IS TITHING A PRINCIPLE FOR THE LATTER CHURCH OR THE LATTER SHEPHERDS?

The question on tithes has been so much raised especially on the social media.
I was taught to tithe and I have been tithing faithfully for years until some doubts started creeping in my mind. There are many questions that arise concerning tithes but chief among them are these.
1. Is tithing for the new testament Church?
2. Are the benefits of tithing replaced by the new covenant of love and grace?
3.  Who should I tithe to?

While for me questions 3 never arose and 2 was very insignificant, question 1 remained a bell that nagged in my mind every end of the month.
I kept asking myself, "is tithing a principle of God for the latter Church or a requirement of the latter shepherds?"

I came across  a number of articles saying that there is no evidence of tithing in the new testament except one where Jesus was condemning the outward religiosity of the pharisees. Like many other people, I believed this because it was coming from people I supposed were of great wisdom and we'll exposed to the  scriptures.
While the Bible commands us to believe in the prophets, I appeal to everyone reading this article to belive God first. And to believe God you need to search the scriptures yourself.
By writing this article I do not hope for you to believe me but to point you to the scriptures that you may read and believe them.
Eventually I encountered one Outrageous article that claimed that tithes were a way of the latter Church shepherds to accrue wealth and it was not for the new testament church. The claims in this article were vocalised in a way that was strife-seeking and dissenting. While they seemed very logical and agreeable, there was just something about the presentation that did not strike me as spiritual. Now those that are spiritual will understand me when I say that the literature was logical but did not bear witness in me. To break that down for those that don't understand what that means, there is an inner satisfaction that one gets when the quest for something is achieved. There are some truths that you seek and even when you find something that makes sense, the quest in you just won't go.
That provoked me to look for  everything I could find from scriptures to books talking about tithe.
I did get many materials and they all led me to one infallible authority on the subject :The Holy Bible!
I want to request you to put away this article right now if you do not believe in the Bible as the final authority about the questions you have because you will only waste your time.
But if you believe that the Bible is that unerring proof to your quest, let's start answering the three questions from it.

In order to answer these questions we need to raise a few more questions
1. What is the concept in tithing.
a) Well unmistakably the main concept is giving a tenth to God. Gen 14:20
b) Setting apart part of your produce /increase /income (the proceeds of your time and energy) for God.

Now with this concept we shall ask ourselves one more question
2. Which is the earliest instance of the application of this concept in the Bible?
While some people cite Abraham paying tithes to Melchizedek, I will show you this concept applied before that.
In the garden of Eden, (Genesis 2:15-17) God commanded man to till the land and eat of its produce but to set apart the produce from one tree. Adam was indeed to tend even the tree in the middle of the garden but not eat of its fruit. This is the whole concept of tithes: to set apart part of your hard-earned increase for God. You work for all of it but you do not get to eat all of it.
He was to acknowledge that though he laboured for the entire produce, part of it belonged to God. Well you need not be reminded what happened when he "stole" the portion belonging to God.
Of course you would have to choose whether to agree that this is the second concept of tithing in play in the garden of Eden.
Secondly Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedek although there was no law requiring him to do so. No one taught or required of him to pay tithes but he did it out of faith. Gen 14:20
From these pre-mosaic incidences of people tithing then we can conclude that tithes were not instituted by the law. Those who argue that Jesus set us free from the law do it obviously with scriptural backing, and they are right,  but tithes are not from the law. The law only came to enforce that which God already required of man.
Some argue that people from other religions prosper (sometimes even above Christians) yet they do not pay tithes.  No one ever said that tithes were the only way to be blessed. What non-tithers  miss is not blessing but the blessing of the tithe.

Henceforth I will seek to show you from scripture whether indeed tithes is a principle of the new testament church. While for many years I believed that there is no evidence of tithing in the new testament, I have come to light after looking at scriptures more closely.
Let us look at it together

Matthew 23:23 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier [matters] of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone.

Notice that Jesus is not rebuking the pharisees and scribes for tithing but for neglecting "weightier" matters. So much that in order to set record on tithes straight He adds, "these you ought to have done..."
Jesus could have left it hanging after the rebuke but He didn't want to mislead anyone about the subject. In a manner that depicts the importance of tithing, He seeks to immediately clarify that tithes indeed should be paid. If you are looking for more evidence beyond the words of Jesus Christ Himself then you are only looking for strife.

