konceptjones
The one between three and three.
well the vast majority of people arent farming veggies or animals so that's off the table.
To monk's point, salvation is free but ministry costs. It would be nice if God just powered everything but that's not the reality we live in. Tithing is more about the believe or practice of sowing and reaping and less about trying to fleece people out of their money.
and there are people who offer all the things O.G. mentioned in addition to a financial offering and there are a lot that don't do a single thing to contribute to the advancement of the kingdom. They don't give anything whether it's a dollar, time or talent.
God doesn't care for your money. Tithing is skewed so people believe that's what it's about, and they use a single line for this:
Malachi 3:6 (from NIV, to make it easier to understand over the KJV)
6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
However, there's more context to this:
7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.
9 As it is written: "They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever."
10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.
11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
12 This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.
13 Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else.
14 And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you.
15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
It ain't for the church general fund, the building fund, the pastors clothes, etc, we give what we can, whatever amount is in our hearts to give, to help those in need, and in doing so we abide by God's teachings and will be blessed with abundance.
I've posted about this here and on the IC: The majority of these pastors out here will take one or two lines from a passage and skew it to fit whatever it is they're trying to preach about and it's absolutely infuriating to me. These passages must be taken as a whole in order to really understand what's being said.