Jesus taught His disciples to seek first the kingdom and all other things would be added to them.  This would include the basic necessities of life, such as food, clothing, and shelter.  Jesus cautioned His disciples, not to be anxious over these things.  Having anxiety over such things could be an indication that a person was lacking in faith.

Mathew 6:25-34 states:  “25 Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you shall eat or what you shall drink, nor about your body, what you shall put on.  Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?  25 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not of more value than they?  27 And which of you by being anxious can add one cubit to his life span?  28 And why are you anxious about clothing?  Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin;  29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed as one of these.  30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O men of little faith?  31 Therefore do not be anxious saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  32 For the Gentiles (people of the nations) seek all these things; and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.  33 But seek first the kingdom and His righteousness, and all of these things shall be yours as well.”

Jesus went on to show the insignificance and futility of amassing earthly treasures.  Instead of storing up for oneself earthly treasures, Jesus emphasized the storing up for oneself treasures in heaven, where neither moth or rust consume, nor thieves break in and steal.

Matthew 6:19-21 states:  “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth or rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.  21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Christ sent out His disciples and charged them to preach the kingdom of God.  He instructed them not to take anything for their journey; no money, no staff, no bag, no sandals, no bread, nor two tunics; the workman is worthy of his wages.  Jesus instructed His disciples, “You received free, give free.”

Luke 9:1-3 states:  “1 And He called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal.  3 And He said to them, ‘Take nothing for your journey, no staff, no bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics.'”

Matthew 10:7-10 states:  “7 And preach as you go saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand,’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons.  You received without pay, give without pay (you received free, give free).  9 Take no gold, nor silver, nor copper in your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor a staff; for the labor deserves his food (the workman is worthy of his wages).”

In preaching the good news of the kingdom, Christ and His apostles were sustained and provided for by faithful women and others, who made provision for them out of their own funds.

Luke 8:1-3 states:  “1 Soon afterwards He went through cities and villages, preaching and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.  And the twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities:  Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means (out of their property and personal belongings, from their own resources).”

Jesus also stated that no one can serve two masters.  You cannot serve both God and “mammon,” the Semitic term for money.

Matthew 6:24 states:  “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and mammon (money).”

 Collections In the Early Church

Early church fathers wrote about giving and collections in the early Christian church.

Tertullian (150-225 CE) wrote:

“There is no buying and selling of any sort in the things of God.  Though we have our treasure-chest, it is not made up of purchase-money, as of a religion that has its price.  On the monthly day, if he likes, each puts in a small donation; but only if it be his pleasure, and only if he be able: for there is no compulsion; all is voluntary.  These gifts are . . . not spent on feasts, and drinking-bouts, and eating-houses, but to support and bury poor people, to supply the wants of boys and girls destitute of means and parents, and of old persons confined now to the house; such, too, as have suffered shipwreck; and if there happen to be any in the mines or banished to the islands or shut up in the prisons, for nothing but their fidelity to the cause of God’s Church, they become the nurslings of their confession.”

“Our presidents are elders of proved worth, men who have attained this honor not for a price, but by character.  Every man brings some modest coin once a month or whenever he wishes, and only if he is willing and able; it is a freewill offering.  You might call them the trust-funds of piety; they are spent . . . on the support and burial of the poor.”

In Tertullian’s description of an early church, donations were put into a treasure box.  Each one’s donation was voluntary, based on what they were able to give and according to their own pleasure, not under compulsion.  The proceeds were for the support and burial of poor people, to supply the wants of orphans and old persons confined to the house, those who had suffered shipwreck, those who were in mines or banished to islands, and those who were shut up in prisons.  Those who presided as elders were men of proven worth, who received honor not for a price, but by their character.  All giving was voluntary and there is no mention of tithing.*

Irenaeus (130-202 ) wrote:

“The Jews were constrained to a regular payment of Tithes; Christians who have liberty assign all their possessions to the Lord bestowing freely not the lesser portions of their property since they have the hope of greater things.”

