Tithing Truth for The Educated Christian:

Transcription

1 Pastor Scott Velain Tithing Truth for The Educated Christian: As we venture into our study into the topic of tithing this morning, I d like to begin by expressing an outrage that I have for today s modern-day pastors, priests, bishops, and popish leaders who by and large will teach and preach against the law of God that we find in our fathers Torah and blatantly disregard all of his appointments, and his precepts, and his laws, and his commandments that he commanded us to keep throughout all of our generations as a perpetual agreement forever and yet they have the gall to covet that one Levitical law that they just can t seem to let go of. And can you guess which Levitical law it is that they love to covet? Of course, it is the old Levitical law of tithing. All of gods laws have been nailed to a tree they will so proudly proclaim. My Jesus did away with the law so you don t have to be bothered with it oh wait a minute I mean Jesus did away with all of the law except that one Levitical law that I can twist and turn and manipulate in order to make myself filthy stinking rich. The Levitical law of tithing. My friends as educated Christians we should be outraged. And I would submit to you that the reason that we are not outraged is because we are uneducated. Most of our brothers and sisters are destroyed for lack of knowledge because they have rejected knowledge. I d like to take you to a CNN article that was written back on May 30 of this year in 2018: 1

2 The article reads as follows: By AJ Willingham, CNN Updated 7:13 PM ET, Wed May 30, 2018 (CNN)A prosperity gospel televangelist from Louisiana says Jesus has asked him to buy a new private jet. And wouldn't you know it, Jesus has real nice taste in planes. Jesse Duplantis, leader of Jesse Duplantis Ministries and the owner of three other private jets, is asking his followers to chip in so his ministry can purchase a brand new Dassault Falcon 7X, which runs about $54 million. In a video recently published on his website, Duplantis says the planes get him closer to the Lord -- both literally and figuratively -- and he had a divine conversation in which Jesus asked for the new aircraft by name. "It was one of the greatest statements the Lord ever told me, he said, 'Jesse do you want to come up where I'm at?'" the minister says. "'I want you to bleed me for a Falcon 7X.'" By "bleed," Duplantis -- er, Jesus -- apparently meant "ask for donations." My friends I want you to know and understand that these modern-day prosperity preachers have all been prophesied about within the pages of our God breathed Scripture. Jude chapter 1 versus three through eight: 2

3 It should be of no surprise to us that these wolves in sheep s clothing would indeed covet the one Levitical law that gives them the ability to confuse the nations much like Nimrod who built the tower of Babel. Nimrod also made himself a mighty man. Nimrod also built the tower of Babel which means confusion. These mighty men on earth today have built their own empires of Babel to confuse the nations of the earth, and to confound God s people, in order to keep them bound with chains of ignorance. The Bible tells us very clearly that God s people are destroyed for lack of knowledge because they have rejected knowledge. And I would submit to you my friends that nothing has changed to this very day. What we need to understand about the biblical topic of tithing, is that there are basically four different types of tithe commanded within the pages of our God breathed Scripture. 3

4 Now before we get too far into these four different types of tithe, I want us to understand that each one of these different types of tithe were to be taken to the earthly temple. An earthly temple that we no longer have here on earth. An earthly temple that will once again reside on earth during the millennial reign of our Messiah, but not until then. There are indeed certain laws that are written within our Father s Torah that cannot be kept word for word according to his written law because there is no temple on earth today. We no longer have an Aronic priesthood that is in place today which would be priests who were in the bloodline of Aaron. We also know longer have a Levitical priesthood on earth today that are doing the work that the Levitical priesthood was commanded to do (and we ll soon see that as we continue on in our study). As we get into our study here today, I think you will find it extremely evident that nowhere in the 66 books of our God breathed Scripture will we find anywhere that today s modern-day denominational empires of men are ordained, or sanctified by our Father in heaven or his only begotten Son to demand 10% of anyone s income. We will soon see where todays modern day version of Christianity gets its concocted 10% tithe commandment from, and it is most certainly not from our Father in heaven. And it in no way is commanded to be distributed to any one of today s over 50,000 different denominational charters of men. Our Father in heaven does not sanctify, nor does he ordain any such a practice anywhere within his God breathed Scriptures. Now, with that being said, we do know that according to the apostle Paul, those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. First Corinthians chapter 9 verse 14: 4

