Tithing and Dominion

Tithing and Dominion

Last time we established that the principle of tithing taught in Holy Scripture is a perpetual and binding obligation. Nowhere are we instructed that this moral and ecclesiastical requirement has been abolished by God. In baptism man places himself and everything he owes at God’s disposal. A person is supposed to present himself as a living sacrifice. God owns him and the man owes God everything BUT God returns 90% of what is offered. He keeps the tithe as a symbolic token of our subordination.

We finished our last sermon by describing the reason for the tithe as support for the Levites so they might devote themselves diligently to their priestly roles for the nation of Israel. We, as the OC Church brought our tithes to the storehouse to provide for those who were vocationally called to be a source of spiritual food, ministry, leadership, and authority. The priest and Levite gave their time to study, and by virtue of this served as judges, settled disputes, made application of the Law to all of life’s matters, enforced Biblical legislation, maintained the place and means of the worship of God as commanded by Moses and later David, offered prayers for the people, and performed some basic governmental duties related to the administration of the tithe especially to the poor and needy.

In the new covenant the Levitical function is taken up by the presbyters, those called and ordained to the an office of priesthood in the orders of the Church. The same kind of support given the Levites is due these who are called to the priestly ministry of overseeing many churches (bishops), and those who oversee the affairs of the local church (presbyters). 1 Timothy 5:17-19:

   ¹⁷Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine. ¹⁸For the Scripture says, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain," and, "The laborer is worthy of his wages." ¹⁹Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.

The Greek word translated ‘double honour’ means literally ‘double pay’. Clearly pastors who sow and give ministry to a local parish have a right to make their living by it. We see it again in a different context (1 Corinthians 9:9-14):

⁹For it is written in the law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain." Is it oxen God is concerned about? ¹⁰Or does He say it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written, that he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes in hope should be partaker of his hope. ¹¹If we have sown spiritual things for you, is it a great thing if we reap your material things? ¹²If others are partakers of this right over you, are we not even more?

    Nevertheless we have not used this right, but endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ. ¹³Do you not know that those who minister the holy things eat of the things of the temple, and those who serve at the altar partake of the offerings of the altar? ¹⁴Even so the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.

Here Paul, uses the same reference to the ox. He not only mentions the pastor, but includes himself. Notice he is not present in the local situation, and that he, who was not a “pastor”, affirmed his right to receive a living from the Corinthian church. What gave him that right? He had fathered the church and still made contributions to it spiritually. If he had exercised his right, tithe money would have gone from them to him.

The storehouse in the NC is the local church. Men will sacrifice to their gods. God tells men to sacrifice a tenth and gives them a place to do it. The NC Temple. The stones of the NC temple are living stones and duly assembled create a human habitation for the Holy Spirit. Support for the priest or ministers and the maintenance of the place and means of worship takes only a portion of the tithe. But this is only a portion of the tithe; the remainder is used for health, education, welfare, missions, and the development of Christian culture.

The 19^th and 20^th centuries have witnessed a remarkable decline in tithing. Some figures say on the average, Christians today ‘tithe’ as low as 1.5 percent others as high as 2.5. The lack of tithing, as we saw last time, is robbing God and is a sign of spiritual degeneration. The Church in Malachi’s time as now, failed to place their domestic economies on the firm foundation of the tithe. This sin, and others listed by the prophet (sloppy worship, blemished sacrifices, easy divorce) were symptomatic of a widespread and deep skepticism that lead to spiritual indifference, stinginess, and apathy. “It is useless to serve God.” “What profit is it that we have kept His ordinance?”

The rejection of the tithe is the rejection of the kingship of God. The great tithing delcline has led to the contrivance of many and varied fund reaising schemes and devices in Catholic and Protestant circles and to the tragic decline of Christian social financing.. This decline has led to a shift of power to the State. By refusing to honour the tithe as the minimum required sacrifice in our worship of God, the disobedient Church and humanists have placed us under an open ended maximum through endless taxation. Throughout the west, especially since WW I we have willingly sacrificed our capital, our lives, and our futures to the messianic state. We have a multitude of social agencies with godless, heathen, statist ideas. E.G.