“And for this reason did the Lord, instead of that [commandment], `You shall not commit adultery,’ forbid even concupiscence; and instead of that which runs thus, `You shall not kill,’ He prohibited anger; and instead of the Law enjoining the giving of tithes, the Lord told us to share all our possessions with the poor (Matt. 19:21); and not to love our neighbors only, but even our enemies; and not merely to be liberal givers and bestowers, but even that we should present a gratuitous gift to those who take away our goods. For ‘to him that takes away your coat,’ He says, ‘give to him your cloak also…’ ‘…The Father …sends rain upon the just and unjust (Matt. 5:45).’ Now all these laws, as I have already observed, were not done away with… (speaking of the Ten Commandments – not laws of tithing and washing, etc.), but were widened… that the more extensive operation of liberty… (can be show) towards our Liberator… He did not set us free… to depart from Him… but (to receive salvation) and …His grace… and to love Him.”

In Irenaeus’ economy, the tithe (ten percent from the Law of Moses) was actually a constraint that limited one’s heartfelt compacity for giving.  In the early Christian church, believers were free to give liberally above and beyond the tithe, because all that they had was the Lord’s.  Irenaeus gives many examples of Christ’s law, the law of liberty, superseding Moses’ law, by cutting directly to the heart’s motives.  (See James 2:12)  Instead of a law that simply dictated a percentage of one’s possessions, Christians willingly and liberally shared all of their belongings with those in need.  This would include, not only neighbors, but also enemies and those who might press them into servitude.  Irenaeus makes the case that certain laws from the Ten Commandments were not done away with, but widened; whereas laws such as tithing and washing were no longer in effect.

Justin Martyr (100-165 CE) wrote:

“We who valued above all things the acquisition of wealth and possessions now bring what we have into a common stock and share with everyone in need.”

“And the wealthy among us help the needy, and we always keep together, and for all things by which we are supplied, we bless the Maker of all through His Son Jesus Christ, and through the Holy Ghost. And on the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read, as long as time permits; then… the presider or president instructs and exhorts… Then we all rise and pray; and then bread and wine and water are brought… and prayers and thanksgivings offered by the overseer according to his ability, and the people assent, saying Amen; and there is distribution to each… And they who are well to do, and WILLING, give what each thinks fit, and what is collected is deposited with the president (overseers), who cares for the orphans and widows and those who,, through sickness or any other cause, are in want, and those who are in bonds and the strangers sojourning among us… Sunday is the day which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day of which God… made the world and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead.”

Justin Martyr’s description of worship and giving in the early church (approx. 150 AD), makes it clear that they did not follow a model of tithing.  Any collection or form of giving was done willingly, and those who were well to do gave as they saw fit.  The wealthy helped the needy.  Distribution went to the orphans and widows, the sick, those in want, those in prison bonds, and those who were sojourning among them.

The Early History Of the Christian Gathering by Valeriy Alikin, pg. 33 states: “Just like other associations, the Christian congregation had a common fund containing the contributions of its members; it was used to meet the needs of its members and provide a descent burial for its members.”

As evidenced from the above quotes, early Christians gave from their heart and were not under compulsion.  The funds accumulated were to assist those in want, in sickness, in prison bondage, in burial, and in tribulation.  There is no mention of contribution funds being administered in the form of a salary to those in leadership positions, nor is there mention of tithing in the church.  

Cyprian (210–258 CE) wrote:

“Each one was intent on adding to his inheritance.  Forgetting what the faithful used to do under the Apostles and what they should always be doing, each one with insatiable greed was absorbed in adding to his wealth.  Gone was the devotion of bishops to the service of God, gone was the clergy’s faithful integrity, gone the generous compassion for the needy, gone all discipline in our behavior.”

“Too many bishops, instead of giving encouragement and example to others, made no account of the ministration which God had entrusted to them, and took up the administration of secular business: they left their sees, abandoned their people, and toured the markets in other territories on the look-out for profitable deals.” 

By the third century, there was an outbreak of financial misappropriation in the church.  Running the church like administrators of secular businesses, ministers were using the gospel for private gain.  Cyprian’s frustration is evident from his writing about this un-Christlike behavior, that was being demonstrated by the bishops of his day.

The Apostle Paul warned the early church about those profiting from the gospel message. 

2 Corinthians 2:17 states:  “We are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word; but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.”

New Testament Accounts of Christian Giving & Collections

Jesus’ followers organized a communal arrangement, soon after His death.  Members relinquished property rights and shared everything in common.

Acts 2:44-45 states:  “44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.”

Acts 4:32 states:  ” Now the company of those who had believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said of any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.”

