Someone asked me this question one day. Being a preacher I simply told him you pay tithes at your church. This same person followed the question he had asked me with this statement. Which church? I don't go regularly to a church, yet I pay my tithes. This confused me, for a moment then I remembered that people do this because they believe in tithing, they just did not make up their minds about attending church. If you are like this person, I want you to consider something. When we go out to eat at a resturant, we pay when we are served. We never pay for the food and not go out to the restuarant we have chosen to eat. Surely some one will enjoy a free dinner on your generousity! That is what some people are doing, They have sent their tithes to a ministry or a church and have not visited the ministry or the church. Some one else will enjoy the benefits of hearring the message on your account.
Now the man was not finished because he wanted to know which church to give it to because he did not want to give it to a church that he did not agree with its theological view on the scriptures. Surely I understood this. It is like paying in advance for food at one fast food location and attempting to eat at another because you did not like the food in the location you sent your money to. No body would do that. The Bible is clear, the tithes is the Lords and it must be given in support of God's work in the earth. Where do you give it largely depends upon your situation, if you can not regularly attend church and receive your direct benefit for your gift which is the counsel from the word of God for your life. Then the tithe should go to the man of God closest to you that is ministering in your life. I like what one TV preacher said concerning giving to his ministry, he said, " I offer to you the opportunity to give to this ministry, If you received spiritual enlightment and education from this ministry. Keep in mind this ministry is supported by you the viewer and this telecast would not be possible without your financial support, I thank you in advance for your generous support, you are making it happen"
The key is elightment and education, not just a good feeling or good music. If the man of God is ministerring life into your life there you should offer the tithe offerring. Scripturally speaking this is what the bible instructs in the Law that if the way be to long for you to give the tithe offerring, they had the right to turn it into money (we do not have that problem in our day) and send or bring it themselves to where the name of the Lord is. The place where the name of the Lord is, is the place where the Man of God is teaching the word of God. Whether that be in a hotel, hospital, basement of a home, a church edifice, classroom where ever you are being educated and enlightened by the man of God. That is where you give your tithe offering.
Now the only exception to this is when you are in a situation that there is no man of God teaching the word of God in reasonable distance from your home. In this case you may start a separate account for the tithe offering and when someone in need comes to your home you can use the tithe account monies to assist them. This is also scriptural but it is not the norm. The tithe offerring is for the blessing of God and his word to reach others, by you participating in giving it God promises to open the windows of Heaven and pour out blessings upon your life. These are the places you can pay the tithe offerring and still be scriptuallly correct and in the will of God.
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