Reverend Jake

PART I

DECEPTION IN THE CHURCH

THE LIE OF THE TITHE @ CTI

LINKS EXPOSING RED FLAGS

SEE ARTICLES BELOW

Femi Aribisala

Every pastor who collects tithes is a thief

The Tithing Debate

A Wolf's Guide to Fool Sheep Into Giving

My dear friends, don’t believe everything you hear. Carefully weigh and examine what people tell you. Not everyone who talks about God comes from God. There are a lot of lying preachers loose in the world.

Is tithing a requirement for today? Malachi 3:10 is often used to compel believers to give 10% in tithe, in order to receive blessing from God. The New Covenant ushered in a different way to give - joyfully and without compulsion. Listen as we explain this “hard passage”. Matthew 23:23 is often used as a basis for the act of tithing, but that teaching misses the point of the verse. Jesus was addressing hypocrisy of the teachers of the law. This "hard passage” is rich in matters of the heart. Watch this video below for more details.

I just came across these videos today here on You Tube. This young man presented a good sermon with regards to being generous & cheerful in giving to the work of the gospel without being under compulsion and whatever God places in your heart to give ( cf 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 English Standard Version).

But, unfortunately he took a wrong detour when it came to the subject of tithes which he claims is mandatory under the New Testament. In this article I will provide evidence proving that the LIE OF THE TITHE is nothing more than a convoluted elaborate fabrication that has it's origins with the Council of Macon in 585 A.D. and has nothing to do with the false doctrines that are being presented in CTI as presented in the videos below. I present my rebuttal to Pastor Matt's & Holly's claims along with sources cited.

Ever since Pastor Matt Baptista & associates launched their Kingdom Builders Program in 2021, the ministry has engaged in what I will term here High Pressure collection offering tactics or fund raising for all aspects of their ministry programs, but in particular for missions. The Senior Pastor & his associates have set in motion a full spectrum of financial campaigns periodically throughout the year for their Kingdom Builders program. These campaigns have involved money collections separate from and in addition to the standard money collection on Sundays; Followed up by a series of HYPED sermons based on the theme "WE ARE GO GIVERS" centered on giving tithes & first fruits offerings. This fabricated doctrine of tithing or at least their own version of it, is their Golden Goose and one true love.

CUE THE VIDEO TO TIME

FRAME 18:00 MINUTES

FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE

CUE THIS VIDEO TO TIME
FRAME 30 MINUTES FOR
YOUR CONVENIENCE

PASTOR STOP FLEECING THE FLOCK, Opens in a new tab

MALACHI 3:8

WHO'S ROBBING WHO?

ARE YOU THE VICTIM

OF THE LIE OF THE TITHE?

WATCH THE HISTORY OF

TITHING IN VIDEO BELOW

SEE LINKS BELOW FOR MORE DETAILS

https://thetithinghoax.com/when-was-tithing-instituted-in-the-church/

Tithing: How It Evolved Into Giving Money to the Local ...

VIDEO BELOW DISCUSSES

WHY TITHING IS NOT

A BIBLICAL MODEL

FOR GIVING UNDER THE N.T.

THE VIDEO BELOW REVEALS
6 WAYS CHRISTIANS ARE BEING
DECEIVED INTO PAYING TITHES

THE 2 VIDEOS BELOW EXPOSES

THE GIMMICKS BEING USED

IN MANY CHURCHES TODAY

TO FLEECE THE FLOCK

See links below for more details

Tithing is for Pagans

Memberships, Tithing, and Pagans

BUT IT IS WRITTEN: "EVERY WORD OF GOD IS PURE, HE IS A SHIELD TO THOSE WHO PUT THEIR TRUST IN HIM. DO NOT ADD TO HIS WORDS; LEST HE REPROVE YOU, AND YOU BE FOUND A LIAR" PROVERBS 30: 5-6.

