"And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,…" - Acts 2:44-46


"For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles' feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need." - Acts 4:34-36


^^^^


The verses above should be the blue print for the Christian church but alas crooks and thieves have hijacked money meant for the needy and used it to further their empires and enrich their pockets.

shame.

Herrmes:
Why are you everywhere?

Because my surname is MTN
Everywhere you go

frosbel:
These businesses with their GOs do not exist to help the down trodden , poor or oppressed people , they are profit oriented companies parading as churches. Their damnation does not slumber.

Stealing from the poor and not helping the poor has to be the no 1 of all sins.

I have encountered this behaviour many times.

This is my advice to gullible church follow follow people.

USE YOUR MONEY FOR YOUR IMMEDIATE NEEDS AND THAT OF YOUR FAMILY. IF THERE IS JARA GIVE TO THE NEEDY AROUND YOU.

STOP PAYING TAXES TITHES TO THESE CROOKS.

Which asked you for a piece of advice? or are you now feeling people's pain?

holatin:

Because my surname is MTN
Everywhere you go

That was a miserable attempt at being funny

PastorKun:
I know a lot of people find it difficult to come to terms with fact that Pastors they love and adore so much can possibly be wrong on this tithe issue but the fact remains the type of tithes they preach is not in scriptures and even the tithes found in scriptures is not applicable to christians because we are not under the Law that made tithing mandatory for the Jews.

OK.....agreed they are wrong about the tithing BUT....they aren't forcing people to pay tithe they just try to convince people. And if they are wrong about it then leave God to do the judgement. I don't know why you're always sounding bitter when it comes to tithing issues

Tithe is a tax on stupid people..

[b][/b]

LajaLaba:
How is he gonna win the case?did they collected the money on gun point?

Abi my brother, the man thought he was doing esusu in the church for 15yrs and its time to harvest. The man is frustrated and he's trying to take it on the church. Don't be suprised that he will do the same thing where he he claimed he is leaving for....2Corinthians 9:6-7. =>6 But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

Herrmes:
That was a miserable attempt at being funny

am not trying to be an humorist either

d3lko2i:
Can the man also return the spiritual, social and other services and benefits he got both from the Church and from God for the 15 years?

Can he pay or find a way to compensate God, the pastor and other members who voluntarily sang, cleaned the chairs he sat on, played musical instruments, visited or called him when he couldn't make it to church due to illness or any other reason, counseled him when he had issues, taught his children virtues, values and morals, and many other services and benefits for 15 years?


Was he forced to attend the church? Was he forced to make those 'donations'? Was he forced to give the freewill offerings? Was he forced to pay his tithes?

When you give to Orphanages and other non-profit organisations can you go back to demand for your donations from Charity?

The 'man' is not serious, immature and probably just acting out of frustration!

And perhaps he doesn't understand that giving is spiritual not physical. Cos even if the pastor's fake, God would assess the offering according to the heart of the giver. It wouldn't surprise me that his view of his offerings as saving for the day has spiritually caused his period of financial crisis, because he gave for the wrong reasons.

