But you're there in 1 Corinthians Chapter 9, and we'll see here, you know, you say,
well, where does the New Testament teach tithing?
You know, 1 Corinthians 9 is pretty much the nail in the coffin.
I mean, I don't see how you read 1 Corinthians 9 and walk away and say,
oh, that teaches not to tithe, right?
Look at verse 1, he says,
Am not I an apostle? Am not I free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord?
Are ye not my work in the Lord?
If I be not an apostle unto others, yea, doubtless I am to you.
For the seal of my apostleship are ye in the Lord.
My answer then that do examine me is this.
Have we not power to eat and drink?
Have we not power to lead about a sister, a wife, as well as other apostles,
and as the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?
Or I only in Barnabas?
Have we not power to forbear working?
Now, what's Paul saying there?
He says, have we not power to forbear work?
Is he talking about, have we not power to, you know, just kick back and put our feet up
and enjoy a cool beverage, you know, and just take the time off?
That's not what he's saying.
He's talking about the working that he's talking about, the forbearing of that work,
the specific working is, you know, a secular job.
That's what he's referring to.
Have we not power to forbear a secular job and to just be full-time in the ministry?
Look at verse 7, who goeth a warfare at any time in his own charges?
Who planted the vineyard, and eateth not the fruit thereof?
Or who feedeth the flock, and eateth not the milk thereof?
Say I these things as a man.
Now, here's Paul in the New Testament, and he's about to take us all the way back
to the Old Testament to make his case.
He says, or sayeth not the law the same also, for it is written in the law of Mount Moses,
thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn.
Doth God take care for oxen?
He's saying, is God put that in law because he's just worried that the poor little ox
is going to not get enough to eat?
He says, does God take care for oxen?
Or sayeth it he altogether for our sakes?
Now, who's the our there?
Paul, Barnabas, and Cephas, and the other ministers, right?
That's the our.
He's saying, look, God put that in the law for our sake.
For our sakes, no doubt this is written.
That he that ploweth should plow in hope, and he that thresheth in hope should be partaker
of his hope.
If we have sown unto you spiritual things, is it a great thing if we should reap your
carnal things?
And really, that's such a powerful statement right there to think about.
People that get all upset about tithing.
It's a carnal thing that you're that you're upset about.
It's a very carnal thing, especially when you have a minister, when you have a church,
where you're being fed spiritually, when you're being given the word of God, you're giving
sound doctrine, you're being encouraged to serve the Lord, and you're benefiting spiritually.
You're profiting spiritually.
It's such a small thing that you would give something of your carnal means.
You give a little bit of money.
It's a very carnal thing that we're talking about here, money, right?
He's saying, look, is it a great thing if we shall reap your carnal things?
It's kind of a, you almost say it's almost not, I don't want to say it's not a fair trade,
but it's a pretty good deal.
How about that?
That's a pretty good deal.
You know, I'm going to give a tenth of my income to the local church, and in turn, I'm
going to have a minister who's just given to the ministry of the word of God in prayer.
I'm going to have a nice seat to sit on, you know, if I'm homesick, I'm going to catch
it on a live stream on a nice HD camera, you know, it's going to be feeding through a high
speed internet.
You know, all these things cost money.
They're carnal things though.
That's a pretty good trade.
Look at verse 13.
He says, do you not know that they which minister about the holy things live of the things of
the temple, and they which wait at the altar are partakers with the altar?
So here he is, he's using a Levitical priesthood to make his point, and people want to say
that the Old Testament has done away with tithing.
But here's Paul appealing to it, you know, and you can't show me where it's done away.
It's not there.
And it goes on in verse 14, it says, even so hath the Lord ordained that they which
preach the gospel should live of the gospel.