In many churches today the doctrine of tithing has reached the level of a modern day scandal. While on the one

hand, most seminary-level textbooks on hermeneutics and church theologians omit tithing, on the other hand, the practice is quickly becoming a requirement for church membership in the very denominations which insist on solid Bible-based doctrines. There is also increasing evidence that lay persons who question the legitimacy of New Covenant tithing are usually criticized as being troublemakers or weak Christians. Instead of tithing preachers admitting that their position on this topic is false and filled with fallacies, THEY GO ON THE OFFENSIVE BY FALSELY ACCUSING THEIR CRITICS AS BEING CYNICAL, Instead of commending us for being good BEREANS cf Acts 17:11.

Modern Tithing is Based on Many False Assumptions

One denomination’s statement on stewardship is typical of what many others teach about tithing. It says that "tithing is the minimum biblical standard and the beginning point which God has established that must not be replaced or compromised by any other standard." It adds that the tithe is from gross income which is due to the church before taxes.

Let me begin by stating that Pastor Matt's theological exegesis on tithing is based on faulty logic. Let me explain; "What is the difference between exegesis and eisegesis?"

Answer: Exegesis and eisegesis are two conflicting approaches in Bible study. Exegesis is the exposition or explanation of a text based on a careful, objective analysis. The word exegesis literally means “to lead out of.” That means that the interpreter is led to his conclusions by following the text.

The opposite approach to Scripture is eisegesis, which is the interpretation of a passage based on a subjective, non-analytical reading. The word eisegesis literally means “to lead into,” which means the interpreter injects his own ideas into the text, making it mean whatever he wants.

Some religious groups take Scriptures out of context in order to support their beliefs. They isolate “proof texts” and “cherry pick” verses to persuade the uninformed that their interpretation is right, even to the extent of claiming they alone have “the truth” and everybody else is wrong. Some have even altered the Bible and produced their own translation to support their religious bias like some Christian cults i.e. Jehovah's Witnesses.

" Now remember the tithing preachers & false prophets want you to believe that God has established a principle of first fruits which now require you to bring your tithe to their storehouse which is the church that feeds you. It is a devious mixture of scriptures which has nothing to do with each other yet are tied together for the purpose of forcing you to give them your money. As we saw with tithing, first fruits were established as part of the Mosaic Law for the governance of the theocracy of Israel. While Leviticus 26:1-11 established the feasts of first fruits, these verses get into details of carrying it out. We still do not see anything monetary about them. Nothing about honoring the Lord with your increase. It also has little to do with tithing. The system of tithing was entirely different. Tithing had to do with the Levitical Priest system, and the first fruits was a feast of remembrance. The tithing preacher however tries to conflate the two. He tries to convince you that the principle for first fruits demands that you obey the tithing system. It is at best inaccurate and at worst a willful deliberate attempt to steal your money" from Fleecing the Flock by Anthony Wade page 106.

" The lie of first fruits is probably the most dangerous because it is conceptually mentioned a lot in the Old Testament as a system Israel had to follow. The vast majority of those references however dealt with two very specific things that have nothing to do with sowing seeds into the pockets of millionaire preachers of today. The first is dealing with a specific feast that God ordained for Israel to remember his deliverance of them from slavery in Egypt. The second is in direct relation to the tithing system for the Levitical Priests. Neither one has anything to do with setting up a principal to be followed by believers today. If that was God's intention, he would have made it abundantly clear" (FLEECING THE FLOCK BY ANTHONY WADE PAGE 111).

