A Change of perspective:

“It’s not ‘what we do, but what we believe’ that is most important.”

     We are to follow after Christ in the spirit, not in the flesh.

Christ was not a Christian. He is the Christ, but also, he was a Jew. He was born, raised, and worshiped as a Jew. In fact, he was so Jewish, he was the only Jew to ever keep the law perfectly. 2 Cor, 5: 15-17 tells us that we should not follow him after the flesh. If we do so, we are practicing Judaism. However, if we follow him after the spirit, we are practicing Christianity. As we follow him after the spirit, we are actually walking by faith and not sight. 2 Cor. 5:7

     The ‘Law of Works’ spoken of in Romans are the actual ten commandments and the additional laws included in Jewish rule to provide for atonement. Romans 3:19-28 tells us that the ‘Law of Faith’ is greater than the ‘Law of Works’. The law of faith was implemented to bring people to salvation thru Christ, but the law of works were to show man that he was sinful and needed redemption. Romans 3:19-21; Eph. 3.

     We were in slavery to sin while under the law of works, but now that we have proclaimed Christ as savior, we are under the law of faith.  And Christ has bought us with his Blood, giving us freedom from sin and freedom to serve our savior without sin and in righteousness. Romans 6:3-16

     Works are important in our relationship with God, but are a very distant second priority to salvation and our relationship with Christ. Eph. 2:8-9 tells us that salvation is a unearned gift and that we could never be ‘good enough’ to save ourselves. However, there is a huge chasm or gulf between verse 9 and verse 10 of Eph. 2.  Verse 10 speaks on how God ordained certain works for us to complete as we walk with him.

     If we walk by faith and in the spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Romans 8: 4-5; Romans 13: 13-14; Gal. 5: 16-18

     To assist us in walking in the spirit, we are told to change our thinking and take control of our own minds in order to bring every thought into captivity. The way we think reflects what we believe thru faith. Rom. 12:1-2; 2 Cor 5: 3-5; Eph 4: 17-24.

     After salvation, we are given a new nature that seeks out Christ and, by nature, seeks to please him in love. As God removed the command to do right, he replaced it with a lure that creates both a desire to please him and a desire to know him like never before.

     So, as we all know, the joy, gain, and blessings we obtain on earth as we serve Christ is in the relationship, not the doing. So, encourage one another to embrace the relationship, the doing will care for and control itself.

Are You Sure?

Are we sure that we know what we think we know?

How does what we think impact our judgment before God?

Theres a  song that goes something like this:

“God told Joshua to go to Jericho and to march 7 times go ‘round.

Joshua told his people and they obeyed the Lords command,,

And the walls came tumblin’ down.

If I said he marched around it 13 times would you agree with me?

Go to Joshua chapter 6

Jos 6:3  And ye shall compass the city, all ye men of war, and go round about the city once. Thus shalt thou do six days.

Jos 6:4  And seven priests shall bear before the ark seven trumpets of rams' horns: and the seventh day ye shall compass the city seven times, and the priests shall blow with the trumpets.

 

Are we living on what think or what the Word says? 

Putting your faith in anything apart from Jesus is not salvation.

        Are we living for God or for ourselves?

It’s important that we confirm what we know to be true according to the Word and not wrong traditions.

For example, According to an old school rhyme, in 1492 Columbus sailed the oceans blue. And according to what we were taught as children, this was a great and scary adventure because the common teaching was that the world was flat and a ship could sail off the edge of it. However, if they would have put faith in the Word of God at that time; they could have had an assurance that the world was not flat but a circle.  The book of Isaiah was written about 2700 years ago, or 700 years before Jesus and about 2200 years before Columbus sailed for the new world.

      Go to Isaiah chapter 40.

Isa 40:21  Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?

Isa 40:22  It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, ……

       Let’s look at another error.

The Revised Standard Version of the Bible Isaiah 7:14 says

Isaiah 7:14 RSV

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, a young woman shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Imman'u-el

Theres no sign here.

Nothing that separates her from any other mother.

        Do we prefer the King James translation

Isaiah 7:14 KJV

King James Version

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel .

Here we have a sign. She will be a virgin. Jews always require a sign to accompany any fulfillment of prophesy.

We must know what we think is true or we miss key elements of truth that may impact how we live and what we believe. So, with this in mind, lets look at some thoughts on salvation.