The Apostle Paul spoke of this commonality of giving, among early believers.

2 Corinthians 8:8-9 & 13-15 states:  “8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love is also genuine.  9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich.  13 I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, 14 but that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their want, so that their abundance may supply your want, that their may be equality.  15 As it is written, ‘He who gathered much had nothing over, and he who gathered little had no lack.'”

In the days of the Emperor Claudius there was a famine.  The disciples in Antioch took a collection for the saints in Judea.  Each one gave according to their own ability, not under compulsion.

Acts 11:29-30 states:  “27 Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch.  28 And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world; and this took place in the days of Claudius.   29 And the disciples determined, everyone according to his ability, to send relief to the brethren who lived in Judea; 30 and they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.”

The Apostle Paul encouraged the churches of Galatia and Corinth, to follow through with their gift to the saints in Jerusalem.  Paul went on to admonish the Corinthians that he who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he that sows bountifully will reap bountifully.  Each one must do according to what he has purposed in his own heart and as he may prosper, not grudgingly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver.  The churches in Macedonia and Achaia also gave to the church in Jerusalem.  This was in accordance with each one’s own individual means, free will, and liberality that they supplied relief to the saints.

1 Corinthians 16:1-3 states:   “1 Now concerning the contribution for the saints; as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do.  2 On the first day of the week (Sunday), each one of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that contributions need not be made when I come.  3 And when I arrive, I will send those whom you accredit by letter to carry your gift to Jerusalem.”

2 Corinthians 9:5-8 states:  “5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brethren that they go on ahead of you and arrange beforehand your previously promised bountiful gift, so that the same would be ready as a bountiful gift and not affected by covetousness.  6 Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.  7 Each one must do as he has purposed in his (own) heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.  8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.”

2 Corinthians 8:1-5 states:  “1 We want you to know, brethren, about the grace of God which has been shown in the churches of Macedonia, 2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of liberality on their part.  3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own free will, 4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints. . .”

At Romans 15:25-27 Paul states:  “25 At present I am going to Jerusalem with aid for the saints.  26 For Macedonia and Achaia have been pleased to make some contribution for the poor among the saints at Jerusalem;  27 they were pleased to do it, and indeed they are in debt to them, for if the Gentiles have come to share in their spiritual blessings, they ought also be in service to them in their material blessings.”

Romans 12:6, 8, & 13 states:  “6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: . . 8 he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal. . . 13 Contribute to the needs of the saints, practice hospitality.”

From the above passages, it is clear that all giving was done on a voluntary basis, not under compulsion or by tithing!*  Giving was based on what an early Christian had predetermined in his or her own heart and as they might prosper.   This was in accordance with their individual means and their own free will.  He who sowed sparingly would reap sparingly, he who sowed liberally would reap liberally.

The same principal applied in providing assistance for those who took the lead and were caretakers of the flock.  Elders, who ruled or presided well, were to be considered worthy of double honor; especially those who labored hard in teaching and preaching, the labor was deserving of his wages.  Let him, who is being taught the word, share all good things with him that teaches.

1 Timothy 5:17-18 states:  “17 Let the elders who rule (presided) well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor (hard, faithfully) in teaching and preaching; 18 for the scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it is treading out grain.’ and, ‘The labor deserves his wages.'”  (See also 1 Corinthians 9:9 & Matthew 10:10, previously cited)

Galatian 6:6 states:  “Let him who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches.”

 Self Sufficient Apostles 

The Apostle Paul made it clear to the elders of the Ephesian church, that he coveted no man’s silver or gold or apparel.  With his own hands, Paul ministered to his own needs and to those who were with him.

The Apostle Paul spoke to the elders of the Ephesian church, at Acts 20:17-18 & 33-35:  “17 And from Miletus he (Paul) sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church.  18 And when they came to him , he said to them: ’33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.  You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities (my own needs), and to those who were with me.  35 In all things I have shown you that by so toiling one must help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Paul declared to the Ephesian church that by so toiling he was also able to help the weak, remembering the words of our Lord Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”  These passages do not invoke an image of the Apostle Paul demanding that others attend to his needs.  Instead, the Apostle Paul did his utmost to be self sufficient; not relying on others for his basic necessities, but assisting others in need with the fruitages of his own labor.

