Pruning in the Lives of Christians

Pruning.  I have been sitting on this topic for a year and a half now, but I believe the timing is just as fitting now than it would have been then.  Honestly, my hesitation was primarily due to the fact that what must be said affects me just as much as it does you.  No matter the difficulty or whether I am as ready as I wish, I must be obedient to the Holy Spirit.  I will not delay this any longer, so, let's talk about it.

(Courtesy of Wikimedia)

What does it mean to prune something? To prune something means,

To cut off or remove dead or living parts or branches of (a plant, for example) to improve shape or growth...[t]o remove or cut out as superfluous ([b]eing beyond what is required or sufficient) - (see pruning) 

Have you ever planted a vegetable garden?  If so, directions on the package of seeds instructed you plant a few together with a certain amount spacing between them.  Later, you would have to prune (or cut back or down) the other plants, so that your row of plants will have enough room to grow. The purpose of the pruning is to ensure better or desired growth for that plant or tree.  I have grown a couple of gardens before and I have learned a few things from it as well. For example, I have thrown a bunch of tomato seeds in the ground and didn't prune at all.  I ended up with a nice produce, but things grew out of control and vines were all over the place.  Some of the other plants in the garden box were not as strong as the tomatoes.  I probably could have ended up with a better yield of everything had I followed the instructions to place the seeds the right amount of space apart and pruned where needed. You'd be surprised at what you can learn through gardening!

The beautiful thing about this is that pruning not only relates to physical gardening, but it also relates directly to our spiritual walk with Yeshua as well. In John 15:1-6, it says:

(1) Jesus said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. (2) He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit. He also trims every branch that produces fruit to prepare it to produce even more. (3) You have already been prepared to produce more fruit by the teaching I have given you. (4) Stay joined to me and I will stay joined to you. No branch can produce fruit alone. It must stay connected to the vine. It is the same with you. You cannot produce fruit alone. You must stay joined to me. (5) "I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you stay joined to me, and I to you, you will produce plenty of fruit. But separated from me you won’t be able to do anything. (6) If you don’t stay joined to me, you will be like a branch that has been thrown out and has dried up. All the dead branches like that are gathered up, thrown into the fire and burned." (ERV)

So, let's break those verses down into three sections.

Roles

In verses 1-3, Yeshua, immediately gives us His identity and then identifies Yahweh the Father.  The Father is the gardener and the Son is the true vine.  We as followers of Christ are the branches.  A gardener takes full care of his plants and takes the necessary steps to ensure that they get the maximum production out of them. While pruning is one out of many things that must be done, it is still necessary to trim back the branches in preparation of producing the fruit.  This means that if you are not producing fruit (doing what has been commanded of you) as a branch, you will be cut off from Christ.


Connected to the Vine

In verses 4-5, Yeshua stresses the importance of staying connected to Him.  He tells us that we are nothing by ourselves.  I am pretty sure, that many of you can attest to trying to do it alone without Him and the mess from which you are probably still trying to recover.  There is no way we can be fruitful, if we are disconnected from the True Vine.  Yeshua wants a healthy relationship with each of us, but that means we have to remain healthy branches in order to stay in relationship with Him. He has already given us the promise of being fruitful, we just have to do our part.


What Happens to The Separated

Verse 6 pretty much sums everything up.  You have seen branches that are trimmed from trees.  You have seen what happens to dead portion of trees and plants that go by the wayside.  They are separated from the healthy part of the plant, so that the rest of the plant continues to thrive. If you have ever seen a fire started, you know that it is started with dry material.  You don't start it with healthy living material.  Dry wood is something which has been separated from the living plant for quite some time.  This is why campers and people with wood-burning stoves or fireplaces seek out dry wood to start fires.  Simply put - dead wood burns better.  This is what Yeshua tells us.  If you become separated from Him, you become like kindling for a fire.


What does this means for you and I?  Well, it means quite a bit.  You see, a branch on a vine, typically has its own little branches as well. We should be connected to the True Vine all the while being fruitful, however, we as branches need to continuously prune things in our lives.  If you leave dying branches on a plant, it will eventually cause harm to the rest of the tree. One article states that you should "[r]emove dead, damaged and diseased branches to help prevent insect & decay organisms from entering the tree." ("Why, When, & How to Prune Your Trees").