 We are given a sin nature and are in slavery to sin. (Romans 5:12-19).

(For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Romans 5: 19; 6:17-18). 

 As a result of this transgression we were separated from perfect fellowship with God (Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.  So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. Genesis 3:23-24).  

 Our punishment for our sinful state of being is an eternal separation from God through both a spiritual and physical death ( Romans 6:23).

In life, we can separate ourselves from God by choice. We reject the spiritual truth of Gods plan and reject him for the fun we have in sin.

In death we separate ourselves from God by residing in the only place He isn’t.

Hell.

And.

We don’t have to do anything to get there. We were born serving Satan as a natural fact of life. We are born going to hell because we were separated from God at Adams transgression.

(For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.  John 3:16-18)

 Adam was the only man ever born that was not in bondage to sin, and he was the only man to sin by free choice instead of nature driving him to do so (1Tim 2:14). 

6Because God had ruled that all of Adam’s seed should receive the sin nature from Adam there was no man in humankind that had the ability to father a child without a sinful nature.  Even though women were in slavery to sin; No woman could pass the trait of sin to her children.

 Later, God used 10 commandments to show man that he needed his creator, to show him his depravity, and to show him the evil desires that lies in our heart. Gal 3: 22-28

 We can’t do right on our own, and for us to be freed from our slavery to sin we needed a second chance. Our deliverance from our slavery to sin was planned from the beginning of time, (Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: Romans 16:25-26)

We find that deliverance in living for him in a reconciled relationship with our creator (And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.

Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 2Cor 5:15-19).

So in order for God to reconcile himself with man and restore the relationship Adam had with him prior to sin, he needed a perfect man to pay the debt of sin. And this sin debt was death. (For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23) We needed a second Adam that was without sin to purchase the freedom of all.

If each one of us died, we could only account for our own transgressions and the cost of our sin was our death. We do not have enough life to pay for more than one debt, it required a person that had never sinned to buy the freedom of all (For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2Cor 5:21).

The only person that could pay this price and thereby free man to an eternal life did not exist.

This unheard of person must be born of a father that is without sin in his life and this is why Jesus Christ was born of a virgin.

His father was without sin.

His father was The Sinless Holy Spirit of God. (Matt 1:20). 

We believe this and believe that Jesus shed his blood and died for our sins, was buried, and rose the third day, defeating death and giving us life. This is our first judgment and we were found guilty. The penalty was death and Jesus paid it for us.

With this act of salvation, all our sins are forgiven. The penalty of sin is death and Jesus died in our place. With our freedom from death, we receive eternal life.

Because this was completed by Jesus without our involvement, there is nothing we can do to keep it or lose it. For it is a gift of God obtained by the like faith of Abraham and given to us by God himself.

Both the sacrifice and the faith is supplied by God.

If we actually believe we have this forgiveness then why don’t we walk in it daily instead of asking for it daily?

Between our salvation and bodily death, we are told to be our own judge as we walk in this life so that we are not Chastised by God.

We are also told that if we do not judge ourselves, God will judge us here and now to prevent us from suffering with the unbelievers in the future. This is our second judgment. See

1Co 11:31  For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.

1Co 11:32  But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.

How we live our life after salvation will not determine our eternal destination. Christ bought that ticket.                                                   

But, it will however, determine our shame, guilt, and rewards when we face the Judgment Seat of Christ. Here we that are Christians, will be judged out third and final time. We will be judged by how our belief in him decided our actions after our salvation.

How will you bring yourself to face Christ if you have trampled on the memory of his Death on the cross?

1Co 3:13  Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.

1Co 3:14  If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.

1Co 3:15  If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Lo'Ammi

The nation of Israel has suffered a setback. It’s not that God has shown them disfavor, but that they have been blinded to the truth of Christ to allow the world a chance at salvation. They refused to accept the offered Messiah and at that time, God blinded their understanding.  

Rom 11:25  For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.

First, the nation of Israel is blinded and cut off. We are told that the Jews are in Lo’Ammi (a state of blindness and separation). Hosea 1:9 says   Then said God, Call his name Loammi: for ye are not my people, and I will not be your God. Hos 3:4  For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king, and without a prince, and without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, and without teraphim:

This time period spoken of here, is the time we are living in today.

And today, we that have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, are the Wild Olive Tree that has been grafted in to the root of faith. In Scripture, Israel is compared to an Olive tree and the Gentile nations are the Wild Olive tree. Look at Rom. 11:17-18

Rom 11:17  And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;

Rom 11:18  Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.

