Today's Church vs Biblical Ekklesia

by Neil Jennings Braithwaite

What most people today recognize and define as "church,"including their various doctrines, creeds and traditions, in most aspects, have no resemblance to the biblical model of the "ekklesia" (Called-out Assembly) Yahshua (Jesus) Christ said he would build; which is the model he and his Apostles lived and taught.

Yahshua said: "...upon this rock I will build My ekklesia; and the gates of hell will not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18 

Traditional Churches in America today embrace a man-made"corporate/institutional" model rather than the Biblical model of the "ekklesia" Yahshua Christ personally established.

After the Apostolic age, the ekklesia established by Yahshua gradually evolved into man-made corporate institutions. Today's churches operate under a hierarchy of authority and power that negates the intended equality and unity of individual disciples taught by Christ. These corporate institutions also promote division and competition within the body of Christ. Within each corporate church people are intentionally divided into two distinct "classes" of Christians known as clergy and laity - better defined today as "pastor" and "congregation."

"The term ‘laity’ is one of the worst in the vocabulary of religion and ought to be banished from the Christian conversation." ~ Karl Barth

"The clergy-laity tradition has done more to undermine New Testament authority than most heresies." ~ James D.G. Dunn

"The clergy-laity dichotomy is a direct carry-over from pre-Reformation Roman Catholicism and a throwback to the Old Testament priesthood. It is one of the principal obstacles to the church effectively being God’s agent of the kingdom today because it creates a false idea that only ‘holy men,’ namely, ordained ministers, are really qualified and responsible for leadership and significant ministry. In the New Testament, there are functional distinctions between various kinds of ministries but no hierarchical division between clergy and laity." ~ Howard Snyder

Today's "Church" - A Brief Historical Perspective

by Neil Jennings Braithwaite

 

By the late third century, the "ekklesia" that Yahshua (Jesus) Messiah said he would build had been renamed "church" and systematically transformed by its leaders into a man-made 100% non-Jewish hierarchical corporate religious institution under the strong influence of Greek government, culture, and philosophy, as well as Gnosticism and paganism.

The "institutionalized" Christian church systematically stripped away every vestige of the historical Hebrew/Jewish Messiah while diminishing and distorting the Hebrew and New Testament scriptures regarding the Messiah's very nature, purpose and message to better align with "official" church doctrines, traditions and teachings.

By the early fourth century Christian church leaders had formally colluded with the pagan sympathizer and anti-Semitic Roman Emperor Constantine, who essentially "legalized" Christianity in an effort to stabilize both a crumbling Roman empire and a church in turmoil, which had become sharply divided over doctrinal issues - specifically, the debate over the deity of the Messiah.  

History clearly shows that from the time of Emperor Constantine the burgeoning "Roman Catholic Church" was heavily influenced not only by the politics of their collusion with the Roman government and its emperors, but by Greek philosophers and paganism as well. It is clearly evident that the Roman Catholic Church fell prey to those powerful and evil corrupting influences as it developed and implemented an institutional structure and man-made religious doctrines, creeds and traditions; all of which succeeded in pushing it further and further away from the true historical Hebrew/Jewish Messiah and his teachings - including the pure gospel message of Yahweh's plan of salvation for mankind and his promise of the coming Kingdom of Yahweh.  

In the late fourth century a very aggressive Emperor Theodosius I made Christianity the "State" religion and the Catholic Church became the "official" Church of Rome. Emperor Theodosius I also presided over the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD which confirmed deity status to the Holy Spirit - making the Holy Spirit the third "person" of the "Godhead." This new divine "third person" formally created what we know today as the Trinity; which includes "God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit." Both God the Father and God the Son had already been formally recognized at the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD as co-equal  "persons" of deity that make-up the "Godhead." (It should be noted that it was the Council of Constantinople that "officially" established the "Trinity Doctrine" - NOT the Council of Nicaea.) 

It's very important for Christians to understand that the Trinity doctrine is NOT the product of the very best biblical "Christian thinking" of the first three centuries. Rather, the standard Trinitarian model, as identified by the Council of Constantinople, became the religious law of the land mostly by dominant imperial force. 

