The Other Side of Life by Rev. Samuel Mack, OMS, DD - HTML preview

Chapter 17

We were asked about tithing the other day, as to what to do or not to do, as for ourselves we find this a very hard question to answer because, it’s not in the new Testament we believe the best way to answer is only to respond with is this,

 Tithing was practiced extensively in the Old Testament, as a means to supporting themselves, the church and members through the times

Leviticus 27:30-33

And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD.

And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.

And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.

He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.

These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.

Source: King James 1611

Deuteronomy 14:22-29

Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.

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:

And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep, or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household, And the Levite that is within thy gates; thou shalt not forsake him; for he hath no part nor inheritance with thee.

At the end of three years thou shalt bring forth all the tithe of thine increase the same year, and shalt lay it up within thy gates: And the Levite, (because he hath no part nor inheritance with thee,) and the stranger, and the fatherless, and the widow, which are within thy gates, shall come, and shall eat and be satisfied; that the LORD thy God may bless thee in all the work of thine hand which thou doest.

Source: King James 1611

When there wasn’t anything else and it was never practiced or taught within the first-century Church. Instead the New Testament scriptures are seen as teaching the concept of "freewill offerings" as a means of supporting the church:

Luke 6:24-26

But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation.

Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.

Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

Source: King James 1611

1 Corinthians 16:1-4

Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye.

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.

And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.

And if it be meet that I go also, they shall go with me.

Source: King James 1611

2 Corinthians 9:6-14

But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever.

Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;)

Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God.

For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God; Whiles by the experiment of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your liberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding grace of God in you.

Source: King James 1611

Also, some of the earliest groups sold everything they had and held the proceeds in common to be used for the furtherance of the Gospel: {See also Colossians 2:16}

Luke 12:16-21

And he spake a parable unto them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?

And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.

But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?

So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

Source: King James 1611

Acts 2:44-47

And all that believed were together, and had all things common;

And sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.

And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

Source: King James 1611

4:34-35

Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold,

And laid them down at the apostles' feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need.

Source: King James 1611

2 Thessalonians 3:7-9

For yourselves know how ye ought to follow us: for we behaved not ourselves disorderly among you; Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you: Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.

Source: King James 1611

Some interpretations of Biblical teachings conclude that all though tithing is not in the New Testament, we should do all we can to support the groups to help the people. As we believe that the giving of your time is more important to tithing then the money we don’t or may not have to give, we have see people give to church’s and TV evangelist until they have no more to give and wind up living on the street that is not how we see tithing/Giving as it is given from your heart and how you fill about giving, of yourself or money not just because anyone says to be a Christian or you won’t go to Heaven or that this is the right thing to do, but because you believe it is the right thing to do. Jesus. nor His disciples ever ask for tithing of any form or money {or as a requirement to be a Christian} because they know, like we know it is a limited resource as they never sent out beggar’s for money either and remember what Jesus said about the greedy. In fact giving of your self will give you the same blessing as when you give money, but we are led to believe unless we give to support this or that we will not be worthy or good enough and that’s wrong as that is not even in my Bible we don’t believe anybody should give more than they are able if that is what is in your heart. Paul tells {see Romans 12:6-9} us that we were commissioned by God the Father to spread His word to all nations and all our brothers and sisters everywhere. I don’t believe that meant more or all their money, so we have none and someone else has it all.

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.

Source: King James 1611

Titus 1:11-15

For there are many unruly and vain talkers and deceivers, specially they of the circumcision: Whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole houses, teaching things which they ought not, for filthy lucre's sake.

One of themselves, even a prophet of their own, said, The Cretians are alway liars, evil beasts, slow bellies.

This witness is true. Wherefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith; Not giving heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth.

Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.

They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and

disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.

Source: King James 1611

Paul is telling us here that, false teachers are described. Faithful ministers must oppose them in good time, that their folly being manifest, they may go no further They had a base end in what they did; serving a worldly interest under pretense of Christianity: for the love of money is the root of all evil. We should resist them, and put to shame, by sound doctrine from the Scriptures.