You may ask, "is this the only instance in which tithes are mentioned in the new testament?" well, certainly not.
Let me point you to one more scripture. The writer of the book of Hebrews citing the text in Genesis where Abraham paid tithes reveals something that the critical eye should not miss though it goes unnoticed by so many. Here is what he says that answered all my doubts.

Hebrews 7:8 Here mortal men receive tithes, but there he [receives them,] of whom it is witnessed that he lives.

He says that "Here..." implying to the time of writing the book, "men receive tithes... " This clearly shows that in the time of writing the book, the early church was still paying tithes. His usage of "but there..." shows clearly the distinction between the times. "Here... " points to "currently, where we are" while "there..." points to "in the time of Abraham"
Now the earliest dates cited for the writing of this book is around AD 100, which is about 67 years after the acsention of Jesus into heaven. '60 plus' years the early church was still paying tithes. Surely if Jesus abolished tithes His disciples (who were the 'planters' of the early church should have been the first to drop the requirement. But we see that they continued teaching those that were converted to pay tithes.
By now your doubts on whether tithes are for this church should be clearing.

Are the benefits of tithing replaced?
I have heard people say that salvation broke all curses in their lives and they are no longer under a curse. This is to refute the claims in Malachi that 'not paying tithes is robbing God and puts you under a curse'.  There is certainly no doubt that if you are born again you are not under a curse. The blood that washed you at salvation broke every curse that sin had brought on you. No one can question this unless they are questioning the power of that blood.
But the question that arises is, " is it possible to live a life that attracts the curse again after it has been broken?"  Certainly! The blood of Jesus broke also the curse of sickness but our lifestiles continue to attract diseases. The things we eat, our hygiene, exposing ourselves to cold, dust radiation among a myriad of others, all put us back under the same curse that Jesus defeated by His stripes.
If you never paid your tithes before salvation, you were forgiven at salvation. But if you continue robbing God after salvation, it can only mean you have not been discipled. But if even after discipleship (where you are taught the basics of your new life after salvation) you continue robbing God I don't see how you can be redeemed.
So am I saying that God curses those who don't live upto His standards, tithing among them? Certainly not! God cannot curse you after you are washed with the blood of His Son. But the curse is already there because the opposite of blessing is curse. It's evil that makes good worthwhile. If there was no evil then good would not account for anything. It is an automatic system. If you take yourself out of the blessing of God, He doesn't need to curse you, you are already under a curse.
God put you under immeasurable blessings when He consecrated you unto Himself through Jesus at the cross. But it is upto you to live in the blessing (by trusting Him for grace to be faithful).
Of course contravening the principle (not law) of tithing doesn't mean you are contravening all other principles. You will reap the blessing of the principles you apply.
The Bible is entirely full of blessings and to me the mark of distinction between the two covenants is that while in the old the requirement was to OBEY  SO THAT you can be blessed,  in the new YOU ARE ALREADY BLESSED, and obeying only sustains the blessing.
So what is the blessing of tithes?
Some ill-advised people say that when you pay your tithes the blessing is that you will get more. This is not entirely true.
Here is what scripture says,

Malachi 3:10-12 Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this," Says the LORD of hosts, " If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you [such] blessing That [there will] not [be room] enough [to receive it.] " And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field," Says the LORD of hosts; And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land," Says the LORD of hosts.

1. While the Bible says you cannot test God, tithing is the only exception. It allows you to test Him if He will not open the windows...
What does this mean for the new testament church? The windows are already open (but we can close them.)
2. He will pour out His blessing...
The flow is already there for the redeemed (but they can stop it.)
3. He will rebuke the devourer...
This is the greatest blessing of tithes. A tithe acts as a preservative for the rest of your income. It is like the little space in bottled beverages that is occupied by preservatives. It doesn't mean that the bottler robbed you of your money. If you want your bottle full you will take it spoilt (cursed).
There is a species of demons called devourers. This type God says that only He can rebuke. They destroy the fruit of your hard work such that though you labour with all your might you have just so much that you can show. I suggest to you that it is time you allowed God to rebuke the devourer for you. You have laboured hard but can you honestly say that you can account for how your income has been spent? What do you have to show for it?
4. Your vine will not fail to bear fruit.
5. All nations will call you blessed for you will be a delightful...
This delight comes not only from the increase and protection but also from knowing that you have obeyed God in His principles. I don't know about you but I never felt at peace concerning tithes (though I was convinced that they are not for today) until I started being faithful.