"What is behind this is a loss of fear of the Lord. How else can you explain such shoddy hermeneutics from those who claim to have a divine calling on their lives? This is also the result of Purpose Driven Theology. When church becomes a business, and the pastor becomes a CEO, it is only a matter of time before money becomes the primary focus over our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ. To support visions God never gave. If you ask pastors who still teach tithing, THEY WOULD PROBABLY SAY THEY ARE SCARED. AFRAID THAT IF THEY LEFT IT UP TO CHEERFUL GIVERS and the Holy Spirit, that they would not get enough to keep their church doors open. It is sad really because that is no excuse to mangle the Word of God. Then there are those who know full well what they are doing. Without this fear, these tithing preachers continue to abuse the sheep of God, the Bride of Christ all for filthy lucre. The truth is that as the church has seen more and more leaven infiltrating it's walls we have seen carnal thinking explode exponentially. Chasing secular leadership principles. Employing non-biblical growth theories. BUT UNDERLYING ALL OF THEM IS THE CENTURIES OLD BACKDROP OF TITHING. IT IS FOUNDED AND DEFENDED BY A PATCHWORK OF SCRIPTURES TAKEN OUT OF CONTEXT AND COBBLED TOGETHER BY WELL TRAINED RELIGIOUS PROFESSIONAL SPEAKERS TO SELL COMPULSORY GIVING. AND MALACHI CHAPTER 3: 8-12 IS AT THE TOP OF THAT LIST"! (FLEECING THE FLOCK PAGE 71 BY ANTHONY WADE).

The following excerpt is taken from the booklet GENERAL CHRISTIAN DOCTRINES PUBLISHED BY THE ASSEMBLIES OF GOD, QUESTION SIX, PAGE ELEVEN ON TITHING and I quote:

"WE DO NOT BELIEVE TITHING TO BE A CONDITION FOR SALVATION.(ARTICLE IX, SECTION 7A). AND IT IS TRUE THERE IS NO DIRECT COMMANDMENT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT SAYING " YOU MUST TITHE TO GOD ONE TENTH OF YOUR INCOME" end of quote.

I am fully aware that when you become a member at CTI the Senior Pastor makes new members take an oath before the entire congregation stating that they are obligated to give ten percent of their income to his church. And he claims that this is according to Holy Writ. BUT THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN THE N.T. TO SUPPORT HIS CLAIMS. WHY? BECAUSE IT'S ALL A MAN MADE DOCTRINE AND A MONEY MAKING SCHEME THAT HAS BEEN EFFECTIVELY USED AT CTI FOR MANY YEARS.

Everything about tithing ended at Calvary: 1) The Mosaic Covenant, 2) it's priests, 3) it's definition as food, 4) it's temple and 5) it's sacrificial system. Tithes were never used to fund buildings or missionaries. Calvary Temple Int'l what part of the O.T. plan for supporting the Temple is still followed today? They had other means of support per Numbers 18: 1-20. The only thing that was carried over from the Old Testament into the New Testament is God's moral laws. And that has been reiterated under the New Covenant!

Nowhere does the New Testament specifically command tithing as a regulation for the church. Neither Jesus nor his disciples taught the necessity of tithing; nor can we find any statement that they did tithe. Jesus paid the temple tax (Matthew 17:24-27), but we do not read of him paying his tithe. In the NT churches, giving was voluntary for the aid of the poor and for full-time ministry, though Paul the tentmaker often preferred to be self-supporting.

The first church council in Jerusalem about 50 AD, recorded in Acts chapter 15, decided that believers did not have to observe the Law of Moses which included tithing. When the subject of law observances came before the council the only matters stipulated to be observed were “to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.” (Acts 15:20). It was expressly stated, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements.” (Verse 28)

To demand a tenth from believers is disobedience to the principles of giving by grace set down in 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9, and 1 Corinthians 16:2 because the tithe may become an unequal yoke. It is an unrealistic burden to some, and a limitation to greater giving by others. Also an emphasis on tithing can lead to a sense of compulsion (giving as a duty) and even complacency (“I’ve met my quota!”).

The NT teaches in 1 Corinthians 16:1-3 and 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9, and elsewhere, that a Christian’s giving should be: regular, systematic, liberal, cheerful and generous as an expression of love, in proportion to income (and not necessarily limited to the tithe of one’s income). Giving is a matter of individual conscience, a voluntary decision before God, subject to the inward prompting of the Holy Spirit, and not controlled by the dictatorial commands of others.

Last but not least tithing preachers should not use charisma, clever marketing on social media or emotional appeals (i.e. buzz words such as we are GO GIVERS backed up by scriptures taken out of context along with stage props) to draw people in as a money making scheme through their false teachings regarding tithes. It was never God's intention to establish tithing as a BIBLICAL MODEL for Christians.

