Dear Ray Smith,
I came quite close to weeping while reading this article re: tithing. It is
a truth I stumbled over in my personal bible reading a few months ago and
have hidden the knowledge like a dirty little secret - until I broke silence
with a sister in Christ last week. When the leadership of my local church
finds out what I've been studying they will likely string me up and toss me
out on my ear! And this will be despite my being a tither from the day I was
told as a baby Christian.
When did the new testament pastors, preachers, and teachers get cold feet
about looking to God for their needs and turn to teaching tithing so they
could have a 'dependable' salary? How does church leadership get to have a
lack of faith and go the tithe for income (say, $70,000 per annum - as our
pastor does) and I (at, say, $15,000 per annum - my personal income) get to
rely so lely on faith because God knows I have nothing to give and when I
have tithed over the last almost 30 years it resulted in losing my home, my
job, and other worldly possessions. Not one man in leadership as the
recipient of my tithes ever cut me some slack so I would not be destitute.
To God be the glory, because even this He 'worked together for good' and I
am so very blessed by him. So God still takes the foolish things of this
world (like me) to confound the wise.Although, being kind of wimpy, and
always suspicious of my 'take' on the Scriptures (being a woman who is ever
concious of how Eve got led astray) I generally whine to God about what He
shows me from Scripture (why me?). I wish he would tell some 'John the
baptist' type who would go thundering off telling God's people the real
truth about the real truth. Maybe it's you.
Thank you for your article. May God bless your work and lead you in all
truth.
Your sister in Ch rist,
Arlene, Thunder Bay, Ontario Canada
