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TITHES & OFFERINGS
Questions Nos. 647 to 653B


CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE


Question #647 : "What is a 'Church offering' and how is it to be used?"


E.O.D.H. Answer: This is a gift of honour to the Lord that is not compulsory, liken unto the widows mite and the freewill offerings brought by the Israelites unto the Lord, to express appreciation and thankfulness. Such offerings are used by the discretion of the pastor for various needs of the church, to pay bills, give a love offering to the poor and needy saints, etc, whereas tithes are not for building funds, nor used as a freewill offering. Tithes are for the five-fold ministry, upon the discretion of the pastor. However, a good pastor will use the tithes even for the needs of others, as we see Brother Branham done in his ministry. He ventured to give ninety percent away and keep ten percent, but was stopped by the law of the land.


Question # 648: "Pastors in India are more interested in tithes. Who should look after the money matters in the church?"


E.O.D.H. Answer: Tithes belong to the pastor and the rest of the ministry-the Levites. How the money is spent it is between him and God. Scripturally, it belongs. Sometimes people feel that the pastor is not using the tithes right. They give their tithes to a poor and needy brother. That's wrong. You are paying your one tenth to God. Place God's money where it is supposed to be. Hirelings are illegally collecting God's money: tithes. They are thieves and robbers because they are not true shepherds. They are greedy of filthy lucre.
'Who should look after the money matters in the church?' Trustees and treasurers are appointed by the pastor, sanctioned by the congregation. These officers are not to spend the church money. They are to take record and make submission to the pastor. Every transaction must be authorized by the pastor.


Question #649 : "Unto whom should I pay tithes, my pastor or any minister?"


E.O.D.H. Answer: Tithes should be paid to your pastor if you have one. If you do not have one you can pay it to a minister who feed you sheep food, locally or otherwise


EVERY CHRISTIAN IS OBLIGATED TO PAY TITHINGS

Quote W.M.B.: p. 604 "…I do believe that every Christian is obligated to pay tithings because it is a commandment of the Lord. 'And blessed are they that do all the commandments, that they might have a right to enter into the Life, the Tree of Life.'… Tithe-Paying Is Essential To A Christian Experience."


EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD PAY TITHES

Quote W.M.B.: "Brother Branham, don't you feel that everyone who claims to be a Christian should pay tithes; pay their tithes into the storehouse of the Lord? Please give Scripture to this question.
That is right, that the Bible said in Malachi, the 3rd chapter, 'Bring all of your tithe and offerings into My storehouse, and prove Me, saith the Lord, if I will not open up the windows of Heaven, and pour out a blessing that there'll not be room enough to receive. That's a challenge to any individual... That's a challenge to anybody… Every Christian should pay tithes! That's right. It should be done. (COD, page 617)


EVERY CHRISTIAN IS DUTY BOUND TO PAY TITHES

Quote W.M.B.: "You see what a strict thing it is to pay tithes? Every Christian is duty bound to pay tithe. That's right. Never has been changed. (Hebrews Book, Chap 7, part 1)

"But woe unto you, Pharisees! For ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. - This ye ought to have done, is "tithes." (Luke 11:42).
"And as I may so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, payed tithes in Abraham. For he was yet in the loins of his father, when Melchisedec met him." (Hebrews 7: 4-10).


I PAY MY TITHES

Quote W.M.B.: 1034-184 "But just as loyal as I ever could, I paid tithes. And when I took my own money from the church here or from my campaigns, I'd take more... I'd give a tenth. Then I'd give it out to the ministers, and give the rest of it to ministers… Then just take a wage out of that of a hundred dollars a week; and I pay my tithes from that. Yes sir. I believe in paying tithes. It's one of God's blessings that's proven to be a blessing. You say, "That's of the Old Testament." It is of the New Testament too. Yes, sir." (Questions And Answers 64-0823e).


MY FIRST DUTY TO GOD

Quote W.M.B.: 13 "First thing, Mr. Mason, as my duty to God, I owe Him my tithes. I want to pay Him my tithings first." (Christ Revealed In His Own Word 65-0822m).


TITHES IS FOR THE NEW TESTAMENT TOO

Quote W.M.B.: "I believe in paying tithes… You say, "That's of the Old Testament." It is of the New Testament too. Yes, sir." (Questions And Answers 64-0823e).


