Dear Russell,
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with all of us. What a rich contribution!

Sonia : )

Thanks for sharing. I LOVE THIS! I’ll definitely be checking out your site and Todd Silva’s. It reminds me of the times I’ve paid the toll for the stranger behind me at the toll booth. It is so much fun to look in my review mirror and then have the stranger pull up, smile and mouth the words “thank you!”

Blessings to you!
Sonia

I am also a total believer in giving. I have designed my whole online presence around this topic. So I am very happy to see another share their insights on this topic.

In my journey I have found others who share this belief. I would love for you to visit Todd Silva’s site http://www.GiveAwayADollarADay.com . It is a fun and easy way for people of all ages to learn about the joys and benefits of giving.

Do you remember when you were young and finding a quarter or a dollar. The thrill, the excitment, the joy. Well Todd’s belief is that we still have these feelings inside of us. The whole premise of his website is based on the idea of hiding a dollar everyday. And while you are doing this be grateful. But specifically imagine the feelings that someone would have finding a dollar somewhere on their journey.

My 4 year old son still cracks up when we talk about hiding a loonie(Canadian dollar)behind the little door where you go to fill up the gas tank.

Imagine. You pull up to a gas station. You pop the door as you are reaching for the nozzle. You turn around to unscrew the cap. And there staring back at you is a greenback. You look around to see if you are on Candid Camera. But you have an enormous smile on your face as you fill up your car.

Now imagine that a 4 year old boy is still laughing his head off over this. I find that totally awesome.

Learning…Enjoying…Sharing

David

From: Tithing is not a Christian Doctrine
http://www.shouldthechurchteachtithing.com
Russell Earl Kelly, PHD

Malachi 3 is the Most Abused Tithing Text in the Bible. The “whole” tithe never was supposed to go to the Temple!

A. Malachi is Old Covenant and is never quoted in the New Covenant to validate tithing (Lev. 27:34; Neh. 10:28-29; Mal. 3:7; 4:4).

B. In Malachi 3:10-11 tithes are still only food 1000 years after Leviticus 27:30-34 and Numbers 18:21-28.

C. Malachi’s audience had willingly reaffirmed the Old Covenant (Neh.10:28-29). The blessings and curses of tithing are identical to and inseparable from those of the entire Mosaic Law. The rain in Deuteronomy 28:12, 23-24 and Leviticus 26:1-4 is only obtained by obedience to all 613 commandments. Galatians 3:10 (quoting Deu 27:26) “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.” Trying to earn God’s blessings through tithing only brings curses for failure to keep all of the law. See also Galatians 3:19.

D. Beginning in 1:6 “you” in Malachi always refers to the dishonest priests and not the people (also 2:1-10; 2:13 to 3:1-5): “Even this whole nation of you –priests” (3:9). In 1:13-14 the priests had stolen tithed animals vowed to God. In Nehemiah 13:5-10 priests had stolen the Levites’ portion of the tithe. God’s curses on the priests are ignored by most tithe-teachers (1:14; 2:2 and 3:2-4).

E. Point #12 of the essay. The Levitical cities must be included in a correct interpretation of Malachi 3:10. Most tithe-recipients lived outside of Jerusalem.

F. The 24 courses of Levites and priests must be included in a correct interpretation of Malachi 3. Normally only 2% of the total Levite and priest work force served at the temple one week at a time. Subtract wives, males under the age of 30 and daughters. Therefore 2% did not require all of the tithe. See 1 Chron 23-26; 28:13, 21; 2 Chron. 8:14; 23:8; 31:2, 15-19; 35:4, 5, 10; Ezra 6:18; Neh. 11:19, 30; 12:24; 13:9, 10; Luke 1:5.

G. Nehemiah 10:37-39 is the key to understanding Malachi 3:10, The people were commanded to bring their tithes, not to the temple, but to the nearby Levitical cities. Verse 38 says that the priests were with the Levites in the Levitical cities when they received the tithes.

H. According to Nehemiah 13:5, 9 the “storehouse” in the Temple was only several rooms. The real “storehouses” were in the Levitical cites per Nehemiah 10:37b-38. Only the Levites and priests normally brought tithes to the Temple (10:38). Two rooms in the Temple were far too small to contain the tithe from the entire nation and 98% of the Levites and priests lived too far away to eat from them.

Therefore, Malachi 3:10’s “Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse” only makes contextual sense if it is only commanding dishonest priests to replace the tithes they had removed from it or had failed to bring to it.

While the 3:10 of the Law in Malachi is so important to tithe-teachers they ignore the 3:10 of the Gospel in Galatians and 2nd Corinthians. Perhaps those wanting to enforce the 3:10 Law of Malachi should also enforce the 3:10 Law of Numbers. They share the same context.

Christian giving is freewill, sacrificial, generous, joyful, regular and motivated by love. That is enough to provide the needs of the Church.