"But before faith came, we were kept under the law,
shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed.
Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ,
that we might be justified by faith.
But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."
(Galatians 3:23-26)
But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law."
(Galatians 5:18)
One of the most far-reaching and malignant of maladies in contemporary Christianity has been the gangrenous growth of what has become known as the Word of Faith (or simply Word-Faith) movement, which preaches the so-called "prosperity gospel." This, it is critically important to observe, is "another gospel" and so no Gospel at all! (Galatians 1:6-8). Not Good News for sure, but exceedingly Bad News!
Many are the spiritual deviances promoted by Word of Faith adherents, but one particular practice that is the nefarious norm in such churches and which I want to focus on in this article is the iniquitous imposition of tithing.
Iniquitous? Yes, indeed! Any teaching that runs contrary to Biblical truth is iniquitous! Firstly, I must emphasize that I am in no way speaking here against the principle of giving, for righteous and proper purposes, which is something that the New Testament most certainly supports and encourages. What I am highlighting here is the legalistic and completely unscriptural application of a church members' taxation system.
THE BIBLICAL TITHE
"And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham."
(Hebrews 7:5)
So what exactly was the tithe, from a correct Biblical perspective? Well, the first thing to take note of is that MONEY did not come into the equation! The tithe was all about EDIBLE assets! The Levites, comprising the Kohanim (the priests) and those of the tribe who were not Kohanim but had other religious or political duties, were not allocated any territory of their own as was the case with all the other tribes. They were instead granted a total of 48 cities across Israel, each set within a narrow verge of "borrowed" land extending a mere 1000 cubits - approximately 500 yards - around the walls, a small area which would allow some grazing space for the tithed animals brought to them. (See Numbers 35 and Joshua 21). Being thus unable to produce their own foodstuffs, God instituted the tithing system whereby the farming tribes were to give a tenth part of their meat, fruit and crops to sustain the Levites, who were not to be distracted from their designated duties by more mundane considerations. Tithes were taken to the Levite cities, from where a portion was delivered to Jerusalem to feed those engaged in Temple activities. (See Nehemiah 10).
Please don't take my word for it. Follow the Bereans' good example, and search out the Scriptures for yourself. Fact is, ALL Biblical references to tithing confirm it was FOOD! Here are a few examples to prove this important point:
"And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land,
or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD."
(Leviticus 27:30)
"And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD."
(Leviticus 27:32)
"Thou shalt truly tithe all the increase of thy seed,
that the field bringeth forth year by year."
(Deuteronomy 14:22)
"Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse,
that there may be meat in mine house..."
(Malachi 3:10)
QUITE APART FROM THIS CONSIDERATION THAT THE TITHE WAS ONLY FOOD, WE SHOULD WELL NOTE THAT TITHING ONLY EVER APPLIED TO THE HISTORICAL NATION OF ISRAEL. IT HAS NEVER BEEN APPLICABLE TO GENTILES OF ANY ERA.
Nowhere in the New Testament is to be found any justification whatsoever for transferring this Israelite, tribe-specific arrangement to the Church. Nowhere. The plain truth of the matter is that with the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. and the Diaspora, tithing had become a completely redundant institution. It had served its purpose, until that purpose ceased to exist. A New Covenant had been established, and post-Calvary the Mosaic Law of tithing had no place.
We pay tax to the Government of the land, a statutory obligation; we render unto Caesar that which is Caesar's. The imposition of a second income tax payable by church members to the church leadership is a very convenient and most lucrative fund-raising contrivance, a word we might just shorten to con. I'm not mincing my words here; I'm saying it as it is. Anyone who teaches that tithing is a requirement of members of the Body is not upholding Scripture but perverting it, and no, that is not too strong a word to use. This is a different gospel, a most incredibly serious matter!
THERE IS NO LEVY ON BELONGING TO THE LORD!
Give by all means, from your means, as you are so led and able. But it must be clearly understood that such contribution is firmly a free-will offering, which when given in the right spirit for correct Christian purposes is pleasing to God and fully in accordance with His Word. Tithing is something altogether different: it's symptomatic of the empire-building of today's Laodicean leaders, and alien to the Kingdom-building of Christ. Any church that is misappropriating funds from the flock in this way should be studiously marked and carefully avoided.
THE TITHE IN WELSH "WORD OF FAITH / PROSPERITY GOSPEL" CHURCHES
Newport is undoubtedly the epicentre of the Word of Faith movement's alternative gospel in Wales, with notable tremors extending along the M4 corridor at least as far as Bridgend, which we'll come to presently. Firstly, though, we need to look at the central role played by King's Church and the man who was its long-time Senior Pastor, Ray Bevan, in the advance of Word of Faith concepts here in Wales. (His then Associate Pastor Dave Edwards has now taken charge, while Mr. Bevan has gone on to broadcast his own show with TBN, which is without a doubt the loudest echoing voice of the so-called "prosperity gospel" on the planet).
