Updated Aug 12, 2002.  The section on giving to ministers of the gospel has been revised.  The concept of a salaried pastor is not found in Scripture.  See point 3 under '.To Whom should we give'.

Updated March 10, 2003. The section on Matt 25 implied that salvation was conditioned on something the sinner does or does not do. Such was pointed out to me and I have made necessary adjustments.

Alright Chri$tian..Empty yer pocket$

  Most Christians believe that they should give a "tithe" (10%) of their  financial assets to "The work of the Lord" which can mean anything from supporting a local church to giving money to all kinds of "missionary" endeavors, tape and book ministries, radio and T.V. ministries, you name it. This is the approach taken by many well meaning preachers and teachers of the Bible. There are people all over the land today who are constantly asking for our money to support their work. Some even claim that you will not know the blessing of God in your life until you are generously and sacrificially giving to the work of the Lord. Is what we are hearing in this matter taught in the New Testament or is it nothing more than pious begging and panhandling in the name of Christianity? Many Bible teachers seem to think that they are on solid ground when they ask for our hard earned money. However, let me remind you at the beginning of this study that we are exhorted by the Apostle Paul to "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." 1 Thes.5.21. Thus if anyone teaches something he says is in the Bible and we act on that teaching without proving it for ourselves God will hold us accountable! See also Acts17.11. With this in mind we want to examine what the Bible has to say about giving.

 When we study the subject of giving there are 2 main questions we must seek to answer.
                1. HOW MUCH SHOULD WE GIVE?
                2. TO WHOM SHOULD WE GIVE?

   This might appear a bit simplistic and even irrelevant to some but I wonder how many people really think these two questions through in the light of what the Bible has to say about the matter, especially the second question! Most folks are "traditionalized" about how much money to give away by the Old Testament idea of tithing which is hammered into our brains day in and day out by well meaning teachers. The second question is usually taken care of by plopping the check in the plate week after week and making sure the pastor gets a decent salary. But I have yet to see this demonstrated in the New Testament!
   It is in these two areas of HOW MUCH and TO WHOM that confusion reigns supreme and the Lord's people are vulnerable to all kinds of pressures and means that would separate them from the fruit of their labors in a way that is not pleasing to the Lord. As stewards of what God has given to us by way of material blessings it is our responsibility to see to it that we use these things wisely, in a way that would truly honor God.

1. HOW MUCH !  What does the Bible have to say about how much we are expected to give? Principle: Idealistically, everything we have ultimately belongs to God including the breath we take in and the lungs that utilize that breath in order to sustain life. Thus God may rightly require 100% of all that we have if He wishes.

   Let's begin by examining the principle of tithing which is found in the Old Testament. This is most important because most Christians base their giving on this principle. Yet I wonder how many could give a Biblical outline of tithing if you asked them to? What is tithing? Is it taught in the New Testament?  The word itself simply means tenth. It may be found 32 times in the Old Testament and 8 times in the New. It is derived from the basic word that denotes the number ten. As an example, we may read these words in Lev 27.32; "And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, [even] of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD". Again we read in Num 18:26; "Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, [even] a tenth [part] of the tithe."
   We see then that the Israelites were required to give ONE TENTH of something to somebody. Now it is here at this "rest stop" that most people will pull off and park, set up camp and hang out the sign that says "HOME". Here, they say, we have found God's answer to the question of how much I ought to give to the work of the Lord. I am required to give 10% of my income to God and His work! Well, not so fast. This may seem well and good at first glance. But if we take a good look at the principle of tithing in the Old Testament we will begin to see that perhaps this conclusion is a bit premature. Let's get some heavy duty digging equipment and go deeper into the mine of God's truth and see what we find. We will begin with a question.

 The question to consider now is; one tenth of WHAT? What was it that God  required Israel to give a tenth of? A few sample verses and a reference from the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia  will be sufficient to answer this question for us.

 Leviticus 27:30 And all the tithe of the land, [whether] of the seed of the land, [or] of the fruit of the tree, [is] the LORD'S: [it is] holy unto the LORD.

 Leviticus 27:32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, [even] of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.

 Deuteronomy 12:17 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand:

 Deuteronomy 14:22 Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year.
23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.

 2 Chronicles 31:5 And as soon as the commandment came abroad, the children of Israel brought in abundance the firstfruits of corn, wine, and oil, and honey, and of all the increase of the field; and the tithe of all [things] brought they in abundantly.
6  And [concerning] the children of Israel and Judah, that dwelt in the cities of Judah, they also brought in the tithe of oxen and sheep, and the tithe of holy things which were consecrated unto the LORD their God, and laid [them] by heaps.

 Nehemiah 10:37 And [that] we should bring the firstfruits of our dough, and our offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, of wine and of oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our ground unto the Levites, that the same Levites might have the tithes in all the cities of our tillage.

 Nehemiah 13:5 And he had prepared for him a great chamber, where aforetime they laid the meat offerings, the frankincense, and the vessels, and the tithes of the corn, the new wine, and the oil, which was commanded [to be given] to the Levites, and the singers, and the porters; and the offerings of the priests.

 Nehemiah 13:12 Then brought all Judah the tithe of the corn and the new wine and the oil unto the treasuries.

 In the I.S.B.E. under the heading "Tithe" we read the following; "In the Pent we find legislation as to tithes in 3 places. According to Lev. 27, 30-33 a tithe had to be given of the SEED OF THE LAND! (emph. added), i.e. of the crops, of the fruit, of the tree, e.g. oil and wine, and of the herd of the flock... The tithe was to consist of corn of the threshing floor and the fullness of the winepress (Num 18. 21-27) ver 27, which coincides with the seed of the land and the fruit of the trees in Lev 27."