In vs 18 we are told that we can’t boast of our place for it is the Jewish foundation of faith that nourishes our faith. Our roots are of the same faith of Abraham.

Rom 11:19  Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.

Rom 11:20  Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:

Rom 11:21  For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.

We read that it isn’t for our benefit that it happened this way, But because of the Jews disobedience. We should be thankful, not boastful.

Paul says that we are blessed because we are being used as a tool to provoke the Jews to jealousy.

Rom 11:11  I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.

Rom 11:23  And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.

Rom 11:24  For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?

And IF the Jews decide  to believe on Jesus Christ as the Savior, they too can be graffed into Christianity now, instead of waiting for the son of perdition to be revealed.

For Paul reveals that the Jew and Gentile are equally guilty before God today. And the only way to salvation is thru the cross. Read:                                                                               

Rom 11:32  For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

God told Paul to leave ministering to the Jews because he was the Apostle to the Gentiles.

Act 13:46  Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.

Act 13:47  For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.

Act 13:48  And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

So, today, we are in a time that is reserved for us to get to know our Savior and Father in preparation for eternity. For God said that these events in this time in history was kept hidden.

Rom 16:25  Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,

Rom 16:26  But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:

And these mysterys were so important in Gods plan that he also says:

1Co 2:8  Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

He was crucified and he will return.

BUT,

Don’t look for the Antichrist to be revealed to the Jews before the rapture. And if you are a believer, don't look for the second coming. Don’t look for wars, rumors of wars or even earthquakes.

The Antichrist will not be revealed to the Jews until AFTER three ½ years of PEACE; the first half of the tribulation. Mar 13:14  But when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not, (let him that readeth understand,) then let them that be in Judaea flee to the mountains: The AntiChrist is revealed to the Jews when He steps into the Holy of Holies of the new temple and defiles it with his presence.

And the Second Coming wont happen until the end of the 7 years of tribulation.

Instead of looking for signs of the second coming, look for the development of a 7 year PEACE treaty with The Jews And Muslim nations That especially has an agreement to allow the temple to be           rebuilt.

Dan 8:25  And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.

Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Dan 11:24  He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.  

We are not told that the rapture will occur during this time, but it WILL OCCUR NEARER TO these events than the signs of earthquakes and wars. And it is possiable that we hear rumors of this treaty being developed.

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together (raptured) with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: (He does not touch the ground here. He calls his people up into the clouds and takes them to heaven).

And at the removal of the church in the rapture, understanding will be returned to the Jews. The Gentiles are no longer part of the Olive Tree. They have been raptured. After 3 ½ years of peace the Jews new savior, the one responsible for the peace treaty, will be revealed to the Jews as the antichrist. See:

AND, Here is where the Jews see and understand that Jesus is the Messiah.

And the Jews are placed back into the Olive tree. They regain their faith, the faith of Abraham, thats needed for strenth as they finish out the tribulation.

Important thoughts:

Jesus will not set foot on earth during the Rapture.

His appearing on Earth at the Second Coming will not reveal a beautiful, Sexy, longhaired, bearded and muscular man, with a glorious shinning illumination. However, the antichrist may eventually appear in this context.

But instead they will most likely see a beaten, scared, and battered form that almost doesn’t look human. If Jesus told disciples to put their hands in the holes in his hands, then All the scars are still there today. When he arose, he rose with the same body he was buried with, assended with, and will return with.

Do Not be like the Jews at the first coming of Jesus they missed what they were searching for because they were looking for a King and not a servant.

Don’t have too many preconceived ideas.

Keep your imagination to a minimum so you will not Believe something that is so easily deceiving.

Bible Study

Heb 11:1  Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

-          Here, near the end of the bible, faith is explained for the first time.

2Co 5:7  (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)

-          Today, after the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, we walk by faith. He is in heaven. First we believe thru faith. Then we seek and learn the details of our belief in bible study. When Jesus was walking in the flesh, Jews believed thru sight as signs and wonders were performed, Since the beginning, signs were confirmation of Gods action in the life of the Jews.

1Co 1:22  For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:

-          Today, it’s neither sign nor wisdom that brings us to God. But, the power of the Spirit of God as he draws us to the truth.

1Co 1:23  But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness;……1Co 1:29  That no flesh should glory in his presence.

