By Blake L. Higginbotham
Malachi 3:10-12 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, (Apostolic Centers) that there may be food in My house, (The Father’s House) and try Me now in this,” says Yahweh of hosts, “if I will not open for you (you-KJV for-is not used) the windows of heaven and pour out for you (you-KJV for-is not used) such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.11“And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” says Yahweh of hosts; 12and all nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land,” says Yahweh of hosts.
Note: I will expound on the significance of using the King James Version Bible as a reference in this particular passage of scripture as the content of this article unfolds.
As I write this article, I realize that much of what I am going to say concerning the above passage of scripture is going to be filtered through what most of you have been taught for years about tithing and offering.
With that said, let me preface what I going to write by saying that much of what I have personally believed to be true about this subject over the last three decades has been tampered with, or altered in some way. There was a time that I did not think that I needed to take a second look at some of things that I believed to be true about anything, and I can assure you that the same bill of goods that I bought and for which I paid, has been peddled for centuries as unadulterated truth by the top salesmen in the religion business.
I challenge you to look closer at what you have been taught as absolute immutable truth. You might be surprised to discover that you have been believing, observing, practicing, and living something that is not established in Scripture, and therefore cannot be considered truth that has the ability to produce a stated or desired result.
It is past time for a new view and a better understanding as to why your tithing and offering is not working to increase Yahweh’s Kingdom in the earth, and why it is failing to produce all of the stated benefits described in the above passage of scripture.
The problem, as I see it, is that many people do not honesty or consistently tithe based on all of their increase and they only occasionally give above and beyond what they feel obligated by ritual to pay. If they are tithing on a regular basis, it is without understanding and in comparison to taking a weekly trip to the bank to deposit some money in a local branch, or the place where they attend, and more like paying dues or membership fees at the local country club.
I have now lived long enough to see and hear just about everything that is being taught out there about the subject. Much of what I have heard has caused a great deal of concern to surface in my heart about my future involvement in organized religion or Constantinian Christianity. Some modern day teachers have come along saying that tithing is optional and only if you can afford it. They basically teach that paying your tithes is an older covenant idea and that it is not a requirement for newer covenant believers. They are attempting to shift the pressure one might experience from paying their tithe to a more comfortable approach of giving as much as you can afford. At any rate, they will still extract as much money from you as they can. There are so many other variations on Biblical tithing and offering being taught that I will only be able to refer to one or two in this article.
First, let me say that tithing and offering is neither optional nor based on convenience. If you want to be a recipient of the benefits found listed in Malachi 3:10-12, then you will pray for the understanding required to receive them and then begin to obey what you have heard by the spirit. If you neither believe nor understand what you are doing right now, then you must question and possibly come to the same conclusion to which I arrived, and that may include admitting that what you are doing is not producing the desired result. If what you are doing is working, it is only producing periodic blessings that you can attribute to the favor of Yahweh.
What if I told you that the blessings and benefits of tithing and offering are automatic and that nothing can prevent them from coming to you, if you are hearing and obeying the voice of the Spirit concerning where and to whom your tithes and offerings are supposed to be paid and given. Let me clear something up for you. There is nothing in the Bible that teaches that all of your financial support should be going to the local place that you attend on a weekly basis. Now take a breath, go get your Bible and research it for yourself.
You will not find a passage of scripture that teaches that all of your tithe and offering belongs to any one religious organization. On the contrary, none of your tithe belongs to a religious organization.
Your tithe is a Holy thing and it all belongs to Yahweh and is to be used to finance the ongoing work of His ministry in the earth. Financing the Kingdom can only be accomplished by people who are willing and obedient and who have determined in their hearts to continue to hear and obey the voice of the Spirit as to where and to whom they are supposed to pay their tithes.
Tithing and offering predates the Mosaic economy and is a principle truth that Yahweh Himself established in the Garden. Seedtime and harvest, the law of like-kind, first-fruits, etc are all principle truths that were established from the foundation of the Earth. Abraham did not pay tithes to a local religious organization, he sought out, honored by referral and paid tithes to Melchizedek. Melchizedek was a Messianic prototype of Apostolic Government and Ministry today.
Genesis 14:18-24 Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of ElElyon. 19And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of ElElyon, Possessor of heaven and earth; 20And blessed be ElElyon, who has delivered your enemies into your hand. ”And he gave (paid) him a tithe of all. 21Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”22But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to Yahweh, ElElyon, the Possessor of heaven and earth, 23that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’ 24except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”
Hebrews 7:9-11 Even Levi, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, so to speak, 10for he was still in the loins of his father when Melchizedek met him. 11Therefore, if perfection were through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need was there that another priest should rise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be called according to the order of Aaron?
Note: Abraham knew that if he was going to honor Yahweh with his tithe that he would have to pay them to the man with whom Yahweh ordained covenantal relationship. And he understood the importance of honoring that relationship with the greatest expression and only token of the covenantal relationship that Yahweh recognizes.
The release of blessing and the transference of wealth depend on our ability to hear and obey the voice of Yahweh concerning what direction, and to whom your tithe is supposed to be paid. Tithing and offering is foundational. Nothing is more important.
(To Be Continued)
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