   Therefore, we may conclude that according to the Old Testament the tithe consisted of PRODUCE, LIVESTOCK, and THINGS. Now for the shocker. This word is NEVER used specifically with reference to either money or income! This may come as a surprise to many people but if we would simply take the time to read what the Scriptures have to say about tithing we soon discover that this is indeed the case. As a matter of fact the Holy Spirit goes out of His way to describe what the Israelites were to tithe and NOWHERE is money mentioned either in the Old or New Testament! Thus, when we read the Old Testament we discover people giving a tenth of their material possessions which always consisted of produce, livestock and things, never money! The Old Testament teaching of tithing had nothing to do with money or "income"! Now someone may ask, what's the point? I am still on solid ground because these passages do teach that a tithe or 10% is what God wants me to give. The answer my friend is simple. If you are going to base your giving on the principle of tithing then you must go the whole hog! By this I mean that you cannot extract the "how much (10%)" and leave behind the "what (produce and livestock)"! Nowhere in the Bible are we told to change the seed of the land and livestock into money or income and give 10% of it to the Lord. You simply cannot extract parts of a given teaching and build a new teaching on that without support from Scripture. In this matter it's a case of "what's good for the goose is good for the gander". If you are going to "tithe" then you must "tithe" WHAT God requires as well as HOW MUCH. Anything other than this is NOT Biblical tithing! Now it may be noted that money IS mentioned with reference to tithing in Deut. 14:24-26. It even says that the tithe WAS to be changed into money. However, a mere reading of the passage is enough to uncover two important facts. 1 This was to be done as a matter of convenience because of the problem of distance and travel. 2 The money was to be RE-CONVERTED back into produce and livestock and the requirement to tithe was then to be carried out in the usual manner. Therefore, rather than teaching that tithes were to be turned into money, this passage reinforces the OPPOSITE idea that money was NEVER used as a commodity in tithing. Other than this reference, tithing had nothing to do with money in the O.T. Ministers should say "Let us now receive our GIFTS and offerings." If they say "Let us receive our TITHES and offerings", you may do well to deposit some corn, oil or wine or maybe even a young lamb in the plate!  But you certainly don't need to get out your calculator and figure out ten percent of your total net assets and write a check! The Israelites never did such a thing!

   The next thing we want to notice is that tithing is strictly an Old Testament activity. It was given to the nation of Israel while they were still under the old economy, or the Mosaic covenant. Therefore, unless we find the New Testament teaching us to continue this practice, we must recognize that this is part of the "law" that Christ abolished through His ministry. We may see, for example, in Lev 27 verse 34 that tithing was "the commandment which the LORD commanded Moses FOR THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL". Note also these verses;

De 26:12-14 "When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, [which is] the year of tithing, and hast given [it] unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;
13 Then thou shalt say before the LORD thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of [mine] house, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the stranger, to the fatherless, and to the widow, according to all thy commandments which thou hast commanded me: I have not transgressed thy commandments, neither have I forgotten [them]:
14 I have not eaten thereof in my mourning, neither have I taken away [ought] thereof for [any] unclean [use], nor given [ought] thereof for the dead: [but] I have hearkened to the voice of the LORD my God, [and] have done according to all that thou hast commanded me."

We see then that tithing was given to Israel by way of commandment which puts it in the category of the law. Thus if it is not encouraged by New Testament standards it is considered "abolished" in Christ. Such things as the sacrificial system, Sabbath keeping, etc. also come under this same category. They are done away in Christ and are no longer binding as a required practice either for Jews or Christians.

   If you read the New Testament, nowhere will you find tithing being taught either by Jesus or His disciples! Rather, the New Testament contains the doctrine of giving which, as we shall see, is very different from the practice of tithing found in the Old Testament. This may also come as a surprise to many but I say, search the New Testament and nowhere will you find the principle of tithing being either taught or practiced by New Testament believers. There is a very good reason why tithing was not carried over to the New Testament. FORMALISM. In fact the entire Mosaic covenant can be seen as a magnificent edifice of formalism. By that I mean that anybody can live by the law of Moses and still not have a heart that is right before God. If anyone were looking for a good system to live a formal, outward religious life, the Mosaic covenant is it. Yet formalism is condemned by God in both the Old and New Testaments. Is not this the great divide between the law of Moses and the gospel of grace in Jesus Christ? Was not this the problem with the Pharisees and other New Testament characters? When we read the New Testament we find only 3 references to tithing. One used by Jesus in Matt 23.23 and Luke 11.42. Let's look at this reference and see what we can discover.

Matthew 23: 23  Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier [matters] of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.
24  [Ye] blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

The first thing to note is that we find the Pharisees, those who claimed to know and practice the law of Moses better than anybody else, fulfilling their obligation to tithe. And what do we find the Pharisees tithing? The same thing we find in the Old Testament. PRODUCE! Spices, not money. If anyone were able to figure out that God meant "give 10% of your income" in the law of Moses it would have been the Pharisees. But is that what they were "tithing"? Not at all. They knew that PRODUCE was one of the main items they were required to tithe and they followed it right down to the smallest of spices. Further, if anyone were able to correct them it was Jesus; but he does not. Rather, He informs them that they have not gone far enough. They had the outward form but were void of the inward reality. They had fulfilled the outward form of the Mosaic law and Jesus tells them "Yes, you ought to have done that" but that was not enough. He condemns them as hypocrites for such practice. Why? Because they were formalists to the nth degree and that is condemned in both the Old and New Testaments, and THAT is what Jesus came to "abolish"! That's why tithing is no longer required to be practiced under the new economy. It smacks of formalism. So Jesus tells them "You have neglected more important matters; mercy and the love of God". Thus this reference cannot be used to teach that we are to give 10% of our income or money. It is a direct reference to the Old Testament principle of tithing. The only other important reference is found in Heb.7.4-10 and that is clearly a reference to the Old Testament practice of tithing. A third mention of tithing is found in Luke 18.12 as part of the Pharisee's prayer which was nothing but rank formalism, was it not? This reference can hardly be used to build a doctrine of "10% of my income to the Lord"! Nowhere does the New Testament teach us that we are to "tithe" or give 10% of our income or monetary assets to anybody! Is the traditional practice of giving "10% of my income to the Lord" beginning to fade off into the sunset? Read on.

     This approach is further enhanced when we begin to answer the question of "TO WHOM". To whom were the Israelites required to give the tithe? Who was it that was to receive the benefit of the tithe? Did you know that there are no less than FIVE categories of persons to whom the tithe belonged? You see, whenever we begin to really study the Word we discover that it is full of surprises, most of which are delightful and instructive and which cause us to grow in the Christian life. Let's look briefly at these five categories and see if the Lord will teach us anything. The Israelites were expected to dispense their tithes to...

 1. The LORD.
Leviticus 27:30 And all the tithe of the land, [whether] of  the seed of the land, [or] of the fruit of the tree, [is] the LORD'S: [it is] holy unto the LORD.