5 We also know that the apostle Paul did indeed receive funding for his ministry. Clearly, we can see that the apostle Paul did indeed accept support from certain assemblies, but he did not burden those assemblies who were poor. I want us to notice here that the apostle Paul did not command any one of these assemblies to give him 10% of their income. Those who could give, did indeed give according to what Yahovah had put in their hearts to give. Those who did not have anything to give, were not burdened by a nonexistent 10% tax law. When you hear someone standing behind a pulpit telling you that you are sinning when you are 5

6 not paying your 10% tithe to his church you can know with certainty that what you are listening to is nothing more than a Wolf in sheep s clothing. This nonsense should not be tolerated within the assemblies of God s people, nor should it be allowed to continue to go on unabated and unchallenged by those of us who know the truth. As God s people we should be at the ready, and able to preach the word, to be ready in season and out of season, to reprove, and to rebuke, and to exhort with complete patience and teaching. And my friends if we re not doing that then we are not doing what we are commanded to do within the confines of our God breathed Scripture. Let s go back and look at the four basic tithes that the house of Israel was commanded to keep. Once again these are the four basic tithes that the house of Israel was commanded to keep. Let s begin with the Levitical tithe. Numbers chapter 18 versus 21 through 24: Num 18:21 To the Levites I have given every tithe in Israel for an inheritance, in return for their service that they do, their service in the tent of meeting, Num 18:22 so that the people of Israel do not come near the tent of meeting, lest they bear sin and die. Num 18:23 But the Levites shall do the service of the tent of meeting, and they shall bear their iniquity. It shall be a perpetual statute throughout your generations, and among the people of Israel they shall have no inheritance. Num 18:24 For the tithe of the people of Israel, which they present as a contribution to the LORD, I have given to the Levites for an inheritance. Therefore I have said of them that they shall have no inheritance among the people of Israel. 6

7 First of all, this particular tithe was a tithe that was given to the Levites and no one else. It was given to the Levites for an inheritance for the service that they performed in the tent of meeting. The Levites were to bear the iniquity of the people. Let me ask you this my friends are today s modern-day pastors, priests, bishops, and popish leaders bearing the iniquity of the people? Clearly they are not. You see the Levites were not given an inheritance like the rest of the tribes of Israel were given. The rest of the tribes of Israel were given land, and an inheritance according to Yahovah the Levites were not given an inheritance, and this is why the rest of the 11 tribes of the house of Israel were to pay tithes to the Levites. Now my friends, I want to be extremely clear here. Your pastor, priest, Bishop, or popish leader has been given every inheritance that you and I have been given. There is no inheritance that they do not have that we have. For today s modern-day Christian churches to demand a 10% tithe to be given to them is to do exactly what Nimrod did. To confuse the masses, and build an Empire of dirt. Now, we ve already seen that it is written that your pastor if he is indeed preaching and teaching the truth of God s word should indeed make his living by the gospel. And there should be no doubt about that. Pastors and those who preach the gospel message should be able to pay their bills, and to live just as comfortably among the assembly as anyone else according to our God breathed Scriptures. And yes, contrary to popular belief, the apostle Paul himself did indeed accept, and use funding from certain assemblies in order to continue his ministry. No ministry is going to exist without funding. No ministry is going to be able to stay alive without the intent of God s people. But every one of God s people are not commanded to fork over 10% of their income to anyone s ministry or to a person preaching the gospel. Let me be clear my friends Your pastor, priest, bishop, or popish leader does not need to drive a brand-new 2018 vehicle. They do not need to live in a brand-new home. They do not need to own a home on the East Coast, and another one on the West Coast. And they certainly don t have any need for a private jet, or an Armani suit, or a Golden Rolex watch. None of the apostles had any of these things, and yet they were able to spread the gospel message around the world to this very day. How did they do that? They did it by speaking and teaching the truth of the gospel message to others who then in turn went and preached and taught the truth of the gospel message to others. They taught it to their children. They taught it to their children s children. They talked about the gospel message when they sat in their houses and when they walked by the way and when they lied down, and when they rose. They bound his word by the works they did with their hands, and his gospel message was always on their minds, and they wrote them on the door posts of their houses and on their Gates for all to see. 7

