, there's this little voice saying "Is that really the way it is??" I suspect this is true, because you are asking questions.

I'll be happy to help you with this; just PM me.

I tend to agree with you on this point.

What is, lay by him in store?
Does Paul come every Sabbath?
When Paul comes, what happens to that laid in reserve?

Non-relevant to the issue.

Consider the following passage which shows Ellen White's agreement with Paul. Key phrases are bolded.



Question: Which day, the first or the seventh, does Mrs. White intend in saying "what more appropriate time could be chosen . . . ?"

Blessings,

Green Cochoa.

Question: Which day, the first or the seventh, does Mrs. White intend in saying "what more appropriate time could be chosen . . . ?"

Probably Saturday night, after sundown -- since all day Sabbath "we"
"have thought upon his goodness. We have beheld his work in creation as an evidence of his power in redemption. Our hearts are filled with thankfulness for his great love. And now, before the toil of the week begins, we return to him his own."

But we miss the point if we try to make a rule as to a certain time to do our financial accounting.


Paul, in the verse quoted earlier isn't talking about "taking up the tithe" at all. He is actually telling people to start saving up some money "by them" in their homes, so they could add it to the "ADRA" fund, when he came to collect it.


I think the principle here, is that giving should be planned, and Sabbath shouldn't be our "financial accounting" day -- that should be done prior. Many don't do any "accounting" when it comes to offerings, they hear an appeal and just give what ever change they might have in their pockets, but its better to go home and after the Sabbath, do some budgeting and set apart some funds for God's work.

Actually, my personal take on the scripture in 1 Cor. 16 falls more in line with "systematic giving".
In our culture, most of us live on income that comes in the form of monthly payments. So -- at the first of each month, when that payment comes in, we figure out the tithe, go through the list of offerings we want to contribute to that month and set the full amount apart to put in the offering plate the next Sabbath.


As to taking up offerings on the Sabbath --
Doesn't scripture say we are to bring our gifts to the Sanctuary? (Ps. 96:8)

This has always concerned me, as it was my understanding that the offering by the Jews was not done on Sabbath, do you know if it was a rule or tradition?

SDA immediately disregard Paul's direction and slyly add "let each one of you lay something aside IN THEIR HOMES". They are so sensitively defensive of their sabbath that they cannot imagine that the Churches of Galatia and Corinth would meet to worship God on Sundays.

But Sunday meetings were what Paul was referring to, that when the Church met on the first day of the week, the members were to add to their charity for the saints in Jerusalem so what when he came, he'd simply pick up whatever the Church had collected over the weeks and send the same unto Jerusalem by a suitable courier.

What is wrong with worshiping God on Sundays? Or Wednesday evenings? Or Tuesday mornings, hmmmm SDA? Scared, eh? lol Oh, and as for the question, of course you may bring your offerings to God on any day of the week. They're freewill offerings of gratifude NOT PAYMENTS FOR GOODS/SERVICES DELIVERED.

///

Green, continue reading. Chosen to do what? Set aside. It does NOT say, collect the offering.

No Blessings,

KLand

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