Folks, the Gardner (Yahweh) WILL NOT let the Vine (Yeshua) and the true church be damaged or diseased by branches that are not producing fruit.  In addition, those who chose to go against His will are subject to being trimmed as well.  As such, we as followers, should not allow anything to cause us to be cut away from the True Vine.  This means that we have to make some decisions in our lives - some easy, some medium-sized and some difficult. If you know that there are stumbling blocks in your life, then it is simple - prune them from your life.  However, it gets difficult when the Holy Spirit instructs us to cut things out of our lives that we have become use to having, like:

• TV Entertainment
• Habits (coffee, cigarettes, etc.) 
• Hobbies
• Things (houses, cars, games, etc.)
• Friends
• Family
• And many more things...

The two on the list that may cause the most heartburn for folks are friends and family. I understand it, because we are use to those who are close to us, especially family.  I have had the same struggles as well just as many others on this Christian walk.  How do you just cut them off?  How do you cut off the ones that have brought you through thick and thin? How do you cut off grandmothers, aunts, or uncles who may have raised you?  What about the ones who birthed you?  I do not have that answer for your situation or the words for you to say (should it come to that), but I can only point you back to scripture. In Matthew 12:46-50, Yeshua tells us His true family:

(46) While Jesus was talking to the people, his mother and brothers stood outside. They wanted to talk to him. (47) Someone told him, "Your mother and brothers are waiting for you outside. They want to talk to you." (48) Jesus answered, "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" (49) Then he pointed to his followers and said, "See! These people are my mother and my brothers. (50) Yes, anyone who does what my Father in heaven wants is my true brother and sister and mother." (ERV)

Our commandments are to stay connected to (and love) Yeshua and Love people as He loves them.  Then, we are commanded to share the gospel.  Those are our jobs, but listen - everyone cannot and will not accept the Word in its entirety. Doing the parts that benefit us comes easy.  The part that causes us heartache and sacrifice is a different story for many others. We cannot think that those before us who were righteous can also gift us an easy Christian walk and connection to the Vine. Sunday morning service does not guarantee you a constant connection to the Vine. Your parents' relationship with Yeshua, does not guarantee you constant connection with the Vine.  It is your own walk which determines your connection to the Vine.  As such there will come a time where we must make a choice as it pertains to our direct relationship. We will have to chose to either stand up for the Messiah or not.  Unfortunately, this may mean some emotional decisions for many of us (I included). The question is where will you stand?  Will you stand with the Son or will you stand against Him?

We have to realize that pruning in our spiritual walk is also a constant health check on our relationship with Christ.  You do not want anything in this life to jeopardize your eternal life after this flesh is gone.  So, I end with this last question:  What do you need to start pruning from your life today?

Decisions. Decisions.

Be blessed folks.


Antoine E. Hall

Updated: January 21, 2020

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Christians, You Misunderstand The Marriage Debate

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.org

Right now as I write this entry, there is a debate going on somewhere in the United States.  The debate?  Well if you have not turned on a television in the past few hours, it is about same-sex marriage.  At this moment the US Supreme Court is discussing a case where a lady has sued to have a same-sex relationship recognized like a traditional marriage.  It is not just about the marriage, but all the full rights of a traditional marriage where the spouses receive benefits, insurance, tax breaks, etc.  However, at a time where the United States is in turmoil over who has the right to be married the debate is mostly misunderstood.

I am a follower of Christ and I believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman. The Bible says in Genesis 2:24: “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.”  This is my belief and I do not back down from it.  At the same time, those who do not believe the Bible as absolute truth will ignore this verse as they feel it does not pertain to them.  I get it.  I understand it.  Our starting point of understanding is totally different and as such there will not be an agreement.  My basis is in what God says.  Their bases is from their set of beliefs and values.  

In another camp, you have those who wish to have same-sex marriages recognized by the state and/or federal government.  They believe that they should be afforded the same rights as a married man and wife.  They believe they should have the same tax breaks, insurance coverage and benefits, as well as any other benefits afforded to a traditional married couple.  They desire to have the nation to accept them for who they are and give them the civil rights they deserve (although, I do not believe that this is a civil rights debate, but that is for another entry).  