8 You see my friends; no pastor needs a private jet. All he needs is the truth of God s word, and Yahovah will send those who he wants to hear the truth of his word to that pastor, and from that pastor other pastors will rise up. The job of a pastor should be to plant the seed of truth and then to get out of the way. The problem with these modern-day pastors is that they believe that they are the only ones who can possibly teach the truth of Yahovah s word. They have exalted themselves above and beyond Majesty and adornment. They seek nothing more than fortune and fame, but it should be noted by God s people that it is written, that he who exalts himself will be humbled and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Let s move on to the second tithe which would be the festival tithe. This particular tithe is a tithe that the majority of today s modern-day pastors will clearly never tell you about. Why? Because this particular tithe is not for them (not that any of them are) but this particular festival tithe is a tithe for you and your friends and your family and your community. Let s read Deuteronomy chapter 14 verses 22 through 27: Deu 14:22 You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year. Deu 14:23 And before the LORD your God, in the place that he will choose, to make his name dwell there, you shall eat the tithe of your grain, of your wine, and of your oil, and the firstborn of your herd and flock, that you may learn to fear the LORD your God always. Deu 14:24 And if the way is too long for you, so that you are not able to carry the tithe, when the LORD your God blesses you, because the place is too far from you, which the LORD your God chooses, to set his name there, 8

9 Deu 14:25 then you shall turn it into money and bind up the money in your hand and go to the place that the LORD your God chooses Deu 14:26 and spend the money for whatever you desire oxen or sheep or wine or strong drink, whatever your appetite craves. And you shall eat there before the LORD your God and rejoice, you and your household. Deu 14:27 And you shall not neglect the Levite who is within your towns, for he has no portion or inheritance with you. You see this tithe, is a tithe that we have been commanded to keep for the feast of Sukkot, also known as the feast of Tabernacles in the fall, generally between September and October. And I want us to notice that we are indeed commanded to tithe all of the yield of our seed that comes from the field year by year. I want us to understand that money does not come into the picture unless the distance is too far between where we re at, and where Yahovah chooses to set his name. And so, I want us to think about this for just a moment. We have to remember that the original Temple was a movable temple. Yahovah commanded the Israelites to pack up his movable temple in the wilderness and move it whenever he decided that he was going to move. And this is exactly what they did. And so, the temple in the wilderness could be located in one place one year and then it could be located somewhere else next year. But wherever our Father s movable temple was, that s where the people of Israel were to gather three times a year for his appointed Moedim or appointments. Back in those days God s people were farmers, and ranchers. That s how they stayed alive, that s how they made their living. And Yahovah would bless them with the crops of the fields, and the number of the herds that they raised. Today, most of us do not live as farmers or ranchers, we simply go to the market and by what we need with the money that we ve been blessed with. But I want us to notice what is written in our God breathed Scriptures concerning what we were supposed to do with what we were blessed with. If you couldn t get the abundance of all of your crops and all of your herds to wherever it was that the temple had moved to you were to turn that abundance of crops and wildlife into money. And then you would simply take the money to the place where Yahovah had chosen, and then what does he say that you re supposed to do with that money? Deuteronomy chapter 14:26 says that we are to spend the money on whatever we desire oxen, or sheep, or wine, or even strong drink, whatever our appetite craves. And we re supposed to eat before Yahovah and rejoice with all of our household. And I want us to also notice what it says in Deuteronomy chapter 14 verse 27. Once again, the house of Israel was commanded to not neglect the Levite who was within their towns, why? Because once again the Levite had no portion or inheritance with the rest of the house of Israel. And because the Levites had no portion or inheritance with the rest of the house of Israel the house of Israel was to provide for the Levites. 9

