Date:   9/22/2005 5:30:41 PM ( 20 y ago)
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URL:   https://www.curezone.org/forums/fm.asp?i=405514

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My opinion is that we as Christians are definitely to give. However, I'm not exactly sure that we are bound to always giving directly to every organization that preaches strongly on tithes. Aside from the obvious situation as described by Mike, there are way too many ministers who are living, as Ev said, riding on the hog (or something like that, anyway :-) I have seen ministers doing just that, preaching every Sunday about how we need to tithe if we want to see a return for our money (doing business with God?) and I see them living way better on our tithes than we could ever hope to live. Some are taking vacations to Disney with their families and buying nice new cars, when people in their congregations are having a hard time meeting their monthly obligations and going without necessities. When I see this kind of thing, I don't feel very compelled to paying a tenth of my income to their folly.

Even in the case that we are still bound by the old covenant commandment of paying our tenth of all our increase ( I dunno, where's R2R?) I for one feel that this tenth is as on to the Lord, and it can be given anywhere that we feel the Lord is leading us. For instance, why could we not consider that giving a tenth of what we receive should go to the needy, such as the hurricane victims right now, and give it as on to the Lord? Why not something like this, instead of feeling an obligation to give to a ministry or pastor who is doing better sometimes than most of us. Yes, there are many pastors who live the way Mike described his dad, but there are also many others who basically preach when at meetings and then have everyone else do the visitations, counselng, etc. Not only are they paid for all the work, but they have a red carpet rolled out before them, get prayers for themselves and their whole families from visiting ministers and derive a whole lot of benefits that others do not. I don't see anywhere in Scripture where these imbalances are comanded. Many pastors have forgottten thir calling is to be servants of the Most High first, and of the brethren second.
 

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