The Apostle also gave a command to early believers in the church of Ephesus, emphasizing the importance of doing honest labor with one’s own hands and supporting those in need.

Ephesians 4:28 states:  “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may be able to give to those in need.”

The Apostle Paul presented a similar case to the Corinthian church.  Even though he and Barnabas had a right to reap material benefits from the Corinthian believers, both he and Barnabas waived that right.  By preaching the gospel free of charge, they did not make use of their right to prosper from the gospel.

At 1 Corinthians 9:3-15 & 18, the Apostle Paul wrote:  “3 This is my defense to those who would examine me.  4 Do we not have a right to our food and drink?. . . 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have no right to refrain from working for a living?  7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense?  Who plants a vineyard without eating any of its fruit?  Who tends a flock without getting some of the milk?  8 Do I say this on human authority?  Does not the law say the same?  9 For it is written in the Law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle the ox when it is treading out the grain.’  Is it for oxen that God is concerned?  10 Does He not speak entirely for our sake?  It was written for our sake, because the plowman should plow in hope and the thresher thresh in hope of a sharer in the crop.  11 If we have sown spiritual good among you, is it too much if we reap your material benefits?  12 If others share this spiritual claim among you, do not we still more?  Nevertheless, we have not made use of this right, but we endure anything rather than put an obstacle in the way of the gospel of Christ.  13 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the alter share in the sacrificial offerings?  14 In the same way the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel.  But I have made no use of any of these rights, nor am I writing this to secure any such provision.  For I would rather die than to have anyone deny me of my ground for boasting. . . 18 What then is my reward?  Just this: that in my preaching I may make the gospel free of charge, not making full use of my right in the gospel.”

The Apostle Paul made a strong case, by using various analogies. Those who sowed spiritual good, should have a right to reap material benefits and a living by the gospel.  Paul gave many examples of this: a soldier that serves, someone who plants a vineyard, the tender of a flock, an ox threshing the grain, the plowman who plows, etc.  In spite of all this, the Apostle Paul refused to make use of his right to financially benefit from the gospel, so that in preaching the gospel, he might make the gospel free of charge.  (See 2 Corinthians 6:3)  Paul proclaimed that he and Barnabas had no wish to secure such a provision, and that he would rather die, than have someone deny him of his ground for boasting.  Paul concluded: “What then is my reward?  Just this: that in my preaching I may make the gospel free of charge, not making full use of my right in the gospel.”  In this way, he removed any obstacle or fault finding with his ministry.  As a servant of God, he became poor, so that others might become rich.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthian church and compared the status of the real apostles, with that of the false apostles.

The Apostle Paul, at 1 Corinthians 4:8-13, wrote:  “8 Already you are filled!  Already you have become rich!  Without us you have become kings!  And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!  9 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men.  10 We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are wise in Christ.  We are weak, but you are strong.  You are held in honor, but we in disrepute.  11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are ill clad and buffeted and homeless (we are ill clad and knocked about, without homes of our own, poorly dressed, beaten, homeless), 12 And we labor working with our own hands (we have worked wearily with our hands to earn our living, we have to work for our living by manual labor).  When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered we try to conciliate; we have become, and are now, as the refuse of the world, the offscouring of all things.”

At 1 Corinthians 15:10 Paul proclaimed:  “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain.  On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God which is with me.”

Paul spoke of the toil and hardship he endured for the churches, at 2 Corinthians 11:27-28:  “27 In toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And apart from other things, there is the daily pressure upon me of my anxiety for all the churches.”

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, at 2 Corinthians 6:3-4 & 10:  “3 We put no obstacle in any one’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, 4 but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: 10 as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.”

The above passage exposes the “prosperity gospel,” which is so widely acclaimed today.  The Apostle Paul’s letters to the Corinthians shows a stark contrast with the real apostles; who were fools for Christ, weak, in disrepute, in hunger, in thirst, ill clad, buffeted, homeless, and who labored, working with their own hands – in comparison to the false apostles; who were already filled, rich, ruling as kings, wise in Christ, strong in Christ, and held in honor.  It is interesting to note, that the real apostles were in a constant state of want and tribulation.  The false apostles were rich and had already begun ruling as kings!  In this scenario, Paul was describing a first century version of the prosperity gospel.  It is even more interesting to note that the real apostles worked hard with their own hands, in an honest endeavor to attend to their own needs.  Paul referred to himself and his companions as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.   Paul worked harder than all of them in toil and hardship.  Once again, the image and status of the real apostles in the first century church, is a very different image than what is projected by many preachers and clergymen today; especially those who preach the prosperity gospel and tithing! 