10 Once again, it s important to remember that three times a year, all the males of the house of Israel were commanded to appear before Yahovah at the place that he chose. The first time of the year would be at the feast of unleavened bread, the second time of the year would be at the feast of weeks (also known as Pentecost or Shavuot) the third time of the year would be at the feast of booths (also known as Sukkot or Tabernacles). And when the men of Israel came before Yahovah those three times of the year, they were not to appear before him empty-handed. Every man was to give as he was able, according to the blessing of Yahovah and what he had blessed him with. Deuteronomy chapter 16 verses 16 and 17: Deu 16:16 Three times a year all your males shall appear before the LORD your God at the place that he will choose: at the Feast of Unleavened Bread, at the Feast of Weeks, and at the Feast of Booths. They shall not appear before the LORD emptyhanded. Deu 16:17 Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD your God that he has given you. Once again, I want us to notice in Deuteronomy chapter 16 verse 17 that every man was to give as he was able according to the blessing of Yahovah. We are not told that every man was to give 10% of his income. Once again, today s modern-day professing Christian has no idea what they are commanded to do because they have been conveniently programmed by today s modern-day wolves in sheep s clothing not to read the first half of the book, because according to the world s wolves in sheep s clothing, the first half of your Bible has all been nailed to some tree somewhere so you don t have to bother with it. The truth is, that they don t want you to read the first half of the book because most of them have been wrongly trained by their so-called early church fathers, and their brick-and-mortar institutions, and their illustrious Bible commentators, and their denominational charters of men, and their councils of men, that they don t need to pay any attention to the first half of the book. And so, because they have been trained up that way they themselves don t understand the original gospel message of our Messiah because they have traded the wisdom of men, for the wisdom of God. They have put all their trust in their so-called early church fathers and their brick-and-mortar institutions, and their illustrious Bible commentators, and their denominational charters of men, and their councils of men and they have ignored the very word of God that he gave them within the confines of the God breathed Scripture that they hold in their very hands! Much like the Pharisees and the scribes of our Messiah s time, today s modern-day pastors, priests, bishops, and popish leaders no longer endure sound teaching that comes from their God breathed Scriptures. Instead, they have accumulated for themselves teachers to suit their own passions. And they have turned away from listening to the truth of what the Scripture says and have wandered off into myths. 10

11 And this is exactly why today s modern-day professing Christian has no idea why or how it is that they are being ripped off by these wolves in sheep s clothing that the very Scripture that they hold in their hands warns them about! Let s turn to Deuteronomy chapter 16 verses 10 through 12: Deu 16:10 Then you shall keep the Feast of Weeks to the LORD your God with the tribute of a freewill offering from your hand, which you shall give as the LORD your God blesses you. Deu 16:11 And you shall rejoice before the LORD your God, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant, the Levite who is within your towns, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow who are among you, at the place that the LORD your God will choose, to make his name dwell there. Deu 16:12 You shall remember that you were a slave in Egypt; and you shall be careful to observe these statutes. Once again, we see here in verse 10 that we are to give a free will offering, not 10% of our income. And I want us to also notice that we are to rejoice with everyone in our household including the Gentile. I want us to remember that the sojourner that we find in Deuteronomy chapter 16 verse 11 is indeed a Gentile who is not an Israelite by birth. And so even those who were traveling along with the Israelites were included in the feast of booths (also known as Sukkot or Tabernacles). The fatherless and the widow, the Gentile, everyone is invited to this get together, and this Festival celebration with our Father in heaven. And once again, we are to bring a free will offering, not 10% of our income. 11

12 Moving forward, we ve already looked at the Levitical tithe which was the 10% tithe that was designated for the Levites because they had no inheritance with the rest of the 11 tribes of the house of Israel and we ve looked at the festival tithe, which is basically a free will offering that we are to save up throughout the year in order to take with us to the feast of booths (also known as Sukkot or Tabernacles) and so now let us take a look at the poor tithe, and we can find that in Deuteronomy chapter 14 verses 28 and 29: Deu 14:28 At the end of every three years you shall bring out all the tithe of your produce in the same year and lay it up within your towns. Deu 14:29 And the Levite, because he has no portion or inheritance with you, and the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands that you do. We can also find this commandment in Deuteronomy chapter 26 verse 12 and 13: Deu 26:12 When you have finished paying all the tithe of your produce in the third year, which is the year of tithing, giving it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your towns and be filled, Deu 26:13 then you shall say before the LORD your God, I have removed the sacred portion out of my house, and moreover, I have given it to the Levite, the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all your commandment that you have commanded me. I have not transgressed any of your commandments, nor have I forgotten them. 12