Emperor Theodosius made it possible for the Catholic Church to make the Trinity doctrine mandatory for all Christians to believe and adhere to, or else be subject to the consequences of excommunication, banishment, torture or death by the emperor's sword. Backed by Emperor Theodosius, the Catholic Church had the power to order any "Christian" person or group who taught or professed any doctrine other than the Trinity to be forcibly banished and have their places of worship either confiscated or destroyed. It should also be noted that under Emperor Theodosius, any religious and historical writings that did not conform to official Catholic Church doctrines and teachings were also confiscated and/or destroyed. It was under these heavy-handed imperial conditions, provided by the collusion between the the Catholic Church and The Roman government, that Catholic doctrines and traditions were established, and the "history" of Christianity began to be revised in order to accommodate all official Catholic Church doctrines and traditions.

The Apostle Paul on Personal Rights and the Gospel (Exposing the myth that paid pastors is Biblical)

by Neil Jennings Braithwaite

 

When referring to "pastor" and "church" in this post, please understand the concern is not with the men themselves, or the congregations that employ them, but with the biblical legitimacy of the position of vocational (Paid/Salaried) pastor and today's hierarchical corporate church model.

(For the purpose of this study, the term "church" will refer to the design of today's hierarchical corporate church model, and the term "ekklesia" will refer to the biblical and historical design and model of the body of Christ as defined by Yahshua and all the writers of the New Testament) 

"Our rights end where the gospel of Christ begins"

While traveling to Jerusalem, the Apostle Paul sent for the elders at Ephesus to meet with him at Miletus for what turned out to be an emotional and tearful last goodbye. In that final meeting, Paul reviewed several specific details of his almost three year long ministry at Ephesus; exhorting the elders to follow his examples in "everything he showed them," and to "be on guard" against "savage wolves" (false teachers) that would find their way in and also rise up from within the congregation of believers. Paul basically warned those men to be very careful and to stay the course he had set for them.

“And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God. Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified."  Acts 20:26-32 

At the conclusion of their meeting Paul makes a statement to the elders that sums up his ministry objective. Paul clearly exhorts the elders to follow the life, ministry and especially the model of a servant of Christ he had demonstrated before them for the past three years. He also reminded them to "work hard" and to "help the weak." But it's the simple quote from Yahshua which Paul used that underscores his most important directive to those elders - "It is more blessed to give than to receive."

"...you must help the weak and remember the words of Yahshua Messiah, that He Himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive."  Acts 20:35 

Paul could have cited numerous quotes from Yahshua at that moment, but he chose to seal his parting words to the elders with Yahshua's simple, yet powerful, words; "It is more blessed to give than receive." 

Church Wars: The consequence of being out of God's will

by Neil Jennings Braithwaite

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are ONE body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Romans 12:4-5

Scripture clearly teaches that disciples of Yahshua are equal members of just one body - the Body of Christ - defined specifically by Yahshua as the ekklesia. Unfortunately, what most people consider the Body of Christ today are actually separate and competing non-profit religious organizations that brand themselves “Christian churches." 

Yahshua intended his ekklesia to be united as one body and grounded in his teachings, but a closer look at today's church reveals that it is the exact opposite. With respect to the facts, the word/term church today literally means division.

"And I also say to you [Peter], that you are a petros [Small stone], and on this petra [Huge boulder] I will build MY ekklesia [called-out assembly/community], and gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." Matthew 16:18

Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Yahshua Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment. 1 Corinthians 1:10

But in giving this instruction, I do not praise you, because you come together not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as an ekklesia, I hear that divisions exist among you; and in part I believe it. ...What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this I will not praise you. 1 Corinthians 11:17,18,22 

Besides being a division in Christ's ekklesia, based on scriptural and doctrinal/traditional differences, a "church" also becomes a government created and regulated "entity" once it attains a 501(c)(3) IRS status. At which point, what probably began as a local group of Christians assembling together regularly as an integral part of the Body of Christ becomes transformed into a distinct and separate legal entity (Legally referred to as a "person") called "church." As an entity/person created solely by the State, the State becomes the formal "legal sovereign" (Having supreme authority) of the newly formed "church." 

