Hey There!

As you know, traveling all over the world like this costs a lot of money. So, before we continue, we will have to go on a trip that will increase our funds.
 

So, where else should we go other than sin city itself? Las Vegas. They offer a lot in the hopes of us gambling away our money. They have cheap buffets, entertainments, fancy hotels and legalized prostitution. In biblical terms: gluttony, greed, power, and all manner of lasciviousness and revelry. People flock to this city hoping to come home rich. No wonder so may churches have Monte Carlo nights or Bingo, etc.
 

Anyway, we just need to make some fast cash to buy the equipment needed to climb a mountain. I will let you do the gambling, so you can decide what you want to try. Will it be blackjack, keno, roulette, craps, or the ever popular slot machines?
 

As you walk into the casino you are immediately mesmerized with all the bright, flashing lights, the crowds of people, the bells and whistles, and that exciting sound of quarters plunking in the tray when a jackpot is hit. As you sit down, you keep seeing the money going back and forth between the winners and losers, you're anxious and nervous and your palms are sweaty as you place your first bet. "13 Black" The wheel spins and it reminds you of the plastic clicker you had on your bike
tire as a child. The wheel is slowing down and it's getting closer and closer and closer. Your heart is pounding, you can't watch. And then you hear the man call out "13 Black".
 

You won!! You're so excited, you scream out loud and can‘t believe the amount of chips just stacked in front of you! What bet should you place now? You must win more, more, more, much, much more!!
 
                                       HOLD IT!!!
 

The love of money has gotten a hold of you and no matter how much you could win, it will never be enough. This is an all too common scenario and ultimately most people keep playing and never get ahead.
 

I mainly took this side trip to get you thinking about money and the excitement it creates because we are about to learn the truths about tithing that your church does not want you to know.
 

We are going to show how churches intentionally lie to you to take your money from you and steal you faith. At least in Las Vegas no one is lying. They want your money and everyone knows it, even you.
 

As you first start attending a church, no one makes you pay for anything, books, coffee, functions, etc. Just the offering plate, and you throw in whatever you are comfortable with. But, as time goes by, you keep hearing more and more about money. 10% tithing, faith promise missions, building fund, love offering, books, and study guides; retreats and functions now charge (even though you need to bring a covered dish), donuts and coffee now even have a donation tray. Now that
you're a member, here is your box of numbered offering envelopes, so they can monitor how much you give. Do you want to be a leader in the church? Quit giving money for a few months and see how fast they find a replacement for your class. The pressure and guilt keep getting larger. Your church has become like our government, it just keeps taking more and more of your money. Have you heard yet that you're not pleasing God if you're not tithing? How about 10% is the bare minimum, or pledge, or faith promise missions and building funds and so forth are above and
beyond the 10% tithe? Have you received a commitment or pledge card yet? With these come several talks from the pulpit about people falling behind on their pledges. I've seen more than one alter call for re—upping the pledge amount. Don't forget to include the church in your will, (forget the kids, they don't matter). Are they training your children to give everything to the church with penny drives? Oh, but the brainwashing starts young. Yet you keep giving your money because they tell you that God will return it 10 or 100 fold. The only person getting rich off the offering is your preacher.
 

I am sure that I have already made you mad. But, please understand that my ultimate goal is to make you put your faith in Christ and live for Him, not for some stupid church building that will crumble in time. Remember your body is the temple of God and you are in the church of Christ if you are saved, not if you are a member of a denomination.
 

I will use the bible to prove to you that tithing is not about money. You keep your money, do something nice with it, like taking your family out for dinner and spending time with them, God will be pleased with that.
 

To keep from involving people, I won't use their names, but I know a couple that some time ago took what would have been tithe money and dispersed it among their sons and daughters and their spouses and children. They did what they felt was right at the time and ignored church teaching. They followed the law of God. Good for them. I also hope God blesses these family members for doing what is right in the sight of the Lord, and not worrying about what man thinks.
 

Now, I will forewarn you that this topic is quite long and drawn out in detail, so you may want to get a cup of coffee or tea.
 

I want you to ponder a question while you get yourself settled in. If your preacher needs to constantly push tithing, have pledge and commitment cards, then where is his faith in God to provide his needs? It sounds to me like he has little or no faith in God and that is why he has put his faith in himself instead, to pressure his members out of their money. Now, you think about that.
 