13 Once again, the tithe was to be kept of a free will offering for the Levite, the sojourner who was the Gentile, the fatherless, and the widow so that they would not go hungry. This sacred portion was to be given to the Levite, and the Gentile, and the fatherless, and the widow in the third year. Once again there is no mention of a 10% tithe mentioned here. Moving forward, we ve already talked about the Levitical tithe, and the festival tithe, and the poor tithe, and so we ll now turn our attention to the priest s tithe. Let s turn to numbers chapter 18 versus 25 through 32: Num 18:25 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Num 18:26 Moreover, you shall speak and say to the Levites, When you take from the people of Israel the tithe that I have given you from them for your inheritance, then you shall present a contribution from it to the LORD, a tithe of the tithe. Num 18:27 And your contribution shall be counted to you as though it were the grain of the threshing floor, and as the fullness of the winepress. Num 18:28 So you shall also present a contribution to the LORD from all your tithes, which you receive from the people of Israel. And from it you shall give the LORD's contribution to Aaron the priest. Num 18:29 Out of all the gifts to you, you shall present every contribution due to the LORD; from each its best part is to be dedicated. Num 18:30 Therefore you shall say to them, When you have offered from it the best of it, then the rest shall be counted to the Levites as produce of the threshing floor, and as produce of the winepress. Num 18:31 And you may eat it in any place, you and your households, for it is your reward in return for your service in the tent of meeting. 13

14 Num 18:32 And you shall bear no sin by reason of it, when you have contributed the best of it. But you shall not profane the holy things of the people of Israel, lest you die. This tithe of the tithe was to be given by the Levites to Yahovah. Yahovah s portion then went to Aron the High Priest. And when these tithes were paid they were to be of the very best that they had to offer. What we need to understand once again, is that the Levites were not given land the way the other tribes were. To better understand that, let s turn to Deuteronomy chapter 18 versus one and two: Deu 18:1 The Levitical priests, all the tribe of Levi, shall have no portion or inheritance with Israel. They shall eat the LORD's food offerings as their inheritance. Deu 18:2 They shall have no inheritance among their brothers; the LORD is their inheritance, as he promised them. And so, it was that the Levites were not given any particular section of land the way the rest of the house of Israel was, but the rest of the house of Israel was commanded to give the Levites 48 towns to live in. And so, in other words, the Levites were given towns to live in but they were not given any specific section of land the way that the other 11 tribes were. And the sacrificial offerings that came into the temple for Yahovah from the house of Israel, were what the Levites were to use for food and sustenance. And so, even though Yahovah did not give the Levitical priests and the tribe of Levi a portion or an inheritance with Israel he made sure that the tribe of Levi was very well taken care of. What s important to remember is that the tithes that the Levi s were given were paid to them in livestock, grain, and fruit, not in money. In fact, if you wanted to pay your tithe with money, there was an extra 20% fee that you had to pay included with that money. Let s take a look at Leviticus chapter 27 versus 30 through 34: Lev 27:30 Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the LORD's; it is holy to the LORD. Lev 27:31 If a man wishes to redeem some of his tithe, he shall add a fifth to it. Lev 27:32 And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman's staff, shall be holy to the LORD. Lev 27:33 One shall not differentiate between good or bad, neither shall he make a substitute for it; and if he does substitute for it, then both it and the substitute shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed. Lev 27:34 These are the commandments that the LORD commanded Moses for the people of Israel on Mount Sinai. 14