The verse most often cited in support of the tithe
is from the Old Testament, found in Malachi
3:8-10 :1.""Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. "But you
ask, `How do we rob you?' "In tithes and
offerings. 2. You are under a curse--the whole
nation of you--because you are robbing me. 3.
Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that
there may be food in my house. Test me in this,"
says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not
throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out
so much blessing that you will not have room
enough for it.
Many preachers shorten Malachi 3:8-10 to just
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse" , and
almost always with the inference that their
church is the "storehouse". For purposes of this
paper, the Lord had me concentrate on the
passage: "Bring the whole tithe into the
storehouse, that there may be food in my house" .
From that passage, the Lord had me research
several questions:
1) What is the tithe?
2) What was the tithe for?
3) What is the storehouse?
1) What is the tithe? The tithe is 10% of the
increase, established in Leviticus 27:30-33 as an
offering Holy to the Lord. The scripture identifies
the tithe as grain and fruit, herd and flock. The
tithe is food! An example of the tithe can be seen
in a shepherd with a flock of 100 sheep who is
blessed with the birth of 50 lambs in the spring.
Five of the lambs must be offered to the Lord as
a tithe. The tithe was brought to the temple in
Jerusalem in acknowledgement and appreciation of
God’s provision for His people.
2) What was the tithe for? God doesn’t need the
food – God doesn’t eat. God doesn’t desire
sacrifices or offerings ( Psalm 40:6 and Hosea
6:6 ) – He desires mercy. God doesn’t need us to
give Him a 10th of everything – when He already
owns everything ( Psalm 24:1 and Job 41:11b ). The
tithe was used to feed the Levite priests (and
their families) who were required to work in the
temple day and night ministering to God on behalf
of God’s people ( 1 Chronicles 9:33 ). Without the
tithe, the Levite priests would have needed to
raise their own food, thereby taking them away
from ministering before God. Hence the reference
in Malachi 3:10 "…that there may be food in my
house" . Nehemiah 13:10-13 records a time when
the Levite priests were not receiving the tithe
wherein they abandoned their daily temple
responsibilities to work the farms to feed their
families. The reference to ‘robbing God’ in Malachi
3:8 is in fact robbing God of ministry and worship
by failing to take care of God’s priests through
the tithe of food items. Unlike the other tribes of
Israel who were given land as their inheritance,
the Levites were not given any land – only a few
cities in which to live. God was their inheritance (
Numbers 18:20-21 ). Thus, the remaining tribes
were obligated to provide the Levites with food
since they had no land on which to grow their own.
3) What is the storehouse? 2 Chronicles 31 teaches
that the storehouse is the Temple in Jerusalem.
When the tithe was re-instituted under King
Hezekiah, the king gave orders to prepare
storerooms in the temple to hold the tithe.
Apparently the grain "tithe" was heaped up in the
streets, which caused a traffic jam of sorts. King
Hezekiah had the storehouse built to relieve a bad
case of urban congestion in ancient Jerusalem.
Having established the original purpose of the
tithe, the Lord prompted me with several more
questions.
Q: "What happened to the temple (storehouse)?"
A: It was destroyed in 70AD and has not been
rebuilt.
Q: "Why?"
A: The old covenant system of animal sacrifice to
atone for sin is finished. The new covenant is in
the blood of Christ who is the final and
everlasting sin sacrifice.
Q: "Where is the temple now?"
A: 1 Corinthians 6:19 says WE are the temple of
the Holy Spirit. God no longer resides in a stone
temple, but in the hearts of his children through
the Holy Spirit.
Q: "What happened to the Levite priests?"
A: The Levite priesthood is no longer necessary as
the old covenant system of animal sacrifice in the
temple was superceded by the everlasting
covenant of Christ’s blood.
Q: "Who is the priesthood now?"
A: 1 Peter 2:5 and 9 says those who have received
Jesus as Lord and Savior are the priesthood.
Come On Laity, Let’s Do The Twist
Burdening the Body of Christ with the Tithe
requires several twists and reinterpretations of
scripture.
1) The tithe must be imported from the OT law of
Moses to the new covenant of grace by Christ’s
blood.
2) The tithe must be redefined from "flocks,
herds, fruit and grain" to "money" and often
"time".
3) The storehouse must be redefined from the
temple in Jerusalem to the local church building.
4) The Body of Christ must buy into the ordained
clergy as the new priesthood, thereby replacing
the Levite priesthood as the rightful recipient of
the tithe.
5) The Body of Christ must forfeit their own
priesthood and buy into the notion that they are
the "laity".
The tithe has been introduced to the Body of
Christ using 2 tactics of the enemy.
1) Sowing guilt and shame into the Body of Christ
by quoting Malachi 3:8 "Will a man rob God? Yet
you rob me. But you ask, `How do we rob you?' In
tithes and offerings." What devoted Christian
