[Release requested for general use.]
Letters have come to me from Oakland and Battle Creek, making inquiries as to the disposition made of the tithe. The writers supposed that they were authorized to use the tithe money in meeting the expenses of the church, as these expenses were quite heavy. From that which has been shown me, the tithe is not to be withdrawn from the treasury. Every penny of this money is the Lord's own sacred treasure, to be appropriated for a special use. . . .
The light which the Lord has given me on this subject, is that the means in the treasury for the support of the ministers in the different fields is not to be used for any other purpose. If an honest tithe were paid, and the money coming into the treasury were carefully guarded, the ministers would receive a just wage. . . .
The minister who labors should be sustained. But notwithstanding this, those who are officiating in this work see that there is not money in the treasury to pay the minister. They are withdrawing the tithe for other expenses,--to keep up the meeting house necessities or some charity. God is not glorified in any such work. We have to raise our voice against this kind of management. Let those who have comfortable homes, and are not called upon to leave their families, consider this matter. Gifts and offerings should be brought in by the people as they are privileged in having houses of worship, as in Battle Creek and Oakland, two of our largest churches. Let house-to-house labor be done in setting before the families in
Battle Creek and Oakland their duty in acting a part in meeting these expenses, which may be called common or secular, and let not the treasury be robbed. There has not been money in the treasury to supply ministers for the service of God. . . .
Those who have used the tithe money to supply the common necessities of the house of God, have taken the money that should go to sustain ministers in doing His work, in preparing the way for Christ's second appearing. Just as surely as you do this work, you misapply the resources which God has told you to retain in His treasure house, that it may be full, to be used in His service. This work is something of which all who have taken a part in should be ashamed. They have used their influence to withdraw from God's treasury a fund that is consecrated to a sacred purpose. From those who do this, the blessing of the Lord will be removed. The tithe money must be kept sacred. . . .
I know from the light given me of God that there should be many workers in California. There should be workers in Michigan, and yet men are questioning in regard to using the tithe for other purposes than that which the Lord specified. In California, in all our cities in America, in the highways and byways, men and women should go forth as consecrated workers, who will proclaim the message of warning. Ms 17, 1897 , pp. 1-8. ("The Use of the Tithe," March 14, 1897.)
In some of the larger conferences the tithe may be more than sufficient to sustain the laborers now in the field. But this does not sanction its use for any other purpose. If the conferences were doing the work that God desires them to do, there would be many more laborers in the field, and the demand for funds would be greatly increased. The conferences should feel a
burden for the regions beyond their own borders. There are missions to be sustained in fields where there are no churches and no tithes, and also where the believers are new and the tithe limited. If you have means that is not needed after settling with your ministers in a liberal manner, send the Lord's money to these destitute places. Special light on this point has been given. I was listening to the voice of a heavenly Messenger, and the directions given were that the churches that had buildings and facilities should in this way assist the missions in foreign countries. Ms 139, 1898 , p. 26. ("An Appeal for Missions," October 21, 1898.)
We received your letter today. The question in regard to applying the tithes for incidental expenses connected with the church is referred to. You say that this has not been done in _____ for years. I am glad to hear this. I answer in accordance with the light recently given me of God, and which has led me to write so much on this matter, that it is a mistake for our churches to appropriate the tithe for any other purpose than to sustain the ministry. The Lord will not work in your favor if you do this. . . .
The tithe is not to be consumed in incidental expenses. That belongs to the work of the church members. They are to support their church by their gifts and offerings. When this matter is seen and realized in all its bearings, there will be no questions on this subject. Through His servant Malachi, the Lord gives a most solemn warning in reference to this matter. He says, "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in Mine house, and prove Me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it" (Malachi 3:10).
The Lord has revealed to me that when the members of the church in _____ shall learn to deny themselves, when they shall consecrate themselves to God, when they shall practice economy as truehearted sons and daughters of God; when they shall expend much less for outward display, and shall wear plain, simple clothing without unnecessary adornments; when their faith and works shall correspond, then they will be the Lord's true missionaries and will have clear discernment and spiritual understanding. They will have a sense of the sacredness of God's work. They will see the necessity of the tithe money being faithfully paid into the treasury, and reserved for the sacred work to which God designs that it shall be devoted,--to carry the last message of mercy to a fallen world. God's people are to lift the standard of truth in every place where the message of mercy has not been proclaimed.