 Leviticus 27:32 And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, [even] of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.

   Now someone may say, "How can anybody give anything directly to God?" This was accomplished in that they were required to give a tithe toward the maintenance of the Levitical priesthood. Thus the second category under which the Israelites were required to give tithes was...

 2. The Levites.
Num. 18:24 But the tithes of the children of Israel,  which they offer [as] an heave offering unto the LORD, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.

 Num. 18:26 Thus speak unto the Levites, and say unto them, When ye take of the children of Israel the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye shall offer up an heave offering of it for the LORD, [even] a tenth [part] of the tithe.

And....

 3. The Priest.
Num. 18:28 Thus ye also shall offer an heave offering unto the LORD of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Israel; and ye shall give thereof the LORD'S heave offering to Aaron the priest.

 Heb 7:5 And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:

 4. The People Themselves!
 Deut. 12:17,18 Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy corn, or of thy wine, or of thy oil, or the firstlings of thy herds or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill offerings, or heave offering of thine hand: But thou must eat them before the LORD thy God in the place which the LORD thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy manservant, and thy maidservant, and the Levite that [is] within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before the LORD thy God in all that thou puttest thine hands unto.

Deut. 14:23 And thou shalt eat before the LORD thy God, in the place which he shall choose to place his name there, the tithe of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and the firstlings of thy herds and of thy flocks; that thou mayest learn to fear the LORD thy God always.

   Were you aware that these verses were in the Bible? Here God commands the people themselves to eat their own tithes!! No wonder produce was a large part of the tithe! Try putting your "tithe" in the plate on Sunday and then eating it!

 Finally, and this last one is very important;
 5. The Poor.
Deut. 26:12 When thou hast made an end of tithing all the tithes of thine increase the third year, [which is] the year of tithing, and hast given [it] unto the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, that they may eat within thy gates, and be filled;

   Notice the mention made of the stranger, the fatherless and the widow. These can be considered under the general heading of those who are poor and in need. Some have tried to say that these verses teach a "welfare" system. We point out two things in response to this interpretation; 1. If tithing is "welfare" then we must do it according to the way that the Scriptures teach us. We must tithe 10% of PRODUCE AND LIVESTOCK as we have seen. This is a far cry from taking money from our "income" and putting it in a big pot in order to send out welfare checks every month. 2. Since we have seen that tithing is strictly Old Testament you must either find a "welfare system" in the New Testament or else find it under another class of teaching, since tithing has been done away under the New Covenant, as we have seen.

      Now let us summarize what we have seen so far. Tithing, according to the Old Testament meant that the Israelites were to take 10% of the seed of the land, of livestock, and the fruit of the trees and give it to at least 5 categories of persons, themselves included, all in obedience to the Lord's commandment under the Mosaic economy!  How in the world anybody can digest all that and make it say that we are to give 10% of our income to the "work of the Lord" as defined by everybody and his uncle without doing great damage to the Word of God is indeed mystifying!  In the light of all this let us ask and answer a very important question. Is it our duty and responsibility as Christians to tithe 10% of our income? In view of what we have seen in the Scriptures, the answer must be; No! It is not a Christian's duty or responsibility to tithe. This is not to say that a person may not give 10%, or 20% or 5% of his finances to any cause IF HE SO CHOOSES! This is exactly what Abram and Jacob did. Gen 14.20; 28.22. They were simply responding in gratitude to the blessing of God by offering a tithe of their possessions freely, of their own volition, before the commandment for tithing was ever given by God. True, according to Hebrews 7 Abram and his "seed" (Levi) paid tithes according to the Old Testament format but when he did, HE DID IT VOLUNTARILY! It is well known by history that the custom of tithing was quite extant in other nations at that time. Abram and Jacob knew that 10% was quite an acceptable amount to express gratitude to someone. So we are not throwing out giving on a voluntary basis. What we are saying is that nowhere are we COMMANDED to tithe 10% of anything under the New Testament dispensation. Tithing is neither a duty nor a command under the New Testament economy.

   Well then, when it comes to giving what is our responsibility as Christians? After all, did not the Lord Jesus say that it is better to give than to receive? Yes He did. He also gave some new and challenging directives in the gospels which we will now begin to look at. We shall follow the same format of HOW MUCH and TO WHOM.

   A FEW INTRODUCTORY REMARKS: The Bible! That great book which we as Christians believe to be the infallible truth of God; and indeed it is! Those who study it may discover the 3 major building blocks of all of life in it. They are, Creation; Fall; Redemption. Creation; All things have their origin in God. Gen. 1.1. Fall; All things are under the curse of God because of sin. Rom. 8.23. Redemption; All things shall ultimately be subject to God by the redeeming sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. 15.28. When we read the Bible we are gazing into the realm of the living God. What is the focus of that realm as it relates to man? Nothing less than the process of redemption. God rescuing lost man back to Himself. And just HOW does the living God purpose to re-capture man from the kingdom of darkness? "For God loved the world SO MUCH that He.... GAVE" ! ! ! John 3:16. "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable.... GIFT." 2 Cor. 9.15. Our very salvation is hinged on the whole idea of giving. God owed man nothing, but of His own will and volition He chose to give His Son that we might be saved. The New Testament has much to say about giving and it begins with God Himself who gave us His Son.

   We will begin by pointing out a New Testament principle and demonstrating it with a few passages of Scripture. Get ready, because it's another "shocker"! Giving, according to the New Testament is exclusively voluntary! That is, nowhere is giving presented to us as either a commandment or duty. Come on, you say! What about Romans 13.6, or 1 John 3.17?? All in good time. For now, note the principle which can be shown from BOTH the Old and New Testaments. You see, tithing and giving are like the law and grace. They both traveled along together in the Old Testament. Tithing was presented as a COMMANDMENT, as we have seen, and giving is presented as voluntary, as we shall see. But when the New Testament is introduced, the law and tithing are jettisoned like the staging of a booster rocket. Once it's purpose is fulfilled it is no longer needed and it is "staged" or cut loose. Let us then look at giving in the Old Testament and see that it is voluntary and has nothing to do with tithing.