wants to rob God? The net effect of sowing guilt
has been to extort money from the Body of Christ,
thereby robbing the Body of the joy and blessing
of giving as God leads. The practice ignores Paul’s
instructions to the church at Corinth: "Each man
should give what he has decided in his heart to
give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God
loves a cheerful giver ( 2 Corinthians 9:7 )."
2) Blaming the "laity" for the financial troubles in
the Body of Christ , by telling the Body they are
not blessed by God because they do not tithe.
Often Malachi 3:10 is emphasized "Test me in this,
says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not
throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out
so much blessing that you will not have room
enough for it." In so doing, believers are
challenged to tithe, with the promise that God will
bless them if they do. Such giving is not out of love
for God, but out of selfishness. It implies a reward
for works, which contradicts Ephesians 2:8-9 , and
completely ignores our status as sons of God by
faith in Christ ( Galatians 3:26 ) and joint heirs of
God with Christ ( Romans 8:17 ). The practice also
ignores Christ’s words in Matthew 4:7 "Do not put
the Lord your God to the test" .
The Apostles Did Not Teach Gentiles To Tithe
Acts 15:1-31 records a dispute over circumcision
that arose in the Gentile church at Antioch.
Several false brothers had attempted to require
Gentile (non-Jewish) Christians to be circumcised.
Paul and Barnabas sharply opposed the false
brothers and traveled to Jerusalem to discuss the
issue of circumcision with the other apostles. In
Jerusalem, they reported the miracles and
conversions among the Gentiles. The apostles were
filled with joy over God’s work there, and they
agreed that circumcision was not a requirement
for salvation. Following the meeting, the apostles
and elders in the church at Jerusalem sent Paul
and Barnabas back to Antioch with a letter of
welcome to the Gentile Christians. The essential
text of the letter is found in Acts 15:28-29 . It
reads: "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us
not to burden you with anything beyond the
following requirements: You are to abstain from
food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat
of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.
You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell."
The apostles did not want to burden the Gentiles
with Old Testament practices! The proof is in their
letter to the Gentiles and the fact that the
apostles did not impose the tithe on them.
Come, Let Us Reason Together ( Isaiah 1:18 )
Let’s suppose for the sake of argument that Jesus
had commanded us to continue tithing. It would be
appropriate then to use the tithe to feed the
priesthood as originally purposed. Who then is the
priesthood? The apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 2:5
and 9 that every believer is a priest ! Hebrews 5-8
also teaches us that Jesus is the only priest that
we need . However the institutional church has
borrowed from the Old Testament model of the
Levitical Priesthood, thereby establishing a new
priesthood (ordained clergy) that is separate from
the rest of the Body of Christ. The division
between the clergy, and the so-called "laity" is
not Biblical (Is this the doctrine of the Nicolaitan’s
that Jesus says He hates in Revelation 2:6 ) ?In
fact, Jesus did not establish the ordained clergy –
He chose fishermen and tax collectors to preach
His gospel. Neither did He establish division in His
church, He desires unity ( John 17:20-23 ). The
apostles did not set up an ordained clergy – they
chose men full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom to
serve the Body ( Acts 6:3 , 1 Timothy 3 ). This man-
made division between "clergy" and "laity" has
effectively served to divert the offerings of the
Body of Christ away from the people it is intended
to bless and the offerings are most often used in
ways contrary to the will of God. The net result
has been starvation and financial bondage for
many believers, and the real priesthood – the
whole Body of Christ – has not been prepared to
carry out Christ’s command to preach the gospel to
all nations!
Jesus is the Word of God in the flesh ( John 1:14 ).
He knew that Malachi 3:10 says "bring the whole
tithe into the storehouse" when He instructed the
rich man to sell everything and give the proceeds
to the poor ( Matthew 19:21 ). I imagine the
Scribes and Pharisees about choked on what Jesus
said as they were in the habit of devouring widow’s
houses for profit ( Luke 20:47 ) and the rich man’s
possessions would have been a real feast for them.
In Matthew 25:31-46 , Jesus reiterated His desire
to help the poor in the parable of separating the
sheep from goats, wherein at judgement Jesus will
reward those who feed the hungry and clothe the
poor. Since Jesus judges us for our care of the poor
and hungry, and since He commands us to preach
the gospel throughout the world, why is most of our
giving used for church buildings and salaries with
only a small percentage devoted to the poor,
missions and evangelism?
Is the church making goats out of us by not
feeding the hungry and clothing the poor with our
offerings?
Let’s not wait until the Judgement of Christ to
find out!