Tithing is not mandatory for Christians under the New Covenant and it's not verifiable in the N.T. Did God command Christians to pay tithes?

Answer: In the Old Testament, as the Levitical priests were the civil government, tithes were required taxes for funding the national budget in Israel. But in the New Testament, Christians were not commanded to tithe anymore but rather encouraged to voluntarily give to the church (and to God) in proportion to their wealth.

PART II

Why Christians are not obligated to pay tithes
It is unscriptural for Christians to pay tithes. It was meant for a specific nation for specific purposes.
God had a covenant with Israel. God tells His people to bring the tithes to a place He’ll establish His name. He goes on to state that if that place is too far for them to bring their tithes because the Lord had blessed them with abundance, then they should exchange their tithes for money - bring it to the place and buy whatever their hearts desired, come and eat their tithes, and then share with the orphans, widows, Levites and strangers within their city gates - those who do not have a share in the land. You find this in Deuteronomy chapters 14 and 26. According to this, the Israelites partook of their tithes, they didn't just give it and leave.
Now, the famous Malachi 3 was never speaking to Christians. God, in the whole book of Malachi was talking to the priests who had started offering unacceptable sacrifices, and not even taking the tithes to the house of the Lord. So in chapter 3 verse 10, He tells them to bring the tithes into the storehouse so there may be food in His house. Food for whom? Remember, we already know that by now from Deuteronomy. All this is happening under the Law of Moses (Mosaic law). Malachi doesn't even mention how often tithes must be brought much less every month!
Christians are not under the Law, they are under Grace. In other words, when the people who were under the law worked for their “salvation or relationship with God” Christians don't have to because they have been saved by grace. They are not required to slaughter animals and bring different kinds of offerings like if they were still under the law.
New Testament mentions nothing on Christians having to pay tithes. Jesus and His disciples never paid tithes neither did they instruct anyone to do so. Paul wrote three quarters of the New Testament and had many opportunities to talk about tithes but he never did! He spoke a lot on giving and as a matter of fact giving is mentioned 176 times in the New Testament- nothing on tithes. So why have Christians been paying tithes then?
When you follow the law, you must be sure to heed to every instruction, you break one, and you’ve broken them all! When Christians are taught to bring the tithes, they are being subjected to the law and that means they are being subjected under the curses listed when they don't obey. Some tithers pay the tithes but still struggle throughout the month. Some even borrow from credit cards to pay tithes. Some have their policies lapse. Some struggle with school fees – all because they paid tithes. That doesn’t sound like these people live under blessings as promised by those who teach them to pay tithes. Could it be that they’ve subjected themselves to a law that God didn’t even have anything to do with in regard to His relationship with Christians? How is that it's only a few get blessed every week/ every month, and the tithers seldom get blessed?
Many argue that tithe is to help spread the Gospel. Really?! According to which scripture? Have the pastors been “robbing” the people of God? Have the pastors been “preying” on those who didn't care to check the scriptures? Do Christians read their Bibles?
Christian tithing has no New Testament example and no command either.
IT IS UNSCRIPTURAL FOR CHRISTIANS TO PAY TITHES!
By Sibongile Mlangeni, Initiating Insight.
Jesus, Peter, Paul and the poor did not Tithe!
The false teaching is that everybody in the Old Testament was required to begin their giving to God at the ten per cent level. In reality, the poor were not required to tithe at all! Neither did the tithe come from the results of man’s craft, hands and skill. Only farmers and herdsmen possessed what was defined as tithe increase. Jesus was a carpenter; Paul was a tentmaker and Peter was a fisherman. None of these occupations qualified as tithe-payers because they did not farm or herd animals for a living. It is, therefore, incorrect to teach that everybody paid a required minimum of a tithe and, therefore, that New Covenant Christians should be required to at least begin at the same minimum as Old Covenant Israelites. This common false assumption is very often repeated and completely ignores the very plain definition of tithe as food from farm increase or herd increase. It is also wrong to teach that the poor in Israel were required to pay tithes like the poor widow and her 2 mites in Luke 21:1-4. In fact, they actually received tithes! Much of the second festival tithe and all of a special third-year tithe went to the poor. In fact, many laws protected the poor from abuse and expensive sacrifices which they could not afford (see also Lev. 14:21; 25:6, 25-28, 35, 36; 27:8; Deu. 12:1-19; 14:23, 28, 29; 15:7, 8, 11; 24:12, 14, 15, 19, 20; 26:11-13; Mal. 3:5; Matt. 12:1, 2; Mark 2:23, 24; Luke 2:22-24; 6:1, 2; 2 Cor. 8:12-14; 1 Tim. 5:8; Jas. 1:27).
The tithe is a subject that is very dear to most church leaders. Those denominations that can get their members to actually bring in a full 10% of gross income can create very powerful forces far beyond their strength in numbers. The leading "tithing" sects according to an article in Christian Ministry, are interestingly what Evangelicals would term "cults." The Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormons, and the World Wide Church of God are the leading givers. The fourth is the Assemblies of God of which CTI is affiliated with. Recently, the World Wide Church of God abandoned the tithe as un-Scriptural. Donations dropped 30 per cent in the first year. (While the article in Christian Ministry lists the Jehovah's Witnesses among leading tithing denominations, I've since been informed by that organization that Jehovah's Witnesses do not practice tithing.)
"While abusive churches twist passages from the Bible out of their context to manipulate and coerce Christians into donating more, a plain and contextual reading of Scripture reveals that God provides for and protects the poor, while the Pharisees, the money changers, and the abusive shepherds of Israel exploited, extorted, and devoured them.
When it comes to their teachings on tithing and money, most of our local churches in America today resemble the abusive, exploitative behavior of the Pharisees, not Jesus Christ. We shouldn’t be using the story of the Widow’s Offering to take a poor Christian’s last two dollars. Jesus condemned the Pharisees for devouring widows’ houses. I think we ought to do the same". Sarah Leann Young