 Ex 35:5 Take ye from among you an offering unto the LORD: whosoever [is] of a willing heart, let him bring it, an offering of the LORD; gold, and silver, and brass,

 Ex 35:21 And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, [and] they brought the LORD'S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation, and for all his service, and for the holy garments.

 Ex 35:22 And they came, both men and women, as many as were willing hearted, [and] brought bracelets, and earrings, and rings, and tablets, all jewels of gold: and every man that offered [offered] an offering of gold unto the LORD.

 Ex 35:29 The children of Israel brought a willing offering unto the LORD, every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work, which the LORD had commanded to be made by the hand of Moses.

   Notice first that it is here in the area of giving that we do find money and things of monetary value being used. This is not so with tithing, as we have seen. Next, notice the emphasis on "willingness" and the lack of any kind of a command. The same is true for the New Testament.

 2Co 8:12 For if there be first a willing mind, [it is] accepted according to that a man hath, [and] not according to that he hath not.

 2Co 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

   The phrase "or of necessity" is important since it totally excludes the force of a command. You see, a commandment necessarily involves necessity. That is, it is NECESSARY for you to obey the command otherwise it is sin. But this verse tells us that giving is NOT a necessary activity but rather voluntary! Therefore, giving is outside the realm of command or duty. It is voluntary. As a matter of fact, we may now go further and say that Abram and Jacob were not even "tithing" in the true sense of the Old Testament meaning. Gen 14.20; 28.22. They were simply exercising the Christian grace of giving, which is purely voluntary, using the customary 10% or "tithe" as a guide. True, they were fulfilling the "law" of tithing which was to come, but they did so without knowing it AND WERE UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO DO SO! What they did was purely voluntary! As for Romans 13.6. there it is talking not about tithing or giving but rather about paying taxes! There is a vast difference between giving and paying taxes. The paying of taxes under the New Covenant DOES fall under the category of a duty whereas giving does not!

   The next principle will not only begin to answer the question of how much we should give but will also render the final death blow to the doctrine of tithing as found in the Old Testament. Here it is. Giving, according to the New Testament is based on a person's ability, that is, how much he has and not what he does not have.

2 Cor 8.12  For if there be first a willing mind, [it is] accepted according to that a man hath, [and] not according to that he hath not.

    Could  words be any plainer? If a person is only able to voluntarily give 1 or 2 percent of his income it is an acceptable thing with God. This isn't even close to tithing by Old Testament standards and yet it is acceptable. As a matter of fact, the Old Testament which contains the practice of tithing makes this very distinction between tithing and giving according to ability! Here it is.

 De 16:17 Every man [shall give] as he is able, according to the blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee.

 De 16:10 And thou shalt keep the feast of weeks unto the LORD thy God with a tribute of a freewill offering of thine hand, which thou shalt give [unto the LORD thy God], according as the LORD thy God hath blessed thee:

   Now I have heard some speakers over the airwaves asking to support their "ministry" by making a "pledge offering". They want you to call them up on the telephone (toll free number of course) and "pledge" a certain amount of money whether you have it or not. Let us say for example that you pledge $1000.00 which at the time you do not have. By making the pledge and then trusting God to provide it you will receive the blessing. Now can you see how totally unbiblical this is? Nowhere does the Bible teach us that we are to pledge something that we do not have in order to support someone's ministry! There simply is no such thing as "pledge giving" found anywhere in the Scriptures! And by the time this paper is done I hope that you will see that "supporting someone's ministry" is found nowhere in the Bible either.

   Next, we note that the activity of giving is according to what you purpose in your heart.

2 Cor 9. 7  Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, [so let him give]; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

   The New Testament does not lay upon us any set amount such as 10% that we should give. Rather it leaves that decision up to the individual with his own conscience before God. The one guide line that I have already pointed out is that we should determine our giving according to the measure that God has given to us. Now does the principle of "Let not thy left hand know what the right one doeth" make sense? The amount is a very personal matter between the believer and his God. Can I be a bit more blunt? How much money a believer has and how much he gives is nobody's business but his own!! How much should a New Testament believer give of his monetary assets? That which he so purposes in his own heart according to the degree that God has blessed him. Thus saith both the Old and New Testaments.

   Next we will try to answer the most important question of; To Whom should we give our hard earned shekels? Now again, if you were to ask the average believer "who do you give your money to?" you may get any number of answers such as my church, the Bible society, Joe missionary, XYZ mission board, ABC radio ministry, QXK Christian T.V. station, NE tract society, our seminary, Bible school, Christian school etc. Now these may all be good organizations in need of funds to support them. After all, one can do nothing without money in this day and age. And of course, these groups might be of special concern to the Christian because they claim to be engaged in the preaching of the gospel and that is a great New Testament principle. Well and good. There is of course nothing wrong with giving money to such causes, as long as we are sure that they are preaching the true gospel. But now, I would like to ask and answer a question. Is this the emphasis of the New Testament when it talks about giving? You see, if we are Christians, before we do anything in life we should always ask the question "What does the Bible have to say about this?" Many times a certain thing in life may not only look OK but actually be OK, like giving money to a needy cause, and yet have no Biblical support. We need to examine the Scriptures to see if these things be so. Well then, what does the New Testament teach concerning "To Whom" should we give? Dear reader, did you know that there are at least FOUR categories of people to whom we should be directing our giving according to the New Testament? Yes, I said FOUR! I wonder how many Christians plop 10% of x dollars in the plate on Sunday and feel they have fulfilled their obligation to give to the Lord? I hope by the time this paper is done they will at least rethink their position and look it up in the Bible. Four categories. Let's take a look at each of them and see if we can learn anything.

 1. THE POOR! In flashing lights, underlined, with bells and whistles and all the rest. THIS IS THE BIGGIE!! I am saying that, when the Bible talks about giving the major emphasis in BOTH the Old and New Testaments, falls on the poor of the earth! Dear Christian, it is an indisputable fact that the poor are of supreme importance to the living God. It is the POOR who have been chosen to the glories of God and His eternal heaven? It is the POOR for whom Christ spilled His blood! Observe;

 Jas  2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the POOR of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

This is defined very clearly by the fact that... and may these words be written in fire on our hearts... Jesus Himself was a man of poverty!

 2Co  8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.

 Lu  2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

 Lu  9:58 And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air [have] nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay [his] head.

