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1. How are preachers of the Gospel to be supported - Tom Norris condemns the one that pays a tithe. Is it wrong to support the preacher with 10% of your income?? How about 15%?? How about 3%?? How about 100 %. Tom just says tithe is wrong. Did you know tithe means 10%. How could it be wrong to freely give 10% of your income to support the preacher of the Gospel?? If you promise to give 10% of your income to support the preacher of the Gospel, you better pay it, or you will turn out like Ananias and Sapphira. Read about them. They promised to pay 100% of the sale of their land. They did not and God showed His disfavor by killing them. Remember your promises to God to support the preacher of the Gospel.
1 Cor 9: 13 Don’t you know that those who serve in the temple get their food from the temple, and that those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar? 14 In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
Does Jesus or Paul tell the Christian not to support the preacher of the Gospel? No, Jesus and Paul COMMANDED the Christian that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the Gospel. Is that 10%? Is it 15%? Is it 20%?
Interesting, who, or what structure determines what the living of a preacher of the Gospel needs to live on?? Is it Tom Norris, is it each Christian separately, is it a Church Board? It does not give an answer. Tom Norris would give you the impression that you don't have to pay the preacher that preaches the Gospel, to make a living from preaching the Gospel.
2. When Christ died, the New Covenant was ushered in with the Holy Spirit poured out at Pentecost. If the Early Church neglected to support the preachers of the Gospel, so that they can not make a living of preaching the gospel, would they not be as wrong as if the church mandated a tithe for this cause??? This quandary Tom doesn't help you with, does he. Is it not a matter of mathmatics? How many church members receive the benefit of the preacher of the Gospel that heads the local church? How much does he need to live on? This is what the Scripture says.
The Commands of God are enhanced under the New Covenant. Would one extrapolate that the OC giving requirements was enhanced also??
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Tom said:
He [Geoff Volker] also correctly denounces this idea of a double tithe, as if the first 10% is assumed as a starting place for NC giving. Good for him. He correctly teaches that there can be no tithe in the church, much less a sin to not tithe as many teach.
Tom would it be a sin if a congregation does not make enough donations to give the preacher enough to make a living preaching the gospel. The equation is simple enough, what is the cost of a preacher's living, how many members benefit from his preaching? Depending on the size of the congregation, it could be 10%, less or more, eh???
Last edited by bob_2 (05-21-12 5:36 am)
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1. How are preachers of the Gospel to be supported - Tom Norris condemns the one that pays a tithe. Is it wrong to support the preacher with 10% of your income?? How about 15%?? How about 3%?? How about 100 %. Tom just says tithe is wrong. Did you know tithe means 10%. How could it be wrong to freely give 10% of your income to support the preacher of the Gospel?? If you promise to give 10% of your income to support the preacher of the Gospel, you better pay it, or you will turn out like Ananias and Sapphira. Read about them. They promised to pay 100% of the sale of their land. They did not and God showed His disfavor by killing them. Remember your promises to God to support the preacher of the Gospel.
The tithe was in actuality nothing less than a tax. God demanded the land owners pay 10% of their crops and increase of animals. Paul taught to give out of love because Christians should want to see everyone saved.
If a church is so small that it becomes a burden to pay a full time preacher and staff the church then the congregation should be wise enough to make other arrangements. We live in Eastern TN and it seems like there is a church on every road. Some of them are very poor and the crowds are small. The should combine churches and free themselves from over burden. Pride and some differences from way back keep the congregations apart. It seems people have lost their loving spirit. What a shame.
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A few years back, a gentleman came to my front door. No he wasn't JW, but representing a local, small Baptist church. I drove past this church a lot, wondering why it never grew, or why someone chose to build the center of the church that was intended to grow. I asked him a question about this. I asked would you not be more influential or effective if you joined with other baptist churches to spread the Gospel. I encouraged him to go back and consider that with the "church fathers".
Thanks for your direct answer, and practicalness. Under the NC/NT, we need to be careful with our promises, having faith but not being presumptuous and negatively effect pastors who want to earn a living and have family stability like everyone. Like all other parts of the new tenets or laws of the NC, they are really an expansion of the OC. The fulfillment of the Sabbath by Jesus our Savior is an expansion of the Sabbath Law is it not, with Him personally giving us rest by forgiving our sins. Tithe, is it not expanded on where we have the freedom to make promises, but when you consider Ananias and his wife they made promises that others came to depend on. They promised 100% and didn't keep their word. Is that not an expansion of the tithe??? Tom just wants to tell of the freedom not to pay. As I read it, God really is expecting more from those that He has saved for eternity through His Son Jesus.
Last edited by bob_2 (05-21-12 7:25 pm)
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