The TRUTH book Volume 1 (PDF) - For My People Ministry

Chapter three - Steve Wohlberg 75themselves to the ministry were they not told of the depleted treasury.There should be an abundant supply in the Lord's treasury, and therewould be if selfish hearts and hands had not withheld the tithes or madeuse of them to support other lines of work.God's reserved resources are to be used in no such haphazard way. Thetithe is the Lord's, and those who meddle with it will be punished with theloss of their heavenly treasure unless they repent. Let the work no longerbe hedged up because the tithe has been diverted into various channelsother than the one to which the Lord has said it should go. Provision is tobe made for these other lines of work. They are to be sustained, but notfrom the tithe. God has not changed; the tithe is still to be used for thesupport of the ministry. The opening of new fields requires moreministerial efficiency than we now have, and there must be means in thetreasury.Ibid., p. 248One reasons that the tithe may be applied to school purposes. Stillothers reason that canvassers and colporteurs should be supported fromthe tithe. But a great mistake is made when the tithe is drawn from theobject for which it is to be used--the support of the ministers. Thereshould be today in the field one hundred well qualified laborers wherenow there is but one.ConclusionThe “other channels” Ellen White mentions is not self-supporting ministries, asPastor Wohlberg suggests, but rather other lines of work such as schoolpurposes and colporteurs, rather than supporting the ministry. If we acceptedPastor Wohlberg’s conclusion, we would lose eternal life if we supported faithfulgospel workers not employed by the Church, even if at one time they were, butlost their position for standing up against apostasy.Ellen White and the Herald are in complete agreement as stated in thefollowing.• Ellen White and the Herald associated robbing God with ceasing to paytithe. They did not apply this to aiding self-supporting ministries.• Ellen White and the Herald taught that God will hold us accountable if wedo not try to correct the evil.• The Herald never said to use tithe to support other channels or lines ofwork. Ellen White supported the same principle, with the followingexception from Manuscript Releases, Vol. 1, p. 191: “There areexceptional cases, where poverty is so deep that in order to secure thehumblest place of worship, it may be necessary to appropriate the tithes.”That exception should still apply today.Tithe summary and conclusionErnie’s dreams teach us the importance of tithing and personal accountability.In a time when apostasy is sweeping through the churches (see chapter 1 ofvolume 2), God wants us to ensure His tithe is not being misused. Manyfaithful, concerned Church members do not support their conference because