 Mr  6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

   He had to etch out His existence by banging nails into boards! Jesus was a poor man. No wonder He was rejected of men. "He's from the poor side of town. What does HE know about life and God and eternity?" Well, Jesus became poor because God is very interested in the poor. Now let's look at some verses that talk specifically about giving to the poor, first from the Old Testament.

 Isa  58:6 [Is] not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
 7 [Is it] not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?
 8 Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rearward.
 9 Then shalt thou call, and the LORD shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I [am]. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the finger, and speaking vanity;
 10 And [if] thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness [be] as the noonday:

   Among other things, this passage tells us that; True Biblical fasting involves... giving to the poor. Answers to prayer and an effective testimony are the results of... giving to the poor. Experiencing the glory of God comes as a result of... giving to the poor. In the light of what we have seen it is easy to see that this passage is far removed from any idea of tithing. As we have seen, in the Old Testament, both tithing and giving to the poor were interwoven and traveled along together. When Jesus and the New Covenant came along the structure of tithing was jettisoned, or left behind while the practice of giving to the poor was marked out as one of the main ingredients of giving under the New Covenant. Here are a few other Old Testament passages with little comment. I simply encourage you to look them up and read them in context. Another good study would be to look up the word "poor" in the Old Testament and see what you discover.

 God's concern for the poor;
 1Sa 2:8 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, [and] lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set [them] among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth [are] the LORD'S, and he hath set the world upon them.

 Ps  10:14 Thou hast seen [it]; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite [it] with thy hand: the poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.

 Ps  12:5 For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set [him] in safety [from him that] puffeth at him.

 Ps 68:10 Thy congregation hath dwelt therein: thou, O God, hast prepared of thy goodness for the poor.

 Ps 113:7 He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, [and] lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;

 Giving to the poor;
 Ps 41:1 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Blessed [is] he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.

 Ps 112:9 He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.

 Pr 19:17 He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the LORD; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

 Pr  22:9 He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed; for he giveth of his bread to the poor.

 Pr  28:27 He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack: but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse.

 Pr  31:20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

   These verses are by no means exhaustive and I hope they give you fuel for your own study of the Bible. Now let us look at what the New Testament has to say about giving to the poor. In order to do so we should need to take a look at the concept of mercy taught in the New Testament. What does mercy have to do with giving? We shall see as we move ahead. First take notice of the fact that the Greek word for mercy can be found no less than 28 times in the New Testament Notice the meaning of this word according to the Lexicon:
 

eleos {el'-eh-os}
 AV  - mercy (28)
 1) mercy: kindness or good will towards the miserable and the afflicted,   joined with a desire to help them. NOTE THIS LAST PHRASE!
   1a) of men towards men: to exercise the virtue of mercy, show one's self     merciful.
   1b) of God towards men: in general providence; the mercy and clemency of     God in providing and offering to men salvation by Christ.

 Why do I make reference to this word? Because there is a form of the word used 14 times in the New Testament and in every place it is translated ALMS!!  Here it is from the Lexicon. Note the meanings.

 eleemosune {el-eh-ay-mos-oo'-nay}
 from {eleos}; mercy;  noun fem.
 AV  - alms (13)
     - almsdeeds (1) [14]
 1) mercy, pity; especially as exhibited in giving alms, charity.
 2) the benefaction itself, a donation to the poor, alms.

 What does this tells us? Why nothing less than the fact that giving to the poor is nothing less than exercising pity and mercy. Isn't that what the gospel of grace is all about? Does God show mercy and pity to lost sinners? Yes He does. Should we not have the same concern? Yes, by all means! Jesus himself introduces us to this in the sermon on the mount. As He seeks to cover a wide variety of subjects in this sermon, the topic of giving is one of them. In chapter 6 of Matthew verse 1, Jesus does not say "do not your tithes before men". Neither does He say "do not your giving before men". Rather, he uses our word and says, "do not your alms before men". Let's look at the reference.

 Mt 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
 2 Therefore when thou doest [thine] alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
 3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
 4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

   There are at least 3 things we should note about this passage. 1st, giving is to be an expression of mercy to those who need it. Tithing has nothing to do with mercy. That's why Jesus rebuked the Pharisees and that's why He teaches here about giving ALMS, not tithing! Question; When you give money is it to people who need to receive mercy and pity? 2nd, giving is a private matter. That's the force of the verses is it not? To let people know that you are helping the poor, in order that you may be commended, is to play the hypocrite. Our commendation should come from God. 3rd, there is a reward for giving to the poor. Let us give in secret that our reward may be from the Father in His time. In Luke 6 Jesus sheds more light on this principle. Note the passage;

 Lu 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.
 32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them.
 33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same.
 34 And if ye lend [to them] of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again.
 35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and [to] the evil.
 36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.

   In both passages we may see that the practice of giving to the poor and to those who cannot give back to us is clearly taught by Jesus. It is nothing less than an expression of the mercy of God and we are to be merciful as He is! From here we may now look at some illustrations of this in action. Our first reference is found in Luke 18; The rich young ruler.

 Lu 18:18 And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
 19 And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none [is] good, save one, [that is], God.
 20 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do  not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother.
 21 And he said, All these have I kept from my youth up.

Now note the response of Jesus in the next verse;

 Lu 18:22 Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.

   What is the one activity, from the human standpoint, that determines whether or not a person possesses eternal life? According to Jesus it is nothing less than... GIVING TO THE POOR! Words could not be plainer. This ruler was a strict legalist by his own admission and was probably just as careful about tithing as he was about the rest of the law, just like the Pharisees! The trouble was, that just like the Pharisees he had not gone far enough. What does Jesus tell him? In essence He says, "Your law-keeping is not enough." Why? Because it has the outward form but not the inward reality. The inward reality of the love of God will make itself known by acts of mercy and showing pity to the poor. This is the same problem that the Pharisees had, is it not? Let the reader draw his own conclusions.

 Another passage, and this will probably be a challenge to most of us. Prepare to be crushed!

