Template:Early Church tithe
Early Church tithe
Some people try to teach that the precept of tithing did not transfer to the early Church[1] when Jesus took the kingdom from the Pharisees and appointed it to the Apostles and other ministers of His Church.
Christ said He would take the kingdom from the Pharisees, which included many Levites. He said it was to be His pleasure to appoint it to His little flock. We see Him appoint that kingdom to the apostles, but we are evidently supposed to believe that Jesus took away the precept of contributing to the ministers to support them and their work.
- Where is the reference in the scriptural text where Jesus says the people seeking righteousness do not have to contribute to these newly appointed ministers of His kingdom?
- Where does Jesus say the people do not need to tithe any more?
- Why do these new called out ministers of Christ, called the ekklesia or Church, not need to be supported by the congregation's regular freewill offerings like the Levites who were the Church in the wilderness?
- Jesus requires that his ministers come out of the world.
- They are not to pray to the Fathers of the earth.
- They are to have no personal inheritance or private estate, just like the Levites.
- They owned all things in common [2] as a bondservant of Christ, like the Levites who belonged to God.
- They were to be separate from the people, like the Levites, and certainly they were to be separate from the world. But somehow people think you do not have to support these ministers who took the Levites place.
One of the problems is that people do not understand the Levites, nor the tithe or tithing, much less the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. . The apostles were working in the Temple in Jerusalem built by Herod, and they were daily distributing bread and meat into the homes of the needy.[3] Where did they get the means to provide that bread but from the freewill offerings of the people in ranks of Tens.
- "But this [I say], He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. 7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:6
If there is no giving there can be no daily ministration. The freewill offerings made are your testimony received, and such cheerful giving allows the minister to testify of you as a doer of the word.
- "For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;" 2 Corinthians 9:12
Ministers must be given the means by which to actually perform the services of the Church, which is not to entertain the people or tickle their ears or puff them up with vain sermons but preach the kingdom of God at hand. The congregations of the people and the ministers of tens in tens in ranks of hundreds should all be of the same union and discipline of Christ and the early Church. After all, this is what James calls Pure Religion. How can we expect to receive love from God and His blessings if we will not give for the blessing of others? "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." Hebrews 13:8
- "Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.”(ESV) Luke 6:38
Hebrews 13:7 Tells us to "Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of [their] conversation." But the word in the text is not "rule" as someone who exercises authority but is actually the word hegeomai more consistently translated "count", "think" or "esteem".[4] This again is a reference to those who serve the people in that network of companies of tens and hundreds commanded by Christ and the service provided by them instead of the free bread offered by the world which entangles the people in a yoke of bondage making them merchandise and their children a surety for debt.
How can we expect to be free if we do not gather and give in the character of Christ, sacrificing for the sake of others and their salvation? How can anyone testify of your faith before the world if you will not also be a doer of the word?
This was the message of love for one another from the beginning and the consequences of such giving brought the blessings of God. The neglect of that giving brought the curses spoken of by Isaiah 1.
- "Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting with wine." Proverbs 3:9-10
When they saw that this daily ministration was not reaching the Greeks, they needed to appoint Seven Men, like what was done in the Old Testament. They even chose Seven men in Acts 6 as the people were told in Ecclesiastes 11 because they knew evil was coming when the daily ministration of the Greeks was being neglected.
There are those who preach that tithing was not a part of the New Testament, but the same who promote that idea also send their congregations to the men who call themselves benefactors but exercises authority one over the other contrary to the instructions of Christ.
Tithing existed before the Levites and afterwards, and even in other cultures.
Early Church authors talk about the mission of the Levites being transferred to the apostles.
- "Bishops, presbyters(Elder) and deacons occupy in the church the same positions as those which were occupied by Aaron, his sons, and the Levites in the temple." Jerome, Ep. 146
In Deuteronomy 12:19 [5] we are told not to forsake the Levite ever. But is it the Levites or the position they hold in a free society.
- " "Since, therefore, these things have been made manifest before unto us, and since we have looked into the depths of the divine knowledge, we ought to do everything in order, whatsoever the Lord hath commanded us to do at the appointed seasons, and to perform the offerings and liturgies.... 40:5 For to the High Priest were assigned special services, and to the priests a special place hath been appointed; and on the Levites special duties are imposed." CLEMENT OF ROME, First Epistle. This was composed between AD 80 and AD 140, and it ranked with Didache as one of the earliest — if not the earliest — of extant Christian documents outside the canonical New Testament.
- "That people which was called of old the people of God was divided into twelve tribes, and over and above the other tribes it had the levitical order, which itself again carried on the service of God in various priestly and levitical suborders. In the same manner, it appears to me that the whole people of Christ, when we regard it in the aspect of the hidden man of the heart, that people which is called "Jew inwardly," and is circumcised in the spirit, has in a more mystic way the characteristics of the tribes. This may be more plainly gathered from John in his Apocalypse, though the other prophets also do not by any means conceal the state of matters from those who have the faculty of hearing them." Origen. Commentary on John, Book I,. HOW CHRISTIANS ARE THE SPIRITUAL ISRAEL.
