I looked at the reply on my write up, "https://www.nairaland.com/1970546/understanding-concept-tithing". I saw it necessary to explain this to answer most of the questions raised in the post.



TITHE EXPLAINED

Tithe is a form of appreciation given to God by his people. We need to understand that tithe is an appreciation. It is not an obligation, that is why it must come from an increase. It doesn't come from a capital/loss or sales. If there is not increase, there should be no tithe/appreciation from the venture.

WHO IS BEING APPRECIATED?

The appreciated in this case is God who gave the increase. If there is no increase, you don't have any reason for tithing. In fact, tithing outside increase is a break of the covenant of tithe. Someone asked me do the Chinese give tithe? Am pleased to tell you that I do China visa. Chinese are very religious people. They perform many religious things we tend to overlook now, they don't do it to our God. They have their god. Many of their prominent business people will not do business with you until they have approval from their gods.

Many don't know that it takes power to make wealth ( Deut. 8:18). Anyone of great financial power is a person of great spiritual power. All form of business inclusive: good and bad business. And they duly pay their due. Those who has wealth don't struggle, the power to make wealth deliver wealth to them.

Wealthy people appreciate the powers that give them wealth. Poor people see appreciation as waste, therefore they waste in the place they are.

It is the giver of increase that is appreciated. For us Christians, if you are one; it is God.

WHO IS TO MAKE THE APPRECIATION

The person who is to make the gesture of appreciation? One who has received received something from someone. In the place of tithe, it is someone who has received increment in what he/she put his hand in. You make appreciation from your increase. The person who delivered you power to make the increase, is the person you appreciate with your tithe.

WHO IS THIS PERSON THAT MAKES THIS APPRECIATION

Its a Christian that makes appreciation to God in tithe, not a church goer nor a religious person. Before Abraham paid tithe, he was a friend of God. He was a prophet. He was not just anyone. He had strong connection with God. Before God incorporated tithe into the law, Israel has been delivered from Egypt. They had become Gods people. Until your a child of God (i.e born of God), your not tithing to God. I think your tithing to your pastor.

There are too many fake people parading themselves as children of God, that is while Gods power is lacking in the church. No child of God fulfills the covenant of God without a proof to show for it. Lack of proof is what is making people seek for easy way out.

Can you imagine a Nigerian who lives and work in Nigeria paying tax to the United States of America? That is foolishness, this is what many tithers are doing. Your not a christian and your paying tithe, for what? Your wasting your finances. You have no reward for your effort.

WHY DO WE CHRISTIANS SHOW APPRECIATION TO OUR GOD THROUGH TITHE?

I once told someone,"if the reason why you worship God is blessing/heaven, your a fraudulent worshiper". I have not still change my position on this. A true worshiper, is a lover. He/she is a lover of God. In my cause of studying the bible I came to understand one fact. "Every outstanding personality in the bible was a lover of God".

WHO IS A LOVER

A lover is a person who does anything to please the loved. Someone who will go out of his/her way to please you without expecting a reward is a lover. We misunderstand lust to be love. Lust has a reason to do what it does, love doesn't. Love appreciates one for who he/she is not what they can get out of them. Love is not a talking, but a doer. The proof of love is action not words.

PROOF OF LOVE

The proof of love is in action not in confession. Abraham proved his love to God by losing his nationality to a country he knew nothing about (Genesis 12:1). Joseph proved his love for God by going to prison rather than defile himself with portiphar's wife (Gen. 38). Moses proved his love to God by losing his place in the royal house of Egypt (Gen. 2:11-15). Who will I name and who will I leave?

God proved His love to us by giving us His Son (John 3:16). Jesus himself proved his love to us by giving himself up to die for us (John 15:13).

Know one who truly love God, that will overlook the smallest thing that will promote Gods kingdom. It is love that drives us to give/ obey God, not what we then to gain.

JESUS TEACHING ON TITHE

Many has asked, "where did Jesus say we should tithe?"

Mathew 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, judgement, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

The above statement is an affirmation of tithing by Jesus. Jesus critisied the scribes and Pharisees for tithing the smallest of their products ( mint and anise and cummin) not because it was not good or made away with, no! but because, they overlooked the foundation of the law. Jesus was saying do the weightier things first, then come and do this by saying, "these ought ye to have done, and not leave the OTHER UNDONE". Mathew 23:26 made it clearer.

THE WEIGHTIER MATTER OF THE LAW

There are two school of thought about the effectiveness of the law as relate to our time.

One is of the opinion that has been made away with the death of Christ on the cross.

The other is of the opinion that a part of the law is still very much effective while a part was made away with the death of Christ.

I will by the Spirit of God expand this issue for better comprehension.

There are weightier matters of the law. The weightier matters of the law is what makes the less weightier matters acceptable to God. Without the weightier matters of the law in place, the less weightier matters of the law doesn't matter. The weightier matters of the law makes us insiders. Outsiders cannot partake of it. It is were the secret of who we are is. It cannot be copied.

Your desperation is pretty clear for all to see by your recent barrage of tithe thread. Sadly for you gospel pimps, your revenue stream will continue to decline as people begin to see you guys for the wolves you truly are.

THE LAW AND CHRIST

Mathew 5:17, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."

The word destroy means to damage beyond use, to put down.

The word fulfil means to satisfy, carry out, bring to completion. To obey, follow, comply with.

From the aforementioned, Jesus was saying " I did not come to put and end to the law, or the prophet: I came to carry it out, obey it".

Jesus came to show us how to obey the law as an example, then died: his blood serving as a cleanser to clean us from sins we have committed before we came to the knowledge of how to obey the law.

THE LAW

The law is divided into: MORAL LAWS AND SACRIFICIAL LAWS

The moral law teaches man how to live peaceably with his neighbor, while the sacrificial law handle the atonement in case of failure to obey the moral law. The sacrificial law was made for the moral law and not the moral law for the sacrificial law. The moral law came before the sacrificial law, because there must be a failure of the moral law before the sacrificial law can come in. If the moral law is not broken, the sacrificial law is dormant/not effective.

Because man didn't know how to obey the moral laws, sacrificial laws seems to have over taken the moral law. People now sees sacrifice as bigger than obedience. This ignorance is what caused Saul the throne of Israel.

The sacrifice with animal blood could not take away sin. It covered the sin, this is the second reason for Christ come. To give his blood as a ransom for washing away our sin. There is a misconception that the blood of Jesus stops us from sinning. No! it doesn't. It cleanses us from sin. What make us stop sinning is learning from Jesus how he overcame. He said, "learn of me". I have the secret, " it is necessary that a servant be like his master". A servant only become like his master through learning.

This guy is a real hustler sha

@op

Wouldn't giving to poor and needy, offering one's selfless service to community, to nation, and to humanity be a much better way to show appreciation to god, as instructed by Jesus, than to offer cash to a faceless entity called a church, which, in this modern Pentecostal tradition, only serves the materialistic whims of men and women of questionable characters?

Collecting tithe is robbery in the name of god.
Period.

Anyone that feels good and generous about showing appreciation to his god should give to the multitudes of needy around us.

This is what every religious tradition from the beginning of time has emphasized.

Something is wrong with this version of Christianity that emphasizes greed, avarice and bribery as a holy virtue.
Something is really wrong.

This op betrayed his depravity when he wrote on another thread that tithe is not meant to be given to the poor.
I have never in my life heard or read of any person with a beating heart make such an inhumane statement.

This op is a great shame to those sincerely treasure the simple teachings attributed to Jesus.