 Lu 14:12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor [thy] rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee.
 13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind:
 14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

   How many Christians do you know that practice what is taught in this passage? Probably not many. Part of the reason is that most of us have little or no thought about the resurrection at which time we shall see the results of mercy shown to the poor. Another idea seldom thought about is the so-called treasure in heaven concept. We're all too concerned about our earthly treasures, are we not? In this passage Jesus gives a clear description of what real New Testament giving is all about and it is challenging. The point that Jesus is making here is that; giving calls for PERSONAL INVOLVEMENT! Preparing meals is work that asks of our time and energy. Bringing people into our homes that are not only poor, but handicapped and maybe even strangers, (Heb 13.2) is demanding. That means we will have to give not only our material substance but also... ourselves! Why, isn't that what God did when He reached out to save lost humanity? He gave Himself. This is right in line with the New Testament teaching. Note the reference;

 2Co 8:5 And [this they did], not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.

 Now read Rom.12 and see if you find anything of personal involvement. Hint:
 vs 13. We could say that the Matthew passage is an illustration of vs 13.

   The whole idea is that our giving ought to be an expression of mercy and kindness toward the poor and unfortunate of this world. By this time you should be convinced that giving, according to the New Testament is more than just depositing a check in the plate every week, or sending a donation off to some "ministry". This kind of giving takes SACRIFICE! Now does the teaching of Jesus about saving and losing your life make more sense? See Mt 10:39  Mt 16:25  Mr 8:35  Lu 9:24  Lu 17:33 Joh 12:25

   I'll bet you didn't know that the New Testament had so much to say about giving to the poor and those of little means in this world! And we still have 3 more categories of people to consider. Let us search the Scriptures continually to see if these things be so. We now move to the second category of people with  whom we should share our material possessions.

 2. THE SAINTS!
   When we considered giving to the poor, that included all men, saved or lost, friend or enemy. There's probably more than one good reason why God tells us that we should be giving to all men in general and then get more specific by marking out certain definite categories to whom we should be giving. Whatever His reasons, there is one most important point we must keep in mind when we are involved in giving. That is; Biblical giving is an expression of mercy and pity, as we have seen. This is important because we may use it as a guideline when we look for opportunities to give. Thus, when we come to the category of the saints, and the other 2 that I shall point out, we do not have to go around passing out money willy-nilly to anyone who happens to come along. Rather, if we seek to discover those who are truly in need then we know that we are on safe Biblical ground. Sometimes we may even have to do some discreet inquiring but this is all part of being a good steward of what God has entrusted to us. We must be careful not to shell out our hard-earned money to any one who asks in the name of Jesus or religion. IS THERE A REAL NEED? This goes hand-in-hand with being personally involved with people. The more we are involved, the more we will know them, which will make it easier to see whether or not there is a true need. Here is a reference to this principle that will tie the thing together for us.

 Eph  4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with [his] hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.

Another guideline then is, when you give, make sure that there is a real need. All right, let's look at some verses that show us we are to help needy saints. We will give 2 or 3 verses that show this and then note a passage that has quite a striking illustration of not only the principle, but the results that follow from ministering, or NOT ministering to God's people. You may be surprised. Here are the verses;

 2Co 8:4 Praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the gift, and [take upon us] the fellowship of the ministering to the saints.

 Rom 12.13 Distributing to the necessity of the saints; given to hospitality.

 Ro 15:26 For it hath pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to make a certain contribution for the poor saints which are at Jerusalem.

 The next reference is, the entire 9th chapter of 2 Corinthians! The whole chapter has to do with the fact that the Corinthians ministered to needy saints. Here are a few verses;

 2Co 9:1 For as touching the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you:

 2Co 9:12 For the administration of this service not only supplieth the want of the saints, but is abundant also by many thanksgivings unto God;

 Then comes along James and John to elaborate on this activity and give it some definition.

 Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be [ye] warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what [doth it] profit?

 1Jo 3:17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels [of compassion] from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

 As you can see, these verses all speak about those who are part of the church or family of God. In fact if you really think about this you will see that the church has its own "welfare" system built right into it! There will ALWAYS be those in the church who are in need and of little means in this world. Those of us who have been blessed with this world's goods are called upon to take care of needy saints!

We will now turn our attention to a passage that not only illustrates what I have been saying but also gives a sharp insight into what the purpose is behind all of this. Matthew 25.31-46. The great day of Judgement is at hand !

 Mt 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:
 32 And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth [his] sheep from the goats:
 33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.
 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:
 35 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
 36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
 37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed [thee]? or thirsty, and gave [thee] drink?
 38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took [thee] in?  or naked, and clothed [thee]?
 39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done [it] unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done [it] unto me.

 Why is it important that we take care to meet the needs of those poor who belong to Jesus? For the simple reason that when you minister to those poor saints you are ministering to Christ Himself! What a mind boggling concept. When you give to those saints who are marked by poverty; they are hungry, thirsty, naked and in prison, you are giving to Jesus Christ Himself. Such action is a demonstration that one is among the company of Sheep.

Furthermore, this is the standard that will be used at the great Day of Judgement, which will determine the eternal destiny of all men. Why is it important that we take care to meet the needs of those poor who belong to Jesus? BECAUSE OUR ETERNAL DESTINY DEPENDS ON IT !! This is what this passage is all about. Both saved and lost are included in this scene. The "goats" are judged by the very same standard that the "sheep" are. Notice;

 41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:
 42 For I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:
 43 I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
 44 Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?
 45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did [it] not to one of the least of these, ye did [it] not to me.
 46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

 During all of their lives the rich and prosperous of this world enjoyed much good. They had money and substance and nothing to worry about for many years to come. They were successful and prosperous, and they were destined for the lake of fire! WHY? Not because they were wicked sinners, though many of them were. Not because they blasphemed God, though many of them did. No, it's not because of what they have done that will bring them to misery, but rather, what they have FAILED to do. In all of their doing, they had no regard for those poor saints of God who were in need. When they neglected them, THEY NEGLECTED CHRIST HIMSELF! Such neglect showed that they were outside the saving influence of the gospel. This is the plain teaching of the passage. In commenting on this passage, Matthew Henry says this; "All that is charged upon them, on which the sentence is grounded, is, omission; as, before, the servant was condemned, not for wasting his talent, but for burying it; so here, he does not say, `I was hungry and thirsty, for you took my meat and drink from me...' but, `When I was in these distresses, you were so selfish, so taken up with your own ease and pleasure, made so much of your labor, and were so unwilling to part with your money, that you did not MINISTER as you might have done to my relief and succor.' Note; Omissions are the ruin of thousands."  Matt. Henry. Vol 5  page 383. Whatever else this passage teaches, it shows us that the way we treat God's people is an indication of how we regard the Son of God! And how we regard the Son of God is an indication of whether or not we are sheep or goat. May this motivate us to be concerned for those poor saints of God and be ready to meet their needs. Much more could be said about this passage but again, I leave you to meditate and ponder it over, search the Scriptures, and draw your own conclusions.