How about getting me a cup of that coffee, too? It smells awfully good.
 

If you decide that I'm onto something here, then e-mail me waywardsonministries@gmail.com and I will send you my outline on tithing from a class that I teach, at no charge. I also heavily recommend purchasing a book called "The Lie of the Tithe" by Ray Johnston. A great book, by a Godly man. You should be able to find the book on eBay or Amazon.
 

Let's start by showing a place where people did pay money to the temple. Look up and read Exodus 30:11-16. (I should've had you grab your bible while you were up, if you didn't have it already.) In this passage the Lord tells Moses to number the Israelites and make them pay a ransom for their souls. Everyone over 20 years old shall give half a shekel, rich or poor. Not 10%, but a flat rate for all so the rich don't have more status than the poor. This became known as a temple tax. It is not a tithe.
 

In Genesis 28:20-22 we have the first example of tithing done by Jacob. This is where we find the term ‘a tenth'. "And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, So that I come again to my father's house in peace; then shall the LORD be my God: And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee." Genesis 28:20-22.
 

Jacob stated that if the Lord would be with him and provide food, clothing, and safety, then shall He be my God and that Jacob would give a tenth of all that God gives him back to God. Now churches say that you must give 10% of your income to their church. Jacob did not mention income, but that he would give a tenth of ALL that God gave him. You need to realize that everything you have, not just money, is given to you by God. But now with Jacob giving one tenth, where do you suppose he gave it?
 

There were no temples, no churches, no synagogues, nothing. There weren't any pastors to take his tenth, so what do you think he did with it? To answer this question you must first learn what the Bible teaches (not your church, but your Bible) is the tithe.
 

In Deuteronomy 12:6-7 it tells us the different types of offerings mentioned. "And thither ye shall bring your burnt offerings, and your sacrifices, and your tithes, and heave offerings of your hand, and your vows, and your freewill offerings, and the firstlings of your herds and of your flocks: And there ye shall eat before the LORD your God, and ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your households, wherein the LORD thy God hath blessed thee."
 

Let’s break this down:
 

Burnt Offerings - Things burnt at the alter.
Sacrifices - Spilling the blood of living, unblemished animals.
Tithe - Food to eat.
Heave Offerings - Things raised by labor, such as crops.
Vows - Promises made.
Freewill Offerings - An offering not required, but something that you want to give. ‘
Firstlings of your Herd/Flock - The first born animals of your hard.
 

So here you have it, all the mention types of offerings God wants and none of them have anything to do with money.
 

But wait a minute! You‘re saying tithe is money, but I wrote its food. Well, your preacher tells you that tithe is money, but the Bible tells us that it is food. Let me show this to you. Look up and read Deuteronomy 12:11-27. I hope you're hungry. Vs 21 ". . . and thou shat eat in they gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after" vs 22 . . thou shalt eat them." Vs 27 . . and thou shalt eat the flesh." It‘s all about eating. Let‘s continue. This is a really good part so pay attention!
 

Deuteronomy 14:22-26
"Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed, that the field bringeth forth year by year. 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. 

And if the way be too long for thee, so that thou are not able to carry it; or if the place be too far from thee, which the LORD thy God shall choose to set his name there, when the LORD thy God hath blest thee: Then shalt thou turn it into money, and bind up the money in thine hand, and shalt go unto the place which the Lord thy God shall choose: And thou shalt bestow that money for whatsoever thy soul lusteth after, for oxen, or for sheep or for wine, or for strong drink, or for whatsoever thy soul desireth: and thou shalt eat there before the LORD thy God, and thou shalt rejoice, thou, and thine household,"
 