I'd like for a moment, if I may, to digress slightly from my focus on tithing in order to emphasize Ray Bevan's proven embrace of and regurgitating of Word of Faith beliefs, by reference to his recent book, 'Grace Shouts Louder.' (Rayla Ministries, 2015). Whilst I'd like to quote directly from this work, I have to avoid the possibility of being charged with copyright infringement. (Mr. Bevan has previously impressed upon me that - regardless of 1 Corinthians 6:1 - he is not averse to threatening people with legal action!) But I can refer my readers to an online source where his exact words can be found, if you would wish to verify the facts of the matter:
In a nutshell, the author here teaches one of the central tenets of Word of Faith theology, that when Adam sinned in Eden, Satan was thereby given legal right to rule the earth. Satan now had very much the upper hand, and God had completely lost His authority and somehow had to find a way to reclaim it. And so He devised a cunning plan to win his sovereignty back, kicking off with the Incarnation...
FRIENDS, IF FOR EVEN ONE NANO-SECOND GOD LOST HIS AUTHORITY, HE WOULD NOT BE GOD! IF HE WAS FOR ONE NANO-SECOND PUSHED INTO A CORNER, HIS BACK UP AGAINST THE WALL, AND FORCED TO DREAM UP SOME SCHEME TO RECLAIM LEGAL RIGHT TO THE EARTH AND HUMANITY, HE WOULD NOT BE GOD! HE IS THE ALMIGHTY, OMNISCIENT, TRANSCENDENT CREATOR AND PERMANENT LEGAL OWNER OF ALL THAT IS, AND WAS, AND WILL BE! HIS WORD UNEQUIVOCALLY PROCLAIMS THIS GREAT TRUTH:
"The earth is the LORD'S, and the fulness thereof;
the world, and they that dwell therein."
(Psalm 24:1)
To declare that it has ever been otherwise, is quite simply a denial of the eternal complete Sovereignty of God, and a most heinous heresy. Did the Psalmist, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the period between the Fall and the Incarnation, record a LIE when he wrote this testimony? For if Mr. Bevan's WoF theology is correct, then the wording should have been, "The earth is SATAN'S, and the fulness thereof..."
But playing fast and loose with the Scriptures does not trouble such a man as this. He goes on to declare, in respect of the supposed power of believers, that we can call those things which are not as though they are. No, Mr. Bevan, only God Himself can do that! Besides which, to make this assertion, you have wretchedly twisted the relevant verse, which actually reads:
"And base things of the world, and things which are despised,
hath God chosen, yea,
and things which are not, TO BRING TO NOUGHT things that are."
(1 Corinthians 1:28 - my capitalization)
Having so blasphemously demoted God to the position of being an impotent mere spectator of world affairs until He was able to concoct a cunning plan to regain control, Ray Bevan proceeds to teach the validity of tithing and to slur anyone who would dare to challenge this. The point here is that if Ray Bevan cannot be trusted to even teach properly on the eternally immutable nature of God Himself, how can he possibly be trusted to teach properly on the things of God? The sad and simple answer is that he can't be.
More wrong teaching pours from the pages of 'Grace Shouts Louder' as the author attempts to synthesize grace and law, calling tithing grace-based which is an utter contradiction in terms. Tithing is law, and binding. Grace is, well, grace, and liberating... allowing one to give freely according to the decisions of one's own heart, not the dictates of a leadership which thinks nothing of abusing the Word of God to re-activate rules which were completely superseded by the Cross!
Notable is Mr. Bevan's scathing and self-righteous condemnation of those who would rightly question the correctness of 21st. century tithing, as being Word-ignorant misers who do not trust God. This is pure - actually IMpure - emotional blackmail. For who would wish to have their Pastor and fellow-worshipers see them as being mean and immature Christians? To avoid being branded as such, folks are thus cynically manipulated into doing something to please men rather than to please God, the absolute reversal of how things should be. (See Galatians 1:10). If truth be told, this is not grace shouting louder; this is Ray Bevan shouting louder than grace!
Oh, and BTW Mr. Bevan, true grace never shouts. True grace speaks only in a still small voice... no thundering, just the gentlest of whispers...
ROBBIE HOWELLS AND HEATH VAN STADEN - TWO "PROSPERITY PIPPINS!"
I have given some emphasis here in this article to the skewed teachings of Ray Bevan, not just to draw attention to how King's was shaped under his controlling influence, but to alert people to how this has birthed two other similar operations in the same city.
As the old saying goes, the apple never falls far from the tree, and two such apples dropped off the King's bough, only to land elsewhere in Newport! The first such apple to feel the gravitational pull was Robbie Howells, who established his own Word of Faith operation called Newport City Church, to all intents and purposes a clone of King's complete with the inevitable tithing policy. An article on Robbie Howells and NCC, highlighting the very real concerns about them can be found here:
The second "Prosperity Pippin" to more recently branch out on his own (if you'll excuse the extended apple tree metaphor) was Heath Van Staden, who had been the Youth and Children's Pastor at King's. His Liberty Church was launched 31/1/15 with himself and wife Leah installed as Lead Elders, an outfit again aping King's and rather unsurprisingly implementing tithing as the essential basis of its finances.
