New Testament Giving

We have already covered here that no place in the New Testament are we commanded to "tithe" or even give "offerings." Not only is tithing not specifically mentioned, its not even hinted at, not by Jesus not by Paul, not by anybody. Todays nicolaitan clergy beat you over the head with the tithe, but they seem to have no interest in animal sacrifice or observing ANY of the other portions of the law. Today's clergy conveniently leans back into the old testament with its old covenant , they extend their cherry pickers and pluck out "tithing" for you to obey then leave all the rest behind.

Why is the issue of tithing such a big deal? Because it displays the absolute faithlessness of today's pastors/clergy/nicolaitans. How so? Giving is mentioned in the New Testament right here:

2 Corinthians 9:7 Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Who decides what and how much to give? YOU DO, not your "pastor," not the old testament, YOU DECIDE what and how much to give. Here's where you have to understand that this scares the pants off of today's faithless ministers. Why? Their faithlessness leads them to believe that if you are not put under guilt, fear and compulsion you will never give, or what you will give will be paltry. Their faith is in the LAW not in a faithful God who meets the needs of his servants. The bottom line here? They do NOT believe, they have no faith that our God hears and answers prayers. Where are the servants of God today who follow Paul's example and work day and night for their own bread so they will not be a burden to the flock? Where are the servants today who have the faith to trust God to meet their needs without cherry picking one topic from the old testament to squeeze the last penny out of the sheep?

To give some credit where it is due, I have been to places where money wasn't mentioned, boxes were set in the back, people knew that they were there so they gave out of their hearts not out of compulsion. Tithing was NEVER mentioned..ever. Giving was a given, a natural outflow of a grateful heart towards the Almighty.

The thing that the faithless preachers today do not understand is that they are really ripping themselves off. They rely on their own methods, their own ways to fund their lives. If they understood how much greater they would receive should they trust the Lord for their needs they would cease their faithless ways immediately. The Lord rewards faith, its that simple. When people step out in their own power, when they believe more in the doctrines and traditions of men than in the Lord, they suffer for it every time (whether they know it or not).

A natural outgrowth of faithlessness is fear. Today's "pastors" FEAR letting go of the money whip (tithe). They fear that the Lord will allow them to fall on their face. Why? Maybe somewhere deep down inside they know what they are doing is wrong, its not scriptural. Deep down inside they know they are faithless. Deep down they understand that their sins have separated them from God. Deep down they understand that the doctrines of men are empty hollow ways that are powerless but they refuse to let them go.

When you look at what "pastors" do in the churches today then compare it with scripture you will see the problem. The bible mentions a plurality of elders to oversee the church, not A pastor or even pastor(s). Elders, NOT pastors. It has been covered here extensively that Jesus never once mentioned "pastors" Paul never met one, talked about one, appointed one, ran into one, ate with one, NOTHING they simply are not mentioned...anywhere. That should be a big clue that what they are doing is unscriptural. They have no charter, no scriptural legs to stand on for what they are doing.

Has the Lord used "pastors" to carry out his work on earth? YES, but before someone gets the wrong idea please understand that ALL THINGS work for good in the lives of those who love Jesus. Romans 8:28 ... And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God,to them who are the called according to his purpose.

All things? Yep that's what it says. When the Lord puts that word in there "ALL" it includes attacks on your faith by the devil himself, even that works for good in your life. So if ALL things work for the good of the believer, even the actions of the devil himself then what does that say about the works of the "pastors" in todays churches? Does the fact that the Lord has worked through "pastors" validate their nicolaitan system? Hardly.

Men have established a pastoral system, also known as the "clergy" to rule over the flock. They are in one class and you are in another. They are the "clergy" and you are the "laity." The Lord specifically points out that He HATES this system of clergy and laity. The people who practice this clergy/laity game are known as NICO (conquer) LAITANS (laity-you).

Revelation 2:6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.
Revelation 2:15 Likewise you also have those who hold to the teaching of the Nicolaitans. ...

The clergy, ie your "pastors" like to argue that the nicolaitans are someone else, anyone else but them. The finger is always pointed away into the distance, not right at their own heads. The bottom line is, Jesus HATES the practices of the nico-laitans and we know for a fact that whoever and whatever nicolaitans are, they involve "laitans" also know as "laity" which is what the clergy calls YOU.

If Jesus HATES something and you have no problem with it what does that say about you? I can tell you with certainty that if Jesus HATES something I don't want to be seen within MILES of it but people today have no problem embracing things the Lord hates because if men have always done it, it must be okay!

We have established that tithing has no place in the church today but giving does... according to what YOU decide to give. We have established that Jesus HATES the system of clergy/laity (nicolaitan) that people embrace with open arms today. These are just two issues out of many that illustrate how far people have strayed from the simple and straightforward reading of the scriptures. Our God created us to be FREE, not under any kind of slavery. Men have created a religious system that assassinates your freedom and instead shackles you to their lifeless institution that they euphemistically call a "church."

The Lord has made us many promises that were designed for our deliverance from this world. Its time that people go back to the pure and undefiled Words of God and find out for themselves what the Spirit is saying to the churches today. Our God wants to walk with us and live with us in ways that are unimaginable by the majority of religious people today. These people think that the church is everything BUT what the Lord intended it to be. The church is not a social club or a building or an institution or a man made organization, it is the living breathing BODY of Jesus.

In today's world of fear and despair the only way people can pull out of their nosedives is to get a fresh revelation of the truth for themselves from the bible. I make no claim that I speak the truth but I do claim that the truth can be found in your bibles and revealed by the Spirit of God. I believe that the Lord has many wonderful deliverances for his people but you cant get to the dessert tray until you've eaten your meal. You can't get to the blessings until you've gone through repentance. My message to you today is to turn away from the man made religious institutions and find God for yourself. He can be found in the word in your bible and he can be found by a heart that is humble and contrite and on its knees in awe of Him continually. You can seek him and find him when you seek him with all your heart.

The answer to any and all of your problems can be found "in Christ." Seek his face today, grace and peace.