Use Good Sense In Giving

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.” —2nd Corinthians 9:6

A fool and his money are soon parted. 2nd Corinthians 9:6 has perhaps been abused more than any other Scripture. I've stuck my neck out before, and I'll do it now, because I hate what's going on in America today. For decades, this verse has been used to beat Christians to death to give more money. Paul was not referring to a tithe in his letter. He was referring to a love offering. Yet many preachers use this verse to drain all they can out of their congregation. That is wrong I feel. When a preacher devotes half-an-hour of his sermon to the offering, something is wrong with his ministry. I have been in several meetings in which the minister spent more time taking the offering than actually preaching the Word of God. Nothing will kill a church faster than a money-hungry preacher who makes money the main issue.

The Bible commands every believer to give, “according as he purposeth in his heart.” The offering is not to be based on high-pressure sales tactics, the give-to-get rich mentality or anything else. A person should want to support the work of God, as an opportunity to invest in the work of Christ, and lay up treasures in Heaven.

God loves a “cheerful giver.” Giving may at times be a financial burden, but it should never be a source of frustration. Giving is an opportunity to earn rewards in Heaven, and to invest in the Kingdom of God. Here is something you must understand—although the “seed principle” touted by so many ministers today is a true principle, many have abused it for personal gain (2nd Peter 2:1-3). We should never give money to a ministry expecting more money in return. If this were the case, then everyone would give, and they'd give big! This is the shady lure used by unethical ministries such as The 700 Club, Mike Murdock, James Robison, Creflo Dollar, Bill Hamon, Paul and Jan Crouch, Benny Hinn and so many others today. They all falsely promise health, wealth and prosperity in exchange for your hard-earned money. This is dishonest and sinful. You can't buy God's blessings. You can't live in unrepentant sin and Biblically expect God to bless you just because you made a contribution to some ministry. They're all a bunch of dirty liars!

Is a 10% Financial Tithe Biblical?

No way! We are paying taxes today, which is equivalent to the Old Testament tithe. I disagree with the 10% tithe teaching. The word “tithe” is mentioned 7 times in the New Testament and always has reference to the Old Testament, or to the Pharisees who were still adhering to Old Testament law. I don't have a problem with using a 10% tithe as a guideline, but I think it is wrong to say that it is a sin, and you're robbing God if you don't get out a calculator and figure out to the penny what you owe God. My friend, when we give to God we are simply letting go of what is ALREADY HIS. I believe that many people, who are financially blessed by God, ought to give far more than 10% of their wealth to God. A rich man could give 90% of his wealth to God and still live comfortably.

I'm tired of unethical preachers who live comfortably, teaching and pressuring struggling families to sacrificially give. Why don't pastors sacrificially give? Creflo Dollar has been in the news in March of 2015 asking his followers for $65,000,000 for a personal jet for his ministry. Mr. Dollar (what a name for a televangelist) owns and lives in a $3,000,000 mansion in Georgia. That is very wrong, setting a horrible example to people of what serving God is all about. With half the world surviving on less than $2 a day, no preacher should live extravagantly from exploiting the name of Jesus Christ.

The Holy Bible warns that Mr. Dollar's damnation slumbereth not...

2nd Peter 2:1-3, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.”

According to Hebrews 7:5, it was a legal requirement for the Levites to collect taxes (i.e., a tithe) from the Israelites, “And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham.” Our government confiscates our money in the form of federal taxes, state taxes, local taxes, property taxes, sales taxes and all other sorts of taxes. And then America's preachers hound people for more. Where does it end?

A Godly Preacher Will Not Expect Too Much of His People

Modern preachers fail to consider that America's economy is being hollowed out by a cut-throat gang of globalists who've hi-jacked The White House. Since 1913, the fraudulent Federal Reserve Act has given control of the United States money system to private banksters instead of Congress. It is evil and fraud! It is treason! Deindustrialization has also largely destroyed America's economy! There was NO separation of church and state in Israel. A wise and informed pastor ought to preach against these evils from the pulpit, informing his people of the dangers of going into debt, over-spending and pursuing money as a goal in life. The entire U.S. system is rigged against Americans to ensure that they die broke, having spent their life slaving to make the banks wealthier.