ifeness:


Good idea

He probably uses cheques that could still be traced. Ghanaians could be very meticulous,he might just have fifteen years records. This will be a landmark case if he wins.

It is high time Africans woke up from their slumber and smell the fresh coffee all around them.

why should i pay tithe, when jesus have paid the price on the cross. all this mushroom churches, only after tithe and offering.

why should i pay tithe, when jesus have paid the price on the cross. all this mushroom churches, only after tithe and offering. yeye de smell

Hope u dont forget a yoruba saying which says orisa bi o le gbemi semi bi o ti bami that means if the deity can not support me he should return me to my previous position. moreso, the pastors should understand that souls,peace,spirit,life...are abstract like internet but they can not be measured in megabite because God doesnt sell them so, if some thinks he has paid wrongly to a pastor then he deserves his money back what made him believed it was right to pay the ththe is stil what makes him thinks he has to collect his money then let those who claim to be in charge of God's property return his money

Is there any record to bear that claim? because evidence must be presented or case close, nevertheless, this is strange, are men tired of serving God?

kristen12:

OK.....agreed they are wrong about the tithing BUT....they aren't forcing people to pay tithe they just try to convince people. And if they are wrong about it then leave God to do the judgement. I don't know why you're always sounding bitter when it comes to tithing issues

don't mind that guy, he failed to understand that tithe is not a sacrifice to God---not in that sense at all, but rather to avoid the act of robbing God.

PastorKun:
An irate and disappointed middle aged man has demanded that his church refund his past contributions, including tithes, or else face court action.

The middle aged man claims his Accra-based church refused to assist him, in a period during which he faced extreme financial difficulties.

The disappointed man insists that his contributions to the church, which cover a period of fifteen (15) years, should have afforded him some reprieve in his time of trouble.

However, he claims the one place where he expected to find help turned a blind eye on his predicament and his pleas for help fell on deaf ears.

He has decided to move to a new church which would be more willing to assist its members but before he leaves, he says he wants the church to pay back every cedi he has ever paid into their coffers.

“I want them to pay me all the money I have given to them since I started churching [fellowshipping] with them.

His demands are not restricted to donations and collection however. The frustrated man insists that even the tithes he paid over the fifteen (15) year period should be returned to him.

“Everything. Donations, everything they should refund my money to me. The tithes I am paying is not going to God, it’s going to one particular person and that is the pastor. It is not going to God, it is going to the pastor.”

The peeved man insists that the money he paid should still be in the church coffers and that the money “can never fly”.

I want them to give me my money, he reiterated. “If they do not give me back my money, I will take them to court!”. 

Listen to the man below:
http://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2014/November-27th/return-my-tithes-or-face-court-action-man-threatens-church.php

ummmmmmM! Am shot of words ooooO.

DEFINITELY, THE END IS HERE,
Strange things are happening

asalimpo:
While it is painful tht Help ddnt com to d man in his dark hour, we shudnt forget or misapply the word.
The tithe is a tax on every kingdom citizen for kingdom work.
It is ten percent on all your increase (gross).
It shud b presented to God with the right attitude,thanks giving and gratefulness,
then is the offering.
Every earthly kingdom operates on some taxing principle which they levy on their citizens.
With these taxes government can accomplish certain objectives like provision of amenities, running a military etc.
Tax evasion is a a criminal offence.
Against this backdrop tithe evasion is a criminal offence and a sin against God.
because by not tithing you are obstructing the work of God as well as dishonourng God who blesses you with increase.
Whether d church u tithe in misuses or steals d funds is not justifcation to discontinue giving ur tithe.
Anoda issue is,the tithe belongs to God. It is God's money.
Touchng God's money is stealing.
Simple.




Arguing abt tithe is meaningless.
If you can pay up to 40% in tax and not think about it with d government ever ready to pile on more and more levies , the complaining about 10% unwavering tax rate is hypocrisy.

can u pls back ur position up with scriptures that those in the kingdom of God ought to pay tax(tithe). For ur information if u uphold the legalistic tithe also be aware that ur wife must not go to church if she menstruating, u must offer burnt offerings n sacrifices bc it's pure hypocrisy for u to uphold d part of d law that has to do with money n neglect d rest...thank u

Modern day church has changed from the pattern of the old. Nowadays pastors use proceed to build new branches, open educational institutions for the rich, go into well funded businesses and live affluent lifestyles buying exotic cars, private jets etc.

In the old, church proceeds were channeled into pure evangelism in rural areas, building of orphanage homes, award of scholarship to deserving peasants, building of rural education centres making them free, health facilities, rehabilitation centres just anything that could affect the downtrodden in a positive manner.


I was in a catholic church yesterday for a wedding and the church lack air conditioning system but using the old fashioned ceiling fan with the attendant heat it generates when filled to capacity yet the monsignor of the church uses 2012 model of honda….. (thinking) #honda rivalry to the toyota venza.