Every soul who is honored in being a steward of God is to carefully guard the tithe money. This is sacred means. The Lord will not sanction your borrowing this money for any other work. It will create evils you cannot now discern. It is not to be meddled with by the _____ church; for there are missions to be sustained in other fields, where there are no churches and no tithes. When the men who, as God's messengers, have their work to do, will do it in a straightforward manner, the church of _____ will take care of the duties belonging to it individually. The members will furnish the means to sustain these extra expenses. But by using the tithe for these expenses, or filling the gaps made in business lines, you lift from them a burden which they should as a church carry.
Time, precious time, is passing into eternity, and the work that should be done in saving perishing souls is left undone. Keep your hands off the Lord's reserve fund. That means is to do a great work before probation shall close. Not one-hundredth part of the work that should be done in California
is being done. Missionary workers are few. It is most painful to me to see how little is being done in self-sacrificing effort, in bringing up the church to sense their individual responsibility and the necessity of self-denial. Look at the congregations coming into the houses of worship in _____ and _____, and see how much money is expended in dress that should go to the Lord's cause. But you cannot, as responsible men, be clear in the sight of God unless you shall practice more economy and self-denial yourselves, unless you shall bear a testimony that will cut its way to the heart of self-indulgence.
It makes me heartsick to see the most sacred, solemn truth ever given to our world have so little influence upon the life and character of many who profess to believe the Word of God. What is the matter?--the truth is not practiced. The life of the world's Redeemer is our example in all things. There is much more in the Word of God than many have discovered. There is practical godliness that must be brought into the life and character. There are heights and depths that we might reach if there were less self-indulgence and more consecration to God. . . .
The Lord has shown me that when those who are in office will do their appointed work, and bind about their many supposed wants; when they shall practice the self-denial that God enjoins, and encourage economy in every line as it is their duty to do by setting the example, there will be a solemn, straight-forward testimony, hearts and lips touched with holy fire coming forth from the great center in California, and _____ will have [an] influence on smaller churches. Letter 81, 1897 , pp. 1-5. (To Brother Jones, May 27, 1897.)
I send you this morning a letter written for America, and sent there yesterday morning, which will show you how I regard the tithe money being used for other purposes. [See Special Testimonies , Series A, No. 10, pp. 16-24.] This is the Lord's special revenue fund, for a special purpose. I have never so fully understood this matter as I now understand it. Having had questions directed here to me to answer, I have had special instruction from the Lord that the tithe is for a special purpose, consecrated to God to sustain those who minister in the sacred work, as the Lord's chosen to do His work not only in sermonizing, but in ministering. They should understand all that his comprehends. There is to be meat in the house of God, who believe the truth, to give a faithful tithe to the Lord, and ministers should be encouraged and sustained by that tithe. Letter 40, 1897 , p. 1. (To Elder A. G. Daniells, March 16, 1897.) White Estate Washington, D. C. August 22, 1951
[Release requested by Elder W. H. Branson for use in the study of this problem in connection with a forthcoming council.]
In the night season I am laboring earnestly with persons who do not seem to understand that in the providence of God the medical missionary work is to be as the right hand of the body. Ms 58, 1901 , p. 1. ("A Union of Ministerial and Medical Missionary Work Essential," July 7, 1901.)
The tithe is to be used for one purpose,--to sustain the ministers whom the Lord has appointed to do His work. It is to be used to support those who speak the words of life to the people, and carry the burden of the flock of God. . . .
Those who have charge of our church buildings are to be supplied with the means that is necessary to keep these buildings in good repair. But this money is not to come from the tithe. . . .
The use of the tithe must be looked upon as a sacred matter by our people. We must guard strictly against all that is contrary to the message now given. . . .
The impression is becoming quite common that the sacred disposition of the tithe no longer exists. Many have lost their sense of the Lord's requirements. . . .