Their actions are the reproach of heathens, should be far from Christians; falsehood and lying, envious craft and cruelty, brutal and sensual practices, idleness and sloth, are sins condemned even by the light of nature. But Christian meekness is as far from cowardly passing over sin, error, as from anger and impatience. Though there may be national differences of character, yet the heart of man in every age and place is deceitful and desperately wicked. But the sharpest reproofs must aim at the good of the reproved; and soundness in the faith is most desirable and necessary. To those who are defiled and unbelieving, nothing is pure; they abuse, and turn things lawful and good into sin. They many profess to know God, yet in their hearts, lives deny and reject Him. They have a form of godliness, but are without the power; yet let us not be so ready to judge others, be careful that it does not apply to ourselves .And all of this is image and likeness, as the scriptures tell us. And makes life the burden that it is, and that burden offers us the opportunity and the conditions for our own cleansing, the cleansing that we achieve through those life’s experiences and those merits that the rightness of our actions brings to us and everything is part of the wondrous design of creation, whose reason for existence is to give us the means to re-create ourselves, developing our potential, growing in His likeness. The Father created us in His. Also see Matthew 19:16-24 and 17:24-27

Genesis 1:26-28

And God said. Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

And God blessed them, and God said unto them. Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Source: King James 1611

He created us with the fundamental potential for our own spirituality, but as it is only through our faith and life experiences, the love and faith that we store up from our life, our determination and firmness and the uprightness of our decisions and our actions that we will be able to develop that potential and to re-create ourselves in the image and likeness of the Father, and thereby become similar to Him in love and wisdom and power…And that is the destiny of all brothers and sisters, and it is part of the mystery that surrounds us and that we will gradually unlock as we grow and develop that potential…We have had explained to us in more detail what we have learned from our Father, But we know and are aware that the Fathers words alone will never be enough. It is only through the work that each of us do with ourselves communicating with the Father in the privacy of our own being, that we will be able to understand them and apply them in their full meaning, to the glory of Him who sent JESUS and to the glory of God… know that our Lord’s heart is divided into as many parts as there are numbers of us, and the love that He profess for us is infinite for each and every one of us. In no way dose He draw a distinction between us, just as in no way dose He condemn us; He understands us and support us and His arms will be outstretched, waiting for us, no matter how long the wait and no matter what, in our ignorance, we may have been capable of saying or doing. Our Father is in Him as He is in our Father, and all of us are in Him as He is in us. The only author is that infinite and glorifying love that penetrates each of our fibers as it penetrates every atom of the universe, creating all and covering all with its soft mantle, giving consolation and joy to all of us, with no other purpose than that each of us become, in turn, a fountain of ever greater love and faith, may Jesus’ peace dwell in our hearts forever with us…..Amen

Oh Lord and Heavenly Father

I come to you in need of forgiveness of my sins and sinful thoughts,

and I ask that you reach down your hand and touch my heart and drive

out the demons within my mind and fill it with your love and obedience

of the will and guidance.

I also ask that you bless all who don’t know you that they might reach

out to you for them to need your forgiveness and guidance and

understanding and that they come to know you the one true God.

And I ask that you reach out and touch the sick and ill to help them to

get well as you show them the way of your love and guidance.

I ask that you watch over our soldiers out there trying to protect the

innocence and helping to make this a better world to live in and do your

will.

I thank you for each day I live and the wonderful people I meet each

day and I ask that you bless them and touch them in your grace and

guidance.

I ask that you bless my {if married} wife {friends & family} and touch

{her} or {them} with your wonderful gift of teaching what you have

thought us in your word.

I ask these things in,

Jesus name, thy will be done

Amen

as our center point of LIFE no matter what. As Jesus showed us with His LIFE here on earth, He went through all the some troubles that we go through but on a larger scale then you or I can, in fact the question is, “Would you give your life to save ‘not only every one’ or even just one whom you love?” As Jesus points out “I trust you” so the question we must ask ourselves is “Do we trust Him?” If we just cultivate that which we have learned from Jesus’ life we could be not only better human beings but better Christians with better lives for us and our brothers and sisters in Christ. You see we may hate the sinner not the brother or sister as this would be hating a child of God and this would be like saying that God forgive us for our sins but I wont forgive you, you can’t have a double standard when it comes to God He’s the only one and there’s no other. God created us and He loves us and if we miss treat them or cruelly then we are sinning because we are not showing the love for all things God created for us. As Jesus has said “what you have done unto them you have done unto me.” God is in us and around everywhere and all we have to do is open our eyes and heart and we to will see and hear, as Paul tells us “treat all in good will’ and we never know who they are could be and angel or any one” If we would precise things the way God presents them to us then we would learn to see, love, and except all things in the light of faith, love and understanding as He intended and be better for it. Jesus tell us “If your teacher tell you your Father is in the sky then, the birds will proceed you and if they tell you your Father is in the sea, then fish will proceed you” this is the proof that our Father is in us and around us, as He is always there to guide us on the right path so let’s do His will and Live In Faith Ever as true Christians together as brothers and sisters in Christ or Lord.