15 And so, if you chose to redeem your tithes you had to add 1/5th of the total value to the tithe. Which meant that your tithes would go from 10% to 30% because of adding the 1/5 th penalty fee, which is equal to adding 20% to your 10% tithe. And so, if you wanted to redeem your tithe and turn it into money, there was indeed an extra 20% fee that you had to pay because you turned your tithe which was once again grain, and livestock into money. Now why did he do that? It should be clear to us that if you are given grain and seed, and livestock, that grain, seed, and livestock can reproduce itself. Livestock can make more livestock, grain and seed can make more grain and seed, money cannot reproduce itself hence, the 20% fee for turning your tithe into money. And so, if these modern-day pastors, priests, bishops, and popish leaders even knew what they were talking about in the first place they would be requiring 20% tithe in cash, and not just a 10% tithe. But this once again, just brings to our attention the fact that they don t know what in the world there even talking about in the first place! Something else that I want us to be aware of is that only the descendants of Aaron, who came from the tribe of Levi, were ordained and sanctified to be priests within the earthly temple. No one else outside of the bloodline of Aaron was ordained, or sanctified to be a priest within the earthly temple which was a copy of the heavenly temple. And so, no one else can claim to be a Levitical priest other than someone who is in the bloodline of Aaron. Not even our Messiah! Hebrews chapter 10 verses four through six: Heb 8:4 Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest at all, since there are priests who offer gifts according to the law. Heb 8:5 They serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things. For when Moses was about to erect the tent, he was instructed by God, saying, See that you make everything according to the pattern that was shown you on the mountain. And so, it should be extremally clear, and transparent to us that no one on earth, including even our Messiah can possibly take the place of the Aronic High Priest who was in the bloodline of Aaron as commanded by Yahovah. The Levites were indeed in the bloodline of Aaron, but only one Levite was selected as the High Priest of the temple at a time according to the law, and what we find prescribed by our Father s Torah. For these modern-day pastors, priests, bishops, and popish leaders to insert themselves into the position of a Levite or even a High Priest is blasphemous according to what we find in our God breathed Scriptures. And so once again they have no right to be commanding a 10% tithe from God s people. 15

16 With this in mind, I d also like to remind us of Korahs rebellion. Korah was indeed a Levite, but he was a jealous Levite that was not satisfied with his position, and therefore rose up against Aaron as the High Priest and I think it would do us well to remember what happened to him and those who followed with him. Let s turn to numbers chapter 16 verses eight through 11: Num 16:8 And Moses said to Korah, Hear now, you sons of Levi: Num 16:9 is it too small a thing for you that the God of Israel has separated you from the congregation of Israel, to bring you near to himself, to do service in the tabernacle of the LORD and to stand before the congregation to minister to them, Num 16:10 and that he has brought you near him, and all your brothers the sons of Levi with you? And would you seek the priesthood also? Num 16:11 Therefore it is against the LORD that you and all your company have gathered together. What is Aaron that you grumble against him? Something else that I want us to understand concerning Korah s rebellion is that it wasn t just the Levites that were rising up against Moses. Let s scroll back up to numbers chapter 16 verses one and two: Num 16:1 Now Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. Num 16:2 And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. And so once again, these men were overstepping their boundaries coming up against what they thought was Aaron but in reality they were coming up against the one true God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. And I would submit to you my friends that that is exactly what today s modern-day pastors, priests, bishops, and popish leaders are doing when they rob their congregations by commanding them to give them 10% of their income because they have put themselves in the place of the Aronic priesthood. These men are doing the exact same thing that Korah and his rebellion did to Aaron, and I want us to see, know, and understand how that turned out for Korah and his rebellion. Numbers chapter 16 verses 19 through 35: Num 16:19 Then Korah assembled all the congregation against them at the entrance of the tent of meeting. And the glory of the LORD appeared to all the congregation. Num 16:20 And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, Num 16:21 Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. Num 16:22 And they fell on their faces and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and will you be angry with all the congregation? 16

17 Num 16:23 And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, Num 16:24 Say to the congregation, Get away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Num 16:25 Then Moses rose and went to Dathan and Abiram, and the elders of Israel followed him. Num 16:26 And he spoke to the congregation, saying, Depart, please, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest you be swept away with all their sins. Num 16:27 So they got away from the dwelling of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. And Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the door of their tents, together with their wives, their sons, and their little ones. Num 16:28 And Moses said, Hereby you shall know that the LORD has sent me to do all these works, and that it has not been of my own accord. Num 16:29 If these men die as all men die, or if they are visited by the fate of all mankind, then the LORD has not sent me. Num 16:30 But if the LORD creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up with all that belongs to them, and they go down alive into Sheol, then you shall know that these men have despised the LORD. Num 16:31 And as soon as he had finished speaking all these words, the ground under them split apart. Num 16:32 And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods. Num 16:33 So they and all that belonged to them went down alive into Sheol, and the earth closed over them, and they perished from the midst of the assembly. Num 16:34 And all Israel who were around them fled at their cry, for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up! Num 16:35 And fire came out from the LORD and consumed the 250 men offering the incense. Overstepping our boundaries and inserting ourselves into a position of authority not given to us by our Father in heaven, and exalting ourselves high and far above our brothers and sisters is not what our Father in heaven has called us to do as pastors and teachers. As we ve already seen at the beginning of this particular teaching, the apostle Paul never required a 10% tithe from any of the assemblies. We won t find that anywhere in the brit Hadasha (also known as the New Testament). But you will find it riddled all throughout the over 50,000 different Christian denominational empires of men. According to the apostle Paul and what we have learned in the New Testament, we are indeed to be cheerful givers. We are indeed to give to the best of our ability. And pastors and those who preach the gospel are to make their living by the gospel just as Paul made a portion of his living 17