What you end up having is this huge debate of different camps arguing about what’s right and what’s wrong - they are arguing about what the federal and state governments should allow and what should be sanctioned.  Christians are worried that, if laws change, many churches will be force to perform same-sex marriages which goes totally against the Word of God.  Those who are proponents of same-sex marriages feel that they are at the cusp of opportunity to be recognized with the same equal rights as others.  Everything is in a pure conundrum in this country.  However, let’s sit back for a minute. Let’s look at marriage for what it is today in the United States.

If you’ve noticed, everything that has been discussed is about the equal rights that are legally allowed by the government.  Looking at it for what it is, today’s marriage is an institution which is regulated by the government.  When I got married, I obtained a Marriage License.  Until recently it never dawned on me why I needed one other than it was apart of the process.  However, if you look at what has happened over history, you realize that something that was once a family only affair has turned into a permissioned based union by the government.

According to TheFreeDictionary.com, a marriage license is “a license authorizing two people to marry”.  If you go a step further, let’s look at the word license.  After doing a Google search, I found that a license is “[a] permit from an authority to own or use something, do a particular thing, or carry on a trade”.  In essence you have the government acting as the authority who is authorizing two people to legally enter into a union.  Theoretically, you would be breaking the law if you married someone without getting the authorization of a governing authority!  In addition, you would be breaking the law if you attempted to violate numerous marriage acts that were passed (some prohibiting the marriage of siblings, under aged, etc.).  How in the world did this happen?  How did the government become wrapped up in the legalities of marriage when men and women have been doing so since the beginning of time?

“For most of Western history, marriage was a private contract between two families. Until the 16th-century, Christian churches accepted the validity of a marriage on the basis of a couple’s declarations.”1  Prior to the 16th-century, a lot of marriages were arranged.  The families arranged the bride and groom and a ceremony process took place befitting for that culture.  In historical Jewish Marriage, it would start by the arrangement of the two to be married.  Next, the groom would have to pay money to the bride’s family for her and then the groom would go back to his father’s house to build a room for he and the new bride.  Once the room was completed, he would go back to get her, bring her home to the new room where they’d later consummate the marriage.  Pretty much that was it (I gave the abridged version, but I would encourage you to read my wife’s, The Bride of Christ and the Historical Jewish Marriage Significance).  

If you look at it for what it is, today’s form of “legalized marriage” is nothing more than a taxation and in returned you get “xyz” benefits from the license.  In a nutshell, that’s what you have.  Contrary to popular belief, the Supreme Court does not care what God says.  The Federal, state, and local governments do not care what church folk or conservatives believe is immoral or wrong.  When you marry, you receive a license that can be nullified at any moment because while you married your spouse, you were also given legal permission to do so by a third party.  As such, laws change and at the drop of the dime so can the definition of marriage according to man’s law and not God’s law.  Just because you go to a church and get married, you still are reminded by a Reverend to not forget to sign the marriage certificate, so it can be returned to the State.

People of God, you are pretty much approaching a debate with the wrong set of class notes.  Once man started to decide what was legal and illegal in regards to marriage, God was thrown out of the mix.  The laws are such that instead of paying a family for the bride, you pay the government for your bride.  We have lived this way for so many decades that we do not know anything different.  No one has ever asked why you need permission from someone other than parents to marry your spouse.  Satan is so clever that in the end you find yourself trying to defend the institution of marriage as defined by man and not God without even knowing it.

In conclusion, I encourage you to do your own research on the history of marriage. You might be amazed at what you find and you may realize that this battle is not yours to fight.

Be Blessed.

Antoine E. Hall

1. Wikipedia.com. “Marriage License”.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage_license.

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Sexual Abuse, Promiscuity, and A Testimony

So far to this point in my might life, I think this is the hardest thing that I have had to write.  Not even a 20 page research paper while in college compares.  It took me awhile to get around to writing this entry.  I dragged my feet and I kept finding other things to occupy my time, but no matter what, the Holy Spirit would not leave me in peace until I did.  Even in a past blog entry, “Getting Into a Rod Bending Match With God”, I found myself writing about my own shortfalls (which is not out of the ordinary) and disobeying God.  However, that writing was a lead up to now.

So, with that said I must say that some of the things I will share may come as a shock to those who read this as it is a departure from the one side of me that you may have known.  However, growing up there was another private side that I have never shared.  It involved sexual abuse, homosexual acts, and lots of promiscuity.  

Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it”.  

