For the greatest understanding of the underlying principles upon which this policy is founded, it is suggested the reader first read the articles titled ‘Tithing and Giving in the New Testament’, found on our web site at: www.cwowi.org.

The reason this is important is because of the debate in many house churches over whether ‘apostles’ or ‘pastors’ and ‘elders’ or ’leaders’ (or whatever label is appropriate for your setting) should be paid, or should they work other jobs, or just volunteer in their house churches.

Beyond that, many in house churches are still recoiling from the heavy handed pressure in the pyramid structure church for money and tithing. As Jim Rutz has said, ’the pendulum never stops in the middle’. Many have swung so far to the other side of the giving pendulum they have become as unbalanced in that direction as those who, with heavy hand and much condemnation, demand massive giving of members.

When we desire to rightly divide the Word of God to understand the ways of God for today, we must look for principles and practices which run throughout the Old Testament and into the New Testament. The cross is the Great Filter of doctrine. If principles of the Old Testament make it through the filter into the New Testament, then we can confidently determine the legitimacy of a principle and practice.

This policy is established to bring to balance the body of Christ in house churches, and to make public CWOW’s policy on tithing and giving. I’ve kept in mind the massive number of readers we have on this web site, so I’ve boiled this down to the bare principles and elements of giving.

Foundational Elements

Genesis 14: 17-24 states the first and, being in Genesis the book of beginnings, the foundational example of tithing. Abraham voluntarily brings Melchizedek the tithes from the spoil recovered in battle. Below are the key points:

Abraham voluntarily gave his tithes

Melchizedek was a priest, at the very least a type of Jesus, and probably Christ Himself appearing to Abraham, showing him through the bread and wine, the sacrifice of Himself as Jesus of Nazareth many years later

The giver received a blessing: vs 19, ‘And he (Melchizedek) blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be the most high God, who has delivered your enemies into your hand’

Priesthood

The priesthood of the Old Testament provides another example for us. The priests were not allowed to have ‘regular’ jobs. Their job was to care for the people and the tabernacle. This is seen in the following verses: (Num 18: 21-24)

"And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth (tithe) in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation...it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance. But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as a heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance."

Furthermore, Israel is admonished many times concerning their giving to "remember the Levite, for he has no lot nor inheritance among you" (Deut 12: 18,19; 14:27,29; 16:11,14; 26:12-13)

Summary:

The priest did not work ‘regular’ jobs to support their families, they relied upon the giving of the people of Israel for their living.

The big question:

Do the four principles we’ve seen make it through the filter of the cross?

Giving is voluntary

Giving was to the priest

Blessing was upon the giver

The priest relied upon the people for their living, being called of God for this purpose and not allowed to work outside their ministry duties

New Testament examples:

Acts 6: 1-5 faces this question head on. The church had grown to the point that the feeding and care of the widows had become a major thrust of the body. The choice was now before the apostles: Should they leave their call as apostles to work (be the staff) on the ‘food bank’.

"Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them and said, ‘It is not right that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables"

The apostles faced the issue squarely and determined that it wasn’t right for them to leave their higher call to serve tables. Like the book of Genesis, when the book of Acts establishes a principle and first example of how an issue is dealt with, it sets a precedent for us to follow as the highest and best goal of a principle. This will be confirmed by Paul later in this lesson.

How did the apostles make a living? Acts 2: 44-45 indicate that the whole body shared with each other, including the apostles, as there was need. Acts 4:34-37 indicates that not only did the people give to each other, caring for each other’s needs, but they also gave directly to the apostles, and apparently as a first priority:

"...as many as owned land or houses and sold them, and brought the profits of those things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made to everyone according to need...and Barnabus...having land, sold it, and brought the profit and laid it at the apostles’ feet."

It is clear that while Acts 2:45 says that they had all things in common and divided things among them as they had need, this passage shows the method that distribution was made: ‘laid them down at the apostles’ feet and distribution was made to everyone...’

That’s not to say they didn’t give to one another, but it shows the direction and focus of the giving was to the apostles first, and then distribution was made after that.

Within this one passage we see that the four examples for giving established in the Old Testament have made it through the filter of the cross: The people gave voluntarily, they gave to the priest/minister, a great blessing was upon them when they did so (they had no lack and were all in unity and favor with the people), and the apostles determined it was right that their living should come from the giving of the people.

Beyond the beginning of the church in Jerusalem, it is known that the other original apostles all traveled to various parts of the world entirely supported by the churches. None of them worked a regular job to support themselves. Peter, James and John and Andrew never went back to fishing, Matthew never went back to being a tax collector, and so on. They now derived their living from the giving of the people.

Paul’s example and the scripture he wrote

I Corinthians 9: 1-14

"Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not the result of my work in the Lord? Even though I‘m not an apostle to others, I surely am to you. Don’t we have the right to food and drink? Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife along with us, as do the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers and Peter? Or is it only Barnabas and I who must work for a living?"

"Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of it’s grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing, ‘Don’t muzzle the ox that treads out the grain’. Is it about the ox that the Lord is concerned? Surely he says this for us doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because when the plowman plows and the thresher threshes, they ought to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. If we sow spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more?"

"But we did not use this right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than hinder the gospel of Christ. (referring to the fact that for this one church only, Corinth, Paul worked a trade to support himself when he started it - Acts 18: 1-3) Don’t you know that those who work in the temple get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in what is offered on the altar?"