Shepherding Backwards

by Neil Jennings Braithwaite 

“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. He who is a hired hand, and not a shepherd, who is not the owner of the sheep, sees the wolf coming, and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. He flees because he is a hired hand and is not concerned about the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep." John 10:11-15

Unfortunately, today's corporate church model has the biblical shepherding concept completely backwards. Under today's corporate church model, the needs of the shepherd and the institution come first and always supersede the needs of the sheep. 

Under today's corporate church model, the sheep meet the needs of the shepherd and the entire corporate entity first, and then, budget permitting, the needs of the sheep can be addressed. And to that extent, the needs of many people in the church body go unmet. And this is exactly what the Apostle Paul referred to as a "burden" on the church. 

"Tithing and Clergy Salaries"

"Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit..."
-The Apostle Paul

“Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, How do we rob you? In tithes and offerings. You are under curse - the whole nation of you - because you are robbing me. 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.”

This passage from Malachi Chapter 3 seems to be many a pastor's favorite Bible text. Especially when church giving is at low tide. If you have spent any time in the modern church, you have heard this passage thundered from the pulpit on numerous occasions. I have had it pushed down my throat so many times I have lost count.

Consider some of the rhetoric that goes with it: 

"God has commanded you to faithfully give your tithes. If you do not tithe, you are robbing God Almighty, and you put yourself under a curse."

"Let's repeat the 'Tither's Creed' together shall we? `The tithe is the Lord's. In truth we learned it. In faith we believe it. In joy we give it. The tithe!'"

"Your tithes and offerings are necessary if God's work will go on!" ("God's work," of course, means having a salaried pastoral staff and footing the monthly electric bill to keep the building afloat.)

What is the result of this sort of pressure? God's people are guilted into giving one-tenth of their incomes every week. When they do, they feel they have made God happy. And they can expect Him to bless them financially. When they fail, they feel they are being disobedient, and a financial curse looms over them.

But let us take a few steps backward and ask the penetrating question: "Does the Bible teach us to tithe? And ... are we spiritually obligated to fund the pastor and his staff? "

The answer to these two questions is shocking. (If you are a pastor, it is arresting. So you may want to take out your heart medicine now!)

The Rich Young Pastor

 

by Neil Jennings Braithwaite 

 

One day Yahshua met a pastor who had grown-up in the church, attended Christian college and seminary, and upon graduation, moved from church to church working his way up the corporate ecclesiastical ladder. The man started his career as an associate youth pastor for a mere $20,000 per year salary, and finally at age forty, he became senior pastor of a large denominational church making over $75,000 a year, including full benefits and a generous retirement package. 

The pastor told Yahshua he had been working very hard since Christian college and seminary and felt greatly blessed to have been called as a pastor, on every occasion, to a church offering a larger salary and better benefits to meet the needs of his growing family. He also told Yahshua he was looking forward to his rest and reward in heaven for a life of sacrificial service as a full-time pastor and preacher of the gospel. The pastor also told Yahshua he had done his best to follow all His commands and examples and asked Yahshua if there was anything at all he could do with the rest of his life to please Him more. 

Yahshua said to the pastor, truly I say to you, as a "vocational" pastor you receive your reward in full with each pay check. If you truly want to please me, stop accepting a monetary reward for preaching the gospel and find work to financially support yourself and your family, and continue to shepherd my flock and preach the gospel at no charge – and then you will have treasure in heaven. Yahshua went on to remind the rich young pastor that you cannot serve both God and money, it is more blessed to give than receive, and freely you have received – freely you should give. 

When the pastor heard these words from Yahshua he went away grieving because making his living by preaching the gospel was all he ever wanted to do - and was all that he knew how to do. 

The rich young pastor wasn’t about throw away all he had worked so hard for by giving up his right to charge for his services as a minister of the gospel. So he went on his way - getting paid by the flock to preach the free gift of the gospel to them on Sunday mornings. 