18 by the gospel. The Scripture tells us time, and time again how, and where Paul s ministry was funded. He took from those assemblies that could afford to give, and he left the poor assemblies alone and asked them for nothing. And so, it is evident through the Scriptures how it is that ministries and pastors and teachers are to survive, but it is written nowhere in the Scripture that every believer is to give 10% of their income to a pastor or to a teacher. That my friends is not found anywhere within the 66 books of our Bibles. Let s turn to second Corinthians chapter 9 verse six through 8: 2Co 9:6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 2Co 9:7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2Co 9:8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work. The key is found in second Corinthians chapter 9 verse seven. Each one of us must give as he has decided in his heart, and not reluctantly or under compulsion. What we give, we are to give freely, and were not to feel disgruntled about what we give. It is written that our Father in heaven searches the hearts and the minds of men. And therefore, he knows each person s heart better than we do. He knows each person s ability. He knows each person s financial situation. There is nothing that we can hide from the one true God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Let s turn to second Corinthians chapter 8 versus one through seven: 2Co 8:1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia, 2Co 8:2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 2Co 8:3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord, 2Co 8:4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints 2Co 8:5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 2Co 8:6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. 2Co 8:7 But as you excel in everything in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you see that you excel in this act of grace also. And so, even the churches of Macedonia who were poor according to the apostle Paul gave a wealth of generosity on their part. They gave according to their means, of their own accord even 18

19 though they were poor according to the apostle Paul. They even begged Paul to allow them to take part in the relief of the saints. And in verse seven the apostle Paul clearly tells us that as we excel in everything, in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all earnestness, and in our love we are to see to it that we excel in this act of grace also. What is this act of grace? It is indeed the act of giving. In the end I d like to say this if Yahovah has put it in your heart to give 10% of your income to a certain ministry that is preaching and teaching the truth of Yahovah s word, let us not stand in your way. Let us not stand in the way of Yahovah or his Ruach Hackodesh. But know this it is not commanded by our Father in heaven or his only begotten Son, or any apostle, or any profit that you be forced to give 10% of your income to anyone, no matter how poor you are. That my friends to put it very bluntly and very truthfully is a lie, and those who say that it is true, can indeed be counted as liars. You can say it s a law of your denomination. You can say it s a law of your early church fathers. You can say it s a law of your counsel of men. You can say it s a law of your religious Empire. But you cannot say that it is a law of Yahovah. Once again my friends, it is tectonically important for us as modern-day Christians to read the whole book and not just half of it. Who buys a brand-new book and only reads it from the middle to the end? I ll tell you who buys a brand-new book and reads it from the middle to the end today s modern-day professing Christians, that s who. Today s modern-day professing Christian will go out in by a brand-new fancy leather bound Bible and only read half of it because the Wolf in sheep s clothing standing behind their pulpits has convinced them, and preprogramed them and their children that the first half of the book has all been nailed to some tree somewhere so that we don t have to be bothered with it. Once again my friends, these wolves in sheep s clothing that are standing behind today s modern-day pulpits have all been prophesied about all throughout our Scripture, and that s why they don t want you to read it. John chapter 14 verses 25 and 26: Joh 14:25 These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. Joh 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. Who is it that our Messiah left in charge to lead us into all truth and to bring to our remembrance all that our Messiah has said to us? Is it a kindly old man standing behind a pulpit holding a leather-bound Bible wearing patent leather shoes? Is it a man who sits upon a Golden throne, and demands you and your children to bow down and kiss his Golden pagan ring while he is adorned in his pagan vestments, wearing the miter of the pagan fish God Dagon? Is it an early church father? Is it a denominational charter of men? Is it a Council of men? Or is it the Ruach Hackodesh of God that dwells deeply within each and every true God-fearing, 19