At one point in his ministry, the Apostle Paul accepted support from the Macedonian church so that he could serve the Corinthian church, free of charge and without cost.  He refers to his accepting support from the Macedonian Christians as having, “robbed other churches,” so as not to be a burden to the Corinthians.  Once again, Paul’s testimony underscores his fierce independence and reluctance to be a financial burden to any church, even in his time of need! 

At 2 Corinthians 11:7-9, the Apostle Paul states:  “7 Did I commit a sin in abasing myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached God’s gospel without cost (freely) to you?  8 I robbed other churches (I took money from other churches) by accepting support from them in order to serve you.  9 And when I was with you I was in want, I did not burden anyone, for my needs were supplied by the brethren who came from Macedonia.  So I refrained and will refrain from burdening you in anyway.”

The Apostle Paul also admonished early believers in Thessalonica, to keep away from any brother who was living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition received from the faithful leaders.  He encouraged believers to imitate both himself and his associates, Silvanus and Timothy.  Paul and his companions were not idle, but with toil and labor they worked day and night so as not to be a burden to anyone.  It wasn’t that they didn’t have the right to ask for assistance, but rather by their conduct, they set an example for others to imitate; working hard so as not to be a burden to other believers.  Paul and his companions gave the church a command, “If anyone will not work, let him not eat.”  Instead of living in idleness and not working, such persons were to work in quietness and earn their own living.  Once again, just as he had declined assistance and support from the Ephesians and Corinthians, Paul also declined receiving any provision from the Thessalonians, and was self supportive so as not to be a burden to them.

The Apostle Paul stated at 1 Thessalonians 2:9:  “For you remember our labor and toil, brethren, we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you, while we preached to you the gospel of God.”

Paul at 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 wrote:  “6 Now we command you, brethren, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, that you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with the tradition that you received from us.  7 For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, 8 we did not eat anyone’s bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not burden any of you.  9 It was not because we have not that right, but to give you in our conduct an example to imitate.  10 For even when we were with you, we gave you this command:  If anyone will not work, let him not eat.  11 For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busy bodies, not doing any work.  12 Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living.  13 Brethren, do not be weary in well doing.”

There is no question that Paul was a hard worker and an advocate of hard work.  Paul was a tent maker by trade, who of his own volition chose not to take assistance from the very churches he established.  Contemporary Christians don’t often think of Paul working long hours as a tent maker, and afterward preaching to a synagogue of Jewish non believers or a small body of Christians in someone’s home.  (See Acts 18:1-3)  Paul argued from Holy Scripture that those who dispensed the gospel had a right to receive some form of provision and assistance from the gospel.  By setting an example and not receiving any assistance for himself and his companions, Paul contradicted the very case that he himself had made from scripture.  Even though they had a right to some form of living by the gospel, Paul and his companions consistently rejected any and all financial assistance from the churches of Ephesus, Thessalonica, and Corinth, so as not to be a burden to any of them. 

Paul had been a strict Pharisee.  (Acts 26:4-5)  He knew the law extremely well and that the law of tithing did not apply during the gospel age of salvation.  That is why he never mentions tithing in his letters to the churches.  He clearly testified that the other apostles also labored, working hard with their own hands.  They were not wealthy, but instead, they were poor and in want and in tribulation.  He made the case repeatedly, that he did not want to be a burden to others, and that he was more concerned about his own ability to help those who were truly in need.  By their conduct, Paul and his companions gave other early believers an example to imitate.  (See 2 Corinthians 12:13-18)

The Description of An Early Christian Church

As we have already established from scripture, it was permissible for those who held positions of leadership in the early church, to receive some form of provision from other believers or some form of living by the gospel.  Early Christians were to share and provide for those who taught the word.  Let him being taught the word, share all good things with him that teaches; the laborer is deserving of his wages.  An elder or pastor in a first century church may have had the right to secure such a provision, but the question would have to be asked, to what extent and under what circumstances?  To get a better understanding of what was going on in a first century church, let us examine what the size and membership of an early church was like.

