Tithing Vs Heart-led Giving

If you know someone who believes and teaches that you will be cursed, for not tithing, or that the Old Testament tithing is relevant for the New Testament believer, gently, point them to this e-book - Should The Church Teach Tithing - A Theologian's Conclusions About a Taboo Doctrine, by Dr. Russell Earl Kelly.

If you are not into e-books, here is the link to the paperback.  

If you are not into reading, the video series starts here.    

Lest it be misread, I am not against cheerful, heart-led giving (which is not necessarily limited to a set %) and/or financial abundance.   

What I am not for, is misinformation and/or manipulation. There shouldn't be a place for either, in this information age.   

I also, do not believe that everyone who teaches Tithing are manipulators. Some people simply do not look beyond what they have been taught. But, that does not excuse the rest of us from studying the subject.

Thou Shalt Circumcise!

This comic strip nails it. One of my favorites from the Searching for Grace series, by Mick Mooney.

"Abraham tithed before the Law, therefore, thou shalt tithe", is a popular line among ministries that know tithing is from the Old Covenant, but still overtly or subtly imposes tithing. This is done while conveniently forgetting that Abraham circumcised before the Law as well, and yet, we don't see the same zeal for preaching about circumcision. 

Secondly, Abraham did not tithe "to be blessed", as it is popularly led to believe. What he gave was from the spoils of a war. Abraham was blessed simply because God conferred the blessing upon him. Period.

Fast forward to Moses. Under the old covenant, blessings or curses hinged on one's actions. Under the new covenant, however, a person is blessed because of Jesus' finished work on the cross. It's called Grace. Under the new covenant, giving (to whoever the heart guides) is done cheerfully, whether it is 0.1% or 100%.

Money on the Cross

What are the principles for giving (finance) in the New Testament? Do we have to sow to reap? Since Abraham tithed before the Law, do we have to tithe in order to be blessed? Are we trusting in our giving or in Jesus? This message series by Bertie Brits will address the above questions (and more), free you from the yoke of legalistic bondage and transform you to be a cheerful giver.

Money on the Cross (Audio)
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6
Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12

Click here for his message archive.