Do I have to give 10%.....

[Kinkyhairlady]

even if I am not a member of a church. I am looking for a new church home and I visit different churches in hopes I will find somewhere to call home. I am becoming quite confused now because i am not sure if I give 10% or not. I give an offering of whatever I have but not 10%. I feel kind of guilty but at the same time I am not going to drop 10% of my pay in the basket, usually as a member I have a envelope that has my name on it. I know God would know that I gave the 10% but I need the pastor to know I pay my tithes as well. I am just not sure what to do. I have not found a church I like enough to become a member so I am still searching. In the meantime what is the right thing to do?

 

[Shoediva]

My thoughts on this is simple:

The lord loves a cheerful giver= meaning when you give offerings there are no second thought about what you gave. give what you feel in heart you are content with.

 

[deesquest]

I would continue to give an offering as you visit churches until deciding where your permanent home church will be. We are to bring our tithes and offering to the storehouse.

I would suggest setting aside the 10% until you settle on a church. Set it aside in a temporary account or just keep it seperate from your other monies. A tithe is to help the works of the ministry or church, I would want to give my tithe to a church I am a part of and want to support. Your offering is given above and beyond the tithe to whatever or whomever you chose that you feel God would have you to give. Hence, a cheerful giver.

 

[rafikichick92]

You might consider pouring that 10% into Christian friends if you have them. The Bible says that we as the body of Christ are the Church, not just the organization "YourTown FBC" (the storehouse).

I have a friend who takes a bunch of us (his Christian friends) out to dinner every Monday night to fellowship and talk about the things of the Lord. He considers this his "church tithe" (I believe that's how he puts it) because he is investing in the human Church.

You might want to consider something like that whether it's taking people out to dinner, helping Christian friends in need, etc. until you find a church home where you can consistently tithe.

 

[ms.mimi]

The right thing to do is to tithe. I understand why you may feel the way you do, but go to the scriptures to get your answer. The bible explains it plainly and clearly. Scripture does not state that only members of the body are to tithe. The tithe is the Lords. Whether you believe or not. Whether you go to church or not. The tithe is the Lords and His alone. The right thing to do is to obey God, always. I've included a few scriptures for you to study but there are sooooooo many more.

Malachi 3:8-10
8 "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me.
"But you ask, 'How do we rob you?'
"In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—the whole nation of you—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it.

Leviticus 27:30
30 " 'A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.

2 Corinthians 9:6-7
6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.

Giving what belongs to God to the world.
Hosea 2:8-10 (New Living Translation)
8 She doesn’t realize it was I who gave her everything she has—
the grain, the new wine, the olive oil;
I even gave her silver and gold.
But she gave all my gifts to Baal.
9 “But now I will take back the ripened grain and new wine
I generously provided each harvest season.
I will take away the wool and linen clothing
I gave her to cover her nakedness.
10 I will strip her naked in public,
while all her lovers look on.
No one will be able
to rescue her from my hands.

1 Samuel 15:22
22 But Samuel replied:
"Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD ?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

I love the way the NLT states it from Jesus himself.....
Matthew 23:23 “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and
you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the
tiniest income from your herb gardens,[a] but you ignore the more
important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. ​

 

[Renewed1]

You might want to consider something like that whether it's taking people out to dinner, helping Christian friends in need, etc. until you find a church home where you can consistently tithe.

WOW! I'm so glad I stumbled across this post. God told me the same thing this morning!

But not only to help Christian friends but as a ministry to help the unsave know God.

Example....I have a friend that doesn't believe in one god and dabbles into witch craft, etc...she's a mess.....and she's my friend (but that's another topic). But God told me to give her a total of $150 (not at one time). I sent $75 to her before Christmas. God BLESSED her to open a checking account, she couldn't before, because she owed this particular bank money. God gave her favor with someone at the bank that erased her debt and opened the account for her. She started to thank me and I told her NO......GOD told me to do that for you. MINISTRY...no she didn't convert on the spot....she probably didn't even Thank God...but my obedience is planting a seed in her life.

So thank you Rafi. I was very unsure about what I heard.