"In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live by the gospel."

We see several things in this passage, including Paul connecting, as we have done, with the Old Testament examples of the priests earning a living from the giving of the people. We also know that Paul worked as a tentmaker in Corinth when he was first founding the church, as he stated elsewhere, so he wouldn’t be a burden upon them.

We learn that even though he chose to work for a season to get the church established, he also stated that it is a command of the Lord that those that preach the gospel should live by the gospel. He states it as a ‘right’.

How Paul supported himself

He didn’t. With the exception of this one example of Corinth during it’s founding, Paul was supported by other churches he had planted.

II Cor 11: 7-9

"Was it a sin for me to lower myself (take a secular job while founding the church) in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? I robbed other churches (strong sarcasm here) by receiving support from them so as to serve you. And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed."



In this passage we see that churches - all of them house churches- supported Paul, and that people from northern Greece even traveled down to him to give him their support.

In Philippians 4: 10-19 Paul states that the Philippians also gave to him. In fact, verse 15 says that when he left Macedonia, the only church supporting him at the time was the one at Philippi. Later of course we have the passage we read in II Corinthians that stated that Macedonia began supporting him as well.

Another element seen here that is seen in the OT blessing upon the giver, is that of Paul’s statement:

"And my God shall provide all your needs according to His riches in Glory", is stated as a blessing upon them as a response of supporting his ministry. It’s not a blanket doctrinal statement, but rather the blessing commanded as a result of giving to him.

This shows us that as a church was planted by Paul it soon began giving to Paul for his support, and in that support, God‘s blessing and provision was upon them. (just as we see in the OT, and the provision and unity in Acts)

Paul’s instruction to leaders in the local churches

In I Timothy 5: 17-18 Paul sets the policy that elders (he calls them pastors and overseers in Acts 20: 28) who ‘direct the affairs of the church’ (KJV "in Word and doctrine") be counted worth of double honor. He states that the double honor is that they may get paid for their ministry for he continues: ‘For the scripture says; You shall not muzzle the ox that treads out the corn’, and ‘The laborer is worthy of his reward’, obvious references to receiving pay because he used the same scriptures in I Cor 9:9 to justify his own right to be paid for ministry.

Paul’s sphere of authority

Paul was very clear in his own thinking about who the Lord had given him and who he had not: (II Cor 10: 13-18)

"We however will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the field - think of a literal farm field, other versions use ‘spheres‘ - which God has assigned to us, a field that reaches even to you. Neither do we go beyond our limits by boasting of work done by others. Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand, so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. For we do not want to boast about work already done in another man’s territory (field)."

When we see the summation of all Paul’s writings we understand that he was running a course, working a field. He didn’t want to run another’s course, or work in another’s field. But he did want to be paid from the field he worked, and his feelings were justified and proven right in Old Testament scripture, the precedent set by his peers, and the writings which became the New Testament.

It is improper for someone to reap pay from someone they haven’t sown into, from someone else‘s field, but it is right that the minister derives income from the gifts of those they minister to, their field.

Summary:

If the reader understands the previous teachings on ‘Tithing and Giving in the New Testament’, they know that giving is a grace, and that the early church gave much more than 10% to each other and their leadership, they gave 100% to each other.

It is therefore obvious that these four points are seen in scripture;

1) that tithing and giving is a voluntary grace,

2) that it is to be given primarily to the leader(s),

3) that the leader(s), called into the ministry, thus giving up their ability to work in ‘secular’ jobs, is right in expecting to derive a living from those he/she serves,

4) and that God gives a blessing to the giver.

This is the policy of CWOW. That members’ giving should first and foremost be directed to CWOW and it’s leadership, while secondarily remembering those among us who have needs, following the example in the book of Acts.

Paul called giving a grace, stating in II Cor 8: 7,

"As you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us-see that you also excel in this grace of giving."

They may have loved Paul, but he wanted them to express that love in giving. To quote Liza from "My Fair Lady", ‘don’t tell me you love me, show me’.

I want to give, but things are just too tight

Being a grace, faith will always be connected with it. When my wife and I first began tithing it really wasn’t a tithe. We started out designating about 3%. Then we moved to 5%, then to 10% as God proved himself. Now we don’t keep track of anything above 10% because being a grace, we also give as we have occasion and opportunity to others. I believe the Lord honors consistency and will bless a person who acts on the grace they have, rather than someone who waits until there’s ‘extra’. Extra never seems to come, but when you give to the Lord consistently (you think you’ll really miss it), but he always makes up the difference.

As Paul said...you excel in all things, excel in this grace as well.

What if our house church doesn’t have a founding apostle or single pastor?

What do you do if it’s just you and a few others? What if you aren’t connected to any apostle or other ministry?

Even if there is just one house church and not a network like CWOW, there is leadership within that church. Who is it that takes the phone calls? Who runs the bulk of the errands or helps fix that member’s broken gadget or organizes it?

Someone will be an elder...the one with the shepherd’s heart, the one or more who oversees the group. One way to handle the giving of the group is to establish an account for the purpose of giving at least something to the main person for all their work. Even if they never intend to be ’full time’, a recognition of the work they do is proper. Beyond that, giving can be directed to needs within the group, and then outward to other worthy ministries.