I'm not against pastors raising money, using promotions, having building projects and running bus ministries. I'm all for church growth, but not by unwisely going into unreasonable massive debt. I've known pastors to set a goal of raising a million dollars to build a new building. Folks, that's not practical nor reasonable for every congregation. There are many things to consider. The churches that I've seen which set big financial goals usually fall by the wayside, falling short and instead using the money for something other than what was originally intended. This has often led to church splits, lawsuits and even closing the church doors permanently. Money issues destroy families, and that includes church families. The news is filled with shady pastors who pocket the money entrusted to them. There's just something about money that once you have it, it has you! The Holy Bible tells the man of God to flee these things (1st Timothy 6:10-11).

It is not reasonable to pressure families to give sacrificially in a failing economy. I know a pastor who use high-pressure tactics to obtain financial commitments from his congregation. A year later over 100,000 in such promises didn't come through. It is wicked for people to make commitments and then not keep them. Albeit, I think it is equally as wrong for pastors to exploit the emotions and loyalty of his congregation to shake every penny possibly out of them, to fund his ambitious projects. Our human nature is deceitful. There are pastors who, if you let them, will talk you into selling-out your own children, giving whatever money you may have had set aside for their college education to the church instead.

Of course, the pastor is well to do, wallowing in money, living very high on the hog. I am a big stickler for holding pastors financially accountable for every dollar received in church donations. I firmly believe that the pastor should have as little to do with the church tithes as possible. Personally, as a pastor I would not want to know which church members gave or didn't give, because I wouldn't want that to deter or affect my sermons. I would refuse to know. Instead, I would entrust the deacons to handle the tithes. The pastor and deacons handle the budget and how the money is spent, but the pastor shouldn't know who gives or doesn't give in my opinion. Shame on any pastor who trims his preaching to accommodate affluent families in the church body.

You Shouldn't Tithe if You're in Debt

I don't believe anyone should tithe a penny who is in financial debt on their credit card. The same God who said He “loveth a cheerful giver” also said, “Owe no man any thing” (Romans 13:8). Most pastors don't care if you're in debt, or about to lose your home to foreclosure, they just want that “TITHE.” Sadly, the tithe has become an idol for many pastors... “whose God is their belly” (Philippians 3:19). Some pastors are no better than the unsaved heathen. A genuine man of God will not make money an issue, ever. I hope I make some pastors mad, because you need to go to work buddy.

There is nothing in the New Testament about a 10% tithe. To claim that a 10% tithe is still in effect today for believers, which was originally instituted for Israel, is unbiblical. There is no question as to whether God wants us to give or not—He certainly does. However, for ministers to mandate a 10% tithe is wrong. God said in 2nd Corinthians 9:7 that He wants believers to give cheerfully, and not because they have to. This is true of tithes and offerings. Pastor's who preach a 10% tithe are trying to force their congregation to give. Some people, who are wealthy, should give much more than 10%; while others, who are struggling financially, should give much less.

The Israelites COULDN'T tithe during times of famine and hardship. They were not sinning because they couldn't give. Any pastor who teaches that you should tithe even while you're in financial debt is wrong. Paying our bills as Christians is important. Certainly, a monthly mortgage is a form of debt, but it is planned debt. When the Bible says not to owe any man anything, it means not to fail to pay your bills when due. The banks today are very dishonest, shady and have spent millions on studies how to best enslave people financially through slick advertising, predatory loans and fraudulent methods. It's best to buy a small home for under $50,000 in an area with a good Bible-believing church, and avoid going into 30 years of debt. It seems that pastors want money from their congregations more than anything, when they should want to obey The Great Commission to into all the world, preaching the Gospel, getting folks water baptized as a public profession of their faith, and then teaching them to be soul-winners themselves.

If a church or ministry will not make available to you a record of total income and total disbursements, stop supporting it! Honest ministries do not fear the light of scrutiny. For example: Benny Hinn deceitfully claims to account for his finances, but as you will see HERE, Mr. Hinn is extremely misleading and doesn't hardly account for anything. Both The 700 Club and James Robison's Life Today ministries have refused to disclose their finances to the Better Business Bureau. Only a fool would support these ministries financially. If your church refuses to provide a DETAILED breakdown of where the money goes—stop tithing! I'd be much more patient with a church that is genuinely on-fire for God, a soulwinning church, with a bus ministry and doing a great work for God in the community. Still, there shouldn't be any reason why such a church wouldn't want to be upfront about their finances.

