This week, I want us to look at some responses from readers to my recent article on God‘s position on Tithes. I will present the responses by readers and follow up with my replies.
One of the readers opined that tithes were meant for the Levites alone because they were exempted from doing any other kind of job except serving God in the Temple and since the pastors today are not Levites, they are not entitled to benefit from tithes.
My Response:
If you say paying tithe is for only Jews, then the old testament laws are for only Jews. In essence, you don’t need to keep the ten commandments and other laws in the old testament.
In Matthew 5:17, Jesus Christ said He did not come to destroy the old testament (law and the prophets) but to fulfil it.
On the other hand, if tithes are for only the Levites, how will the workers and Pastors in the Church get paid to take care of themselves and their families? In my opinion Pastors and those who are called and dedicated to the service of God are the Levites of our days. Pastors who are fully working in the vineyard of God should be taken care of as well as the less privileged in the Church and that is what tithes are used for.
If they are not paid, should they stay in the wilderness like Elijah praying and waiting for the Raven to bring money to feed their families and pay the children’s school fees?
If you say the old testament laws are no longer potent, I can decide to marry my sister because there is no clear law in the new testament that says I should not marry my sister. The breakdown of all spiritual, moral, financial and criminal laws are in the old testament and that is where it was stated clearly that I cannot marry my sister. The old testament is still as potent as the new testament in other areas except in the process of sacrificing for the forgiveness of sins and accessing the presence of God through Christ Jesus.
Another reader was blunt; she wrote:
“Your submission is not biblically accurate”.
She went further to pose these questions before me:
1. Did Jesus pay tithes?
2 Did his disciples pay tithes?
3, Did Paul, Peter and others ever preach tithes and issue curses and condemnations like our modern-day Pentecostals are doing?
Read Also: What is God’s position on tithes?
She added that “anyone can attach some mischievous title to his or her name. As far as God is concerned, He sees us as EQUALS and the bible presents us with answers to ALL life’s questions. Most of those title holders are big SCAMMERS who have zero relationship with God and are only in this Christian zone purely for their stomach. They are false preachers cunningly merchandising the Gospel and mesmerising gullible church members who NEVER read their Bibles to discover the truth. And when you push to their face the truth, they will tell you touch not my anointed which is another misuse of the word of God. Anyone truly in Christ is anointed with or without some funny titles. So many Mr or Miss are more anointed than several self-appointed Bishops, she concluded.
MY RESPONSE:
Pastors should only point people to the Word of God and not threaten them. The Word of God is complete and there is reward for obedience to the Word of God.
My position is that Jesus must have paid tithes because He was a Carpenter and must have paid tithes from His income. Paul and others paid tithes in the Temple as other Jews did.
When Christianity started, the disciples started first in the Temple but when persecution came, they had to set up their own structure and started meeting in the homes of brethren and from there to what we have as Church buildings today. The early Christians may have not paid their tithes while they were on the run, but I believe they started paying when the Church became more organized.
Apostle Paul, for instance, was not a Levite but if he wanted to ask them to give him offerings, he could do that but decided to work with his hands so that nobody will see him as spreading the gospel to make money for himself.
Pastor ESANEROVO TRINITY AGBODO is a Contributing Editor with THE TRUMPET NEWSPAPER and can be reached on eagbodo@gmail.com or through 08075504012 ( WhatsApp).
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