The lead pastors of CTI mentioned above have also in the past used the story of the widow's mite as a proof text to prove tithing is a BIBLICAL MODEL for giving sacrificially under the N.T. cf Luke 21: 1-4. But when you CAREFULLY examine the text in it's historical context, that argument does not hold up. She was paying the Temple Tax! Watch the 2 videos below for more proof & don't believe everything you here from the pulpit from these tithing preachers before doing some serious fact checking.

GO TO THE LINK BELOW & WATCH

"TITHING IS NOT A CHRISTIAN DOCTRINE"

SEE 3 LINKS BELOW
Tithing is Not a Christian Doctrine

BY DR. RUSSELL EARL KELLEY
The Tithe is Illegal
The Lie Called Tithing

"FLEECING THE FLOCK" BY ANTHONY WADE" A FORMER MINISTER OF ASSEMBLIES OF GOD; "SETTING THE PEOPLE OF GOD FREE FROM THE LIES OF TITHING".
Why I Left the
Assemblies of
God by Anthony Wade

The Tithing Hoax: Exposing the Lies, Misinterpretations & False Teachings about Tithing

THESE FINAL 2 VIDEOS EXPOSE

THE MONEY MAKING SCHEMES

WITHIN THE CHURCH WORLD

See links below

Wednesday, March 26, 2025

Tuesday, March 11, 2025

Dealing with a know-it-all personality

Articles:

Systematic Theology - Bruce Ware | Free

Online

Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem

Monday, February 3, 2025

Friday, January 24, 2025

Saturday, January 18, 2025

Friday, January 10, 2025

Every pastor who collects tithes is a thief

The Tithing Debate

A Wolf's Guide to Fool Sheep Into Giving

1 John 4:1 The Message (MSG)

SEE LINKS BELOW FOR MORE DETAILS

Tithing: How It Evolved Into Giving Money to the Local ...

VIDEO BELOW DISCUSSES

Tithing is for Pagans

Memberships, Tithing, and Pagans

Why Christians are not obligated to pay tithes

Tithing is Not a Christian Doctrine

God by Anthony Wade