Believe what you will, but children have memories that can go back to when they were infants.  I can recall memories of being held by my mom as a child while riding on a subway train in New York.  I could not talk and was a lap baby, but I have that one image in my brain.  I also, remember being between 3-5 years old and getting on a school bus that took me to a daycare that was in a church in New Bern, NC.  I sat in class, learned about Jesus and I was a regular kid.  As far as I can remember, this was my first introduction to the Lord. However, it is at this same age (around 3-4), I was sexually abused.  This too, I remember vividly.

During this time in my life, both of my parents use to work during the day, so I was kept by a neighbor’s wife, teenage son, and younger daughter.  I was there a lot, but the one day that I remember is the day I have never been able to forget.  I was sexually abused by the son.  In addition, I was shown what to do as if I were a partner in a homosexual relationship.  Not only was I sexually abused by the son, but I was made to have sexual intercourse with the younger daughter. I was held and “guided” as to what should have been done.  It wasn’t until later that day when my parents came home that I complained of my pain that my Mom checked my underwear.  In it she saw blood, told my Father and I told them what happened that day.  I remember the family walking next door, there was a conversation, and I never stayed over there again.  In all honesty, with my Father’s no-nonsense attitude, I am thinking the only thing that kept him from killing and out of jail is God!

So, up to this point you have a small child who had been introduced to sexuality.  The last thing that should be on a kid’s mind of my age at that time is sexual acts.  But, there I was - my mind had been exposed to a world of perversion and innocence was lost.  One might ask, how did I cope with being sexually abused?  Well, if you have had the opportunity to watch children, you probably know that kids are quite resilient.  While memories are hard to erase, a sometimes kids just carry on with their lives.  However, in the same breath, it is those memories that can warp a child’s perspective on the life as they have lived it thus far.

From what I learned, on occasion was involved in homesexual acts with other children.  I still thought girls were cool, but I also thought the homesexual acts were not a problem.  It was a learned behavior (maybe, more on learned behavior in a later blog post).   These acts continued on occasion into elementary school, until one day I decided that I liked girls only and no longer had a desire for the homesexual acts.  For this alone, I thank God for his saving grace!  Yes, He kept me!

To make matters worse, by the time I was out of elementary school, I had been introduced to pornography!  As you know, this graphic display and influence of sexual activity can create all kind of ideas and misinterpretations for a person, not to mention a kid.  As I moved from elementary school into middle school, I had girlfriends, however as you could imagine, my interpretation of relationships between girls and boys was a little more advanced based on past experiences.  By the time I was in 8th grade, I found myself sneaking into the window of a girl’s home and having sex all while the parents sat home.  I continued on into high school but my promiscuity didn’t stop there.  It continued to the point where I contracted a sexually transmitted disease (STD).  PRAISE GOD, it was one that was curable and not one that could kill me!

After the STD and into college, you would think that I would have learned my lesson, but I didn’t.  The pornography would occasionally still prop up and the sexual relationships with different girls did not stop.  You know the funny thing is that I called it having fun!  What was weird though was that once I got into a relationship with someone I was committed to that person.  It was just that when I wasn’t in that committed relationship that all bets were off.  It wasn’t until towards the end of college that I began to “grow up” and slow down, however, by this time in my life, I had committed numerous sins and I had them committed against me.

It was the final year of college that I met my current wife and a year later we were married. I have been married for nearly 12 years and together we have two beautiful children.   Most importantly, I gave my life to Jesus Christ about a year after we were married.  I have given my life to the One who gave His life for me!  I have asked God for forgiveness and I have forgiven those who committed sinful acts against me.  However, through all of this, one might think “So what?”  To some other people, it sounded as if I lived the life that every boy/kid would have desired in middle & high school as well as college.  Well, yes I lived life, but I lived a dangerous life.  I lived one where at any point I could have been killed by an incurable disease or one where I thought it was natural to carry on in relations with other men!  

To the Lord our God, the life that I use to live was/is unacceptable!  In 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, it says

“(9) Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, (10) Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”

I bold the words above because they speak directly to my life as I had described it.  You might say that this mentions nothing about homosexuality, but let me show you.  It may not say the word explicitly, but God’s word speaks against it.  The word effeminate means “[h]aving qualities or characteristics more often associated with women than men.”  This covers another male acting like females.  Then you have the word fornication which means “[s]exual intercourse between partners who are not married to each other.”  As such, the fornication part alone would speak directly to it because in the eyes of God, marriage is the union between a man and a woman.  Seeing as how two men nor two women in marriage would be recognized by God, then it is a sin and you shall never inherit the kingdom of God - but that’s if you did not continue on to verse 11 of 1 Corinthians 6 where there is good news!