Finally: to whom should the tithe be paid?
Can you give to the poor, orphans, widows, needy etc?
Certainly: but after giving to the poor don't call it a tithe. The person you give to determines the type of giving.
When you give to a conductor it is fare.
When you give to the school it is fees.
When you give to the power supplier it is bill.
When you give to the poor and needy it is called alms.
When you give to people above you such as your parents (biological and spiritual) it is seed.
When you give to peers it is a gift.
When you give to the church it is offering.
When you give TEN PERCENT to the church it is Tithe.
You cannot give alms and presume to have paid your tithes! If you give your tithe to the needy you will receive the blessing of alms as outlined in Psalms 41, but you will miss the blessing of tithes.
The tithe should be given to the person who has fed you spiritually (in most cases this is your local church).
Mal 3:10 God says, "... that there may be food in MY HOUSE" . This is to say that the tithe can only be paid in the Church.
Heb 7:1-3 Tells us that Abraham paid tithes to " Melchizedek... Priest of the Most High God. "
He goes ahead in verse 8 to say that "... Mortal men receive tithes..."
Unless you just have a problem with paying your tithes to "Mortal men", the Bible already said you could do so.
I am well aware that in the new covenant we are all priests according to Revelation 1:6 and many other scriptures. But regarding where there are many priests then the law of Moses sets it straight by saying that the tithes of the priests shall be paid to God by giving to the High Priest. (Don't get me wrong because I know that Jesus is the High Priest). But since Jesus has not opened an account in His name, this gives some sort of a hierarchy  stopping with God. It is worthwhile to note that God did not direct that the last hierarchy of tithes be offered to Him as a burnt offering.
You pay your tithes to a priest higher than you. This is to say that even your pastor should have someone he tithes to. And if He doesn't, then look for a conduit that has flow. How do you know if he does? Ask him. I have personally received tithes from people I feed spiritually but if I do not tithe (from my own income and these tithes) then am blocking their blessing. The best way to answer the question of where you should pay your tithes would be to say that you can eat at the Intercontinental and pay your bill at the Sheraton. The Sheraton will receive it as a donation and you will still owe the Intercontinental.
Those who send out tithes to Televangeligists should be aware that when they do so, the giving ceases to be a tithe and becomes an offering and God still requires a tithe from them.
Finally I need to add that it is not just enough to give to God either your tithes or offerings (of which diverse kinds exist in the Bible).
The time you give to God and the attitude of the heart are also very important. Concerning attitude, you already know that the Bible says you give cheerfully. (2 Corinthians 9:7.) Don't just give, let it come from your heart.
Now,  concerning time, the Bible says that God regarded the offering of Abel but rejected that of Cain. While so many say that Abel gave the best and Cain the weaklings, there is no evidence in the Bible that Cain gave an inferior offering.
The difference cited in scripture is that Cain brought his offering, "in the course of time." Gen 4:3
 In other words, he never put God First. He only remembered God after he had consumed and had enough.
May God come first in your heart.

I have taken time to research on this information and post it to you not because I have any ambition for myself. The truth is that the devil will hardly allow you to get breakthrough in the things that really matter for your blessing. If he cannot stop you from going to church,  he will try to stop you from hearing the word with an open heart once you are there. Because he knows that once you start he can hardly stop you,  he will try to stop or delay you until you sleep without praying. Simply because he knows that the way to be financially blessed is to give, he will raise false prophets who fleece the sheep even in winter so that the sheep dread the sheer sight of a Shepherd.
Please go through the scriptures provided  and if you have doubts about the information contained in this post seek the answers in the Bible.
If you still have questions about this topic please leave it in the comments below and I will endeavour to seek the answers from scripture and avail them in the next post.