OBJECTION;  To say that 'our eternal destiny depends on whether or not we give to the poor'  is to say that salvation depends on something the sinner does and that's salvation by works which is against the gospel of grace.

ANSWER; The gospel is the message that Jesus Christ, the Son of the living God has fully and completely atoned for all the sins of all the elect thereby accomplishing their salvation, establishing righteousness for them and guaranteeing that every last one for whom He died will infallibly be saved in time. It is upon the death of Messiah for His people alone that salvation rests and is the ONLY ground upon which God will save any sinner. The Matt 25 passage no more teaches salvation by works then the words of the Lord Jesus Christ when He said;

 Mt 12:37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou
    shalt be condemned.

Is Jesus Christ here teaching a doctrine of justification by works as shown by what men say? Not at all. But He is teaching the same thing He teaches in Matt 25, that the judgment will be based on works and it is a person's works that will indicate whether or not he was a true believer. It is nothing more then a display of the principle given to us by James in his epistle when he says that faith apart from works is dead and will save no one.

Do you claim to be of the company of God's sheep?  Then demonstrate that by a Biblical concern for the poor.

We move now to the next category.

 3. MINISTERS OF THE GOSPEL!
Revised;

Originally I had a section showing that those who preach the gospel should be 'paid'  but upon further study of the Scriptures I now see this to be unbiblical.  The Bible nowhere teaches the idea of salaried pastors or professional clergy that make their living by preaching the gospel.  Therefore I have removed such a notion from this paper but have retained the following that would indeed teach the very opposite;  that being that those who do preach the gospel are men who refuse to look to God's people to 'support' them but are self-supporting and industrious, even to the point where they themselves do the giving when there is a need, rather than receiving.

 Nowhere will you find those involved in the work of the gospel going around soliciting funds or asking for money to support either themselves or their "ministry". To illustrate this consider these verses;

 1Co 9:12 If others be partakers of [this] power over you, [are] not we rather? Nevertheless we have not used this power; but suffer all things, lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.

 2Co 11:9 And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all [things] I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and [so] will I keep [myself].

 2Co 12:14 Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

 The point of these verses is that even though Paul could have asked for money if he wanted to, he did not. The reasons are quite clear. He did not want to burden God's people and he did not want money to become a hindrance to the gospel. Next we look at an illustration of this when Jesus sends His own chosen disciples out to preach the gospel, Notice;

 Mt 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into [any] city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
 6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
 7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give !!!! <----
 9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
 10 Nor scrip for [your] journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.

 Lu 10:8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:

 In these accounts of Jesus sending out the 12 and the 70 He does not tell them to go out and drum up "support" for the work;  a practice known as 'deputizing'.  On the contrary, He sends them with nothing more than the "shirt on their backs and the shoes on their feet" and tells them to accept whatever people have to offer them! In essence He tells them "Take what you got and then take what you get!" They are not even to be too concerned about that magic stuff everybody's chasing after... money; vs 9! As they are fulfilling their mission to preach, those who hear and receive them would provide for their needs WITHOUT THEM EVER ASKING FOR ONE RED CENT! They didn't even solicit for themselves, much less their "work" or "ministry"! We can now begin to see that the New Testament nowhere teaches that ministers are to be supported by God's people.  Nor do we find ministers soliciting for support. Am I saying that the common practice of "deputizing" in order to raise money for someone to "go to the mission field" is unbiblical? Unequivocally and absolutely YES!  Am I saying that mission boards are unbiblical? YES!  They ain't nowhere found in the New Testament!

 Furthermore, this concept is brought home with substantial force by the fact that, contrary to depending on the "kindness of God's people" to support either themselves or their ministry or business operation, we find New Testament ministers actually doing secular work to support themselves! An illustration that shows that New Testament ministers of the gospel are not to go around soliciting funds for their work may be seen in the life of the Apostle Paul. Instead of "depending on the kindness and generosity of God's people" to support him and his work, as we so often hear in this day, Paul worked with his own hands to support himself!  Notice;

 Ac 18:3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.

 Ac 20:33 I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. (!!!)
 34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
 35 I have showed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

 1Co 4:12 And labour, working with our own hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it:

 2Th 3:8 Neither did we eat any man's bread for nought; but wrought with labour and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you:
 9 Not because we have not power, but to make ourselves an ensample unto you to follow us.

 And don't forget that Paul was not laboring in a "home church". He was the equivalent of our modern day "foreign missionary"! Our conclusion then is that the support of those involved in preaching and leadership is not Biblical.  Ministers of the gospel must be willing to work with their own hands in order to support themselves. Soliciting funds or "deputizing" for any reason is simply not found in the Bible.

 Another example I hear on the radio is; "Friends, if you enjoy this ministry and are blessed, send us an offering so we may stay on the air!" But Paul said; 1Co 9:18 "What is my reward then? [Verily] that, when I preach the gospel, I may make the gospel of Christ without charge, that I abuse not my power in the gospel." The term "without charge" means just that. Like when you get a free hot dog and the man says; "No charge!" The simple fact is that the New Testament nowhere teaches that we should give money to support a "ministry" such as "T.V. ministry", "Radio ministry" or any other kind of ministry! As a matter of fact, if you think about it, all of these things readily qualify under the category of business concerns and, as we have seen, the N.T. nowhere encourages us to give money in order to support someone's business, even if it has the label "Christian". Nor are we encouraged to "support" foreign missionaries! Occasionally, a church will send a gift to another church or minister during unusual circumstances but that is not the norm. The New Testament offers no evidence of giving to support works such as broadcasting stations, literature or tape ministries, building programs, institutions or the like. The leader himself will be willing to work toward his own support. We also find one church sending help to another in time of peculiar need, but we do NOT find one church supporting either another church or minister on a regular basis! Neither do we find any account of giving toward the support and running of a business! Thus a multi-million dollar radio or T.V. network could hardly qualify under this principle. Their cries for funds from God's people in order to support their "ministries" (businesses) is out of line with the teaching of the New Testament. I rather think that the words of Jesus to the rich young ruler would have a better fit; "Sell what thou hast and distribute to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in heaven"! It is most unfortunate that many people have fallen prey to the pious sounding phrase "giving to the work of the Lord" and are ready to pass out their hard-earned funds to anybody who uses it. Rather, the New Testament teaches that we are to give, not to the work of the Lord, nor to 'support'  anyone who says he is a 'pastor' but only where there is a peculiar need.  So much then for the third category of those to whom we are to exercise the grace of giving. We now move to the fourth and final one.

