The poor struggle to make their weekly tithes, and men like Tamaki are going on $400,000 cruises. whats wrong with this picture?
How does this work. Destiny use scriptures like Malachai 3 8-10 to justify their approach, infact its a scripture that they recite everysunday as a part of the offering, with emphasis on verse 10
Mal 3:8I ask you, is it right for a person to cheat God? Of course not, yet you are cheating me. 'How?' you ask. In the matter of tithes and offerings.
Mal 3:9 A curse is on all of you because the whole nation is cheating me.
Mal 3:10 Bring the full amount of your tithes to the Temple, so that there will be plenty of food there. Put me to the test and you will see that I will open the windows of heaven and pour out on you in abundance all kinds of good things.
They never however examine which of the old testament tithes that Malacai refered to, however if we look at Deuteronomy 26:12-15, we see
Deu 26:12 "Every third year give the tithe---a tenth of your crops---to the Levites, the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows, so that in every community they will have all they need to eat. When you have done this,
Deu 26:13 say to the LORD, 'None of the sacred tithe is left in my house; I have given it to the Levites, the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows, as you commanded me to do. I have not disobeyed or forgotten any of your commands concerning the tithe.
Deu 26:14 I have not eaten any of it when I was mourning; I have not taken any of it out of my house when I was ritually unclean; and I have not given any of it as an offering for the dead. I have obeyed you, O LORD; I have done everything you commanded concerning the tithe.
Deu 26:15 Look down from your holy place in heaven and bless your people Israel; bless also the rich and fertile land that you have given us, as you promised our ancestors.'
If this is the tithe refered to in Malachai, we should be giving out tithe every third year and it should be going to organisations that support widows, orphans and other needy people. Further more if this tithe is the subject of the Malachai text, then why are men like Tamaki and Mortlock living lives of oppulence, while people in their churches are struggling to have the basic necessities. The same people even though they are struggling are expected to be handing over 1/10th of their income each week.
The question remains though, if we are expected to obey the old testament law of tithing, why do we not obey all of the old testament law. Pauls says clearly in Galations 5;2-3
Gal 5:1 Freedom is what we have---Christ has set us free! Stand, then, as free people, and do not allow yourselves to become slaves again.
Gal 5:2 Listen! I, Paul, tell you that if you allow yourselves to be circumcised, it means that Christ is of no use to you at all.
Gal 5:3 Once more I warn any man who allows himself to be circumcised that he is obliged to obey the whole Law.
The old testament law includes animal sacrifices, killing both the rapist and his victim, I can just see members of impact particpating in animal sacrifices, we also shouldnt dye our hair or do any work on a sunday, if an old testament persn wasnt able hitch their oxen to their wagons, would that mean we couldnt drive our cars.
I think to give back to God is a good thing, however I believe that God in the new testament, isnt just talking about 10% of our money, he wants 1005 of our lives. He wants us to give to other people, to step outside the bare minimum that was laid down in the old testament...
2 cornithians 9:7 God loves a cheerful giver, it goes on to say that he who sews sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sews alot will reap alot. Interesting to note, when looking at the ancient greek, there is no reference to giving money?