When a man enters the ministry, he is to be paid from the tithe enough to sustain his family. He is not to feel that he is a beggar. . . .
Many ministers are lying in their graves, brought there by sorrow and disappointment, and by the hardship brought upon them because they did not
receive sufficient for their labors.
Let us remember that God is a God of justice and equity. There would today be many more ministers in the field, but they are not encouraged to labor. Many workers have gone into the grave heartbroken, because they had grown old, and could see that they were looked upon as a burden. But had they been retained in the work, and given an easy place, with a whole or part of their wages, they might have accomplished much good. During their term of labor, these men have done double labor. They felt so heavy a burden for souls that they had no desire to be relieved of overwork. The heavy burdens borne shortened their lives. The widows of these ministers are never to be forgotten, but should, if necessary, be paid from the tithe. Ms 82, 1904 , pp. 1-3. ("The Use of the Tithe," 1904.)
Our conferences should see that the schools are provided with teachers who are thorough Bible teachers and who have a deep Christian experience. The best ministerial talent should be brought into schools, and the salaries of these teachers should be paid from the tithe. . . .
God's ministers are His shepherds, appointed by Him to feed His flock. The tithe is His provision for their maintenance, and He designs that it shall be held sacred to this purpose. . . .
If the members of a church exercise economy and self-denial in dress and in all their expenses as God requires, there will be no lack of funds. The tithe will be increased, and there will be donations sufficient for all church expenses. Ms 139, 1898 , pp. 24-26. ("An Appeal for Missions," October 21, 1898.)
And if there is a surplus of means in the treasury, there are many places where it may be used strictly in the appointed lines. In many places the
dearth of means is so great that the workers cannot be employed to do missionary work. Every dollar of the money put into the treasury is not needed in _____. Let the Lord's money be donated to support the ministers in foreign countries where they are working to lift the standard in new fields. This is God's money, and He designs that it shall be used in sustaining the ministry, in educating a people to prepare to meet their God. . . .
If you have more means than you need to settle [with] your ministers in a fair, liberal, Christian manner, there are other places where you can help, where there are but few people and poor, and the tithe is limited. Send the Lord's money to them. This I have been repeatedly shown is the way to do. . . .
When the people will, as in the church in _____, excuse themselves from sustaining their own church demands, that church is in deep need of a ministry that is of a different order than that which it has had. The men who are handling sacred things will need to discern more clearly spiritual things, and if they will begin to rely upon the tithe money to use in the several places where there is a gap and where means are needed in Battle Creek and Oakland, the Lord will surely remove His blessing from these churches.
You know nothing experimentally of the poverty in foreign countries. We need some of your abundance here. When men shall be properly exercised to present to the people their duty as Christians to support their church expenses; when they shall themselves present more abundantly their gifts and offerings to carry forward the work, then God will bless the faithful messenger, and He will bless the members of the churches; for He says, "I know thy works" (Revelation 3:8).
Then who will be aroused to sense their duty in this respect, and act their part in the fear of God. Self-denial is to be presented to the people,
and offerings called for in donations. Said the messenger of heaven, "It is not the Oakland church, the Battle Creek church, the Healdsburg church, or the San Francisco church who should draw from the treasury of God to supply their weekly incidental expenses, incurred in accommodating the people as they assemble together to worship God. Let every soul consider, and humble himself before God." Letter 81, 1897 , pp. 1-6. (To Brother Jones, May 27, 1897.)
There are exceptional cases, where poverty is so deep that in order to secure the humblest place of worship, it may be necessary to appropriate the tithes. But that place is not Battle Creek or Oakland. Let those who assemble to worship God consider the self-denial and self-sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Let those brethren who profess to be children of God study how they can deny themselves, how they can part with some of their idols, and carefully economize in every line. In each house there should be a box for the church fund, to be used for the needs of the church. . . .