Wikipedia states:  “Early Christians gathered in small private homes, known as house churches, but a city’s whole Christian community would also be called a church – the Greek noun ἐκκλησία literally means assembly, gathering, or congregation but is translated as church in most English translations of the New Testament.

In the early church, because of the persecution of Christians in the Roman empire, worship service took place mainly in private homes, as described in the book of Acts of the Apostles.   The New Testament shows that the Early Christian church exhibited a richness of fellowship and interactive practice that is typically not the case in conventional denominations.  They believe that Christians walked closely with each other and shared their lives in Christ together.

For the first 300 years of Early Christianity, until Constantine legalized Christianity and churches moved into larger buildings, Christians typically met in homes, if only because intermittent persecution (before the Edict of Milan in 313) did not allow the erection of public church buildings.  Clement of Alexandria, an early church father, wrote of worshipping in a house.”

The New Testament Reformation Fellowship (NTRF) states:  “The ESV Study Bible notes that early Christian churches ‘met in homes . . . There is extensive archaeological evidence from many cites showing that some homes were structurally modified to hold such churches.’  One such modified home known to host a church was found in Dura-Europos, Syria.  It could, according to the Yale archaeologists who excavated it, seat 65 to 70 people.  Jerome Murphy-O’Connor measured six homes in Pompeii and Ephesus and found the average atrium size to be 797 square feet.  This would seat around 100 people.  Acts records 120 believers assembled in the upper room of a house.  One known ancient home that hosted a church was the Lullingstone Villa in Kent, England (built during the Roman occupation).  The meeting room measured approximately 15’ x 21’.  By modern standards this would seat about 50 people. An examination of floor plans in Pompeii shows typical atriums measuring 20’ x 28’.  This would seat between 60 and 80 people.

According to Yale University archaeologists, ‘The first Christian congregations worshiped in private houses, meeting at the homes of wealthier members on a rotating basis . . . Worship was generally conducted in the atrium, or central courtyard of the house.’

The early church continued this practice of home meetings for hundreds of years after the New Testament was completed.  Graydon Snyder of Chicago Theological Seminary observed that ‘the New Testament Church began as a small group house church (Col. 4:15), and it remained so until the middle or end of the third century.  There are no evidences of larger places of meeting before 300.’  Again quoting Snyder, ‘there is no literary evidence nor archaeological indication that any such home was converted into an extant church building.  Nor is there any extant church that certainly was built prior to Constantine.’

The real issue is not where a church meets but how it can best do what God requires of it.  Size plays an important role in this.  Having too many people in attendance can serve to defeat the purposes for holding a church meeting in the first place.  Large crowds are great for special praise concerts, seminars or evangelism, but the weekly church gathering is to be about something more—mutual edification, accountability, encouraging one another, the fellowship of the Holy Meal, strengthening relationships, building consensus, etc.  In keeping with the New Testament example, the ideal size for a congregation might be the same number of people that would fit into a first-century Roman villa (which, by the way, is more than will fit in a typical modern home).”

The Early History Of the Christian Gathering by Valeriy Alikin, pg. 57 states:  “To conclude this section it can be stated that the earliest locations used by Christians for their gatherings were private houses, in most cases houses of comparatively richer Christians with sufficient economic resources to have space to accommodate their coreligionists’ meetings.  Since the common meal was a central component of the first-century Christian gathering, the setting may often have been the dining area of a house.  Excavations of houses belonging to wealthy persons in Roman cities show that dining rooms could rarely accommodate groups of more than nine or so, when one allows for the couches on which diners reclined in the Hellenistic fashion that was so widely followed in the Roman period.  If those present did not recline but sit, as seems to have been the case in the Corinthian congregation to which Paul wrote his letters (1 Cor. 14:30), the room may have accommodated twice as many participants.  Even if the atrium area of a Roman villa were used for additional dining space, most villas could have accommodated a group of no larger than forty to fifty.  Thus, the domestic setting, the size of the house-church group, and the centrality of a shared meal in the community’s life could all contribute to a certain intimacy and strong solidarity among the members.”

The above references indicate that a very large early Christian church would have hosted no more than fifty to one hundred people.  Smaller churches would have hosted anywhere from two or three people and upwards to fifteen or twenty people.*  As Jesus had stated, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them.”  Matthew 18:20*

In Conclusion

Based on the above evidence as to the actual size and membership of an early church, what can we conclude?  Tithing is not mentioned in the New Testament, either in way of contributions to the saints or in support of those in authority.* The prosperity gospel was not preached, nor is their evidence that the apostles or the majority of early Christians were wealthy by the world’s standards.