"For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel. For if I do this voluntarily, I have a reward; but if against my will, I have a stewardship entrusted to me. What then is my reward? That, when I preach the gospel, I may offer the gospel WITHOUT CHARGE, so as NOT to make full use of MY RIGHT in the gospel." 1 Corinthians 9:16-18 

"But I hope in the Lord Yahshua to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I also may be encouraged when I learn of your condition. For I [Paul] have no one else of kindred spirit who will genuinely be concerned for your [believers'] welfare. For they ALL seek after THEIR OWN interests, [and] NOT those of Christ Yahshua." Philippians 2:20-21  

"Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the platter; but inside of you, you are full of robbery and wickedness. You foolish ones, did not He who made the outside make the inside also? But give that which is within as CHARITY, and then all things are clean for you." Luke 11:39-41

"Then Peter said to Him, “Behold, we have left EVERYTHING and followed You; what then will there be for us?” And Yahshua said to them, “Truly I say to you, that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on His glorious throne, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or farms for My name’s sake, will receive many times as much, and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.” Matthew 19:27-30

*This article may be quoted in full or in part by permission - with proper credit to the author. Thank You...
HonorGodsWord

"The Thessalonian Road to Self-Support"

“What pay do I get, then? It is the privilege of preaching the Good News without

charging for it and without claiming my rights in my work for the Gospel.” 1 Cor. 9:18

The Bible says that we cannot love God and money at the same time. We must love one and hate the other. There is no middle ground. The ways of the world constantly creep into our thinking about money, even though we are Christians. From earliest childhood we learn that money is essential to our happiness, and the more of it the better. It takes a great deal of effort to unlearn this false concept. As Jesus said, we must become like little children again if we are to be effective in the kingdom of God.

I cannot tell you how many times I have heard pastoral ministry described as a “profession.” For nearly 35 years of teaching in Christian universities and seminaries I have seen students earn M. Div. degrees for no other reason than to be sufficiently “credentialed” to be hired by a local church. Somehow our wealth blinds us to basic biblical principles. The church in America is particularly blessed. Pastors often have better salaries than many of their parishioners. God has made the United States the richest nation on earth. To those whom much is given, much is also required. I believe that God is beginning to ask for an accounting from the American church about how we have used His money.

"An Obstacle to the Gospel"

For it is written in the Law of Moses, "You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain." Is it for oxen that God is concerned? (1Co 9:9)

When it comes to this topic, there are two places where people who are advocates of the traditional view of paying pastors instinctively turn. One is 1 Timothy 5:17-18 and the other is found in 1 Corinthians 9. I want to look at 1 Timothy 5 first.

Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.” (1 Timothy 5:17-18)

Of course there are several major problems as it pertains to applying these passages to paying vocational pastors. The first of course is that it doesn’t actually say anything about paying pastors. That is a pretty big problem. I found that the study notes on this passage in the ESV Study Bible interesting. The notes for this section read:

The role of elder (pastor) involves authority, particularly in preaching and teaching. Labor (Gk. kopiaō), translated “toil” in 4:10, implies hard work that makes a person tired. Such exertion in “preaching and teaching” calls for double honor, which could include financial remuneration.

Notice that the comment is that it “could” include financial remuneration, which is a pretty weak statement and is not at all clear from the verse. But then it makes this bold claim:

“Double” could imply ample provision, or financial provision in addition to proper respect. Paul does not actually require that pastors be paid a double amount, but Paul clearly indicates that pastors should receive generous remuneration. 

Clearly? Really? So it “could” include financial remuneration in addition to respect but then the comment assumes that it does and demands a generous remuneration (what does “generous” mean?). I also found it interesting that the ESV Study Bible uses the word “remuneration” which is a perfectly good word but one that many people have never seen or used, and certainly is not a word that people outside of human resources or the legal profession would use commonly. I wonder why they chose remuneration instead of commonly used and understood words like “pay”, “salary” or perhaps the most applicable word: “compensation”?

