For most of my life I did not want anything thing to do with Christians or Christianity. If anyone tried to witness to me I would usually listen to them but inside I was thinking, quit trying to shove your religion down my throat. I believe I had most of the excuses that most people use. They are a bunch of hypocrites, all they want is your money, etc. I was blinded by the god of this world (devil) so that I could not see the truth. He was keeping me focused on the things and people of this world and not what Jesus had done for me.
My wife started going to a First Assembly of God church. She invited me but I turned her down several times. She kept asking me and I finally decided to go one Sunday but I assured her that all they were after was your money. Guess what the sermon on that Sunday was about. Money and giving. I told her that I knew it and I would never come back. A few weeks later she talked me into going again. This time it wasn't so bad. I started attending regularly after that.
It wasn't long before I learned of a doctrine called tithing. God expected me to give the local church 10% of my income. Everything I had done in the past I tried to be the best at it so I wanted to do the best for God in this area too. I had a good job at the time (still do) and it was no problem for me to give 10%. I would always make sure that my wife had taken our tithe money out every payday. I told her we don't want to be robbing God. I also had learned about what great blessing there were for people who tithed. I got so bad and so legalistic that I made my daughter give 10% of everything she got also. I remember one time she got a birthday card in the mail with some money in it. I told her, you make sure you take 10% of that and give it to God, that's God's money. I was in church just about every time the doors were open.
I wanted to do the best for God. After attending and tithing for around 3 years I started seeing things that I believed to be out of order in the church. I talked to the leader of that local church and he seemed to agree but nothing was ever done about it. The more I studied the Bible, the more I began to see that things were not quite right. I think the first event that opened my eyes came when everyone was invited to the yearly budget meeting. This was something that did not even interest me. But for some reason, probably the Holy Spirit's prompting, I decided to go.
This was a church in a small town and they still took in roughly $90,000 for the year. They passed out a copy of that years financial records for everyone to look at while they went over it. I noticed that at least one third of the money taken in went to pay the pastors salary, insurance, etc. One third of it was gone right off the top. I can't remember the exact amounts but a large chunk was also taken out for maintaining the building (building loan, maintenance, utility bills, etc.) Approximately $10,000 went to missions, who knows how much of it really got to the missionaries if it had to go through the denominations headquarters. There were a few times that people were helped but not very many. There was one entry to feed the children for $42. I left the meeting totally grieved. Most of the money that had been taken in was used to support and maintain the building not to help people.
The final straw happened a couple weeks later while I was leaving the building the leader (Jesus is the only one worthy of being called Pastor in my book) was standing at the door shaking peoples hands as they left. I was the last one in line and there was a couple before me. They stopped to talk to the leader. They said something like this, you know Dave and Sherry really need some help, Dave lost his job. Can we take up a collection for them? This mans first response was, well I will have to approve that with the board. That stunned me, when did Jesus ever have to get mans approval to feed the hungry. The second statement was the clincher, he said, they could always go to the food bank. I was done with that place. Here is a family in need and they are told they can go to a food bank. I wonder how much money they had tithed to that place. Now they are in need and the only hope is a food bank.
After leaving that place (First Assembly of God) I tried a few other places out but most of them were just like the place I had left. I stopped looking and just continued in my relationship with God and to study the Bible for myself. I soon discovered the real truth about tithing. It was not required by New Testament believers, it was never money, etc. It really angered me that I was lied to all this time about tithing for their financial gain. I really can't put all the blame on them. I was the one that just took their word for it without studying it out for myself.
Looking back I can now see what tithing does to people. I did not realize it at the time but tithing promotes pride in the people that can afford to give and shame in the people that can't afford to. I can remember feeling proud and thinking that God must really be pleased with me, I am giving Him a full 10%. I would look over the plate as it was going by and see someone drop in a dollar and think, you cheapskate, you're robbing God. I was not able to see that I had this attitude until after I stopped attending that place.
Since leaving the organized religious system I have seen many truths that I would probably never have seen if I had stayed in it. If you are a person that has been told you must give 10% of your income, or any part of your income for that matter, to a church organization you have been lied to so that they can get your money. After many hours of study, fasting and prayer and seeking God for the truth in the matter of tithing I can now see that not one single person is required to tithe anything anywhere.
Let me finish by saying this. I do believe
that God does want us to give to promote his work, I said his work, not
all these man made ideas and buildings. Most of the giving in the New
Testament was to help feed hungry people not to build bigger buildings and
pay people salaries.
There are many more truths that I have learned since coming out of
the system. The only way you are ever going to know the truth is to stop
listening to man and to get alone with God and study his word for what it
really says and not what the leaders are telling you it says.