Verse 22-23 tells us thou shalt tithe of thy seed and field and eat it before the Lord. You are to tithe of they corn, wine, oil, firstlings of herds and flocks, and eat it. You are to eat your tithe. God doesn't want your money, but he wants to sup with you. Tithing is all about food and eating it with the Lord. Now the answer to the question about Jacob. in Genesis 28:22, Jacob set a stone as a pillar and called it God's House. Here is where he gave his tithe, he sat down using the stone as a table and had a meal in the presence of the Lord, talking to God. Even in today‘s society experts tell
us how important it is for families to sit down together for dinner. Why is this so important? It makes us slow down and talk about our day, ask our children about school and their friends. It brings us closer as a family. God wants the same thing from us. Aren't we part of His family? Now take this info and show your preacher that tithing is all about food and having a meal with the Lord. Do you know what he will tell you? I do. He will say that they didn't have money back then, so they used
food to trade and barter. You then need to say to him, "Liar, you perverter and corrupter of the Bible - for your own personal gain." Okay, well maybe not quite that mean, there is the possibility that he isn't intentionally lying and was just brainwashed also. But, I assure you, most know the truth and are just lying, because, just like in Vegas, the excitement and desire for more money has gotten a hold on them. To prove they had money, remember in Exodus 30:13 (the temple tax) it mentions currency units called the shekel and gerahs. Even better than that, turn back to Deuteronomy 14:22-26 where it's still talking about the tithe and look at verses 24-26. It tells you, if the place you need to go to, to eat this meal is too far away (vs 25) to sell it for money. (Sell what for money? Your tithe: which is food vs 22-23). There is the proof that they had money back then, your preacher just lied. The tithe is food, but you can sell that food for money. Once you have travelled
to the place of God (vs 26) you will take that money and buy whatever type of food and drink you want, eat before the Lord and rejoice. So you took money and bought a tithe (food) with it. I wonder why no church holds sermons on this section of the Bible. Notice in verse 26 it mentions wine and a strong drink. Not that I recommend drinking, but I wonder how your preacher and all those lovely dressed up, showy Christians sitting around you in church would react if the next time the offering
plate games by, you open up your lunch box. Pull out a roast beef sandwich, corn on the cob, open up a bottle of wine and tell everyone staring at you that you are following God's biblical requirements for tithing. If nothing else, the preacher would have something to talk about for years.
 

Let’s look at another place. In Deuteronomy 12:11-27 it again talks about the tithe. Read this closely on your own and you will see that it tells you to eat the tithe. In verses 18, 20, 21 and 27. Now look at vs 21. "If the place which the LORD thy God hath chosen to put his name there be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which the LORD hath given thee, as I have commanded the, and thou shalt eat in thy gates whatsoever thy soul lusteth after." Now this probably doesn't apply to most people for an excuse today, but back then travel was much more difficult. Did you notice that if God's place is too far from you then stay at home (in thy gates) and eat thy tithe at home. How about that, God gave them permission to stay at home and worship Him in their own gates/homes. You would be called a backslider if you did this today.
 

You may be wondering why food and having a meal before the Lord is so important to God. Let's compare the food tithe to something a little more commonly known. In the old testament God required the blood to be spilt for sins from a perfect, blemish-free lamb. All of this was a sign and representation of the future, ultimate sacrifice for sin. A perfect, sinless, only begotten son, the lamb of God (Jesus) spilling His blood by dying on the cross to once and for all, pay for the sins of mankind. The tithe of food has a similar connection. Look up the verses commonly used for
communion: Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:13-20, and I Corinthians 11:23-29 and you will see Jesus having a meal with His disciples and relating the bread to his body and wine to his blood. In John 6:51 Jesus is the living bread. You will have to do your own study of this topic of food, for it is too lengthy. All through the Bible you will see the importance of meals for celebrations, feasts, friends, family, taking in of strangers, spirituality and in today's society: holidays. God has instinctively put in us a desire to have a meal with someone you love. All of the food/spiritual relations finally come to a final important comparison in Revelation 19:9. "And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. . . " This is it. The ultimate reason for a food tithe. If your name is written in the book of life, you will one day get to sit down at the largest party ever held and face to face enjoy a fabulously prepared meal with the Lord himself and many, many other saints.
 

So, why are we to tithe by having a meal with the Lord? So that we remind ourselves that He is the bread of life, that He bled for our sins and that He is planning a wedding feast (marriage supper of the lamb) just for us. You must acknowledge that the Lord is the provider of all things.
 

FALSE TEACHINGS OF CHURCHES — THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL
 

I will go through some of the more common verses that churches use to pressure you to give more money. I think that you have already read enough to know tithe is not about money, but just in case . . . as we go through these think about how many times have heard these cons in your church.
 