"The Pastoral Office of the Modern Church is not Biblical"

The head pastor is a fundamental figure within the church who is met with praise, accolades, and reliance upon to dispel the Word of God to the masses. He is most often on the top of the hierarchical ladder, or status as the main focal figure to render out theological interpretations within the church institution. He is often trained and graduated as a professional from a seminary who has met the criteria, or qualifications to maintain their position.

What would happen if the office of the head pastor was removed from the church altogether?

Could the church still function, or would it completely dissolve without a prominent figure to man the helm?

What may come as a surprise is that the pastoral office in Early Church looks quite different to the the office of the head pastor in the modern churches today. The facts of history and Scriptural context will serve as evidence that this is the truth. Before you read any further, it is important to leave your personal feelings at the door because many will have friends and family who fill the head pastoral office somewhere. This is not meant as an attack on them as individuals, but a critical examination the office of the head pastor.

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers. – Ephesians 4:11

From the only singular verse that appears in the New Testament, there are some important things to consider:

"Tithing has been Abolished"

There is a favorite Bible verse that many Christian leaders tout when the monetary is needed to fill the coffers of the church. The pastor will say that this is a form of worship and that God has commanded us to faithfully tithe; if we do not, we will not receive God’s blessing and His work cannot continue to function as it should. The tithe speech has been done in so many different ways you would think that they used the same marketing tactics as a used car lot.

The pressure and coercion concerning tithing has put many into unnecessary pressure and bondage. The problem is that the money that is given goes towards paying the large overhead costs of the church building which include the salaries of the pastoral staff.

The church could not function without these two most important things, right?

There is no Biblical Defense for Paid Pastors/Elders

I came to believe that there was no valid support or defense for paying the salary of a pastor or elder while I was at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. This was while I was training to become a vocational/paid pastor! It was through my experiences at the seminary and studying the scriptures that made me realize that just about everything we we do in “traditional church” cannot be defended or supported with the scriptures (try as we might). So, I have been inspired, by a conversation with my brother-in-law, to write about the misguided idea that pastors/elders should receive a salary. But before I start, let me say that I am not saying it is wrong or sinful to pay a man to teach you every Sunday morning, all I am saying is that this practice cannot be justified using the Christian Bible. I would also say that in most cases, paying the salary of a pastor/elder is quite often detrimental to the maturity and growth of the church.