James 2:4-7 states:  “4 Have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?  5 Listen, my beloved brethren.  Has not God chose those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?  6 But you have dishonored the poor man.  Is it not the rich that oppress you, is it not they who drag you into court?  7 Is it not they who blaspheme the honorable name which was invoked over you?”  (See also 1 Corinthians 1:25-31)

 As stated in the above quotes, early Christians gave from their heart and were not under compulsion.  The funds accumulated were to help those fellow believers in financial need, and assist those in want, in prison bondage, in sickness, in burial, and in tribulation.  The New Testament does indicate that early Christians would have provided assistance, by sharing with those in leadership positions.  Such assistance would have been given to apostles, pastors, and elders, but to what extent?  Certainly the size of an early church and its relatively small membership presents a totally different scenario than what we see in most larger churches today.  This would also have been a factor in determining a church’s ability to sustain and provide for an elder or pastor.  The example that Paul and his fellow companions set, so as not to be a burden by accepting monetary provision or assistance in preaching the gospel, has to be considered.  Other factors would also have to be considered:  1. What was the size of an individual church and its membership?  2. Were the contributions being given to someone who was truly in need of assistance?  4. What was the age and health status of a brother or sister in need?  Would they have been capable of working?  5. What was the financial status of a believer who was requesting assistance?  If they were well off, should they not have been assisting other believers, who were truly in need?  6. Were the contributions administered being given to one who was truly in want or in tribulation and not to an imposter?*

The notion that all of those in church leadership were unconditionally guaranteed a living by the gospel is absent from the New Testament.  There is no evidence that those in leadership, held a salaried position or that this was a business.  The Apostle Paul encouraged all early believers to work hard with their own hands and not to be idle or lazy.  The example set by Paul and his companions, who consistently rejected assistance from the churches and chose to work hard with their own hands, would have been an example for those in leadership positions to emulate.  Even though Paul had the right to make a living by the gospel, he refrained whenever possible from exercising that right, so as not to be a burden to others.  This same example was also set by the other apostles, who were ill clad, hungry, homeless, knocked about, and who labored hard, doing manual labor with their own hands.  Paul referred to himself and his companions as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing everything.  Each individual church, its size, and the status of those in leadership positions, would have varied in this regard.  Any and all financial assistance was still voluntary by nature and taken up by collections, contributions, and sharing, based on what each one had pre-determined in his or her own heart.

*Red print is for variations of scriptural passages and/or for clarification.

*The size of an early Christian church is typified in the martyrdom of Justin Martyr and his church, which was comprised of Justin and his six companions.

Wikipedia states:  “Justin was tried, together with six companions, by the urban prefect Junius Rusticus, and was beheaded.  Though the precise year of his death is uncertain, it can reasonably be dated by the prefectoral term of Rusticus (who governed from 162 and 168).  The martyrdom of Justin preserves the court record of the trial.”

*Dr. Russel Earl Kelly PH. D. states:  “There is no biblical or historical evidence that the early church used tithing to pay its bills until it was legalized in the late 8th century.  This can be documented by almost every notable church historian from any major denomination.  Cyprian’s attempt in the middle of the third century was not adopted by the Church.  Neither was Chrysostom’s nor Augustine’s attempts in the 5th century.  Two local church attempts in the 6th century also failed.  Study “tithe” in any major reference work for validation of this history.”

Hasting’s Dictionary of the Apostolic Church, “tithe; tithing”

“It is admitted universally that the payment of tithes or the tenths of possessions, for sacred purposes did not find a place within the Christian Church during the age covered by the apostles and their immediate successors.

The ten-percent tithe faded away under the New Covenant, as did worship on the Sabbath, Temple rites, and the entire sacrificial system as it existed under the Mosaic Law.  The reason it is not mentioned in the New Testament is that there was nothing to talk about—tithing had ceased to exist.”

The New Catholic Encyclopedia summarizes this by saying, “The payment of tithes was adopted from the Old Law, and early writers speak of it as a divine ordinance and an obligation of conscience.  The earliest positive legislation on the subject seems to be contained in the letter of the bishops assembled at Tours in 567 and the canons of the Council of Macon in 585.”