Let not those to whom are entrusted responsibilities, allow the treasury that God has appointed to sustain the ministers in the field, to be robbed to supply the expenses incurred in keeping in order and making comfortable the house of God. Thousands upon thousands of dollars have been taken from the tithes and used for these purposes. This is not as it should be. The gifts and offerings that have cost some self-denial are to be brought in. A separate fund for the purpose of defraying the expenses which every church member should share according to his ability should be instituted in every place where there is a church. Ms 24, 1897 , pp. 1, 2. ("Tithing," March 15, 1897.)
In the sixth chapter of Acts, we are shown how, when men were to be
selected to fill positions in the church, the matter was brought before the Lord, and most earnest prayer was offered for guidance. The widows and fatherless were to be supported by contributions from the church. Their wants were not to be relieved by the church, but by special donations. The tithe was to be consecrated to the Lord, and was always to be used for the support of the ministry. Letter 9, 1899 , p. 2. (To those Occupying Important Positions in the General Conference, January 24, 1899.)
I have been instructed that there is something wrong in the way that financial matters have been carried in some of our conferences. I was shown that spiritual interests have been lost sight of, and that the very work that is most essential and urgent has been neglected, and bears the mark of imperfection. The zeal exercised by some in gathering and hoarding as much means as possible to make a good showing financially, and that men in important positions might appear as good generals, was a sad mistaking of the true interests of the work.
More and more we must come to realize that the means that comes into the conference in the tithes and gifts of our people should be used for the support of the work not only in the American cities, but also in foreign fields. Let the means so zealously collected be unselfishly distributed. Those who realize the needs of mission fields will not be tempted to use the tithe for that which is not necessary. All may be tempted to be selfish in the use of their means, but they will gain strength to resist these temptations as they study the needs of the fields that have little labor given them. My brethren, let your means be freely given, and the Lord will bless your offerings. God is looking for these offerings, and angels of God are impressing the hearts of those for whose sake they are given. Ms 11, 1908 ,
p. 7. ("The Regions Beyond," February 15, 1908.)
That there will always be a temptation to divert the tithe money to other channels, we know; but the Lord has guarded this, His own portion, to be sacredly used for the support of the gospel ministers. There may be such measures taken as shall reduce the working force that bears the message of truth, as is being done, and in America has been done to meet the measurement of the tithe in the treasury; but this is not the Lord's plan, and if entered upon and continued, will reduce God's blessing to the churches that work upon such a plan. There may be a great dearth of means if there is a departing from the Lord's plan. The Lord regards the tithe as His own, to be used for a certain purpose, and it is an easy matter, in the place of practicing the self-denial that we should, to help in educating students, or in the temporal matters, as providing conveniences for the church, which is necessary, to dip into the Lord's consecrated portion which should be used only to sustain the ministers in new fields as well as in other places. . . .
Now in regard to educating students in our schools. It is a good idea; it will have to be done; but God forbid that in the place of practicing self-denial and self-sacrifice our individual selves, to do this work, we should subtract from the Lord's portion, specially reserved to sustain the ministers in active labor in the field, and to [keep] at work those who are already ordained for the work. We can easily consider these matters, how much it requires to support our own families according to the members of that family. Then let those whose business it is, act in accordance with this rule. Look not upon our own things, but upon the things of others. Let us practice the golden rule, and do unto others as we would that they should do unto us, were we in like circumstances.
The fibrous roots of selfishness will root themselves wherever they are given a chance. We want to cut out and exterminate every fiber of the root of selfishness. . . .
All these things are to be done, as you propose, to help students to obtain an education, but I ask you, Shall we not all act in this matter unselfishly, and create a fund, and keep it to draw upon on such occasions. When you see a young man or a young woman who are promising subjects, advance or loan the sum needed, with the idea that it is a loan, not a gift. It would be better to have it thus. Then when it is returned, it can be used to educate others. But this money is not to be taken from the tithe, but from a separate fund secured for that purpose. This would exert a healthy uprightness and charity and patriotism among our people. There must be thoughtful consideration and a skillful adjustment of the work in the cause of God in all its departments. But let there be no meager, stingy plans in using the consecrated portion for the sustaining of the ministry; for then the treasury would soon be empty. Letter 40, 1897 , pp. 1-4. (To Elder A. G. Daniells, March 16, 1897.) White Estate Washington, D. C. August 22, 1951