Mammon: the god of the modern church

For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. James 3:16

For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10

And the priest, the son of Aaron shall be with the Levites, when the Levites take tithes: and the Levites shall bring up the tithe of the tithes unto the house of our God, to the chambers, into the treasure house. Nehemiah 10:38

If you are in an assembly that teaches that one has to pay tithes, and makes it a requirement for you to pay tithes, they are either deceived, or liars and thieves, and you should probably leave. If you are in an assembly that teaches that giving offerings to their churches will bring you much prosperity and wealth, and uses this as an incentive for you to give them your money, they are liars and thieves.  The early believers suffered persecution, beatings and torturings, and futhermore, not all of them were wealthy.

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. Matthew 6:24

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptations and into traps, and into many foolish and harmful desires, and they sink the children of men into corruption and destruction.  1 Timothy 6:9

One of those traps that these men with foolish desires fall into, is getting their hard-earned money swindled by thieving preachers, thinking that they can buy prosperity from God, and then they are poorer than before they gave the offering.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: Matthew 6:19

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 9:7

The Law of tithing is impossible to keep as it was given because these Pastors are not of Levi, and if they are Levi, they are not proven descendants of Aaron and there is no tabernacle for these tithes to be stored in.  Preachers who make tithing a compulsory thing in their churches, which is a Law of Torah, but yet they do not keep the other laws of the Torah such as the refraining from pork or keeping the New Moon festivals (yet they keep pagan festivals like Easter and Christmas) , are either liars, thieves or deluded by tradition.

The purpose of Offerings

Galatians 2:10 Only they would that we should remember the poor; the same which I also was forward to do.

The less fortunate members of assemblies were the primary recipient of the believers’ offerings.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27

Honour widows that are widows indeed. But if any widow have children or nephews, let them learn first to show piety at home, and to requite their parents: for that is good and acceptable before God. 1 Timothy 5:4-5

Therefore, the widows who had no family members to provide for them received help from the believers with money, food, and shelter.

Do the Scriptures teach that believers must forego paying their bills and buying food for their families in order to pay a tithe? No.

And He answered and said to them, “And why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? “For God said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER,’ and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, LET HIM BE PUT TO DEATH.’ “But you say, ‘Whoever shall say to his father or mother, “Anything of mine you might have been helped by has been given to God,” he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And thus you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition.

Matthew 15:3-6

The Pharisees taught that if an offering was given to the temple, instead of supporting your aged mother and father, that you did not sin by refusing to support them.

In addition to the precept in 2 Corinthians 9:7 and Matthew 15:3-6, the Scriptures say that:

But if any provide not for his own, and especially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.- 1 Timothy 5:8

Therefore, anyone who teaches this doctrine of demons is similar to a Pharisee from the book of Matthew.

The other purpose of offerings is for the elders who preach and labor to teach us.

Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially they who labour in the word and doctrine.  1 Timothy 5:17

Do these elders who swindle you of your money deserve any of it, like 1 Timothy 5 verse 17 says? ? The answer to that question is whether or not they labored properly in the doctrine of verse 4 and verse 8.

Therefore, to conclude, the purpose of offerings is to give to the less fortunate, your brothers and sisters in the Household of the Messiah, and to support preachers and teachers. A good example of this is helping to raise funds for a missionary who seeks to travel to faraway lands.

Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

For I was hungry, and you gave me no food: I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink:

I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and you visited me not.

Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we you hungry, or thirsty or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto you?

Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Since you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Matthew 25:41-46

IF YOU ARE A PASTOR AND MORE OF THE OFFERING MONEY IS GOING TOWARDS FANCY CARS, PRIVATE JETS, FANCY SUITS, AND PRAYER BREAKFASTS, THAN TO THE HUNGRY AND STARVING OR  STRUGGLING EVANGELISTS, YOU HAVE A PROBLEM!