*The Christian society, from the first, included the faithful from all social backgrounds and conditions — rich and poor, slaves and freemen — the Apostles were obliged to utter their beliefs as to the social inequalities which so profoundly divided the Roman world.  “For as many of you as have been baptized in Christ, have put on Christ.  There is neither Jew nor Greek: there is neither servant (slave) nor free: there is neither male nor female.  For you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  (Galatians 3:27-28; cf. 1 Corinthians 12:13)  There were no inscriptions on early Christian tombstones that distinguished those who were slaves from those who were freemen.  A significant number of early Christians were slaves, some historic estimates are as high as 50 percent.  This would once again debunk the concept of mandatory giving or tithing in the early church.  Those Christians, who were slaves, could not own property and therefore had nothing to give.

THE JERUSALEM COUNCIL (Acts, chapter 15): documents the only synod to ever be held in the early Christian church.  This large gathering in Jerusalem, included all of the apostles and elders of the early church.  Its purpose was to determine what was legally binding from the law of Moses on early Christians.  Many of these early believers were Gentile converts.  James (the half brother of Jesus) presided, under the guidance and auspicious of the Holy Spirit.  The final renderings from this apostolic council were given: to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.  Any restrictions, beyond this councils renderings, would have been considered legalism and an attempt to further burden the church, under the Law of Moses.  This would include such legalistic mandates as tithing, observing the sabbath, circumcision, etc.  These decrees, that were laid down by the Holy Spirit and the apostles in the first century, are still binding on all Christians, throughout the world today.

Acts Ch. 15 states:  “Now went they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the Law of Moses.’  Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.  And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them:  ‘Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe.  So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.  Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?  But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.’
Then the entire multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.  And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, ‘Men and brethren, listen to me: Simon (Peter) has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name.  And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written.  Amos 9:11:  ‘After this I will return; and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the LORD who will do these things…'”

The following letter was then sent to all the churches:  “For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden (trouble) than these necessary things; that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols (drink or meat sacrificed to idols- 1 Cor. 10:14-22) and from blood (eating or drinking blood– Gen. 9:4; Lev. 17:10-14; Deut. 12:23-25) and what has been strangled (eating or touching the carcass of a dead animal, not bled- Lev. 11:39-40, 17:15-16; Deut. 14:21) and from unchastity (fornication, sexual immorality- 1 Cor. 6:9; Gal. 5:19).  If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well (you will be doing right).  Farewell.”

This letter, from the Jerusalem council, was a referendum on all forms of legalism, future, past, and present.  The letter was sent out to all the churches.  It freed all early believers from the burden of keeping the Law of Moses. (Rd. Gal. 2:1-10, 15-21; Gal. 3:1-5, 10-14, 19-20, 24-25; Gal. 4:4-7; Gal. 5:1-4, 13-14; Col. 2:13-14 & Eph. 2:11-21)  The Jerusalem synod was arguably the most important event of the New Testament church.  Ironically, this letter, which contains the rulings set forth by the Holy Spirit and the apostles, is rarely, if ever, read in any church or for that matter preached from the pulpit.   (See Matthew 18:18-20)

*The Didache (‘Teachings’ of the Apostles) was written around c.100 AD and was included in the appendix of certain old Bibles, Ex.  Codex Hierosolymitanus (Greek: 11th century): “Concerning teachers, apostles and prophets… if they teach these things… receive them… but only for two days… if he remains three days, he is a false prophet… And when the apostle goes away, let him take nothing but bread until he lodges elsewhere.  If he asks for money, he is a false prophet… Whoever says in the Spirit, give me money… you shall not listen to him.  But if he tells you to give for other’s sake who are in need, let no one judge him… Whoever comes in the name of the Lord, prove and know him… Now every true prophet who wants to live among you is worthy of his support.  So also a true teacher… Every first-fruit …of the wine-press and threshing-floor, of oxen and sheep, you shall take and give to the prophets… but if you have no prophet, give it to the poor… Every Lord’s Day gather yourselves together, and break bread, and give thanksgiving after having confessed your sins and trespasses, that your sacrifice may be pure… Appoint for yourselves bishops and deacons worthy of the Lord, men meek, and not lovers of money, and truthful and proved…”

 

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