-          God will give no man an opportunity to glorify himself and claim himself to be the one that knows or understands Christ. God reveals himself to us. God calls us to himself.

Therefore, When we seek confirmation thru a sign, we abandon faith. We work against the same faith that we claim saved us from our sinful state and brought us to the cross. If faith cannot take us thru today, how can we stand on it into eternity?

Rom 10:17  So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

-          Study the bible. It’s that important.

WORK

HEY All,
Currently work is taking all my time and any left is dedicated to family.
I'll Get back at it soon.
Thanks,
jeff

Understanding and Knowing God

Because God allows us the liberty of choice, we may choose to or, not to believe in Him and His Son, Jesus. He also gives to us, based on our desire of a relationship with Him, our ability to understand His Word and our willingness to comprehend His eternal knowledge. In other words, both understanding and wisdom is given in direct proportion to the level of faith and commitment that we have allowed God to have in our life. God is capable of giving us so much that the information would be mind boggling, but He will only give to us, that part in which we can understand.

So, the more we study His Word and Pray, the closer we will be to God and the more God will share of His knowledge and His will, His purpose, and His desires for our life. If we submit and commit, pray, study His Word as he dictates, then and only then, can we have the peace and comfort of living in His Spirit. Then we can be filled with the Spirit. Then we can produce fruits of the Spirit. Then is when we grow in Gods knowledge. Gain understanding and wisdom that God wants for us as it is explained in Job 28.

Job 28 starts by describing worldly things and valuing them. Then this value is compared to the value of understanding and wisdom that is given by God.

Given as a gift to those that grow and nurture a relationship with him. We are on a grow to know basis with God. We cannot input more than we can understand, even if it is offered, but as we grow in a relationship with Him, we grow to understand.

Finally, please read and study Paul’s prayers for followers: Eph. 3: 14-21 & Col.  1:9-12. Pray that each follower will be blessed as Paul prayed these be blessed. Blessed in a greater knowledge and understanding of Jesus and wisdom as God sees to administer.

Col 1:9-12 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

Eph 3:14-21 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith--that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen. May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.                                                                   For Christ, 

Biblical Facts Concerning Giving Today

Note: this study is related to tithing only. It does not reflect alms or offerings, whether they be freely given, or ordered by God or kings.

The first tithes given were given by Abram to the first priest of God and he was actually a Gentile priest created prior to the line of Levi. This tribute of honor later became law thru the laws of Moses.

(Genesis 14:12-20)

The Ten Commandments would hold the Jews responsible to obedience (Ex 19:5) and their reward for keeping the Law would be their becoming a nation of priest. (Ex 19: 6)  As Moses was descending the mount, the Jews were already in progress of violating the law that God had made and written in stone. They had convinced Aaron to build them a golden calf as an image to pray to. (Ex 32:8)  

So, God created an additional 613 laws that provided rules and procedures for chosen people to make atonement for the sin of the nation. So instead of rewarding the unworthy and unbelieving nation by making them priest, God created the office of priest from the tribe of Levi. Aaron was the first High Priest. Their position and duty was defined as the people chosen, set apart (sanctified), and made holy before God so they could perform ritualistic sacrifices of atonement to God on behalf of a sinning nation of men. 

 (Numbers 18:24-31)

Mal 1:

Mal 3:6 

Malachi 3:7-10

2 Chronicles 31:4-12

Under the law only agricultural products were tithed. They included grain, fruit, and livestock. Only products produced within the boundaries of the land of Israel were to be tithed. Jews living in Gentile lands were exempt

(Leviticus 27:30-34).

Others exempt from the tithing law included the hired hands, fishermen, miners, lumber workers, construction workers, soldiers, weavers, potters, manufacturers, merchants, government workers, and priests. In short, all who were not farmers were exempt.  A farmer with only 9 cattle did not tithe because the law specified the "tenth which passeth under the rod." Likewise a farmer with 19 sheep paid only 1 sheep to the Lord's tithe. The Jewish farmers in the land could redeem (buy back) the tithes of their crops with a penalty of one fifth. In other words, if a farmer wishes to keep his tithe of grain worth $1,000, he could pay the cash equivalent of $1,200 (Leviticus 27:31).  Livestock could not be brought back nor could the farmer exchange a good animal for a bad one or vice versa. Any attempt to substitute any other animal other than the tenth which passed under the rod would be penalized by the farmer forfeiting both the tenth and its substitute (Leviticus 27:33).