“(11) And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.”

Yes, I was too. But, if your life was mine, then you have a way out.  You have a choice that you can make and it is a decision that you can chose right now.  It is not to say that life instantly becomes easy, but being washed by the blood of Jesus will make you righteous and deliver you from the evil that consumes you!  I am a living witness that you can be delivered.  If you know Christ, then you can repent, turn from your ways, and you will be forgiven (see Acts 3:17-23)!  However, repenting is not a get out jail free card. It is a choice to turn and walk away from what you have done in the past and to never do it again.  If you do not know Christ, then you can give your life to Christ by (1) recognizing your past sin(s); (2) believing in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and that he rose from the grave to sit at the right hand of God. and; (3) by committing to live according to the Word of God and continuously seeking Jesus as the only way to God for the rest of your life.  I am a living witness that God can save you!  He can deliver you and there is noone or thing who can release you of the past sin like God can!

Psalm 30:  (1) I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me. (2) O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me. (3) O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit. (4) Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. (5) For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. (6) And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved. (7) Lord, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled. (8) I cried to thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication. (9) What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth? (10) Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord, be thou my helper. (11) Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness; (12) To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

Be Blessed folks and have a great day!

Antoine E. Hall

P.S.  It is not my aim to drag anyone’s name through the mud or to point any fingers.  It is my prayer that whoever reads this, receives this not as a “woe is me” blog entry, but rather a showing of the power of Christ and the showing of power of His saving grace.  This is only a short account of my life, my past sins, and God’s amazing saving grace! May God receive all the glory!!

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Should You Pay Your Tithes Next Sunday?

I know what you are wondering.  How dare I ask if you are going to pay your tithes this upcoming Sunday?  Of course you are, right?!  Well, while I understand you may be certain about your intentions with your 10%, I wish to offer you some information about what you may be about to do.  I will go ahead now and give you warning that what you are about to read, may challenge teachings you have learned since childhood.  While I understand that these types of challenges can shake us to the core, I encourage you to continue reading.


I Probably Was Just Like You

Once I gave my life to Christ, I was taught that we are to give our tithe and offering.  I was taught that I should be a “cheerful giver” and that I was suppose to “Bring all the tithes into the storehouse”.  You’ve probably heard it too.  Once I learned that I was suppose to give an offering and that I was required to give the tithe (which was 10% of my income) I started to fall into line.  It was a gradual process because after all, one is not use to giving away 10% of their income.  At first it started off with 10% of my net income and then it changed to 10% of my gross income because God is suppose to get my “first fruits”.  That made sense to me, but then God threw a monkey wrench into what I thought I knew.  I had been doing it all wrong and what made it even worse is that it was right there in the Word for me to read.  I just chose to be spoon fed from the pulpit rather than picking up my bible and reading for myself.  Reading is definitely fundamental.


What’s Wrong With Tithing Today?

After doing some reading, studying, and discussing with my wife, I discovered something.  Tithing is an Old Testament (OT) teaching and as where it is taught that you should do it today in the church, it is an incorrect teaching.  There is a lot in the bible that supports this statement but I will simply point you to this.  In the OT, the only people who could collect the tithe were the Levitical Priests which meant you had to be a descendant of Levi (see 2 Chronicles 31:1-12).  In that alone, unless a Pastor today is a descendant of Levi and they live under OT Law, then what they are teaching is incorrect.  Also, in that scripture, there is no mention of money (which is man-made), but rather it is a tithe of things that were created by God ("...firstfruits of grain, vintage fruit, oil, honey, and of all the produce of the field").  


If It’s Not Money, Then What Is It?

Well, some would argue that the Israelites did not have money, so they tithed other things. Well that would be an incorrect argument as well.  In Deuteronomy 2:5-7, Moses told the Israelites that they "...shall buy food from them for money, that you may eat, and you shall also buy water from them for money, that you may drink". So, clearly money was present, but God never commanded them to tithe money.  It was always something from the land and/or an animal (of things God created).  One scripture that people love to quote is Malachi 3:10, but this really point to the fact that tithe was not about money. It says to "Bring all the tithes (the whole tenth of your income) into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and prove Me now by it, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it."  Using that scripture alone, it is easy to deceive and keep with the same teachings of tithing today.  However, if you look at that scripture and keep in mind the directive of God as to what to tithe, you will know that it is not money, but the first fruits of God created things (see back in 2 Chronicles 31:1-12).