Retur wetin?its the Lord s work nah

You say: The only thing done away with in the O/Testament are the sacrifices.
Hebrews 8:1- We have such a high priest, who is seated at the right hand of God.
A minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not Man.
For every high priest is appointed to offer "both Gifts and sacrifices." Therefore it is necessary that this one have something to offer.
For if Jesus were on earth. {He would not be a priest} since there are priest who offer gifts according to the law.
Hebrews 7:8- For Melchizedek who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him.
Abraham gave a tenth part of all, Melchizedek made like the son of God, remains a priest continually.
Consider how great this "MAN" was, To whom even the Patriarch Abraham gave a tenth of the spoils. {Stolen goods}
Even the sons of Levi who received the priesthood, have a commandment to receive tithes from the people according to the law.
They come from the loins of Abraham, Melchizedek received tithes from Abraham and blessed him-{'Abraham already had the promise"}
{Here "Mortal Men" receives tithes,} but Jesus receives them, of whom it is witnessed that he lives.
Levi who received tithes, paid tithes through Abraham. "SO TO SPEAK" {does anyone know?} for he was still in the lions of his father when Melchizedek met him?
Therefore if perfection were through the Levi priesthood, and under it the people received the law.
What further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not according to Aaron.
For the priesthood being changed of necessity there is also a change of the law.
For of whom these things are spoken belongs to another tribe.
It is evident that our Lord arose from Judah, of which tribe Moses spoke nothing concerning priesthood.
Jesus has come, not according to the law of a Fleshly Commandment, but according to the power of an endless life.
Sacrificing-offerings and tithing are finish.
But if the truth don't set you free, nothing will. God save you.

asalimpo:

the only thing done away with in the ol testament are the sacrifces, which Christ has done away with and the traditions which God allowed because of the hardness of d heart of the jews e.g marrying more than one wife, stoning, an eye for an eye, etc.
But the moral injunctions arent done away with.
The ten commandmnt is OT ,is it done away with?
Those actions that were a type of things to come are superseded by christ's wrk in d NT.
E.g in the OT a human priest officiated for man.
Now,we have Jesus as our great High priest
Jesus receives your tithe today,
Hebrews 7:8.

Did anyone force him to get financially committed to the church? Abeg make d man park well jor

Boss13:


I share the same emotion too. Wicked people. I want that man to win so that judicial precedence will take place and other people will start suing their pastors

pls did anyone force him to donate anything?what made those people wicked

It is a sad thing that his church can not come to his aid in his time of tribulation,the whole essence of do not forsake the assembly of the believers is to be our brothers keepers and to give both spiritual and physical succour to the depressed in our midst;I guess this man's church was found wanting in both regards. Having said that man in question does not need taking the church to court because he donated to the church of God for it upkeep and providing for those working in the vineyard(though they have not done well),he should continue to look on to God for help that is why we should always trust in God the author and finisher of our faith and not man.

I am a christian and i think the church should give him his money.




That is why pastors dnt allow members weed.

PastorKun:


Actually the church is liable. Churches promise their members financial prosperity if they tithe. They also promise that no devourer shall affect their finances. In the case of this man the financial prosperity promise did not materialise, his finances got devoured and the church even refused to do it's primary responsibility of bringing succour to down trodden members. I believe he has a very good case, he should go ahead and sue. Hopefully he would win the case and other tithe scammers would learn from it.

He has a good case if it is one of those churches that records tithes and kept it well.

zyzxx:
pls what ur point? I don't get it sir?

Pls read between the lines..

eunisam:
frustration has a way of affecting one's brain negatively.
Anyway,how much is the grand total of the tiths,donation and others. Oga you are still owning the church for the chairs,landed property and the shelters and even the prayer and preaching(sermon) you received from the church in 15 years.

if he had mentioned something like immorality, fraud or something else illegally against the Pastor I would have pitied this man but in this case, the cost of Ac/fan, bulletins, food & drinks, refreshments, upliftment, motivation, counseling, enlightment etc he received from the church should be added to his bills. Case Dismiss!!!

PastorKun:


Actually the church is liable. Churches promise their members financial prosperity if they tithe. They also promise that no devourer shall affect their finances. In the case of this man the financial prosperity promise did not materialise, his finances got devoured and the church even refused to do it's primary responsibility of bringing succour to down trodden members. I believe he has a very good case, he should go ahead and sue. Hopefully he would win the case and other tithe scammers would learn from it.

This case is dead on arrival. Dont let me elobrate. But it wont hold water..