.

According to Deuteronomy 14:22,23,28; 26:12; and Amos 4:4, the tithe was only given every three years.

It was unlawful for anyone outside of the tribe of Levi to receive the tithe, such as prophets, preachers, kings, or evangelists. . The Levites paid their tithes to the high priest. The high priests did not tithe. The tithes brought into the house of God provided for the care of the temple, the care of the Levites and the care of the people during certain times as appropriate.

 The Lord Jesus Christ did not ask for or receive a tithe for support of His ministry. Being of the tribe of Judah (not Levi) He could not without breaking the law (Hebrews 7:14; Revelation 5:5).. Neither Peter (not of the tribe of Levi) nor Paul (of the tribe of Benjamin) could receive tithes for the support of their ministries.

 Even the Jews do not practice tithing today because there are no Levite priests, or temple worship in Jerusalem. Jewish rabbis know biblical law well enough to know that tithing under the present circumstances is unlawful. According to them, when the temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem with a consecrated altar with priests and Levites officiating, all Jews living within the biblical tithing zones will tithe.

Some Christian ministries today continue to support tithing, using the argument that it predates Moses and the law. But this reasoning may not be valid, for the Sabbath also predates the giving of the law (Exodus 16:23-29) and yet it is not binding on God's people today (Romans 14:5,6; Galatians 4:9,10; Colossians 2:16,17).

Abram gave tithes to Melchisedec, king of Salem (current Jerusalem), but this was the spoils of war, not the legalistic tithe of the land which Moses commanded.{Melchisedec is also called the King of Priest and Christ was the Prince of Peace} Also, God did not command the tithe, Abraham chose to give it of his own free will (Genesis 14:17-23;).

 And when Jesus became our high priest, he did so not after the tribe of Levi, but after the order of Melchisedec. Hebrews 7:1-10

The only other scriptural reference to tithing before Moses is Jacob. Again there is no command to tithe. In fact, Jacob puts up numerous conditions to be met before he will pay the tithe to the Lord (Genesis 28:20-22).

Paul the apostle to the Gentiles { the man Jesus chose to teach us how his death was a blessing to us}does not mention tithing but says a great deal about Christian giving.

 Giving to the Poor Saints.

Romans 15:25,26;

The caretaking of ministers.

1 Corinthians 9:7-14;

Give systematically:

1 Corenthians16:1-3;

Give what ever you have as you can afford to:

And, as a missionary or minister, Accept all that is given to you as a gift:

Give to others in all things as you are blessed:

ie  its not just about giving your money

Give to other churches when you find your church with abundance:

Give to Mission work

Don’t be stingy with giving:

God provides for the cheerful giver:

Praying is giving:

2 Corinthians chapters 8 & 9;

Teaching is giving too:

Living a life of righteousness is Giving

Galatians 6:6-10;

Contentment is learned with giving:

Giving reaps rewards

Philippians 4:10-19;

Provide for some widows:

Provide for the livelihood of ministers/missionaries

1 Timothy 5:9-18.

Care for your own family needs before going out of family to give to others:

1 Timothy 5: 8

WHO is to give to the Lord's work? The Christian!

He gives systematically, sacrificially, and joyfully.

TO WHOM does he give?  To Christ!

FOR WHAT does he give? For the cause of Christ!

NOT for a man or for a church, not for gain or a good return, but for increasing the ability of sharing and spreading the Gospel.

AND To build disciples so they can do the same.

So, considering the historical evidence vs our current tradition; I would still give at least  10%. But, we all need to reevaluate our giving and the use of the money, time, and talents we give, and give as God inspires and directs us in our spirit.

Are we blessed to be able to give beyond 10%?

Are we giving as we can, or are we giving begrudgingly?

Are our gifts being used the way we are supposed to use them?

Are we giving to the right people/causes?

Are we denying our family NEEDS to give to church? 

May Gods will be done as we support his increase in souls and disciples.

All biblical references that address tithing issues are:

Genesis 14:20; 28:22;

Leviticus 27:30-32;

Numbers 18:20-28;

Deuteronomy 12:6,11,17; 14:22,23,28; 26:12;

2 Chronicles 31:5,6,12;

Amos 4:4;

Malachi 3:8-10;

Matthew 23:23;

Luke 11:42; 18:12;

Hebrews 7:5-9.