If your pastor is living high-on-the-hog, i.e., going on regular vacations, driving a fancy car, living in a big house, then you ought to start asking some serious questions about where church funds are going. Many pastors start their own side-business that exploits their ministry, and they make much more money that way. Joel Osteen does this, profiting millions from the sale of his dozens of books. It is a joke hearing Joel Osteen boast of not receiving a salary from his church, when he rakes in 100 times more money than the average pastor does per year. Also, how much of a salary does the pastor's wife and family members get paid?

Benny Hinn claims to account for his finances, but it was NBC Nightline who exposed Mr. Hinn for spending $10,000 per night to stay in the Presidential Suite of a hotel.

The situation in the Old Testament was entirely different than today. The Israelites were God's people, bound by strict ceremonial laws, and were commanded to support the priestly tribe of Levi. There was no question as to where the money was supposed to go—to the tribe of Levi. In sharp contrast, there are tens-of-thousands of churches all across America today, and ten thousand more charitable ministries (such as missions and shelters). So you tell me, who gets the money? Clearly, we are not obligated to support any certain church. Albeit, I do believe that Christians should support legitimate Bible-believing local churches. I also want to say, if you're pastor receives much more than what the average working man receives in the church, you should find another church. The average Diesel mechanic in the U.S. gets paid $41,000 a year. The average police officer and fireman make $48,000 a year. The average pastor makes $51,000 per year. I would NEVER support a pastor who gets paid $90,000 a year. Henry Morris III of The Institute for Creation Research gets paid $140,000 a year. That is terrible, not becoming of a true servant of God.

Proverb 3:9 states, “Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase.” We are to “honor” the Lord with our money and resources. It does not honor God when we support fat-cat, money-hungry, financially irresponsible ministries who exploit the Word of God to make profit. Honoring the Lord with our substance means using it for the genuine work of Christ, i.e., soulwinning. I wouldn't give a dime to any organization that neglects the Word of God. Let the heathens support March of Dimes, Red Cross and other secular charities that do nothing for God. The Salvation Army has become apostate, having more “Army” than “Salvation.” The Salvation Army pays their CEO a whopping $249,000 a year!!! Serving God??? I think not! They are nothing more than a humanitarian relief organization. Let the heathen world pass out hot-chocolate to firemen at fires. The world is going to Hell!!! Jesus said, “Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead” (Matthew 8:22).

Again, as mentioned, the Israelites COULDN'T tithe during times of famine and hardship. You'll hardly ever hear a preacher tell you this. If you're in debt, or are having trouble paying your mortgage, you ought not tithe. Now, I realize that some people are financially irresponsible, such as buying a bigger house than than can afford, or overextending their credit line; however, these factors must be reconciled in one's own personal life before he or she can be of use to God financially. It is sinful to give money to any church when you are in financial trouble, because you're giving God money that belongs to someone else.

With the U.S. dollar down 37%, millions of illegal immigrants flooding across the U.S. border, millions of Americans losing their homes, 37,000,000 more living in poverty, and most our high-paying jobs going overseas... it is unethical and ridiculous for any pastor to hound his people for money. Why don't pastors preach against all the aforementioned evils? For example: Motorola is one of the largest companies in the U.S., who also employs over 10,000 workers in China. This is helping the Communists to undermine American sovereignty! Why don't pastors today preach vehemently against the corrupt Department of Liars! Why don't preachers expose the criminal Federal Reserve Bank? Why don't preachers speak out against ILLEGAL immigration. These are all evils that financially hurt American citizens, and take massive amounts of money out of our pockets. Meanwhile, average Joe pastor continues to mercilessly beat his congregation to death with 2nd Corinthians 9:6,7. This is hypocritical and wrong.

When the average working citizen is short on money, we have to get another job or decrease our spending; but when a selfish pastor needs money, he pressures and exploits his people by twisting the Scriptures to get it. I firmly believe that with the American economy hurting the way it is, most pastor's should go get a part-time job to supplement their income. Either that or receive a cut in pay and let the church help him with groceries and a place to live. A pastor's congregation is not an Aladdin's lamp for him to rub whenever he needs money. Please don't misunderstand me, a church ought to take good care of their pastor's every need, and that of his family. However, if he is not pulling his weight, preaching, standing and shepherding as a man of God should, fire him! This is why, as a preventive measure, every church ought to regularly send their pastor(s) to preaching conventions and pastor's schools to encourage him. Your pastor needs that! And you need church revivals too!!!

I love something that Dr. Phil Kidd said in a sermon, “The pastor's job is to comfort the afflicted, but the evangelist's job is to afflict the comforted.” I love that truth! . . .