Luke 6:38 "Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again."
 

The Church Con: Don't be afraid to throw more money in our offering plate because God will give you back so much you won't know what to do with it.
 

The Truth: This has absolutely nothing to do with giving to the church, but is about your willingness to give to others in need of help, whether it be money, food, clothing, housing or just your time for companionship.
 

Galatians 6:7 "Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth. that shall he also reap.“
 

The Church Con: Once again, give lots of money in the offering and God will reward you.
 

The Truth: This has nothing to do with money. This refers to your spirituality. Do you live for the flesh or for the Lord? You will be chastised or rewarded based on your actions.
 

Malachi 3:10 "Bring ye all the tithes (food) into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts. if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing. that there shall not be room enough to receive it."
 

The Church Con: Here it is again, are you seeing the pattern? Give plenty in the offering plate and God will give you a blessing financially so large you won't be able to receive it all. The church will also tell you that the storehouse is in the local new testament church.
 

The Truth: The storehouse is just that, a storehouse; like a silo. Every three years is the year of the tithe. Take one tenth of all crops, firstlings of flocks and herds. etc. and store it up. This is used to feed the poor and unpaid Levite priests, the widows, the orphans. homeless, and strangers passing through. God will bless them with bountiful crops and food production.
 

Malachi 3:8 "Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say. wherein have we robbed thee? ln tithes and offerings."
 

The Church Con: If you don't give a minimum of 10% of your wages. you are robbing God.
 

The Truth: Turn back in your Bible to Malachi 2:1 and see who this is written to. "And now, O ye PRIESTS, this commandment is for you." it continues pointing out God's judgements against the priests of Levi, all the way through. Who robbed God? The priests robbed God. Not the lay people, but the priests. Not much different today. Woe unto you greedy, filthy rich preachers.

Read the story of Eli and his sons. Mainly I Samuel 2:12-17. They demanded that the followers of God give up fresh, unboiled meat (part of their tithe) to the priests or they would take it by force. The priests would then sell this meat to the person who travelled so far that he sold his tithe for money and now needed to buy more tithe (food) when he got to town. Guess who was waiting for this traveler at the gates? You guessed it!! The priest. And he was ready to sell the tithe (food) that they stole. WOW! What a racket!
 

So in answer to the question "will a man rob God?" The answer is yes. In the old times, the temple priests robbed God, and in the new times the moneychangers at the temple robbed God. How did they do this? They robbed God by taking what he ordained as Holy and sacred and found a way that they could make a profit off of the followers of God. Today the minister, pastors, priests, etc, rob God by convincing the follower of God that they must give 1/10th of their income to their religion,
completely robbing God of the meal he desires his followers to have with him. They have stolen our ALONE TIME with God and turned it into a money making scheme.
 

Now let's look at a few other items.
 

Acts 11:27.29 And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea:
 

This amazingly is used to show faith promise missions. In actuality, this has nothing to do with spreading the gospel or starting churches. They gave money to help out fellow Christians suffering from drought (dearth). This is the Christian thing to do, use your money to help people in times of need. Don't give it to the church.
 

I Corinthians 16:1-3 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by your letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.
 

Again, this is the same situations and reasonings as Acts 11:27-29. But what is unique about this, is the last part of vs. 2. Churches love this part about collections on the first day of the week, but they always leave off the part that says “that there be no gatherings when I come." This verse says two things. The collection was to be done on the first day of the week so that when Paul preached to them there would be no gatherings. Did you catch that Paul is not going to be preaching on the first day of the week, (Sunday), and he would not allow a collection while he was there. He did not want the teaching of God corrupted with money. Again, this money was going to suffering saints in Jerusalem, not to the church building.
 

Here is an interesting fact: The words 'tithe, tithes, and timing are only found a total of 40 times in the entire Bible, 32 times in the old testament and only 8 times in the new testament. A very small biblical significance, yet hardly a sermon is preached where money is not mentioned.
 

Let‘s look at one last topic so you can determine if your church and preacher are corrupt.
 

Matthew 21:12-13:
12) And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

13) And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves. .
 