20 cross bearing, Messiah following Christian? Matthew chapter 23 versus eight through 12: Mat 23:8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. Mat 23:9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Mat 23:10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. Mat 23:11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. Mat 23:12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. These are red letter commandments that come from the very mouth the very breath the very tongue of our Messiah. We are commanded not to be called Rabbi, we are commanded not to be called father, and we are commanded not to be called masters. The word instructors in Matthew chapter 23 verse 10 is actually the Greek word Kathegetes which is actually the word master. And so, according to our Messiah we are not to be called rabbis, which means great one, we are also not to be called father, and were not to be called master s. But are today s modern-day professing Christians even aware of these red-letter commandments? Does today s modern-day professing Christian even have a clue why it is that our Father gives us apostles, and prophets, and evangelists, and pastors and teachers? Let s turn to Ephesians chapter 4 verses 11 through 14: Eph 4:11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, Eph 4:12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, Eph 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, Eph 4:14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. According to our God breathed Scriptures, apostles, and profits, and evangelists, and pastors, and teachers are given for two reasons. Number one, is to build up the Saints for the work of ministry. And number two, is to protect the Saints from every wind of doctrine, and human cunning, and craftiness in deceitful schemes. These are the only two reasons that apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are 20

21 given. They are to equip the Saints for the work of ministry, and to protect them from every wind of doctrine, human cunning, and craftiness and deceitful schemes. not to lead them into, every wind of doctrine, human cunning, and craftiness and deceitful schemes. Once again my friends, in closing I would simply ask every single solitary professing Christian within the sound of my voice to test the fruits of the man that they are calling pastor, priest, Bishop, Rabbi, or father. Because if that man is not equipping them for the work of ministry then he is nothing more than a Wolf in sheep s clothing. If he is not standing out against every wind of doctrine and human cunning and craftiness and deceitful scheme then he is a Wolf in sheep s clothing. If his fruit does not bear the truth of God s word and stand the test of Scripture given to us through our God breathed Scripture then he is a Wolf in sheep s clothing. If they are still proclaiming to you that you are sinning by not giving them 10% of your income in the form of a man-made, man created, man concocted 10% tithe then they are a Wolf in sheep s clothing. You shall know them by their fruits. Let no one deceive you with empty words. Do not become partners with them. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. Awake, and arise from the dead and let the Messiah shine on you. Look carefully how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of time, because the days are evil. Therefore, don t be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. There is no possible way that I could have said it any better myself. 21

22 And with that being said my friends, my hope and my prayer is that we ve given you something to take to your prayer closet to test to the fire of prayer. And as I always ask, I now ask again Please, please, take what you ve heard here today to your prayer closet. Bow your head and bend your knee, and face the holy promised land of Jerusalem, and ask in the name of Yeshua Hamashiach if what you ve heard here today be true or not. Ask, seek, and knock, and the door will be opened to you. And if you will do that, you and I will walk hand in hand through the Gates of his soon coming kingdom. I m pastor Scott Velain with Holy Impact Ministries, and I d like to thank you for sharing your time with us here this morning. Don t forget to join us this afternoon at 3 PM Eastern standard time for our Shabbat fellowship, if you don t have an invitation to that fellowship and you d like to join us, all you have to do is send me an at pastorv@holyimpactministries.com and I will send you an invitation to join us for that online fellowship. All you need is a camera and a microphone, and if you don t have a camera and a microphone, you can still join us and just use the chat room if you d like. You can join by computer, or by phone, or by just about any electronic device that you might have, and so there s no excuse for not gathering together in fellowship on our Father s seventh day Sabbath no matter where in the world you are. We have people from all points around the world that join us for our 3 PM Eastern standard Time fellowship, and it s just that it s just a fellowship where we talk about all kinds of things, and we gather together as God s people to have fellowship. We will also see you next Wednesday evening at 7 PM Eastern standard time for our live Bible study night as we will be venturing into the 42 nd chapter of the book of Genesis. And so, I d also like to invite you to join us for that as well. 22