Lew Ayotte 

Tithing: Low-Realm, Obsolete & Defunct

	This book is about much more than tithing or not tithing. It's about setting people free from a wrong, religious mindset so they can experience the reality of New Covenant life in Christ. It's about recovering a glorious spiritual inheritance that Christians have been defrauded of, exposing wrong doctrines that negate Christ's finished work on the cross. It's about living like a righteous, new-creation son of God, born again through spiritual union with Jesus Christ by his resurrection from the dead. This book is just a beginning. Tithing is just the tip of the iceberg of carnal mentalities that dominate most of Christianity. I was taught to tithe as a child and did so for many years without question. It was never a problem to me, spiritually or financially. I thoroughly agreed with the teaching and wasn't looking for any reason to contradict it. However, after many years of seeking God and studying his word, I have come to see the doctrine of tithing, and all other financial giving as well, in a new light—the revelation of the mystery of being in Christ. I have two objectives in writing this book. One is that Christians would wake up and realize that tithing is part of the old carnal religious way of life and put it aside to enter the New Covenant way of living. The New Testament's description for this way of living is, in Christ. Religious traditions that man has created are the biggest obstacle to the glorious life of God that we were created to enjoy. Tithing is one of those well-meaning-but-misguided traditions. Another objective is to equip Christians with a solid scriptural foundation to answer the constant barrage of teaching that is promoting tithing and keeping the church in a low-realm, religious mode of living. The doctrine of tithing has been mindlessly taught and accepted for so long that some of the most outstanding Christian leaders do not recognize how it contradicts the very foundation of the gospel they are preaching. This book may challenge some of your deepest beliefs. It may contradict your most esteemed spiritual leaders. But no brother or sister in Christ is being personally judged or attacked. I appreciate those who have given their lives in service to the Lord and his church. The Bible tells us to "esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake" (1 Thess. 5:13). However, their teachings are at all times to be examined in the light of scripture. This book exposes the error of some very popular teachings but does not accuse those who are teaching them. No names are ever mentioned, but you may recognize some statements. There are many well-known ministers, whom I greatly respect, that I have to disagree with when it comes to the subject of tithing. Paul the apostle said in 1 Corinthians chapter 13, “we know in part” and “we see through a glass, darkly;” therefore, we can never expect perfect doctrinal unity. However, we can pursue a better knowledge of the truth and we can extend the love of God to one another in the process. If we disagree, we can do so respectfully. Each person must walk with God in the best way they know. I ask you to lay aside preconceived ideas and traditional thinking, and prayerfully consider the message of this book. Its purpose is to move the church toward the highest and best that God has provided in Christ. I pray that it will be the beginning of a spiritual revolution in your life.
	Matthew E. Narramore
1	Trojan Horse
	The tithing doctrine contradicts the true message of life in Christ as a son of God and contributes to spiritual weakness in the church by holding it in a low spiritual realm.
2	Before the Law: Abraham
	The story of Abraham and Melchizedek has been taken out of context and distorted to create a doctrine that contradicts the New Covenant and promotes an inferior way of living.
3	Before the Law: Jacob
	The story of the tithe in Jacob's life is an example of ignorance, unbelief, and foolish bargaining with God. There is no reason for a believer in Jesus Christ to follow Jacob's example.
4	During the Law
	Much of the erroneous teaching on tithing reflects a misunderstanding of tithing during the Law. Even though people say that they are not preaching the Law, almost every scripture that is used to teach or promote tithing is from the Law or was speaking to people who were under the Law, not to the church.
5	After the Law
	Inadequate study of the Bible leads to the conclusion that tithing was after the Law and is still God's plan for us today. The glorious way of life that God has given the church through Jesus Christ exposes the tithing paradigm as being weak and beggarly in comparison.
6	New Covenant Giving
	The New Covenant paradigm for financial stewardship and giving is based on a completely different spiritual paradigm than the tithe and is far superior to it, just as the New Covenant in Jesus Christ is far superior to any previous relationship between God and man.
7	Disinformation I
	The church has been defrauded of its glorious spiritual inheritance in Christ by spiritual disinformation—wrong doctrine that destroys the power of Christ's work on the cross. Analysis and expose of wrong teachings such as: The tithe is the Lord's. If you don't tithe you are a God-robber. A curse will come on you if you don't tithe. We are commanded to prove God with the tithe. Tithing rebukes the devourer. The tithe is the connection to the covenant.
8	Disinformation II
	Analyzing and exposing more of the popular statements that are wrongly used to teach tithing to the church, such as: Jesus tithed. Jesus taught tithing. The tithe redeems the other ninety-percent. Tithing qualifies you as a steward to receive more from God.
9	Disinformation III
	More wrong teachings that are used to promote the doctrine of tithing, analyzed and exposed: Tithing began in the garden of Eden. When Jesus died on the cross, God was paying his tithe. If you don't tithe, God will take that ten percent from you. If everyone tithed, churches would have plenty of money. Heaven will be shut up against you if you don't tithe.
10	Righteousness
	The born-again man has been crucified, buried, resurrected, and seated with Christ at the Father's right hand. He has been made the righteousness of God in Christ and is spiritually designed for a different way of living than was known before the resurrection.
11	Sons of God
	In Christ, we are sons of God now. The Father's will is to bring us to the full spiritual stature of Jesus Christ. Tithing was ordained for people who had a different kind of relationship to God.
12	Commencement
	Tithing is not a neutral option. It's part of a low-realm, obsolete, and defunct religious mentality. It hinders the church by obscuring and negating the truth of what it means to be a son of God through spiritual union with Jesus Christ.
	Appendix
	Hebrews 7
	Hebrews chapter 7 does not teach or support the doctrine of tithing for the New Testament church. It has been misunderstood and misrepresented. By: - Matthew E. Narramore