Opening the Gates of Heaven Perry Stone

future temple) to provide for the Levites and the priesthood. Tithing also continued into the New Testament, as indicated in Hebrews 7:8. In the early day of the Pentecostal movement, when church members were farmers the finances came in at harvest time when the farmers sold their produce. At times the faithful farmers would bring a tithe of eggs, bread, or other food to the church to provide food for the pastor and his family. In the southeastern mountains of Virginia, it was called a pounding . As God blessed the believers with jobs, they would then bring a tenth to God’s house in appreciation for God’s blessing them with work. The tithe assisted in the ministry salaries, church mortgages, church mission’s projects, and other important functions. Offerings were received for special guest ministries, needs of the congregation, and so forth. Under the old covenant, the Hebrew people were to bring certain animal sacrifices and present them to God at the temple. The daily routine at the temple eventually caused the sacred meaning of these offerings to be lost in the rituals. Eventually people presented blemished animals, which were blind, lame, or even diseased. The worshipers were keeping the best of their flocks for themselves and giving the worst as offerings to God. The Lord told the Hebrews that He would not receive their offerings because they were not following the commandments in the Torah.