John 2:14—16:
14) And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and cloves, and the changers of money sitting:

15) And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple. and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;

16) And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
 

Now, this is where Jesus overthrew the table and release all the animals and ran everyone out that was corrupt and ungodly. The corrupt men were in the temple, selling animals for the purpose of worship. The moneychangers exchanged your Roman coins for valueless discontinued coins stating that God would not accept Roman coins. All these services were provided for a fee, of course. By the way, the kept selling the same worthless coins over and over again. People would buy the coins, throw them in the treasury (offering plate), and the priest would take them and have them resold for a fee. cashing in on the Roman money used to buy them.
 

Now I know your church doesn't sell oxen or doves, etc. But, Jesus' words were "make not my Fathers house an house of merchandise." John 2:16. How many times from the pulpit or the lobby has your church sold books, music CD's or tapes, videos or collected money for trips or retreats. Has your church become an house of merchandise? You be the judge on that one.
 

IMAGINE
A story of twelve poor preachers.

Read Matthew 10:2-14. This refers to the twelve apostles, and how Jesus instructed them to go and do the work of the Lord. Vs. 9 states "Provide neither gold, nor silver. nor brass in your purse." Those were the metals used as money. Jesus sent them out without any money.
 

Can you imagine a preacher starting a church without money or a missionary going into a foreign land without support, Today's missionaries get support money while learning languages and customs, and then go out and get more support to go to another country. They spend years making sure that they are financially prepared to go into the field at your expense. The next time your a church (if you're still blind enough to be there) holds a missionary conference, ask one of them why they don't just hop on a plane and fly to their country of choice and start preaching.
 

More than likely, they will give you a long explanation of economics for their reasonings. Nicely remind them that the apostles did it. But they had faith, and that is something lacking in Christianity today. Faith is lacking due to tithing and commitments and pledges. All this guaranteed money has stolen faith from you. Your corrupt preacher who keeps pushing tithing is stealing your money. More importantly he is stealing your ability to put faith and trust in Christ
 

Isn't it ironic that the betrayer of Jesus was the treasurer of the group. Judas wanted to sell the ointment rather than see it used to please the Lord, because he was a thief, John 12:3-6. And yet church members blindly trust their pastor.
 

Acts 20:35 reads ". . . It is more blessed to give than to receive." Your preacher must not have read this verse, at least not many of the ones I've met They always want to be on the receiving end.
 

The day is coming, if not already here, where to be a member of a church you will have to fill out a legal contract for tithing. You will probably have to show W-2's, and can more than likely set up your checking account for automatic withdrawal. This way if you miss church, your money won't. Besides, your preacher is more interested in seeing a bunch of presidents faces than yours anyway. If signing a promissory note type of contract doesn't open your eyes to the corruption then nothing will.
 

Now, if you are one of the fortunate few who belong to a church that knows tithing of finances is unbiblical, then good for you! If this is the (rose. remember that it does cost money to keep a church open, so please give as you are able, without guilt, not grudgingly, but cheerfully for God loves a cheerful giver.
 

If you are one of the masses whose church teaches and pushes tithing, then make sure that you ask your preacher when he is going to sacrifice animals at the pulpit and search their entrails for tumors. OH, but that was under the law he will say. You must reply; yes, but so is tithing. We follow all the law or decide to have faith in Christ. No one can pick and choose what parts of the law they like.
 

If you want to glorify God with your finances, then read on your own, Matthew 5:38-48, Matthew 25:34-46, Luke 6:30-35, and you will see to turn your cheek, to give to the person who sues you your cloak also. To loan money and expect nothing in return, feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, visit the sick and those in prison and to do nice things to your enemies. Don't expect rewards for it on earth. That will come at a much later date.
 

"NO MAN CAN SERVE TWO MASTERS: . . .YE CANNOT SERVE GOD AND MAMMON (money).
Matthew 6:24
 

Do not serve the 'god' mammon, like so many of the religious leaders of today. Just because he‘s a preacher doesn't mean he's right.
 

REJECT YOUR CORRUPT RELIGION
PUT YOUR FAITH AND TRUST IN CHRIST
 

(Not to interrupt your train of thought, here, but our next stop takes us high in the sky. Join us as we visit Mt Everest)