New Covenant Generosity: How to Receive an Offering Without Guilt, Manipulation, Or Curses
()
About this ebook
Read more from Jonathan Welton
Raptureless: Third Edition Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Understanding the Seven Churches of Revelation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bulletproof Husband: How to get rid of arguments, save your marriage, and never feel emasculated Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNew Age Masquerade Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Understanding the Whole Bible: The King, The Kingdom and the New Covenant Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of Revelation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5New Covenant Revolution: Finally Burying Old Covenant Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Raptureless: An Optimistic Guide to the End of the World: Revised Edition Including The Art of Revelation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5New Covenant Leaders Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Related to New Covenant Generosity
Related ebooks
7 Commitments for Spiritual Growth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNew Covenant Revolution: Finally Burying Old Covenant Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5New Covenant Leaders Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Revelation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Raptureless: An Optimistic Guide to the End of the World: Revised Edition Including The Art of Revelation Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Equipping the Equippers: Handbook for Raising Up Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, & Teacher Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Five-Fold Effect: Unlocking Power Leadership for Amazing Results in Your Organization Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSummary of Beni Johnson & Bill Johnson's The Power of Communion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNew Covenant Prophetic Ministry Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIt Is Finished Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsStones of Remembrance: How Twelve Visitations of the Holy Spirit Changed One Woman's Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Building an Apostolic People (Formerly Holy Community) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOn Earth As It Is in Heaven: Answer God's Call to Transform the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Glorious Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEquipped for Glory: Understanding the Five-Fold Graces Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFive Fingers of God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Living a Supernatural Life: The Secret to Experiencing a Life of Miracles Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Do What Jesus Did: A Real-Life Field Guide to Healing the Sick, Routing Demons and Changing Lives Forever Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Prophetic Evangelism: When God Speaks to Those who Don't Know Him Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Strange Fire, Holy Fire: Exploring the Highs and Lows of Your Charismatic Experience Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrayer Evangelism: How to Change the Spiritual Climate over Your Home, Neighborhood and City Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Spirit of Sonship Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5After God's Own Heart: The Key to Knowing and Living God's Passionate Love for You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Through the Eyes of Love: Encouraging Others through Prophetic Revelation Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5When the Church Changes, the World Changes! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDestined to Win: How to Embrace Your God-Given Identity and Realize Your Kingdom Purpose Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Nations Rage: Prayer, Promise and Power in an Anti-Christian Age Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Faith at the Speed of Light: Experiencing Exponential Growth While Surfing the Wave of Change Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGrowing in Prayer: A Real-Life Guide to Talking with God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Christianity For You
Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Book of Enoch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mere Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Holy Bible (World English Bible, Easy Navigation) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: Creating a Marriage That's Both Holy and Hot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Your Brain's Not Broken: Strategies for Navigating Your Emotions and Life with ADHD Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table: It's Time to Win the Battle of Your Mind... Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries with Kids: How Healthy Choices Grow Healthy Children Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I'll Start Again Monday: Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Eating Habits with Lasting Spiritual Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Undistracted: Capture Your Purpose. Rediscover Your Joy. Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Workbook: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Boundaries and Goodbyes: Loving Others Without Losing the Best of Who You Are Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Pursuit of God with Study Guide: The Human Thirst for the Divine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Law of Connection: Lesson 10 from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for New Covenant Generosity
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
New Covenant Generosity - Jonathan Welton
work.
part one
TITHING AND GIVING IN THE NEW COVENANT
Are the Bible verses about tithing still relevant in the new covenant? Many modern teachers have begun to question whether we can rightly use Old Testament verses about tithing to push Christians to give. Dr. Che Ahn, founder and overseer of H.I.M., a network of 40,000 churches, is one such leader. In his recent book, The Grace of Giving, Ahn writes:
There are many sincere Christians today who faithfully give the tithe because they believe it is mandated in Scripture, and that mandate is still valid today. I know, for I used to be one of them. I was taught to tithe from the time I first became a Christian as a teenager, and it never occurred to me to question the teaching. My wife and I have always given more than the tithe every year since we’ve been married. However, more recently, I find that my position is changing, due to what I believe is a deeper understanding of God’s grace and its operation in our lives.¹
Ahn then goes on to explain the change in his beliefs by looking at one of the most popular verses used to teach mandatory tithing, Malachi 3:8–10:
Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,
says the Lord Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
About this passage, Ahn says:
Unfortunately, this teaching on the tithe from Malachi 3 frequently intimidates people, inducing guilt by telling them that if they don’t tithe, they are robbing God and are under a curse. The passage is also frequently quoted out of context. As we discussed at the beginning of this book, when we take a text out of context, we are opening ourselves to a con.
²
Frank Viola and George Barna speak out even more vocally on this issue in their bestselling book, Pagan Christianity. In it they include some enlightening facts from Church history:
Before the 3rd century priests had no form of income. The people supported them of their own volition. If that was not possible they worked alongside their ministerial roles to support themselves. It was actually Constantine who introduced the idea of a priestly salary, which was a pagan idea. He took money from the municipal and church funds to pay those serving as priests in the empire. We have to wait till the third century before someone suggested a tithe upon believers to support their local priest. Cyprian of Carthage suggested it, however it still wasn’t really accepted by anyone until the fourth century. Even then it was a tiny minority. In fact, it wasn’t common practice till the 8th century and was not law until the 10th century. That’s right, 900 years after Jesus!³
Yet, despite this history, many modern leaders become upset when we question the tithe. They act as though we are questioning a 2000-year-old tradition. In reality, we are challenging a teaching that entered the Christian Church in AD 900. To understand this, we need to answer the question: Where did tithing come from?
THE ORIGIN OF TITHING
Tithing was a common practice in the Ancient Near East (ANE), during the time of the Patriarchs. Back then, tithing did not look like a weekly giving regiment at a religious service. In the ANE, tithing was not obligatory, but it was common. In the Bible, we find record of Abraham tithing one time and Jacob tithing one time (Genesis 14:20; 28:20-22). As far as we know, they did not tithe yearly or at any set time increment, because tithing was not based on a law. They were not required to do it, but they sometimes did. This is the origin of tithing in the biblical record.
Later, in the Book of Leviticus, God introduced a mandatory tithe to the nation of Israel. As a theocracy, Israel looked to God as their king, and His priests served not only as religious leaders but also as government leaders and administrators. The tithe was a tax system to support the national governmental and religious structure, which were unified. We know this is true, because the Old Testament does not talk about a tax system but a tithe system. To them, the tithe was the tax, because the religious leaders were also the governmental leaders. This, of course, is completely foreign to the democratic republic we have in the United States, and to other forms of government throughout the world. Israel’s situation was unique. As part of that, the tithe served as their taxation system, which included three different tithes:
1.One to take care of the Levites (government officials)
2.One to take care of feasts (government activity)
3.One to take care of widows and orphans (social safety net)
This system of taxation in Israel carried through until Jesus’ day. Some Christians argue that Jesus’ silence on the tithe affirms its validity. If He hadn’t believed in it, they suggest, He would have included it in His attack against the religious systems of His day. However, Jesus knew the old covenant system supported by the tithe would be destroyed in AD 70 (see Matt. 24:1–2). Thus, He probably did not see the tithe as an important issue. Its days were numbered. When the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in AD 70, the taxation system (tithe) of Israel faded into history. No one seriously considered