(Who someone follows on Twitter can be very revealing as to their theological leanings, and when Mr. Van Staden follows the likes of Mark Driscoll, Bill Hybels, Joyce Meyer, Rick Warren, Richard Branson (!), Bill Johnson, Kris Vallotton, Casey Treat... need I say more?)
ALEX ASHTON AND THE VINE CHRISTIAN CENTRE IN BRIDGEND
A little way west along the M4 and we come to Bridgend and The Vine Christian Centre, Alex Ashton's own bastion of the Word of Faith/Prosperity gospel. I have had previous occasion to write of Mr. Ashton's apostate partnering with Kenneth Copeland - probably the biggest name in the whole "name-it-and-claim-it" brigade - and his complete lack of any response to my approaches to him on the subject. Please see:
http://watchman4wales.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/a-compilation-of-shocking-kenneth.html
The Vine operates tithing, and the "give-to-get" ethos typically engendered by Word of Faith false teaching on "health and wealth" is so very sadly evidenced here in The Vine's 'Tithe and Offering Confession,' this information being garnered from a visitor who personally witnessed a congregational chant along the following lines in a service there a few years ago:
Tithe and Offering Confession:
As we give today's offering,
We are believing the Lord for:
Jobs and better jobs,
Raises and bonuses,
Benefits and settlements,
Sales and commissions,
Estates and inheritances,
Interests and income,
Rebates and returns,
Cheques in the mail,
Gifts and surprises,
Find money,
Debts paid off,
Royalties received.
It's offering time -
Hallelujah!
Nothing whatsoever of believing the Lord for the advance of His Kingdom, only for the furtherance of one's own self-interests; the Gospel of grace has here grotesquely morphed into a gospel of greed.
JERRY SAVELLE AT THE VINE, BRIDGEND AND NEWPORT CITY CHURCH
As the guest of Welsh Word of Faith frontmen Robbie Howells and Alex Ashton, one of the Prosperity wolf-pack's hungriest wool-wearers is about to trot through the wide open doors of their respective sheepfolds. As part of his UK tour, Jerry Savelle will be at Newport City Church on 3rd. April, and at The Vine on 4th. April. If I might resort to using a musical analogy, Savelle is a one man Copeland tribute band, playing all the superstar's tunes with great gusto; if you can't get to a Copeland gig, Savelle would be the next best (worst!) thing.
If you should doubt for one moment Savelle's allegiances, see his fawning "Beautiful Are Their Feet" December 2016 tribute to Ken and Gloria Copeland here:
Birds of a feather indeed flock together, and that includes vultures...
It's more than interesting and relevant to record that Robbie Howells (full name Robert George Howells), like Alex Ashton before him, can now record on his CV a close collaboration with Copeland. He has been a Director on the Board of Kenneth Copeland Ministries (UK and Europe) since June, 2015. He also holds a Directorship in John Bevere's Messenger International Limited (UK and Europe); Mr. Bevere, it goes without saying, also perches on the selfsame rotten Word of Faith/Prosperity gospel branch. Mr. Howells' CV, you will find, tells us that he's a graduate of a certain Bible Institute and School of World Evangelism. Yes, it's the one run by Jerry Savelle Ministries International... 'Nuff said!
Very interesting to note too is that Jerry Savelle's UK and Europe office is located just a few miles to the east in Chepstow, and banks in Newport. The Administrator and UK Senior Pastor is Geoffrey Howard Rouch, a one-time business partner of Ray Bevan. One of the 5 trustees is Damian Pugh, who plays drums at Robbie Howells' Newport City Church. In such ways it can be glimpsed how the strands of the same WoF web interconnect, both historically and contemporaneously.
CONCLUSION
Of course, it's not only Word of Faith churches that have implemented tithing. In the Restorationist camp, for example, churches like the grandly-named 'Nationchangers' here in Merthyr Tydfil, have taken the same wrong route. We might note that none of these leaders who are so avidly applying the Mosaic Law of tithing are anything like as keen to apply the Mosaic Law of circumcision. Somehow, persuading people to part with their foreskin doesn't seem to have quite the same attractiveness as persuading them to part with their cash!
Through Christ's finished work on the Cross, we live under grace and not under law. The old has been superseded by the new. As the Scriptures gloriously declare:
"For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did;
by the which we draw nigh unto God...
But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises."
(Hebrews 7:19, 8:6)
AND SO, MY FRIENDS, LET US REJOICE IN AND CLEAVE TO THAT WHICH IS BETTER! FOR THE LAW IS OUR PAST CONDEMNATION, BUT GRACE IS OUR PRESENT ABSOLUTION. AND IF THE SON HAS MADE US FREE, THEN WE ARE FREE INDEED! (John 8:36)
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One final thought. I could suggest referring to Word of Faith as Word of LAODICEAN Faith, from which accurate appellation we'd derive the most appropriate acronym:
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