 4. ONE'S OWN HOUSEHOLD. There is a lot of biblical wisdom in the old saying, "charity begins at home". Providing for one's family should be a major priority in the life of a believer. In the following verse note the contrast of those who neglect this.

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

 The word "especially" sets a burden on us in that the provision of our families should be a major concern! Sometimes this may mean shutting down other areas in which we are giving in order to make ends meet at home, even to the point of not putting anything in the plate on Sunday! Those who hold to the traditional approach of "tithing" will sometimes tell us that we must sacrifice and put 10% in the plate anyway, even if we can't afford it. We then trust God to supply our need. We must ask; where is such a practice as this found in Scripture? Here, the approach of "tithing" puts an unnecessary burden on the shoulders of believers. On the other hand, if we hold to the New Testament approach of giving according to one's ability, that will LIFT any unnecessary burden from us! It sets a man free in his conscience because he knows that what little he has he is using Biblically toward the support of his family. We cannot use the account of the widow's 2 mites to refute this because; 1. She was a WIDOW! She had no family to provide for. 2. It was an isolated case meant to teach a willingness to give sacrificially. Many times we must exercise sacrifice when we provide for the family. 3. She did NOT tithe, or give "10%" at all! Rather, she plopped in 100% of all that she had. This indeed was an isolated case in order to teach a specific lesson, and was not meant to be the norm. Here is a verse from the Old Testament which we looked at in another context, which also applies here.

 Isa  58:7 [Is it] not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house?  when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?

 Notice the last phrase of the verse. Here we are told that as we are about the business of taking care of the poor we ought not to go so far as to neglect our own needs! Let us not be taken in by the pious sounding idea that if we give more than we are able and trust the Lord He will provide. Rather, let us be thankful that He has already provided for our needs and let us be wise in our use of what He has given. This is nothing more than wise stewardship. Here's another verse from the New Testament that speaks to this point.

 2Co  12:14 Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

 Note the last part of the verse. Negatively, it is not saying that children do not have to take care of their parents if they are in need. This would go against the grain of the 4th commandment to honor our parents. This is just what Jesus blasted the Pharisees for doing in Matthew 15. Notice;

 Mt 15:1 Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
 2 Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread.
 3 But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition?
 4 For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
 5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to [his] father or [his] mother, [It is] a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
 6 And honour not his father or his mother, [he shall be free]. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
 7 [Ye] hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,
 8 This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with [their] lips; but their heart is far from me.
 9 But in vain they do worship me, teaching [for] doctrines the commandments of men.

 They had used a religious excuse in order to avoid the duty of providing for their own when they were able to do so. Instead, they claimed that they had to put the money in the plate because it was a sacrifice to God. For this, Jesus condemns them as hypocrites! Is not this the same thing as saying "even if you're not able, put in 10% anyway and trust God"?! The real guide line here should be that we should give according to our ability, not beyond it, as we have seen. Positively, we are instructed here in the very point I am making, namely, that providing for one's own family is something we ought to be seriously concerned about. Let no one try to slip his hand into your pocket with the pious approach of "giving sacrificially" or "give 'til it hurts!". Sorry my friend; not if it means neglecting the poor, the needy saints AND one's own family! That's where we must draw the line.

 One of the most amazing accounts of this principle in action is found in the book of Proverbs, chapter 31, verses 10-31! It speaks of a true woman of God and I invite you to read it for yourself. She is a wise woman, providing for both her household and the poor. This is what God wants His people to be like. Notable verses are marked with a star like so; *

 Proverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price [is] far above rubies.
 11  The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
 12  She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
 * 13  She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
 * 14  She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
 * 15  She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
 * 16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
 17  She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
 18  She perceiveth that her merchandise [is] good: her candle goeth not out by night.
 19  She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
 * 20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
 * 21  She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household [are] clothed with scarlet.
 * 22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing [is] silk and purple.
 23  Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
 * 24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth [it]; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
 25  Strength and honour [are] her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
 26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue [is] the law of kindness.
 * 27  She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
 28  Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband [also], and he praiseth her.  ( I wonder why? )
 29  Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
 30  Favour [is] deceitful, and beauty [is] vain: [but] a woman [that] feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.

 This brings us to the conclusion of the matter. Let me close this paper by giving what I'm calling a Biblical module or outline of what New Testament giving is. At the outset of this paper I asked 2 questions; HOW MUCH SHOULD WE GIVE and TO WHOM SHOULD WE GIVE. From what we have studied we are now prepared to answer those questions from a New Testament viewpoint.

 HOW MUCH SHOULD A CHRISTIAN GIVE? As much as he is able to freely, cheerfully and voluntarily give. The simple guideline is ACCORDING TO ABILITY! And according to what you have purposed in your own heart to give.
 TO WHOM SHOULD A CHRISTIAN GIVE? Four categories;
 1. One's own household.
 2. Poor and\or needy saints of God.
 3. The poor in general; saved or not.
 4. Ministers of the gospel. Nott!!!
 The watchword here is simple. Is there a genuine NEED!!
 Shall we boil it down to one short saying we can use as a guideline? Here it is. Am I ABLE to meet a genuine NEED?

 Finally, this paper is by no means exhaustive on the subject. Much more could be said and some things are difficult to answer.  What I am saying is that I firmly believe that Christians ought to consider the 4 New Testament categories as first in order of priority when it comes to the giving of our funds. Once we are meeting the needs of these and there is still plenty of blessing left over then by all means give what you will where you will, making sure that there is a genuine need to be met. Then we may confidently look forward to those words we all want so much to here; "Well done thou good and faithful servant. Enter..."  And that is by no means saying that salvation is gotten by works. Who hath ears...
 
         Prove All Things