TITHES IS TO GO TO THE MINISTER

Quote W.M.B.: 680-Q-161 "Tithes is to go to the minister. That's right… In the Old Testament… all the tithings went to their priests, their pastors. Yes, tithings are to go for nothing else. I know people take their tithes and give them to a widow woman. That's wrong. If you've got anything to give the widow woman, give her, but don't give her God's money. That's not yours in the first place. That's God's." (Questions And Answers 61-1015m).

"But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit."(Numbers 18: 24-26).

Quote W.M.B.: "But when you pay tithings... Really, where you owe tithings is where you get your food. "Bring ye all your tithings into My storehouse, saith the Lord. (That right?) And prove Me wherein saith God, that if I'll not open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing that you would not have room enough to receive it." I challenge any man or woman that's not a tithe payer to accept that." (Questions And Answers 64-0823e).


Question # 650: "Who is to pay tithes? Is it for only workers, or is a child also suppose to pay tithes from his pocket money given him or her by the parents?"


E.O.D.H. Answer: Tithes paying is for both Old Testament and New Testament (Malachi 3 and Matthew 23:23).
  • Christians will pay their tithes. It's their obligation.
  • Working people must pay their tithes; it is one tenth of their take home salary and not gross income before taxes and other governmental charges.
  • Children should be taught to pay their tithes from all their allowances, and when they grow older, they would not depart from it.


    • Question # 651: "On what are you suppose to pay tithes?"


    E.O.D.H. Answer: 
  • Some pay tithes after instalments for car, house etc. are taken out by the bank. This is wrong.
  • Tithes must be paid from all cash incomes, salary, gifts, inheritance etc.
  • Tithes should not be paid on government taxes and other compulsory charges, but on tax return money.
    •


    Question # 652: "Is it right to pay tithes to any minister?"


    E.O.D.H. Answer: No, it is not right to pay tithes to any minister, such as hirelings and false prophets. If someone has a home church, they owe their tithes to that ministry, church, pastor etc. If they do not have a home church, they can pay their tithes to any faithful minister. If you pay your tithes to heretics, it will support heresies and the kingdom of Satan.


    Question # 653: "Are you out of the faith if you fail to pay tithes?"


    E.O.D.H. Answer: Tithe paying is a part of the faith like any other ordinance: communion, feet washing etc. To be in the faith, a Christian must be faithful to such ordinances.


    Question # 653B: "Around the message there is a prevailing attitude of ministers living luxuriously, because of much income through tithes, offerings and special collections of funds. Is this scriptural?"


    E.O.D.H. Answer: : Absolutely not! This is a spirit of the Catholic Church and other organizations, which patterned after that and inherited that Judas spirit. A minister around the message who manifests such attitude cares more about himself, the wool of the sheep and not the salvation of the sheep. A minister that really loves the sheep will feed them as Jesus commanded, and would live in such a manner that would not cause the sheep to stumble. He will separate himself very far from what is manifested in way of luxury, by the religious world and satanic system.
    The correct example of a minister using tithes and offerings is found in Jesus our Lord, Paul the apostle, other apostles and the prophet William Branham. They did not live in Luxury with big homes, expensive motor vehicles, helicopters, airplanes and joy riding around the world. All lived as the common saints. They refused to take cash gifts and material things from the people, on occasions. This was done that the gospel would have the effects on people lives by their ministry, even as the Lord Jesus, and not be placed in the same category, as money loving preachers.
    All ministers are not contented with food and raiment, and the average necessities of life. When they come to the ministry of Christ and are given power over money, they show their true colours and greed for this natural world, even like Judas Iscariot manifested and was destroyed.
    Some ministers, who are true to the cause of the gospel, are led away by the ambitious and greedy appetites of their families, and patterns after the world. They use tithes in a luxurious manner, to eat, drink and make merry, even without restraint; buy expensive items and are not conservative because they have access to church finance, which rightfully belongs to the ministry. Such ministers become self-centred and do not share with other ministers and poorer saints of their own churches, and far less with others.
    A true servant of God would share the tithes with the rest of the five-fold ministry and give to the poorer saints. He will be fully conscious not to live luxuriously, but will be in fear and trembling that he does not stumble a soul out of the way, by such living. He will treat the tithes and offerings as the Lord's money, and will be fully conscious, knowing that he will one day give an account for it. He will handle such funds with respect, reverence and a lack of greed. He will treat it as hard earn labours, and will be mindful of saving and not wasting a penny of the Lord's money, which can be used for the sake of the gospel. Message ministers are patterning after the rich, educated, social and religious system of organizations.

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