We also see in the "Excerpts of Theodotus" preserved in the writings of Clement of Alexandria " And at all times, the God who loves humanity invests Himself with man for the salvation of men, -- in former tithes with the prophets, and now with the Church. For it is fitting that like should minister to like, in order to a like salvation." "[6]
Paul the Apostle was clear about it; the ministers were to eat of the altar which was given to God. This, of course, would include only preachers who conformed to specifics of Christ's requirements for His ministers.
- "Do ye not know that they which minister about holy things live [of the things] of the temple? and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?" 1 Corinthians 9:13
We do see the Greek word for tithing in the New Testament numerous times.
The word dekate [7] meaning a tenth appears 4 times and dekatoo [8] which appears twice, all in Hebrews 7. Nowhere does the text suggest that tithing is done away with, but that it was transferred from Aaron and the Levites to an order of Melchizedek, who was the Righteous King of Peace, and this represents Jesus and his appointed ministers of the kingdom.
We also see the word apodekatoo [9] which also appears in Hebrews 7:5. It is a verb which had to do with both giving and receiving. It appears in Matthew 23 and Luke 11:42. None of these verses suggests that Jesus is discontinuing the practice of tithing, but that along with tithing, we should also attend to he "weightier matters".
In Luke 18:12, it does not even hint that there was a problem with tithing, but only bragging or exalting yourself in the process was the problem.
- ↑ : "In Christianity, some interpretations of Biblical teachings conclude that although tithing was practiced extensively in the Old Testament, it was never practiced or taught within the first-century Church. Instead, the New Testament scriptures are seen as teaching the concept of "freewill offerings" as a means of supporting the church: 1 Corinthians 16:2, 2 Corinthians 9:7. Also, some of the earliest groups sold everything they had and held the proceeds in common to be used for the furtherance of the Gospel: Acts 2:44-47, Acts 4:34-35. Further, Acts 5:1-20 contains the account of a man and wife (Ananias and Sapphira) who were living in one of these groups. They sold a piece of property and donated only part of the selling price to the church but claimed to have given the whole amount and immediately fell down and died when confronted by the apostle Peter over their dishonesty. "Tithe
- ↑ Acts 2:44 And all that believed were together, and had all things common;
- Acts 4:32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.
- ↑ Acts 2:46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
- ↑ 2233 ~ἡγέομαι~ hegeomai \@hayg-eh’-om-ahee\@ middle voice of a (presumed) strengthened form of 71; TDNT-2:907,303; {See TDNT 289} v AV-count 10, think 4, esteem 3, have rule over 3, be governor 2, misc 6; 28
- 1) to lead
- 1a) to go before
- 1b) to be a leader
- 1b1) to rule, command
- 1b2) to have authority over
- 1b3) a prince, of regal power, governor, viceroy, chief, leading as respects influence, controlling in counsel, overseers or leaders of the churches
- The apostles were princes who were appointed a kingdom but as servant leaders. They were not rulers nor were they to be like the rulers of the gentiles. They were to account for the people as good shepherds care for the flock of God and "feed His sheep" as Christ commanded.
- 1b4) used of any kind of leader, chief, commander
- 1b5) the leader in speech, chief, spokesman
- 2) to consider, deem, account, think
- For Synonyms see entry 5837
- 1) to lead
- ↑ Deuteronomy 12:19 Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth.
- ↑ 23. "As through the body the Lord spake and healed, so also formerly by the prophets, and now by the apostles and teachers. For the Church is the minister of the Lord's power. Thence He then assumed humanity, that by it He might minister to the Father's will. And at all times, the God who loves humanity invests Himself with man for the salvation of men, -- in former tithes with the prophets, and now with the Church. For it is fitting that like should minister to like, in order to a like salvation." "Excerpts of Theodotus" preserved in the writings of Clement of Alexandria.
- ↑ 1181 ~δεκάτη~ dekate \@dek-at’-ay\@ feminine of 1182; ; adj AV-tithe 2, tenth part 1, tenth 1; 4 1) a tenth part of anything, a tithe 1a) the tenth party of booty taken from an enemy 1b) the tithes of fruits of the earth and of flocks, which by the law of Moses were presented to the Levites in the congregation of Israel
- ↑ 1183 ~δεκατόω~ dekatoo \@dek-at-o’-o\@ from 1181; ; v AV-receive tithes 1, pay tithes 1; 2 1) to exact or receive the tenth part 2) to pay tithes
- ↑ 586 ~ἀποδεκατόω~ apodekatoo \@ap-od-ek-at-o’-o\@ from 575 and 1183; ; v AV-pay tithe 1, tithe 1, give tithe 1, take tithe 1; 4 1) to give, pay a tithe of anything 2) to exact receive a tenth from anyone