Brothers and sisters in Christ, I want you to understand something. Listen to me, and listen to me well. Nowhere in the New Testament are people commanded to tithe. Nowhere! Tithing was Israel's taxation system. The nation of Israel was required to pay tithes in order to run their country. They were mandatory and commanded. There was the tithe for their festivals (of which there were 7), there was the tithe for the poor, and there was the Levitical tithe (because the Levites did not have an inheritance among the other tribes). These tithes equate to 30-33%. If you want to learn more on this, see these previous articles:
God's pattern, in both the Old Testament and New Testament, has always been free-will offerings. In the Old Testament, free-will offerings were on top of their mandatory tithes. In the New Testament, giving consists of our time, our talent, and our treasure. The point has always been this:
"Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Cor. 9:6-7
This verse, however, does not mean what the false teachers of the Prosperity Gospel use it for. Any preacher who uses this verse to try and guilt you into giving your hard-earned money to them is a false teacher and you ought to run far from them. When the Bible talks about giving to the Church, it is not talking about giving to support one or more people's pay checks or to support a building that largely sits empty most of the week. When the Bible talks about giving to the Church, it is talking about giving your time, talent, and treasure to support people! It is meant to help the widows, the fatherless, the sick, the imprisoned, and the needy.
"When they came to Capernaum, those who collected the two-drachma tax came to Peter and said, 'Does your teacher not pay the two-drachma tax?' He said, 'Yes.' And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, 'What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?' When Peter said, 'From strangers,' Jesus said to him, 'Then the sons are exempt. However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me.'" Matthew 17:24-27
In the above passage, Jesus paid taxes and commanded that his disciples do the same.
"Then the Pharisees went and plotted together how they might trap Him in what He said. And they sent their disciples to Him, along with the Herodians, saying, 'Teacher, we know that You are truthful and teach the way of God in truth, and defer to no one; for You are not partial to any. Tell us then, what do You think? Is it lawful to give a poll-tax to Caesar, or not?' But Jesus perceived their malice, and said, 'Why are you testing Me, you hypocrites? Show Me the coin used for the poll-tax.' And they brought Him a denarius. And He said to them, 'Whose likeness and inscription is this?' They said to Him, 'Caesar's'" Then He said to them, 'Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's; and to God the things that are God's.' And hearing this, they were amazed, and leaving Him, they went away." Matthew 22:15-22
In the above passage, the Pharisees asked Jesus if it was lawful to pay taxes. Jesus told them that we are to give to men what belongs to men and to God what belongs to God.
"Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience' sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing." Romans 13:1-6
In the above passage, Paul reminds us of why we pay taxes. The following passage is one we should be heeding, and is a test of our Christian love.
"But whoever has the world's goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth." 1 John 3:17-18
If you are guilty of what John is describing above, then you may have every right to question whether you are actually in the faith or not. But this is only one of several tests that exist in the book of 1 John for discerning genuine converts from false converts. If you fail this test, it could simply be due to ignorance and having not been taught properly.
Also, brothers and sisters, beware of preachers who attempt to teach that Acts 11:27-30 and 1 Corinthians 16:1-3 teach giving to the Church (to support one or more people's pay checks and to maintain a building). This is why context and correct exegesis is so important, as well as knowledge of some basic history. Because of a famine in the land, the Jerusalem church was suffering. Paul collected a relief fund from the Gentile churches in order to meet their needs. This was not tithing, and it was not obligatory.
Preachers tell you what they tell you, knowingly twisting key Bible verses, to make sure they have money in their pocket. If you stop paying these people to deliver you one or two messages a week, see how many of them stick around. These people are nothing more than hirelings. They do not care about the flock. If you are going to give money, make sure your money is going toward what it is intended for: taking care of the widows, the fatherless, the sick, the imprisoned, and the needy. If it is not, then it is your responsibility to make sure that it does.
Remember, giving is an act of worship. God does not need our money or anything else. What He wants is us; He wants to know that He is first in our lives. He wants to know if we truly love others and are willing to care for them and look out for them (as numerous passages in the New Testament command us). Far too many Christians have the attitude of, "What's the least I can give of my time, talent, and treasure to others and still receive God's blessing?" Does that sound like a worshipful heart? Does that sound like a loving heart that meets 1 John 3:17-18? Giving is not about the bare minimum you can invest in others; it is about surrendering everything to the God who gave everything for you.