Let’s look at the BibleStudyTools.com commentary for Malachi 3:10.  (Just an FYI, they are using the NIV version).  You will notice that it points to Proverbs 3:9 which says "Honor the LORD with your wealth, with the firstfruits of all your crops;".  Here wealth is not money but their increase from the crops.  Going back to the mentioning of the "storehouse" in Malachi 3:10.  The commentary points to 2 Chronicles 3:11, but I would suggest for you to read 2-chronicles 31:9-13 for the full context.  Here "Hezekiah gave orders to prepare storerooms in the temple" because the people brought so many contributions that they "...had enough to eat and plenty to spare, because the LORD has blessed his people, and this great amount is left over."  So, the storerooms (or storehouse) was a place to store the "contributions, tithes [which is not money], and gifts".  Nowhere does it mention bringing 10% of your gross monetary income.  In addition, this again is in Malachi which is in the OT which is under the Law!


What About Paul’s Instructions to Give Cheerfully?

So then, we have to move to the New Testament (NT) because a lot of the times 2 Corinthians 9:7 is used in the context of tithing.  It says, "Let each one [give] as he has made up his own mind and purposed in his heart, not reluctantly or sorrowfully or under compulsion, for God loves (He [a]takes pleasure in, prizes above other things, and is unwilling to abandon or to do without) a cheerful (joyous, “prompt to do it”) giver [whose heart is in his giving]."  I do not have a gripe with this at all because we are to give cheerfully.  We are to give of our time, talents, resources (which could include money, but does not have to).  Going back to 2 Corinthians 9:7, you have to read it in context.  If you read verse 1, Paul says "Now about the offering that is [to be made] for the saints (God’s people in Jerusalem), it is quite superfluous that I should write you;".  Directly, he tells you that the offering is made for the saints of Jerusalem who are poor (see verse 9).  It is not a tithe.  It is not 10% of their income, but rather an offering from their heart to support the poor in Jerusalem. Paul gave them notice that he was coming as to prepare before he arrived so that the offering was not as a surprise, but so that it would "be ready, not as an extortion [wrung out of you] but as a generous and willing gift".  Notice again there is no reference to money.  Today, our society has trained our brains to think that when we give something representing a charitable donation that it has to be monetary.  Well, once again I would like to challenge you to believe otherwise and that there is other value found in things outside of printed currency.


But, What About the 10% of My Income Part?

If we cannot find an account of it in the written word, then it only leads to one thing.  Humans made it up.  Now, I would like to turn the question back to you.  What about it?  Can you find any mention of it in the NT scriptures that says we as Christians, living under grace, should be doing this?  It is not my intention to offer up opinions, but rather to provide facts based on the truth, which is the Word of God.  If you decide to keep giving 10% of your income out of the cheerfulness of your heart, then by all means do so.  However, know that you are not tithing.  It is not an obligation and neither will you go to Hell for not doing so.  Those misconceptions are not true and many have been misled.  I encourage you not to take my word for it, but rather go to the Word of God for yourself.  Also, I encourage you not to discount what I write because it goes against anything you’ve ever learned.  Again, read the Word for yourself and if you find different then please correct me as a brother in Christ.  


In Conclusion

By no means, did I provide an exhaustive explanation and or list of scriptures, but what I wanted to do was provide an invitation for you to look for yourself.  God does not contradict himself, so I wouldn’t expect any of the scriptures listed to contradict any others in his Word.  There is a lot of information out there on the topic of “should the church teach tithing”.  Google it when you get a chance. Any time we as Christians give, it should not be a guilt trip, game, or the need to give because we think God is a slot machine.  All of these thoughts have been incorrectly taught and is still preached every Sunday from the pulpit throughout the nation.  The issue is that a lot of us don't pick up the Bible and read for ourselves and simply accept spoon feeding.  I know because I was one of them, but when you know better you do better.  

Be Blessed Folks,

Antoine E. Hall


Some Other Reading Resources:

"Tithing is Not a Christian Doctrine", by Russell Earl Kelly, PhD
“Tithing Today”, Gary Arnold Ministries
NoMoreTithing.org

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